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Danyelle Khmara of Pima Community College’s Aztec Press covered my co-producers Natasha Noir and I in her “Wild Women Shaking the Season" story.

By KATIE STEWART

People can touch each other’s lives in particular ways ranging from being a friend, to writing a book, writing a song or acting as a character in a movie.

On Feb. 2, the legendary actor Philip Seymour Hoffman lost this battle, and left the world’s stage. Hoffman was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in his New York City apartment at the age of 46.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was an actor who starred in more than 50 feature films, and also acted in countless stage performances that affected people throughout the world.

Hoffman was the type of actor who would totally disappear into the character he was playing.

Some of his most noteworthy films include: “Boogie Nights” (1997), “The Big Lebowski” (1998), “Almost Famous” (2000) and finally his latest role as Plutarch Heavensbee in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” that came out in late 2013.

Hoffman earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performances in “Doubt” (2008), and “The Master” (2012) and walked away with an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2005 for his portrayal as the title character in “Capote.”

Hoffman was an accomplished theater actor and director as well.

He performed in three Broadway plays that led to three Tony Award nominations including two for Best Leading Actor in “True West” (2000), and “Death of a Salesman” (2012) and one for Best Featured Actor in “Long Day’s Journey into Night” (2003).

In 2010, Hoffman starred in his directorial debut with the picture “Jack Goes Boating.”

But, it was Hoffman’s performances that freshly molded movie making into a truer art form that will inspire actors, and actress alike for generations to come.

New York Times’ reporter Bruce Weber described Hoffman as one of the greatest American actors of his generation, “who gave three-dimensional nuance to a wide range of sidekicks, villains and leading men on screen and embraced some of the theater’s most burdensome roles on Broadway.”

Like most artists, Hoffman had demons that he couldn’t rid himself of. Unfortunately, as a recovering addict Hoffman had trouble getting over the seductive world of drugs, and alcohol that he eventually sought help for in May of 2013.

Many of the world’s greatest performers have fought on the front lines of the war with addiction, and luckily some have proven victorious.

Sadly, Hoffman lost his battle with addiction, and as we move forward his ambitions will be remembered as an exceptional, endless talent that will forever project a beautiful shadow on the silver screen.

By Katie Stewart

Every new year brings many annual events, from football playoffs to the start of a new semester. For stars of the big screen, the new year means award season.

From the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild honors to the prestigious Academy Awards, it’s the playoffs for film stars and movie creators.

Actors and directors have their hard work recognized as films from the previous year earn nominations and accolades from different groups around the world.

Movies from the past like “Gone with the Wind,” which earned eight Academy Awards in 1939, and the legendary “Titanic,” which earned 11 Oscars in 1997, continue to set the standard for filmmakers and audiences alike.

Motion pictures will live on, but so too will the many actors, screenwriters, directors, producers and composers who breathe life into these masterpieces.

Actors who’ve won multiple awards throughout the years, such as Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day Lewis, Katherine Hepburn and Meryl Streep, have taken movie making to its truest art form.

The same is true for directors like Steven Spielberg, who won best director for films like “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan,” and John Ford, who won four Academy Awards for movies like “The Grapes of Wrath.”

The annual award season can also make or break an actor’s career.

Jennifer Lawrence lost the Best Actress category in 2011 for her role in “Winter’s Bone” but went on to star in the franchise “The Hunger Games” as Katniss Everdeen. She won an Oscar in 2013 for “Silver Linings Playbook” as Tiffany Maxwell for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Lawrence is now a global sensation, most recently earning a Best Actress in a Supporting Role nomination for the film “American Hustle.”

However, winning an Oscar doesn’t guarantee overnight success or household recognition.

The actor Jean Dujardin starred in the film “The Artist” and won in the Best Actor category in 2012. Dujardin hasn’t really been heard from since.

The award season also alerts audiences to see the films that have been nominated. Unknown writers, directors and actors can utilize the award season buzz and get their name out to the public.

David O. Russell, who is both a director and writer, is finally getting feedback and praise for his character-driven films like “Silver Linings Playbook,” “The Fighter” and “American Hustle.”

His latest film, “American Hustle,” is about survival of the fittest in a sense, with some betrayal. It is filled with raw dialogue that leaves viewers quoting each scene.

Some of those consumers wouldn’t be in theaters if there weren’t awards to promote the films, actors and movie makers every year.

Gitesh Pandya of boxofficeguru.com made that point about “American Hustle,” writing, “With its incredible star power and awards buzz, ‘American Hustle’ led all the newly minted Best Picture Oscar nominees with an estimated $10.6 million for a hearty 28 percent jump.”

Who will win the 2014 Academy Awards?

It’s a tie for Best Actor in a Leading Role, judging by early awards. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey have each earned Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards.

The Best Actress in a Leading Role will obviously go to Cate Blanchett for her role in “Blue Jasmine,” directed by Woody Allen.

Jared Leto will win the Best Actor in a Supporting Role award for his role in “Dallas Buyers Club.” He has already won his first Golden Globe, Critics Choice award and Screen Actors Guild award.

Lawrence is tied with newcomer Lupita Nyong’o, who gained buzz for her role as Patsey in “12 Years a Slave.” Lawrence won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and Nyong’o won the Screen Actors Guild award.

I predict Nyong’o will win for her stunning performance.

The magic of award season brings excitement for aspects ranging from screenwriting to acting. Many little things add up to one major artistic creation: the motion picture.

Academy Award nominations for 2014

The live Oscar presentation will take place March 2 on ABC. Nominations include:

Best Picture:

“12 Years a Slave”

“American Hustle”

“Captain Phillips”

“Dallas Buyers Club”

“Gravity”

“Her”

“Nebraska”

“Philomena”

“The Wolf of Wall Street”

Best Director:

Alfonso Cuarón – “Gravity”

Steve McQueen – “12 Years a Slave”

Alexander Payne – “Nebraska”

David O. Russell – “American Hustle”

Martin Scorsese – “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

Christian Bale – “American Hustle” as Irving Rosenfeld

Bruce Dern – “Nebraska” as Woody Grant

Leonardo DiCaprio – “The Wolf of Wall Street” as Jordan Belfort

Chiwetel Ejiofor – “12 Years a Slave” as Solomon Northup

Matthew McConaughey – “Dallas Buyers Club” as Ron Woodroof

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

Amy Adams – “American Hustle” as Sydney Prosser

Cate Blanchett – “Blue Jasmine” as Jeanette “Jasmine” Francis

Sandra Bullock – “Gravity” as Dr. Ryan Stone

Judi Dench – “Philomena” as Philomena Lee

Meryl Streep – “August: Osage County” as Violet Weston

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips” as Abduwali Muse

Bradley Cooper – “American Hustle” as Richard “Richie” DiMaso

Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave” as Edwin Epps

Jonah Hill – “The Wolf of Wall Street” as Donnie Azoff

Jared Leto – “Dallas Buyers Club” as Rayon

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine” as Ginger

Jennifer Lawrence – “American Hustle” as Rosalyn Rosenfeld

Lupita Nyong’o – “12 Years a Slave” as Patsey

Julia Roberts – “August: Osage County” as Barbara Weston-Fordham

June Squibb – “Nebraska” as Kate Grant

Best Writing – Original Screenplay:

“American Hustle” – Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell

“Blue Jasmine” – Woody Allen

“Dallas Buyers Club” – Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack

“Her” – Spike Jonze

“Nebraska” – Bob Nelson

Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay:

“Before Midnight” – Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke

“Captain Phillips” – Billy Ray

“Philomena” – Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope

“12 Years a Slave” – John Ridley

“The Wolf of Wall Street” – Terence Winter

http://aztecpressonline.com/?s=KATIE+STEWART&x=43&y=8

Reporter and Editor of the A&E section for the Aztec Press at PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE in Tucson, AZ. 

http://aztecpressonline.com/2013/11/sun-bones-seeks-truest-possible-sound/

Sun Bones seeks 'Truest Possible' Sound

By KATIE STEWART

The Tucson-based band Sun Bones calls their upcoming performance at the Rialto Theatre their biggest performance to date.

The group, which plays a variety of genres from folk and hip-hop to rock and classical, continues to evolve from humble beginnings as high school musicians.

Sun Bones consists of:

Evan Casler – guitar, vocals, percussion, bass

Sam Golden – vocals, guitar

Bob Hanshaw – bass, vocals, guitar

Seth Vietti – drums, vocals

Golden and Vietti started in a folk band called Grandpa Moses, and invited Hanshaw to join them in 2007 for a high school battle of the bands. They later formed a rock band called Boreas. Casler joined as a University of Arizona student.

“We all met in high school and college,” Hanshaw said. “I met Evan Casler in the UA choir and he eventually joined the band.”

The close-knit musicians say they work together to form a whole.

“If we were a skeleton, Sam would be the head, Bob would be the spine, I would be the hips and Seth would be the flailing arms and legs,” Casler said.

Casler also described Hanshaw as a kind of a father figure and mad scientist, while Golden is the technician and Vietti is the gleeful heart-throb. Casler sees himself as the hype-man and boogie machine.

Each musician has had classical training, including vocal and music composition.

“I think it’s fair to say that we retain a part of the rigor and language of all classical music instruction,” Vietti said.

It helps them as a group to listen closely and think critically when they’re making new material or adding to old compositions.

The group is hard pressed to explain why they started to perform together.

Hanshaw said any bunch of teenagers that knows how to play music will think it is exciting and cool to be in a band.

Like most teen bands, they began by playing cover songs for friends. By the time they formed Sun Bones, music had become a life-affirming pastime.

“I don’t think any of us would feel whole at this point if we weren’t playing music in some kind of group,” Hanshaw said.

“The kind of music we play always comes back to one thing ‘accessible, but not ordinary,’” he added. “Leonard Bernstein said that about Beethoven’s music, and we try to make it true of ours.”

They love pop, punk, beautiful melodies and aggressive in-your-face energy, but also like to challenge themselves with twists. The goal is to create something unexpected but tasteful.

Their first song, “Kamikaze Dream” from their album “Sentinel Peak,” posed a challenge.

“It was really hard and kind of demoralizing,” Hanshaw said. “But we eventually did get it down how we liked it. Once it was there, it was kind of a relief.”

The “Sentinel Peak” album was transformative because it gave the group direction for genre and type of band. Their producer, Charles Dorman, helped them focus and narrow their range of sound.

“Sentinel Peak was very diverse, but also was clearly unified,” Hanshaw said.

When they gradually worked toward a second album, they had a better sense of where to go.

Their goal for the future is to make as much music as possible to its truest possible sound to make people happy.

Each performance provides a different experience, but band members say that they practice a set of songs so much that it eventually becomes a routine.

Vietti described performing as a strange and addicting confrontation between perfection and chaos.

Reactions from fans have touched them, almost in a spiritual sense, and they’re very honored by the impact they’ve had.

“If that’s something we can do for people, then we want to do that as much as possible,” Hanshaw said.

It amazes them that they’re making even a bit of difference in people’s lives through their music.

“We’re always so focused on making music better and better that we don’t really know how to react when people respond to it,” Casler said.

For more information about Sun Bones, visit http://sunbones.com/epk.

FYI

Sun Bones, with other alt indie bands including Best Dog Award and The Electric Blankets

When: Dec. 7 at 9 p.m.

Where: Rialto Theatre, 318 E Congress St.

Admission: $5

 By KATIE STEWART

 In today’s media, outer beauty has become more important than what a person thinks or feels.

The need for character and morals has been cast aside. Instead, we value role models for being skinny and pretty, or buff and handsome.

This emphasis on physical beauty comes with a price. Children and young adults are feeling the effects.

Being bombarded with ideals of bodily appearance can lead to many psychological problems, including self-loathing and low self-esteem. Striving to a have a “perfect” body can cause depression, eating disorders, self-mutilation and even suicide.

In a 2009 interview, model Kate Moss was asked whether she had a motto. Her reply: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”

What does this say to her young audience?

 It presents the idea that size 0 is your only option for happiness. It tells a young viewer that being different is not acceptable.

In 2011, actress/singer Demi Lovato revealed her history of being bullied by other children when she was growing up.

“I literally didn’t know why they were being so mean to me,” Lovato said. “When I would ask them why, they would just say, ‘Well, you’re fat.’”

At age 11, Lovato started self-mutilating to deal with the pain of bullying.

“It was a way of expressing my own shame, of myself, on my own body,” she said.

Even as celebrities share their bullying experiences, the media continues to negatively contribute to ideas about body imagine and outer beauty.

And it doesn’t only happen to girls. Body image also affects the male population.

In an article, “Beauty and the Boy: The Impact of Negative Body Image on Our Boy,” Peggy Drexler cited a study from the journal Pediatrics.

The study found that 40 percent of boys in middle and high school exercise regularly and 90 percent at least occasionally, with the specific goal of bulking up.

Numerous studies have explored how media affects young audiences. Some key findings:

Forty percent of girls ages 9 and 10 have tried to lose weight, according to an ongoing study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

In a study of fifth graders, 10-year-old girls and boys told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears.

Another study found that 53 percent of American girls are unhappy with their bodies at age 13. The percentage grows to 78 percent by the time girls reach 17.

On television shows watched by teen girls, 56 percent of commercials aimed at female viewers used beauty as a product appeal. By comparison, this is true of just 3 percent of television commercials aimed at men.

Up to 10 million adolescent girls and women struggle with eating disorders and borderline eating conditions.

Ninety percent of those who have eating disorders are women between the ages of 12 and 25, according to the Center for Mental Health Services.

Each year, millions of U.S. residents are affected by serious and sometimes life-threatening eating disorders. More than 90 percent of those afflicted are adolescent and young adult women. 

When growing up, we learn and begin to form ideas from the world around us. The media gives us a sense of what is acceptable and what is not.

As long as movies and music concentrate on the biological attractiveness of people rather than their moral character, problems such as bullying, eating disorders and other psychological problems will continue.

Measuring people by how cute they are or how many push-ups they can do only contributes to the negative images and ideas portrayed by the media.

Instead, we should teach young people to place greater respect on inner beauty, intelligence, personality and morals.

We can only hope that sometime in the future, people will be valued and praised because they have something meaningful to contribute.