Lifestyle

• ‘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 […]

   

• Ten9Eight Shoots for the Moon and Misses

  Lifestyle November 21, 2009 at 5:10 pm Comments are Disabled

  by Josh Hylton, Staff Writer Upon arrival at the official website for the new documentary, Ten9Eight: Shoot for the Moon, the first thing to catch the eye is a quote praising the film. The quote comes from the U.S. Secretary of Education. Clicking further through, quotes from the Chancellor of New York City Schools and the Executive Director of the Merrick School of Business at the University of Baltimore are highlighted. The one thing all of these people have in common is their affinity for learning and watching students succeed. Though their intentions are noble, they, by all accounts, really have no idea of what constitutes a good or bad movie. They merely see the message, an admittedly good one, but fail to recognize the film’s importance, or in this case unimportance. While certainly not a terrible documentary, it is not something I can see garnering much praise upon its release. Ten9Eight follows a select group of inner city teenagers as they compete on a national scale in the National Youth Entrepreneurship contest where they create their own products and businesses and pitch them to a group of judges who decide which entrepreneur has the most viable business model. By […]

   

• Bob Dylan Brings the Blues: Rock Legend Keeps Fans on the Edge of Their Seats During Patriot Center Performance

  Lifestyle November 17, 2009 at 5:04 pm Comments are Disabled

  Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief When you’re songwriting deity Bob Dylan, praise comes without try. So despite the fact that his tunes are a-changin’ and these days “Like a Rolling Stone” has morphed into a much mellower melancholy anthem without all the triumphant vocals of the original recording, fans remain loyal to the 68-year-old frontman. On Wednesday night, Dylan took to the stage with a devil-may-care attitude, delving deep into his vast pool of music to give Patriot Center patrons an eclectic 100-minute set that sampled only a handful of folk favorites reincarnated. These days, Dylan is much more blues than he is folk, but fans didn’t take issue with the freewheelin’ Dylan’s approach to his music — even the classics, which, save the lyrics, are nothing like they were in their heyday. He didn’t play “Blowin’ in the Wind” or “Mr. Tambourine Man,” everything was electric and if you didn’t know anything about Dylan, folk music wouldn’t have even crossed your mind. But folk be damned, it was really Bob Dylan. Knowing full well there is a lot of great music Dylan wasn’t going to play, the crowd was enthralled with the tracks he did choose which came from almost every […]

   

• Playing House: Artist Peter Marcus Displays Prints at Mason

  Lifestyle November 17, 2009 at 4:55 pm Comments are Disabled

  Marian McLaughlin, Staff Writer “The house serves as the portal to metaphors of the imagination,” said Jon Stilgoe in reference to Gaston Bachelard’s philosophers on architecture. This same idea is reflected in Peter Marcus’s work, as seen this month in the Fine Arts Gallery on campus. Marcus, a printmaker whose style is anything but limited, has a series of collaged collagraphs on display alongside the colossal, assembled sculptures of Joan Hall. Together, the two create elaborate, large scale structures that encompass a variety of printmaking techniques. Whereas Marcus dabbles by marrying digital images with intaglio ink, Hall uses handmade paper and pulp to create emerging, organic images. Houses are the dominant subject matter in Marcus’s prints. His canvases, often times longer than 10 feet, are homes for homes. Growing up in St. Louis, Mo. and Jamestown, R.I., Marcus recreates the imagery and unique architecture from these towns through his work. Yet, there is something slightly off-kilter about his representations. Although they are realistic and drawn to scale with punctual perspective, these houses seem to be situated in a surreal scenario. Perhaps this feeling is due to the lack of boundaries, roads and other elements that create ideal neighborhoods and real […]

   

• Changing the Textbook Biz: Website Offers Affordable Alternative to Expensive School Books

  Lifestyle November 17, 2009 at 4:52 pm Comments are Disabled

  Patrick Wall, Style Editor It has bankrupted some. For others, it has forced them into jobs working long hours. No, it’s not Wall Street. In fact, to some, it might be even worse. Textbooks. Of all the routines students go through at the beginning of each new term, book buying is easily the most dreaded. Parents groan as they empty their bank accounts and students lament having to carry what often feels like a bag full of bricks to class each day. But students across the country and across campus have found a new way to get the books they need and save money at the same time. Enter Chegg.com. Founded in 2007 by Aayush Phumbhra and Osman Rashid, Chegg started as a classifieds site for college students but quickly took its current form. The site refers to itself as the “Netflix for textbooks,” an apt description. The site allows students to rent the textbooks they need without having to purchase a book they might not otherwise use after the semester ends. Students can search books by title or by professor. From there, they are shipped via UPS. The savings are eye-catching: Phumbhra said that the most popular book rented […]

   

• Food in the Bedroom: These Snacks Will Get You in the Sack

  Lifestyle November 17, 2009 at 4:49 pm Comments are Disabled

  Katie Miller, Staff Writer When used appropriately, food can do more than just satisfy your stomach. Touted as sure-fire performance enhancers, aphrodisiacs have ignited sexual desires for centuries. The sexual power of certain food’s tastes and textures can bring new flavor and excitement to any relationship. Sadly, most of the beliefs about aphrodisiac’s ability to improve your libido are simply myths that have survived centuries of oral tradition (pun intended). So if foods like chocolate, chili peppers and oysters– three of the most well known aphrodisiacs –are simply placebos, why have these rumors survived? The reason? We give these foods their sexual power. If we think something is sexy, it will be. But there are other misunderstandings about aphrodisiacs that further reveal why they still thrill and excite us. First misconception: they are not just foods. According to the Discovery Health website, health.discovery.com, anything sensory that enhances sexual pleasure and prowess qualifies as aphrodisiacs. Most arousal ultimately comes from a person’s own association with the item’s taste, smell or symbolism—not just with the food’s chemical composition. Ultimately, without understanding what you and your significant other find appealing, there’s no way to find that particular food that fulfills your fantasies. But […]