Archive for December, 2009

• Team Edward or Team Jacob?: New Moon Trumps Twilight in Pure Sex Appeal

  Lifestyle December 2, 2009 at 7:18 pm Comments are Disabled

  Evan Benton, Staff Writer Last Friday, in the wee hours of the morning, hundreds of thousands of people around the country attended the midnight showing of New Moon, the adaptation of the second book in the wildly popular Twilight series, pulling in a record single day box-office record of almost $73 million in only 4,024 theaters. Filmgoers were mostly made up of women of the teen, tween and questionably older variety, but also included men, made up of dutiful boyfriends, gay men and those humble few of the “just there for the experience” variety. I was part of the latter. (Promise.) The Twilight series is now a bona fide saga, like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars before it. This was obvious at first glance around the theater. Preteen girls proudly holding up “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob” signs, black-cloaked vampiresses with muted-yellow contact lenses and fangs, catty soccer moms arguing over whose seat is whose while their children stand wide-eyed and confused – this is what happens with saga sequels. True fans know no courtesy, show no shame, and hold nothing back. The crowded cinema seethed with tension and hummed with anticipation. Some passed the time […]

   

• Dorm Room Feasts: Tips and Secrets to Having an Away-from-Home Thanksgiving

  Lifestyle December 2, 2009 at 6:56 pm Comments are Disabled

  Katie Miller, Staff Writer Thanksgiving is a day for spending quality time with loved ones and of course, eating an inordinate amount of comfort food. Between yams, turkey and stuffing, many take great pride in how many servings they can push down or who can get the drum sticks. For those who are looking for a less-fattening Thanksgiving, you should try avoiding foods high in carbohydrates, fats and sugars. Instead of going for the sugary and dense pecan pie, try pumpkin instead. Not only does it have less calories and fat, but its sweet taste and smooth texture fulfill your sweet tooth without filling out your belt line. For many college students, however, going home for Thanksgiving can be more of a hindrance than a benefit. Such a short weekend home doesn’t always outweigh the cost of an expensive ticket or a long car ride. Sadly, this may mean sacrificing your mom’s famous stuffing or your uncle’s delectable pumpkin pie. Luckily, the joys of Thanksgiving goodies don’t have to be forsaken. For those of you stuck at Liberty or the Student Apartments or in areas off campus, there are many cheap and easy alternatives to the traditional Thanksgiving extravaganza. Safeway […]

   

• Dead In the Water: The Rise and Fall of M. Night Shyamalan’s Directing Career

  Lifestyle December 2, 2009 at 6:54 pm Comments are Disabled

  Evan Benton, Staff Writer In the waning summer of 1999, The Sixth Sense was released in the United States and soon took the world by storm. There were just too many perfect combinations: the new catchphrase, the decade’s third-best twist (The Silence of the Lambs and The Usual Suspects as #1 and #2, respectively), and the pale little boy with just the right amount of cute and dread factors – all coming together to create the best horror film in years, and also a pop culture phenomenon. Nearly $300 million domestic gross and six Academy Award nominations followed. Even now, a decade later, we’re still talking about The Sixth Sense. The film was the writing and directorial brainchild of a man named Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan, better known as M. Night Shyamalan. A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1992, Shyamalan achieved worldwide recognition in 1999 with The Sixth Sense. After The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan was in talks with everyone, reputedly being tagged to direct the first adaptation of the Harry Potter series to co-directing the next Indiana Jones sequel with Steven Spielberg. He made Unbreakable in 2001, a solid script that resulted in solid critics’ […]

   

• ‘If You’re Coming to Look for Rockstars, You’re in the Wrong Place’: Matt Fazzi Talks About Being the New Guy, and What It’s Like Touring with Big Name Bands

  Lifestyle December 2, 2009 at 6:48 pm Comments are Disabled

  Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief When you’re the guitarist and backing vocalist for a successful band that’s had three gold records, there’s not much to complain about. At least that’s Taking Back Sunday member Matt Fazzi’s take on life. When Broadside sat down to talk with the newest member of the band after the group’s visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the guitarist had three main messages: First, he feels like the luckiest S.O.B. in the world, second, Taking Back Sunday is better than ever and third, you definitely need to check out the band’s newest album, New Again. So what’s it like being the new guy? I understand that to a lot of people still have either never seen the band play before or are seeing the band for the first time with me in it so I kind of approach every show and everyday like trying to be on top of everything so that people will come to watch us and won’t be stuck thinking about it. You know what I mean? ‘Cause I can tell at some shows that people are sizing me up…I just try to bring my A game every day and hope that fans that […]

   

• Co-Headlining Tour Rocks the Patriot Center: Program Board Hosts The All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday

  Lifestyle December 2, 2009 at 6:44 pm Comments are Disabled

  Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief Doing his best impressions of Freddie Mercury and Chuck Berry, The All American Rejects frontman Tyson Ritter and his on-stage antics were surely the most noteworthy part of last Monday’s concert at the Patriot Center. Outfitted in only tight white pants and glitter, the teen-heartthrob went on a seemingly drug-induced rampage throughout the band’s set, jumping around the stage, doing the duck walk and breaking up the band’s set of hits with long monologues that contained more cuss words than a George Carlin stand-up routine. Somehow, the band still managed to get through all their hits — but not without Ritter going to sit in the stands to sing “Mona Lisa” halfway through the set, where masses of teen fans descended on the singer, in what seemed like a poor attempt for Ritter to prove he was still as famous as his overplayed radio hits once were. Anberlin, who opened the entire show, was perfection. Lead singer Stephen Christian’s vocals sounded exactly as they were recorded on the band’s albums. On stage, the entire band was dynamic, really getting into their set and psyching the crowd up for the two headlining bands. Co-headliners Taking Back Sunday gave […]

   

• Fake Family Countdown: Babies, Superheroes and Little Miss Sunshine: The Top 10 Movie Families of All Time

  Lifestyle December 2, 2009 at 6:42 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer As the holiday season begins, many will be spending time with their friends and families this Thanksgiving. With families gathering together this week, here are the top 10 movies about families. 10. The Bicycle Thief This classic Italian film centers around a poor family and the father who finally gets a job, which requires him to ride around on a bike. After selling the family’s bed sheets to purchase the bicycle, the bike gets stolen the day it was purchased, leaving him and his son to try and find the criminal. This beautiful story shows their relationship as the father tries to teach his son about right and wrong while also trying to keep his family afloat. 9. Juno Sometimes, new families start a little earlier than planned. That’s what happens to the MacGuff family when their teenage daughter Juno becomes pregnant. Ellen Page, as the title character plays the naiveté of a 16-year-old perfectly, but it is her father and step-mother, played by J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney, respectively, that really show this film’s heart and a parent’s ability to support their children through anything. 8. The Incredibles The Parr family in Pixar’s action film […]

   

• In Bed with Billy: The Trauma and the Ecstasy

  Lifestyle December 2, 2009 at 6:39 pm Comments are Disabled

  Billy Curtis, Sex Columnist A great woman once said, “The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.” Though that woman may be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the point still stands – life is hard. It seems that as time continues to pass so rapidly in this world, the odds of some disaster occurring to you will rise. As we grow into adults, we lose our sense of innocence and usually get exposed to many of life’s traumatic events. It’s up to us to decide how we take these disasters and whether they will bend or break us. While in my disaster fiction class a couple of weeks back, we were discussing the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, on survivors of catastrophic events, like being involved in a war or surviving a natural disaster and not being able to cope with the events you experienced. In laymen’s terms, PTSD involves symptoms that interfere with trust, emotional closeness, communication, responsible assertiveness and effective problem solving. Ironically, these problems are also possible reasons why most relationships end just as tragically as the world could end in 2012. This got me thinking – if this were true, then could […]

   

• John Mayer Hits the Mark With New Release: Singer-Songwriter Braves New Sound with Latest Album Battle Studies

  Lifestyle December 2, 2009 at 6:37 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ramy Zabarah, Broadside Correspondent In an era of pop where indie is the new punk and auto-tune has snuck itself into most radio singles, few artists are able to stick to their musical roots while maintaining a fair balance between quality and catchiness. While it may not meet the blues-rock quota of his previous studio album Continuum, multi-platinum selling guitarist John Mayer has hit another home run with Battle Studies, his newest album. Stepping away from the catchy riffs, virtuoso guitar solos and melodic blues-rock was a dangerous move for Mayer, but he pulls it off well. From the introductory track “Heartbreak Warfare” to the folksy single “Who Says” to the soft bluesy conclusion of the album, “Friends, Lovers or Nothing,” Mayer appears to have applied more of his folk roots into writing this album. The overbearing theme for Battle Studies seems to be heartbreak. The album serves as a guidebook in that field, as portrayed in the opening song, “Heartbreak Warfare.” “I don’t care if we don’t sleep at all tonight/ Let’s just fix this whole thing now/ I swear to God we’re gonna get it right/ If you lay your weapon down.” Those who know Mayer as “King […]

   

• Students Sleep Outside to Raise Homelessness Awareness: Despite the Rain, Students Participate in Hunger and Homelessness Action Week Sleep-out

  News1 December 1, 2009 at 7:15 pm Comments are Disabled

  Hillary Huber, Staff Writer With cardboard boxes, a deck of cards and a bag of popcorn, students headed for the North Plaza for what would be a night’s worth of a glimpse of homelessness. In recognition of Hunger and Homelessness Action Week, students participated in a sleep-out to see the homeless experience on a nightly basis. Despite the rain, students slept outside on Thursday night from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. Ben Buss, the Lutheran Campus minister, brought the event to campus two years ago. At the beginning of the night, he led a group discussion about problems that the homeless face and what the sleep-out could teach students. “This is just a glimpse into the lives of those living on the streets. It’s not a full picture because, psychologically, students know they have a warm bed waiting for them,” said Buss. “They know they will be eating tomorrow and they do not have to think about where they are getting their next meal, or if there will be one at all.” The group discussed the tragedies of homelessness and talked about what they could do to alleviate the problem. Students focused on the many mental illnesses that some homeless […]

   

• Funding for Facilities: Cost Break Down of Construction on Campus

  News1 December 1, 2009 at 7:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  Amanda Cheek, News Editor With some students attending George Mason University who have never seen the campus without construction, building projects have been causing quite a ruckus on campus the past few semesters. From traffic jams to waking students before their alarm clocks in the morning or simply blocking normal paths students take to class, construction seems to be changing campus significantly. Danica Wysocki, freshman marketing major, was not exactly sure how to respond when asked where she thought the funding for all the building on campus comes from. “Maybe donations? Every building is named after a person so maybe they donated [the funds for the building]…I think funding comes from partially student tuition and donation,” said Wysocki. Tom Calhoun, the vice president of Facilities at Mason explained that money for campus building projects comes from a number of places, and has to go through a complex process from estimate to approval before the funds can be accessed for construction on campus. “We try to keep money coming from the same source for the same project,” said Calhoun. “It’s our responsibility to manage within the budget.” Calhoun explained that funding comes from many places. Among those, the state came in […]