Pennsylvania Inferno

The Princess Bride

2007-04-18T20:30:00.000-05:00

So I just wrote a brief classic movie review for the Broadside about "The Princess Bride."

I didn't want to do just a straight up, "This was a good movie because" kind of review. That gets boring.

Allie helped be draft a bunch of ideas, but everything was too lofty.

Especially for a 500 or so word story.

Somehow, I came up with the brilliant idea of Andre the Giant.

Now I know what you're think, "Andre the Giant? Really?"

Think about it. He was one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time and a moderately successful actor.

Within the context of "The Princess Bride", Andre the Giant was the actual heart and kindness of the movie. Granted, the movie is all about true love, but that stuff gets overplayed.

Make sure to check out next week's issue of the Broadside and you'll see just what I mean.

Running With Scissors

2007-04-16T15:54:00.000-05:00

I've been reading "Running with Scissors" whenever I get the time this semester. It's definitely an odd book, but it is awfully quirky. Not much of the "memoir" has been affecting me like many of my favorite books have (like "Too Loud a Solitude" or "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"). But the chapter I read today made me stop and think.

Here's some passages:

"Freedom was what we had. Nobody told us when to go to bed. Nobody told us to do our homework. Nobody told us we couldn't drink two six-packs of Budweiser and then throw up in the Maytag.
So why did we feel so trapped? Why did I feel like I had no options in my life when it seemed the options were the only thing I did have?...
More than anything I wanted to break free. But free from what? That was the problem. Becuase I didn't know what I wanted to break free from, I was stuck."

"The problem with not having anybody to tell you what to do, I understood, is that there was nobody to tell you what not to do."

There have been several times in my life I've looked for someone to tell me what not to do, and I cannot find them. I cannot get direction of where not to go, that I end up either doing something stupid or more than likely, I do nothing at all.

I was surprised to find such a concept in this book of mental illness, homosexuality and just uninhibited action.

No wonder the novel has had such acclaim.

Music Season Begins!

2007-04-15T19:57:00.000-05:00

As the spring is (kind of) making its way to us, the music tours are everywhere! There are all kinds of bands that are coming to the area that I'm exstatic to see!

Thankfully DC has tons of venues to hold them all in! Baltimore too!

Black Cat:
Sun May 20: Pretty Girls make Graves (Last DC Show EVER!), Moonrats, Call me Lightning

9:30 Club:
Wed April 25: Wolfmother
Tues May 1: Third Eye Blind, The Upwelling
Thurs May 10: Ben Gibbard (from Death Cab), David Bazan (from Pedro the Lion), and David Bazan
Wed May 16: Arctic Monkeys
Fri May 18: Elvis Costello and the Imposters

Velvet Lounge:
Fri May 4: King Giant, Serpents, Solome, Vog

Rock and Roll Hotel:
Wed April 25: John Vanderslice, St. Vincent
Mon Jun 18: MewithoutYou, Piebald, Manchester Orchestra, The Snake the Cross the Crown

Ottobar:
Mon May 21: River City Rebels, The Ratches, The Rockvilles, Singleton and Whales
Sun Jun 24: The Chariot, Mistery Signals, I Am Ghost, and I Hate Sally

Sonar:
Wed May 24: Mastadon, Against Me and Cursive
Fri May 25 - Sun May 27: Maryland Deathfest

Recher Theater:
Fri May 4: Thrice, Norma Jean, The Receiving End of Sirens, and Moneen

Rams Head Live:
Sat May 5: Mr. GreenGenes
Sun May 6: Saves the Day, Say Anything, Manchester Orchestra, and Meg & Dia
Mon May 7: Bullet for my Valentine, All the Remains, Escape the Fate, The Confession

I know this is a lot of choices, but who knows where I'll be and what I'll be doign on those days. They should be fun though. Plus, if you are on Myspace at all, you can search almost all of these bands and find their page with samples of their music. I advise doing it, you may find something you like that surprises you.

Go out and support local music.

Pat Robertson

2007-04-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

This post, like most from today's 361 Online Journalism videoconference will discuss our guest, Pat Robertson.

Friday at 10a.m on C-Span3, the video-conference will be rebroadcast. That's exciting.

However, many of you may know who Pat Robertson is. He is very respected in the conservative Christian world, and it's easy to see why.

Through much of the interview, Robertson quoted Bible passages; made very insensitive remarks about other religions and continuously contradicted himself. Granted, Robertson is quite the politician. Hence the flip-flopping.

I was a little disappointed I didn't have time to ask my question about the separation of chruch and state within the court room after many of his Regent University Law school grads are under fire for conflating the God's word with that of the president.

There were several times I caught myself rolling my eyes during the conference. But I know and understand that's my natural reaction to something I don't want to hear.

I'm surprised Dr. Robertson wasn't doing much of the same.

Welcome Back

2007-04-09T17:45:00.000-05:00

I went away last weekend back to PA for originally the holiday. But sadly, my grandmother passed away and thus, most of my weekend was filled with family.

It's always interesting to see how people cope with these types of events.

During the viewing, hardly any people cried or were upset. The viewing was basically for us to get reacquaitned with those we haven't seen in a long time. For instance, I haven't seen many of my cousins since I was four or five. I met the Zinger boys again. Turns out, my cousin Keith is a line-backer for LSU. Geaux Tigers!

However, the funeral service and actual funeral were the worst for everyone. It was rough on me becuase my older brother was away at boot camp for drill instructor training.

I did spend much of my weekend laughing and smiling, which is nice. It's always good to go home and see friends and family, even if it is under such sad circumstances. I did make time to get away from my family and see some old friends, hit a few bars, had a few drinks.

You know.
Cope.

Oh Arnold!

2007-04-03T11:35:00.000-05:00

I watched Kindergarten Cop last night.

And boy, was it as fantastic as ever. I must say, it was the best $5 purchase I've made in a long time.

That's right folks.

Five dollars.

Probably one of Ivan Reitman's less successful movies, and one that's become a kitchy secret in the Governors closet.

It did, however, help shape many of the young people today. I know I grew up watching it, as did many of my friends. It's pretty obvious when you watch it with us becuase only certain lines have stuck with us since it's 1990 release.

Some of the best lines of that movie, (or at least memorable ones) are in that clip thanks to YouTube.

But there's one missing.

And with the wonders of the internet, I found a link for the WAV file.
Enjoy.

Sometimes, these movies survive for a reason, and this one has got to be the cute kids and their one-liners.

300

2007-03-28T08:32:00.000-05:00

All the hype is right.

"300" is amazing.

Visually, it was difficult to adjust to the colors director Zack Snyder used, but it became easier maybe 15 minutes or so into the movie. It was almost like the colors were darker and almost bronzed, like if they had been resting with antiquity for thousands of years. It was a nice touch to separate us the viewers from the actors on screen.

Some of the dialogue was a little weak, but you cannot overlook some of the performances. Dominic West as Theron was so conniving, so aggrivating. You could almost smell the smarmy ego coming out of the screen. Rodrigo Santoro as the God King Xerses unnerved me throughout the film. (He is pictured above with the noble King Leonidas).

Something about Xerses, whether it be his huge stature, his immeasurable power, or his wealth made me nervous everytime he was on screen. Whether this was Snyder's intention or not, it made me dislike Xerses from the first time he was on screen.

Overall, 300 was visually stunning, with massive battle scenes and serene shots of Sparta. It's not a film for the faint of heart, but for the strong of imagination.

Comm

2007-03-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

I'm taking three communication classes this semester: Comm 361 - Online Journalism, Comm 352 - News Editing and Comm 454 - Free Speech and Ethics.

My online journalism class is giving me plenty of work to do. My news editing course should more intensive, I think, but much of the class is having the same problems I am.

For our news editing course, the class was broken down into pairs. The teams are then supposed to interview foreign correspondents based here in the United States and get their perspective on news.

Easier said than done.

Out of the three stories my partner Nicole and I should have done, we turned in only one story about a correspondent from Der Spiegel. Needless to say, we're a little behind.

My other communication class, Free Speech and Ethics is very abstract in that the concepts we're learning are not concrete.

Right now, I'm editing my presentation about personal privacy and safety within public demonstrations.

Exciting. I know....

Once I get these medial tasks out of the way, I can work on my final paper for the class which is about the Constitutionality of the Mapplethorpe case back in 1989. It's an interesting topic and I'm very excited about getting it completed.

If I can find the time. Ugh.

Lamb of God 2 and Horse The Band

2007-03-22T14:13:00.000-05:00

I just wrote up the Lamb of God/Machine Head interview. Hopefully it went over well.

Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to the show on Monday evening, so I had to cancel on some passes.

Lame, I know.

However, Adrenaline PR sent out a press release of the new Horse the Band cd that's set to be released in June.

Next week the HtB is playing in Baltimore at the Ottobar.

I must say, however, that I'm not sure if Horse the Band can top "Cutsman."

Take a listen for yourself.

But that's just my opinion.

Machine Head and Lamb of God 1

2007-03-21T17:20:00.000-05:00

Today I was scheduled to interview both Dave McClain from Machine Head and John Campbell from Lamb of God.

Needless to say I was terrified only because these guys are both a part of two huge bands in the metal community. A lot of my friends back home have worshiped LOG so this was not only terrifying because of the idol status the bands hold for me, but they are also known for having some pretty savage stage shows.

Until fairly recently, Lamb of God used to do what is called "The Wall of Death". The song "Black Label" is perfomed towards the end of LOG's set. During the perfomance, the crowd divides, and then on Randy Blythe's direction, run wildly towards the other side. Blythe is LOG's lead singer. Due to concert-goers getting hurt, and the threat of many lawsuits, Blythe no longer orchestrates the Wall of Death during "Black Label." But sometimes fans still do it regardless.

But you can sure bet there is footage of it online!

Either way, it was a humbling experience to talk to these metal gods. I've told many people that I've always wanted to be a music journalist - going to shows, writing reviews, what have you - but actually speaking with these musicians has sealed my fate.

This is something i can do for the rest of my life.

The Harbor and PA

2007-03-14T15:19:00.000-05:00

This week is Mason's spring break.

Thank goodness.

I've been working myself to death this year. Luckily, I'm almost finished with this semester and school all together.

I went to the Inner Harbor for a few days earlier this week. The weather was beautiful; the crab cakes delicious and the seagulls plentiful. I had no idea, however, that the National Aquarium in Baltimore was sooo expensive now. Almost $22! I couldn't believe it! (I went anyways..*shrug*)

I did manage to come back home Monday night really late. I had an interview on Tuesday at WGAL 8, one of the local TV stations. We'll see how it goes.

I've been doing a lot of relaxing since I got back and visiting some old friends. I really needed it. Colin, my brother, will be back home on leave on Friday.

This should be a good week.

Americone Dream

2007-03-06T17:01:00.000-05:00

Last night on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report", Stephen Colbert debuted his new ice cream, "Americone Dream".

And let me tell you, I'm excited.

The press release said, "To a Fair and Balanced Freezer Section". Ben and Jerry have traditionally been known as Liberals and even some of their ice creams have promoted liberal ideals, including the ever popular Cherry Garcia.

I'm neither liberal or conservative, which many have said led to my indecisivness on political issues or even political apathy.

I'll tell you one thing, I love me some Stephen Colbert. I realized last semester in my Comm 300: Rhetoric class when my professor played a clip from his The Word segment, I have quite a "news anchor" crush on Mr. Colbert.

Some may disagree with his politics and his brazen disregard for opposing views. But honestly, truthiness and strong reporting makes him a staple in so many American homes every night.

I for one will sit down tonight to watch Stephen and his brand of right-wing reporting and comedy. And, like many I will agree that "It’s the sweet taste of liberty in your mouth."

TV on DVD

2007-03-05T17:41:00.000-05:00

I just finished Seinfeld Season 5 on DVD. It's amazing how technology has changed.

Seinfeld just ended in 1998. All seven seasons are available now on DVD. I already have watched 1-5. I need to get 6 and 7.

But thinking about it still amazes me. My entire family owns several different series on DVD, and sometimes I'm shocked thinking about how much money we've spent on them.

My brother is a big fan of *gag* the OC. He and his old roommate bought up until the current season that just ended. Thank Goodness. He also loves King of Queens. Colin owns several of the seasons and he laughs so hard all of the time. "Oh that Arthur!" he says.

He's even gone out of his way to tell me, "The second season is when the cool theme song comes into play. Just thought you might like to know."

Thanks, bro.

My roommates are head over heels for Grey's Anatomy and Lost. I will admit, they've gotten me hooked on Lost, but Grey's is fleeting.

Some of these shows will stand up for years to come and families can watch them together. I know my dad and I love watching the old Muppet Show on DVD.

But then again, who is going to want to watch Flavor of Love Season 2 again and again?

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah boooooooooooooooooooooooooi.

Recognizing the Forgetfulness of Facts and Acceptence Absurdities

2007-02-28T13:03:00.000-05:00

I have been browsing the web as of late (as I do all of the time when I'm procrastinating) but something has peaked my interest.

Lately I've been finding scores of online articles, book references, and comic references to the Nazi Party and Hitler. Now I understand that it is a very sensitive subject for most, but how many references do we see in our day to day lives?

Just think about it.

No. Really think about it.

Once you become aware of this trend, you start hearing and seeing references everywhere. They may simply be offhand remarks like "Oh that professor is such a Nazi about grading" or it may be one of the many documentaries on the History Channel. It's unbelievable to see how such a travesty in European history has become a joke.

However a lot of the articles I have found are scholarly articles. Thank Goodness. But there has been a controversy in Germany about a new film that was released depicting the dictator as a Bed-wetting, illiterate, erectile-dysfunction suffering, man whose every problem is blamed on his parents.

Now being a German scholar, I've read a lot and studied a lot about Germany, the Third Reich, just about anything you can think of. World War II is a very interesting subject once you delve beneath just the war and the Holocaust.

I also, like many other German scholars I've talked to, get almost offended when people make very uneducated remarks about the Nazi Party and Germany. We're not necessarily defending them, but we would rather have you get your facts straight instead of looking like an idiot. Granted, the point of the film is to poke fun at Hitler, which is an almost brand new concept in Germany, at least in cinema.

But my main problem is, well, I look awfully Aryan.

With blond hair, blue(ish) eyes and a knowledge of the German language, I get instantly labelled as a Nazi if I try and correct these uneducated people.

It gets tiring.

With all of the resources on the web now, why don't people take more time to learn about the war? Why not learn about the Regime and realize that there's more to it than what they teach you in your high school's World Cultures class.

I was astounded today when I read Slate.com's reporter Clive James' article, "Adolf Hitler: How the intellectual climate in Germany shaped the future Fuhrer".

In the introduction, James said, "Statistics suggest, however, that a large proportion of young people now emerging from the educational systems of the Western democracies either don't know who he was or have only a shaky idea of what he did. One of the drawbacks of liberal democracy is thus revealed: Included among its freedoms is the freedom to forget what once threatened its existence."

Which brings me to another point.

In my German 415: Advanced Grammar class (I know, exciting right?) we've been discussing the idea of German guilt (Schuld) and remembrance (Erinnerung) of the atrocities that have happened.

At least in American pop-culture, it's near impossible to forget completely what has happened with so many references that happen every day. But what has been forgotten are the facts.

Facts.

Who knew a five letter word could be changed or forgotten so easily.

But then again, what about Nazis?

Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)

2007-02-21T21:22:00.000-05:00

*Warning* This may give too much away about the film. Not the ending, but lots of vital plot information. *Warning*

A big film coming out of Spain this year is Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)". And it's no wonder why it's been such a huge hit with international audiences.

From the huge dual-story lines, to the animation, to the acting, the film is an overall impressive feat.

Towards the end of World War II, many guerrillas are fighting the fascist regime in Spain. In the mountains is a base camp of Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), a sadistic fascist aide. He was put there to protect the townspeople of the mountains and fight the guerrillas who are hiding in the neighboring forests. Captain Vidal's new pregnant wife, Carmen (Ariadna Gil)and her daughter Ofelia move to the base at his wishes. He wants his son borne where teh father is. Once at the base, Carmen gets sick and Ofelia finds a fairy who takes her to the nearby rock labyrinth. There, she meets Pan, a faun who sends the girl on three tasks to return to her rightful place as Princess Moanna, daughter of the moon. Ofelia's mission is repeatedly thwarted by her sick mother, the Captain's evil doings and the guerrilla's attacks.

Ofelia was played by Ivana Baquero whose wide-eyed wonder is reminiscent of anyone's childhood where your head is filled with monsters and kings; royal quests and happily ever afters. The character grows through the film and learns the true price of sacrifice.

Most impressive was the digital animation. The fairies fluttered like hummingbirds; Pan, the faun, appeared almost lifelike. His creaking wooden body blended in among the background and shadows in much of the film, making his emergences unexpected and startling time and again.

The monsters were other-worldly. The giant toad oozed with grotesque oil and puss. You could almost smell and feel the sticky mess he left after he licked Ofelia's face. In the dining hall scene, the eyeless monster was disturbing to say the least. When he placed his eyes in his palms, filling the conveniently eyelid shaped holes, he became relentless and ferocious. The blood-red eyes flashed with such blood lust, you could almost feel him breathing down your neck.

Tension pervaded the atmosphere in both worlds - the human world and the underground world of Pan. Captain Vidal anticipated betrayal at every turn; Carmen's health ebbed and wained; Pan's demands became more dangerous and Ofelia's desire to leave the human world grew with each scene.

To see some dazzling special effects and a suspenseful, "not quite" children's' story, check out Pan's Labyrinth. But make sure the "kids" are 17 and up; it is rated R for violence.

The Bachelors of Fine Arts

2007-02-19T19:30:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest article I got published in the Broadside.

Bachelors of Fine Arts: Raunchy College Humor at its Best

Broadside Staff Writer Alison Brown

Pittsburgh, Pa. is known for its culture, traditions and scholars. The Southside Bar Crawl is renowned as near impossible; the Steelers have become legends within the city and the universities such as the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne bring in the brightest students.

At the University of Pittsburgh, five college students released a sketch comedy DVD that is causing a stir around the city and on the Internet. But on the same note, Pittsburgh is not called “The Dirty Burgh” for nothing. These scholars are not quite what you would expect.

The Bachelors of Fine Arts are the self-proclaimed premiere film-sketch comedy group in Pittsburgh. On Friday, Feb. 2, the BFA’s released “The Bachelors of Fine Arts' DVD, Volume I,” which is packed with innuendos, sex and some questionable content.

“This DVD mainly comprises itself of the sketches we could never do in high school. It just happens to be very sexually charged,” said Brenden Gallagher, 20, a member of the BFA’s.
The Stewartstown, Pa. native and dual film studies and English major at U-Pitt said the release was well received by those who attended.

“We may not have gotten huge numbers of sales, but the people who came either enjoyed themselves or were completely offended,” Gallagher said. “We’re getting our names out there, and that’s what’s important right now.”

The BFA’s YouTube account has generated thousands of hits inside and outside of the Pittsburgh area, which Gallagher and fellow member Erik Hinton agree “proves the idea of self-promotion”.

Several of the skits released on YouTube are featured on the DVD including “Room for Boners,” a spoof of Calvin Klein’s underwear ads from the 1980s and early 1990s, “Insane Clown Party,” a depiction of the Insane Clown Posse fan base in Pittsburgh and “Douchenheimer and Deebs,” an ice cream ad that promotes a “delicious disguise for detestable deeds.”

The DVD features exclusive sketches like “The Founding Fathers,” which depicts a drunken George Washington drafting the Declaration with his buddies John Adams, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Ben Franklin has a cameo and the resulting debauchery is comedic gold. Another sketch, “Great Moments in Porn History,” documents the rise and fall of the fictional German pornography director Fritz Schlang.

Despite its questionable subject matter, the DVD is an impressive feat. The quintet, comprised of Kevin Riley, 20, Alex Burkat, 21, and Ben Hickling, 21, in addition to Gallagher and Hinton, wrote, directed, filmed and edited all of the sketches. They also created some of the songs featured on the DVD.

Seamlessly shot and edited, the sketches look better than many low-budget produced independent films. The writing is quick and often shadowed in what society deems as serious and politically incorrect.

“A lot of what we’ve done is because we want it to make it okay to laugh at this stuff again. It’s all right to make fun of sex; it’s okay to joke about being different. We’ve become a society where we’re all too serious and afraid to offend,” Gallagher said.

“Life should be fun,” Hinton said. “We don’t set out to offend people. It just happens that way because it’s not what people expect to hear or see on screen.”

“It’s amazing our parents haven’t disowned us yet,” continued Hinton, laughing. “At their requests, our next DVD won’t be so sexually charged. The next release will probably still offend, but the subject matter will be different.”

New material for the second release is still under progress. For previews of the sketches or to purchase the BFA’s DVD, visit www.thebfas.com.

Frank Hornig: German Born, America Loving Reporter

2007-02-14T19:23:00.000-05:00

Well, Happy Valentine's Day everybody! I figured since we had off at Mason today due to incliment weather, I could post my Comm 352 article about a foreign correspondent.

Frank Hornig: German Born, America Loving Reporter

The German press is progressive, very critical and often pessimistic said Der Spiegel foreign correspondent Frank Hornig.

That’s why he loves working in the United States.

“I like the optimistic attitude here. It’s really great,” Hornig said.

After Katrina, Hornig visited the Gulf Coast and saw thousand who lost everything. What shocked him most was their can-do attitude.

“Many of them would just say, ‘Let’s move to Georgia and start over.’ But in Germany if something happens, they would say the government needs to help,” he said.

“The openness of the people is great too. Der Spiegel is a German weekly magazine; you would think companies would rather talk to the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times than some German magazine,” Hornig said. “But people are quite open and they’re nice to talk to.”

Hornig is one of the four foreign correspondents employed in the States by Der Spiegel. There is one in Washington, D.C., two in New York City (where he is based), and one in Boston.

“I’m basically the business and economy guy,” he said. “Since there’s only four guys here, sometimes you get to work on global warming or Hollywood. It’s a very broad spectrum.”

Being a member of such a small staff, Hornig gets many opportunities to travel. His magazine prides itself on focusing on the human element, so face-to-face investigation and interviews have helped his stories. Hornig said he loves traveling out of New York because there are so many stories across America.

Hornig said he could have reported on the discussion in Washington, D.C. about abortion, but he decided to go where it all started. He traveled to South Dakota, a hot bed for abortion debates. Hornig visited during the state government’s attempts to introduce strict legislation on abortion.
“In Germany you can pick out super conservative people from really far away, and you don’t really like them. But here, everybody’s nice, even if you disagree with their opinion,” Hornig said.

German audiences are interested in and critical of the happenings in the United States. Hornig said President Bush is in every German publication every day. There is a huge opposition in Europe, especially in Germany and France against the Bush administration. Whatever is written about the administration and its policies is interesting for a German audience, Hornig said.

In last week’s edition, the reporters covered German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s opposition to the U.S. war against terror, the U.S. occupation in Afghanistan and its plans for Iran.

“Basically the Chancellor opposes it,” he said. “She does it in a very diplomatic, and very quiet way to underline the German position.”

Hornig continued: “And since I’m the business-economy guy, I talk about the world economy and the role the U.S. is playing. You can be sure there’s a huge interest in Germany in about import, export, and trends in the US.”

The U.S. news gathering and reporting is much faster than in Germany, Hornig said. He worked in Der Spiegel’s home office in Hamburg and then in Berlin for eight years before moving to the New York office.

“It’s very quick here and you find trends very soon in the press. The Germans are a little bit slower,” he said. “You can pick up trends that start here, like MySpace or Web 2.0. They get to Germany a little bit later, but they always reach Germany.”

One trend Hornig researched was the upsurge in hiring Chinese nannies in New York City, as opposed to French or Spanish. Hornig said the wealthy hired Chinese nannies to prepare their children for globalization by learning Mandarin at a young age.

The power struggle between China and the United States, including trade, imports and problems for American companies, was a cover story he wrote. He worked on several global warming pieces, focusing and what Washington is doing or what it is not.

“We’re following, of course, the upcoming presidential election and the candidates,” Hornig said. “Whether Hillary, Obama or Guliani is going for it.”

Der Spiegel and many other European publications have something about the United States in them every week. However Hornig said the American press has its focus elsewhere.

“My feeling in general is that the American press is obsessed with Iran, Iraq and the things going on there. They don’t care so much about Europe as they used to do,” he
said. “I feel like we need a shift of attention. You don’t read much about Germany, France or the UK.”

“It’s always, I don’t know, about the World Cup,” Hornig said, laughing.

-----------

Picture courtesy of Paul J. Richards and AFP, and Spacewar.

Der Spiegel

2007-02-12T17:57:00.000-05:00

For Comm 352 we got assigned to interview foreign correspondents of our choice to analyze how different the presses of different countries are to the United States.

My partner, Nicole, and I decided to start with a German publication. We got in touch with some people at Der Spiegel , based out of Hamburg. Unfortunately we could not get ahold of any correspondents in DC, so they patched us through to Frank Hornig in the NYC office. Hornig was quite sociable and pleasant to work with. Once I get hte story written up and edited by Prof. Kubiske, I'll be sure and post it on my webpage and on here.

Who knows, maybe I could start working for Der Spiegel sometime. Maybe their webpage now, since I have a bit more experience working with the online medium thanks to Comm 361.

Website Take 2

2007-02-08T12:02:00.000-05:00

So I've been working dilligently on my webpage for Comm class.

Surprisingly it's not too hard and I'm getting things to work out nicely. The only problem, however, is I can't get the SSH downloaded on my computer. So no matter what I get completed here at home, I have to go to the school computers and load it up. Otherwise, it tells viewers that they are forbidden from viewing certain pages. I have to work on that.

Also, I can't get my pictures to load, which is odd. I'll have to talk to some people about getting them to work.

Til then.

Website

2007-02-06T22:29:00.000-05:00

We have to make a website for Comm 361 and let's just say it's a slow and painstaking process.

I've been working on it all day now and I still cannot get it to upload onto the Server. I guess I'll have to stop into the Star Lab tomorrow and see what's wrong.

It's exciting to see how these things do come together. Once my site is up and running, you'll be the first to hear about it!

Thursday, Murder by Death, and co.

2007-01-30T12:35:00.000-05:00

Here, at George Mason, we put out a weekly paper called "The Broadside." This week in the Broadside, there was a review printed about the Strhess Tour and its date here in Washington D.C.

Here's the review from the Broadside Style section website:

Thursday, Murder by Death Perform at 9:30 Club

by Staff Writer Alison Brown

Theatrics are nothing new when it comes to rock ’n’ roll, but when four bands come together as they did Friday, Jan, 19 at D.C.’s 9:30 Club , it is nothing short of epic.

Sponsored by purevolume.com, New Jersey’s Thursday was joined by rising bands including Murder by Death, Fear Before the March of Flames and Heavy Heavy Low Low for the 2007 Strhess Tour.

San Jose’s grind core band Heavy Heavy Low Low opened the night with blistering guitars and crushing bass lines. The crowd burst into fits of dancing, swinging fists and screaming along with songs from the group’s 2006 release, “Everything’s Watched, Everyone’s Watching.” Closing the set, the chaotic musicians exploded into the favorite, “Tell Shannon Her Crafts are Ready.”

The next band to take the stage was Fear Before the March of Flames. Since the band’s first full length “Art Damage” released in 2004, FBTMOF has quickly become a hardcore circuit staple.

But FBTMOF was all about promoting the new release, “The Always Open Mouth.”

Much to the dismay of many fans, the band played lots of new material, most of which is slower and more mellow than the songs on “Art Damage.” The crowd stood in silence as the band plundered through its set.

“Play ‘Art Damage’!” shouted the crowd, waiting to dance as they did during Heavy Heavy Low Low.

But soon, Fear Before the March of Flames disappointed the crowd and left the stage.

A small blonde girl in a black dress carrying a huge cello case came on stage followed by a tiny man with slicked back, black hair and huge sideburns covering his face. Both are members of Murder by Death, one of the most unique bands out today.

Singer Adam Turla’s voice told stories of the devil and heartbreak, evoking the ghost of Johnny Cash as it boomed from his tiny frame. It weaved into the dancing rhythms of the drum and the frightening thuds of the bass. The cello’s haunting melodies ebbed and flowed, enchanting the audience. It oozed through the venue, adding atmosphere to the already narrative songs.

The Indiana-based group’s set put images of the West in the minds of many – of sin, the devil and drinking.

“The next two songs are about drinking. We write a lot of songs about drinking,” Turla said, before each member of the band took a shot of whiskey and broke into “Sometimes the Line Walks You” off the band’s newest release, “In Bocca al Lupo.”

After Murder by Death swept the audience into a trance with lush orchestrated songs, Thursday burst on stage with “At This Velocity,” knocking the crowd off their feet and back into reality.

Thursday rallied the crowed with old and new songs stemming from their 2001 release “Full Collapse,” their 2003 release, “War All the Time” and the 2006 release, “A City by the Light Divided.”

Although the band took a hiatus for three years, the performance was as fresh as if they just started touring.

Geoff Rickly, the band’s front man, continuously told the crowd D.C. is one of his favorite places to play. As a gift to the audience, they played favorites including “Understanding in a Car Crash” and “Cross Out the Eyes”.

During “Cross out the Eyes,” another voice joined Rickley’s. Anthony Greene, the singer of Circa Survive, who was recording in town, screamed right along with the crowd to the Thursday classic.

Thursday then broke into “Jet Black New Year,” the anthem for years past and knowing the future will never get better. The song thundered and the audience was left reeling.

Rickly, Thursday’s humble front man, said after touring with the Cure a few years back that he learned one thing: “Our audience is better than us. They always will be. When we’re done this music thing, we’ll be joining you in those dead-end jobs.”

Not only does Thursday admire their audience, they respect their peers. Describing how they met Murder by Death, Rickly dedicated the final song of the evening to the opening act, claming they were the inspiration. “Autumn Leaves Revisited” echoed Murder by Death’s style, but still rang true to Thursday’s image of love, pain and hope.

Although the club was not sold out, the bands filled the venue with great music.

Like the overtures of westerns, the opening bands Heavy Heavy Low Low and Fear Before the March of Flames set the intense mood. Murder by Death established scene and plot while Thursday brought the resolution, “like calendars dying at New Year's Eve parties, as we kiss hard on the lips and swear this year will be better than the last

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Check out the Broadside's online version . Make sure to find yourself on the Style page and read the review of the show.

Get more info on the bands too!
Thursday
Murder by Death
Fear Before the March of Flames
Heavy Heavy Low Low

Blogging....And it begins...

2007-01-23T21:34:00.000-05:00

I signed up for Comm 361: Online Journalism in my spring semester at George Mason University and we're required to post blogs using some online blogger.

Something, to be honest, I've never been to fond of.

However, I plan on using this blog to post assignments, articles, etc. that are assigned for class. I also hope to use it to post articles I write for our school paper, The Broadside.

Since I also consider myself a big music and movie buff, maybe I can do a bit of commentary on the goings-on in the entertainment industry.

Here goes...