Story Week 2008

Ever since I was a child I always loved to listen to stories. From children stories, to ghost stories, to stories that my grandmother used to tell me about the “old day” and what things were like back in the day, I loved to listen to all of them. So when I heard that Columbia was having Story Week 2008 I was very interested in attending it. Story week 2008 is the 12th Annual Story Week Festival of Writers: Stories without Borders. It was basically a panel discussion of writers and story tellers who talked about the world of story telling: where it has been, where it is, and where it is going. The panel consisted of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, acclaimed writers Aimee Bender, Junot Diaz, Cristina Garcia, ZZ Packer, Fiction Writing Department Visiting Artist Colin Channer, performance artist and author Hillary Carlip, as well as some other readers, panelists, and performers. There was a brief Q&A segment where you could ask questions and concluded with the farewell and the notification that books of the panelists have wrote were on sale at the tables in the lobby of the theater.

Although I am not as die hard about writing and story telling as some of the people in attendance, I was very impressed by the whole event: It was held in the very nice downstairs theater in the Harold Washington Library and it had a very good turn out as far as people who were as interested as I was to come and see the event. But mostly I was impressed, interested, and entertained by the conversations that the panelists were having. It was not boring at all, which was not what I thought walking to the event. I was given a lot of incite into the writing/story world, including what was happening in the news about a woman who wrote a memoir about being a “Crip” gang member, and actually was a privileged suburban woman who had never been exposed to anything like that. I never knew there were so much politics in the world of writing.

Lastly, the panelists told stories: about there lives, and there pasts. One of the speakers talked about growing up in Jamaica, and how it has it flaws and problems he talked about the beauty and the good from the island. Its stories like this that shed light on things that others like my self have not been exposed to. I think that this is one the most important things about story telling, to carry on a legacy, almost like a chronicle of historic events. I once has a teacher who once said that everything what we know of today about anything that happened in the past was past through time by telling stories: from caveman to your grandparents telling you about there childhood, from historical events to current events. Overall I really liked this event. It was fun as well as informative. I am sad that I am graduating this year because I would love to see it again next year, but who knows, I might be in the neighborhood.

Dave Chappelle Block Party

Hip Hop is not like it used to be back in the 80’s. Hip Hop revolves around the black culture as well as the black community. It has affected the black youth in positive and negative ways. No more poetic, real lyricists such as Nas, 2 Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Slim Shady, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, etc. But the “rap” today doesn’t tie into just the black community but other races as well. The white community uses this rap music as a way not to be themselves, do or hear something that is out of their norm. I feel all young teens don’t listen to the lyrics. They think it’s just a good beat and the word usage “nigga” can be said by everyone. Dave Chappelle is the type of person who voices his opinions about a topic that no other comedian would dare talk about. Some might think that he’s a racist to his own people but instead draws in the white community. On the other hand Chappelle has no intension to degrade any race. Chappelle just says what he feels and knows what will make the public laugh; keeping it real.

Dave Chappelle’s Block Party film attracted a younger audience. To many this film could have just been another hip hop concert caught behind scene, not realizing it also had a message showing all races coming together and enjoying themselves with live entertainment. Showing their always doesn’t have to be a separation between black and white. Activist in the hip hop world/ Neo Soul, the performers of the block party consisted of Kanye West, Common, Mos Def, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Jill Scott, Erica Badyu, The Fugees/ Laurwn Hill, etc. Born and raised on the East Coast, watching this film was a big culture shock. We listen to nothing but go-go music. For a concert like this, you have to be open-minded because the music leaned more towards an older crowd unless you were raise around that style or genre.

Hip Hop has made its way over to “rap” music. The film portrayed nothing but hip hop artist. I feel Dyson would positively endorse Block Party because the artist who performed has a positive outlook towards the black community/youth, that their lyrics aren’t just based on drugs and violence. People rap about what they see, know and have been through. The black community feels they can’t show any weakness. Some rap about selling drugs, rape, killing, when they have never done or experienced any of it. Moving into a different generation, artist now rap what they know is going to sell. While art imitates street life and hip hop, the fact is MC’s exploit the game by using violent imagery, gangster talk to make more money.

In Dyson’s text he say’s hip hop promotes vulgar language, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, sexual promiscuity, domestic abuse, parental disrespect, rejection of authority, and the glorification of violence, drug use, rape and murder. I however disagree. Though Dyson’s makes good points about gangster rap, hip hop is not only a more intellectual type of urban music, over the past few years it has become its on genre. In the film, Chappelle brings together a collection of positive and thought provoking hip hop artist who perform for a community promoting their poetic views about the world that we live in, reality, and an overall sense of good life.

Dave Chappelle Block Party references to the fact that if a community is exposed to good music, promote positive reviews among those who are willing to listen and I must agree. Other than the fact this film is a dedication to the late hip hopper J Dilla, it proved the point that genuine music can not only bring people together but it can also bring the best out of people. Looking at the interviews, the commentary, the performances in the film, I say that Block Party was successful in its intensions.

Living Out Loud (Revised)

Looking back and reviewing other's opinions on the film Living Out Loud, people's opinions were pretty much the same. Either they recommended the movie or just hated everything about the movie from the actors and actresses to the plot. As I was reading I came across another critic's opinion that I have to disagree with. Scott said, " What I really like about this film is the similar problems each character found themselves in, how their lives intertwine breifly within the movie. I say each character's problem were not similar at all. The were all going through something completely different, it just so happened all their problems happened at the same time. I mean Judith (Hunter) to me had the worst problem out of them all; divorced, cheated on, doesnt know who she is and what she wants to do with her life. Pat (Devito), just lost his daughter, gambles all the time, lives with his brother and doesnt have the best job in the world. Liz (Latifah) is a nightclub singer who's boyfriend turned out to be gay. Sounds like to me Liz had it the easiest.

Living Out Loud

Living Out Loud director and written by Richard LaGravenese. Starring Holly Hunter, Danny Devito, Queen Latifah and Martin Donovan. Judith Nelson (Holly Hunter) quit her medical studies to marry. Years later, her husband Bill (Martin Donovan), a physician, divorces her to be with another doctor. Deeply frustrated, she now lives alone in her luxury apartment in New York, looking for a new meaning for her life. Pat Francato (Danny Devito), the janitor and lift-boy, has a troubled life himself: Gambling debts and the tragic death of his daughter took away all his spirit. One day, he and Judith meet in the right mood and a fragile friendship starts to grow. They can help each other to get on their feet again.

The sad fairy tell just goes on and on. To me this movie should be on Lifetime, it’s so depressing. The beginning of the scene with Judith and Bill at the restaurant having the argument I was interested to see where this movie was going. Once I saw they were divorced I knew the whole movie was going to be based on her life and career. What kept annoying me throughout the movie were these flash forwards she was having of events that happen and didn’t go as vision or doesn’t happen at all. Judith just kept talking to herself in her mind and her voice after awhile started irritating me.The movie had ridiculous scenes that were unnecessary to even be in the movie. One scene of her going to the “lesbian” club with Liz Bailey (Queen Latifah) and the massage scene were a bit too much. I was confused when she was getting the massage, she had a flashback of when she was a teenager and she had the same vision of herself when she was at the club; what for? Your 41 years old and it’s about time to stop being depressed and figure out what you really want to do with your life.

What was the purpose of Queen Latifah’s role? I mean yes she was a lounge singer that supposedly Judith listened to her CD that no one bought, when she was depressed. Just so happened one night Judith was wasted and almost got kicked out the bar that Liz was singing at, but Liz took her to the bathroom to try and sober her up. Typical there had to be a person to listen to Judith horrific life story and then turns out to be her best friend.

Overall the movie was okay. It wasn’t the worst movie in the world but I don’t think it was worth to put in theatres. If you want to see a movie that’s suspenseful, good plot and somewhat funny I wouldn’t recommend that you spend your money to go see it.

Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew

America's Best Dance Crew is a reality show where hip-hop performers compete in an American Idle style game. Where the top 12 dance crews from around the country will battle it out. The crews – representing Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles – will need to bring their best moves to win over the judges, JC Chasez (N*Sync) and choreographer Shane Sparks (“You Got Served”), for one of the eight coveted spots on the weekly competitive group dance series. Randy Jackson Presents: America ’s Best Dance Crew” promises to be one of the most visual and inspiring performance competition shows to ever hit television. It is the first dance competition series for dance crews rather than individual dancers. The top hip-hop crews from around the country will take to the stage floor to earn dance supremacy, a cash prize and touring contract.
Shot on location in Los Angeles, each dance crew of five to seven members will rehearse and demonstrate their most innovative choreography and skills as their intimate life stories and personal drama unfold within the show. Every performance themed episode will tap into the crews’ emotion, spirit and inspiration – from recreating dance music videos seen recently on MTV, to using dance to tell the story of a favorite feature film, to paying homage to the classic grooves of the past.

From “So You Think You Can Dance” to “ Dancing With The Stars” to “ Dance Wars” and now America’s Best Dance Crew. Dance has come back to television. Some viewers might think that this show is just a competition of unprofessional dance groups and so cliché. Your right. These groups are non professional dancers, pulled from the street but put there heart and soul in what they love to do. Some of them choreograph the dances together or have one solo choreographer. Trying to make a name for themselves and one day be sitting in the chair where the judges are and critiquing other dance crews. The media tries in so many ways to reach out to the public for some type of entertainment for them to view. This particular show is good because it’s just not for those who do dance as a profession but for those who love to dance and know what looks good and what doesn’t.

I appreciate that the dance crews are so diverse. Of course society thinks hip hop only pertains to African Americans but it doesn’t. There’s an all white female dance crew as well as an all Asian dance crew, who by they way are FIERCE. The eliminations for the crews are based on the judges opinion but more on America’s vote on who stays and who goes. The crews that stay are the ones who hype up the crowd, the one’s who have the most energy, precise movement and most of all dance well together. If the dance crews keep bringing the same energy every show and new choreographer and great tricks they are bound to keep your attention until the show is finished.

Columbia's Big Mouth

Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14th. In the Americas and Europe, it is the traditional day which lovers express their love for each other. If you didn’t have a love one to celebrate Valentine’s Day with, come to 1104 S. Wabash to attend Columbia’s Big Mouth. It’s a great place to listen to live music, bond with fellow students or to meet new people. You never know, you might have found your Valentine that night at Big Mouth.

The Conway Center was packed with Columbia and non Columbia students. The hosts were full of energy and entertaining between acts. The band was amazing, you had no choice but to get up out your seat and start dancing. This being my first Big Mouth experience at Columbia, I was quite satisfied and didn’t realize how much talent there was at Columbia. Of course it had its downfalls but there was only one performance that got a little bit out of hand.

The night was going well, everyone was participating and singing along with the performers until it came down to our second to last performance of the night. There is this guy who attends Columbia, who people say is a pretty good gospel singer as well as performer, but this particular night they had me fooled. By his appearance I wasn’t sure if he was a man or a female because he was sure dressed and danced like a woman. His back of dancers were impressive, full of energy and really involved into the choreography. His first song, it was obvious that he was lip singing and stumbling over the dance steps. The second song, he has a solo, and he is dressed in a jacket singing about how much he is missing his baby, assuming that his baby is a female. Third song, him and his two female back up dancers come out with chairs. Mindful at this point, he is dressed in black tights, tight shirt, and female panties. Grinding in the chair, as well as doing provocative gestures on the floor. For his fourth song, he did a song with one of his male dancers. His dancer was topless with black slacks and a mask. At the end of the song his dancers gets down on his hands and knees, with his pelvis up. He gets down on his knees, in front of his dancer and puts the mic on his dancer private and makes it look as if he is giving him head.

As soon as that happened, the audience starts screaming and people are cursing. Packing up their stuff, putting on their hats and jackets and leave. Everyone was shocked and couldn’t believe that a person would do such a thing, especially when we are at a college related event. Once that was over he had the audacity to sing a gospel song. For many it was their only and last Big Mouth they will ever attend, for others it was entertainment and are interested to see what happens next year.

An Ode To Deodorant

An Ode To Deodorant

Every day we go to work, eat our lunch, and watch TV. Learning, Growing, Living our lives never mindful of the thick, white substance that stays idle, caked along the outer lining our arm pit. The chemical compound of cosmetic fragrance and manufactured bodily protection, is assembled into a plastic tube and put on a store shelf, which can only be described as an armory of weapons used to fight the forces of odor and defend the freedoms of hygiene. We give them names like “Old Spice” and “Secret,” defiant and loyal to its purpose in the universe we wake up day by day and slap it on, knowing its job and meaning of existence: to de-odor.

Deodorant; our guardian from bacterial breakdown known as perspiration, our protector of bad looks, curled up noses, and smells which leave bad impressions upon us, our body guards of our bodies; well mainly our arm pits . . . sometimes the crouch. We are subconsciously praised by its use and admired by its scent. Never thinking about that time that we had to run for the bus to get some where and said to our self “Man I sure am glad that this deodorant, which I have under my arms, stopped my bodies natural release of sweat and perspiration, which in turn will keep my body as well as the air around me dry and smelling like which ever brand I have on from Walgreen’s last Thursday.” We leave it to perform its duties no questions asked, trusting it with our lively hood and reputation which we are given via the benefit of the doubt as a “clean person.”

How ever we are only truly mind full of our unsung hero during two instances; when it had come to its slow demise, and when it appears smeared on the most likely of places, our shirt. Then the unofficially, scientifically named Aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrexgly aka deodorant becomes our subject of ridicule. We detest the presence of it, scolding its being, and for the one and only time, we think the unthinkable, we wish we didn’t have it on. Only then does it become a bane in the world. Its creators are forced by the mass public to “remake it.” Funny how something so useful, recommended, and sometimes wished upon a fellow human, can be turned on by the masses because it got on their little black dress, assumingly ruining their date. How can we down on something that has done nothing but help the lively hood of man. We would never turn on air, why would we turn on deodorant.

We can not, we must not forget that it has done its job, and done its job well thus far. We must recognize and acknowledge our sentinel of smell and not look down upon what keeps us sanitary. Because think, what if we woke up tomorrow and it was all gone? No more Speed Stick, no more Axe with its clever and catchy body spray products.

We must never forget deodorant