Solar Eclipse – April 8, 2024
This year, the earth had its last total solar eclipse until August 23, 2044. Though we had another back in the summer of 2017, the recent solar eclipse saw much more attention. According to American optics, over 70 million pairs of eclipse glasses were sold this year: 30 million more than they sold during the last eclipse. Many people gathered around with friends and family to see this astral phenomenon go down.
“I was on my deck at home with my younger brother watching the solar eclipse. It was really beautiful, even though it was only a partial eclipse in our area,” sophomore Scott Hill said.
The Tortured Poets Department – Taylor Swift – April 19, 2024
This December, Taylor Swift is the fifth most streamed artist on Spotify. So, no surprise that when she announced the up-and-coming release of The Tortured Poets Department at the Grammys in February, fans went wild. When the album finally released in April, the album garnered over 300 million streams on its first day. Swift has long been accused by critics of producing repetitive and boring songs, so what makes The Tortured Poets Department different from her other ten albums?
“It’s definitely different from other albums of hers in the past,” sophomore Erin Dutcher said. “It doesn’t have that story-telling aspect like Folklore or Evermore, but it still has that poeticness to it that draws people in.”
But is different good? “I’ve been a Swiftie for a long time, and this is definitely one of my favorite albums. It has a lot of variety and a nice beat to it throughout,” Dutcher said.
brat – Charli XCX – June 7, 2024
Let’s Talk about Charlie XCX’s brat album and Rewind back to June of this year. The album’s No. 1 status happened due to the help of social media, causing the songs Apple, Von Dutch, and 360 to go crazy popular.
“My favorite song on brat is probably club classic, I think it’s just very fun, energetic, and a good song to dance to,” sophomore Maddie Botta said. brat inspired probably the most popular trend of this year, brat summer, a lifestyle that encourages enjoying life as much as you can in spite of the struggles you’re facing.
Deadpool & Wolverine – July 26, 2024
Six years after Ryan Reynolds last made an appearance on screen as Deadpool and seven years after Hugh Jackman’s Logan, Deadpool & Wolverine hit theaters. It earned 1.338 billion dollars at the box office, making it the twentieth highest grossing movie of all time.
“It was amazing, the actors did very well, the CGI is by far the best it’s ever been,” sophomore Xavier Markels said. The multiverse movie approach wasn’t perfect though. “I did feel like some of the information about the TVA was not well explained in the movie, and would have been difficult to follow if you hadn’t watched Loki.” Markels said.
The Olympics Paris Games – July 26 – August 11, 2024
This year the Olympics took place in Paris, France. This round of the Olympic Games was interesting, to say the least. Some of the most infamous moments were the second-hand embarrassment of a sport, professional break dancing (Unfortunately, this will be its first and last time in the Olympics), and when Yusuf Dikec won a silver medal in the most nonchalant way imaginable. “The guy that showed up in a regular outfit to the short shooter event was by far my favorite part of the Olympics,” sophomore Catherine Cutini said.
Short n’ Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter – August 23, 2024
From being the bad girl on Girl meets World to being called a homewrecker due to Oliva Rodrigo’s hit single Driver’s License, Sabrina Carpenter has been in the public eye for quite some time. In the past year, she has garnered a new title of being one of the most influential women in pop music.
“She’s iconic and historical. I’ve always liked her, and she is an amazing singer, very funny, and talented,” sophomore Jamie O’Brein said.
Carpenter’s new album Short n’ Sweet, the songs Espresso and Please Please Please have infiltrated the brain cells of everyone who has a phone. “My favorite song on Short n’ Sweet is Slim Pickins,” O’Brien said. “I think the lyrics are very relatable in this generation with the desperation to have a good guy when there aren’t a lot of good guys out there like in movies and TV shows”.
Moo Deng – September 10, 2024
On July 10th at Khao Kheow Open in Chonburi, Thailand, a pygmy hippopotamus named Moo Deng was born. Just two months later, a video of Moo Deng mimicking her mother’s action went viral on TikTok, garnering Moo Deng an onslaught of new fans. Even with all the negativity on the internet, people are finding it hard to hate the precious chubby baby that is Moo Deng. “I think she’s just a cute baby hippopotamus. I think the hype is justified. I don’t have a problem with it at all,” sophomore Hannah McDonagh said. “With all the horrible things that happen on social media every day, it’s nice to have something that is literally impossible to cancel. I think that Moo Deng has a positive impact on the internet because she’s something cute that people can bond about. And the zoo has a lot of tourists now due to Moo Deng, who helps them out and all the animals at the zoo”.
Outer Banks – Season 4 – October 10, 2024
Starting in 2020, the show Outer Banks has gathered a large cult following. Outer Banks is about two groups of teenagers getting into conflict while on the search for lost treasure. Season four of the show got released recently, and let’s just say that fans were not particularly happy about it. “I think the other seasons are actually a lot better. JJ kind of just ruined the show for me this season, while in the previous three seasons he was by far my favorite character,” sophomore Ellie Watts said. “Other fans have said the group has lost its appeal with everyone sectioned off into couples for every adventure. While not all fans hate the show, it seems a large majority were disappointed.