Why removing a host was the best choice for The Oscars
by Matthew Yapp
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by Matthew Yapp
By Brandon Carson The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board. If you were a teen in the 2000’s, chances are you have listened to Paramore. Lead singer Hayley Williams, guitarist Josh Farro, drummer Zac Farro, and bassist Jeremy Davis all hail from Franklin, Tennessee. Growing pains and breakups have definitely plagued the band members with hard times over the years. With some lineup changes, Paramore has managed to create a discography with sounds ranging from emo rock to indie pop. With hits like “That’s What You Get,” “Misery Business,” and “Ain’t It Fun,” Paramore has toured the world bringing fun melodies, catchy hooks, and heartfelt lyrics to fans everywhere. In this guide I will cover all five Paramore studio albums from All We Know Is Falling to After Laughter.
by Baylie Clevenger The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte's editorial board. After a whirlwind of controversy involving Kevin Hart, who was originally meant to be the host of the 91st Oscars, this Sunday will officially bring us the first ceremony since 1989 with no host. Every year, the ceremony relies on a host to make the show flow from one corny joke to the next amidst the numerous awards. The last time they didn’t have a host… well… it didn’t go so well. The ceremony featured an 11-minute long musical number featuring people in unsettling faceless star costumes as well as awkward and poor acting from Eileen Bowman who did the performance dressed as Snow White with the high-pitched voice to match. She walked around the crowd singing to the audience members — who looked beyond unimpressed — in a falsetto tone that was almost painful to listen to. The whole performance seemed forced and, quite frankly, it was easy to tell they did not know what to do without a host. For a while, awards shows have been struggling with viewership. Since this is the case, they seem to be getting more and more desperate to find something that is both humorous and attention-grabbing. Without a host, there is no telling what they might come up with. The whole Snow White mess happened when people were still watching. For example, the 2018 Emmys featured a tactless segment about how progressive awards shows are nowadays and giving “reparation Emmys” to people of color to make up for the past whitewashing of awards shows. Keep in mind that this was featured during an awards show where most of the televised awards were given to white nominees. This was a desperate attempt to boost views in the name of diversity. Given that Kevin Hart was removed from his position as host because of a scandal involving homophobic tweets, is it safe to assume that we will see the same kind of skit giving reparation Oscars to gay people? Will we get another 11-minute disaster-fest like the last hostless Oscars? Will they bring Snow White back to pierce all of our eardrums with her falsetto? These are all questions that I am terrified to learn the answers to. All I can ask for is that they don’t bring back those ominous, faceless stars with legs. Whatever the Oscars bring us on Sunday, I am sure we will be disappointed… but not surprised.
by Blake Chapman The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte's editorial board. 2018 was one arduous 12-month stretch of time. The United States seems to still be divided, politically and socially with debates over the future of the country and the world taking place daily. However, if there is one thing Americans can agree on, it is questioning the odd choices the Academy of Motion Pictures makes about the Oscars. It was not a very positive 2018 for the Academy, which included hosts stepping down, backlash about whatever that “popular film” category was supposed to be and the decision to not honor some of the most integral members of the filmmaking process. Controversy aside, the program has also been losing viewership consistently over the last five years. With some fresh ideas and a couple risks, the Oscars could be well on their way back into the spotlight.
by Ian Roesler The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte's editorial board. Machinima was a company that specialized in video game related content entertainment. Let’s start with a brief overview before detailing the decline. Machinima first began in the distant past of January 2000. The name comes from a portmanteau of “machine” and “cinema.” They had a popular Youtube channel that they started in the early days of Youtube. Machinima was important because they helped to popularize video game entertainment that was beyond just playing video games. Many famous Youtubers worked for Machinima, such as Darksyde Phil and Maximilian Dood. In addition they also had their own original shows. I highly recommend Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Check it out on Steam. Machinima was not without its controversies, however. The biggest controversy concerning Machinima was regarding the contracts its creators were under. Some of the stipulations in the contract that creators signed was that Machinima held the rights to the videos that content creators uploaded for life. Also, in the contract was that they could advertise on videos, but the creators got a percentage of the profits. So, that kinda evens it out in a way. Sure, you don’t have ownership of the content you worked hard to create, but you get a percentage of the profits. Always read your contracts carefully, folks. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1275"] Image from Imgur[/caption] Currently Machinima has 12 million subscribers and all of its videos set to private. They were acquired by Warner in 2016, and just recently Warner was acquired by AT&T. Technically, Machinima was acquired by Otter Media which is owned by AT&T. But back to Machinima, the reason why all their videos have been set to private is that they stated that new content will be put up on new channels instead. Machinima was on a decline when they were bought. Understandably, creators were not happy. All that content just gone. I don’t have much experience managing a billion-dollar company. Just recently they laid off 81 employees. The website is still up and you can still apply for a job. Some of the perks include dental and activities led by the “Fun Police.” The way that things are it remains to be seen what will ultimately become of Machinima. However, I do have some theories as to what may happen. The first theory is that Machinima may go the way of the dodo. For reasons that I will discuss later, I believe that this one is the least likely. I don’t see much recent evidence to support this, if this is the case however, they must be doing some hardcore trolling before the end. My next theory is closely related to the first. Machinima will still exist, however it’ll exist in a sort of limbo. It’ll stay in its current state, never being updated. It’ll be just there, existing like a houseplant in a corner. This is the case of another former Internet big name: StumbleUpon. Nowadays, their website redirects to Mix, which is a similar website. This one I feel has more of a possibility of happening. Maybe Machinima will be forgotten amidst all the other companies that AT&T own. Which is seven major ones at the moment. The third and final theory is that Machinima will be rebranded or relaunched. I believe this to be the most likely of my theories. The first evidence to support this is that Machinima has changed their logo from their familiar red to a new green logo. I find it unlikely that a company going out of business would make the effort to change a logo. Albeit, weirder things have happened. Another piece of evidence I would like to mention, or more accurately, re-mention is that their videos still exist in a way. They were set to private for a cost-cutting matter. I imagine that it’d be a lot cheaper to either delete the videos or the channel itself. Or leave them up and continue to collect ad revenue, but potentially continue to pay the creators. Another thing, their Twitter feed was still being updated. As of today their last tweet was three days ago, but it appears that their account was deleted between then and now. Prior to deletion they had tweeted random letters of the alphabet. Also, Rooster Teeth announced that they are going to relaunch some of Machinima’s shows. Rooster Teeth is an entertainment company in a similar vein to Machinima. And guess what? They’re owned by Otter Media as well. So it looks like Machinima will exist in some form or another for the time being.
With the winners of the 2019 Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards already announced, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) will host the 91st Academy Awards Feb. 24. Also known as the Oscars, the Academy Awards will honor films released in 2018.
by Baylie Clevenger Music is a part of life that has always brought people together. Whether it be through storytelling or connecting people with similar music interests, music is universally loved and celebrated. Ball State junior Ashley Vega has found some beautiful opportunities within her love for music and concerts. Her passion for music has brought her a whole group of friends and even decided her career path. Ashley has been to more than 20 concerts, and she has traveled for about 15 of those. She spends a lot of time camping out for shows so that she can get in and find her favorite spot on the barricade for the show, and spend time with her friends in line. She has also dedicated a lot of her concertgoing time to one artist, Hoodie Allen, whose concerts she says brought her most of her concert friends. Through her dedication, she has also gotten to know Allen as well as his crew and band over the years. “The best part is making friends and getting lost in the music, also forming relationships with the artists. The worst part is the cost and how mentally and physically taxing it is. Losing all that sleep and doing all of that traveling is extremely exhausting, but well worth it for the experiences,” she said. While Vega does not think there is necessarily a culture, the way people go to concerts has certainly evolved over the years. Seeing how people camp out, interact with artists, and dedicate time and money to the concert experience, I would argue that there is a culture surrounding modern concerts. “...So I think avid concert-goers participate in a certain culture whether or not they mean to. People who travel hundreds of miles, or camp out for hours or days, or wait after the show to meet people, or know every lyric, or never miss a chance to see a certain artist, are all a part of concert culture...” said one of Vega’s concertgoing friends, Sarah Wolf, 17. Concerts in current times have gotten a lot easier to attend. They have also become safer. With technology and and the rapid spread of information, concertgoers are able to sustain themselves while camping outside of venues for hours and traveling long ways to see their favorite artists. Even with the ease of concertgoing nowadays, Vega says she would have participated in this lifestyle, regardless of the era.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a legal name change.
From creating and decorating environmentally-conscious crafts, such as reusable tote bags, to hosting guest speakers, the natural resources and environmental management club (NREM) works to bring attention to environmental issues.
The recent exhibit at The David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA) honors some of Muncie’s most famous and influential painters, including their artwork and their marriage.
by Tanner Kinney The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board. If there’s one video game genre that defines the second half of the 2010s, it’s battle royale. Coming out of nowhere with mods of games, like Minecraft: Hunger Games or the Arma 3 mod that later became PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, it quickly became wildly popular. The genre was massive on Twitch, with PUBG having millions of concurrent players despite being a fairly rough game in terms of mechanics. The genre would later completely explode through Epic Games’ Fortnite: Battle Royale, which is certainly the winner winner, chicken dinner of the genre… or is it? Recently, a true challenger has arrived to take on Fortnite and is actually giving it a run for its money. That challenger is Apex Legends, a game from Respawn (developers of Titanfall) that released out of nowhere and quickly gained quite the audience. The game has found a playerbase of 25 million within its first week, and completely eclipsed Fortnite in terms of viewership on Twitch. Epic finally has a fire under its butt to start delivering on even more player demands, and competition is definitely healthy. And then, even more out of nowhere, Nintendo announces Tetris 99 during their February 2019 Nintendo Direct, a Tetris-flavored battle royale game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS-9Y9apW0Q&feature=youtu.be Yes, you read that right, Tetris, but a battle royale. And it actually works way better than it has any right to work. It’s honestly incredible to see something so strange as a puzzle battle royale, but it makes you think: what other games/genres would work for battle royale? I’ve rattled my brain and scratched out some amazing ideas, and have come up with a few games that would be perfect as battle royales. And don’t worry developers, if you take my ideas, you don’t even need to call me. We’ll both know where it came from, even if no one else does.
by Blake Chapman Film adaptations of any piece of media have always seemed to be a mixed bag. Writers and directors are handed the monumental task of portraying the source material with accuracy while also not alienating those who are not current fans. This complex process is not confined to Hollywood, however. For years, the anime and manga industry in Japan has been trying to perfect their own formula with a somewhat mixed reception. “Alita: Battle Angel” along with these five other live-action retellings choose to head straight for the silver screen.
Most Friday nights, Brandon Warren would typically stay out late. However, on May 5, 2017, his instincts told him he needed to go home early.
Planning for Valentine’s Day is not always the easiest job, especially if you live on campus and you don’t know Muncie very well.
by Emily Reuben Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and time is running out to get a date, to buy some flowers, and to express your undying love to another human being. The stress of finding a perfect gift and a person to give it to can be overwhelming. But hey, the stress is better than ending up lonely on Valentine’s Day...right? What if I were to tell you that you can eat those fancy candies yourself and keep that adorable teddy bear while still having a relationship? The video game industry has you covered, friend. Marriage and dating are factors in many role-playing games, and with the amount of dating simulators on the market, finding a suitable digital romance is a breeze. Let’s be honest, what’s the point of a physical relationship when you can have a virtual one with little-to-no commitment? Chocolate is expensive and once you spend the money and eat it, it’s gone, but games can last a lifetime. So, are you lonely? Do you want a quick and easy relationship with no consequences or expectations? Do you want to play some video games instead of reserving a seat at some overrated, crowded eatery on Valentine’s Day? Then sit down and scroll through, because this is the list for you!
by Matthew Yapp Love is in the air as we approach the anniversary of everyone’s favorite massacre. That’s right Valentine’s Day. A day to celebrate love, as if it wasn’t already held to a high enough regard in our society. While today may be many peoples favorite holiday and a prime opportunity to cuddle up with their significant other, for many queer people it’s not quite as enamoring. For a lot of queer youth, they spent their early years in the closet, unable to truly celebrate love on a day centered around it. Even people who are out often find trouble participating seeing as how it’s fairly common for people to run into opposition when being romantic as a queer person. But hey, even if queer people can’t always celebrate in the same way everyone else does at least they can go with a classic Netflix and chill and watch some endearing gay movie, right? Actually, as you’ve probably guessed from my sarcastic set-up, that’s not the case either. Whether it be uncomfortable age gaps or the fact that many of these LGBTQ movies really only focus on white, cisgender, gay men queer love stories can run into quite a few issues. Perhaps the biggest problem they run into though is they get really depressing. I mean, debatably the most popular queer love story of all time is Brokeback Mountain, which will make you weep just thinking about it. “Bury your gays” is a trope that has dominated pop culture for quite some time now. What it means is that movies have started creating queer characters and love plots, but they always end in death. While representation is fantastic, it doesn’t always feel amazing to have the love stories that you relate with end in tragedy over and over again. Now a major reason behind this is many of the current queer writers and filmmakers grew up in a less accepting world and thus writing from their own experience made their stories a bit darker. So yes, while it is very realistic that a lot of queer love of the past and even present can be riddled with tragedy, you don’t always want to see it on the big screen. Sometimes you want to just sit back and watch a cheesy romcom that has characters like you in it. With all these issues in mind, I’ve set out to create the perfect queer Valentine’s movie list all available to stream online right now either on Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon. Hopefully these movies will be perfect for you to cuddle up with everyone you love and won’t make you cry since they don’t end with a depressing long shot of sad Timothée Chalamet that will break your heart (he’s a good boy, he deserved better).
by Baylie Clevenger The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte's editorial board. Ada Lovelace is considered to be the first computer programmer. Annie Easley created the technology that we now use for hybrid cars. Dona Bailey helped give us the coin-operated Atari games that later evolved into computer games. Grace Hopper was a pioneer in computer programming. Women have always done important work in the world of technology, but with only 20% of technology career positions being filled by women, you’d never know it. Preconceived notions about which career fields women do and do not belong in make it easy to maintain a technology industry with little representation for women. Careers have been gendered since the beginning of time, and even though progress is being made to encourage women in STEM fields, the representation of women in tech is still slim. Women of color hold even fewer tech career positions with only 4%.
by David Kurzendoerfer The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte's editorial board. Piranha Plant has finally been released for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and fans couldn’t be more excited. First teased during a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Nintendo Direct on November 1st, fans were split on whether or not Piranha Plant would fit in with the rest of the cast. Now that it is finally here, however, it is widely accepted as a welcome addition to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster. Piranha Plant first appeared in World 1-2 of the original Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System all the way back in 1985 as a normal enemy for Mario to avoid or defeat on his way to save Princess Toadstool. Since then, the Piranha Plant has been in most other Mario games in some form or another, but its appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate marks its first game as a playable character. So far, competitive players are unsure of how good Piranha Plant will be in the meta. From what they can tell, Piranha Plant lacks many vital features of a well-rounded character, such as mobility, reliable combos, and a cohesive moveset. This doesn’t mean Piranha Plant isn’t fun, it just means a Piranha Plant player might have to work a little harder on perfecting their character than most other players Its moveset consists mostly of completely original moves for its normal attacks, most of which are physical attacks with its head or pot. Its flurry attack, up tilt, up smash, forward smash, up aerial, and all of its throws are attacks with its head. Its down smash, forward aerial, downward aerial, and dash attack are all attacks with the pot. The rest of its normal attacks involve its leaves, such as its neutral aerial, 1-2 jab, and down tilt. The only attack that does not use its head, pot, or leaves is its back aerial, where the Piranha Plant spits a small explosion behind it. This is likely a reference to the many fire-breathing Piranha Plants that appear in the Super Mario series. Its special attacks originate mostly from abilities it has had in various Super Mario games. Its neutral special, Ptooie, comes from a special attack it could do in Super Mario Bros. 3, where the plant blows a spiked ball into the air and hurls it at Mario. Its side special, Poison Breath, comes from an attack used by a Putrid Piranha in the oft-overlooked Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Its down special, Long-Stem Strike, is likely based on its first appearance in Super Mario Bros., where it would take Mario by surprise by attacking him from within a seemingly harmless pipe. Finally, its up special, Piranhacopter, is based on a Piranha Plant enemy in Super Mario World for the SNES, where a Piranha Plant would completely leave its pipe to attack Mario from far below him. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, however, the plant spins its leaves and carries it upwards, pot and all. Many fans are still disappointed that a character slot was given to a basic Super Mario enemy instead of a character like Shadow the Hedgehog or Isaac from Golden Sun. While this may be true, it does prove that Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of the Super Smash Bros. series and the director of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, is limited by nothing when it comes to what characters he can add. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you can play as an old NES peripheral called R.O.B., whose only attacks back in the day were moving extremely slowly and stacking objects. You can play as Mr. Game & Watch, a character playable on small LCD screens with no face or discernable features. You can even play as a non-unique potted plant with more personality than Corrin. Piranha Plant’s inclusion should get fans excited for the nearly limitless possibilities of future DLC fighters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Piranha Plant proves that nobody and nothing is off the table for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Lather, rinse and repeat.
For those who love the sight of snow but hate the chilly temperatures that come with it, there are easy solutions to fulfill your longing for the frozen water.