Myers Park Hoofprint

The Myers Park High School Newspaper

Katie Zarzour

Super Bowl Recap

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Super Bowl LVII wrapped up the 2022 NFL season on Sunday, February 12th, 2023. The Kansas City Chiefs faced the Philadelphia Eagles, with Rihanna performing at halftime and Chris Stapleton singing the National Anthem. Going into the biggest game of the year, the two teams’ postseason stats were nearly identical. Both teams shared the best record in the NFL of 14-3 going into the postseason and scored the same  number of points throughout the season: 543 (NFL). The Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech, made his third appearance in the Super Bowl, previously beating the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, and falling short to Tom Brady’s Buccaneers the following year in Super Bowl LV. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts out of Alabama made his first Super Bowl appearance, and although he lost to the more seasoned quarterback Mahomes, he did not fail to impress, putting up impressive stats in the biggest game of the year. 

Another unique feature of Super Bowl LVII was the Kelce brothers facing each other as opponents, the first set of brothers to compete against each other in the Super Bowl. Travis Kelce plays tight end for the Chiefs, totaling 81 receiving yards, six catches, and a touchdown in Super Bowl LVII. His brother Jason Kelce plays center for the Eagles, appearing in his second Super Bowl of his career, falling just three points short of his brother Travis’s team. 

​​ The two teams were  evenly matched, keeping the game within a touchdown for nearly the entire game. The Eagles had a 10-point lead at halftime, but the Chiefs were able to substantially outscore the Eagles in the second half to secure the 38-35 win and take home the Lombardi trophy. With this comeback, the Chiefs became the second team in Super Bowl history to win after trailing by double digits at halftime. Mahomes was voted MVP of the game, completing 13 of his 15 passes thrown in the second half for 93 yards (CBS Sports). While Mahomes was spectacular in leading Kansas City to victory, Hurts gave an impressive show in Glendale as well. He completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown while taking 15 carries for 70 yards plus the three scores (CBS Sports).

While Hurts and Mahomes put on a show, they were no match for Rihanna’s performance at halftime. Rihanna’s incredible performance attracted over 5 million more viewers than the Super Bowl game itself. Taking the stage for the first time since 2017, Rihanna opened her 13-minute show with “Bitch Better Have My Money” and finished with “Diamonds.” Her performance was highly anticipated, and viewers were anxious to see if she would bring a surprise guest. While guesses included rappers Jay-Z, Drake, and Kanye West, no one expected that her surprise would be something else: a pregnancy announcement. Rihanna recently gave birth to her first child with rapper ASAP Rocky, born in May of 2022. She appeared to be a couple of months into her second pregnancy when she immediately rubbed her stomach upon beginning her show. Rihanna paused her performance only to reapply Fenty face powder, a product from her top-selling makeup brand, before beginning “All of the Lights.” Her show featured multiple swinging platforms, in which pregnant Rihanna was suspended up and down, ranging from 15-60 feet. 

Regardless if you are a sports fan, the Super Bowl every year proves to be prime entertainment. Featuring the greatest football teams in the nation and one of the greatest entertainers of all time, Super Bowl LVII was no exception to the familiar thrill that comes with the Super Bowl. 

Idaho Murders

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Four students at the University of Idaho were brutally stabbed to death in their sleep on November 13th, 2022. The victims, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves, three of whom lived in the house where the murders took place, were all victims of what the police initially called a “targeted attack” by primary suspect Bryan Kohberger. Kohberger was arrested in late December after weeks of investigation and at least 19,000 tips from the community following the case’s explosion on social media. Kohberger is a 28-year-old Ph.D. student of criminology at Washington State University, just 8 miles from the murder scene (New York Times). Here is everything that is known about this unique case so far, beginning with a timeline. 

On the night of the murder, two pairs of roommates went out separately and arrived home around 2am (New York Times). Kernodle and Chapin arrived home first, followed by Goncalves and Mogen, according to the affidavit. The two other roommates, who were not murdered, were also in the home at the time of the stabbings. Footage in the neighborhood shows a white Hyundai Elantra driving around the murder scene three times just before 3:30am. Kernodle received a DoorDash delivery at 4am, the same time one of the surviving roommates claimed to have been woken up by what sounded like her dog upstairs. At roughly 4:04am, the Elantra made its 4th round around the house (Time Magazine). Phone records show that Kernodle was on Tik Tok until 4:12am. Sometime after 4am, crying could be heard from Kernodle’s room along with a male voice saying something along the lines of “It’s ok, I’m going to help you,” her surviving roommate told police. Court documents also report that a security camera from a nearby home captured audio of a whimper, thumping, and a dog barking. At around 4:20am, the Elantra is seen speeding away from the home. Police did not arrive on the scene until noon later that day when they received a suspicious persons call and found the four dead of stab wounds in separate rooms of the house (Time Magazine). 

Moving to the arrest of suspect Bryan Kohberger, police say that following the murder Kohberger left town for a Pennsylvania family home. A Pennsylvania SWAT team broke down the door of the house on December 30th, formally arresting and charging him with four counts of first-degree murder, and one count of burglary. However, it was a long road to get to his arrest. Police were able to narrow down on Kohberger once they broadened the search for the white Elantra, finding one at Washington State University registered to Kohberger that matched the description from the videos. Authorities also said that a surviving roommate claimed that Kohberger matched the description of who they had seen in the home on November 13th. Phone records also placed Kohberger at the scene at 4:48am, according to the affidavit. Agents say that before Kohberger’s arrest, he was seen wearing surgical gloves outside multiple times and deeply cleaning his car. Authorities obtained DNA from Kohberger’s trash bins at his home in Pennsylvania and were able later to match the sample with that on the knife sheath from the murders. Kohberger claims to be surprised by the arrest and is still pleading not guilty. According to the New York Times, Kohberger “looks forward to being exonerated.” 

What many investigators find most interesting about the case is Kohberger’s current occupation as a teaching assistant at Washington State University, obtaining a Ph.D. in criminology. The question asked by many on social media has become: was Kohberger studying criminology to learn how to commit a crime? Students of Kohberger have shared on social media, specifically Tik Tok, the unique assignments they have been given and Kohberger’s thrilling interest in violent crimes. As this case actively continues to unfold, more information comes to light and poses interest for people all across the country as the Idaho murders continue to headline national news.

Keeping Up With the Kardashian Kids

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North West, daughter of rapper Kanye West now known as “Ye” and Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Kim Kardashian, is taking the internet by storm with her highly active Tik Tok account. Her platform, @kimandnorth, showcases a wide variety of videos, with most featuring Kim Kardashian and 9-year-old North participating in weekly Tik Tok trends. North’s highly active account has Tik Tok users all over the world in a frenzy, especially after a recent video where she has a made up face that strongly resembles her father, Ye. The rapper is currently “missing,” unseen by the media after a recent Twitter scandal and harsh anti-semitic comments. Ye has openly expressed his anger with North posting on Tik Tok, however, this has not kept her from uploading multiple videos a day. 

In the upload where North is made up to resemble her father, her mother, Kim Kardashian, is lip-syncing to her ex-husband’s 2013 hit song “Bound 2,” which infamously featured Kardashian naked in the video. North’s videos have not shied away from using her father’s songs as sounds, with another viral example that took the internet by storm being when she made a makeup tutorial to Ye’s song “Violent Crimes.” This song is an open letter to North, with her father expressing his concerns about his oldest daughter growing up too fast. 

Other people commonly featured on North’s account are many of her cousins, specifically Penelope Disick. Penelope has her own account, @pandkourt, which features routine makeup tutorials and dances, while North’s account is more unpredictable. This “next generation of Kardashians,” have made their digital footprint known, displaying their personalities consistently on their platforms. 

North is also reliving her parents’ drama, most recently uploading a video of her and her mom, Kim Kardashian, singing to Taylor Swift’s hit song “Shake it Off.” Swift has had a tribulating relationship with North’s parents, following Ye infamously interrupting her at the 2009 VMA Awards and claiming he made her famous. North also featured lots of holiday content this past December, including a video of herself singing hit holiday song “Snowman” with artist Sia. 

North West’s unpredictable content keeps Tik Tok viewers on their toes, as they have little idea of what to expect when @kimandnorth appears on the For You Page. However, the most aggravating part for viewers watching North’s videos is that the comments on her videos are turned off. The buzz of gossip and internet frenzy is strictly taking place away from North’s platform. As North continues to feed the For You Page with chaotic content, her likes and views per video continue to skyrocket.

Ticketmaster: The Anti-Hero

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Ticketmaster, the world’s largest ticketing service company, has a monopoly on concert ticket sales. Since Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation in 2010, they have become exponentially larger than competitors and taken control of the ticketing industry. The website powers ticket sales for venues such as stadiums, arenas, and performing arts centers with a worldwide reach. According to the Ticketmaster website, the company was started in 1976 as a way for colleges to sell tickets to events on campus. Now in 2023 they have evolved into a global powerhouse, controlling both the ticket selling and reselling industries, while making a large profit with their service fees and private investing relationships. Entertainers have recently become infuriated at Ticketmaster’s monopoly on the entertainment industry, specifically their website’s failure to meet demands and restrictions on purchasing that can leave loyal fans ticketless. 

Here is a brief history of Ticketmaster: the company was started as a small software company that “licensed ticketing systems to retail outlets and universities to sell paper tickets to event-goers” (Ticketmaster). Ticketmaster would make their profits by selling their system to vendors and a service charge to consumers. By 2009, the then leading ticket sales company, Front Line Management (now Live Nation) announced a merger with Ticketmaster, and the two companies together became a monopoly over the entertainment industry. Now, in order to purchase a ticket to nearly any event, consumers must purchase tickets through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster recently launched their Verified Fan program, where fans must register to participate prior to an event’s ticket sale, and if they are selected, they will be sent a code and allowed presale access to the event. 

Most recently, in November of 2022, Ticketmaster made headlines after their site crashed during their Verified Fan Presale event for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour. Over 3.5 million fans registered for Verified Fan Presale, which is the largest registration in the company’s history. Ironically enough, Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program was designed to help the company manage the demand during large ticket sales, as well as limit the number of robots attempting to buy tickets. This intention proved the opposite on November 15th, as the Ticketmaster website crashed due to “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand” (Ticketmaster). Over 2.4 million tickets were sold to Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, the highest number of tickets sold on Ticketmaster in a single day. Due to the website crash and the inability of Ticketmaster to meet the overwhelming demand, the company ended up canceling the public sale three days later. This means that Swifties who were left ticketless are left to resale options on sites such as Vivid Seats and Seat Geek, where ticket prices reach over $30,000. 

Swift issued a statement in response to the fiasco saying, “I’m not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could,” (Swift, Instagram). Taylor Swift is not the only artist upset by Ticketmaster’s monopoly over the ticketing industry, with country artist Zach Bryan also taking a stance with his recent entitlement of his live album: “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.” Along with this live album release, Bryan issued a statement saying, “I am so tired of people saying things can’t be done about this massive issue while huge monopolies [Ticketmaster] sit there stealing money from working-class people.”​ This statement follows Bryan’s recent tour, with his fans paying upwards of $400 for tickets after service fees when Bryan intentionally priced the face values substantially lower. 

While many artists are becoming upset over the monopoly that Ticketmaster has obtained, it does not seem like the site will be going anywhere any time soon. Ticketmaster continues to be the one-stop shop for all things ticketing, and they are quite successful with their control over the industry, even if fans are left either ticketless or with empty wallets. 

Meet Davis Cooke

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Davis Cooke, a senior here at Myers Park, is a member of the varsity cheerleading team as well as DREAM Team. Adding to his impressive resume of involvement within the Myers Park community, Davis also began his own mental health program facilitated through his church. 

Davis has been a member of Myers Park Presbyterian Church for from a young age, but he says “my true involvement started at about 6th grade when I joined youth group; through youth group I have been able to connect with the leaders of the church finding mentors that have helped guide me through the roll coaster that is being a teenager.”

When asked what inspired him to start this mental health organization, Davis said, “when I came home from partial wilderness therapy, I wanted to create an organization committed to fostering the mental growth of teens.” 

Davis recalls his time at Wilderness Therapy saying that, “going to Partial wilderness therapy showed me just how much teens are struggling today. The skills and tools I gained from the program changed my life, and I wanted to provide the same opportunity to better yourself mentally to everyone. If I could find the light within myself… maybe I could help somebody else do that too.” This demonstrates the immense selflessness Davis has, and the servant leadership he embodies. 

“I strayed away from the idea of starting a club [at Myers Park] because I knew that it could become “clicky,” overshadowed by friend groups, hard to control, but most importantly teens would not feel 100% comfortable.” Davis said when asked about using his church as the means for starting this organization.

Davis also states that “although it is a place of worship, religion is not a theme in the mental health advocacy group.”

His church’s large volume of youth participation and connections within the Charlotte community allow for meaningful conversations and an ideal place for mental check-ins. The group is very laid back and lacks pressure to conform to schedules. 

Davis said, “we have Chipotle catered, dedicate time for everyone to hang out and talk, and don’t follow a strict schedule so that everything feels easygoing.” 

Even if you are not a member of Myers Park Presbyterian, Davis encourages anyone to attend these check-ins. “I wanted anyone and everyone to feel welcome to join! Friends are encouraged to come, but nobody is at any means required to come to every check-in.” 

When asked about the changes Davis has seen since starting this organization, “after the first mental health check-in I was astounded to hear from others just how impactful the check-in was on their lives. This positive impact in the teens’ lives has only grown since that very first check-in.” 

Not only has this organization had a positive impact on others, but also on Davis himself. “Everyone becomes apart of each others support systems,” Davis says, “when you walk away from the mental health check-in, you are not just walking away with the new skills and tools to help better handle your mental health struggles, you are also walking away with a massive new support system, and that on its own is something truly beautiful.” 

Looking towards the future for his organization, “I hope to see more teens come and participate in the mental health check-ins. We have accomplished so much and I am excited to see what more we can do,” Davis says.  

The organization has already received national recognition, and Davis “never in a million years expected to have a CNN article dedicated to the mental health advocacy group!”

 His main goal is to simply “try to help other teens find the best version of themselves and hope to continue to achieve that with this organization.” Davis continues to be a leader within the Myers Park and Charlotte community, and his impact is reaching teens all over the country. 

We Want Your Midnights, Taylor Swift

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Taylor Swift announced her tenth studio album, Midnights, this past August at the Video Music Awards (VMAs). Swift was nominated for five VMAs, all for the short film she directed and produced for her song “All Too Well: 10 Minute Version (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” released back in November of 2021. She won three of the categories she was nominated for: Best Direction, Best Long Form Video, and Video of the Year. With these wins, Taylor Swift now has 14 total VMAs. However, her wins were overshadowed by an even bigger announcement that night. 

As Swifties know all too well, the VMAs hold extreme significance in Taylor Swift’s life. This began back in 2009 when Swift won Best Video by a Female Artist for her hit song “You Belong With Me” from her Fearless album. When she accepted the award, Kanye West jumped onto the stage, interrupting her and claiming that Beyonce had “one of the best videos of all time.” This was a defining moment in Swift’s career, as the crowd booed West and Swift believed they were negating her win of the award. Following this infamous interruption, Swift and West have had a very delicate relationship. 

Swift addressed this controversy years later in her sixth studio album, Reputation. Swift’s Reputation album came after Taylor Swift had not physically been seen by the public eye for an entire year. #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty was the number one trending hashtag on Twitter after Kanye West’s song “Famous” included a line claiming he made Swift famous. Her first single from Reputation called “Look What You Made Me Do” featured many lyrical digs at West and his then wife Kim Kardashian, symbolizing a comeback album where her reputation was being reinvented. In the iconic “Look What You Made Me Do” music video, Swift wore a silver jeweled dress, which her dress at the 2022 VMAs closely resembled. Many Swifties thought that Taylor was going to announce the re-recording of “Look What You Made Me Do” at the awards, due to the fact that the song recently acquired its eligibility to be re-recorded, 5 years after it was released in August of 2017. Swift is currently in the process of re-recording her first six studio albums owned by Big Machine Record Label and executive Scooter Braun in order to own the masters of her work. 

Swift’s announcement of Midnights, coming on October 21st, was certainly a surprise, but greeted with enthusiasm nonetheless. According to Taylor Swift’s Instagram announcement, Midnights will be “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout [Swift’s] life.” It will feature 13 tracks, Swift’s lucky number. In her continued description of the upcoming album, Swift shared that this album was written in the middle of the night, hence the title, Midnights. When Swift won “Video of The Year,” she accepted the award by saying “I had sort of made up my mind that if you were going to be this generous and give us this, I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out October 21st.” This announcement was greeted by an uproar of excitement from the crowd, and Swift posted her formal announcement on Instagram later that night. Many fans have been wondering had Swift not won the award, would Midnights have still been announced when it was? Regardless, Swift making this announcement on the VMA stage in her dress that resembles that of the “Look What You Made Me Do” video and releasing her album on Kim Kardashian’s birthday symbolizes a full circle moment of Taylor Swift’s reinvented reputation. 

Midnights will be out in just a few weeks, and fans are eagerly anticipating the album filled with Swift’s thoughts from the middle of the night. Many Swifties believe that this album will include some of her best lyricism yet, taking listeners through “terrors and sweet dreams.” Swifties can meet Taylor at midnight on October 21st, when her tenth studio album is released for the world to hear.

Disney vs. Actors

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Disney actors and actresses are suing Disney in response to their films being simultaneously released in theaters and on Disney’s streaming service, Disney+. Movies can be unlocked on Disney+ by subscribers paying a $30 fee for premium access. The revenue generated from Disney+ goes directly to Disney themselves, with none of the profit going into the actor’s pockets. This should not be the case, because actors put in the time and commitment to deserve their compensation. 

Two recent Disney movies, Black Widow and Jungle Cruise, debuted both in theaters and on Disney+. Due to the pandemic, many families have quarantined inside their homes, leaving their only option for watching movies to be on streaming services. According to Screen Rant, Black Widow generated over $500 million, however over $125 million of that total was generated from Disney+ sales, none of which was a part of the actors’ profit. Jungle Cruise generated over $90 million, with only $27.6 million resulting from box office sales. 

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is another one of Disney’s Marvel movies that premiered recently, however, it did not have a simultaneous release on Disney+ with its release in theaters. According to USA Today, Shang Chi generated nearly $250 million dollars in box office sales, which is just in its first two weeks in theaters. Shang Chi is expected to make its debut on Disney+ on October 18th, giving the movie a 45 day theatrical release before becoming available on Disney+. This provides the actors with ample compensation for their movies because their contacts explicitly dictate the percentage of sales that they will receive from the box office. When Disney+ becomes involved, the water gets muddy. 

Pre-pandemic, the movie release process began in theaters, then progressed to DVD, before being signed with streaming services. Due to the pandemic, this process has been shifted out of order, with viewers wanting immediate access to movies on streaming services. Actors and actresses will spend years preparing for the release of their movie, and they deserve ample compensation for their efforts. Disney argues that their contracts dictate what they receive, however what many companies are realizing is that there is no “pandemic clause” dictating protocols for uncertain circumstances. Actors have worked exceptionally hard to both navigate the uncharted waters of the pandemic and bring amazing characters to life on the big screen. These actors deserve to receive the profit, not Disney themselves.