Recent Posts

• ‘Tis the Season for A Christmas Carol: Director Robert Zemeckis Teams Up with Jim Carrey for New Take on Holiday Classic: New Carol? Bah, Humbug

  Lifestyle November 12, 2009 at 4:28 pm Comments are Disabled

  Josh Hylton, Staff Writer And the onslaught begins. Here we are, not even 10 days into November and the Christmas spirit has already begun to seep through the cracks of the nation. Christmas commercials are popping up on television, retail stores are preparing for the inevitable hordes of holiday shoppers, and Christmas music has already begun to ring in our ears. America has a strange fascination with the holiday and Hollywood is happy to oblige, this time in the form of yet another version of the timeless classic, A Christmas Carol. A quick Internet Movie Database (IMDb) search of “A Christmas Carol” pops up 26 exact matches of the title, with an extra 12 partial matches that include adaptations of the story from the Muppets, Sesame Street, the Flintstones and, evidently, Barbie. There are quite literally dozens of versions of this story and although director Robert Zemeckis’s newest iteration is far from a bad film, it is this overabundance of adaptations that really holds it back. By now, you know the story. Scrooge, a greedy, curmudgeonly old money-grubber, hates Christmas. He treats his employee, Bob Cratchit, like scum and he thinks of nobody but himself. Little does he know, though, […]

   

• ‘Tis the Season for A Christmas Carol: Broadside Sits Down with Zemeckis

  Lifestyle November 12, 2009 at 4:26 pm Comments are Disabled

  Josh Hylton, Staff Writer Beginning with The Polar Express and Beowulf, award-winning director Robert Zemeckis has become the pioneer for motion capture technology, a technology that allows the performers’ movements to be captured and reproduced digitally, and his latest 3D visual darling is A Christmas Carol, starring funnyman Jim Carrey. Broadside recently chatted with Zemeckis on the look and feel of his new film, the challenges of getting it done, and what new elements he hopes to bring to the timeless story. What inspired you to follow up Beowulf with A Christmas Carol? Why Dickens’ Christmas Carol and not another story? When I was doing Beowulf, I realized that this is a great form to reintroduce classic stories in a new way to a new generation of movie-goers because what you can do is can create a version of the story which is visually modern and separate it out, and many of these classic stories have great spectacle in them which makes them, in a strange way, difficult to do for the big screen so they are sort of relegated to Masterpiece Theater and that sort of thing. So you get a chance to really, in the case of A […]

   

• In Bed with Billy: Selecting Classes and Men

  Lifestyle November 12, 2009 at 4:22 pm Comments are Disabled

  Billy Curtis, Sex Columnist Selection can be a really important thing. Whether you’re choosing your classes for an upcoming semester or the right guy to date; your choice can make all the difference. As class registration opened this past week for the spring semester, I began thinking about how important these options can be. Think about it, if you choose the wrong schedule, there is a strong probability that you could end up spending more time in college than you originally intended and if you choose the wrong person to date, you could end up investing your time in a relationship that may be more damaging than beneficial, resulting in you losing in the end. Either way, it’s always smart to weigh your options and understand the risks that can vital to consider. Mason’s selection of dating material hasn’t showed much promise, at least for me, but I am sure some have had better luck. So what happens when you aren’t happy with the class options you are given, you search for alternatives. In my case, I looked to other college campuses in search for a better dating opportunity. James Madison University didn’t have a very promising selection, mostly just […]

   

• Practical Socialism Explained: Theoretical vs. Practical Uses In the Real World

  Editorials November 12, 2009 at 4:16 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brandon Minster, Staff Writer In P.G. Wodehouse’s Leave It to Psmith, Ronald Psmith and Even Halliday have the following exchange: “Do you mean to say you gave me somebody else’s umbrella?” “I had unfortunately omitted to bring my own out with me this morning.” “I never heard of such a thing!” “Merely practical Socialism. Other people are content to talk about the Redistribution of Property. I go out and do it.” I think of this quote often, as I move through the cocktail parties of the well-heeled set, when I am asked, “How can I tell a theoretical socialist from a practical one?” The question is a valid one. The battle between theory and practice has been around as long as man. The serpent had a theoretical take on God’s injunctions against fruit consumption. God’s take was more practical. Years later, Henry VIII renewed the conflict when he bypassed the theoretical argument of divorce with the practical solution of execution. These instances highlight the difference between theory and practice of socialism. A person can tolerate much more theory than he can practice. If I have to choose an airplane seatmate, give me the one who makes theoretical claim to the […]

   

• Republican Youth Swing the Vote: McDonnell’s Win Attributed to Unrelenting Collegiates

  Editorials November 12, 2009 at 4:05 pm Comments are Disabled

  Frederick Keown, Broadside Correspondent In 1775 at St. John’s church in Richmond, Va., Patrick Henry gave his famous speech in which he proclaimed, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Now more than three centuries later, Republican Party members gathered in the Marriott hotel down the street for the November gubernatorial election. For a few tense hours, people sat in the banquet halls and stared at the televisions as districts continued to count their votes. Finally, as the clock neared nine, the residents of Virginia declared their choices. We now welcome Bob McDonnell (Governor-elect), Bill Bolling (Lt. Governor-elect) and Ken Cuccinelli (Attorney General-elect) as the Republican trio that swept this race. With this miraculous victory in a state that voted democratic for the presidential race in 2008, the Republicans announced that this election was a revolution, as was the speech by Patrick Henry. What was the action that started this revolution in Virginia? It was the active youth that refused to have their voices silenced. A great example of the determination that lead to this victory is the actions of the College Republicans of George Mason University. When watching the victory speeches of Bob McDonnell, Kristie Colorado, a freshman government […]

   

• Mason Overpowers the Trojans: Mason High-Octane Offense Scores in Triple Digits

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 4:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  Jerry Holy, Broadside Correspondent In an exciting atmosphere at the Patriot Center, the men’s basketball team put on a show as they downed the Virginia State Trojans 100-82 in the exhibition game last Thursday. Mason controlled the game from the very beginning with a 3-point jumper from junior guard Cam Long. Sophomore guard Andre Cornelius led the team with 22 points and sophomore forward Ryan Pearson added 12 points with a 3-point jumper at the end of the first half. Senior forward Louis Birdsong and Long had 10 points apiece. Sophomore forward Mike Morrison had nine points and two blocks. The bench players also contributed to the team’s impressive victory. Rising freshman forward Kevin Foster added seven points, one block and a steal. Junior guard Isaiah Tate showed he could step up as a leader on the floor, scoring six points in the game. Among the freshmen, forward Luke Hancock had a strong debut on both sides of the floor. Hancock led the team with four steals and eight assists. Hancock also added seven points from the bench as did freshman guard Sherrod Wright. “[Hancock] played good for his first game as a Patriot,” said sophomore guard Jimmy Nolan on […]

   

• NFL Midseason Report: The Highs and Lows of 2009

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:55 pm Comments are Disabled

  Yasin Jama, Staff Writer The 2009 NFL season has been a tremendous start for some teams and a disastrous start for others. Unlike last season, there are more bad teams than recent years. There are five 1-win teams in the league and still one winless team. There are also three teams with only two wins so far. Here are the surprises and disappointments for the 2009 season: Surprises New Orleans Saints: The Saints are one of two undefeated teams in the NFL at the season midpoint. They are averaging nearly 40 points a game. Quarterback Drew Brees has so far been the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, throwing touchdowns to five different receivers and anchoring an offense that is number one in the league. Add to that an improved defense led by new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the Saints could possibly be the team to beat in the NFC. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts have a new head coach and offensive coordinator. However, that has not changed the chemistry of the team. Led by future-Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, the Colts are off to a 6-0 start for the third time in five years. The Colts are fourth in the league […]

   

• In My Own Words: CAA Celebrates 25th Anniversary

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:38 pm Comments are Disabled

  Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer This year is the Colonial Athletic Association’s 25th anniversary. Inspired by the CAA’s milestone and my upcoming 21st birthday, I decided to look into some numbers and interesting facts of international volleyball at George Mason University. I am celebrating 21 years of life; Pat Kendrick, our head coach, is celebrating her 25th season at Mason. Kendrick is the longest-tenured coach in the conference. She also ranks 44th among active head coaches with 405 career victories. Along with Kendrick, the Mason women’s volleyball program is symbol of tradition in the CAA. The name Mason Volleyball carries history and success. The Patriots have won seven CAA championships with only the William & Mary Tribe holding more titles. The Patriots played in 11 championship games. It is interesting to see that Mason hosted the championship four times, but never won a championship title on their home court. The odds are against us winning a championship match on our home court. Of course, hosting the championship would be amazing, but nothing would be better than winning the tournament. As part of the anniversary celebration, the CAA selected a 25th anniversary team. Mason had six of its volleyball athletes honored by […]

   

• Traveling Great Distance for the Love of the Game: Women’s Volleyball Team Adds to Their Collection of International Assets

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:36 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ari Sinay, Broadside Correspondent Freshman outside hitter Ran Yin of the George Mason University women’s volleyball team has traveled long distances to play the game she loves. Yin, an only child, has lived in Beijing, China her whole life with her parents, YanJun and ChangXin Yin. Traveling to Mason to play volleyball and to receive an education is Yin’s first time leaving China and her life behind. Yin started playing volleyball at the age of 12 when her middle school primary teacher suggested the sport to her. “I used to play Chinese traditional music, but that was boring and I didn’t enjoy it, so I listened to my teacher and started to play volleyball,” said Yin. The rest was history. Yin blossomed into a standout on the court and by the time she finished her career playing for her high school Beijing 101 team, which boasted an undefeated record and a top 10 placing in China, Yin was a highly talented commodity. Yin’s abilities on the court also propelled her into international competition as she competed in the 2004 young Olympic games in Australia against countries like Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia. “As a team, our results weren’t so good, […]

   

• Sports at a Glance

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:34 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ryan Dempsey,  Staff Writer NFL On Thursday, Indianapolis Colts starting cornerback Marlin Jackson confirmed Thursday that he has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. This is the second straight year that Jackson has suffered a season-ending ACL injury. The injury for Jackson is worse than it is for his team since he is scheduled to be a free agent at the conclusion of this season, and unless he can prove to be healthy, he will be cut from the team. For the Colts, things continued to spiral downward as the team learned that cornerback Bob Sanders needs surgery to repair his injured elbow which will end his season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN in a televised report. MLB After the New York Yankees won the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Yankees designated hitter Hideki Matsui was named the Most Valuable Player in the World Series after a record-setting performance in the decisive Game 6. Matsui had a .615 batting average in the series, including three home runs and eight RBIs. Matsui drove in six of the Yankees’ seven runs in Game 6, the most by any player in a World Series clincher and […]