Have you ever realized just how out of touch you are from the outside world now that you’re here at Stanford? Well, I’m here to help. Here’s a few quick things you may have missed these past two weeks and why they matter to you:

The Kardashian drama:

Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna are engaged and the Kardashian dynasty does not approve.

What happened: Kylie Jenner is with the rapper Tyga. Tyga used to be with Blac Chyna and Amber Rose, who are BFFs. Kylie isn’t about Tyga’s ex-fiancée Blac Chyna, so now the rest of the Kardashians don’t approve of Rob’s engagement.

Why this matters: If neither of the World Wars were proof enough, alliances can be messy. In this case, the alliance is quite petty, but overall, this can show that grudges are unnecessary, especially when they split up families. Help simplify your busy life and either make-up with that person or move on. Why can’t we all just get along?

For further reading: here

Music drama:

Kanye West is still talking about that Taylor Swift moment at the MTV VMAs a couple of years ago.

What happened: At Kanye’s first concert after the release of his new album “The Life of Pablo,” Kanye ranted about the controversy surrounding one of his new songs “Famous”. In this song, Kanye essentially says that he made Taylor Swift famous. Taylor said that she wasn’t aware of this lyric, and pushed back in an acceptance speech, saying that nobody else can claim your own success. Kanye is now saying that he was just voicing what everyone else was thinking, and that his job as an artist is to tell the truth.

Why this matters: I think this brings up an interesting conversation about success and where the credit lies. Can anyone claim full credit for their own success or fame? We’re usually supported by others in our endeavors, so don’t they play a part? Also, this brings up a question about the definition of success. Kanye seems to define success as controversy, if people are talking about you, you’ve made it. Taylor seems to see success as another thing entirely. As people constantly striving for success, it seems to be an important step to define what that means to you and how that can be measured, as well as considering where all the credit for your successes lie.

For further reading: here (beware: the video plays automatically with sound)  

Television drama:

The made-for-streaming television shows “The Mindy Project” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” are back with new episodes.

What happened: “The Mindy Project” is coming back for the second part of their first season made for Hulu, and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” is returning for a second season on Netflix.

Why this matters: We’re beginning to see a concrete structure for made-for-streaming content. It’s been a rocky start, with many hits and misses, with the jury still out on the fourth season of “Arrested Development.” But in these two cases we’re seeing a show that had some popularity on television for three full seasons, and a show that received a lot of fame despite it only airing on Netflix. This suggests that content can be manipulated and experienced in a variety of ways, and innovation should be encouraged when creating television shows or music.

Movie drama:

Sony is making a movie based on emojis and Spotify is directly involved.

What happened: Apparently Sony is making a movie about emojis, and how these emoticon characters move from their texting app home of “emoji valley” to the phone’s home screen and beyond to different apps, with clever depictions of each app. Spotify is officially involved.

Why this matters: Put simply, our society cares too much about emojis. Seriously.

For further reading: here

Internet legends:

This dude in Nashville live-tweeted his honestly wild experience with a McDonald’s in the middle of the night.

What happened: You just need to see the tweets here; you will not regret it.

Why this matters: Life is tough, especially when you’re working long hours late at night like a college student or a server at McDonald’s. We all need a break every once in a while, and we also should learn to have some patience with others — we don’t know what the other person may be going through, even if they just lost track of their wife in a hide-and-seek match. Get some rest, have some fun, and remember the phrase “you do you.”

Other celebrity gossip:

Amy Schumer and Jimmy Fallon played a game in which they asked each other about weird pictures on their phones.

What happened: Before the show, Amy Schumer and Jimmy Fallon switched phones and looked through the other’s photo albums. Then, during the show, they had the chance to ask the other about the weird photos they saw. Hilarity ensued.

Why this matters: This game is a great reminder that not everything is as it seems. We all know this in our experience with Stanford, which isn’t necessarily the perfect dream we all thought it would be. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t great stories involved. So stay focused on the good things, and try to think about the bigger picture in life.

Watch the video here.

 

Contact Arianna Lombard at ariannal ‘at’ stanford.edu.