Entertainment

Got a phone, celebrity status, and millions of followers on Instagram or YouTube? Well congratulations! You got your own hit talk show!

In today’s world, one of the best ways to take your mind off things is through videogames. Sure, movies are great by transporting you to a completely different place for a couple hours, but videogames are much more immersive. Not only are you sent to another world, but you’re in control. And with more time than usual to kill, games can eat away at a lot of those lost hours quickly.

It’s been about a month since the last time people were permitted in movie theaters and you can’t help but miss it. The giant screen, comfy seats, dimmed lights, ground-shaking sound, and the aroma of popcorn in the air is an experience you can’t replicate. While there’s so many movies to watch at home, it’s not the same with light cracking through the windows, people walking up and down stairs, a 32-inch screen, and the aroma of meatloaf at dinner circulating through the air instead. While we all miss moviegoing, we’ll have to get used to it because the news for theater survival is getting worse by the day.

Before Monmouth University closed because of COVID-19, The World Cinema Series (WCS) planned to screen two films for the remainder of the semester, one of which was “Mustangs” in March. Even though the screening was unfortunately cancelled, you can still screen the film for $2.99 on YouTube here. And to make the streaming feel a little more like watching a film at Pollak Theatre WCS Host Professor of History Thomas Pearson, Ph.D., shared his commentary for “Mustangs.”

Before Monmouth University closed because of COVID-19, The World Cinema Series (WCS) planned to screen two films for the remainder of the semester, one of which was “Persepilis” in April. Even though the screening was unfortunately cancelled, you can still screen the film for only $3.99 through YouTube here. And to make the streaming feel a little more like watching a film at Pollak Theatre WCS Host Professor of History Thomas Pearson, Ph.D., shared his commentary for “Persepolis.”

Even though events were cancelled at Monmouth University for the remainder of the semester, the World Cinema Series (WCS) is still turning at home. Outside of the two films “Persepolis” and “Mustangs” that were supposed to be screened this semester, WCS Co-Host Professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature Priscilla Gac-Artigas, Ph.D. shared her favorite international films everyone should catch at home.

After COVID-19 put a temporary end to their live events, an up-and-coming Toms River music venue has moved their operations completely to social media, in cooperation with Governor Phil Murphy’s social distancing executive order. Jimmy Mura, Director of The Clubhouse of Toms River, has gone to great lengths to produce online content for the community during a time where live music events pose a public health concern.

For many, nothing compares with the experience of going to a concert. The first time I went to a concert was when I saw The Smithereens, a New Jersey band, while they toured their Beatles cover album “Meet The Smithereens.” My family and I were in the second row, and I happened to fall asleep. It was not that The Smithereens’ music had a sedative effect on me, I was just a nine-year-old with a bad habit of falling asleep in public places. Since then, music has become a healthy obsession of mine, often accompanied by the compulsion to frequently check the tour dates of my favorite bands and artists.

In quarantine, our only outlets of escape are through our TVs and laptops. Whether it’s shows, movies, or browsing the web, both can serve as good time killers or something to distract you from the terrible news every day. But we can’t even escape the depressing news through our only outlets.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the dastardly COVID-19 virus has impacted countless lives and businesses all over the world. The music industry is no exception; musical artists big and small have been forced to cancel shows, postpone tours, or even reschedule studio time. If you’re in a band, chances are the novel coronavirus has brought whatever activities you’ve had planned to a screeching halt, regardless if you’re packing arenas or struggling to fill basements.