The summer we tuned in

Nico Armeanu and Jo Douglas

September 9, 2025

This summer, Shieldsters consumed a lot of popular media. Here are their opinions.

This summer had people glued to their seats with the releases of many anticipated pieces of media. Between going to the movies, binging new television shows and listening to albums, Shieldsters stayed busy and up to date on the latest in pop culture.

So without further ado, here are some staff opinions on this summer’s hottest content!

Lilo (Maia Kealoha) hugs Stitch for the poster of “Lilo & Stitch” (2025). (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Cade Smithson, news editor, only watched one movie this summer, “Lilo & Stitch” but he watched it three times.

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“It was a 10/10 and the best live-action remake I have ever seen,” said Smithson.

Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) trek through dark waters in the poster for “Jurassic World: Rebirth.” (Image courtesy of IMDB)

“I thought ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ was really distressing but I’m also scared of deep, dark water that has animals in it,” said Nico Armeanu, arts editor. On the other hand, their friends who they saw the movie with, thought it was “incredibly mid.”

They concluded that with Jurassic movies, you know what you’re getting when you go to watch them.

The poster advertises the horror movie “Final Destination: Bloodlines.” (Image courtesy of IMDB)

For Aracely Chavez, managing editor, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” was “very predictable.”

Hiccup (Mason Thames) flies on the back of Toothless in “How to Train Your Dragon.” (2025). (Image courtesy of IMDB)

“I saw ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ and I loved it,” said Jo Douglas, assistant arts editor. “I like how they kept all the characters’ personalities the same from the cartoon.”

TV Shows:

Ariana Madix, the host of “Love Island USA,” holds a sparkling heart in a promotional photo for the show. ( Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Alex Mendoza, Editor-in-Chief, said, “My friend forced me to watch parts of Love Island with her. Huda is dope.”

Chavez, on the other hand, had no favorites among the casts, “Team nobody. Bring in the bombshells!!” she said.

Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) stares into the camera as The Thing (Victor Dorobantu) rests on her shoulder for promotional art for the series “Wednesday.” (Image courtesy of Tudum)

“Wednesday S2 P1 was great! I don’t think it’s lost the quality from S1,” said Mendoza

Music:

Chavez, Mendoza and Douglas agreed that “DONT TAP THE GLASS” by Tyler, the Creator was an amazing album for this summer.

Mendoza and Douglas also liked “Sugar On My Tongue” and encourage readers to give it a listen!

A mouth with a pink dot near the lower right lip is the artwork on the cover of Kesha’s newest album. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Smithson said, “Period was so good, and I felt like it could have been a summer anthem album if it had been released sooner with a bigger budget.”

Chappell Roan is lost in a sea of red hair on the cover of her single, “The Subway.” (Image courtesy of Spotify)

“Subway was overrated and overhyped. That’s all I have to say,” said Smithson.

Izzy Hannon, photo editor, feels completely different about this song. She was excited for its release and said, “The music video was awesome.”

“Chappell Roan has the voice of an angel,” said Armeanu. “There were some parts of the song I thought could’ve been cut, but it’s still devastating and something that I think can resonate with a lot of people. The music video really was incredible. I love how Chappell Roan fully commits to a concept.”

Benson Boone holds out an American flag on the cover of his album “American Heart.” (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

“A really good listen, very different than his previous album,” said Hannon.

About the Contributor

Nico Armeanu, Arts Editor

Nico Armeanu is a junior studio art and German major. Armeanu joined The Shield in Spring 2024 as a photographer and now serves as the arts and entertainment editor.