The Beacon Presents: The Best of 2020

When you think about the best movie of the year, what do you think of? A romantic movie? A comedy? Historical fiction? Mystery? Maybe even crime? Well, what about all the above? If you’re looking for all of these genres in one place, I have a movie for you! "Enola Holmes" is the best movie of 2020. This movie follows a smart, independent and adventurous young woman who attempts to find her mis...

Ted Talks have been successfully expanding the minds of any willing listeners since the 1980’s, and this year they didn't disappoint. Anyone with internet access can explore concepts directly from a multitude of experts. These are a few impactful speakers who offered their life lessons and knowledge to help guide others.  The Courage to Live with Radical Uncertainty After surviving cancer, She...

Twenty-twenty will forever be remembered as a year of heartbreak, loss and struggle. For the past 12 months, our minds have been plagued with worry and overstimulated by anxiety-inducing news stories. However, among the chaos there have been a few happy moments that have made the world seem a little less scary. Here are the five best news stories of this year. 1. Bride Donates Flowers to Nursing Home An an...

1. BMW wins the 24 hours of Daytona In early 2020, race seasons globally were starting out normally, just like any year. The Rolex 24 at Daytona was approaching, and many racing fans were excited for the season to kick off. When the green flag waved at Daytona, a winner would emerge exactly 24 hours from that point. As the race was approaching a close, the RLL team and driver Jesse Krohn were 4...

To all Newport Harbor gamers, Please throw your money at this video game because it’s 100% worth it. At just $25, 7 Days To Die is a great steal. It’s a survival horror game that keeps players at the edge of their seats all the time. You spawn at a random location with nothing except the goal to survive. You don’t just take account of all the gruesome zombies that come at you from differe...

While most are negatively affected by COVID-19, NFL rookies actually benefit. Due to the number of players removed from active rosters due to illness, NFL rookies are seeing more playing in their first year. This has given many more opportunity to prove themselves. 10. Harrison Bryant, Cleveland Browns Harrison Bryant is a rookie tight end out of Florida Atlantic, now playing for the Cleveland ...

It really doesn’t matter if you're into surfing or not; if you've been to the beach or just live around Orange County, you have felt the presence of the surf culture that has developed over the last 50 years here and around the world. To honor the culture of surfing, I will be counting down the top 10 surf spots that you need to surf.  10. Trestles – San Clemente, California Trestles has ...

2020 was filled with many unexpected events, and the political world was no exception. From international conflict to a presidential election, the nation has become perhaps the most divided it has been since the Civil War. Here are the top four political moments of the year.  4. Conflict With Iran  The highest general of the Iranian al Quds force, Qassem Soleimani, was assassinated on January 3, ...

“DracoTok” Gen Zs who grew up with J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series were in for a happy surprise this year. Books that were more popular as kids are now vastly more popular among TikTokers than they ever were before. Quite the nostalgic throwback, the Harry Potter trend first started with “DracoTok.” Actor Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the movies, became quickly popular all ove...

The Weeknd's "After Hours" received a tribute from not one but two of the Beacon's staff writers. Here are their appreciations: Sebastian Loebig: This year has seen a bunch of outstanding artists releasing albums, but the best of them is The Weeknd’s “After Hours.” The Weeknd has been releasing top-selling records for years, with “Starboy” and “ Beauty Behind The Madness," but “...

This year has had its list of ups and downs; car manufacturers have looked past this, though, and continued to push new cars onto the market. The best new car to be released this year would have to go to the Toyota GR Yaris. A Yaris to most people is just a slightly better version of a Prius, a boring economical car that will get you from one point to another. With Toyota's increased involvement in motors...

Hi, Sailors! We are beginning to wrap up the year, and what better way to celebrate than by kicking back and watching a nice movie. To help you with your search, I have compiled a list of the top five movies that I thoroughly enjoyed watching this past year. 5. "Coherence" (2013) Love horror? Love sci-fi? Love mystery? If so, you are in luck. This mind-bending movie follows the tale of eight...

Saying the year 2020 has not been all sunshine and rainbow is an understatement. This year we saw the closing of our schools, our restaurants, our businesses and a lockdown that some consider dictatorial and others consider necessary. We saw hurricanes in the Caribbean and a rigged election in Belarus, where the dictator Alexander Lukashenko continues to strengthen his iron grip on the nation. During...

2020 is the year that will forever live in infamy as the weirdest, hardest and certainly deadliest in recent history. As this rollercoaster of a timeline comes to a close, it is important to hold onto the positive moments and new ideas that stem from working through hardship. The most creative way companies have detoured is through the creation of completely new products using ingredients readily avail...

I won’t lie to you, I love comics. Part of it is because I just hate reading novels – all those words on the page feel like they’re flying at me, around me and over me, as I try to figure out what they’re trying to say. Comics on the other hand… they got words and pictures. But not just any pictures, ART. I’m a huge sucker for art, especially that Bill Sienkiewicz-Mike Dringenberg-Frank...

Pubescent teenagers with hormone monsters wreaking havoc: that’s "Big Mouth" in one sentence. The animated show, released on Netflix in 2017, follows the development of five middle schoolers as they venture into the unknown world of puberty, where their unwanted sexual and physical changes remind us of the horrors of our own puberty. They are accompanied by their hormonal monsters, these wildly inapprop...

Ready to feel like Alice, getting lost in the dreamy atmosphere of Wonderland? Then plug in your earbuds and immerse yourself in the mystic music from Shawn Mendes’ fourth and newest studio album, “Wonder.”  “Wonder” markets Mendes’ new approach to pop rock. Prior to this album, Mendes’ music scraped the surface of his romantic feelings for a certain lover through contemporary hi a...

As 2020 ends, we are undoubtedly looking back at one of the most unforgettable years in history. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the protests and riots that occurred throughout our nation and around the world, this was a year of doubt for all of humanity. Through these turbulent times, however, great hope emerged for many with the election of the first woman to become vice president of the United States. Kamala Harris not only broke the g...

Some companies want to serve not only people, but the planet as well. Everyone has an impact on the environment, whether they are a business or a consumer. Climate change and global warming are detrimental issues that affect not only people now, but also in future generations. The amount of greenhouse gases, waste and deforestation caused by the economy is only worsening the situation. Thankfully, some...

10. Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors Curry has risen to the top tier of basketball and fame over the past couple of years and has gained the title of the greatest shooter the game has ever seen. With his effortless stroke, this debate isn’t very close. With his three NBA titles and two MVP awards, he deserves his placement in the top ten players in basketball. After his short season last year,...

Kanye West is mostly known for his music, considering he has been a staple in the rap industry for a few decades now. But, in the past few years, he’s gained lots of popularity on his social media accounts, in particular his Twitter. Alongside running for president, supporting Donald Trump and literally peeing on his Grammy Award, his tweets are far from normal. One, specifically, which he tweeted on ...