Skip to Main Content
New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

Ethan Zack

Ethan Zack, Deputy Managing Editor

Ethan is a junior in CAS majoring in Journalism and History. When he’s not stumbling through an endless stream of Zoom classes, he’s doing fun and cool things like reading the Wikipedia plot summaries of horror movies because he’s too scared to actually watch them or making yet another three-song playlist that he will literally never touch again, ever. He’s most active on Twitter (@ethanzack), so feel free to reach out with any spicy takes.

All content by Ethan Zack
The Emmy-nominated comedy aired its series finale on January 30. (Staff illustration by Jake Capriotti)

‘The Good Place’ Walks Through the Final Door

The series finale of the NBC comedy focuses on the beauty of the end.
Ethan Zack, Arts Editor February 3, 2020

Content warning: This article contains spoilers. I was just five minutes into the series finale of “The Good Place” when I started crying. When the penultimate episode...

Seven NYU Alumni took home nine wins at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night. (Image via Wikipedia)

Grammy Awards 2020 Winners Include Seven NYU Alumni

Former NYU students featured across numerous categories, from Album of the Year to Best New Artist.
Ethan Zack, Arts Editor January 28, 2020

At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night, 23 NYU alumni managed to total 36 nominations across 22 categories. At the end of the night, the alumni had taken home eight wins. Winners ...

Tongue-in-cheek lyricism and pop-sensible melodies mixed with gritty, raw, Hayley Williams-esque vocal prowess is what is making everyone talk about NYC singer-songwriter Morgan Keller.  (Via Morgan Keller)

Morgan Keller Is in the Business of Music

The Steinhardt junior uses her studies of the music industry to get songs all the way from lyrics on a page to Spotify.
Ethan Zack, Music Editor December 4, 2019

Morgan Keller wants to be a part of it all. The Steinhardt junior and musician isn’t satisfied just sending away her vocals for some producers to package into a final product...

Jeffrey Miller performs his first-ever set at the "Funhouse" concert. (Via Quadio Media)

‘Funhouse’: A Concert By, for and Featuring Students

The Quadio-Tigris collaboration celebrated local musicians late into the night.
Ethan Zack, Music Editor November 20, 2019

On the Smarties-adorned stage inside the SubCulture building on Bleecker Street, in a purple-pink haze of smoke and sweat, stood a small, huddled group. For the combined forces...

From "Mamma Mia!" to "Joker", the Arts Desk recommends several last-minute, movie-inspired costumes for Halloween. (via Warner Bros)

Staff Recs: Halloween Costumes

Scrambling to put together a last-minute Halloween costume? The Arts Desk has you covered with these costumes based on characters from some of our favorite movies.

Donna Sheridan from “Mamma Mia!” (the movie version) Be the ultimate dancing queen this Halloween in your very own Donna Sheridan costume from “Mamma Mia!” Halloween...

Staff Rants and Raves: Twitter

Staff Rants and Raves: Twitter

Twitter: Where memes come to life, where movements come to fruition, and where presidents come to rant. Hear what our staff has to say on what might be both the most multifaceted and divisive form of social media.

Rants On Dreams of Anonymity By Ethan Zack, Music Editor Having a Twitter account is a constant struggle between the absolute euphoria of being seen and the unrelenting...

A Purpose in Every Pixel

A Purpose in Every Pixel

One Tisch alumnus infuses his video games with autobiographical meaning and meticulous artistry.
Ethan Zack, Music Editor October 17, 2019

Tisch alumnus Julián Cordero ’19 doesn’t own a single modern video game console. He doesn’t like to play games for more than a short period of time. He rarely interacts...

Staff Rants and Raves: Music

Staff Rants and Raves: Music

Whether you’re listening to your favorite playlist on the way to work or overhearing someone else’s at 4 a.m., music can evoke many emotions. Here’s what our staff has to say about it.

Rants On Pointless Effort By Ethan Zack, Music Editor Trying to make a good playlist has to be one of the most excruciating things you can subject yourself to. You’re...

BROCKHAMPTON released its new album, GINGER, on Aug. 23. (via Twitter)

BROCKHAMPTON Rests On Its Laurels With “GINGER”

The band’s new album does a solid enough job, but could have been so much more.
Ethan Zack, Music Editor September 3, 2019

Maintaining their streak of a project per year, genre-bending boy band BROCKHAMPTON released its sixth album “GINGER” as a swan song after a summer chock full of large-scale...

Pom Pom Squad frontrunner Mia Berren. (via Facebook)

Pom Pom Squad Walks Forward While Looking Back

The local indie rock group’s homegrown roots haven’t stopped their forward momentum.
Ethan Zack, Music Editor August 24, 2019

It wasn’t too long ago that the Brooklyn-based indie rock band Pom Pom Squad was nothing more than an inkling of an idea in the back of the mind of a high schooler. Now, the...

A poster for "Barry," a new HBO comedy series that follows a low-level hit man turned actor. (via facebook.com)

Second Season of ‘Barry’ Promises a Steady Descent Into Darkness

The show’s sophomore season feels like a natural continuation of something that was already great by itself.
Ethan Zack, Staff Writer April 16, 2019

When the main character isn’t shooting people full of lead, he’s making time to take an acting class and find some friends. It’s an unlikely premise, but Bill Hader and Alec...

Anderson Paak (via facebook)

Anderson .Paak Releases an Ode to Old

The R&B musician’s latest album harkens back to his hazy soul roots.
Ethan Zack, Staff Writer April 15, 2019

In a turnaround so quick it might have given his fans whiplash, rhythm and blues artist Anderson .Paak released his fourth studio album “Ventura” just months after his third,...

Detective Mike Hoolihan (Patricia Clarkson) investigates the murder of Jennifer Rockwell (Mamie Gummer) (Courtesy of BBC Films)

‘Out of Blue’ Hides Its Messy Narrative Behind Impressive Atmosphere

The new detective thriller feels like an experiment into what a competently-made movie would look like if it had its narrative amputated.
Ethan Zack, Staff Writer March 12, 2019

I spent more time trying to make up my mind on how I felt about “Ocean Blue” than I spent actually watching the film. The Carol Morley-directed flick is an adaptation of the...

Weezer's Black Album Cover. (via Facebook)

Fortnite’s Music Releases Can’t Replace Traditional Methods

The battle royale game has been hosting several musical events in the past few months, but they don’t move beyond simple novelties.
Ethan Zack, Staff Writer March 11, 2019

Before Weezer’s latest self-titled album — referred to as the “Black Album” — released in stores on March 1, there was only one platform to preview several of its songs....

The thumbnail of Ariana Grande's "thank u next" audio version. (via Youtube)

Ariana Grande Is Brutally Transparent on Her Latest Album

"thank u, next" sets itself apart as an extremely personal project for the pop megastar.
Ethan Zack, Staff Writer February 20, 2019

Having already transcended the status of a humble musician to become a veritable cultural phenomenon, Ariana Grande finally released her highly anticipated album “thank u, next”...

The Cranberries's final album, In The End, is set to be released in April. (via facebook.com)

Cranberries Begin Final Chapter With Poignant New Single

Released after lead singer Dolores O’Riordan’s death in 2018, “All Over Now” sets the stage for the band’s last album.
Ethan Zack, Staff Writer February 14, 2019

Over a year after the death of the Cranberries’ vocalist Dolores O’Riordan, hearing her voice on the band’s newest single “All Over Now” feels melancholy, yet oddly comforting...

Maroon 5 performing in the Super Bowl Half Time Show (via Yahoo Entertainment)

Super Bowl Halftime Show Sacrifices Ambition for Safety

Even SpongeBob couldn’t save the show from mediocrity.
Ethan Zack, Staff Writer February 6, 2019

With all the controversy that surrounded the selection of musical acts for the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show, it became clear very early on that the number one priority would be...

Dan Fogler and Eddie Redmayne in a still from "The Crimes of Grindelwald," the disappointing sequel to "Fantastic Beasts." (via Facebook.com)

‘Fantastic Beasts’ Sequel Loses Magic

Only two films in and the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ series is already starting to spiral downward.
Ethan Zack, Staff Writer November 19, 2018
Only two films in and the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ series is already starting to spiral downward.
Harrison Ford in a still from "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope," which has since produced numerous sequels. (via facebook.com)

Modern Sequels and the Death of Continuity

With the new trend of retconning old sequels in a franchise, the real question is, what will happen to Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo?
Ethan Zack, Contributing Writer November 5, 2018
With the new trend of retconning old sequels in a franchise, the real question is, what will happen to Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo?
Though the number of exclusively local or couch multiplayer games has dwindled in recent years, fans of these sorts of games believe the experience remains unique and cannot be replicated through online multiplayer. (Photo by Sam Klein)

Is There Still Room for Couch Multiplayer?

Technology may be taking over, but there’s still room on the couch to salvage the multiplayer gaming experience.
Ethan Zack, Contributing Writer October 29, 2018
Technology may be taking over, but there’s still room on the couch to salvage the multiplayer gaming experience.
Student browses through Spotify’s homepage. Spotify has recently made itself much more accessible to independent artists, including students. (Photograph by Alana Beyer)

Spotify’s New Free Upload Initiative Splits Budding Artists

Spotify's new initiative to empower independent artists might be causing them more harm than good.
Ethan Zack, Contributing Writer October 15, 2018
Spotify's new initiative has left some musicians uncertain about what kind of impact it will have on the landscape of the streaming service and the music industry at large.
The poster from the movie "Venom".

The World Has Had Enough ‘Venom’

Ethan Zack, Contributing Writer October 10, 2018
"Venom" has the seeds of being a proper addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but fails to blossom into something that meets viewers' expectations.