Commentary by Katelynn Singleton, Campus Carrier editor-in-chief

The summer was filled with countless sources of entertainment. From music releases from Harry Styles and Beyonce, to new movies like “Top Gun: Maverick,” and even drama on social media regarding Taylor Swift’s excessive use of her private jet, there was always something to pay attention to. Here is a summary of all the biggest moments in entertainment this summer.

Music:
To kick off the summer, Harry Styles released his third album, “Harry’s House,” on May 20. With 13 songs, the album has dominated most of social media since its release. “As It Was” took over TikTok, with the sound being used 2.4 million times on the app for a trend that shows how the user has changed over the years. “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” was another song that has been incredibly popular, as the ubeat and jazzy sound the song has is the perfect song to jam out to in the car or when getting ready for the day. The song that really resonated with fans, however, was “Matilda,” a song about a woman who grew up in an abusive family. Styles’ sings that she can form her own family, and does not have to invite her family to be a part of it. Many of Styles’ fans have felt comforted by the song, and took to social media to thank the artist for speaking up and taking a stance on not needing to remain in contact with abusive family members. While the inspiration for “Matilda” is not known, hopefully they have felt comforted by the public support surrounding the song.

Another release that has received acclaim on social media and from critics is Beyoncé’s seventh album, and her first solo album in six years, “Renaissance.” Released on July 29, the album shifts between different styles, with the majority of its inspiration coming from post-1970s black dance music. Songs go between disco, pop, R&B and dance and have seamless transitions that make the listener feel like they are on the dance floor rather than sitting in their car listening to the album. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with 332,000 album-equivalent units. An album-equivalent unit is how the music industry transfers streaming and song downloads to buying one album. Beyoncé had the biggest album debut by a female artist in 2022, and came up right behind Harry Styles as the second-biggest overall debut.

TV:
“Stranger Things” has been a staple of the summer since 2016. This summer proved no different, with part of season four releasing in late May and the final two episodes being released on July 1. Viewers follow the Hawkins gang as they fight Vecna, a new monster living in the Upside Down. The season has revived people’s love for singer Kate Bush, as it used her song “Running Up That Hill,” in a dramatic scene with the character Max. The song had an increase of over 8,7005 on streaming charts following the episode’s release.

Viewers and critics have both praised Sadie Sink for her performance as Max Mayfield. Max is truly going through it in this season, and Sink did a wonderful job portraying the struggles that her character experiences. One of the monologues that she delivers to her stepbrother from episode four is genuinely heartbreaking to watch. It will be interesting to see how Sink progresses as an actress and steps out of her role in “Stranger Things.”

Another popular franchise released a series starting in late May. “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” joined the other two Star Wars live action series on Disney+. The series stars Ewan McGregor reprising his role as the title character, with Hayden Christensen also returning as Darth Vader. Although the writing left more to be desired, the performances by McGregor and Christensen were everything that Star Wars fans had been missing. Although the series started with positive reviews, by the fourth episode, there was a lot of criticism of the pacing and the quality of the script. One can only hope that the next season of “The Mandalorian” does not follow the same trend.

Movies:
Marvel once again was a major figure in the box office this summer with the release of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” and “Thor: Love and Thunder.” “Multiverse of Madness” introduced America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez, to the MCU. America Chavez is the first Queer and Latina superhero to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sam Raimi, best known for directing the Spider-Man trilogy, directed “Multiverse of Madness.” This was Raimi’s first superhero movie since Spider-Man 3 in 2007, and it is obvious that this is where Raimi shines. His past experience working on horror movies works perfectly in “Multiverse of Madness” to create eerie and comic book-esq visuals. Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen reprised their roles as Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff respectively, and received praise for their performances.

“Thor: Love and Thunder,” joined Doctor Strange in theaters July 8, and was well received. In it, Thor, Valkyrie, Korg and Jane Foster set out to defeat the latest MCU bad guy, Gorr the God Butcher. Christian Bale does an incredible job as Gorr, and makes it difficult to dislike his character, after we see his daughter die and the god he worships laugh at him. Director Taika Waititi fills the movie with color and excitement, making the movie enjoyable to watch, although the script falters at times.

The highest-grossing film of the summer, however, was not a Marvel movie, but “Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to the 1986 film “Top Gun.” The movie featured Miles Teller and a whole lot of mustaches. The movie follows Maverick, played by Tom Cruise, as he once again disobeys orders while wearing aviators and looking cool.

Social Media:
In the beginning of the month, Taylor Swift fans woke up to the news that their favorite artist was one of the celebrities that contributed the most to carbon emissions. Yard, a sustainable marketing agency that looks into celebrities’ use of private planes to track carbon emissions, reported that in 2022, Swift contributed 8,293 tonnes to carbon emissions. In an effort to do damage control, Swift’s spokesperson claimed that her jet was regularly loaned to other individuals. Of course, social media was filled with videos of planes and captions like “Taylor Swift going down the street to get coffee.” While celebrities contribute significantly to carbon emissions, it’s important to remember that large corporations are the main source of emissions.