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News at 6 on WNUR News – February 21, 2022 UNITY fashion show, Avant-basic, and THE cat sound WNUR News broadcasts live at 6 pm CST on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on WNUR 89.3 FM
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Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:18 Live from WMUR news. I'm Katherine Odom. You're listening to the six o'clock news on WMUR, 89.3, FM HD one Evanston Chicago it's Monday, February 21st, 2022. And it's president's day tonight on w and you are news. A look at the unity fashion show casting call the avant basic trend and the classic cat screeching movie sound effect these stories and more coming up right now. Thanks for tuning in this Monday evening, about 80 Northwestern students audition for a spot in unity. Charity fashion shows upcoming runway in may unity. A nonprofit student group on campus said it wanted to challenge what it called, the quote toxic beauty standard, unquote of the modeling industry reporter Madison. Bradley's spoke to people at the event.
Speaker 2 00:01:12 Thank you. You can set that aside. Perfect.
Speaker 3 00:01:19 Unity charity fashion show. Tell them model call Friday, February 18th and Saturday, February 19th. Of course, annual student run shows scheduled for may this year. The shows director of models Blanco's or Moscow set about 80 models audition for one of 15 spots in this year show
Speaker 4 00:01:37 Because the models do all the time was make or break the show. We have no models. You have no shot.
Speaker 3 00:01:43 Jeremy Moscow is a sophomore, double majoring in physics and data science. She said no one other than the president of the organization wasn't unity before COVID. So not many people in the group were familiar with how to put together a model called Sarah Moscow. Wasn't sure people would even show up to the casting call. So this is your first time putting on a fashion show. Yes. Was there any moment where you felt like, oh wow, I'm really doing this.
Speaker 4 00:02:07 Honestly, like anytime someone showed up, like every single person, I was like, this is crazy that, you know, you're taking the time of your day to come to this. And like, like, it was just very fulfilling to see that the P and especially the people that clearly came because they wanted to, and we, people don't be like, no, I would say thank you for coming back. No, thank you for having me. And it's just, so
Speaker 3 00:02:27 The unity is a nonprofit and donates proceeds from the show to a charitable organization in Chicago in 2019, the group partnered with social works, which Cannes the rapper founded and raised $10,000 for their mission of empowering Chicago public school, youth through the arts education and civic engagement. This year, the group partnered with arts of life, a nonprofit for artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This year's theme is rebirth and revitalization. Do
Speaker 4 00:02:58 You want me to know what's on? And it's almost like a Phoenix and the ashes, like the rebirth and like, you know, it kind of didn't work out last year, the year before it didn't happen, but we can look at it from the perspective that it gives us a blank slate.
Speaker 3 00:03:11 So what was unity looking for in its perspective, models
Speaker 4 00:03:15 And unity. We want models who are confident and models who just want to model rather than a specific look, specific height specific way. Um, and I think that's how the theme of this year really ties into at least like the modeling pot at the end of the day, when you have people that will wear the clothes, not let the clothes wear them. Um, so we need people to feel confident if we put them in this like bright pink, fluffy, golden as well. Like they will not let that overpower them, but there isn't love, like a lot of people show, many people have potential and that makes it tough because there'll be dispute people. That's like, obviously, like we want them, like, they're so good. But majority of the people were like, good. And that, I think what makes it tough is like seeing who's got enough and like, what are we going to go by? In those cases,
Speaker 3 00:04:00 Some people auditioning had experienced like freshmen theater, major Apollo, Umbra,
Speaker 5 00:04:06 Dennis, and like two and a half years. You've done it before, like three times. Cause my aunt used to do casting and I was her like fill-in, so she'd call me like day off and be like, I need you to come here. So I did it three times because of that, but I haven't done it since I was like 16.
Speaker 3 00:04:22 Others have watched reality TV shows about modeling, like junior biology, major Sasha eating Goldberg.
Speaker 6 00:04:29 Since I was little, I would play like fashion show games and stuff. And um, I bought like toddlers and tiaras, which is, I was probably too young to be watching that, but I thought it was just like fun to see like the beauty pageants and the modeling and stuff like that. Um, I, I like America's next top model, like both trash TV. I know, but it's like, I don't know the guilty pleasures, I guess. And I just thought like, oh, like that'd be fun to try out when
Speaker 3 00:04:50 And only Zhao a graduate student pursuing a PhD in computer science came because one of his friends is running the call. Um, how long have you had modeling
Speaker 7 00:04:59 Aspirations?
Speaker 5 00:05:00 Uh, since the past five minutes,
Speaker 3 00:05:04 Freshmen psychology, major Yale pier had friends suggest the idea to her
Speaker 7 00:05:10 Instagram. Like lots of my friends say that like model material and et cetera. And like, I kind of like feeling good and looking good in a sense.
Speaker 3 00:05:17 And Calista Dwan, a sophomore double majoring in biology and global health wanted to try it out.
Speaker 7 00:05:23 And you decide to come today mostly because I've always been interested in like fashion runway shows and just fashion in general and seeing the models run. Um, and I wanted to try it out for myself because usually that like runway walk and bodies alone competence and, um, self-assurance so like I wanted to try that and just see what it feels like. Okay. What does being a part of this audition process mean to you? Um, I think it means for me to at least step out of my comfort zone and just continue to try and do something that I never thought I would be doing like even a few years ago. And that aspect really makes me like proud of myself because ever since coming to college, it's like continual growth and sometimes that growth isn't fun, but I'm also growth can be in something that you do find joy in.
Speaker 3 00:06:11 After checking in at a table outside of the room, the perspective models wrote their first and last name on a whiteboard pose with it for a headshot and placed it down and had a unity member take a full body picture and side profile picture. Then one at a time, each model walked to the end of the room, a unity member, cute music, and the model did their runway walk back toward the table of unity members pose for five seconds and turned around, walking back to the end of the room. Then their audition was over Jordan Bass, a sophomore majoring in computer science auditioned for the show. How did it feel walking down the,
Speaker 4 00:06:48 A little weird, a little vulnerable, but it was cool.
Speaker 3 00:06:50 And an Instagram post advertising this model called unity said, quote, we are leaving the toxic beauty standard of the modeling industry behind
Speaker 4 00:06:59 Well, cause we were really just one students that the students in the audience can look and be like, yeah, I see myself. Like they will, there might be freshmen, sophomores juniors coming to the show this year. And they're like, oh, this is cool. Like I could do this because a lot of people I talk to and ask if they wanted to audition, they said, I don't look like a model. I'm not a model, but you'd be surprised because so many people, especially when I don't think they could do it, they would have do a great job at it. So I think that's how it ties into the theme industry. Like creating a new blank slate and a new expectations for models. It's just, you know, it's like, it's easy to just say that uncle that on a post, because that's like, that's, you know what you say in like 20, 22, but I think I would have to like check myself and biases and mind do I think you would make a great model because you're tall because you're skinny or, or like for example, see someone who might not be the conventional model type and I'd be like, oh, I didn't like you're open-minded and I like your walkers because it will cause a bit different.
Speaker 4 00:07:57 And I think at first it was very much, I had to think to myself, I was like, what are the things and expectations I'm going to violate them against? And honestly, it was easy because so many people, they would just come in and they were amazing. They would come in, they walk and you're like, wow, it kind of everything came together. But for sure, that's a thing now we're going to work on. And I think it still wasn't perfect this year. Um, because we didn't know, like we didn't know how to exactly really emphasize it. Cause he has, we put as a quote, lot people will read it and they'll be like, whatever. They just said it for the sake of it and understand why they would think that by thing it's for us to really reflect back on this experience. And as the preparing everything for the show goes on this yet and really see how we can change things and improve with the next year.
Speaker 3 00:08:45 Katelyn Hauser, a sophomore majoring in communication studies was part of the show last year and wants to be part of the show again, this may, he said he wanted his audition to show his and authentic self. What does being a part of this audition process mean?
Speaker 8 00:08:59 Yeah, it means that I have, um, the opportunity to further express myself and have a space where I can, you know, be confident and, you know, show off my fashion, my body, you know, my height, um, and not feel stigmatized for
Speaker 3 00:09:16 Based on how many people auditioned Durham. Moscow said, she felt that unity had a lot of potential to make a good model selection. She also feels optimistic about this year's show.
Speaker 4 00:09:26 It's going to be in the first two weeks of may. It's going to be sun. It's going to be warm outside better than this weather now. And I hope we were going to have a big turnout, raise a little money for the charity and just have fun overall because I'm doing this for like nothing else, but fun. Like I think it's going to help be a physics or they just science, but it makes me happy. So I'm just excited to see all come to fruition and all the months of hard work and how they will turn out.
Speaker 3 00:09:55 And she has high hopes for
Speaker 4 00:09:56 Unity. Everyone knows I'm going to it's like the blue. Shaklee sure. Like everybody knows about it. Everyone knows to go. Everyone knows about blowout Dilla day. And I think our goal is to really make unity, like come back and like put it back in people's kinda stuff. When we say you day, no it's a passionate show. They know it was an amazing event and everyone had so much fun and they're looking forward to what we're going to do the year after that. So I think I just want people to remember and look out for it and when it comes to attend and she, the amazing show we're going to put on and the great models I guessed it sarcastically as a joke, I'm not full of myself
Speaker 3 00:10:41 For w when you are news, I'm Madison Bradley.
Speaker 1 00:10:51 Our annual fundraiser phone-a-thon is happening right now. This is the one time a year. We ask our listeners for support to keep our station on air and add free donate [email protected] slash donate or call 8 4 7 8 6 6 w. And you are all contributions. Make a difference in arts and entertainment tonight. If you've been on tick-tock in the past year, chances are, you've seen the avant basic style. This trend mixes, bold patterns and bright colors and eye catching combinations. But these funky styles are not as unique as they seem. Margot Mulan ASCII has the story, which originally aired last spring
Speaker 9 00:11:32 Over the last few months to a year, a certain style of clothing and even home decor has cropped up called avant basic the term coined by Twitter user. Emma hope Allwood refers to the quirkiness of the trend in the first half, but the saturation of the style and popular media in the second
Speaker 10 00:11:50 For me immediately, when I saw it, like I saw what on basic entailed, I kind of thought like, okay, Memphis design movement, but like maybe a little watered down. Um, that's like this big style of like patterns that was really big in the eighties. Things like the McDonald's Sprite from like the nineties, if you know what I'm talking about. Um, so it's like a repetition of like colorful patterns, um, print mixing, I think most like where I've seen it most online. It's always been like pastel colors like that pastel green. That's really big right now. Um, pastel purple. Yeah.
Speaker 9 00:12:24 That's Melissa and Toyo and Northwestern student and styling staffer for Northwestern fashion magazine stich.
Speaker 10 00:12:31 Just kind of like these patterns that you think would be like, um, pretty farfetched pretty out there, but because they've become so popularized by like tick-tock and social media, um, that's kind of where the basic aspect comes in. Like everyone's wearing these, so they're less, um, I think it's like a way for people to like express themselves without being like too out there,
Speaker 9 00:12:53 These pieces can be found on fast fashion websites that are constantly updated, according to what's trending, including popular clothing and accessory website, Sheehan, Instagram shops, and more while the style is all over these stores in social media, many people have commented on how they don't actually see this avant basic style anywhere else for a host of reasons from people not wanting to repeat outfits to people going out less during the pandemic.
Speaker 10 00:13:19 Yeah. So I definitely don't see it in real life. And I just think that's because we live in the Midwest, just, um, like, I don't know, Evanston is not particularly the fashion capital of the world, um, or like the fashion capital of like Illinois. Um, so yeah, I don't see it much in real life and I frankly don't see it outside of Instagram or tech talks. It definitely feels like it's being pushed heavily by influencers. Like I am thinking of someone right now who I don't want to put your, her name. Um, but it's like, Rowee seeing, I believe, um, her Instagram, it's beautiful. It's full of like bright pastel colors, things like that. I'm like, I'm looking at like her pattern pillows, some of her candles even are in like the shapes. Um, you would see on the patterns of like on basic pieces.
Speaker 9 00:14:06 It's unclear if this trend is here to stay or be quickly cycled through like many trends.
Speaker 10 00:14:11 They, I like checked out Vogue's predictions for like what fall 2021 is going to look like. And though nothing like screams specifically on basic. I still see a lot of the like trends that have been popular even like last fall, still cropping up in certain places. So I don't know. I don't think this is going to be particularly short-lived, but, um, I think it also depends on like your media consumption and how much you like buy into trends and stuff like that.
Speaker 9 00:14:38 For WMUR news, I'm Margo Malinowski
Speaker 1 00:14:42 And over and oddities. It's the classic movie story. Boy meets girl, girl, and boy fall in love. Girl, throw something carelessly out a window and a cat screeches enough about love stories. Where did that cat come from? Oddities reporter, Helen Bradshaw has more.
Speaker 12 00:15:04 You sit down to watch a movie. Maybe you're looking for something that reminds you of childhood. Harry Potter might be a good choice.
Speaker 13 00:15:13 Dave is the Potter. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts.
Speaker 12 00:15:19 The night bus drives through the winding streets of the Wizarding world. And then suddenly it comes to a stop that's when you hear it, But maybe it isn't Harry Potter. Maybe you just start a new girl and you see Jess going to pick up her stuff from her ex-boyfriend's house. You're going to be okay, But wait, no, it wasn't new girl or Harry Potter. You wanted to watch it was free Willy or monsters university Hellboy. This cat sound is used a lot often when a cat isn't even a part of the plot of the movie. So why choose the sound? Hasn't this poor cat had enough.
Speaker 14 00:16:02 One it's kind of funny, you know, and, and two, it has this sort of frequency of chaos. So you add these other things in and it, and it, it Springs in imagination. You, you hear something off screen and you imagine a cat running away. So it's, it's something that, um, is also a little bit of a cliche.
Speaker 12 00:16:21 That's Tom Myers. He's a sound designer and mixer at Skywalker studios and has worked on films, including Kong skull island up Wally star wars, episode three, to name a few, but you don't have to be a sound designer to pick up on this recurring sound. You just have to all watch TV.
Speaker 14 00:16:39 Once you brought it to my attention, I was like, oh yeah, I have heard that a bunch of times,
Speaker 12 00:16:44 These recurring sounds and media aren't uncommon. There's a lengthy history of film sound tropes, including the infamous Wilhelm scream or the misplaced loon noise. And if you do a quick search for these online, you can find out about them pretty quickly through a variety of sources, but for this cat crash noise, it isn't quite the same. Well, there's some internet banter and forums discussing the sound. There's no definitive history of it, or much explanation of why it's used TV, consumers and TV characters alike have had to simply guess
Speaker 11 00:17:25 It was just a cat. Let's keep moving. Holy crap. What is up with that? Chaz, someone throwing it keep moving because there is an insane cat down here. Well, what about the zombies burner, Troy, this cat has to be dealt with.
Speaker 12 00:17:46 So why is this sound so widely
Speaker 14 00:17:48 Used? There are certain frequencies that you rely upon that that sort of make people's, you know, the hair on the back of their neck stand up there. Those sounds like a cat sound. The higher frequency sounds are ones that make us feel uncomfortable. It's like the, you know, the, the violin strings in, in psycho Normal dialogue is around one K one kilo Hertz, and you get up into four 4k or, you know, six or something like that, which is where those cat frequencies are. It's, it's sort of makes your, your shoulders stand up and the hair on the back of your neck stand up. So those are, there's a physical reaction that people have to, to various frequency. So, and that comes into sort of play with that. And that's the cat thing is perfect. And it goes with the sort of crashing glass and sort of similar frequencies,
Speaker 12 00:18:46 But beyond the frequencies of the sound and its impact on the audience, this cat crush noise is it's kind of like an inside joke for sound designers and avid viewers.
Speaker 14 00:18:56 So my guess is it started out as, um, something that was supposed to be scary and then got used enough times in enough movies where they it's like a, you know, lightning crash or something like that as these horror tropes that are things that are used over and over again. So my guess is after a while, like a lot of cliche, it started out as something real and then became cliche and then became humorous. It just is something that, that sound people have become sort of aware about. And it was initially it's something that people just did to amuse themselves or other sound people. And then other people directors and stuff became aware of it. And so they started to use it and request it. And then audience members started to become aware of it.
Speaker 12 00:19:44 Cash sound effect may not be used seriously to scare an audience anymore, but it's unlikely to completely die out with the life it's taken on outside of
Speaker 14 00:19:53 It is something that has, has been around and it's something that we've used, but it's not something that I was always conscious of. But, uh, but now maybe I'll, um, I'll take it in a couple of spots. We'll see what else
Speaker 12 00:20:07 For WMUR news. I'm Helen Bradshaw.
Speaker 1 00:20:16 Once again, our annual fundraiser phone-a-thon is happening right now. This is the one time a year. We ask our listeners for support to keep our station on air and free donate [email protected] slash donate or call 8 4 7 8 6 6 w. And you are all contributions. Make a difference. Now, here are some of today's headlines. Northwestern's COVID-19 positivity rate reached 4.35% this past week and increased from last week's positivity rate of 2.7, 8%. Two six. New positives were reported between February 11th and 17th. And the campus activity level is still yellow jurors. And the Ahmad Arbery federal hate crimes. Trial began deliberations after hearing closing arguments today, the three men involved in the killing have already been convicted at the state level, but this trial will determine whether or not the actions constituted a hate crime queen Elizabeth tested positive for COVID-19 this weekend. The news comes amid scandals in the Royal family and celebrations marking her 70th anniversary on the throne and the Olympics.
Speaker 1 00:21:17 The winter Olympics closed yesterday in Beijing. Although the games were largely overshadowed by a Russian doping scandal, 15 year old figure skater, Camila volley, Ava helped her team win a gold medal, but reports of a failed drug test came shortly after Russian athletes were competing under a neutral flag due to previous state sponsored doping. Now the Russians may have to give up their gold medal pending an investigation. Now let's take a look at the weather. It's 39 degrees right now in Evanston under partly cloudy skies tonight, we may see some precipitation and temperatures reaching 47 degrees today was a bit warmer than usual and tomorrow will be two with more rain and a high of 41 degrees. The rest of the week will be colder with highs in the twenties on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we might see ice and snow on Thursday and Friday.
Speaker 1 00:22:03 So stay warm out there this weekend. We'll bring sunny and partly cloudy skies with a high of 37 on Saturday and a high of 31 on Sunday. That's all for WMUR news at 6:00 PM for more news updates and reports follow us on our Twitter at WNU our news and on our Instagram at w and you are news 8, 9 3. You can listen to these and other stories of the day on our Spotify, Google podcasts, and SoundCloud. You can also find us on our website, w N U r.news. Our reporters for today were Madison Bradley Margot meal. Now Skee and Helen Bradshaw. Our producer today is Sarah Dora and special. Thanks to Alison rock from all of us here at WMUR news. I'm Katherine Odom. Catch our next show on Wednesday, February 23rd at 6:00 PM. Thanks for listening now, back to scheduled programming,
