Author: adviser

Stars

Look up at the night sky, and what do you see? Thousands upon thousands of dots of white light, a star studded night, and you could almost take flight because they just…feel…so…close, comforting, all…the same. No. Look deeper. Burning masses of white, yellow, blue, red, countless miles across, so vast you could never comprehend their depth. Oh, and what these stars have seen! The creation of planets, the slow deaths of their neighbors, the ebb and the flow of the world, the push and the pull, constantly changing, rearranging, the universe in their hands, the power to tip the scales with a movement in either direction… and some will be long dead by the time we recognize their light. I look before me tonight, and I see my own galaxy, a sea of black, 140 eyes shining bright as stars, all united but so very different, because we are the stars and we are the planets, all made of the same dust but no less unique, and we grow brighter the darker the sky, distant lights in a lost generation. Here, of all places, we have the power to shift the scales, to really be heard, to raise our voices and sing out loud, because we are the future and we are made of the past, we are the songs sung at two in the morning because maybe there’s still hope in the world, we are the single word that changes the meaning of a sentence, we have the fire of the stars in our hearts, and we, as different as we all are, have the power to change the world.

Fields

Stars shine and gleam
across the horizon,
over the fields of white daises,
like pearls in the moonlight.

Poly Vocal Jazz One was informed of their acceptance into the annual Monterey New Generation Jazz Festival on Jan. 30.
The Monterey New Generation Jazz Festival, which takes place from March 27 through 29, is the “Super Bowl of jazz education,” where over 1300 of the Nation’s top jazz musicians―whether they are in vocal ensembles, bands, or combos in the middle school, high school, or collegiate levels ―are chosen to compete against one another in this intense 3 day festival.
“This will definitely be a new experience for us,” says Senior Kandise Le Blanc, “Though Poly’s never competed in the Monterey Jazz Festival, it’ll definitely be an opportunity for us to showcase our talents, as well as expose ourselves to our potential competitors’ performances.”
The finalists of the New Generation Jazz Festival are then chosen to compete in the prestigious 58th Monterey Bay Jazz Festival, which takes place in September the following year.
“I’m confident in the ability and talent of this group,” says Mr.Dokko, the director of Vocal Jazz One, “If anything, this will serve as an opportunity for the group to grow as an ensemble before our main competition in Reno.”
Following Monterey, the Reno Jazz festival will take place on April 23-25, where Poly’s Vocal Jazz One group will once again compete,
“It’s going to be a great experience singing with such a great group of talented singers,” says Sophomore Jovanh Pham, the youngest member of the group, “I’m ecstatic.”

The 87th annual Academy Awards, best known as The Oscars, premieres on February 22 on ABC. For the sake of brevity, my predictions for the winners will only cover the categories of Best Actor/Actress, Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture. Without further ado…
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne from The Theory of Everything will win. Redmayne’s portrayal of a young but debilitating Stephen Hawking showcased both emotional depth and a caring accuracy that none of the other nominees can measure up to. However, Michael Keaton’s raw performance in Birdman or Steve Carell’s career-transcending performance in Foxcatcher deserve mention.
Best Actress: Julianne Moore will easily take this category. Her performance as an linguistics professor who struggles to keep her life together after she is diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer’s in Still Alice places her well above the competition. Marion Cotillard’s nomination in the French film Two Days, One Night and Rosamund Pike’s nomination in Gone Girl (the film’s only representation for the awards) are notable nonetheless.
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons has this category locked down. His performance as an intense, almost sadistic jazz conductor in Whiplash is simply more bombastic and impressive than the other nominees. Mark Ruffalo in Foxcatcher and Ethan Hawke in Boyhood are the closest runner-ups.
Best Supporting Actress: Much like J.K. Simmons, Patricia Arquette has this category tied up. Her turn as an underappreciated single mother in Boyhood has made her the clear frontrunner.
Best Director: The running is split between Alejandro Iñárritu for Birdman and Richard Linklater for Boyhood. Although both directors were innovative and experimental with their movies, Linklater has the edge for managing to create a cohesive and impactful film over a span of 12 years. Wes Anderson deserves a mention for his wonderfully realized vision in The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Best Picture: This race, like Best Director, is between Birdman and Boyhood. The award will ultimately go to Boyhood for being able to execute its ambitious concept with passion and grace. However, Birdman, American Sniper or The Theory of Everything have a very real chance of pulling an upset.
2014 was a great year for movies and the nominees for this year reflect that. Be sure to tune in for the Oscars on the 22nd.