In the inaugural episode of Daily Bruin Spotlight, Arts editors dive into the latest in music, film and lifestyle at UCLA and beyond. From Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour and Coachella predictions to a tribute for filmmaker David Lynch and highlights from UCLA’s Dance Marathon, hosts Reid Sperisen, Martin Sevcik, Aisosa Onaghise and Jillian Baker break down the biggest stories shaping arts and culture this April.

Reid Sperisen: It is April, and you are listening to “Daily Bruin Spotlight” by Daily Bruin Arts. This is the Daily Bruins Arts’ Podcast. Thank you for joining us for our inaugural episode. I am Reid Sperisen. I’m the music | fine arts editor and the host for today.

Martin Sevcik: I’m Martin Sevcik. I’m the director of PRIME magazine at Daily Bruin, and I am the theater, film and television correspondent for today.

Aisosa Onaghise: Hi, my name is Aisosa Onaghise. I am a Daily Bruin slot editor, Arts contributor and the music correspondent for today.

Jillian Baker: My name is Jillian Baker. I’m an arts contributor and lifestyle correspondent for today.

RS: To get us all started, what has everyone been listening to lately?

MS: I’ve been listening to the new Paris Texas EP, “They Left Me With A Gun.” They were tremendous fun as an opener for Tyler, the Creator, and their album does not disappoint.

JB: I’m listening to Djo. It’s D-J-O. He came out with a few songs over the past few weeks, and he recently came out with an album. So that’s been on repeat for me.

AO: And I’ve been listening to Bad Bunny. He dropped his latest album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” early January, and it’s just a beautiful celebration and representation of Puerto Rico culture.

RS: And I’ve been listening to a lot of Lucinda Williams, going back to her 1998 album, “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” and a lot of Chappell Roan, getting into the song “My Kink Is Karma” more specifically lately than other songs that I had initially loved on “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” Now let’s get into the top stories of the week. Martin, what is the top highlight in the world of cinema?

MS: I would say that’s the release of “A Minecraft Movie” on April 4. The movie is part of a now long-running series of video game franchises turned into blockbuster films with high budgets. In this case, they have Jack Black and a over $100 million budget. We’ll see if this trend continues, based on audience reception to the film thus far, be sure to check out the review written by Daily Bruin Arts writer Paco Bacalski.

RS: That sounds like an exciting film release, Martin. And what’s happening in the Theater, Film, Television scene at UCLA?

MS: On that same day, April 4, the UCLA Film and Television Archive hosted a tribute event to David Lynch, a notable film maker who died in January this year. It screened the long forgotten series “On the Air,” one of his lesser known works, fully digitized for the first time in its entirety. The event was a great tribute to Lynch, in my opinion, and I’m so glad they hosted it.

RS: Thank you so much, Martin. And now let’s go to Jillian for updates from the Lifestyle beat. Jillian, what is the top Lifestyle story of the past month?

JB: So recently, the Dance Marathon was held on March 1 by the Pediatric AIDS Coalition, and was covered by a couple of my colleagues, Izzy De Leon, Katy Nicholas, Viva Wertz, Makayla Sandoval and Jade Wang-O’Shea. The event was held in efforts to raise money and awareness for HIV and AIDS, and it lasted 10 hours and raised a total of $55,000, so that was approximately $7,000 more than last year. They danced to old and new hits such as Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder, alongside some childhood classics such as “High School Musical.” Live music performances were also held by UCLA’s very own jazz band and The Band Called Sex. There was also a vigil held during the marathon for people who have experienced or been affected by HIV or AIDS.

RS: Thank you for that recap of Dance Marathon. With Earth Day coming up on April 22 what else is happening in Lifestyle?

JB: So there was a really interesting second take done by our very own Vishnu Potharaju. To clarify for our listeners, a second take is an opinionated piece written by a member of Daily Bruin Arts. He argues that the republishing of special edition books does more harm than good to our environment while providing an interesting insight into the cost of aesthetics and its effects on the environment. He argues that the artistic direction of a book cover may influence a whole new demographic of individuals to read the novel and also involve a marketing tactic, but in the end, this does more harm than good for the environment. Potharaju emphasizes how publishers take advantage of consumers’ need to over-consume in order to gain profit. He included a statistic that was mentioned in the piece, stating that the United States publishing industry cuts down 32 million trees annually to create physical books. So next time when you’re buying a special edition book, consider the effects and how it may cause greater harm than good to the environment.

RS: Thank you so much for that insight about Potharaju’s second take, Jillian. Now, let’s go to Aisosa for some updates about the music scene at UCLA.

AO: Thanks, Reid. Daily Bruin published an article in March about alumnus Iverson Mitchell, who became a professional DJ after switching from aerospace engineering. Mitchell DJ’d at UCLA parties and events, including the quarterly Undie Run during his time as a student. He said his sound is inspired by artists such as Steve Aoki and Mustard, and he places a focus on positive messaging in the music he plays, often avoiding vulgar and violent songs. He said his music rotation includes genres such as Afro house, Jersey club and Brazilian funk. And Mitchell said he hopes to continue contributing to the music community through DJing while engaging audiences in new music they haven’t heard before.

RS: Thank you, Aisosa. Mitchell sounds like a really talented individual within our UCLA music community. What else is happening in the broader music industry?

AO: The Los Angeles Times reports that Beyoncé’s “COWBOY CARTER TOUR” has not sold all of its tickets. The tour is at a 94% sellout rate, according to Live Nation. The tour is set to open with five LA shows in Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium beginning April 28. But the sales for the “COWBOY CARTER TOUR” are prompting conversations about the longevity of live shows if a megastar such as Beyoncé isn’t completely selling out venues as predicted.

RS: Thank you for that analysis, Aisosa. And now let’s transition to talking about something on everyone’s mind, the upcoming Coachella Festival in Indio, which kicks off on Friday, April 11. What are some of the elements of the festival that you guys are most excited for?

MS: I think the Saturday is an excellent festival day. They have the headliner of Charli xcx, of course, which is a tremendous choice, given her success in the past year with “BRAT.” Green Day, of course, always an iconic band. And then you have a lot of depth that day as well. You have Viagra Boys, underscores, Yo Gabba Gabba, all sorts of iconic artists in their own right who are getting their chance to be on a big stage sometimes for the first time in their career.

RS: Absolutely. Jillian, how about you?

JB: I’m most excited for day one because Lady Gaga is headlining. But I must swing it around to what I mentioned in the beginning, is Djo’s performing,and the album was released, so hopefully some new tracks will be played, and with Lady Gaga, she always puts on a great show. So, I’m really excited to see that.

RS: I definitely feel the same way about Gaga, especially bringing some of the tracks from “MAYHEM” that we have not seen performed live, hopefully to the stage for the first time. Aisosa, what are you looking forward to?

AO: I am excited for the African artists Rema and Tyla, who are set to perform at the festival, and I’m just excited to see Western audiences embrace Afrobeats and Amapiano more.

JB: I’m also looking forward to that. I’m most excited for the outfits, too. I feel like when I scroll on Instagram, seeing the influencers, seeing what they’re wearing. The types of outfits they come up with are super interesting.

RS: But for you guys, what is the making of a fantastic or “nailed it” Coachella outfit?

JB: I think for me, functionality. It is the desert. So, I feel like, if we’re wearing, you know, a fur coat, we’re not going to be very comfortable. So I’m always thinking about, if I were there, what would I wear? So functionality is a big one, and I feel like chic-ness. What about you, Martin?

MS: I tend to agree with functionality. It is a hot desert. I don’t want someone to look ridiculous wearing something that clearly they are boiling in, or clearly they can’t walk around in a meaningful way. They’ll be standing for most of the festival. I love to see that kind of practical, chic fashion. It’s the closest thing we get to Burning Man and high fashion. So something like in that middle ground.

RS: Suffice it to say, there’s lots to look forward to with Coachella around the corner. In the meantime, continue to visit the Daily Bruin website for coverage from across the arts and entertainment industry. Thank you again for joining us for this episode of “Daily Bruin Spotlight.” Tune in later this month for the next edition of this Arts podcast.