Lifestyle

• 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 […]

   

• In Bed with Billy: Go Long, Go Strong

  Lifestyle February 2, 2010 at 6:29 pm Comments are Disabled

  Billy Curtis, Sex Columnist Men have always been obsessed with their penises – their size, shape and even their capabilities to function properly. Freud, among others, made many inquiries and theories regarding the penis, and then there is my personal favorite to witness: the male preoccupation with size that can be seen with every moron driving a Hummer or big SUV to compensate for their lack of height . . . or rather length. But when function isn’t exactly attainable for the penis during intercourse, it is the partner who is left hanging (pun intended) that suffers just as much – if not more – than the person who is actually dangling with impotence. Luckily, I’ve never had a problem in the erection department, but I can’t say the same for some of the people I’ve dated in the past. In “Women and Impotence: A Woman’s Point of View About Male Impotence” by Colette Bouchez, Andrew McCullough, director of sexual health at New York University Medical Center, notes that partners tend to take erectile dysfunction to heart: “Women internalize things – they tend to blame themselves first,” and he continues to explain that this is because partners think that it […]

   

• 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 […]

   

• 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’ […]