Category: Opinion

As much as it hurts me to say, I didn’t walk out of “Michael” completely moonwalking on air.

“Michael” follows the one and only Michael Jackson, from his days with The Jackson 5 up until his album “Bad.” In that time frame, we see Michael’s iconic performances and music videos, while also seeing his contentious relationship with his father and how he develops his own artistic identity. 

I had VERY high hopes for this movie because just like everyone else on the planet, I’m a huge fan. So I’ll hold your hand while I say this. As much as I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film and was constantly tapping my feet and humming along, I couldn’t help but leave the theater disappointed at how surface-level the final product turned out to be.

I understand wanting to create a film that covers a large amount of someone’s life, but ultimately, there was too much happening for the audience to get a moment alone with Michael and truly see his personality. 

What I did like

Jaafar Jackson plays Michael, and Jaafar is Michael’s nephew in real life. He obviously had that talent in his genes because there’s NO other person alive who could’ve perfectly executed Michael’s voice and mannerisms. 

From the very first words Jaafar says, I was instantly convinced that I was watching Michael on screen. And being directly related gave his performance a personal feel to it, like he truly cared to show the world who his uncle was. 

Even his dance moves were PERFECT — and honestly, the music video and concert sequences were my favorite parts of the film. I got chills watching the filming of “Thriller” because it felt like I was there in real life, a part of that set. 

The live performances of “Human Nature” during the final Jackson 5 victory tour in 1984 and “Bad” when Michael is finally on his own in 1988 literally made me feel like I was in the crowd — I mean I had STRAIGHT chills. As a live music lover and avid concertgoer, these scenes made me feel transported into the movie. 

Jaafar’s voice was dubbed over Michael’s, which blended seamlessly, but what’s really impressive is that anything acoustic was purely Jaafar’s voice — and I kid you not, he sounded exactly like Michael. 

The boy who plays young Michael in The Jackson 5, Juliano Krue Valdi, KILLED his portrayal of Michael too, with his vocals also dubbed. 

This movie is every bit as grand and blingy as you’d expect from a film about the King of Pop — but more important than that, Michael was portrayed as kind and generous. Throughout the movie, there are scenes of Michael visiting hospitals and genuinely having conversations with the people, not just simply visiting them for a photo-op.

They also showed his love and kindness for animals, which is shown when he gets his chimp, Bubbles. It’s even included that he donated all of his settlement money from an injury to the hospital burn unit where he was treated.  

What I didn’t like 

I’ve seen all the negative reviews saying that this film didn’t cover any of the allegations against Michael, but there was FAR too much content in this movie to fully explore that. Plus, this film only covers up to “Bad,” BEFORE any of those allegations existed.

Hear me out… this film feels surface-level because it’s trying to do way TOO much. It covers too many years and pivotal moments that none of them really get the depth they deserve, like the Pepsi commercial scene, where Michael’s hair catches on fire, and he gets severe burns and has to be hospitalized. That felt completely rushed over, and we never see Michael heal or show pain. 

The best biopic I’ve ever seen sticks to a specific time in the artist’s life, during the making of a specific album. I know that’s not always realistic for biopics, but this approach works best for showing true emotion, instead of feeling rushed.

We didn’t get much time with Michael alone in his thoughts and his struggles. We never saw how deeply affected he was by his father’s abuse and controlling nature — not once did we see his own personal thoughts. Considering that his relationship with his dad is the film’s central conflict, it’s frustrating that we never really get a glimpse into what Michael is actually thinking or feeling.

It’s not just the heavier moments that are missing — we don’t get to see his personality either. There was one line that made me laugh where he said something along the lines of, “If I’m not here to receive these ideas, God might give them to Prince.” But beyond that, the film barely taps into his humor.

Michael was known as lively and funny, and he liked to tease people. Instead of seeing his internal world, we’re left with a version of him that feels defined only by what’s happening around him, not what’s happening within him.

The verdict 

I’m rating “Michael” a three out of five stars because Jaafar’s performance was INCREDIBLE and a must-see, but the film did lack a level of depth to Michael that I was expecting. 

I would’ve preferred a film honed in on a specific moment in time, like the making of one album, because this film is rushed. But no matter how rushed it feels, if you’re a fan (and I know all of you are), then you HAVE to see it in theaters — if not for the story, then at least for the chance to feel like you’re front row at a Michael Jackson concert.

When I got to campus fall 2024, I spent many nights at the desk in my tiny Campus View III dorm room, clacking away on my computer as I wrote a fictional story about pirates.

I took inspiration from my favorite action movies and combined the adventure with steep character dynamics that show the two main characters’ similar personalities in action, even as they fight on different sides of any given conflict.

On April 6, four weeks before my college graduation, I opened a package with my fully formatted, edited and complete novel, “Gold Coast,” releasing on Amazon April 24th.

If you told 18-year-old Rylee that she would be walking across the graduation stage with her self-published book in her hands, she would say that it was impossible and swear it would never happen. 

I’ve always loved writing, but becoming a published author and pursuing that career always seemed far off. Three percent of writers actually finish novels they set out to write, and most people online agree that aspiring authors have a 1-2% chance of actually becoming traditionally published.

Even if a writer does get their book published, a traditionally published book, on average, sells only three thousand copies in its lifespan, which is not nearly enough to sustain a career.

In the wise words of “The Hunger Games” author Suzanne Collins, the odds were not in my favor.

Those chances of success alone are enough to dissuade most rational people from spending years of tedious work crafting a story and characters that feel alive. They would certainly scare away any broke, starry-eyed college student who barely had the time to cook dinner.

Yet, here I am. It’s been one of the weirdest journeys of my life. The last year and a half of this writing process was nothing short of heart-wrenchingly difficult because of the time commitment and mental focus it took. I would not have done this without the lessons I learned about hard work, focus and being intentional with my time and energy.

After finishing the first draft April 2025, I spent every night editing. I’d write on my lunch breaks at my job because every other free moment was spent cranking out 12 summer credits for my degree.

I sent the manuscript to an editor by the time I got back to St. George in late August 2025, and I was so relieved to take a break from editing. 

A week and a half later, my editor sent the draft right back and told me that I needed to do more self edits before she’d keep reading.

At that point, I was ready to quit. There were many times over that long summer of self-editing when I thought about putting this project on the back burner. There were many nights when I decided that I was going to quit writing, and I’d promise myself that I wouldn’t open my computer the next day to work on it. 

But every morning, the first thing I thought about when I woke up was, “What do I get to write about today?”

It was a weird headspace to be in; I was mentally exhausted from school and work, but I quite literally could not stop writing, no matter how hard I tried. I was shackled to finishing this book, sometimes against my will. 

This happened because no matter what I told myself, my heart refused to give up. The long hours of pushing through tedious school work prepared me for the long hours of writing and editing, and I knew that the only way past this challenge was to put my head down and plow straight through it.

It took me a little over a month to finish the self-edits my editor requested, and most of that happened past midnight due to my insanely busy fall schedule. It took four months for my editor and me to polish the draft (shoutout to my girl Lia for sticking with me), and it took another month to finish copyedits and other final touches. I started posting on social media to promote the book in January, polished the cover with my designer in February, formatted the book in March, and in April, I was holding it in my hands.

“Gold Coast” follows the story of pirate hunter Emery Walker as she is captured by Warren Chadwick, one of the world’s most feared pirates.

The plot follows the two as Warren works to tear down Emery’s reputation and image as a pirate hunter as revenge for her arresting his innocent errand boy.

The only thing that kept me motivated during the hard times was the love of fictional storytelling. When I was in the zone, the words practically flowed from my fingers, and it was so much fun. I loved writing fast-paced action sequences and the banter between Emery and Warren.

I loved pitting their clashing values and backgrounds against each other as they worked to sabotage the other’s plans, and no matter what I did to force the story out of my mind, it always seemed to linger.

I took that insistence as a sign to keep going even when I wanted to give up. When it was late at night, and I could barely keep my eyes open while editing, I tried to imagine how amazing it would feel to hold my book and have something to show for the time, tears and sleep that I sacrificed.

If I get nothing else out of this venture, I at least learned about the power of sacrifice and dedicating time to the things you want. I was intentional with every second of my day and learned how to slip in just a couple of minutes of writing before a class or between appointments at work.

Effort and intention were the reasons I was able to chase this dream during college, and effort and intention can carry you far if you keep your eyes on the prize.

I found a way to work through exhaustion and lack of motivation, and I’m proud to say that “Gold Coast” is now available to purchase on Amazon in e-book or paperback. I hope you fall in love with the characters and story just as much as I have.

If you want something, you have to go get it. You have to grit your teeth through the hard times and put intentional, focused effort into every moment of the journey. It might be difficult, but you’ll always come out a better person on the other side. It just takes one step at a time.

Coachella 2026 has exceeded my expectations, and it may go down as one of the best Coachellas in history.

Weekend 1 has come to a close, and with weekend 2 coming up, I have a lot of thoughts.

Each year, as it grows closer to Coachella weekend, I get a fear of missing out that I’m not going. But then I see videos online and realize that it seemed fun, but I honestly didn’t miss much. This year couldn’t have been more different.

Those like me who were celebrating “couchella” and watching from home missed out on some pretty incredible performances. My favorite performances that I stop to rewatch every time a video pops up on my For You page are Justin Bieber’s and Swae Lee’s.

The lineup

The headliners for this year are Sabrina Carpenter, Karol G and Justin Bieber. Some of my other favorite performances from weekend 1 are Central Cee, Young Thug and David Guetta. 

Carpenter’s set was good, but I was not feeling too disappointed that I missed that one. I am, however, devastated to miss Swae Lee, who also performed April 10.

Swae Lee brought back the 2016 vibe everyone has been talking about all year. He performed some of his top hits like “Swang” and “Come Get Her,” and he even opened with “No Type.” One of my favorite parts of his set was when he performed “Sunflower” and brought out his son dressed in a Spider-Man costume. 

People online are raving about his set, saying that this was a Coachella to go broke for, and that this is the first Coachella they actually wish they went to. I agree with them 100% because this set was enough to make me sad I wasn’t there. 

The FOMO only got worse after the April 16 lineup. 

Justin Bieber

I was 4 years old when Justin Bieber first blew up on YouTube. I grew up listening to his music and making dances to his songs with my sister and cousins. 

A lot of people have been hating on Bieber’s performance, saying he spent too much time surfing YouTube, but for me, his set couldn’t have been more perfect.

For a chunk of his time on the Coachella stage, he was screen-sharing his laptop to the big screen. He would look up songs on YouTube and sing along with his younger self. This part was so fun to watch and was so symbolic of his career and his beginning. 

Bieber’s career began at age 12 when a video of him singing “So Sick” by Ne-Yo blew up on YouTube, and he was picked up by talent manager Scooter Braun.

Playing his songs on YouTube and singing along shows him connecting with his younger self and healing his inner child. Bieber definitely was able to come full circle when he played his “So Sick” video and sang along. This has to be one of the top Coachella moments ever, and I am “so sick” that I was not there to see it in person. 

He also played a bunch of his newer songs and some classics like “Baby,” “Favorite Girl” and “Never Say Never.” He also played one of his top hits, “Stay,” and brought out The Kid Laroi to perform it with him. What an iconic performance. 

Outfits, influencer vs. celebrity

The outfits at Coachella this year fit with the unspoken 2016 theme. A lot of influencers were dressed in fun outfits that are a throwback to 2016.

One of my favorite outfits of the weekend comes from influencer Gabriela Moura. She wore fun zebra pants and a “I love haters” hat, mirroring an old picture from Selena Gomez.

This year really separated the influencers from the celebrities. Influencers were dressed in fun, unique outfits just like usual. However, this year, a lot of the big celebrities, such as Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber, were in chic but classic outfits that resembled everyday fashion.

According to Vogue, each year more celebrities move away from the bold, festival-centric fashion trends popular in the mid-2010s, instead embracing more minimalist styles or centering their outfits around a single standout vintage statement piece. 

This was proven true this weekend when Kendall Jenner wore white jean shorts and a tank top.

Personally, I prefer the influencer outfits this year. They are a lot more eccentric and fun, which is what Coachella is all about. I would rather see fun fashion in comparison to outfits I would see on a daily basis.

2016 culture

The target demographic for Coachella ranges from ages 18 to 34 years old. 

Swae Lee was big from about 2014 to 2018, which would put most attendees in this target age group in middle school or high school during Swae’s prime. His set took people back to their teenage days and really brought the energy up to kick off the Coachella weekend. 

Bieber has been popular ever since about 2009, but was in his prime throughout the ‘10s. Most people in that target demographic grew up with Bieber, and like me, his music was a big part of their childhood. 

This year’s Coachella lineup gave viewers a chance to remember the good old days and reminisce on their kid and teen years. 

With the increase in trends and styles from 2016 coming back, Coachella did a pretty good job of bringing those vibes to the stage this year. It would have been fun to see some other 2016 legends like Drake, Flo Rida or even Bruno Mars, but I am pretty satisfied with the lineup they put together.

Embarrassment avoidance and social anxiety are the most prevalent, widespread and most crippling diseases of the modern day.

Studies by the National Institute of Mental Health show that around 30% of all U.S. adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. Even if we aren’t officially diagnosed with a disorder, we all experience anxiety at one point or another. 

In late 2025, I noticed a common phrase popping up in social media comment sections and videos, some people saying, “Embarrassment is an under explored emotion.” The quote came from an interview with American actor Austin Butler on a subway in August 2025.

I didn’t think much of the quote at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it’s 100% correct. Like many others, I made an active effort to keep myself out of situations that would embarrass myself. 

Whether it was something small, like avoiding talking to somebody, or something major, like not pursuing job opportunities I wanted, I have my fair share of situations I’ve avoided.

That avoidance personality trait I had seemed harmless for the longest time, but one day I asked myself, “What am I failing to accomplish because I’m so worried about embarrassing myself?” 

The average person’s fixed mindset can be attributed to a psychological phenomenon called negativity bias. Everybody has embarrassing moments they just can’t forget, and that’s not coincidence. We tend to remember things that hurt more than things that are happy, so negative interactions are more easily ingrained into our memory.

In an attempt to avoid a similar negative experiences, it’s easier to just avoid it altogether, and that’s where problems start to arise. Rather than facing an issue, we’d rather avoid it altogether, preventing personal growth and losing opportunities that you want.

This avoidance issue is not only harmful to the individual, but it plagues society by encouraging people to avoid important discussions out of fear of making somebody uncomfortable. In a recent article I wrote, I mentioned that people will avoid talking about political issues for fear of offending someone or being alienated from their peers.

Dismissing issues isn’t a healthy way to deal with them, and it not only affects you individually. Even though this issue has been a plague to society, in 2026, I feel optimistic about the future. 

More people are having the realization that personal growth and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone are important. The previously mentioned quote of, “Embarrassment is an under explored emotion,” is not only a good acknowledgement of the issue, it’s also a good first step in the right direction.

The next step is to visualize what you realize, and be aware of what you’re anxious about. That’s half the battle. It’s easier said than done, but pushing yourself to do things that you know you’re scared or embarrassed of is the most crucial step in defeating embarrassment avoidance.

I’ve always struggled with being social, and to combat that, I pushed myself to an extreme level of discomfort by putting myself in situations that require me to be social.

At the start of 2026, I decided that I wanted to travel, and by going to places where I didn’t know the language and didn’t know the culture, I forced myself to rely on the kindness of strangers to get by.

A specific instance of overcoming my fear is when I was trying to figure out how to get to the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in Taiwan. Uber drivers weren’t able to make it all the way to the festival due to road closures, so I had to get instructions on public shuttles that were making their way out to the lantern release location.

While facing my fear of embarrassing myself while trying to communicate with somebody who barely spoke the same language as me, I had an amazing interaction I never would have had if I had simply taken an Uber all the way there.

The best part of pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone is that once you’ve done it once, you’ve proven to yourself that you can do it. At the end of the day, life is too short to live with the fear of embarrassment. 

While open enrollment may weaken students’ long-term commitment to Utah Tech University, it ultimately allows for a more diverse and cohesive campus.

Utah Tech is an open enrollment university, which allows nearly all students to get accepted and go to school here. This is in contrast to other universities, which require set test scores, grades and other qualities in order to be accepted.

Open enrollment provides an opportunity for all students to receive a college education at an affordable rate relative to other colleges. Utah Tech is the most affordable university in Utah, which allows a wide range of students to come here.

This, however, does have its downsides. I have seen that students don’t always take school seriously, and that is partially due to the fact that the school doesn’t have any requirements to attend school.

In many of my general education classes, I have had classmates who were there only because going to college was the “thing to do.” Students who did not make school a priority in high school are able to come here without having to change many of their bad habits.

This is seen in both the graduation rates and the retention rates here. The graduation rate is around 36%, which is one of the lowest rates in the state, while the retention rate is approximately 65%.

Not only does this negatively impact the classroom experience for students who are taking school seriously, but it also hurts the community on campus. I’ve seen this during group projects when students who take the work seriously are paired with students who couldn’t care less if the project gets done.

If students are not staying here long enough to graduate or are leaving after their first year, it does not allow for students to build an attachment to campus. This hurts school spirit overall, which then impacts student support at campus events like athletics.

As the sports editor for Sun News Daily for the past two years, I have covered nearly every home football game. I have been able to see the lack of student support at times for the teams on campus. Athletes receiving support from the rest of the campus largely depends on their success.

While winning is important, it also shows that students are connected to the school in the same way that students are to other schools. For example, the University of Utah’s football team has a 94-game sellout streak, and Brigham Young University had five sellouts last season.

Open enrollment isn’t entirely to blame, but it does weaken students’ attachment to the school and causes them to not support athletics and other programs as strongly as in other schools.

On the other hand, open enrollment provides opportunities for students that are not as easily available at other schools.

Affordable schooling allows people to find ways to align their interests with employment opportunities in college. For example, I was able to take additional law classes through the criminal justice program after taking a media law and ethics class as part of my digital media major.

This allowed me to see how I could align my interests in digital media and law, as I am now preparing for law school this fall.

Open enrollment also allows for students from various backgrounds and places to go here without as big a financial hurdle. While this may not ensure the school spirit is as strong compared to other schools, it allows for a wide variety of opinions and backgrounds to be represented on campus.

Part of the reason why I chose to come here despite having opportunities to stay closer to home in Idaho was the affordability and the learning opportunities provided here at Utah Tech. While this is not entirely due to open enrollment, it plays a part in helping students see the opportunities provided here.

Open enrollment does diminish school spirit when students take advantage of the school’s affordability to not take school or campus as seriously. For those who use it to try new things and get involved, it allows them to learn new skills and meet new people they otherwise might not have met.

It’s been a fat minute since I’ve seen a rom-com that actually feels like the early 2000s ones I grew up loving — but they are SO back.

“You, Me & Tuscany” is the best newly released rom-com I’ve seen in years, and it felt nostalgic, despite being set in our day and age. The film takes place in Italy, which creates an ideal backdrop for love to naturally unfold. It was genuinely hilarious, with none of the cringy acting I’ve seen in a lot of newer films.

I haven’t left the theater this happy in YEARS. This may sound a little niche, but the best way to describe it is I felt like I was transported into a Colbie Caillat song — light, airy, free and in love. 

“You, Me & Tuscany” follows Anna (Halle Bailey), who is figuring out her life and not exactly living it to the fullest of its potential. She’s surviving, not thriving. Anna meets Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor), a gorgeous Italian man, who tells her about his life in Italy and how he left on a sour note — and most importantly, that he has a house that’s completely empty. 

Inspired by Matteo’s tales of Tuscany, Anna decides to fly to Italy with little to no funds. Because she goes there on a whim, housing arrangements can’t be made… BUT she remembers Matteo has an empty house. Anna decides to stay there, and when she’s discovered by Matteo’s family, she gets caught in a lie that she’s Matteo’s fiancée. But just around the corner is Matteo’s stunning brother Michael (Regé-Jean Page), who Anna ends up falling in love with. 

It’s giving “While You Were Sleeping,” but make it Italian.

What I liked 

The Tuscany setting was PERFECT and reminiscent of other movies I love, like “Under the Tuscan Sun” and “Letters to Juliet.” Being set in Italy automatically gives a romantic vibe. Plus, I’m Italian… so it feels VERY comforting and homey to see that scenery and culture represented on screen.

The Italian family stereotypes are SO funny to see play out on screen — loud, crazy and loyal members. Matteo and Michael’s sister is the star comedian, Francesca (Stella Pecollo), who openly tells Anna within minutes of meeting her that she’s having an affair with the plumber. 

Going into this movie, I was expecting a cringey rom-com that would yet again fail to live up to the early 2000s standard that lives rent free in my brain. But this movie is so effortless at making our modern day world feel nostalgic, and even happy. That’s thanks to the actors themselves. Bailey and Page have chemistry that doesn’t feel forced — it’s believable and easy to get lost in. 

For example, there’s a scene where they get caught in the sprinklers at the family vineyard, which could’ve easily felt cringey, but instead comes across as completely natural. Bailey and Page don’t overplay the moment. They lean into the spontaneity of it, laughing, stumbling and being present with each other. It feels less like a scripted rom-com scene and more like a real memory unfolding, which is what makes it so charming.

And don’t get me started on the soundtrack. It has STRAIGHT BANGERS. The modern day queen of R&B and soul herself, Olivia Dean, was featured in the film with “So Easy (To Fall In Love).” Artists like Jordan Ward, Leon Thomas and Thee Sacred Souls are also included, giving the movie a nostalgic, soul-inspired sound while still feeling fresh with modern voices.

The end credits of the movie were essentially a blooper and outtakes reel, which also felt reminiscent of early 2000s films, and I ate it up.

What I didn’t like

There’s honestly not a single thing I would change about the film itself. My only complaint is that I don’t feel like I saw any marketing for this film, except for seeing trailers of it during other movies. It feels like a HUGE missed opportunity because it has everything people say they’ve been missing from rom-coms. It could’ve been a breakout hit if more people knew about it.

Industry conversations have been had about the fact that the film is being treated as a test for the future of Black-led rom-coms, which only makes me wish more people knew about it — or that I was seeing more interviews and press with the two leads — because this is exactly the kind of film people should be hearing about and showing up for.

The verdict

“You, Me & Tuscany” is essentially a love letter to all great and classic rom-coms that have come before us. It feels natural even though it takes place in our modern world, and you leave with such a warm, feel-good happiness that makes you want to watch it over and over again. 

I’m rating this film 4.5 out of five stars because it’s effortless in every single way a rom-com should be. Who wouldn’t want to watch a beautiful, funny story set in Italy? It’s a MUST-SEE in theaters because you’ll leave genuinely feeling like rom-coms are back in business.