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Taylor Swift college course seeks to inspire students to emulate her business acumen
Berkeley, California — You might not expect a business school course to begin with students belting out Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” but at the University of California, Berkeley, Swift is not just a “tortured poet,” she’s a case study in how to build an empire.
“Taylor Swift is a phenomenon,” UC Berkeley senior Sejal Krishnan, a chemical engineering major, told CBS News. “Her tour has essentially revitalized so much of the economy and boosted the local economy everywhere she goes.”
Undergrads Sofia Lendahl and Miaad Bushala teach Artistry and Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version to 44 fellow students.
“Taylor is so strategic in all the things that she does,” Bushala said. “When you think of a brand, that’s all they ever want. They want loyal customers. And that’s what Taylor has.”
“There’s a reason top institutions are studying that,” Krishnan added. “They know it’s a trend.”
Along with UC Berkeley, several universities nationwide — including Harvard and Stanford — are offering classes on the so-called “Swift Effect” in departments ranging from English to political science and gender studies.
Swift’s successes and failures, including the battle to regain control of her master recordings, are part of the syllabus at UC Berkeley.
“We’ve also learned about some of the implications she’s had on legal issues, such as artist rights and ticketing legislation, which has been really impactful as well, because that’s not something you see every day,” said student Will Grischo, who is majoring in media studies and art history.
When asked how their families reacted to them taking a course on Taylor Swift?
“My parents were super thrilled,” Krishnan said. “My mom took me to the 1989 concert.”
“They (my parents) were like, ‘You have to take this class, if it’s not now, never,'” said student Jessica Revolorio, a sociology major who is the first in her family to attend college in the U.S.
And Swift now has some students thinking even bigger.
“She’s incredibly fearless in the ways in which she doesn’t mind taking creative risks,” said student Angelique Zoile, who is studying business. “To me it’s like, climb the corporate ladder…I’ll end up as a manager in five years or so.”
Zoile said she is more ready to take career risks because of this Swift-inspired class.
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“Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo on building trust with Ariana Grande to bring Elphaba and Glinda to life
Cynthia Erivo is earning widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Elphaba in the highly anticipated film adaptation of “Wicked.” The movie has already set records, grossing $262 million domestically and becoming one of the most successful Broadway adaptations.
In an interview on “CBS Mornings,“ Erivo opened up about how her friendship with singer and co-star Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, became such an important part of their on-screen chemistry. She revealed that despite how close they are now, they didn’t know each other before filming.
“She came to my house, we sat, we chatted and talked,” Erivo said. “And we just talked about everything and nothing. We were there for ages, and it was very, very easy, so part of us kind of knew, ‘Oh, this might, this might work. We’ll be okay, and I think we’ll be able to get along with each other, and we’ll find it.'”
Their connection deepened during a dinner hosted by director Jon M. Chu.
“Stephen Schwartz played piano, and we sang ‘For Good’ together for the first time,” Erivo recalled. “Our voices are very different but somehow, they made sense together.”
To ensure their collaboration stayed strong, Erivo and Grande made a pact early and promised to take care of each other, the Tony Award winner said.
“Before we started shooting both of us had a conversation about making sure that we would take care of each other and make the space that we needed for each other, and take, you know, give each other what we needed, be generous with each other in this thing, because we knew it was a big undertaking,” she said. “We knew we had a big responsibility, but we knew neither of us could really do that alone.”
On fans singing along to the movie in theaters, Erivo was enthusiastic.
“I’m not ever going to be the person that says, ‘Don’t sing.’ I think there’s something really beautiful about people feeling comfortable enough to sing along,” she said.
On Christmas Day, a sing-a-long version of Wicked will be released in theaters, according to Erivo.
The actress said that playing Elphaba – who goes on to become the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz” – required her to embrace her vulnerability.
“It means people can see the human being behind the character a little bit more,” she shared. “That meant I had to allow myself to do that a little bit, which was terrifying, but I knew it would be meaningful. That was really the only way to play this role.”
As Erivo reflected on her journey with “Wicked”, she said she remains proud of the bravery it took to bring authenticity to Elphaba.
“You have to put yourself on the line a little bit… This is scary, but it’s the only way to play her is to reveal a bit more of me,” she said.
Pop icon Elton John said on Sunday that he struggled to see his new musical, “The Devil Wears Prada” after losing his eyesight because of an eye infection.
John gave audience members an update on his condition at the conclusion of the musical’s opening night at London’s Dominion Theatre, which was also a charity gala for the Elton John AIDS foundation.
“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I’ve lost my eyesight so, it’s hard for me to see it,” he said. “But I love to hear it and it quite sounded good tonight.”
Dave Benett
John, 77, revealed in September that he had been dealing with a “severe eye infection” that left him with “only limited vision in one eye.” He said it was healing, but it “will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.”
Last week, he told “Good Morning America” that there’s “hope and encouragement” that he will recover, but admits he can’t even see a lyric at the studio.
“I can’t see anything, I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything,” John said.
John retired from touring in 2023, but wrote the score for “The Devil Wears Prada,” a stage musical based on the 2006 movie (which itself was based on the 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger) about a young journalist navigating the demands of a fashion magazine and its fearsome editor. In addition to the show, he has a documentary, “Elton John: Never Too Late” about him coming out on Dec. 13.
The pop legend also achieved EGOT status earlier this year after winning an Emmy for outstanding variety special (live) for his show “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.”
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