Political News: I bet you all expect me to talk about the debate. Well, I’m not going to; instead, I’ll let you inform yourself of the important political events that have transpired over the past week. What is important though, especially for us college students, is the current case being heard by the Supreme Court. Fisher v University of Texas at Austin is in full swing with oral arguments from both sides being heard in Washington DC this past week. The case aims to redefine affirmative action in the Texas public school system. The current system allows anyone in the top 8% (top 10% when the case was filed) of their high school class automatic admission to UT Austin, ensuring that high schools in underprivileged areas would have admittance at the popular and respected institution. The case proposes a question for American society: should race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status be a factor in college admissions? What do you think?
Entertainment News: Monday marks the release of Taylor Swift’s fourth album “Red.” The star’s previous albums have all gone platinum, and her tours have sold out hundreds of shows worldwide. Swift commented on the new album to the Los Angeles Times, saying that she wanted to do different things in the studio than she had previously done. The album definitely showcases a new facet of the pop star. Songs already released like “I Knew You Were Trouble” contain hints of dubstep, while a few songs like “22”, that are yet to be released, have strong applications of Auto-Tune that uses electronic instruments to play with Swift’s voice. This sound is definitely new for the country girl turned pop star, but I’m sure that fans will still rally behind her new album. There are definitely plenty of brokenhearted girls out there patiently awaiting the clock to strike 12 this Sunday night so they can tweet to let the world know that Taylor Swift knows their life. It’s like she’s magic or something.
Celebrity Drama: Lindsay Lohan and her mother, Dina Lohan, were en route to Merrick, New York, the star’s hometown, the weekend of October 5th, when they got into an altercation that resulted in Lindsay calling her father; he later released the phone call, in which Lindsay alleged that her mother was under the influence of cocaine, to the media. Local authorities showed up to family’s home and suddenly, Lindsay denied her mother’s drug use and commented that her father’s actions were betraying of her trust. Following the minor disagreement, Lohan has been invited to share the stage with Barbara Walters in a one-on-one interview in the next few weeks. While the interview is set to promote Lohan’s upcoming role as Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime biopic Liz & Dick, it is no question that viewers will be anticipating comments on Lohan’s recent struggles. I don’t know about you, but all of this drama makes me reminisce about the good ol’ days of Life Size and The Parent Trap, where preteen redhead LiLo charmed audiences around the country.