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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

All content by Joe Paladino
(Allina Xiao for WSN)

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with these reads

From Chicana voices to magical realism, here are six must-reads by Hispanic authors to add to your list this fall.

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15) is the perfect time to welcome new voices to your reading list. These works highlight the diversity of Hispanic literature, spanning...

(Dani Biondi for WSN)

5 casting choices we’re manifesting

We all have dreams, and some of ours just happen to include Timothée Chalamet embracing his inner theater kid.

Some people daydream about their romantic interests, good grades or a tropical vacation. Here at WSN’s Arts desk, we’re too busy dreaming up scenarios where our favorite actors...

(Courtesy of Focus Features)

Review: ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ bids farewell to the beloved franchise

Reckonings with the past, present and future come to a head in a glorious send-off to the series and a tribute to its matriarch.
Joe Paladino, Staff Writer September 24, 2025

“Sometimes I feel the past is a more comfortable place than the future,” Harold Levinson (Paul Giamatti) says at a particularly poignant moment in “Downton Abbey: The Grand...

(Julianna Lindo for WSN)

5 shows we want a Broadway revival of

From your middle school haunts to shows gone too soon, here are the productions we’re itching to see back on Broadway.

Whether spotlighting overlooked shows or reimagining classics, Broadway revivals introduce timeless theater to new audiences. Out of countless productions that have come and gone,...

(Srividhya Chandramouleeswaran for WSN)

Hear us out: Film & TV edition

Don’t judge — just watch.

People are pickier with their watchlists than their dating rosters. With social media’s echo chambers and the Letterboxd-ification of film and TV, there’s few safe spaces left...

(Allina Xiao for WSN)

8 of our favorite film scores

Because music is as good a narrative device as any.

Very few on-screen battles or exceptional cinematic monologues have been delivered to the sound of silence. Oftentimes, the compositions accompanying our favorite films become...

(Courtesy of Atlas Media Corp, A Zeitgeist Films Release in Association with Kino Lorber)

Review: ‘Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story’ brings us the unseen stories of the showbiz icon

Bruce David Klein’s documentary feels like a night at the cabaret with an old chum.
Joe Paladino, Staff Writer February 6, 2025

Liza Minnelli. The iconic triple threat. EGOT winner. Daughter of the legendary Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, icons that paved their daughter’s own way to superstardom....

An album cover of a stone floating in an ether. The text surrounding the stone reads “the CURE”.

Review: The Cure takes on death in gothic rock fashion with ‘Songs of a Lost World’

Sixteen years since its last album and almost 50 years since the band formed, The Cure is back with its strongest album since “Disintegration.”
Joe Paladino, Staff Writer November 14, 2024

After The Cure’s last release, “4:13 Dream” in 2008 and the album’s subsequent tour, the band began to fall apart. Robert Smith, frontman and genius behind The Cure —...

A man in a warlock costume with a long pointed hat and robe speaks to a woman with gray hair. She sits in a chair in a room made of stone.

Review: ‘The Rings of Power’ returns after a clunky first season

The Second Age, though handled with many liberties, leaps from page to screen in true Tolkien fashion.
Joe Paladino, Staff Writer October 17, 2024

Warning: This review contains spoilers. In its 2022 debut season, Amazon’s mega-budget fantasy series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” premiered with higher...

Two men dressed in tuxedos sitting together in an audience. The older man in the foreground is holding a book.

Review: ‘The Critic’ showcases a legend at his best

Sir Ian McKellen’s nuanced, vile and vulgar performance redeems an otherwise clunky and short film.
Joe Paladino, Staff Writer September 23, 2024

Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) is a cold and beastly critic who takes immense pleasure in the fact that he holds the power to make or break a performer’s career with a mere handful...

An illustration of Ozzy Osbourne with long hair and glasses forming a fist in different shades of purple.

The futility of the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s choices for new inductees this year are raising an increasing number of eyebrows — especially since they don’t track with the industry’s actual success.
Joe Paladino, Staff Writer February 29, 2024

Forty-four years since his debut solo album, Ozzy Osbourne finally made the shortlist of nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It’s quite confusing that it has taken...

A man wearing a black, striped T-shirt across from a blonde woman and a man wearing a gray shirt and a watch in a diner booth.

The lasting genius of ‘The Sopranos’ on its 25th anniversary

Even 25 years on, “waste management” has never been so entertaining.
Joe Paladino, Staff Writer February 6, 2024

In January of 1999, America was introduced to a staple of Sunday night television for the next eight years as New Jersey mob boss — sorry, “waste management consultant” —...

A person sits in a red booth wearing an orange sweater as they raise a mug of beer. Two older people sit around the same round table with beer mugs in their hands, one wearing a navy suit in the middle, and the other wearing a brown suit and beige vest on the right.

Review: We asked and, as always, he listened – ‘Frasier’ is back

Kelsey Grammer triumphantly returns in a revival with a pulse. The show is now streaming on Paramount+.
Joe Paladino, Contributing Writer December 13, 2023

In 1984, the world was introduced to Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), the pompous — yet relatable — Ivy-League-trained psychiatrist and regular of the “Cheers” TV show....

Four book covers in four quadrants colored purple, sky blue, and black. In the top left the cover reads “THIRST FOR SALT” and “MADELINE LUCAS”. The bottom left cover reads “JUST KIDS” and “PATTI SMITH”. The top right reads “GEORGE R. R. MARTIN” and “FEVRE DREAM”. The bottom left reads “EMILY HENRY” and “BOOK LOVERS”.

Books beyond Bobst: A vampire novel, a literary-themed rom-com and more

Books beyond Bobst is a monthly book-rec column highlighting what NYU students are reading now, outside of their classes. If you’re in need of a new read, look no further.

“Thirst for Salt” by Madelaine Lucas — Alexa Donovan, Deputy Arts Editor “It’s in the water where she first sees him,” reads the blurb of “Thirst for Salt”...

A person wearing a black bodysuit and face mask stretches their arm out, and a person standing next to them is holding their arm. A person sits to the left with a microphone and a music stand, reading a script that is on the stand.

Theater has a future, and it’s in Red Hook

Founded by NYU junior Booth McGowan, the Quick & Dirty Theatre Company offers artists a space to create within a close community.
Joe Paladino, Contributing Writer December 4, 2023

Balancing work as a theatrical director and full-time student is not easy. But, Gallatin junior Booth McGowan, co-founder and co-artistic director of the Quick & Dirty Theatre...

An illustration of a laptop and a cup of coffee on a purple background. On the laptop is an image of “Batman”.

Off the Radar: ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ has the caped crusader and the late Kevin Conroy at their best

Off the Radar is a weekly column surveying overlooked films available to students for free via NYU’s streaming partnerships. “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” is available to stream on Max.
Joe Paladino, Contributing Writer November 10, 2023

A year ago, Batman fans around the world were left in shock as Kevin Conroy, arguably the most iconic voice actor for the Dark Knight, passed away. Among many other projects, Conroy...

Two posters, a red one with white text printed on it on the left, and a black one with red and white texts and a black and white portrait on the right, is posted on the entrance of a theater.

Review: ‘All The Devils Are Here’ summons Shakespeare’s villains

Broadway icon Patrick Page masterfully traverses the Bard’s canon to highlight the devil in all of us.
Joe Paladino, Contributing Writer October 31, 2023

Through “All The Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain,” viewers are taken on a trek through the horrifying. The reinvigorated Off-Broadway one-man-show explores...