Articles by: style

 

• Local Group Brings the Noise: I Am the Kaleidoscope Fuses Genres

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 7:39 pm Comments are Disabled

  Donovan Hall, Broadside Correspondent As my journey to discover the local music scene began, I found myself at JAXX night club off of Rolling Road in Springfield. It was here that I discovered the first band I would interview, I Am the Kaleidoscope. I planted myself at a little table towards the back of the club, illuminated by a dull yellow light. As I waited for the performance to begin, I watched the 100 or so audience members drift around the bar and dance floor, anxiously waiting for the music to begin. After a few moments, the band appeared and began prepping for the show. The first thing I noticed about I Am the Kaleidoscope was the relationship between the band members. They joked around and showed no sign of being nervous as they tuned their instruments. When they finished, a huddle formation between the members readied them, as well as the crowd, for the show. As the performance began, the high energy and intense sound of the band drew the audience members closer to the stage. Within seconds of the music starting, the rapid guitar riffs, heart-pounding drum beats, hypnotizing bass lines and the lead singer’s distinctive and surprisingly […]

   

• Looking Forward to 2010: Broadside Previews the Highly Anticipated Blockbusters of the New Year

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 7:34 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer As the new decade begins, it is time to look forward to the new films coming out over the next twelve months. While January seemed to be filled with crap like The Spy Next Door and Tooth Fairy, let us look to the great films coming with the Top 10 to look forward to in 2010: 10. Cyrus John C. Reilly is a recently divorced man who finds his dream girl, played by Marisa Tomei. However, when he meets her grown son (Jonah Hill) who lives at home and doesn’t want a new man in the house, problems start to arise. Mumblecore pioneers, the Duplass brothers, direct what could be their first mainstream success. 9. Get Him to the Greek In this spin-off of 2008’s great Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Russell Brand reprises his role as rock star Aldous Snow, while Jonah Hill plays a record company executive trying to keep the now out of control Snow on the straight and narrow in order to get him to his concert at the Greek Theatre in L.A. 8. Iron Man 2 Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback streak will continue as he dons his metal suit again, however this time […]

   

• Despite the Snowy Conditions, The Upright Citizens Yuk It Up

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 7:30 pm Comments are Disabled

  Patrick Wall, Style Editor The Harman Center for the Arts offered a respite from the snow for those in search of great comedy. The touring improvisational comedy troupe The Upright Citizens Brigade performed Saturday to an audience eager to laugh. The largely twenty-something crowd piled into the Harmon’s forum, a simplistic yet chic room in the Shakespearian playhouse’s basement. Audience members sipped drinks and quietly chatted amongst themselves, waiting for the show to begin. Just as the crowd was getting noticeably restless, four ordinary-looking folks ran in the room, raising their arms with an enthusiastic greeting. Before the four comics started, they requested a participant from the audience. They picked and promptly asked the volunteer to fork over his wallet. They then proceeded to rifle through it. The evening’s entertainment was broken into two parts — the first, a series of continual sketches based on the contents of their volunteer’s wallet. The second was also long-form improvisational comedy, this time based on a word selected by the audience. The subject of the first series of skits focused mainly on the volunteer’s profession, a marketer for a Washington, DC accounting firm. The second half was based primarily around the word “penguin.” […]

   

• Vagina Monologues Tickets on Sale

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 7:28 pm Comments are Disabled

  Patrick Wall, Style Editor For campuses across the country, February means two things: cold weather and the return of The Vagina Monologues. This year, George Mason University welcomes the show back to Harris Theater for three shows of laughter, tears and awareness. Monologues is a widely-acclaimed play based on real-life interviews of women conducted by the play’s writer Eve Ensler. The monologues, performed by students, range from serious to light-hearted but focus on women’s empowerment. The monologues are part of V-Day, an anti-violence campaign started by Ensler. According to vday.org, the movement works to end violence of all kinds against women and girls. This year, the organization is spotlighting the large-scale atrocities committed against the women and girls of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Shows will be held Friday, February 5 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, February 6 at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets for the show are $5 for students, $10 for faculty and staff and $25 for the public. Group tickets are also available at a discounted price. To purchase tickets, visit the GMU Concert Hall box office, call (703)-993-2787 or visit tickets.com. Proceeds from the show will go to the GMU Victims of Violence Fund and Women […]

   

• A New Low in Diet Disorders

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 6:45 pm Comments are Disabled

  Patrick Wall, Style Editor By all accounts, Kathleen MacDonald was a normal child. She was a little thin, but she was a runner – it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Despite this, MacDonald says she was dying. Growing up, her mother taught her that thin was the way to be. So at age 12, she stopped eating lunch, a habit she’d keep for 16 years. As she got older, MacDonald’s illness brought her to the brink of death. To disguise it, she started drinking heavily. Her condition cost her friends, jobs and even an education – she was kicked out of college three times. All seemed lost. Then, in July of 2002, MacDonald traveled to Washington, DC to give a testimony in front of Congress. The topic? The severity of eating disorders. Her speech was raw and heartbreaking. “I do not want to live my life as a result of anorexia,” MacDonald said before the House of Representatives. “However, I am scared that I might have been sick for too long now, and I wonder if the costs of anorexia will force me to become part of the 2-5 percent statistic of eating disorder victims who take their own […]

   

• The Year in Cinema: A Frequent Flyer, Precious, An Old Man and a Bunch of Basterds Claim Top Spots

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 6:43 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer 2009 was a year that ended the last decade on a good note. 2009 was the year of 3D, vampire love and the return of Sandra Bullock. Films broke box office records (Avatar), defied expectations (Paranormal Activity) and showed that animation was very important to filmmaking (Fantastic Mr. Fox). To wrap up this landmark year in film, here are the best and worst of 2009. The Worst 3. The Limits of Control A man with no name sits at a coffee shop. A stranger shows up, asks him the same questions that the person before him has asked and the same questions the person after him will ask. They trade matchstick boxes.The man receives a piece of paper, reads it and then eats the paper. Then it all repeats. Over and over. For two hours. The film ends in a third act that tries for a message but by that point, it’s too late to save this pretentious and dull film. 2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen When watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it’s hard not to think that you are the butt of some elaborate joke led by Director Michael Bay. Bay attempts to […]

   

• Starbucks Hosts Local Music: Mason Musician Performs for Tuesday Jams

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 6:37 pm Comments are Disabled

  Dylan Hares, Staff Writer The sound of music wafting through the air on Tuesday could be heard by all those passing through Chesapeake on their way to Starbucks. The music they heard was coming from Vincent Lacsamana, a senior finance major at George Mason University. He was the first performer on the bill for Program Board’s Tuesday Jams, held last week. Students may remember that for the past few semesters, Tuesday Jams had been hosted in Jazzman’s on the bottom floor of the JC, but due to the small attendance numbers, Program Board moved its event to Starbucks, a more popular coffee shop in a more traffic-heavy location. Luckily, Tuesday provided nice (albeit brisk) weather for the show to go on outside on the patio. Lacsamana opened up with a wonderful Jason Mraz cover, following up with emotional, acoustic versions of many popular songs from the likes of Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5 and Death Cab for Cutie. He also played a sweet and touching version of T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank.” Lacsamana displayed his vocal and guitar skill for a solid hour in the on-and-off cold wind to the attentive crowd. Applause was hard to come by but everyone passing […]

   

• The Upright Citizens Brigade Visits the District: Improv Troupe to Perform this Weekend

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 6:33 pm Comments are Disabled

  Patrick Wall, Style Editor The Daily Show has been employing their alumni for years. So has Saturday Night Live. No, it’s not a university – it’s the improv comedy troupe known as The Upright Citizens Brigade. The troupe will be performing four shows over two days at the Harman Center for the Arts this Friday and Saturday. The Brigade formed in 1990 by a group of comedians from Chicago including SNL’s Matt Besser and Horatio Sanz. After nearly ten years in Chicago, the group moved to New York City where they performed and gave lessons on improvisational comedy. Their stage show became so popular that they opened their own improv studio in New York. In 1998, the troupe earned its own show on Comedy Central. The self-titled show featured the troupe’s most famous cast, including Besser, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh and Amy Poehler. Despite rave reviews from critics, the show ended after three seasons. Although the cast has since changed, the troupe tours the country, performing its edgy and hilarious comedy for eager audiences all over the world. Audiences and critics alike have praised them for their work, including former late night host Conan O’Brien who said, “They are doing […]

   

• Contra Breaks New Ground: Vampire Weekend’s Sophomore Album Delivers the Goods

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 6:31 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ramy Zabarah, Broadside Correspondent Since their sudden appearance in 2008, Vampire Weekend has been one of the more unique bands in the indie rock scene. Their self-titled debut album brought them the popularity such a group could only dream of having, especially considering New York City has no dearth of local indie bands. And with popularity comes great responsibility. Contra, the band’s second album, does not disappoint. In fact, it only gets better with each listen. A huge step up from the self-produced first album, Contra has the same indie pop sound with the same African influence reminiscent of Paul Simon’s Graceland with a fuller, more mature and better-produced mix. Not to mention electronic drums! Vampire Weekend can be defined by their unique use of percussion, distinct guitar tones and lead singer Ezra Koenig’s raw vocals. Fortunately, none of these have been compromised. The opening track “Horchata” is a soft, percussion-heavy song that is sure to put you in the mood to sit back, relax, and do absolutely nothing but sip on your favorite drink and wonder where your worries went. Did I already mention electronic drums? Vampire Weekend doesn’t shy away from them. But instead of taking away from […]

   

• Rate My Professor

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 6:28 pm Comments are Disabled

  Evan Benton, Staff Writer When I first came to George Mason University at the tail end of the glorious, eye-awakening summer of 2006, I braced myself for what, at the time, seemed like the only part of college I should prepare for: the classes. I was told by a plethora of former students and high school teachers prior to my college career that, “In college, I will be just a number in a sea of faces; a student with no identity, whose only method of communicating with his professors is via e-mail, as they don’t take questions during class.” This is a rough paraphrase of what I was told, but every one of those sentiments was expressed in some way to me. I found out quickly that this was not the case and, except in classes that are laughably nonessential for majors like mine (EVPP 110, SOC 101, IT 103), I have been exposed to many classes of the most intimate and friendly variety. College professors, like the aforementioned classes they taught, I figured, would be different from the many high school teachers I had over the years: men and women with higher salaries, many of them published authors. These […]