Arts

‘Undertone’ is sonically inventive and thematically banal

By Spring LaRose | March 10

The podcast is a hot topic among media forms — an infinite, on-demand radio ecosystem of entertainment and indoctrination. Given its rather recent climb into the mainstream, the podcast remains mostly untrodden ground as far as film goes — and that makes it very fertile ground. “Undertone” is a bold experiment with the podcast in film, using it as a conduit of psychological and supernatural terror.

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News

Zara Larsson to headline Spring Fling, GROUPLOVE to open

By Amelia Sammons | March 5

Zara Larsson will headline Spring Fling, the Tufts University Social Collective announced this Thursday. The concert will take place on April 25 at 1:15 p.m. on the Academic Quad.

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Arts

‘Love Story’ Review: JFK Jr., Carolyn Bessette, the story we keep making up

By Sarin Chaimattayompol | March 5

“Love Story” (2026) opens outside a nail salon, where swarms of paparazzi wait to catch a glimpse of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy (Sarah Pidgeon). The camera flashes through the window and reflects onto her freshly painted red nails, but the moment the nail technician finishes, Bessette asks for a neutral shade instead. No mundane moment involving Bessette escaped public intrigue, least of all the heated ones. Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr.’s (Paul Anthony Kelly) arguments were splashed across magazines while paparazzi camped outside their apartment around the clock. As the season progresses and Bessette grows more entangled with both JFK Jr. and the limelight surrounding him, one begins to see this opening scene as illustrative of a woman being controlled by the public eye, down to the color of her nails.

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Arts

In ‘Vigil,’ George Saunders grieves life on earth

By Claire LeCates | March 3

“What a lovely home I found myself plummeting toward, acquiring, as I fell, arms, hands, legs, feet, all of which, as usual, became more substantial with each passing second.” So begins “Vigil.” Just as we are abruptly dropped into the surreal world of George Saunders’ latest novel, our principal character, Jill Blaine, is dropped onto Earth and into her signature black pumps. 

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Arts

On ‘Ca$ino,’ Baby Keem bets on himself

By Noah Goldstein | February 27

When Baby Keem’s first studio album, “The Melodic Blue,” dropped in September 2021, a future of chart-topping superstardom seemed almost inevitable for the Las Vegas-raised rapper. Similar to the reception of his first hit single, “Orange Soda,” the album’s release was followed by near-universal praise, and for a while it looked as if Keem’s arrival as a mainstay of modern hip-hop had come ahead of schedule. The summer following the release of “The Melodic Blue” saw Keem playing to the world’s biggest crowds — four nights at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, two at London’s O2 Arena and a particularly memorable livestreamed stop in Paris — as a central presence on his cousin Kendrick Lamar’s Big Steppers Tour. He dropped seven fresh tracks as a deluxe album in October of the following year. Then he disappeared.

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Arts

If you know, you know: Inside Tufts’ ‘Jumbo Jargon’

By Maya Godard | February 26

Whether you’re on your way to 574, planning for next year’s pumpkining, or about to hit up the Tisch fishbowl, you’re probably surrounded by the communal lingo of the Tufts student body, whether you realize it or not.

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Arts

On the world stage: How Haiti won the Winter Olympics for fashion

By Isadora Alexis | February 26

Haiti’s Winter Olympics uniform is a puffer set with designer Stella Jean’s signature: flare and bold color. A forest of green vegetation rises from the athletes’ feet, wrapping all around their legs and torsos, contrasting sharply with the bright red figure of a horse at the center. The women’s uniform features this animal on a quilted skirt that balloons out from the wearer’s waist; the same animal sits front and center on the jacket of the men’s uniform. While this horse has a saddle, the rider is noticeably absent.

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Columns

An Everyday Art Tour: An ephemeral art

By Sophie Herron | February 25

Donald Chapelle, founder and owner of Brilliant Ice Sculpture, made his first foray into the world of ice carving at 18 years old. He was living in a hotel and noticed a large block of ice in the freezer. A waiter told him it was used to make sculptures.

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Columns

The Bigger Picture: How Roman Polanski became his own ‘art’

By Linda Huang | February 19

Oscar-winning Polish director and convicted sex offender Roman Polanski can be said to have redefined the way ‘evilness’ was depicted on screen in the 1960s through his masterpiece “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968). Unfortunately, just nine years later, he redefined the same evil himself by committing statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.

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Columns

The Bigger Picture: ‘When Harry Met Sally…’

By Linda Huang | February 13

Welcome back to my column! Thanks to the one and only movie review submission I received last semester, today I’ll be revisiting Rob Reiner’s classic, heartwarming, Valentine’s-perfect “When Harry Met Sally…” (1989) — easily one of my all-time favorite comfort rewatches.

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Columns

Evanescence and the Beautiful Foolishness of Things: Spring snow

By Isabella Jin | February 13

According to the traditional Chinese calendar, on Feb. 4, we officially transitioned into spring. The first season in the 24-term solar calendar, Lichun (立春), marks the start of the new year and the beginning of harvest. It is also known as risshun in Japanese, ipchun in Korean and lập xuân in Vietnamese. Lichun doesn’t mark the immediate defrosting of snow, yet it is felt as and symbolizes the first marks of blooming life. In fact, the present snow is often seen as a contributor to the joys of the season because, as snow gradually melts, it nourishes the ground underneath to bring a strong, lucrative harvest. Beyond its practical role, snow also holds powerful symbolism and aesthetic meaning in East Asian thought. 

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Arts

Catch up on 'The Fall-Off'

By Isadora Alexis | February 12

On Feb. 6, J. Cole released his seventh and final album, “The Fall-Off.” This double-disc project is a self-reflection of Cole’s life and career as a prominent rapper in the music industry. 

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Arts

From GNX to DtMF: A defining Grammy night

By Makens Joseph | February 12

The 68th annual Grammy Awards showcased veteran artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga and others taking home multiple Grammys, alongside new artists like Olivia Dean making their mark on the industry. The Grammys, held on Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, were hosted by comedian Trevor Noah.

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Theater

Union Comedy’s ‘Here It Comes!’ delivers sketch with improv flair

By Spring LaRose | February 11

A man walks out in pink spandex and a pig nose, and the crowd bursts into laughter that is both stifled and uproarious. The dim, purple lights of The Rockwell cast him in both shadow and spotlight. Soon, the stage is filled with a whole cast of barn animals, a farmer’s daughter and, of course, a sexed-up song set to the tune of “Belle.” This is the grand finale – and it’s been a real good time.

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Music

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show brings Puerto Rican culture center stage

By Brian Becker | February 11

Recently, the NFL Super Bowl Halftime show has provided a means to flex the rich cultural diversity the United States has to offer. Bad Bunny delivered a cutting-edge performance, upholding, but also deviating from, the standards of the Super Bowl halftime show.A native of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny — born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — performed almost entirely in Spanish, a clear appeal to Puerto Ricans as well as millions of others of Latine descent in the country.

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Columns

An Everyday Art Tour: A unique statement

By Sophie Herron | February 5

Ellie Ayati Jian began her career as a milliner by coincidence. Originally trained as an architect and interior designer, she stepped into the world of hat-making when a friend asked her to enter the contest for the Longines Prize for Elegance at the Belmont Stakes, a fashion contest in New York. When Jian couldn’t find a fascinator to match her outfit, she decided to make one instead, ultimately winning the prize for most elegant look of the day.

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Theater

‘The Cloud Collector’ explores imagination and identity

By Spring LaRose | January 30

This abridged production of the musical “The Cloud Collector” is part of The Rockwell’s Work-in-Progress Showcase, a series that allows artists to workshop pieces for a live audience. The show tells the story of Hazel (Robin Elmer), a young transgender playwright who reconnects with his lost girlhood in a fantasy dreamworld.

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