Lifestyle

• From the Vault: Film Points in the Right Direction

  Lifestyle March 29, 2010 at 12:47 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Dylan Hares, Staff Writer Let’s take a short trip back to movies from the ’90s that, despite not having access to a multi-million dollar budget, were actually written well. In fact, there were so many well-written movies that many went under the radar. One of those is 1997’s Grosse Pointe Blank. Grosse Pointe Blank is a film that sits in the “dark comedy” genre. It blends together action and comedy while taking a provoking look at the human psyche. Martin Blank (John Cusack) is a hitman who hesitantly revisits his childhood suburb for his 10-year high school reunion in order to sort out the problems in his life. Work is hell, life is hell and hell follows him back to Grosse Pointe, Michigan, where after 10 years, he runs into all sorts of characters from his past. John Cusack is the kind of actor who always seems to be thinking of something witty or probing to say in any given conversation. From the get-go, every line in the movie is sarcastic and funny. Joan Cusack plays Martin Blank’s assistant, and when he asks her, “Did you go to [your reunion]?” she cooly replies, “Yes, I did. It was just […]

   

• Showing Off Your Pride:

  Lifestyle March 29, 2010 at 12:42 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ramy Zabareh, Staff Writer Spring has sprung, and the flowers are blooming. You know what that means — Pride Week is just around the corner! Pride Week is intended not only to educate the many diverse campus communities about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) culture and issues, but also as a medium for the expression and celebration of the Mason LGBTQ community itself. Pride Week will last from Sunday, March 28 through Saturday, April 3. While it certainly is a time to celebrate culture and identity, Director of LGBTQ Resources Ric Chollar reminds us that there is a more sentimental value to Pride Week. “Historically, the LGBTQ community had been associated with shame and lack of social acceptance,” said Chollar. “This [Pride Week] is a way to acknowledge the members of our community as actual contributors to the overall Mason community, and to counteract the historical perception of the LGBTQ community.” Preparation for Pride Week started in December 2009 and is being organized by a planning team of around 30 people. This group includes about 20 students and faculty or staff from the Multicultural Research and Resource Center (MRRC), Women and Gender Studies, Student Activities, the Office […]

   

• Black at Mason Part I: Students talk about first-hand experiences

  Lifestyle March 29, 2010 at 12:41 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Deena Smith, Staff Writer George Mason University is an institution that prides itself on having a largely diverse student body that respects and welcomes all walks of life and cultures. Although I respect this diverse label, it is quite a stretch. The minority groups are spread so thin and so few in number that most everyone in a minority group knows one another. Since the percentages are so small, they tend to stick together and not branch out into different racial groups. Anyone can see this for themselves by walking through the Johnson Center during lunch time. As a black student, I admit that most of my close friends are black, but I do have friends from a wide range of ethnicities and races. I wondered — has being a black student at predominantly white institution had a large effect on my sense of “blackness”? After interviewing an eclectic group of African American Mason students, I have gained a large insight into the opinion of being black at Mason. Students said that getting involved in organizations made the most difference in how welcome they felt at Mason. “I immediately got involved with Mason Ambassadors and met many students,” said […]

   

• In a league of its own (albeit a bad one)

  Lifestyle March 25, 2010 at 11:00 am Comments are Disabled

  By Josh Hylton, Staff Writer My father once told me about a game he used to play with my uncle before I was born. Every year, my family would head to the beach and my dad would sit with a beer in hand and rate passing women on their looks. He used a scale of one – 10 and would debate with my uncle over who was the best looking. My dad was never the classy type. She’s Out of My League deconstructs this game, though perhaps “deconstruct” is the wrong word, as that would imply the film has an air of intelligence about it. It does not. You see, Kirk, played by Jay Baruchel, is a five. He is a lanky, skinny, nerdy guy who looks at beautiful girls and immediately dismisses his chances with them. That is until Molly, played by the beautiful Alice Eve, accidentally stumbles into his life and falls for him. She is, as his friends put it, “a hard 10,” and we all know a 10 like her could never love a five. Kirk is already pessimistic and self-conscious, and his friends only play into those fears. The toxic combination threatens to ruin his […]

   

• Broadside Interviews: Stars of She’s Out of My League

  Lifestyle March 25, 2010 at 10:59 am Comments are Disabled

  The names Alice Eve and Krysten Ritter may not be universally recognizable, but given Krysten’s past work in popular romantic comedies like 27 Dresses and Confessions of a Shopaholic and Alice’s upcoming role in Sex and the City 2, you can expect that to change very quickly. Both are put in the spotlight in She’s Out of My League, which opened on March 12. Broadside recently spoke with the two ladies about their movie. Have either of you ever dated someone you’d consider out of your league or a guy that others would consider too good for you? Krysten: I’ve dated people who others have thought that maybe I was out of his league, but I didn’t think so and now I’m currently dating somebody who is out of my league. [Alice and her boyfriend] are on equal footing. They’re both really hot. Alice: I think he’s out of my league. He’s cleverer than me. For this movie, you were working with a first-time director and Jay Baruchel, who is usually relegated to supporting roles. Was there any hesitance going in knowing this or did you have faith in the material? Krysten: It can go either way for first-time directors. […]

   

• From Stand-up to Standout: Top five actors who have made the leap

  Lifestyle March 25, 2010 at 10:57 am Comments are Disabled

  By Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer This week, Ben Stiller will be taking a break from comedies like the Night at the Museum and Meet the Parents series for a more serious turn in Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg, a film about a middle-aged man trying to figure out his life. Stiller is one amongst several notable comedians who have tackled heavier, more dramatic roles with great success. With Stiller’s recent turn as a launchpad, here are the top five comedians to take on serious roles: 5. Jamie Foxx After Foxx’s first dramatic role in Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday, it was easy to forget about his awkward, comedic past. With movies like Collateral, and his greatest role as Ray Charles in Ray, Foxx is stepping up as a promising young actor. 4. Will Smith Who would have thought that The Fresh Prince would eventually earn two Oscar nominations? Yet Smith has, for his love-him-or-hate-him role as The Greatest himself in Ali and for his role as the father who will do anything for his son in The Pursuit of Happyness. Even with a fantastic career so far, Smith still has many penetrating roles ahead of him. 3. Robin Williams A good rule […]

   

• From the vault: Stomping the Pavement

  Lifestyle March 25, 2010 at 10:53 am Comments are Disabled

  By Ian Crocker, Broadside Correspondent When thinking about the year 1992, what comes to mind? Gangsta rap? Flannel shirts? Nicktoons? Maybe the 90s are a forgotten memory — a period of time that was much like today in that the underground had become the mainstream. With the sudden and widespread recognition of albums like Nirvana’s Nevermind and Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, popular music had shifted. While “Smells Like Teen Spirit” blasted at every jock-laden party around, the independent music fan wondered what was left to look forward to in terms of ingenuity and edginess. Enter Pavement and their debut album, Slanted & Enchanted. Not only did this ’92 release showcase a talented young group, but it also laid the blueprints for bands decades later. The best way to describe Slanted & Enchanted’s sound would be to compare it to a night of cheap whiskey on the rocks — it goes down smooth yet comes up harsh. With jagged guitars and lyrics resembling the spoken word, Pavement constructed a splintered sound unheard of at the time. The album’s opener, “Summer Babe,” sets the stage with an effervescent bass line and noodling guitars juxtaposed with the start and stop musings of lead […]

   

• When the levees broke…

  Lifestyle March 25, 2010 at 10:51 am Comments are Disabled

  By Patrick Wall, Style Editor T he images and videos have been burned into the American conscience: families separated by rising waters, survivors desperately searching for food and scrambling for shelter on rooftops. Even after four and a half years, the events of Hurricane Katrina remain an open wound on the American psyche. To commemorate the tragic events, George Mason University will be screening Trouble the Water, a documentary chronicling the story of two survivors of the hurricane. Kimberly and Scott Roberts, the film’s creators and stars, will be at the Johnson Center Bistro at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 25 to talk about the documentary and their experiences in surviving the storm. The documentary will be screened in the Office of Diversity Programs and Services, located in SUB I on Monday, March 22 from noon – 5 p.m., Tuesday, March 23 from noon – 7 p.m. and Wednesday, March 24 from noon – 5 p.m. The screenings are free. The event is sponsored by the Office of Diversity Programs and Services, African and African American Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Amnesty International GMU, Black Student Alliance, Somali Student Association, Akoma Circle, George Mason University Department of Communications, Program Board […]

   

• In my own words…

  Lifestyle March 25, 2010 at 10:50 am Comments are Disabled

  By Erin Thompson, Broadside Correspondent Hi, my name is Erin Thompson and I am a senior in the George Mason University LIFE Program. I have been eating a gluten-free diet since I was 7 years old. At the beginning, my parents and I didn’t exactly know what the problem with my health was. I was sick and was losing weight. I went to many doctors, and one told me that I had celiac disease. Celiac is made of oats, barley and rye. The only foods that are safe for me are rice, gluten-free bread, gluten-free English muffins, gluten-free muffins and shrimp. I can name many foods, but it is easier to supply you with an online gluten-free list: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401191131.htm. Wegmans’ website also has a helpful list of gluten-free items. Celiac disease (CD) is a lifelong digestive disorder that affects children and adults. An individual with CD should follow a gluten-free diet to treat the disease. When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed. Gluten is the common name for the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to […]

   

• Vargas

  Lifestyle March 9, 2010 at 1:54 pm Comments are Disabled

  The Obama Campaign in the recent Presidential Election harnessed mass media technology as away to get votes. Social networks Facebook, YouTube and text messaging became campaign platforms. Washington Post Reporter Jose Antonio Vargas http://www.joseantoniovargas.com/ on a CSPAN video conference talked about how politicians were beginning to interact with voters through new media.                 Vargas said the Obama campaign’s strategy of using new media would influence how future elections would be run.                 “The Obama Campaign in many ways was ground breaking,” said Vargas. “They realized that you can’t just run a campaign anymore you have to build a movement around you. You have to somehow convince a very big, very diverse country of many demographics. And what the brilliance of the Obama Campaign was to really try to attract as many people as you could to the movement.”                 Some political thinkers said the Obama Campaign could credit their victory to their use of new media. The daily phone calls, text messaging and late night e-mails with vote for Obama YouTube videos from the presidential nominee caused the second-biggest turnout from young voters. This movement caused a craze of “Obama Mamas” and voters who wanted to “Barack your World.”                 […]