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(07/22/12 11:51pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>By now, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the Colorado shooting that took place on Friday during the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.” The shooting took 12 lives and left even more injured.Those in the film industry have adjusted to the impact of this senseless act. Out of respect for the victims, Warner Bros. Pictures won’t release the overall revenue until after the weekend. All gun references will reportedly be removed from the movie’s trailer. I just can’t help but feel for the cast and crew of the movie as well. Before Friday, “The Dark Knight Rises” could have been known as a thrilling masterpiece to receive huge numbers at the box office. Now the batman franchise is probably going to be associated with this tragedy.The movie has made $30 million from midnight showings alone. But now I fear people might not wish to view the film because they might be reminded of the shooting, especially during violent scenes. Just as people go to a lighthearted film to feel happy, a romantic comedy to feel hopeful or an indie film to feel cultured, people might avoid “The Dark Knight Rises” to escape feeling disturbed by Friday’s attack.It is such a shame that an attack occurred in the same place millions of people go to in order to escape reality. I love going to the movies because, for a few hours, I feel safe, being swept up in an alternate reality. Now, I wonder: Will going to the movies ever be the same? The trailer for the upcoming film “Gangster Squad,” which includes a movie theater shooting scene, has been removed indefinitely from screenings for “The Dark Knight Rises.” Instead of cinemas being a place where people can escape, it now seems they will be a reminder of how cruel reality can be. People’s main concern while at the movies was avoiding sitting near someone obnoxious, but safety has become an issue. Will going to the movies ever be the same? I honestly don’t know. I just don’t want a movie theater to remind me of the inside of an airport. — sarizzi@indiana.edu
(07/08/12 10:36pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Like thousands of other Americans, I spent this Fourth of July seeing “The Amazing Spider-Man,” the reboot of the 2002 film depicting Marvel’s friendly neighborhood web-slinger. My family left the theater in awe and was raving about it on our way to the fireworks. I, on the other hand, was fuming.It’s not that the movie was bad. It was actually quite good. Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield graced the film with a young, fresh energy. The special effects were impressive, and the plot was well developed. I saw it in 3-D, and it was tasteful — not at all annoying like what I’ve said in the past about 3-D movies.My aggravation stemmed from my expectation of novel material. The film was promoted as “an untold story” — I thought it would revolve around a different chapter in Peter Parker’s life or present us with a different interpretation of Spider-Man altogether.Well, I was wrong. It seems director Marc Webb developed the plot to follow the comic book series more closely, hence the plot changes and some of the different characters. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the comic books, Gwen Stacy was actually Parker’s first love, whom he meets in college along with his best friend, Harry Osborn. Later, his Aunt May introduces him to Mary Jane Watson. This was different in the 2002 version by director Sam Raimi, who did not have Parker and Stacy meet until “Spider-Man 3” to create a love triangle between Parker, Watson and Stacy. Raimi portrayed Stacy as an inferior and expendable character.To my dismay, Webb didn’t tell an untold story as advertised, like the Spider-Man story told 10 years ago. When I realized this in the theater, I stewed in my seat for about two hours. “Didn’t I see this movie 10 years ago?” I thought. It seemed the two versions were exactly the same, except that instead of Mary Jane Watson, there was a Gwen Stacy. If the 2002 version of “Spider-Man” didn’t exist, I would be raving right now about “The Amazing Spider-Man,” but I just can’t be happy about it. I just keep thinking, if Hollywood was going to make basically the exact same movie, why even do a reboot? “Spider-Man 3” was in theaters in 2007. Not long after, development for “The Amazing Spider-Man” began. The body wasn’t even cold yet before Hollywood wanted to tell the story again. Mind you, “The Amazing Spider-Man” improved the 2002 version by Raimi, but because the reboot was released so soon after “Spider-Man 3,” I feel it was disrespectful.“The Amazing Spider-Man” was essentially going to be a “Spider-Man 4.” However, after many versions of the script were drafted, Raimi felt there wasn’t a strong enough story to make a new movie by the looming release date of May 2011. Instead, Sony Pictures decided to do a reboot with younger, well-known actors for July 2012 that could be made in 3-D. So basically, it was all about the money, which was my only thought while I watched it in theaters.Looking back at reboots, such as “21 Jump Street” and “Superman,” I’ve noticed that studios used to wait longer before releasing a new version of a story. Now, it seems like studios choose to remake successful films and put them in 3-D because it’s one of the fastest way to make money. Despite these downfalls, the movie was well-made. Stone is as charming as ever, and you get to stare at Garfield for two hours and 16 minutes, which is never a bad thing.The sequel is set for release May 2014 even though a script has yet to be written. As always, Hollywood has its priorities in order. — sarizzi@indiana.edu
(07/01/12 11:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Friends” is one of the best television shows ever produced. That’s not an opinion. I’m just telling you the truth. Just to name a few accomplishments, the sitcom was nominated for 63 Primetime Emmy Awards, 52.5 million viewers watched the last episode and the show lasted 10 seasons. The show is also listed on TV Guide’s “50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time” and “100 Best Episodes of All Time.”“Friends” is great in the sense that all the cast members got along and were stable enough to work together for several years. “Seinfeld” couldn’t even do that. Having a show that is watched by a wide audience for a decade is hard to find today, especially in the era of the Internet, Netflix and Hulu.But lately, “How I Met Your Mother” has reminded me of the success of “Friends.” “How I Met Your Mother” is a sitcom about a guy who tells his children the story of how he met his wife. I didn’t think this show would be that successful because I thought the writers could only drag on a love story for so long. But I was wrong. It turns out that since lead character Ted Mosby’s love life is so messed up, it’s enough to fuel a successful show for eight seasons. Why is “How I Met Your Mother” so successful?Obviously, because it’s hilarious and we can relate to the epic fails and successes of relationships, which “Friends” accomplishes with viewers as well. However, the two shows are different in the sense that “How I Met Your Mother” is a narrative in the past tense, whereas “Friends” is a story about the present-day lives of long-time friends who have different characters with different plots.But there are many similarities between the two sitcoms. In the pilot for each series, a hopeless romantic guy falls for a girl way out of his league. During the next season for each show, the guy and girl finally get together, date for a year and then break up. Then, the couple sporadically hooks up. There is also the lady’s man, the stable, mature couple that dates for a long time and then gets married, and so on. One might think these similarities aren’t significant, but they play a key role in setting up the plots, making the two shows mirror each other. These similarities had me thinking: Is there a formula that produces a successful sitcom?Technically, all sitcoms are similar in nature. The trick is that the writers need to find a balance between the extreme and more grounded characters. For example, the more grounded characters in “Friends” are Ross and Monica Geller, Rachel Green and Chandler Bing. In “How I Met Your Mother,” the more grounded characters are Mosby, Lily Aldrin, Marshall Eriksen and Robin Scherbatsky. The extreme characters, the characters who provide us with amusement and entertainment, include Phoebe Buffay and Joey Tribbiani from “Friends” and Barney Stinson from “How I Met Your Mother.” This balance keeps the audience entertained and allows them to connect emotionally with the characters. Also, TV shows always include love. We are attracted to love, so love stories, especially unstable ones, capture our attention and keep us hooked. With these elements, there is balance between serious and not-so-serious moments. So, here lies the question: Is “How I Met Your Mother” following the pattern of a successful sitcom, or are writers just running out of ideas and copying other TV shows? I have no idea. All I know is that the two shows are strangely similar, and the three longest stories known to man are the Bible, “In Search of Lost Time” and “How I Met Your Mother.” — sarizzi@indiana.edu
(06/17/12 11:48pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In March I had the opportunity of a lifetime to attend South by
Southwest (SXSW), a film, music and interactive conference in Austin,
Texas.
I got the chance to see key players in the film industry, such as Kevin Smith, Lisa Kudrow and Joss Whedon.
While I stood in line for some kimchi fries (fries smothered in cheese
and Korean cabbage that was one of the best things I have ever eaten), I
started talking to Eliza Skinner, a writer, actress and comedian who
was participating in a SXSW panel.
Her panel was called “Evolution of the Douchebag in Modern Cinema” and made me think about the role of douchebaggery in cinema.
The role of the douchebag in movies has changed during the past few decades.
In some of the most popular blockbuster hits, there was a hero and a villain in almost every plot.
The villain always seemed to get what was coming to them, and if you look at
movies from the past few years, you will notice that some of film’s
greatest villains fell to their death: Hans Gruber from the first “Die
Hard,” the Joker in “Batman” and even
Scar from “The Lion King.”
The good guy won and the bad guy lost. It was the natural order of things.
It seems there are more and more douchebags in today’s cinema, with the absence of “the good guy.”
In 1996, “Jerry Maguire,” a story about a jerky sports agent who finally
gets over himself, was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences, and everyone knows Tom Cruise’s famous line — “You
complete me.”
In 2005, we flocked to the theaters to see “Wedding Crashers,” a movie
about two guys who take joy in fooling women into hooking up with them
at weddings.
In 2009, Bradley Cooper won the ultimate douchebag role as he played the
part of a sarcastic, plotting grade school teacher in “The Hangover.”
All of these movies with main characters being jerks all did extremely
well at the box office, with “The Hangover” grossing more than
$467,000,000 worldwide.
It seems today’s audiences are intrigued by, amused with and rooting for the
douchebag.
Somehow, being a douche has gotten more acceptable. What was funny about
this is that even Zach Galifianakis’ character in “The Hangover”
praised Cooper instead of treating him like the jerk he was.
While the characters are at the wedding, Galifianakis’ character turns and asks if his hair looks like Phil’s (Cooper).
Why are douchebags so attractive in today’s culture?
One of the reasons is because modern day cinema doesn’t treat douchebags
the same as it did 50 years ago. Lately, there is always one jerk in
the cast.
The douchebag isn’t exactly the villain.
For example, even though the storyline is a little obscure in “The
Hangover,” Cooper was the douche, whereas Mr. Chow was the villain.
Instead of making douchebags evil, ugly and doomed, modern day cinema
depicts them as mysterious, sarcastic, suave and attractive.
People want this type of allure. This is causing a modern day douchebag revolution.
It seems like douchebaggery is a fad, like modern punk rock.
Cinema sends the message to its audience that even if you act like a
douchebag, you will still be successful, and hey, you probably have a
better chance at getting the girl.
C’mon, I mean, when was the last time the nice guy got the girl?
— sarizzi@indiana.edu
(06/11/12 4:57pm)
If you haven’t watched the new TV
show “Girls,” stop reading my
brilliant column and Hulu it right now.
(05/29/12 8:09pm)
I have a confession to make. Whenever I feel down, I
usually do one or more of the following: 1. Eat junk food. 2. Sing along to 90s
pop hits. 3. Turn on MTV. The first two of my vices are relatively normal, but
allow me to explain the third. I watch MTV most of the time for a pick-me-up,
and I would bet that a lot of other people do too.
(05/17/12 12:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As I wrote about last week, people go to the movies to be dazzled by the experience at the cinema. Today’s audience likes heroic figures, exotic settings and audiovisual effects to fulfill its fantasy gratification. Because of this, the normal film experience people enjoyed last century is becoming more obsolete, and studios are making the experience more interactive.Throughout history, movie theaters have used many methods to try to dazzle the audience even further than showing the movie itself. First came Smell-O-Vision, when evocative smells were pumped through pipes leading to individual seats in the theater and various scents were signaled on the film itself. Then came Percepto, which utilized electric jolts shot through audience members’ seats during suspenseful scenes. Then, in the 1970s, studios tried to make the experience even more interactive by building IMAX theaters and making more 3D films. Until recently, these methods never really stuck with the audience. People really didn’t enjoy having a wide range of smells pumped into the air or having their seats shaken while they were trying to watch a movie. IMAX and 3D get a decent response, but still more people attend normal screenings. So, the most recent attempt to dazzle the audience is 4DX, which is the combination of a 3D film with simulated effects in the theater. According to an article published in The Hollywood Reporter, a South Korean company has launched 4DX in some of its theaters to give audiences that interactive and exciting experience they crave. The company currently has a 4DX version of “Titanic” in the making that will include sharp bursts of air, water in the face and chairs that pitch and roll to the action of the film. The company is planning on creating 4DX versions of “The Hunger Games,” “John Carter” and “The Avengers” in hopes of opening 800 4DX theaters by 2016. Will 4DX bring more people to the theater? It’s debatable. When I saw “Titanic” in 3D, I felt that it was more of a desperate attempt to milk “Titanic” for all it’s worth than to enhance the experience. Why else would a romantic classic be transferred to 3D? I thought the 3D effects were superfluous and forced, and I could barely stand them, let alone have water being spit in my face and have my chair flung around. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I want to go see a movie, I don’t want to have to worry about flying out of my seat. If I want that kind of experience, I will go to a theme park. Seat belts shouldn’t be necessary in a movie theater. Period. I’m sick and tired of all the movies being made in 3D. Yes, it would be really cool if “Captain America” pointed at us in “The Avengers,” and it was kinda trippy to basically be on the ship when “Titanic” went down. But really, Hollywood, take it down a notch. What is awe-striking about these special effects is that they are special, which means they are out of the ordinary. If Hollywood continues to provide us with every movie in 3D, we will not be in awe every time a superhero puts his or her hand in our face. If Hollywood continues down this road, the normal movie theater experience will prevail and more people will prefer to watch a movie in which all the characters stay inside the screen. — sarizzi@indiana.edu
(05/07/12 12:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Who doesn’t like a good movie? Be honest. Every now and then, we enjoy the chance to escape our crazy lives. To do this, we kick off our shoes, pop some popcorn and turn on that big box thing all of our furniture is pointed toward. Today we are offered a wide range of services that allow us to enjoy a movie from the comfort of our own homes. So, I must ask this question: When we are able to access free movies on ourcomputers, rent a DVD at Redbox for $1 or pay a small Netflix fee, why do we still go to the movies?If you have been to the movie theater lately, you would know that going to the movies now costs a small fortune. A few months ago I saw “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” (couldn’t resist), and in order to view the movie comfortably (with a small slushy drink and popcorn) I spent a grand total of $22. I say grand total because to a college student, $22 can buy three months’ worth of ramen noodles, half a tank of gas or a Keystone beer box hat. But most of us still flocked to see “The Hunger Games” without a single complaint about the small fortune we had to pay. What is it about going to the movies that is so great anyway? My answer: I do not go to movies; instead, I go to cinematic adventures. I enjoy walking into a movie theater and being welcomed by the sweet aroma of warm, buttery popcorn, finding the perfect seat (a footrest is necessary) and sharing the experience with friends, family and strangers around me. The community experience is key. Let’s face it: Some movies you just can’t watch on a laptop at home alone. I still remember dressing up as Ginny Weasley and attending the midnight showing of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” with a group of friends — laughing at Fred and George’s dry humor, having my heart skip a beat when Harry was captured by the group of Snatchers and crying hysterically when (editor’s note: major spoiler alert) Dobby died. Even though we like to see movies to escape from reality, we still enjoy the sense of community the cinema brings because they bring experiences we will never forget. People think of going to the movies as an experience rather than a service received. Movie theaters try to give us an experience we cannot access from home, hence the prevalence of 3D. This experience is so awesome that we forget about how much we pay or the unidentified sticky stuff on the floor. Because movie theaters turn movies into cinematic adventures, they will survive the free streamings and the convenience Netflix and Redbox provide. We all need a little adventure in our lives. That being said, let’s shut our laptops, open our wallets and go to the movies. — sarizzi@indiana.edu
(01/19/12 3:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Twenty years ago, the music industry was simple. You heard a song on the radio, you liked it, you bought the artist’s CD and you purchased tickets to their concert.Now, you hear a song on the radio, download it illegally and put it on your iPod. This decreases record sales; during the last decade, file-sharing sites have cut these in half. The industry has tried to counterattack, but that revenue cannot replace money lost by file-sharing.A few months ago, a phenomenon called Spotify trickled to the United States from Europe, which was essentially the music industry saying, “The war on piracy is a failure, so here you go.”But is it really the future of music consumption? It’s more likely than you might think.In order to survive, the music industry needs to surrender to online piracy because it isn’t going anywhere. People won’t pay $1.29 per song, but they will pay for the convenience and flexibility that Spotify allows. Yes, people might buy an album occasionally; however, that doesn’t change the fact that between four trillion and 10 trillion songs are illegally downloaded per year compared to the four billion legal ones.If the music industry ever finds a solution to online piracy, Spotify would be the answer. Users can access most songs and albums for free, make playlists and listen to Spotify radio. Its engineers understand that the world is made up of Facebook stalkers, so they collaborated with Facebook to allow users to see what their friends are listening to, access their playlists and share music with them — all with unlimited streaming.But here’s the kicker: Users can only access Spotify for free on their desktops. It’s the same with many legal streaming sites. They get you hooked so you have incentive to pay. It’s not better for the music industry than buying albums, but it’s better than nothing.Spotify is successful because songs on iTunes now cost $1.29. With iPods today that hold thousands of songs, does Apple really expect people to pay thousands of dollars to fill playlists? Say a person wants to buy some new music to make a playlist of 15 songs — it would cost $19.35.With that money, a student could buy 78 packages of Ramen noodles. Nice try, iTunes, but that’s just not going to cut it in a Ramen noodle world.
(01/17/12 4:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Guitarist Duncan Kissinger said that Hotfox is a band that advocates the importance of utilizing the full buffalo when it is hunted.“Some people just use it for meat, some use it just for the pelt. Use all of it, not some of it,” Kissinger said. Even though the band wouldn’t fully reveal what the buffalo is, if the buffalo in question is a metaphor for taking advantage of opportunity, the band does just that.The local indie-rock band is no stranger to success. After winning Record Store Day High School Battle of the Bands in April 2010, which landed them a front-page spot on NUVO, an alternative newspaper in Indianapolis, the band recorded an album and was named Bloomington’s best local band that same year. After releasing their debut album “You, Me, and the Monster,” they shared the stage with several nationally known bands, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s.But they’re not tired yet. The band is currently among the top five bands competing in a contest for a spot to perform at South by Southwest Interactive Film and Music Festival in Austin, Texas, this March. The band found out about the contest on Sonicbids and submitted their song “Mountain Tiger.” The band members received an email two weeks ago informing them that they were finalists. The Sonicbids-Jansport Battle of the Bands contest uses an online voting system to decide which 10 acts will be considered for the final round. Fans of the band are able to vote online once a day through Jan. 19. The top 10 acts will then be judged by a panel, which will announce the winner sometime in February. “We’ve been playing on a local, slightly regional level for years together, and SXSW is the opportunity for us that is very attainable and would be the boost we need to have new people hear our music,” Kissinger said.Are they nervous?“You could say we’re a bunch of nervous nematodes,” Kissinger said. According to Kissinger, their album “You, Me, and the Monster” has to do with hemorrhoids, or in their words, “pains in the ass.”Examples of pains include skeletons, dirty dishes, women, drugs, money and paparazzi. Not all of the band’s songs fall under these categories, though. “Our song ‘Mountain Tiger’ is about a fight between a fierce tiger and a mean machine ... on a mountain,” sophomore bassist Marcus Tedesco said. Tedesco met singer and guitarist Oliver Hopkins outside Read Center last year and has been part of the band ever since.Following the success of their debut album, the band is starting to record a new album this month. The album includes tracks such as “Hay, is that My Horse?” and “Gallop Pasture Sister’s Head.” “The second album will be a concept record based around the times and adventures of ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.’ It’ll be louder and dustier than record number one,” Hopkins said.The title of the second album and when it will be out is still unknown.“Maybe in a few months, maybe a year,” Hopkins said.
(12/09/11 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU has produced many success stories: Robert Gates, Michael Uslan and Ryan Murphy, to name a few. Yet one of the most recent successes is that of Amy Levin, the founder of fashion website CollegeFashionista.com. Levin graduated from IU with an apparel merchandising degree. By the time she graduated, she had worked 13 internships in promotions, event planning and trend reporting. During her junior year, she was a trend reporter in London and was inspired to start a fashion blog of her own. By August 2009, the site was ready for business. CollegeFashionista launched with five participating universities, each with students as “style gurus” who took pictures and wrote editorials about trends in their individual schools. After three weeks, international universities approached Levin about getting involved with the website. In January, the site will feature more than 300 universities in around 14 countries, with more than 400 style gurus contributing to the site. “When I first started out, I had to almost beg students to be involved with my site, but now, I receive approximately 40 to 50 applications per week to work for the website,” Levin said at Wednesday’s “Blogging Your Way into a Business” lecture, an event sponsored by Women in Business and CollegeFashionista. Senior Syma Raza, head style guru for IU’s branch of CollegeFashionista, was one of the people responsible for bringing Levin to the University. “I was inspired to bring Amy Levin to IU when I watched ‘Teen Vogue Fashion University,’ which brings in inspirational people in the fashion world to share their story. I really wanted Amy Levin to come back and share her story of her successful site,” Raza said. The event attracted about 90 students interested in hearing how Levin’s personal blog evolved into a website and then to a full media company. Sophomore Molly Tate, who studies journalism, said she loves the mission CollegeFashionista.com pursues. This January, Tate will intern for the site.“Its mission is not only to publish trends from campus to campus, but also to allow each writer to gain the necessary knowledge it takes to write a professional fashion article,” Tate said. “I also love how CollegeFashionista uses the students of each specific campus to write about trends.” However, starting this company was not easy for Levin.“The most challenging aspect of the job is learning from failure,” Levin said. “Something is sometimes going to go wrong, and you just have to remember to learn from those mishaps and surround yourself by positive people.”Levin said there is a common misconception that networking is required to break into the industry.“This isn’t true,” she said. “You will succeed because you love what you are doing.” Along with positivity, Levin stressed the importance of a strong work ethic.“I’m not going to lie to you, most of you will be fetching a lot of coffee, but be the best coffee-runner you can be and someone will notice that, and your hard work will pay off,” she said. At the end of the event, an audience member asked for advice on how to dress stylishly. Levin answered the girl’s question, and the event ended on a singular note.“If you are comfortable in what you’re wearing, it’s fashionable,” she said.
(12/08/11 12:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Hold on to your seats. There’s yet another poppy, four-man band that wears women’s pants and has hair that swooshes. So. Groundbreaking.Hot Chelle Rae has been around since 2005, dropping a lackluster album called “Lovesick Electric” in 2009 that produced two crappy singles: “Bleed,” a ballad with vampire puns, and “I Like to Dance,” which by its blatant title doesn’t need explaining.The band returned home after a few years of touring and started writing about the sophisticated stuff: hoes on the road, long-distance relationships and how life sometimes just doesn’t go your way.The track “Whatever” describes this perfectly. “When nothing’s ever going your way/ when you sit out of luck and you’re feeling stuck, say, ‘So what, whatever.’” This light-hearted poppy tune is quite catchy and encourages you to give the finger to the world — the perfect song to play after life screws you over.Other tracks include dancehall hits “I Like It Like That” and “Tonight, Tonight” that we’ve all heard a few too many times, along with a few songs about that icky love stuff such as “Keep You With Me.” In respectable amounts, this album’s catchiness is charming. However, after too many listens, the guys in Hot Chelle Rae start to sound like annoying kids complaining about their problems.
(12/05/11 1:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Ballet Theater presented its 53rd annual production of “The Nutcracker” this weekend at the Musical Arts Center. Patrons were greeted by a decorated lobby, which included a Christmas tree and ornament shop where attendees were able to purchase mementos from the show. The performance received a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd of wonderstruck students, children and adults, some who have attended the show for many years.Senior Kelsey Adams said she has seen the performance five times. “I don’t think it is Christmas until I see ‘The Nutcracker,’” Adams said. Adams’ mother used to take her as a child, and Adams said she plans to do the same when she has a daughter of her own.“I’ll definitely take my little girl to ‘The Nutcracker,’” she said. “Heck, I’ll take my boys, too, if I have boys. I have to.” The MAC has the production every December to bring the holiday ballet to students and families in the community. For others, the tradition began this weekend. On Friday, Adams’ friend, senior Jessica Wehr, experienced the festive performance for the first time.“I really enjoyed the show,” Wehr said. “The musicians and dancers are really talented. My favorite part was the Snow Queen’s dance.” “The Nutcracker,” written by Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, tells the story of a little girl, Clara, who receives a toy nutcracker from her godfather. Clara falls asleep with the nutcracker in her arms and starts to dream of magical things, such as a Mouse King and Sugar Plum Fairy. The orchestra at the MAC was led by guest conductor Scott Sandmeier, and set and costume design was directed by the Chair of the Department of Opera Studies, C. David Higgins. Michael Vernon, Chair of the Department of Ballet, choreographed the production. Laura Pollin, a transfer student from the University of Virginia, was a dancer in the corps for the show. “I believe the performance went really well,” Pollin said. “The audience was really positive, and we all fed off their energy. Arabian and Trepak seemed to be favorites.” The dances Pollin referred to are included in a part of the performance celebrating sweets from around the world. Dancers portrayed coffee from Arabia and Russian candy canes performed a traditional dance on stage.Like many girls, Pollin went to “The Nutcracker” during the Christmas season when she was young and said she was inspired.“It was a reminder of the reason why we take class everyday: to eventually perform,” she explained.Pollin said rehearsing for the show was hard work. Dancers began rehearsing every weekday starting in early October. The week before opening, most of the performers were in the MAC from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.. But Pollin said the hard work is worth it in the end. “I especially like the parts that I am in just because I love performing,” she said. “Plus, being in the corps can actually be a fun challenge. You have to perfect your own dancing as well as be tuned in to everyone around you. But my favorites to watch are the grand pas de deux because every ballet dancer aspires to dance that role at some point. And I just think Chinese is adorable,” Pollin said. Pollin also said “The Nutcracker” always spreads holiday cheer.“Much of the music is the epitome of Christmas music,” she said. “Even hearing the score everyday, certain parts still excite me and get me into the Christmas spirit. Even people who don’t know anything about ballet usually recognize Tchaikovsky’s music as Christmas songs.” JJ Koh, a second-year master’s student, said he feels the holiday cheer around “‘Nutcracker’ time.”“As opposed to another event, such as an opera, ‘The Nutcracker’ brings in a busier crowd with a lot more families,” Koh said. “The MAC also does a good job bringing Christmas cheer by all of the decorations in the lobby and hosting the Nutcracker Tea, where kids can meet dancers in the performance.”
(12/01/11 2:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s about that time. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are hung and everyone is in the holiday spirit. There doesn’t seem to be a better way to celebrate the holiday season than with a holiday concert.At 7 p.m. today in Rawles Hall 100, Hooshir A Cappella is having its annual winter concert. “The attendees can expect a wide range of music, possibly a new cultural experience,” said junior Andrew Ruggles, business manager for Hooshir. Hooshir A Cappella is the mixed a cappella group on campus that started in 2006 when the White House asked for an IU singing group to perform at the annual White House Hanukkah party. The group was started and continues to be sponsored by IU Hillel. The group performs around campus at various events and travels around the country. While Hooshir continues to represent Judaism, roughly half of the group is not Jewish. Ruggles said the group performs a wide range of music: anything from Jewish sacred music to prayers, modern music like Sara Bareilles or classics like the Beatles. They also perform a variety of genres, including Israeli Pop, Jewish Liturgical and American Pop.“This concert is our opportunity to show the University who we are and to do what we love doing,” Ruggles said. “We’re not getting paid for a performance like this, so it’s all about us having fun.” The group has toured to places such as Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. And while they have smaller performances on campus, they are trying to gain more university awareness. “We mainly travel around the country to perform, but we don’t perform much around Bloomington. We’re trying to change that,” said junior Julie Womack, the group’s president. Having one performance each semester on campus and three or four tours per semester, this concert is a chance for people to see what Hooshir A Capella is about and for everyone to enjoy an a cappella concert, Womack said. Donations will be accepted at the door to help finance the group’s CD, which is currently in the works, as well as fund a trip to a Jewish a cappella competition in Washington, D.C., in the spring. “I think we’re going to have a great turnout,” sophomore and publicity manager Sally Schiffman said. “In the past we have performed at Hillel, but because we are moving our concert to a bigger venue, we’ll be able to have many more people come (than) in the past.”
(11/24/11 6:28pm)
Caveman, a recently established
indie band from Brooklyn, produces music that can be described as “nice”
or “chill,” like the type of music you want to listen to when you
are relaxing on the beach or want to slip into a coma.
(11/17/11 1:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Guitars will be strummed, keyboards played and drums beaten to raise money for people in need outside of Bloomington.At 9 p.m. today The Bishop Bar will present the Timmy Global Health Benefit, a concert dedicated to fundraising for Timmy Global Health. All proceeds will go to the nonprofit organization dedicated to providing medical and health care services to low-income communities across the globe. Timmy Global Health has a benefit concert every year and sometimes multiple times a year. In the past, venues such as the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and The Bluebird Nightclub have had the event. The Bishop will likely attract an eager crowd.“They’re a great venue and (are) always really enthusiastic about getting involved with our cause,” said junior Sonya Jayaratna, fundraising chair on the executive board in Bloomington. The goal is to raise $1,000, which will meet the needs of the benefit’s international partner organization, Pop Wuj.Pop Wuj provides health care and educational opportunities to several impoverished communities in Guatemala. While ticket sales generate the bulk of the funds, Jayaratna said extra donations are accepted and appreciated.“All of the money raised will go toward Timmy Global Health and the clinic Timmy supports in Guatemala because we have done other fundraisers and received a grant to cover all overhead costs of the event,” Jayaratna said.Timmy members approached bands that have done shows for them in the past and have a strong Bloomington following, and The Bishop is a staple of the community.“We are a venue (that) is deeply rooted in the community, especially the local music scene and student organizations,” said Katie Glaser, promotion assistant at The Bishop. “If there is a philanthropy event, The Bishop has the means to help with. We strive to do so.” The bands performing, Busman’s Holiday and The Calumet Reel, are well-known in the community, and Glaser said they are known to deliver a good show. “The Calumet Reel and Busman’s Holiday are two wonderful bands who really represent the community well, and it is nice to see them team up with a forward-moving organization to promote a great cause,” Glaser said. Brothers Addison and Lewis Rogers of Busman’s Holiday have been touring the United States and Canada for the last three years. The band consists of the duo with a string section that combines to create what Lewis described as “acoustic pop.”Some friends of the Rogers brothers approached the duo to perform at the charitable event.“We have done shows for Timmy Global Health in the past, and it is a really good organization, so we decided to perform again,” Lewis Rogers said. Even though he has toured with his band across the country, he said he enjoys his favorite aspect of performing when on stage in Bloomington — sharing his emotions with people he knows.“Bloomington is a very relaxed environment, and I have some regular fans here compared to places I’ve never been to. I don’t know what to expect,”he said. Rogers is optimistic about the benefit.“The benefit has attracted a large crowd in the past, so I think we will have a good turnout,” Rogers said.
(11/10/11 1:29pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Well, they did it. They made an addition to the Harold and Kumar
collection simply because having two movies about a couple of incapable
stoners who always seem to get themselves into the most bizarre
situations just wasn’t enough.
“A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” has two differences from the previous movies.First,
instead of being about a quest for the perfect burger or a run from the
government, this addition to the series is Christmas-themed.
The second is that you can experience Harold and Kumar’s shenanigans in 3-D.The
movie has parts that are so bizarre that you will laugh out loud and
lighten your spirits. There’s nothing like two stoners on an adventure
filled with drugs, Neil Patrick Harris, the mafia and CGI to put you in a
Christmas mood.
(10/28/11 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was 7 p.m. on Thursday of Homecoming week, and the first-IU’s Got Talent was about to begin in Alumni Hall. The room filled with students, faculty and members of the Bloomington community who were eager to witness some IU talent. “I watch ‘America’s Got Talent’ all the time, so I am excited to see what this talent show has to offer,” freshman Lindsay Syson said before the show. She said she wasn’t disappointed. The contestants rocked so hard that bits of the ceiling littered the floor by the end of the show.Just after 7 p.m., emcees Eddie Suarez and Ryu Teramoto announced the first act: senior Ben Fraley, who would perform a vocal/guitar act. Fraley was originally supposed to perform ninth with Eric McCellan, the other member of his band, We Hear Voices.However, Fraley was informed at the last minute that the other half of his duo couldn’t make the performance and that his act was pushed to the first slot. “I’m a little nervous,” Fraley said before the show. “I usually perform with Eric and at smaller venues.”But Fraley showed the other large groups you don’t always have to have more members in order to be bold.After Suarez and Teramoto’s introduction, the curtain rose, and Fraley stood in the spotlight with his guitar. All it took was a few strums before the audience began to react to the music. The audience clapped, stamped and cheered. Fraley’s performance was followed by a roar from the crowd as he waved to the audience and stepped off stage. Fraley has been performing since he was 3 years old.“I have a home video of me when I was younger and I was standing on our coffee table performing,” Fraley said. When he was 15 he taught himself how to play the guitar and then started his band with McCellan. The two will record their first EP titled “A Little About Life and a Little About Love” this weekend. “A friend of ours is a producer and he is giving us a chance to get our music out there. We have no equipment, so we are recording in my living room,” Fraley said. His song “White Guy at a Hip Hop Show” will be on the EP. The song is about someone who feels out of place, Fraley said. “The song basically says that I love you, but I can’t be with you, and I hope we can still be friends.”Fraley describes his music as acoustic punk rock. “My music is hard and fast. However, in the end, it’s all about the words. That’s what I focus on in the end,” he explained.Fraley didn’t end on top last night, though.The winner of the talent show was Alvin Tan’s beat-boxing performance, winning a cash prize and the opportunity to perform at this year’s IU Dance Marathon. Second place was awarded to Marshall Robbins and the Phunk Nasty’s and IU Essence followed in third place. Both acts won a cash prize. “This event improved since last year ... both in the level of talent and the larger crowd,” said senior Megan Caldwell, president of the Student Alumni Association.
(10/27/11 3:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This year, the Student Alumni Association had a challenge. Its goal was to improve student involvement in the Homecoming events. The Special Events division of the SAA came up with a solution: a talent show. It created “IU’s Got Talent,” a free show open for students, staff and faculty to put their performing skills to the test. The show will be at 7 p.m. today at Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union. “IU’s Got Talent” is a revamped version of the previous Homecoming spirit show, “Yell Like Hell,” said special events members of the SAA.“‘Yell Like Hell’ limited performances to only skits and dances that incorporated the Homecoming theme,” said junior Kara Brooner, one of the special events directors.The SAA said it decided to change the format of the spirit show to a talent show in order to attract different types of acts and encourage more students to attend. “We kept some of the same elements — the judging panel of IU faculty and the special performance by Straight No Chaser — but we decided to expand the original idea into a campuswide talent show instead of a ‘spirit show,’” Brooner said. “There are so many people that attend IU whose talents might go unnoticed. We wanted to give them all a chance to perform at our event.” The winner will be granted a performance at the IU Dance Marathon in addition to a cash prize. The event itself is not a fundraiser. However, the SAA’s IUDM dancers will be taking donations at the door. To participate, students had to attend mandatory auditions for the event in which they were required to develop a two-to-five-minute skit. All skits should include a theme relating to or focused on Homecoming 2011: Rocktoberfest. “Since auditions are over, I can tell you that there has been unbelievable talent ranging from dance to band performances to rapping,” Brooner said. “The talent pool definitely exceeded my expectations. This is going to be an exciting show to watch.” Scott Diebel, a sophomore marketing major, is one of the performers who made the cut for the show. He said singing has always been part of his life. However, majoring in business doesn’t give him many opportunities to perform. “I decided to get involved with ‘IU’s Got Talent’ because I wanted an opportunity to perform again and to contribute to IU in a way that I don’t usually get to anymore, but mostly because I love performing and because I miss it,” Diebel said.Diebel will be singing “Wagon Wheel” by Bob Dylan for the show. “I don’t have any tricks or gimmicks, just me doing what I like to do,” Diebel said. “I’m not really interested in winning as much as I am interested in providing a fun, genuine performance that the audience will enjoy. If I can do that, I will be happy.”The judging panel of three faculty members will grade performances on a set of five criteria: stage presence/professionalism, technical ability, creativity/originality, appearance/costumes/props and entertainment value/crowd response. An act can receive a total of 10 points for each criterion, bringing the total possible points to 50. The results will then be tallied and a first-, second- and third-place winner will be chosen.Eric Love, director of the Office of Diversity Education, served as a judge for “Yell Like Hell” for the last four years and is returning to the panel for “IU’s Got Talent.”“I love being involved in Homecoming activities,” Love said. “It’s a way to connect with students I don’t see every day and also encourage diverse student populations to get involved.”Love said he is expecting a good show. “I know the show will be incredible,” Love said, “The organizers have worked very hard to put everything together, and I encourage everyone to come out and support ‘IU’s Got Talent’ and all of the Homecoming events.”
(10/14/11 3:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>She is a funky, Grammy-nominated musician. The event is a stop in a part-musical, part-awareness concert tour that promotes sustainability.Together, they are Janelle Monáe’s headlining Campus Consciousness performance at the IU Auditorium.Josh Glasheen, program director of the Campus Consciousness Tour, said the tour keeps an eye out for upcoming artists who seem to want to be involved in something other than their music careers before approaching them to participate in the tour.“Janelle Monáe definitely had what we were looking for,” Glasheen said. The 2011 Campus Consciousness Tour, presented by the Brita FilterForGood Music Project, comes to IU at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are available at the IU Box Office.Monçe grew up in Kansas but made it to the stage to bring an unusual style of a post-modern blend of funk, pop and rock ’n’ roll. “Music is in my DNA,” she said. “Writing, performing, producing — all that’s part of being an artist. It’s my fit.”Monáe has traveled with artists such as Bruno Mars and Katy Perry and has been nominated for two Grammys for her album “The ArchAndroid.” She is the founder of her record label, Wondaland Arts Society. If she had to describe her style, Monáe said it would be “transcending, classic and timeless.” And when Monáe performs, she hands out the Ten Droid Commandments, a list of guidelines she wrote for her fans. “One is ‘Thou shalt covet thy neighbor’s jam’, meaning if you see someone jammin’, you better jam harder,” Monáe said.But underneath the glitz and glam beholds a woman who said she cares about the environment and wants to give an unforgettable show.“I really respect the Campus Consciousness Tour’s mission, and I’ve wanted to be a part of an organization that was dedicated to promote to be more green and to do all we can to take care of our earth,” Monáe said. When she learned what this tour was all about, Monáe said she saw this as a great opportunity to get her fans involved in this initiative, as well. “I want everyone to know that this isn’t just a concert,” she said. “This is an actual experience, and I think it will be an experience you all never forget.”Unlike previous concerts, the Campus Consciousness Tour is powered by Reverb, a nonprofit organization that helps musicians make their touring process more ecologically friendly. Reverb sets up an “Eco-Village” and recycling bins and provides reusable water bottles. It also uses organic products in its merchandise. Brita works with fans and artists to make concerts more sustainable by encouraging fans to use Brita filtered water and a reusable bottle, instead of purchase bottled water. To date, Reverb has greened 99 tours and 1,823 events while reducing 99,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.“I believe that any effort to get people to become more conscious of their effects on the environment can only encourage better habits, and I think this tour will do just that,” Auditorium Events Manager Maria Talbert said.