Best Senior Writer: Jake Kinstler

Jake Kinstler has enjoyed success on the Harper Joy Theater stage with his plays  “Killers, Priests, Sinners & Whores” and “Can We Love After The Apocalypse?”  Now, the wordsmith has been chosen by his fellow students as the “Best Senior Writer.”  The Pioneer recently asked Kinstler to talk about his win. Pio: Which person in your life helped you cultivate your skills as a writer?  What do you like to write about? Kinstler: My parents certainly started me down the path.  When I was little, my mom made up stories to tell me every night before I fell asleep.  She also read books to me before I could read them myself.  My dad basically taught me how to write in middle school and high school.  He stressed clarity and simple language, so when he reads my writing these days, he probably thinks of himself as a failure.  Scott Elliott, the fiction professor ... Keep reading

Best Senior Artist: Tyler Calkin

If Tyler Calkin had to live in one building on campus, it would be the Fouts Gallery (clearly).  Selected by his peers as “Best Senior Visual Artist,” Calkin sat down with the Pioneer to answer a few questions about his win. Pio: Did you come to Whitman intending to pursue a studio art major? If not, what made you choose it? Calkin: I knew I was an art major from day one. Pio: If you had to choose one Whitman building to live in, which would it be? Calkin: Fouts, clearly.  It feels a little cavernous at night, but the senior studios are well heated, and it has pretty much everything I would need.  I was almost living there at points this year, anyway. Pio: What are your favorite/least favorite things about being a studio art major? Calkin:  My favorite thing is the complete freedom you have to make work that is meaningful to you out ... Keep reading

Best Senior Filmmaker: Ben Kegan

For as long as he can remember, senior Ben Kegan has wanted to make films for a living. “As a kid my friends and I would ‘play’ film during recess. We rehearsed scenes on the playground, and then the next day we would come out and pick up where we left off. When our parents took us to a new park we’d be like, this place is perfect, we’ll use these trees for the jungle scene,” he said. “Although to be honest, we didn’t really have any concept that in order to make a film we would need cameras. But there was something very true in that ignorance, like our collective imaginations were all we needed to make a film.” Since then, Kegan has directed and produced an array of documentaries, TV shows and short films. He has previously done a television pilot with Kim Wetter, a graduate from last year’s senior ... Keep reading

‘K-Dub’ rocks harder, better, faster, stronger

Since January 1971, KWCW 90.5 has been regularly broadcasting to student and community listeners. There have been many significant events in the station’s history, from the initial request for student funds in the fall of 1971, to the on-air accusation of prison-guard beatings in 1979, to the flag-burning constitutional debate on the radio show in 1989. Yet in its nearly 40 years in existence, “K-Dub” (as it is affectionately known) has remained student-run and committed to providing students and Walla Walla community members with the knowledge and air space to share their music and voices. The past four years for the radio station have been busy and fairly constant. Senior Kyle Gilkeson, “K-Dub’s” general manager, said that the basic structure of the radio station has stayed in tact for a few years now. “That’s a testament to the work and planning of past KWCW staff.  The positions at the station and the ... Keep reading

Best Senior Dancer: Ozzie Angel

Though Ozzie Angel did not always know he wanted to be a dancer, dancing was a part of his life for as long as he can remember. “I’ve been dancing all my life because I was raised in Latin America.  It’s part of the culture,” said Angel. Angel was born in Los Angeles and subsequently lived in Guadalajara, Mexico and Spain.  Angel’s mother is a dancer and singer who exposed him to dance at a young age.  When Angel was old enough to choose his own extracurricular activities, however, he initially picked gymnastics. He continued his gymnastics training for three years before going to his first cheerleading competition at age 13, where he found that he enjoyed doing the stunts. Cheerleading became Angel’s principal activity for the next seven years. He rediscovered dance through competitions and then gradually began to learn new forms of dance, including ballet and modern. When Angel came to ... Keep reading

Music Video Meltdown: Grad Edition

Oh, this song.  I keep on thinking Asher Roth is part of a viral campaign for an upcoming comedy; alas, “I Love College” is real, and it features doozies like “I wanna go to college for the rest of my life” or “I danced my ass off and had this one girl naked.”  Didn’t we retire frat-rap already? Maybe this song will inspire Tucker Max (author of “I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell”) to write another “fratire.”  Please don’t, Tucker.  Welcome to the world of Asher Roth, unfortunately:  Girls in the corner, pizza in the back and furries in yo’ face.  This is the world’s worst Sublime video.  And this song is your legacy, seniors. Raise a beer and cry. Rating: COMMUNITY COLLEGE So this cheery piece of high school pap was directed by a hardcore and softcore pornographer.  Whodathunk?  Fortunately, Vitamin C never ended up in Gregory Dark classics such ... Keep reading

Best Senior Instrumentalist: Alex Abrams

Alex Abrams, a music major with an emphasis on performance, plays the cello. He has played the cello for 13 years. Abrams said that he has only really been playing the cello seriously for four of those years. Abrams grew up in Blaine, Washington where he attended the local high school. His high school did not have an orchestra so he played string bass for the Wind Ensemble. He still plays the bass as a secondary instrument. After nine years of just playing for fun, Abrams began to put more of an effort into playing. “I can’t really say why it is that I decided to put some real work into my instrument other than it felt like a very natural thing for me,” said Abrams. Sophomore year of college Abrams transferred to Central Washington University (CWU) to further his study of the cello. He studied with John Michel, an accomplished soloist, chamber musician and ... Keep reading

Best Senior Singer: Aisha Fukushima

Aisha Fukushima is a recent recipient of the prestigious Watson Foundation Summer Fellowship, which will pay her $28,000 to travel to Morocco, India, South Africa, United Kingdom and Senegal to study raptivism for 12 months. Fukushima grew up singing in musicals. She sang because she needed an after-school activity to occupy her while her parents, international booking agents, were busy in the music realm. After traveling around and living in various cities between Seattle and Bellevue, Fukushima spent seven years in a small international school in Bellevue where she became fluent in French. At Whitman, Fukushima has firmly established herself as a social “raptivist,” singing to express the grass-roots, street-consciousness that can often be forgotten. In addition, Fukushima was involved with the American Civil Liberties Union, Justice Beyond Borders, Whitman Direct Action and the creation of the Whitman Institute for Summer Enrichment (WISE) program. When asked about her future plans, Fukushima said, “Although I love ... Keep reading

Best Senior Actor: Rosie Brownlow

After four years of intense focus, hilarity, and devotion to theater, senior Rosie Brownlow is saying goodbye to Whitman College and Harper Joy Theatre. The winner of the Pioneer’s Senior Artist of the Year for “Best Actor,” Rosie Brownlow, stated that whatever doubts she may have had as a college student, her dedication to acting has never wavered. “I would have declared [as a theater major] the day I rolled into Walla Walla if I’d known I could,” said Brownlow on her major and desired career. “That’s one thing I’ve had almost no doubt about.” Born in New York City and raised the majority of her life in Portland, Brownlow first started acting at the age of 6, where she played an elephant at a theater camp. She started “seriously acting” in the 8th grade, finally deciding to be an actor her senior year of high school after playing a mental patient in “Dracula.” Her ... Keep reading

Drive-In movie draws ‘huge turnout,’ to continue in coming years

Despite the pressure of end-of-the-year papers, theses, tests and the looming gloom of finals, many Whitman students took a well-deserved break to attend Campus Activities Board’s (CAB) final Drive-In Movie Night on Friday, May 1.  “There was a huge turnout,” said sophmore and CAB representative Ryan Lum. “I would estimate there were probably around 150 for each movie at least.” The event played the Oscar-winning and heartfelt movie “Slumdog Millionaire” as well as the original version of “The Italian Job.” The movies, while seemingly an odd match-up, attracted a large demographic of the Whitman student body. “CAB put forth about 10 movies for the student body to vote on [via listserv e-mail link],” said Lum. “We took the student votes and chose the top choice [‘Slumdog Millionaire’] as well as [another movie] we thought would compliment the top choice [which was ‘The Italian Job’].  Both are excellent movies and hit a wide range ... Keep reading

Paging Dr. McDreamy: What is SEXY about Doctors?

Remember the time way back in the prehistoric ages when people thought that firefighters were sexy? Well, their fire is out. Make way for the scalpel-wielding, scrubs-wearing doctors of primetime television shows. Maybe the hype around sexy doctors comes hand-in-hand with the fact that they’re capable of saving lives. In a way, they are like firefighters; they just go about saving people in different ways. They put out the internal ailments, not the external hazards. Whatever the reason may be, the screenwriters for these shows based in and around the OR (which stands for operating room,  for those of you less-interested viewers) are making a killing (no pun intended). “General Hospital,” which sparked the beginning of this somewhat ingenious phenomenon has had such positive feedback that it has run 11,798 episodes and counting. It has been on the air since 1963. “ER,” winner of 22 Emmy Awards, is another example of ... Keep reading

WANTED: Craigslist stories, safety tips for campus users

[caption id="attachment_5540" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Credit: Varonin"][/caption] After the recent rash of “Craigslist Murders,” is it still safe or practical for Whitman students to use Craigslist?   On April 23, 2009, The New York Daily News reported that police had arrested Philip Markoff, the suspected “Craigslist Killer” of model Julissa Brisman who advertised her services online. The Boston University med-student shot Brisman and is suspected in a kidnapping and robbery attack a few days earlier of another woman advertising online. Markoff will be charged with first-degree murder by the Boston Municipal Court. These attacks call into question the safety of using a service like Craigslist, but also fail to recognize the benefits of online advertising sites.  According to their Web site, Craigslist consists of “Local classifieds and forums for 570 cities in 50 countries worldwide [it is] community moderated, and largely free.”  On the page ... Keep reading

A failed eulogy to print media in ‘State of Play’

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="616" caption="Russell Crowe in "State of Play," directed by Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland")"][/caption] Everyone knows it. Print journalism will (lamentably) soon encounter its bereavement in old compost piles, recycle bins and prepubescent pyromaniac’s basement laboratories all across the country. Many newspapers are now transitioning (the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is the latest victim) to exclusive web content because their business model is no longer profitable. This transition has produced a strong friction between old and new, traditional and avant-garde, print and web that a screenwriting team led by Tony Gilroy (“Duplicity, “Michael Clayton”) has keenly identified for Kevin Macdonald’s (“The Last King of Scotland”) new film “State of Play.” Keenly identifying it, however, is not enough. You have to do something meaningful with it. Instead, “State of ... Keep reading

Claws for applause? Not for this muddled mess of a film

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="550" caption="Hugh Jackman on the road to revenge in Gavin Hood's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine.""][/caption] Perhaps the roadblock facing “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is that, aside from the shoddy plotting and even shoddier special effects, there’s nothing to actually explore about the origins of its titular character outside of what any of the three “X-Men” movies covered.  Origin stories are something of a necessity—and also dull—for most superhero movies, but Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine always worked best shrouded in mystery. But “X-Men” has become a license to print money in the house that Tom Rothman wrought, and so we get this wholly unnecessary spin-off promising to reveal all about this snappy, broody anti-hero. A rather old anti-hero for that matter: “Wolverine” opens in 1845 in Canada, where we meet Logan and his ... Keep reading

Love at first listen: My Bloody Valentine

Soulless nostalgia for the early 90s is everywhere this year. A cursory look at summer festival lineups will confirm this, with bands like Pearl Jam, Jane’s Addiction, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, The Flaming Lips and others who came to prominence by 1993 at the absolute latest dominating headlining slots almost everywhere. For the most part, people won’t be there to hear new music as much as they will be to hear songs they’ve had the better part of two decades to come to love, and the cheers that will follow one guitar chord or one drumbeat will confirm this.  I’m guilty of this, too. My Bloody Valentine’s reunion tour featured absolutely no new music, no commentary from the band beyond frontman Kevin Shields’ seemingly biannual statements about finishing his nearly fifteen-years delayed followup to 1991’s Loveless, and not even a new photograph of the band to replace their old press ... Keep reading

Art majors unveil first ever Fouts-created theses

[caption id="attachment_5543" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Credit: Hong"][/caption] In addition to paintings and sculptures on display in the Sheehan Gallery in Olin Hall, visitors are treated to what initially appears as broken bottles on the ground, bags of confetti, and a bubble-like contraption that hangs from a ceiling, in which visitors must kneel and insert their head. These pieces are parts of larger-scale senior art theses that have been on display since the opening reception Friday, April 24, at 5 p.m. Thirteen art majors had their works on display at the exhibition. The 13 students represent the first class of graduating seniors whose final projects have been created in the Fouts Center for the Visual Arts (FCVA). Art majors echo a general appreciation for the new art building, as well as a recognition that their final products would have been different were they created ... Keep reading

Students, community gather to ‘take back the night’

Just as the clock tower tolled at 9:30 p.m., a group of Whitman students and community members assembled in front of Memorial Hall and stood silently.  Then junior Laura Deering read the statistics: One in six women and one in 33 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. College age women are four times more likely to be assaulted. 60 percent of women don’t report the assault to the police.  [caption id="attachment_5535" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Whitman students and local community members march carrying candlesticks. The march was part of an invent intended to spread awareness and break the silence and stigma attached with sexual assault. Credit: Klein"][/caption] “Take Back ... Keep reading

Holocaust survivor receives praise at presentation

While Whitman College offers a slew of colorful, interesting speakers for the community every year, it does not often bring in eyewitnesses of one of the world’s most horrifying tragedies.  Rarer still, the night of the Tuesday, April 21 event saw Maxey Auditorium completely fill up with Whitman and Walla Walla community members, to listen, learn and see the story of the Holocaust through a survivor’s eyes. [caption id="attachment_5309" align="alignright" width="408" caption="Holocaust survivor, Fred Taucher tells his story to a packed Maxey Auditorium on April 21. Credit: Wheeler."][/caption] In honor of Yom Hashoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Week, Whitman’s club Hillel-Shalom presented Holocaust survivor Fred Taucher on Tuesday, April 21 to present his story, entitled “Saved by the Enemy: A Holocaust Survival Story.” Hillel-Shalom is part of Hillel, ... Keep reading

Wax on: Thetas wash cars for new shelter

[caption id="attachment_5319" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Kappa Alpha Theta members Annie Horman, ‘11, right, and Emily Ufheil-Somers, ‘09, left, soap up a car at the April 25 car wash fund-raiser. Proceeds were donated to the Helpline women’s shelter. Credit: Falltrick"][/caption] Many local homeless women are unable find shelters, so the Kappa Alpha Thetas decided to do something about it. “Helpline is opening a new women’s homeless shelter in Walla Walla. Right now they have a homeless shelter for men and one for families and one for battered women. But the battered women’s shelter is always full and it’s really hard to get into so they’ve been having to turn ... Keep reading

Casting for breast cancer

[caption id="attachment_5312" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Credit: Varonin"][/caption] The brightly colored plaster breast moulds hanging around campus hint at a unique event put on by the Fine Arts House (FAH): their annual breast casting day. Anyone interested had the opportunity to make a plaster cast of their chest on Saturday, April 25, from 1-4 p.m. at the FAH. Later this week, the FAH will host an Artists’ Colony to paint the casts. The FAH’s artistic event is also a fund-raiser for breast cancer. The cost to make a cast is $3, of which some covers the material and the rest is donated to a breast cancer research organization.  “Last year the FAH made almost $200 to donate—a lot of people came,” said sophomore Arianna Cortesi, who lives at the FAH and is helping put on this year’s event. She also said that this year’s sign-up ... Keep reading

New moon for ‘blue moon’ at student magazine release

[caption id="attachment_5322" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Sam Epstein, ‘12, Aaron M Zalman, ‘12, Nick Gottschall, ‘09, Rimmy Doowa, ‘12, and Adriel Borshansky, ‘12 perform on April 26 on the Reid Side Lawn as part of the blue moon release party. Credit: Norman"][/caption] It only comes out once a year, compiled of a handful of selections made by hundreds of applicants in art, poetry, and prose.  Whitman College’s student-staffed art and literary magazine “blue moon” celebrated the release of its 22nd volume last Sunday, April 26 on the Reid side lawn.  Though perhaps not as explosive as former parties, the release party was a warm, refreshing experience for ... Keep reading

Music Video Meltdown, Volume II

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="360" caption="Yeah, well, Madonna can do that, too."][/caption] “LOVE SEX MAGIC” CIARA FEAT. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE From “Fantasy Ride” (2009, La Face) DIR: Diane Martel Where’s the magic?  While the ultra-limber Ciara squeals and writhes       over the increasingly disgusting Justin Timberlake (Seriously, he and Spencer Pratt from "The Hills" should compare whose beard looks more flesh-colored.), I’m waiting for the wands and magicians deviously twirling their mustaches and bright bursts of candy-colored light.  It certainly fulfills the “sex” part; there is, for example, a reel’s worth of licking that should give Jessica Biel all the more reason to send Timberlake to seventh heaven (Hey-yo!).  “This is the part where we fall in love,” Ciara sings as she lies down on Timberlake’s prostrate body.  Yeah . . . no.  Girl is deluded.   Then she transforms into Kelis ... Keep reading

Summer Fashion Report

  Actual sunshine, leaves emerging on the trees, flying Frisbees on Ankeny—all signs that summer is coming to campus. With summer’s imminent approach we find ourselves wondering: What should we be wearing?  Fashionising.com gives us a helpful guide to summer 2009’s fashion trends. 1.  Sheer Fabrics: see through, soft, feminine, layered and draped. Be careful to appear sophisticated rather than indecent.  2.  Bikinis/Monokinis: one shoulder, cut-outs, summer floral and ethnic prints and sheer cover-ups Look at Victoria’s Secret and American Eagle Outfitters for hot summer swimwear. 3.  One shoulder/backless: dresses, shirts and bikinis highlight the shoulders and back. Think Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto in John Galliano at this year’s Oscars Red Carpet.  4.  Grecian: flowing goddess dresses and gladiator sandals Check out Nordstrom for an array of chic gladiator sandals that come as flats, heels and wedges. Also look at The Gap  for sandals.  5.  Fringe: Inspired by the 1920’s flappers, fringe is in this summer. Shirts, skirts, dresses ... Keep reading

Thrashing for a good cause at Battle of the Bands

Though Whitman offers Coffeehouse for entertainment, this Saturday students will have the opportunity to watch performances from several popular student bands in the same show. Phi Delta Theta is running their second annual Battle of the Bands at 7 p.m. in the Reid Ballroom to raise money for a local non-profit organization.  The lineup features five student bands in competition for first place: The Breezes, Danger Mermaid, Bartalk, the Peeled Tangerines and Floyd Webber Project. The night will also feature a guest performance from Orange Fight, the popular band comprised of Whitman faculty members Michelle Janning, Keith Farrington, Mathew Prull, John Cotts, and Neal Christopherson.   The competing bands play different genres of music, to create a varied, eclectic show. Wes Price, senior and guitarist of Danger Mermaid is looking forward to the show. He says “It’s a fun way to bring everyone together, because there aren’t really any other events like ... Keep reading

Coffeehouse changes result from activity program merge

Though budget cuts and a thin supply of advisor resources have forced Whitman’s various activity programs, such as Coffeehouse and the Campus Activities Board (CAB) to merge, program leaders are planning on having weekend activities next year. “We may not have the Coffeehouse program, per se, but we will have Coffeehouse-type events”, said sophomore Matt Coleman, manager of Coffeehouse. “It will just have a new face.” [caption id="attachment_5097" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Matthew ‘Ranger’ Sciacca, ‘09, and mandolinist Dave Stewart on stage at Coffeehouse last Friday, April 17. Credit: Norman"][/caption] Programs such as the ASWC Programming Committee, CAB and small organizations such as Coffeehouse, the Arts and Crafts Series and Stevens Gallery will merge next fall into collective body known as the Programming Board. The program will have fewer staff members ... Keep reading

No shoes? No problem! Anything goes at campus formal

[caption id="attachment_5095" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Dan Oschrin, ‘10 and Charlie Procknow, ‘11 of Red Light Blue Light perform with Peter Qualtere-Burcher, ‘12, on the Reid Campus Center side lawn. The band, along with Danger Mermaid and the Raptivists, provided tunes for the Formal. Credit: Klein"][/caption] Like prom, but outside plus live music, minus shoes. This is how first-year Mary Allain described the barefoot formal that took place on Saturday, Apr. 18. She and first-year Marybeth Murray, both independents, went to Goodwill and bought prom dresses to wear. Murray paid $12 for a dress that Cinderella would have worn, and Allain’s strapless black dress was only ... Keep reading

Lines are drawn, sexes collide in ‘Jekyll and Hyde’

Whitman has never seen a version of “Jekyll and Hyde” like the one on April 17 and 18—a dance production involving 27 Whitman students divided into good and evil. Paired with hauntingly beautiful music from movies like “Pride and Prejudice” and “Stardust,” the dance production remained consistently dynamic. Varying styles of dance, from modern to ballet to acting, helped distinguish each number. Some standout numbers include “Brothel Tango,” “Street Scene” and the finale number. These scenes varied in style, but the choreography by senior Seren Pendleton-Knoll and Kerry Pine was highly aware of the movements of the body. The lighting also helped set the scene, like the red lighting which prevailed when Hyde takes over. [caption id="attachment_5093" align="alignleft" width="350" caption="Caitlin Feeney, ‘12, Kelli Kuhlman, ‘09, Christine Kiely, ‘12, Lauren Bolkovatz, ‘10, and Seren Pendleton-Knoll ‘09 dance like saints as five of the seven virtues in a recent performance of ‘Jekyll & Hyde.’ ... Keep reading

The New Classics: Cuarón weaves the perfect, honest coming-of-age tale in ‘Y tu mamá también’

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="ADOLESCENT LOVE: Gael Garcia Bernal (Julio) and Ana López Mercado (Ana) in Alfonso Cuaron's "Y tu mamá también""][/caption] A movie’s meaning changes with your state of mind at the time you see it. Perhaps it influences your philosophy on life or highlights all those thoughts you move towards the back of your mind. The unconscious effect of art is what makes it so special. I can’t think of a better movie to help you reflect on our college-age lives than “Y tu mamá también,” a bittersweet erotic journey through life by director Alfonso Cuarón (“Children of Men”). The MPAA may say the film is too pornographic for American audiences, but it obviously takes a hormonal, horny teenage boy to see so much more truth and honesty in the tale. Two boys, Julio (Gael Garcia ... Keep reading

Take shots, hook up: just another night in local bars

Bars.  The one lingering perk of turning 21 left to American youths.  They’re the last legal distinction of maturity. As many of us spend the bulk of our earliest bar-trolling years in Walla Walla, the bar culture here provides a sort of template for many students’ first experiences with adulthood. Senior Rosa Brey summed up her coming of age experience in Walla Walla with one simple exclamation:  “It was awesome!  The Green!” According to Jennifer Ellison, a bartender at the bar, The Green loves Whitman students back. “I think that Whitman students mingle quite well with everybody,” said Ellison.  “Most of the time I don’t even know that they’re Whitman students.  Until they come in on a 50 days until graduation night and I’m like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that you went to Whitman.’” The low key, conversational atmosphere of The Green often draws students looking to get away from campus and have the opportunity ... Keep reading

Conservatives on campus feel their voices are sometimes not heard

[caption id="attachment_5091" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Credit: Varonin"][/caption] Judging merely from the jubilation that enveloped the campus on Tuesday, Nov. 4 when President Obama was elected, it is easy to make the assumption that Whitman College is extremely liberal. However, there are conservatives here on campus that struggle to make their voices heard. Junior Lauren Bolkovatz said that life as a conservative is challenging and she wishes she had more of an opportunity to express her political views. “I don’t express my views very often because I know that I’ll be shot down, usually very forcefully,” she said. “I’ll get an earful for half an hour about how I’m wrong and how liberals are great.” Several conservative students contacted for this article wanted to remain anonymous for undisclosed reasons. In an attempt to investigate the conservative attitude here on campus, the Pioneer sat down with sophomore ... Keep reading

Tamarac House puts on Outdoor Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_5089" align="alignleft" width="273" caption="Credit: Johnson"][/caption] On Friday, Tamarac, known as the campus’s outdoor hub, is getting creative. The Tamarac Outdoor Film Festival has been a part of Whitman since the induction of Tamarac as a residence, according to sophomore Simon Pendleton. “We do it every year in the spring as our own little event,” he said. The festival last year garnered considerable interest, nearly filling Olin 130.  The submissions rolled in from Tamarac residents, their friends and film enthusiasts. “The films spanned a variety of styles, qualities, lengths and takes on the outdoors, outdoor recreation, and what it means to be outdoorsy,” said junior Tamarac resident Lauren Flynn. Some films from last year were humorous.  She cited junior Theo Barnhart’s film about boating in the snow and juniors Jack Straus and Warren McDermott’s piece on “man shenanigans.”  Other films channeled the intensity of rock ... Keep reading

Whitman Choral Contest prepares to take the stage amidst much anticipation

This coming Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. in Cordiner Hall, ASWC will host one of the most highly attended, most-acclaimed musical events of the year – the Whitman Choral Contest. “The Choral Contest is one of the events that fills Cordiner every time, at least since I’ve been here,” said Senior Rachel Stein, ASWC programming chair. The choral contest will feature a singing ensemble from every fraternity and sorority, each of the three A capella groups, and a group of independent women. The judges for the groups include faculty members Nohemy Solorzano-Thompson, Chuck Cleveland, and Keith  Farrington. As well as receiving an award for winning the contest, the winning ensemble receives a check of $500 from ASWC to give to a charity of choice. The competition is separated into two competing circles – one between the various A capella groups, and another between the greek and independent groups. While the greek and ... Keep reading

Larter tries on Alex Forrest’s shoes in ‘Obsessed’

[caption id="attachment_5079" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Credit: Varonin"][/caption] Ali Larter is anything but formulaic – whether debuting in “Varsity Blues” wearing nothing but a whipped cream bikini, or portraying genetically modified triplets with super powers in the hit TV series “Heroes.” Continuing to stray off the beaten path, this month, viewers will watch her pay homage to the classic femme fatale character with director Steve Shill’s “Obsessed.” '“Obsessed” stars Idris Alba (“Stringer” Bell from HBO’s “The Wire”) as a successful asset manager who is living the good life and enjoying a blissful marriage with his wife (Beyoncé Knowles) until a temp worker (Larter) begins to stalk him. “I just love intense women,” Larter said during a conference call with The Pioneer on Tuesday. “I love strong women. I love women that go after what they want and don’t always worry about the consequences. There is ... Keep reading

Building the perfect ‘Castle’

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="411" caption="NOT JAMES PATTERSON:  Nathan Fillion as his titular character in "Castle.""][/caption] When I first saw an advertisement for the new ABC show “Castle,” I thought, “Oh, no, not another terrible cop drama.” I was still getting over the horrible failure of “Life on Mars,” and was not ready to be so unbelievably disappointed by another show again. But I watched the pilot anyway, because what harm could that do, really? I was instantly blown away by how well the show was made. When the pilot was over I found myself having that wonderful, though not often-achieved feeling of not knowing where the last hour went. Every week since that first episode now a month ago, I have hardly been able to wait until the next Monday, when I can watch the next episode. And as of yet, the following episodes have not disappointed ... Keep reading

Jekyll and Hyde: when two tribes go to war

Back turned to the audience, his right arm flails wildly as the left arms sticks to his side; as straight as a pin. When he turns around, his face is distorted and tortured. He is caught between good and evil, Chastity and Lust—which will he choose? This Friday, April 17 and Saturday April 18, Whitman’s Dance Department presents “Jekyll and Hyde” choreographed by seniors Seren Pendleton-Knoll, Kerry Pine and directed by Idalee Hutson-Fish. The story of “Jekyll and Hyde” is based on the famous 1886 novella by Robert Louis Stevenson which tells the story of a Dr. Jekyll who attempts to separate the good and evil qualities within himself, eventually losing his sanity and becoming the evil Mr. Jekyll. [caption id="attachment_5153" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Credit: Klein"][/caption] In Whitman’s production, the opposing forces of good and evil within Dr. Jekyll, played by 2003 Whitman ... Keep reading

Author Satrapi talks comics, movies, cigarettes

[caption id="attachment_4909" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Marjane Satrapi, the author of the graphic novel “Persepolis,” spoke in Cordiner last Friday, April 10. Satrapi is currently working on the film adaptation of her second novel, “Chicken With Plums.” Credit: Norman"][/caption] “Already an hour and a half without a cigarette is painful,” Marjane Satrapi said in eager anticipation of the five-minute break she would take after her lecture had finished. Her love of cigarettes remained a theme throughout “An Evening with Marjane Satrapi,” though the author and filmmaker went on to discuss much meatier content. Satrapi’s lecture, which took place last Friday, April 10, was one of the most anticipated events of the spring ... Keep reading

Don’t ‘Observe’ this film

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Ronnie (Seth Rogen) consoles Brandi (Anna Faris) in Jody Hill's "Observe & Report.""][/caption] To give Jody Hill’s “Observe and Report” any credit for being an indie-comedy (it somehow appeared in the SXSW film festival, don’t ask me how), a decent comedy, or even a comedy to which I could attribute any sort of qualitative metric would be to justify its squalid and mindless existence that, beyond a vocabulary that is faithfully limited to the F-word, is a perfect example of the sort of humor that led many to laugh at Don Imus’ comments two years ago. Sexism and racism should only be saved for those writers and directors who keep full-fledged parody—or social commentary—in mind, not for those who use it to get a cheap laugh and a few million more bucks in ... Keep reading

Poet Simic sifts through darkness with humor at Walt Whitman Lecture

[caption id="attachment_4917" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Charles Simic, celebrated poet, speaks candidly to the audience at the Annual Walt Whitman Lecture on Thursday, April 9. Credit: Kim"][/caption] For senior English major Jake Kinstler, former United States Poet Laureate Charles Simic pleasantly surprised him with his craft as well as his personality at the Annual Walt Whitman Lecture. “I had no idea he was so multi-genre talented, and way funnier than I thought,” said Kinstler. “The poems I read were really dark, but the poetry he read had a really light, really humorous tone to it.” Simic read his works in the Maxey Hall Auditorium on Thursday, April 9. The lecture was open to Whitman students, faculty and staff members, as well as Walla ... Keep reading

‘Foot-fisting’ it into Hollywood: An interview with ‘Observe & Report’ director Jody Hill and actors Seth Rogen and Anna Faris

The curse of “Observe & Report,” written and directed by Jody Hill (TV’s “Eastbound and Down”), is that it will probably suffer endless comparisons to Steve Carr’s “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” which came out in January this year. “Observe,” like “Blart,” features an overweight security guard (played by Seth Rogen) with fantasies about the importance of his profession. “Observe’s” Ronnie invents his own little world as the head of security at the Forest Ridge Mall, everything from smashing skateboards over delinquent youths’ heads to tasing store owners for innocuous misdemeanors. Unlike “Blart,” however, Ronnie is a hair-trigger away from becoming a Travis Bickle of the Twitter age, a cipher for populist anger against whatever social ill is the “flavor of the month.” (In this case, an anonymous flasher who terrorizes the parking lot of the mall.) In fact, the iconic character from Martin Scorcese’s “Taxi Driver” seemed to be on Hill’s mind when ... Keep reading

Dabbles in Bloom blossom in second performance

Music bloomed in Whitman’s amphitheater Thursday, April 9 as first-year Adriel Borshansky’s band performed their concert “Dabbles in Bloom” in front of a large crowd. Borshansky, singer, song writer and guitarist, was joined by other first-years Rimmy Doowa (vocals), Sam Epstein (bass and saxophone), Aaron Zalman (guitar) and senior Nick Gottschall (drums). Zalman opened the show, singing a few songs while playing acoustic guitar as the crowd gathered. Opening with “Forgotten Fairytales,” the band performed 11 original songs written by Borshansky. Each song was introduced by Borshansky with a quirky story that reflected the nature of the lyrics. As the concert drew to a close, much of the audience danced to the final song which ended in a storm of clapping and cheering. “Dabbles in Bloom,” a name that incidentally came to Borshansky as he was falling asleep, is the second performance by Borshansky, Doowa and Epstein, who performed together at Coffeehouse first ... Keep reading

‘Star-effer?’ ‘Starfracker?’ Bands shine in show

The concert on Friday, April 11 could be described as a stimulus overload. Not just one band from out of town, but three. Not just pop music, but “electro-pop,” complete with multicolored star-shaped lights flashing on a projector in the background. The concert opened with the one-man-band called Guidance Counselor, whose MySpace page describes his music as “Ghettotech” and whose all-over tattoos describe him as anomalous. [caption id="attachment_4820" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Jason Holstrom, guitarist of United States of Electronica (U.S.E.) belts out one a number after an exciting performance by Starfucker."][/caption] Then Starfucker played an hour of electronica and finally United State of Electronica (U.S.E.) headlined with some serious dance music. Junior Sam Chasan, Public Events Director, said that he chose these bands because he thought ... Keep reading

Like scene out of ‘Looney Tunes,’ couple duels with pianos

[caption id="attachment_4599" align="alignleft" width="350" caption="“I actually majored in economics,” said Dueling Pianos member Rhiannon Kruse. “I decided to go a safe route, settle down and get a real job.” Credit: Hong."][/caption] “I actually majored in economics,” said Dueling Pianos member Rhiannon Kruse. “I decided to go a safe route, settle down and get a real job.” “You would have been a lawyer,” said fellow member Jeffery Coleron. “My job is more fun, though,” said Kruse with a laugh. Needless to say, Kruse and her fellow member Jeffrey Coleron did not go the “safe” route. Dueling Pianos, which performed in the Reid Ballroom on April 5, has encountered great success during their eight-year run. Kruse and Coleron, who initially met while ... Keep reading

All-faculty band Orange Fight releases indie CD

Orange Fight has everything it takes to become successful: they have the passion, the talent, scheduled future performances and to top it off, the majority of them have PhD’s.  Whitman’s very own all-faculty band on campus, Orange Fight, is a group to keep an eye on through the coming years. With a brand-new independent album on the shelves and two shows in the works, they are quickly establishing themselves as recording artists.  The band itself consists of Director of Institutional Research Neal Christopherson, his wife and Associate Professor of Sociology Michelle Janning, Assistant Professor of History John Cotts, Associate Professor of Psychology Matthew Prull and Peterson Endowed Chair of Social Sciences Keith Farrington.  The songs on the album are reminiscent of Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and other classic rock artists. With Prull on the electric guitar, Cotts on the bass, Janning on the keyboard and Christopherson on the guitar and singing, the songs ... Keep reading

This year’s ‘fest: a gender bender

[caption id="attachment_4594" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Students fill the Reid Campus Center Ballroom last Friday, April 3 for Dragfest. The dance, hosted by Coalition Against Homophobia, lets students try another gender on for size for the night while educating them about transgender issues. Credit: Klein."][/caption] To some, the sight of junior Pedro Galvao wearing a bright green dress and a hat adorned with an assortment of bananas and apples may look odd on any other day.  But at this year’s Dragfest, Galvao’s attire was a common occurrence among the other young “drag-queens” and “drag-kings” that attended the event. The annual dance, part of a week-long ... Keep reading

Student publication seeks out alternative voices

A hefty historic association, difficult spelling and similarity to the word “succession” make “secession” a rich word—so it’s understandable that Whitman’s newest literary publication would use the word as its title. Juniors Carly Spiering, Bryan Sonderman and Iris Alden founded “The Secession” to provide an alternative venue for student’s creative work.  According to Sonderman, The Secession has recently been criticized for its supposed lack of purpose. “We don’t necessarily have a very defined purpose, but that’s kind of a purpose in itself,” he said. The publication’s first issue is 16 pages long and includes a wide variety of creative pieces. One piece by senior Caitlin Tortorici, entitled “Things not to do to your vagina,” presents a fairly graphic description of unfortunate vaginal situations. “Animal Discoveries #2”, a cartoon by Alan Farts, includes a drawing of genitalia.  Not all of the pieces published in the first issue have to do with the human body, though. Others act ... Keep reading

Tortured genius on tortured genius about tortured genius

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="548" caption="OBSERVE & REPORT: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Caden) turns in a fabulous performance in Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York." "][/caption] I cannot attempt to write a review of this movie and yet, I am.  That is what Charlie Kaufman (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, “Adaptation”) must have said about his latest endeavor “Synecdoche, New York.” It was a major box office bomb and ignored by every award show, probably because there is no way to successfully market this film.  Critics talk about it for hours though.  The impossibility of the film’s success marks it pure genius. I don’t want to call this movie “good.”  The only phrase I can use to describe it is “mind-blowing.”  I won’t pretend to understand what Charlie Kaufman was trying to do, but I will say that you must ... Keep reading

‘Lesbian vampires’ found in Dukakis’ hometown

[caption id="attachment_4591" align="alignright" width="215" caption="Credit: Alden."][/caption] While most students were attending Thomas Ricks’ lecture last Thursday, another aesthetically rich presentation took place in Olin 130 by Dr. Hector Williams of the University of British Columbia.  The lecture, entitled “Goddesses, Whores, Vampyres & Archaeologists: Digging Up Mytilene (Lesbos),” was full of an array of facts about Lesbos, ranging from its culture to its history to various accumulated artifacts.  Agriculturally, Williams described Lesbos as “very green” with multiple fisheries and a large crop of olive oil. Williams also pointed to several important figures of the island including Sappho, the creator of personal love poetry in Western culture. With examples such as Sappho, Williams enunciated the complexity of Greek culture, which also was economically booming due to globalization.  But the most eye-raising component in Williams lecture was the presence of vampires, or revenants, on the ... Keep reading

Salacious Divas – Thoughts on ‘Last Tango’

This week we’ve found renewed devotion for that lovable, car dancing, white gloved wonder MJ. At times we forget his majesty, but every few weeks “Man In The Mirror” or “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” doth grace our iPods. We find ourselves completing more squats and belly-busters than we ever thought possible. Michael takes us to new levels. Which reminds us: it’s been far too long since we’ve stripped and beat it in the 4West bathroom. Jewett: Beware.  Some trashy tabs claim Michael only has a few months to live. The defamed dancer now wears a mask over his face in public. But don’t be deluded by this lecherous literature. As you can check out at michaeljackson.com, the King Of Pop has London shows booked through 2010. You might also want to check out Michael’s beautiful monologue at the end of his Free Willy ballad. In other news, spring break is ... Keep reading

‘Medea’s Children’: new perspective on old myth

With a combination of ancient mythology, contemporary high-style theater and a fusion of psychological realism, Harper Joy Theater’s production of “Medea’s Children” reveals a new style of theater to the Whitman community. “It’s unusual, very different from the plays we usually do here,” said senior Sarah Hathaway, who plays Little Medea, one of the children. “It goes into the psychology of children, and how they view adult situations. It’s experimental and really unique.” “Medea’s Children”, a Swedish play written by Per Lysander and Suzanne Osten, adapts Euripede’s tragedy “The Medea” for a more modern audience. The play focuses on the children of Medea and Jason as their parents go through a tumultuous divorce. “The play takes the iconic image of Medea and puts it in modern context,” said junior Alex Cassidy, who plays the role of Jason. “I was intrigued by the idea of rewriting it from the point of view of two ... Keep reading

Waikiki comes to Whitman as Hui Aloha host luau

[caption id="attachment_4610" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Japanese native speaker Noriko Omoto, Jill Morita, ‘09, and Souksamlane ‘Souk’ Thongdymanyvong, ‘09, perform a traditional Hawaiian dance for students, faculty and community members at the Hui Aloha luau in the Reid Campus Center Ballroom. Credit: Hong."][/caption] Which Hawaiian athlete won the decathlon in the 2001 Olympics? Knowing the answer (Brian Clay) was enough to win junior David Changa-Moon an authentic Hawaiian prize at the 15th annual luau.  “I’ve gone to the luau every year and I think it is a wonderful event. I love the dancing and the music, the flowers are always really nice, and I really like the people,” Changa-Moon said. The ... Keep reading

Interview with a ‘drag queen’

Sophomore Peter Baryshnikov attended Dragfest on Friday, April 4. Here, he describes his gender-bending experience: Q: Why did you choose to attend this year’s Dragfest? A: It’s the most fun party of the year ‘cause you can just go crazy and be completely loose and no one judges you. Everyone’s just goofing off and having fun, so it’s no pressure.  Q: Did you feel like you acted differently toward other people when you were dressed in drag? A: Oh yeah. I was really outgoing for absolutely no reason. I called to a bunch of people on the street while I was walking over there, like “Hey girlfriend, what’s happenin’!” It was like Theta formal times-a-gajillion – really obnoxious and loud.  Q: What was your favorite part of the dance? A: Getting dressed with all my friends. Most of the fun happens before you even get there. Taking pictures and looking at how your friends interpret their ... Keep reading

On ‘Living Thing,’ PBJ look for a stranger sound

Peter Bjorn and John “Living Thing”  (2009; Almost Gold)   “Living Thing” is confounding. Its first track, “The Feeling,” opens on a skeletal rhythm of only a few drum hits and a vocal melody that Peter Morén doesn’t deliver with a great deal of confidence, and things only get stranger from there. Given that Peter Bjorn and John garnered international attention on the strengths of “Young Folks,” which even conquered American rock radio in 2007, it’s an off-putting reintroduction. It’s not totally unpredictable, though; their third album, “Writer’s Block,” saw the band take on Western indie pop and almost completely nail it. Since then, Morén tried his hand at singer-songwritering and the band released an album of instrumentals to little fanfare.    However, “Living Thing” is still a major departure, even for a band as eclectic as this one, and its payoffs are nowhere near as immediate.  More than anything else, it’s the group’s newfound love ... Keep reading

Schwa-capella secrets, sound and sensation

[caption id="attachment_4416" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Jackson Bellaimey, ‘12, and Laura Gibson, ‘09, sing sweet melodies to each other during a Schwa performance. The co-ed Schwa is one of the three A cappela groups on campus. Credit: Klein."][/caption] When Schwa was first formed, according to senior music major Blake Saunders, things started off a bit rough. Now the ensemble is one of the most popular musical groups on campus. The group creates a “dynamic sound” and is dubbed the “premier co-ed a capella group” at Whitman College, said Saunders. With their broad range of sound, Schwa is able to create a capella music based on songs from nearly every musical genre. Songs range from country ... Keep reading

Documentary ‘This American Gothic’ takes a closer look at iconic painting, town

You all know the painting “American Gothic,” even if you don’t know that you do. The image of the old bald man, the sour-faced woman, the pitchfork and the house in the background has become the often-parodied iconographic image of America. The painting and the town where the background house resides are the subjects of “This American Gothic.” The documentary screened on March 9. “It weaves back and forth through this chronological art historical narrative of the painting from 1930 to today and a more contemporary story of this very small Iowa town where they’re trying to rebuild their community through drawing attention to this home,” said filmmaker Sasha Waters-Freyer. Waters-Freyer is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Iowa in the Department of Cinema and Comparative Literature. Her award-winning films have screened widely at film festivals and been broadcast on the PBS series “Independent Lens.” Previous works include “Razing Appalachia” ... Keep reading

Music Video Meltdown

'Blame It' on Jamie Foxx "Blame It" Album: Intuition (2008, J Records) Jamie Foxx goes to an overtly red nightclub with pals Jake Gyllenhall, Forest Whitaker and… Ron Howard.  Samuel L. Jackson menacingly chomps on a cigar in a corner.  Bill Bellamy shows up for a paycheck.  Also: furries.  So, things that Jamie Foxx likes, perhaps?  I imagine director Hype Williams had an elaborate plot for this video at one point, so maybe there’s a ten minute director’s cut out there.   But even at five minutes, this is unbearable (Yes, even with Academy Award-nominated Howard sipping champagne while T-Pain does his magically spastic “Ah.  AH AH!”.)   And red.  It’s like a Dario Argento film set in a dance club (without the point-of-view kills, of course).  Did I mention the furry? I would, however, like to play Gyllen-ball with Gyllenhall. That’s a video I’d watch. ... Keep reading

‘Lost’ all over again: popular show crosses genres

If you haven’t watched “Lost” before, you are missing out on television’s most audacious and exciting shows. It’s one of the most ambitious shows on television, as it aspires to be entertainment that succeeds on several different levels: as straight up sci-fi, drama, romance and action. Best of all, it provokes heated discussions, and it’s highly interactive, with easter eggs hidden throughout the show. “Lost” could have easily remained a show about plane crash survivors living on a deserted island, but the character flashbacks throughout the past four seasons allow the characters to become fully realized rather than just archetypes (the pretty girl, the heroic doctor, the tortured musician, et cetera). Luckily, the writers can do more or less whatever they want because they don’t need to worry about alienating other viewers, since all those still watching are the ones who are truly invested in the show. Thank goodness for that, because “Lost” has upped ... Keep reading

The private, public and pregnant body in dance

The human body comes in many shapes and sizes, some scrutinized, some praised, some ignored. Dr. Gill Wright Miller, visiting Whitman this semester as a Professor of Dance, studies women who have defied the stereotypical body type in their profession. Miller was brought in through the Edward F. Arnold program, which brings in professors at an advanced stage in their career, concerned with a line of study not normally offered at Whitman. Miller’s research focuses on the transition from the “typical” body type of a dancer to the pregnant form. Miller, who teaches two classes on dance, gave a lecture on her research on Tues., March 10. Miller’s lecture focused on the concept of how to put personal movement on public display. She studied women who have defied the notion that in order to dance, one has to be tall, thin and move at lightning speed. Over the last 40 years, dance ... Keep reading

Foreign, ‘art-house’ cinema provide much-needed escape from Hollywood

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="330" caption="François Bégaudeau in Laurent Cantet's "The Class" ("Entre les murs")"][/caption] It is a bit of a letdown that our quaint little town can’t revel in the wonders of art-house cinema. I read somewhere recently that eight years ago, former Whitman College President Thomas Cronin inquired into whether the school could support its own art-house-style cinema. The answer was, of course, “no” because of its sustainable impossibility. For now, we’ll have to wait until the summer to experience its joys. Here are two reasons for you not to let the chance to go on that odd weekend trip to Portland or Seattle pass you by. The first is “The Class.” A devastatingly poor crop of movies, whose recent marquee is “Freedom Writers,” have created a feel-good, anti-racist classroom genre.  These ... Keep reading

Superhero films provide interesting link to reality

The highly-acclaimed movie “Watchmen” brings to attention the continuing popularity of the superhero movie. Even though each of these films have similar plot lines, they continue to amaze audiences. Why? These movies provide entertainment with more impressive special effects thanks to computer generated imagery. However, only so many special effects can be used before the plot and character development are blurred. These movies can be put off to the side, such as last summer’s “Hancock.” The special effects alone do not explain why superhero movies continuously top the charts. Many of these movies, including  “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” “The Fantastic Four,” “X-Men,” and “Spider-Man,” all revolve around a certain individual or group that conquers a certain villain. The setting is usually a city where crime runs free or a vigilante runs loose, such as Gotham City from “Knight” or New York City from the “Spider-Man.” This crime correlates loosely with some of ... Keep reading

A mild-mannered dinner for Whitman students

[caption id="attachment_4389" align="alignleft" width="350" caption="Joseph Zoline-Black, ‘09, gazes at a menu during Whitman’s annual Etiquette Dinner. Credit: Norman."][/caption] What are you supposed to do if you get an olive pit hopelessly stuck in your mouth during your boss’ fancy promotional dinner? “The way you put it in your mouth is the way you take it out!” said Susan Buchanan, Career Center Director and coordinator of the annual Etiquette Dinner. “If it’s an olive and you put it in with your fingers, you take it out with your fingers. If it’s a chicken bone, you take it out with your fork.” Sixty juniors and seniors gathered in the Reid Ballroom on March 11 to eat a free meal provided by Bon Appetit and to learn about the rules of table manners. “We’ve been ... Keep reading

Campus limelight shines on five-man Red Light Blue Light

Ever wondered how the blues-rock band Red Light Blue Light got its name? “One day all five of us were walking downtown, just holding hands and skipping down the street,” said sophomore Ian Coleman. “I think Matt [Bachmann] was frying on something. And he just started yelling out random colors and seeing random lights. And one of those times, all he said was ‘Red light blue light!’ And we were like ‘That’s perfect, that is the perfect band name,’ so we took it.” Junior Dan Oschrin revealed the real story. “In 15 minutes I had come up with a list of names, because we needed to put our names on a poster for a gig we were playing the next day. Two of them were ‘The Red Lights’ and ‘The Blue Lights.’ Both ... Keep reading

Dancing in ‘Moonlight’ with director Cindy Croot

Harper Joy’s recent adaptation of “Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith” brought the novel’s tale of murder, magic, abandonment, prostitution and adultery to the stage. Director Cindy Croot took on the daunting task of adapting the nearly 400 page book of magical realism for the theater, turning novel into production in six months. But for Croot, the challenge of adapting the play accentuates the experience. “I like the challenge of that artistic conversation that takes place between the adapter and the novelist - a kind of collaboration and distillation of the work into another genre,” said Croot in an e-mail.  “It is exciting to work inside an author’s structure, and find ways to translate pivotal moments to the stage.” Working from the text of a novel where much of the story is not dialogue meant that narration and back story comprised much of the script.  This proved challenging for the actors who took turns ... Keep reading

Salacious Divas: These divas are female versions of hustlers

Hello all you young lovers out there, As anticipated, this weekend has fried me. I sit on the couch in my living room in flannel and running eye-makeup next to a new friend that appeared mysteriously in the night: a condom inflated with water that bares an uncanny resemblance to a breast. A visit from the illustrious Raffi Klein spawned an electric midnight dance party on Friday night that ended in a lack of shirts and two strangers consummating their lust on my living room floor. Saturday night brought perhaps the best Danger Mermaid show of all time – sweaty bodies collided, Daniel Grant premiered his loud and saxy chops, Sina, as always, danced belligerently in front, and someone even brought flowers. My divalicious friend (let’s call him Tom, or as you might recall, the sexy black-jack dealer from the front page of last week’s Pio) has just arrived at my house in a ... Keep reading

Activist-poet Tempest Williams enchants budding writers

[caption id="attachment_4150" align="alignright" width="350" caption="“Finding Beauty In A Broken World” author Terry Tempest Williams talks to a Cordiner Hall audience last Thursday, Mar. 5. Credit: Kim"][/caption] Terry Tempest Williams, poet, activist and environmentalist, visited Whitman College for the first time in her career last Thursday. The abundant nature of Williams’ work in many writing and environmental classes has made the author a minor literary celebrity for the Whitman community.  Her arrival on campus for the Visiting Writers Reading Series brought out some of her most avid readers and environmental and social advocates on campus. Before her poetry reading in Cordiner Hall Thursday night, Williams held a lunchtime discussion for a small group of students in creative writing and nature writing ... Keep reading

Women’s Health Carnival promotes fun, communication, raises awareness

The idea to host a Women and Girls Health Awareness Carnival in Walla Walla struck Pam Warren, Executive Director of the Blue Mountain Heart to Heart last June.  Warren wanted the event to coincide with National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10.  The carnival was held Saturday, Mar. 7 at the Walla Walla Authority Gymnasium, with free admission to the public. A one-time event combining games, prizes and entertainment with public speakers and booths run by local businesses, the carnival’s main purpose was to promote communication, said coordinator Jill Dickey.  “Our goal is to educate women and girls in our community about health, with a focus on preventing not only HIV, but also diabetes and other chronic illnesses,” Dickey said in an e-mail To fund the event, Warren applied for a grant for Blue Mountain Heart-to-Heart ... Keep reading

Snyder’s ‘Watchmen’ a stylish, slick adaptation

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="737" caption="HRM.  Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) burns 'em all in Zack Snyder's adaptation of the popular graphic novel "Watchmen.""][/caption] A doomsday clock ominously ticks towards midnight. An ex-superhero, the Comedian, is brutally killed to the tune of Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable.” These images, along with a montage of a parallel universe of 1985 where Nixon is elected for a third term and Vietnam is won, set to Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing” starts off “Watchmen,” directed by Zack Snyder (“300”). Though there are some signs of Snyder’s signature style, like the slow motion fight scenes and abundance of blood splatter, the film remains extremely faithful to the graphic novel which was named one of Time’s 100 Best English-language novels. The elements that were ... Keep reading

Drama Club receives funding from ASWC for Ashland trip

[caption id="attachment_4145" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Credit: Johnson"][/caption] Heads up, Shakespeare. In two days, 40 Whitties will invade the theaters of Ashland, Oregon. This Saturday, Mar. 14 the Drama Club leaves for their annual trip to the Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival with the aid of ASWC funds. With the subsidization, students only need to pay $40 to view two plays and spend two nights in a hotel. This is the first year the Drama Club has petitioned for ASWC to subsidize the trip. Due to many different factors, the club lacked the money to finance the trip without help from the college. A shortage of usual donations and the departure of theater-involved staff members contributed to the club’s predicament. “There were some miscommunications, so we ended up with a lot less money at the end than we had before,” said senior Drama Club president Rosie Brownlow. “We ... Keep reading

Winslet only saving grace of ‘The Reader’

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="600" caption="A wistful Kate Winslet in "The Reader," directed by Stephen Daldry."][/caption] “The Reader” has won countless awards for actress Kate Winslet, among them the Oscar and the Golden Globe.  Thank god it did not take home statues for any other category.  But the fact that it was nominated for such categories as “Best Motion Picture,” “Best Adapted Screenplay” and “Best Director” makes me ask myself what I missed that all the other critics saw. The story opens in Germany, 1995, in the apartment of Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes), a successful, single middle-aged lawyer. Berg is painfully solemn and hidden, and all the reasons for this are to be revealed by the long flashbacks that make up the majority of “The Reader.” The first flashback begins in Germany, 1958.  Michael is a young ... Keep reading

Ibsen would be displeased with Whedon’s ‘Dollhouse’

Like its main character, Echo (Eliza Dushku), “Dollhouse” is damaged goods.   After facing production shutdowns, a retooled pilot, and placement in the Friday night “death slot,” Joss Whedon’s (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Firefly”) latest show has finally hit the air.   You can almost hear the Whedonites creating “Dollhouse” fansites and already declaring it the best show on network television. Yet three episodes in, and I’m already fatigued with the “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” approach applied by Whedon and company.   Take the premise, for example:  Dushku’s Echo is an “Active,” a sexy (but kick-ass) operative who joins other sexy (but kick-ass) operatives in the top-secret, hush-hush Dollhouse.   As an Active, Echo is whored out to powerful clients for various jobs, everything from hostage negotiation to back-up singing to, well, kinky sex.  Echo and all the other Actives are able to perform these assignments since their personalities have been erased, allowing their blank minds to ... Keep reading

Beyoncé not very welcome at Antony show

I wasn’t really sure what to expect with a performance from Antony and the Johnsons. The androgynous English-Irish, New York-based singer-songwriter—whose otherworldly, vibrato-heavy voice is among the most polarizing in modern pop music—according to cokemachineglow contributor Joel Elliott, “requires the listener to be in such a state of emotional reception and vulnerability” for his songs to succeed. Finding that place on command, as conforming to his schedule would require, seemed like a daunting task. I don’t know if I ever really got there. Given that half the crowd appeared to be crying over the course of the sixteen-song set, I’m assuming I didn’t.  Fortunately, I didn’t need to.  In person, Antony and his six-piece backing band are certainly intense, and the whole performance felt heart-on-sleeve sincere, as I expected.  Yet there was a humor, even an optimism, persistent throughout that transformed songs from this year’s The Crying Light and left me convinced that there was ... Keep reading

Students find affordable treasures at Goodwill

[caption id="attachment_3805" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Cristine Tennant (‘10) picks out a plaid shirt at Walla Walla’s Goodwill store Credit: Klein"][/caption] Where do you go if you want to find twin cowboy outfits, a reversible 80s style ski-jacket, and a red corduroy blazer? These are all items currently in the possession of first year Erik Lyon, and they all came from Goodwill. “I’ve worn a jacket that I’ve gotten at Goodwill to two of my High School Winter Formals…and a Goodwill Tie,” Lyon said. “Since things are cheaper there, you can buy things you wouldn’t normally buy. You can go out on a limb.” First-year Simi Singh shops at Goodwill because she feels that the store is in concordance with the vibe of Whitman College.  “I feel like Goodwill is ... Keep reading

ASWC Monday Night Film Series makes going out to the movies more like staying in

Although Kimball Theater may not have the same smell of buttery popcorn or a long line of previews before each showing like a traditional cinema, it still tries to offer the same social atmosphere of sitting in the dark with friends. ASWC Films screened “Cadillac Records” on Monday, March 2 as part of its Monday night film series. “I was super excited when I found out they were bringing [‘Cadillac Records’],” said senior Shayna Tivona. “I felt like ASWC was listening to what I said when I wrote that I wanted to see more recent, modern movies.” The films chosen for this semester’s Monday Night Film Series are especially current, many of which, like “Man on Wire” and “Vicky Christina Barcelona,” are screening before their DVD release dates.  The ASWC Films Chair is responsible for choosing these films.      “Prior to each semester I create a list of films I think would be good ... Keep reading

Walla Walla restaurant ‘Pho Sho’ serves quality food at reasonable prices

[caption id="attachment_3798" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Credit: Klein"][/caption] My first exposure to pho, a type of Vietnamese noodle soup, was at Pho Sho, Walla Walla’s only Vietnamese pho shop. I enjoyed it tremendously.   The meal was reasonably priced and of high quality. My friends and I agreed that the food was delicious. We were hoping for a sit-down meal with waiters and waitresses, a meal quite different from our usual Prentiss and Jewett encounters.  Unfortunately, the restaurant has more of a deli format. Diners order at the counter and then seat themselves. Condiments, cutlery and water are self-serve, like in the dining halls. We went on a Wednesday night at 8 p.m., an hour before closing. Besides a single diner, we were the only people in the restaurant. The “waitress” continued to wipe down the tables when we entered. We were caught off guard—should we seat ... Keep reading

‘Knowing’ is half the battle for director Alex Proyas

Alex Proyas is not a filmmaker known to churn out one film after the other, year after year. In fact, his latest project – “Knowing” – was a labor of love that took four years to rewrite, cast and shoot. The Egyptian-born, Australian director’s last movie was 2004’s sci-fi thriller “I, Robot.” “I like to be involved with the story we’re telling as much as possible,” he said in a conference call last Wednesday with the Pioneer. “I just believe it’s an integral part of the process, and it’s why I take so long getting movies going because I really tinker with the screenplay until I’m really satisfied with it,” he said. "I like to have a unique voice. It has to come from someone, so it might as well be me.”-Alex Proyas In the case of “Knowing,” in which a professor played by Nicholas Cage finds that the contents of a ... Keep reading

Kegan partners with Cartwright for Web series ‘Dry Creek’

Benjamin Kegan was born to do film. Since 2004, he has created numerous films and television pilots including “Betrayal in a Briefcase,” which won best drama in the 2004 Chicago Youth Media Festival, “From the Ashes,” which won best documentary of 2007 in the Poppy Jasper Film Fest, “Eighteen Down,” “Castle Academy,” and his latest piece “Team Taliban.” “Team Taliban” is a documentary that explores terrorism and the War on Terror in American culture through the world of wrestling.  Kegan was inspired to use the concept of wrestling, because he wished to dismiss the popular views of wrestling as entertainment. “I wanted to create a reflection of the culture of wrestling and the ongoing play between performance and reality. I was interested in the space between the face of wrestling and what actually occurs there such as the play between masculinity and violence,” said Kegan. Kegan filmed “Team Taliban” last summer by following professional wrestlers ... Keep reading

Who knew these buttons could be so creepy?

[caption id="attachment_3795" align="alignright" width="247" caption="Credit: O. Johnson"][/caption] There is something inherently creepy about Tim Burton’s brand of stop-motion animation. Lanky, rag-doll caricatures with unsettling smiles are psychologically much more twisted than the ineffectual “Chucky” trademark, revealing wherein our true fear of dolls lies. We fear that they will tempt us until we become quixotic – cerebrally enraptured in their play – to the point of no return. We fear that we will begin to love them more than we love humans. And, we fear that they will eventually turn us into one of them. Henry Selick’s (“The Nightmare Before Christmas” “James and the Giant Peach”) new film “Coraline” remarkably taps into these very fears, requiring the audience to let go of that manufactured amnesia toward its childhood years. Childhood, especially for those who had a bad one, makes a vivid return – ... Keep reading

Art for sake of art

Nearly two years ago, Walla Walla artist Squire Broel contacted other local artists with the prospect forming of a cooperative gallery. With the commitment of five other members and an office space located at 13 ½ East Main Street, Art Space 1 was born.   Currently, Art Space 1 is operated by three artists, two of which are Whitman professors: Broel, visiting professor Mare Blocker and adjunct assistant professor Charly Bloomquist.   Walla Walla has a rich community of practicing artists, but there are relatively few spaces to exhibit work.  “It’s a pretty thriving art community as far as people who make art, but the venues to show art aren’t so prolific,” said Bloomquist. For its three active members, Art Space 1 fills this need. “I joined because I wanted to contribute to my local arts community and I wanted to have a public space to show my work on a regular basis,” said ... Keep reading

Awareness, activism on domestic abuse needed after celeb fight

[caption id="attachment_3322" align="alignright" width="217" caption="Credit: Varonin"][/caption] A dark shadow was cast over the 51st Annual Grammys due to the conspicuous absence of two nominees: Chris Brown and Rihanna.  The couple had been dating for over a year but was going through a rough patch which culminated in an incident of domestic violence, leaving Rihanna bruised and battered and Brown facing domestic violence felony charges.  Brown, 19, allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, Rihanna, 21, and was arrested on Feb. 8 for suspicion of making criminal threats against a woman. He’s currently under investigation for alleged domestic violence felony charges, according to the LAPD.  Things got more complicated with the leak of a police photo (supposedly) of Rihanna after the incident. The internet exploded with the release of this photo which was first posted on gossip site TMZ. The picture shows a close up of a young woman with ... Keep reading

New location inspires community to Jazzercise

[caption id="attachment_3342" align="alignright" width="214" caption="Janet Byerly, 50, leads her students in Jazzercise. Credit: Wheeler"][/caption] I consider myself to be a pretty active person, but I must admit I underestimated Jazzercise.  Having received a flyer in my campus mailbox detailing the new location on Main Street, I inquired about the free one-day trial on Thursday the 19th.  Class Manager Anne Carlson told me, “You’re in for a treat. Find yourself a spot anywhere and don’t be afraid!” Instructor Janet Byerly, a petite 50-year-old woman with belted workout pants and a perpetual smile, stood on a stage in front of the class announcing instructions and encouragements through a hands-free microphone.  “If everybody looked the same, we’d get tired of looking at each other!” she said, quoting the song that was playing. That sentiment appeared to be true.  ... Keep reading

‘Best-kept secret’ in rap comes to Whitman

[caption id="attachment_3328" align="alignleft" width="214" caption="Credit: Mitchell"][/caption] It seems as if “rap’s best-kept secret” is no longer a secret at Whitman College. Houston underground hip-hop artist Devin the Dude is performing at Whitman this Saturday, Feb. 28, at 9 p.m. in the Young Ballroom in Reid Campus Center. The Raptivists, one of Whitman’s own, will be opening at 8 p.m. Considered one of the best underground hip-hop artists out there, Prefix magazine referred to Devin the Dude as “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.”    While Devin the Dude, whose real name is Devin Copeland, has not hit the mainstream music scene, he is certainly well known amongst many Whitman students. “I’ve been congratulated by a number of people for bringing an underground hip-hop hero, as he is definitely one of the most under appreciated rappers out there,” said junior Sam Chasan, Whitman Public Events Director. Chasan ... Keep reading

Swanking it up with the Sirens

Combining musical talent, style and passion, the Sirens of Swank—Whitman’s only all-female a capella ensemble—are preparing for a new musical semester with the addition of new songs, new events and new members. “We really want to get out into the community more,” said junior Jacqueline Kamm. The Sirens of Swank was formed about 8 years ago as a way for college students, both in choir classes and independent, to sing and perform outside of just the classroom setting.  “I really wanted to be in an a cappella group in college.  It’s something I wanted to do for a long time.  I was really nervous at the time, and I didn’t expect to get in as a freshman.  When I got in I was really excited,” said first-year Hannah Leigh. This year the Sirens have several new events, both on campus and off, that will show off their talent. “We performed at Creektown for Valentine’s Day. ... Keep reading

The predictable, ‘It’s-About-Time’ Oscars

I honestly wasn’t looking forward to the Academy Awards this year. Too many exceptional films (especially foreign films) went ignored by the Academy. Most of the films nominated resembled the cookie-cutter epics of the late ‘90s and early 2000s – films like “Titanic,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “The Aviator.” Not terribly appealing, I’d say. When I sat down and watched films like “There Will Be Blood” and “No Country for Old Men” win top awards last year, I thought, for once, that the Academy might have changed its outlook on film: opting for creativity and impression over homogeneity and mediocrity. Unfortunately, it hasn’t—for the most part. The enjoyable exception this year was “Slumdog Millionaire,” which took home a whopping eight awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Its win, however, was entirely predictable and represents a category of Oscars this year that I call the Its-About-Time Oscars. Danny Boyle’s darling feature ... Keep reading

National fashion report

First-year Rebecca Young, describing Whitman College as “hippie-chic,” defines fashion in terms of schools across the country: “In comparison to California schools, Whitman is grungier and less ‘Nordstrom.’ In comparison to mid-west schools, Whitman is shockingly similar. I don’t know if that’s a good thing! In comparison to East Coast schools, we are less bundled up, have less pea coats, less scarves, less tall boots, and less tall clothing.” Is it true? Is Whitman less mainstream than California, as “shockingly similar” to Midwestern schools, and less sophisticated than the East Coast? Resident fashion experts on campuses around the country are happy to share their take on local fashion. Just because Whitman is geographically closest to the big city of Seattle, the “big city” trends may not be seen on this side of the mountains. First-year Danielle Winslow at Seattle University can detect the subtle and not-so-subtle influences of its climate, political attitude ... Keep reading

Salacious Divas

Greetings young lovers, We are back and working under a new format so both of our reputations don’t have to suffer.  It has been an eventful weekend indeed. Fashionably late valentines have warmed lonely hearts. Strange messages have appeared on sexual misconduct forms in the bathrooms at Reid. I used the term “skanky cow” in a formal presentation. Many BSU attendees found their genitals unexpectedly fondled by that familiar anonymous grasp you may remember from the Beta foam party. One finely fashioned BSU goer decided to take a late evening swim in Lakum Duckum and subsequently gashed his leg open on a sharp rock. The ducks bemoaned that such a retard dared disturb their slumber.  Since we’re coming to you fashionably late, we think it proper to provide you with a list: Highlights of our final semester: 1.  First and foremost, Sparkles – i.e. a certain cubic zirconium-adorned Napolean – is abroad, and plagues us ... Keep reading

The curiously familiar case of ‘Benjamin Button’

[caption id="attachment_3337" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Credit: Olivia Johnson"][/caption] Two worlds collide for just a moment:  An old man growing younger in age but older in mind and a young woman maturing beautifully in both mind and physique.  For just a few minutes of screen time, life appears perfectly normal for this enigma of a man.  For the rest of the movie though, the character a cipher. This is the framework for director David Fincher’s (“Fight Club,” “Zodiac”) newest film, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”.  The book, originally written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was adapted for the screen by Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump”).  I’m a big fan of both Fincher and Roth, so I went in expecting something very well done.  Unfortunately, it was a bit under-cooked even with the two-hour and forty-five minute running time. The story begins with a monstrosity of ... Keep reading

Behind bars, art comes from inside the Pen

“Art from the Inside,” a unique show featuring artwork created by inmates at the Washington State Penitentiary, is currently showing at the Steven’s Gallery in Reid Campus Center. Joanna Swan, student co-curator for the gallery, assembled the show, which will be on display until March 6.  The exhibit features art from six different inmates who work with diverse media. The fifteen pieces include black and white graphite drawings, colored pencil drawings, paper creations, a hand-made and painted raw-hide ceremonial drum of the Coville Tribe, a woven sea grass basket and  hand-made stuffed animals.   All of the art demonstrates refined technical skill and artistic emotion. Specific pieces, such as the vivid colored pencil Spider-Man, show a lingering connection with the world outside the Penitentiary.  Swan hopes the exhibit will cause people to remember that the Penitentiary is only a few miles away. “The Penitentiary houses so many inmates right outside of Walla Walla, and ... Keep reading

Plaid states its case on campus

If there is one ubiquitous fashion statement on the Whitman campus, it is plaid. On shirts, shoes, shorts and scarves, the presence of plaid on all varieties of clothing is nearly inescapable. The versatile pattern has managed to penetrate nearly every social milieu at Whitman. “It appeals to every single Whitman sub-culture,” said junior Bryan Sonderman. From what Sonderman describes as “granola snarfers”—people inclined to do outdoor activities—to hipsters, plaid has a special place in every social circle. Sophomore Robin Lewis, a self-described plaid collector, said, “Each group can wear it without affecting the reputation or statement of the other.” Some students believe that plaid has a connection with the “green” movement present on campus. Senior Will Davidson has noticed a tendency for plaid wearers to be people who are in search of a “simple lifestyle [...] people who are trying to have fewer ... Keep reading

Say ‘namasté’ to the new meditation club

If a clear mind is something you desire, or if you just want to suddenly be very aware of how loudly you breathe, group meditation with Namasté awaits you. Namasté - a Sanskrit greeting commonly spoken in the Indian subcontinent - was made into an official club last week, after an increasing number of students started showing interest in the weekly informal meditation sessions. “[In meditation] you basically get to watch how your mind works, which can be really frustrating, but it teaches you a lot,” said Sonja Aikens, Administrative Assistant for the Intercultural Center. Aikens also provides basic meditation instruction. “I would say it increases awareness about everything in your daily life, and helps your ability to pay attention,” she said. Meditation is a method of understanding and dealing with stress in one’s life, but Aikens said that this is not always ... Keep reading

At Italian Bistro, best to order the bruschetta

My experience at the Italian Bistro left me with the same feeling I get searching for radio stations on cross-country road trips. While the spontaneity can be enjoyable for its own sake, and the anticipation of finding the perfect song heightens the suspense, sometimes there is no replacement for grooving to my usual station. I had my heart set on my Seattle perception of Italian dining: Buca di Beppo, Olive Garden, Vince’s and even Cucina Cucina. While the Italian Bistro certainly had its charms, the expectations of a quasi-Olive Garden meal were sadly not met. The home-style restaurant masquerading as unique, ethnic cuisine simply did not justify the high prices. The Environment Located on 1528 E. Isaacs Ave., the Italian Bistro is nestled behind a dimly-lit parking lot just a few miles off campus. We arrived at 7 p.m. and were greeted by a hurried hostess who quickly took down our name and ... Keep reading

Renowned poet Linda Bierds visits Whitman

    [caption id="attachment_3046" align="alignright" width="350" caption="The English department hosted the celebrated poet Linda Bierds for the Visiting Writers Readers Series on Thursday, Feb. 12 in Kimball Theater."][/caption] The English department hosted the celebrated poet Linda Bierds for the Visiting Writers Readers Series on Thursday, Feb. 12 in Kimball Theater. Bierds recently published her eighth book of poetry, titled “Flight,” a compilation of old and new poems the New York Times Book Review hailed as “radiant.”  In introducing Bierds, Professor Katrina Roberts of the English department recognized the poet’s achievement in publishing consistently well-received volumes year after year. Bierds has also been published 22 times in The New Yorker, a publication which John Marshall of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer noted as “one of the ... Keep reading

Modern comfort makes for great stay at Lewis Peak Estates

A blend of modern comfort and country chic, Lewis Peak Estates is nestled twenty minutes outside of Walla Walla. Although the house is at a slight distance from town, it is very easy to find and a great alternative to a hotel. With five fully furnished bedrooms—three of which have private baths—an additional make-shift bedroom with a pullout ottoman, and several air mattresses, there was plenty of space for our entire party of ten. Each bedroom has its own flair, decorated with utmost attention to detail. Everything from the complimentary shower accessories to the high thread count sheets made our stay comfortable. Between all of the bedrooms and the two living areas it was easy to find space for both private and group time. With an open concept, the first floor living space was ideal ... Keep reading

‘Dark’ defies curse of the compilation album

In 2007, various Alternative Distribution Alliance labels released “This Is NEXT,” the first in a series of compilations that were to be “Now That’s What I Call Music!”-style summaries of commercially viable “indie rock.” The project bombed terribly; almost all the material on the disc had been released freely beforehand, it had nothing exclusive or even difficult to find, and it likely did not introduce anyone to anything. Receiving a 0.0 from Pitchfork’s Matt LeMay likely didn’t help. Curators Aaron and Bryce Dessner, of The National, have learned from that series’ failings. Dark Was The Night, an HIV/AIDS benefit released in collaboration with the Red Hot organization, serves as a striking summary of commercially viable “indie” music as it stands in 2009, consisting of 31 exclusive tracks from musicians who have enjoyed both critical acclaim and heavy rotation over coffee shop PAs. More than anything else, it succeeds because it rarely ... Keep reading

I’m ‘Just not that into’ this movie

I become weary whenever I can recognize most of the names of a movie’s ensemble cast; I become especially weary whenever I can recognize all the names of a movie’s ensemble cast. Ensemble casts tend to invite hackneyed plots, shoddy acting, and cheap entertainment (“Ocean’s” series and “Lord of the Rings” series included). Suffice to say, “He’s Just Not That Into You” doesn’t fail to show you an actor you’ve seen before. I even recognized most of the extras; yes, even the hysterical gay men that hovered around Mary (Drew Barrymore) and then Conor (Kevin Connolly). If I were to point out one bright spot in this movie, it would probably be them and the much-needed humorous interludes they provide to a clichéd plot – even if the film’s title might suggest otherwise. Okay, you say, so just because I can recognize all of the actors in a movie doesn’t mean that ... Keep reading

‘Viva La Vulva!’: Exploring women’s issues, experiences in Whitman production of ‘Vagina Monologues’

Embracing the challenge of performing one of the most controversial and dynamic performance ensembles of recent times, Whitman clubs Voices for Planned Parenthood (VOX) and Feminists Advocating Change and Empowerment (FACE) have collaborated to portray the powerful stories from the award-winning series “The Vagina Monologues,” a collection of works based on the testimonials of women concerning sexual fears, frustrations and ultimately freedoms. The project of “The Vagina Monologues” was to expose the intricacies of the women’s body and mind. Eve Ensler, the playwright of “The Vagina Monologues”, selected stories from over 200 women which revolve around the feminine sexual experience. The directors must take a deep interest in these monologues in order to portray them. “I’m the vice president of FACE,” said sophomore and director Gabby Brandt. “So I’m really involved in talking about and getting the dialogue ... Keep reading

No ‘final answer’ for rags-to-riches fairytale: a review of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

“Slumdog Millionaire” is an unlikely fairy-tale, told in raw fashion by its diverse and genre-less director Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting”, “Millions”, “28 Days Later”). The very moment that the projection hits the screen, the film switches to full speed and drives the audience with a compelling, action-packed story that never once slows down. When I first heard about it, the premise seemed absurdly stupid to me: its plot is framed within the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” Though it begins with aforementioned “slumdog” Jamal (Dev Patel) on the verge of winning 1 million rupees, the film effortlessly intertwines the past and the present with a question & answer narrative that stirs up painfully vivid memories of his childhood on the rough streets of Mumbai. All filmmakers should take ... Keep reading

Coffeehouse seeks new co-manager

When senior Tricia Chow graduates this spring, she’ll leave behind friends, professors and her job as co-manager of Coffeehouse. That leaves the weekly concert series, featuring Whitman students and the occasional out-of-town band, in search of someone new. Chow believes the position needs someone extremely motivated who works well with others. As for experience, Chow said, “We train students before the actual job position starts; a lot of the stuff they’ll learn with us.” Though applications were due last Monday, the hiring process is far from over. “We’ll be interviewing throughout February,” said sophomore and co-manager Matt Coleman. “Probably in [a week] we’ll be interviewing people. We’ll make a decision the following week, and then we’ll send out an acceptance. It’ll be busy.” Asked what he wants in his new co-manager, Coleman responded, “I would like to work with someone who is collaborative, I guess, rather than someone who works alone all the ... Keep reading

Dance team debuts at basketball games

The Whitman Dance Team spiced up the Feb. 6 men’s basketball game against Linfield and the Feb. 7 women’s game against Willamette with a brand new routine performed during half-time. The dance team of 17 girls had been practicing non-stop for the past two weeks in preparation for their half-time performances. They performed a short routine to “The Fame” by Lady GaGa to the cheering Whitman fans. “The past two weeks we have been practicing five times a week, which is a ton. We have been working really hard to get ready for our performance,” sophomore Rachelle Sloss, the dance team co-captain, said. This is Sloss’s first semester as a team captain, although she has had been dancing since she was very young. “I’ve done a little ballet, hip-hop and jazz. But, I really got into dance in high school when I was ... Keep reading

Chinese Lunar New Year: Celebration rings, bangs, dances into new year

Joy, happiness and prosperity thrived in the Reid Ballroom Saturday, Feb. 7 with the Lunar New Year Celebration. Children sang good wishes, Vietnamese fans danced in unison, a Chinese yo-yo soared through the air and two lions paraded down the aisles. Asian Cultural Awareness (ACA), Campus Activities Board (CAB), and the Vietnamese Cultural Club (VCC) sponsored the event, which has plans to become an annual tradition. The audience included community members in addition to Whitman Students, and excited children kept up the air of wonder. Goals of the sponsors included raising awareness not only about traditional celebrations, but also about the diversity of cultures that enjoy the holiday. “We want to emphasize that the Lunar New Year is not just Chinese,” said sophomore and emcee Lauralee Woods. “Other countries that celebrate it include, but are not limited to, Vietnam, Japan, Tibet, ... Keep reading

The ‘Rohd’ to Harmony: Art in the Obama Age

Ensemble leader Michael Rohd believes art in the Obama age is about changing lives. Clad in jeans and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, Rohd sat on the edge of the stage and addressed his audience. “We’re sort of a small group tonight, so that’s lovely, we can have a conversation!” Rohd said. From there he went on to talk about what it means to live in an age of civic division. “As an artist and a citizen, something I’m called to do is to try to make spaces for people on all sides of big issues to come and talk about them,” said Rohd. His Portland-based company, Sojourn Theatre, rarely uses theaters for their performances. Instead, they make events site-specific, and use location as a fundamental part of their message (search “GOOD / Sojourn Theatre” on YouTube to see an example). In the productions, which typically involve dancing, singing and ... Keep reading

Boobs, blood, bloody boobs in 3D make a poor ‘Valentine’

In 1981, Canada revealed one of its finest exports to date, the low-budget slasher sensation “My Bloody Valentine.” The film is about Harry Warden’s murderous reign over a small mining community after he is trapped underground as the result of an accidental explosion. While the film was neither blockbuster nor a critical darling, it has since become both a cult classic in the slasher genre. Jan. 16, 2009 marks the debut of the American remake, “My Bloody Valentine 3D.” Shot in the new digital HD 4K format and designed meticulously to make axes, severed limbs, and nipples pop out of the screen, the film is the first R-rated film to utilize the trendy, high-budget 3D technology. On opening night, the theater was filled with anticipation. At last, it was time to put on the goggles and get ready for the 3D slasher awesomeness. The film started rolling, ... Keep reading

A new phase for ‘blue moon’: short films, animation

by Alyssa Fairbanks Joint Editors-In-Chief Glory Bushey and Jenna Mukuno seek to take blue moon to the next level with the integration of a new genre of art. For volume 22, blue moon is accepting the submission of short films, animations and even music, as long as it has a visual component. The film and animation pieces will be presented in a DVD insert included with the published, hard copy of the magazine.  When asked why this new genre of art was to be included, sophomore Mukuno said that it was not a spontaneous decision.  “I think it was really a long time coming. Several other large college magazines have a DVD insert,” Mukuno said. “We were actually kind of behind the times.” This sentiment is shared by Visiting Assistant Professor Ben Bloch, who teaches the class New Genre Art Practices. When asked about the decision to include a DVD insert, Professor Bloch also ... Keep reading

Students ‘Bowl’-ed over for commercials

By Josh Goodman Anybody looking for a wardrobe malfunction would have been disappointed.  But for everybody else, the non-football parts of last Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIII were sure to please. At least Cardinals fans have something to laugh about. Most popular among national audiences and Whitman students was a Doritos commercial where a crystal ball that yielded free Doritos was accidentally lodged into a man’s groin. Another Doritos ad featured a man whose every wish came true when he bit into a chip. “They were so funny,” first-year Brett Konen said of the Doritos ads. Junior Shellin Tran preferred an E-Trade ad “because the babies were hilarious.”  In the ad, two babies overlaid with adult voices talk about how to succeed in tough economic times. Not every ad was stellar, though. Tran thought ads for SoBe, featuring human dancers and 3D animated animals, “were not funny or memorable.” The halftime show, meanwhile, featured Bruce Springsteen.  That didn’t seem to ... Keep reading

Working abs rather than minds

by Libby Watkins Amidst their busy schedules, heavy class loads and countless hours spent in the library, Whitman students have found a way to take a break from their work and still receive credit towards graduation.  Through the extensive number of activity courses the college offers, students can learn a new sport, like rock climbing or kayaking, all the while having fun and meeting new people. After having played tennis all through high school, first-year Kelsey Fritts arrived at Whitman hoping to to keep up her game, but not at the intercollegiate level. Signing up for the Intermediate Tennis course, Fritts found that she could play against people of her own level and continue to challenge herself. “There were three levels to choose from,” Fritts explained. “People generally chose the right level for them, but even in each class there was a range ... Keep reading

‘Slum’-ming it at the Oscars: ‘Millionaire’ goes for win

On the one-year anniversary of Heath Ledger’s death, the Oscar nominations were announced, with a few surprises and a posthumous nomination for Ledger’s tour-de-force performance in the box office phenomenon “The Dark Knight,” but no nomination for the film itself or director Christopher Nolan.  Out of the films nominated for Best Picture, only the Brad Pitt-David Fincher collaboration “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” has grossed over $100 million. The other nominees for Best Picture, which are “Milk,” “Frost/Nixon” and “The Reader,” grossed less than $50 million. Those films will be expanding in theaters due to the publicity from the nominations.  As usual, a small indie critical darling steals a Best Picture nomination – but this year’s underdog is in fact the frontrunner. Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” is the vibrant tale of a boy from the slums of Mumbai who goes on the show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” to find ... Keep reading

Top twelve non-Oscar nominated movies of 2008

Lists seem to dominate the landscape of cinematic criticism: top 10 lists, Academy Award nominees, or even the so-called “worst films of all-time.”  While I question the validity of their digits (i.e. the #1 absolute best film of all-time, etc.), lists are a useful starting point for differentiating between the good and the bad, the superlative and the terrible, the worthwhile and the waste-of-time.  With this in mind, I thought I would continue the tradition of lists, save the numbers, and uncover some of the best films of 2008 (in no particular order) that somehow did not raise the Academy’s eyebrows. - “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” (Romania): A gripping account of the last days of Communist Romania, this film is not merely a commentary on the annals of history, but a distressing diagnosis of authoritarianism and the human spirit. - “Let the Right One In” (Sweden): This carefully-crafted pubescent human-vampire ... Keep reading

Bird is ‘Noble Beast’

Andrew Bird has spent the last six years or so carving out a niche for himself. Since shying away from jazz revival and picking up the guitar, his pop records – “Weather Systems,” “The Mysterious Production of Eggs,” and “Armchair Apocrypha” - have transformed into increasingly unique things, with unpredictable turns, substantial shifts in instrumentation and Bird’s voice becoming increasingly expressive as his lyrics get more obtuse. On “Noble Beast,” his fourth solo record and eighth overall, a strange thing happens. Unlike “Armchair Apocrypha,” which overflowed with hooks yet proved itself strikingly replayable, “Beast” requires patient listening to find anything substantial and from the outset, it looks bad. There’s nowhere near as much electric guitar or whistling, too many slow songs and backup vocals on at least a quarter of the record. These songs are ... Keep reading

K.W.C.W. starts Spring Semester with a new line-up

  From bluegrass music to humorous talk shows, Whitman’s radio station, KWCW, has an exciting spring season scheduled for the semester. The spring 2009 lineup began on Sunday, Jan. 25, just one day after new deejays were notified about their shows.  The new schedule includes 94 radio shows, each ranging in duration from one to two hours. Deejays are chosen based on experience, flexibility in scheduling and their proposed show’s content.  In general though, radio shows are given to all enthusiastic applicants. “Just having sort of an interest and a passion and a direction for your show helps a lot: something unique that might set it apart from other shows,” said Kyle Gilkeson, KWCW’s General Manager.  “Punjab Power Hour,” hosted by first-years Sunithi Hindagolla and Simerun “Simi” Singh, is a new radio show airing this spring. Hindagolla and Singh will read excerpts from Core books and discuss them ... Keep reading

Fallen Disney child stars

Late last October, Hilary Duff released a video for her song “Reach Out,” a production that can best be described as a study in heroin chic. In the video, Duff wears sheer tops, gyrates on couches, sucks a shirtless man’s thumb, engages in acts with sadomasochistic bents and generally looks cracked-out. Hollywood Records, a subsidiary of Disney, produced the record and the video. Duff, who starred in the highly-rated show “Lizzie McGuire,” was once the poster girl for adolescent purity and goodness. Her Disney-backed persona was so thoroughly synonymous with innocence that Miley Cyrus, Disney’s contemporary version of Duff, felt obliged to thank Duff in 2007 for “making it cool to be a good girl.”  One year after making that statement, Miley Cyrus (“Hannah Montana”) begins a whirlwind series of very serious and very stupid PR mistakes that make her assertion that she ... Keep reading

Students showcase talent, theatrical flair at One-Acts

by CJ Wisler The spring season of Harper Joy Theater opens with the One-Act Play Festival, which displays the works of three student playwrights chosen by Whitman professors from an array of hopeful writers. A traditional part of the HJT season, the One-Acts provide extra opportunities for students to get involved with Whitman theater. Senior English major Jake Kinstler, whose work was selected, became interested in writing for the One-Acts due to the Instant Play Festival. “I had a really fun time writing, but even more so with the behind-the-scenes process. I wanted to see a more student-scale response to my writing,” said Kinstler.  Kinstler stated he felt “overwhelmed” by the theater’s complexity, creativity and involvement. “I didn’t realize how little things I wrote would be interpreted with such artistic vision,” Kinstler said. “There’s a lot of trust and cooperation between the cast, Emily [Fassler, his director] and myself.” “It’s a great opportunity for students,” said ... Keep reading

Eighty-eight ways to say ‘mediocre’

If there’s anything impressive about The 88, a Los Angeles-based pop-rock band, it’s the fact that their third album—“Not Only…But Also”—was financed on the licensing of their music to film and TV. From “The OC” to the new (read: awful) “90210,” the band’s already made their name just being the background music for ‘tween soap operas. So, yes – kudos to The 88 for being proactive with their connections. The music itself, though? Well… Sporting production from Babyface and Matt Wallace, “Not Only” hits the door running with opener “Go Go Go.” Lead singerand guitarist Keith Slettedahl sings, “Well, I was stranded on the ocean/I was drowning there at best/So I came unto your desert” before belting out a string of go-go-go’s. The same pleasantly-cheesy riffs continue on “Love You Anytime” and “Coming Home,” going back-and-forth with the ever-dependable motif of love peppered in The 88’s lyrics. The ... Keep reading

No ‘Shadow’ of a doubt

Harper Joy Theatre’s upcoming play “The Shadow” had its beginnings as a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Anderson in 1847. Jewish author Yevgheny Shvarts, living in Soviet Russia, politicized the content of Anderson’s tale and turned it into a full length play in 1940. In a climate of political repression, Shvarts’ play balanced classic fairy tale elements with darker themes more appropriate to the times. Sixty-eight years later, Harper Joy Theatre is producing this rarely performed play, in which a traveling scholar enters a fairy tale world and employs the help of his shadow to court a princess. The play builds tension by making the fairy-tale ending uncertain. Despite coming from a very specific political context, the merits of the play make it applicable and worthwhile for a contemporary audience. “Although the play was written in response to the rise of Stalin, like a fairy-tale, it speaks on an archetypical level,” explained Director Chris ... Keep reading

‘TREE-SPEAK’ burrows into different dance roots

The minutes after the last performance of Whitman Dance Theater’s “TREE-SPEAK” were over-the-top. Dancers in fairy-like costumes and street clothes lavished one another with hugs. A few proud parents showed up with the requisite bunches of flowers and friends snapped picture after picture of the dancers in their colorful clown-meets-prostitute stage make up. The photos, flowers and hugs marked the end of close to three months of training by first-time dancers and old pros alike. While the chaos following a show is nothing new, “TREE-SPEAK” marked a new arena in one aspect or another for most of the dancers. The performance, which consisted of four separate dances, brought together a wealth of different forms of dance and different sorts of dancers in the last hurrah of the semester for Whitman Dance Theater. “Dance-wise, it was the most comprehensive [performance] in terms of the types of dance,” said senior Kate Greenberg, who preformed in three of ... Keep reading

Hall Music: Best of 2008

Six records that I failed to cover in 500 words or less: Beach House – Devotion (Carpark) I didn’t much care for Beach House’s self-titled debut. I couldn’t find anything worth digging into in their songs, and I couldn’t find something that made them more compelling than oft-compared-to Mazzy Star and Galaxie 500. “Devotion,” however, won me over completely. Both Victoria Legrand’s organ and Alex Scally’s guitar work are vastly improved, and they’ve grown as songwriters, turning girl group music into ghostly dirges that sound as haunted as I never knew they always needed to be. Why? – Alopecia (Anticon) Yoni Wolf’s bad-year write-up as not-really-an-indie-rap record is brilliantly detailed, dark, dense and often quite funny, proving both his versatility as a writer and a singer. It’s arguably the best record to emerge from the often-difficult Anticon collective, if not the most pop-oriented. Self-filmed fake deaths, the sound of pocket change pulsing, hearts as ... Keep reading

Writers drop pencils, grab mics for Quarterlife

This year, instead of throwing their familiar release parties, Quarterlife is holding open mic nights to celebrate the issuing of their publication.  Though the release parties were popular and widely successful, the Quarterlife staff decided to go in a different direction after Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC) changed the student group alcohol policy to discourage campus organizations from serving alcohol at group related functions.  Instead of having a dry party, Quarterlife decided to try something completely new in hosting open mic events. The first event successfully took place on Friday, Dec. 5. Sophomore Robin Lewis, member of the Quarterlife selection committee, planned and orchestrated the event.  “We decided not to have a party again because we did not feel that we could attract a similar crowd without alcohol,” said Lewis. The open mic event moved the focus of the Quarterlife celebrations away from the party atmosphere.  Instead, the event gave writers the opportunity to orally ... Keep reading

A fence separates ‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas’

As I left the theater, I found myself incapable of controlling my emotions.   Director Mark Herman’s “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” is a rough movie to watch: not rough in the sense that it shows graphic scenes or builds a vivid attachment to a suffering character, but rough in that it stirs up emotions that have been built up over the years “Pajamas” is based on John Boyne’s bestselling novel of the same title.  The story follows young eight-year old Bruno (Asa Butterfield) in the middle of World War II.  Bruno lives comfortably in Berlin, but soon he moves with his parents into the countryside.  See, his father (David Thewlis) is a Nazi official and has just been promoted to a very important position that requires him to relocate to a region away from major civilization. “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” Their new industrial home is surrounded by ... Keep reading

The ‘Pontoon’ will not be sinking anytime soon

Imagine the collision of a funeral ceremony involving a crematory ash-filled bowling ball being dropped into a lake by a nude parasailer; a non-traditional wedding with enormous fiberglass ducks, a flaming hot air balloon, and a singing Elvis falling from the sky; and a sinking boat full of drunk Danish pastors. Imagine all this (taking place in the devoutly Lutheran community of Lake Wobegon), and you will have an idea of Garrison Keillor’s “Pontoon,” a fabulous tale of loss, love and utter absurdity that will leave you in stitches. Keillor is most well known for “A Prairie Home Companion,” his radio show on NPR, begun in 1974, which features his news reports from the imaginary town of Lake Wobegon. “Pontoon” encapsulates the brilliance, hilarity and quirkiness of Keillor’s anecdotes. Though Keillor admits that much of the novel has been told before, there is plenty fresh storytelling to be had. The ... Keep reading

Too many sparkling vampires spoil this adaptation

A movie theatre pitch-black with a slightly red hue could not have been a better setting for the first cinematic installment of Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight,” the teenage vampire romance novel series that is au courant with still-teenage Harry-Potter-generation fans. Accordingly, it is wholly appropriate that the theatre’s acoustics were saturated with Ohhhhh’s (in reaction to Cedric Diggory-cum-Edward Cullen, actor Robert Pattinson) and Ahhhhh’s (in response to the only heated scene of the movie which lasts no more than ten seconds) coming from the same generation that thought the most intriguing part of the “Chamber of Secrets” was Ginny’s prepubescent crush on Harry. Though many have come close (see “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “The Lord of the Rings” series), no movie has ever truly replicated its literary foundation; “Twilight” is no exception. While it’s a “carefully faithful adaptation,” according to New York Times critic Manohla Dargis, my significant other could not ... Keep reading

A ‘River’ runs through it

In the foreword to “Where the Great River Bends,” a new book about the natural history of the Wallula Gap, senior lecturer of environmental humanities Don Snow writes, “The West is so full of dramatic landscapes and massive vistas that we who live here often take them for granted.” Commuters travelling through the Wallula Gap—a large water gorge which runs south of the merging of the Walla Walla and Columbia rivers—often miss its natural beauty, according to Snow. Instead of bringing people to the Gap (although a field-trip on Thursday, Nov. 20 to promote the book was organized), the army of authors and photographers behind “Where the Great River Bends” brought the Gap to people. The book highlights the Wallula Gap through a variety of black-and-white and color photographs, covering everything from its formation to the impact of climate change and damming on the area. The book also ... Keep reading

blue moon’s ‘Big Art’ larger than life despite its difficulties

When the coffee shop Verve closed earlier this year, Jenna Mukuno and Glory Bushey were afraid it might be the end of Big Art as they knew it. Big Art, a three-year-old event that showcases student art and performances in the community, is hosted by the literary magazine blue moon. The past two years it has been held at Verve. But due to financial difficulties, Verve closed its doors in early October. blue moon co-editors Mukuno and Bushey, both sophomores, said they were afraid of what that meant for the magazine. “The original purpose of Big Art was to try and incorporate Blue Moon into the Walla Walla community, more so than just the Whitman community,” Bushey said. “Since Verve closed, we were really nervous that it’d have to take place on campus in Reid Coffeehouse. We wondered, ‘Well how are we supposed to get the community on campus?’ The whole point was ... Keep reading

Auto-tune extravaganza

Despite his massive critical and commercial success, things have not gone well for Kanye West. Shortly after the release of last year’s celebratory “Graduation,” his mother died in much-publicized complications from plastic surgery. His engagement came to a sudden end, he was arrested on two separate occasions for attacking photographers and his “Glow in the Dark” tour ran into technical snags and mixed reviews, leading to a number of all-caps meltdowns on his frequently updated blog. This album, then, is his bloodletting. “808s and Heartbreak” has little to do with West’s last three albums, save for the fact that it is largely about him. It features few guests and almost no rapping. Instead, West’s vocals are exclusively sung through Auto-Tune, the pitch-correction process made famous through the chorus of Cher’s “Believe” and popularized recently through T-Pain and Lil Wayne’s hugely successful singles. Every track relies heavily on the Roland TR-808 drum machine, ... Keep reading

A tangy Thanksgiving Day treat

Plop! It slops out of the can like Jell-O or canned dog food and holds its corrugated, cylindrical shape in the bowl.  You have to mash it down with a spoon to tame it and make it appear appetizing.  Soon your family will be gathered around a table, spooning dollops of the maroon substance onto steaming white meat.  We are all familiar with the canned cranberry sauce that accompanies thanksgiving dinner.  It’s a once-a-year kinda thing. A few years back, I boasted to a friend that my family makes its own cranberry sauce and asked if she had ever had the condiment not from the canned-food aisle.  She responded no and seemed skeptical, yet intrigued.  So we cooked up a batch.  Even before it cooled, she was eating it by the spoonful. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself this Thanksgiving.  Make extra though, because you’re going to want to have this stuff ... Keep reading

Jeans, jeans the musical fruit

by Sally and Sallie Did anyone see the Gucci fall/winter collection? It looked like the love child of Captain Jack Sparrow and Mary Kate Olsen. For the most part, Whitman seems to have avoided the most offshoots of the bohemian chic fad, with mixed results. We’ve been denied the opportunity to bitch about a bunch of Olsenites, but honestly, we’d prefer you even tried. We’re stuck in a wheel-rut between balls-to-the-wall granola and sorority girls that think they fell out of a fucking teen movie. Both call for a time machine set to 1992. Bridges should work on that. In other news, Sally and Sallie (us) are your new saviors. We’re blowing this shit up. You have no idea how much we know about fashion. And style. And Gossip. We’re going to turn this column into the Star Magazine of Whitman College. Hold on to your asses, ass holders. This being our very ... Keep reading

New Classics: Striking first blood with ‘Rambow’

“Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” director Garth Jennings’ “Son of Rambow” breathes life into late 1980’s England. The film follows Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner), an 11-year-old boy fascinated with the world around him. Will’s a cartoonist, and his drawings come to life in ways very similar to those of Gael Garcia Bernal’s character in Michel Gondry’s “The Science of Sleep”. The film experiments a little bit with animation, and I wish it devoted just a little more screen-time to bringing Will’s absurd drawings to reality, since these provide the most visually-pleasing shots of the film. Will’s life is filled with fantasy largely because of his family’s strict religious beliefs: no music, no movies and no TV. Luckily, Will’s exodus from his strict culture-free diet comes in the form of Lee Carter (Will Poulter), a 12-year-old troublemaker with the dream of winning a BBC film contest. He bullies and takes advantage of ... Keep reading

Mr. West can lock it down

Kanye West has never really shied away from showering himself with praise. He once called himself “the number one human being in music,” and recently dubbed himself as “the voice of this generation.” Humble as always, Mr. West. However, he does introduce an innovative sound that has proven to be a big hit worldwide. His latest single, “Love Lockdown,” is new for pop music and new for West, whose past hits have showcased collaborations with other major artists to basic mainstream appeal. But “Love Lockdown,” a leak off his new album “808s and Heartbreak,” is different for West. It had a unique sound that I’ve personally never heard before, especially from West. The song starts off with a basic beat and West’s vocoderized vocal, which seems to be a very popular tool to make songs these days sound more unique and futuristic. It’s a synthesized system that makes sound come off as ... Keep reading

Mr. Bond needs a hug

In 2006’s reboot of the 007 franchise, “Casino Royale,” James Bond (Daniel Craig) dealt with the cold detachment from human contact that came with the job .  In the sequel “Quantum of Solace,” Bond now has to deal with his trauma using a bit of anger management – and by that, I mean shooting people and blowing everything up. The stony and impersonal 007 isn’t necessarily new for the series, but in this film, Bond is so consumed by vengeance toward Quantum, the criminal organization that blackmailed Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) into working for them, that his Hulk-like tendencies tend to get the best of him.  It seems now that Bond has a little case of the butterfingers, “accidentally” killing henchmen who need to be brought in for MI6 questioning.   “Casino” was certainly a dark affair, but director Marc Forster (“The Kite Runner,” “Stranger Than Fiction”) and company push the boundaries ... Keep reading

Friedman’s ‘Shovel’ fails to dig deep with characters

A “near miss” is the best description for Carl Friedman’s “The Shovel and the Loom.” While there is merit in her ideas, the characters and story lines within her novel, as well as her writing style, don’t help her cause. The initial problem with Friedman’s book is that I simply did not care. There wasn’t anything to draw me in, and nothing that made me want to turn the pages. The story doesn’t really begin until a fair way into this short novel, which doesn’t bode well for finishing it. The novel follows Chaya, a philosophy student and daughter of Holocaust survivors in Antwerp. She becomes the nanny for a Chasidic family in the Jewish quarter, and as a non-believer, she has a few problems to face. That said, none of them are all that interesting or thought-provoking. Her struggles are not enticing or alluring. This problem can best be linked back to ... Keep reading

Childhood memories baked into the ‘Perfect Pie’

Most everyone has that one childhood friend that suddenly disappeared from their life—perhaps they moved away or just drifted apart. But the memory of that friend always haunts them—so what happens when that friend reappears in their life? In the Canadian play “Perfect Pie,” two friends—Patsy and Francesca—reconnect after 30 years, reliving their deepest and darkest secrets of the past and present.  The play, which performed from Wednesday, Nov. 12 to Sunday, Nov. 16, stars seniors Laura Gibson and Megan Duffy as Patsy and Francesca, respectively.  Their younger counterparts are played by first-year Trisha Way as young Marie and sophomore Monica Finney as young Patsy. Chosen by theater major Mark Kennedy for his senior project, Judith Thompson’s “Perfect Pie” is the story of two women who grow up together in a small town in Canada. Marie is best friends with Patsy, until one day something terrible happens after a school dance.  Patsy ... Keep reading

‘Titanic’ still sinks, stinks

Our wonderful Penrose is unfortunately endowed with many, many awful movies. Luckily, however, its selection is not mired by ‘Scary Movie’ by-products and ‘Dude, Where’s My Car?’ tangents. But it is mired by a slew of cinematic overrated exaggerations that somehow managed to make the Academy melt come Oscar time, the worst of which is the 1997 undeserving James Cameron blockbuster, “Titanic.” The input: $200 million. The output: poor acting and an unrealistic drama, laced with predictability throughout. Today, somehow, it remains the highest grossing film in the world at $1.8 billion. For those lucky souls out there who have yet to see this modern-day cliché, “Titanic” is the story, told anecdotally at the age of nearly 101, of upper-class Southampton girl Rose Calvert and lower-class voyeur-cum-painter Jack Dawson aboard the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic, the largest passenger ship in the world at the time. Their first ‘hello,’ like their last ‘goodbye,’ is purely absurd. ... Keep reading

Canadian Highway drives diversity in plays, music

Renowned and well-respected Canadian author Tomson Highway came to lecture about Canadian First Nations mythology on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and brought his Cree Cabaret to Kimball Theater on Thursday, Nov. 6. This lecture and Cree Cabaret isn’t Tomson Highway’s first connection with Whitman: his novel “Kiss of the Fur Queen” was taught in English Professor Sharon Alker’s Canadian literature class. “I’ve never seen a class so engaged; there was such vibrant debate, and it was so emotionally compelling. Highway is able to deal with shameful issues in Canada’s past, like reservation schools, domestic abuse and the marginalization of the First Nations, and can still be funny and hopeful. His work also helps us deal with prejudice, and makes us face it and deal with it through mythology. It’s really useful for the United States to see how we might use those ideas to help Americans,” said Alker. After considering other Canadian artists, the Canadian ... Keep reading

Whitman dance department still finding its footing

Native American tribes have a saying: “Only in dance does the body and spirit connect.” The dance program at Whitman has provided many students the opportunity to discover this connection, while at the same time participating in a fun activity. Eight years ago, the Whitman dance studio was built with the help and support of Tom and Tanye Cronin. Since then, the program has grown much stronger along with student involvement. Both Idalee Hutson-Fish and Vicki Lloid, the adjunct instructors in the department, have been dancing the majority of their lives. They have decided to continue their involvement in the craft by teaching students in ballet and modern dance at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. “I love working with Whitman students. They are brilliant and love to learn. It is a rewarding and stimulating teaching process,” said ballet instructor Hutson-Fish. “I needed to dance, and teaching seemed like a good way to do it,” said modern dance ... Keep reading

Bright future ahead for Portland’s Starfucker

It was hard to live near Portland and not be excited for Starfucker’s debut. The band self-released a fine EP in 2007, and they played a ton of shows in and around the city to enthusiastic reviews from everyone I knew who had seen them. More importantly, the teaser single released this summer, featuring “Pop Song” and a cover of Madonna’s “Burnin’ Up,” merited heavy rotation. Sole studio member Josh Hodges essentially filters synth-heavy, electronics-driven pop music through the homespun DIY aesthetic that has come to define Portland bands in the mid-to-late 2000s to remarkable effect. Though “Starfucker” doesn’t completely meet very high expectations, it is frequently much more engaging than it initially lets on. The most immediate winners here are early single “German Love” and the recently-released “Pop Song.” “Love” is, at its core, only a few lines—“German love, I will give it to you” and “She won’t have a thing to do ... Keep reading

Senior art majors panhandle for funding N.Y.C. trip

While most of Whitman adds a few extra hours to their library routine to accommodate the pre-Thanksgiving rush, senior art majors are getting ready for the annual trip to New York City. Unfortunately, preparing for New York involves more than hunting down hip shoes: the fourteen senior art majors also have to come up with over $500 each to help cover trip expenses. “They just got a new $15 million art building. Clearly there’s money to support the arts at Whitman. People just aren’t trying hard enough for this,” said senior art major Meghan Urback. The trip has been going on for around ten years and is considered a selling point of the studio art major. “Students who have attended have said that it was one of the most important aspects of their art education at Whitman,” wrote art department chair Charles Timm-Ballard in an e-mail to the senior art majors. “The things that ... Keep reading

Ph.D’s by day, rockin’ guitar heroes by night

Students may know Keith Farrington in the classroom, but the sociology professor is known for his participation in several bands on and off of campus. Farrington has been a member of the community band Vintage for three years. He is also in two campus bands that mostly consist of faculty members: Loss of Faculties and Orange Fight. “I played really seriously in New England when I was in Maine, at Bates College, and in graduate school at the University of New Hampshire and I played in what I think were a couple of really good sixties blues rock bands,” said Farrington. “When I went to Graduate School I put my bass guitar away.  It was literally 23 years between when I put it away and took it out again. I started building a career in graduate school and then teaching at Whitman.  You don’t have a whole lot of extra time as a young ... Keep reading

CAB entertains students, struggles with declining membership

Campus Activities Board (CAB), the student organization that puts on events like the Cobweb Carnival, the bi-annual Drive-In Movie and Casino Night, has been struggling recently to attract new members and retain old ones while at the same time serve the student body. Putting on an event like the Cobweb Carnival requires many hours of preparation, numerous committees, meetings, volunteers, shopping, set-up time and clean-up time. Yet the organization, which in the past has had 20 to 25 active members, now has only 15 members who regularly show up. According to CAB co-chair junior Kali Stoehr, despite low meeting attendance, the CAB listserv has more than 90 recipients. The CAB Web site defines the organization as “a committee of volunteer students that sponsor a variety of entertainment programs for the campus.” Its mission statement clarifies that it seeks to put on “successful events [that] bring the Whitman community together through alternative social activities ... Keep reading

The New Classics: 007 bakes a gritty ‘Layer Cake’

I know everyone is beyond psyched for “007: Quantum of Solace” to be released on Friday, Nov. 14, and there’s an amazing way to prepare for it by seeing the infamous new James Bond, Daniel Craig, in his original bad-ass role in “Layer Cake.” Although Craig came to most of the world’s attention with his standout performance in the UK television series “Our Friends in the North,” it’s “Layer Cake” that really showcases why he’s the Bond of our generation. “Cake” follows modern-day cocaine dealers on the mean streets of London in the vein of popular British gangster films like “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” (“Cake” director Matthew Vaughn was a producer for both films). “Cake,” however, is immediately different upon its long and epic introduction.  Craig’s character isn’t a common criminal, but a businessman, playing the games of life and planning for early retirement from the enterprise. ... Keep reading

Learn to travel the world by ‘Learning to Breathe’

You can travel all over the world, but the greatest journey you will every take will be inside yourself. The autobiographical book “Learning to Breathe” is an inspiring story of injury and recovery by renowned photojournalist Alison Wright. Since she was in her early twenties, Wright has devoted her life to traveling the world, experiencing and documenting endangered cultures.  Barely ever seeing her apartment in San Francisco, she journeyed all around the world with her camera, living a daring life of constant adventure until a nearly-fatal accident changed her forever.  One day, while traveling through Southeast Asia, her bus was hit by a logging truck. Wright broke her ribs and back.  Her arms were severely lacerated, her lungs collapsed and the rest of her internal organs were ripped apart.  Stranded on a remote mountain road in Laos, she did not receive any real medical care for 14 hours. Once back in the ... Keep reading

All that jazz and more

From the practice and rehearsal rooms of the Hall of Music to the stage of Chism Hall, members of the Whitman jazz ensembles are prepared to share with students, staff and the community their passion through the improvised world of jazz music. Through the eyes of a jazz musician, performances are no different than ensemble practices, apart from the presence of an audience. Whitman musicians take advantage of these performance opportunities to display their skills as a soloist and as an important component of a larger ensemble. “A performance simply allows us to share the great music we make with others,” said sophomore Ross Eustis, a trumpet player in Jazz Ensemble I. As the drummer of Jazz Ensemble I, senior Jack Mountjoy also regards a performance “as a great culmination of everything the band has been working on for the past few weeks.” A substantial part of all jazz performances are solos, which enable ... Keep reading

Ms. Spears is back. Again. (This time with a vengeance)

It’s Britney, bitch. After a year or so of more publicized ups and downs than any celebrity today, Britney Spears’ latest comeback makes it look like all those rehab stints and custody battles never happened. She doesn’t skip a beat with her latest single “Womanizer”, a techno-y and clubbish cut off her latest album “Circus”, in which America’s sweetheart tells her man that he’s nothing but a pitiful chump with a wandering eye. It sounds like a blend of last year’s album “Blackout”, in which the number one hit “Gimme More” was showcased, combined with the girl-power message most female artists try to convey through their music. Not one to shy away from sexual sounds in order to get a point across, Britney includes her typical “ooh’s“ and “aah’s” that would make any womanizer melt. If you think this sounds good, check out the video. It starts off with the singer showing off ... Keep reading

Ska band Danger Mermaid returns for another round

Perhaps it started with a housemate’s Guitar Hero name. Perhaps the flyer posted on a North Hall bulletin board searching for band members got it all going. Or perhaps it all began when Reel Big Fish and The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones were blasting on the radio all through junior high. Either way, Danger Mermaid is here to bring you ska beats to dance to. Whitman band, Danger Mermaid, which became a house party staple last year is ready to hit the campus scene again. “I think it hasn’t really gotten going yet this year because we really haven’t been able to find many times when we could all get together this semester,” said senior and bass guitarist Seth Zippel. “Things definitely took a backseat to The Raptivists because we actually had a real gig [opening for the Blue Scholars] that was a pretty big deal,” said senior drummer Nick Gottschall, who along with Zippel and senior ... Keep reading

The song-and-dance routine is over for these ‘tweens

To say that the third entrée from the “High School Musical” franchise is a “good” movie or even a “decent” movie is as rude and inaccurate as it is to say that Gov. Sarah Palin understands a financial derivative, a fundamental cause of our current economic woes. So, I won’t. High School Musical 3: Senior Year is, however, entertaining. The cloying love-story between varsity-basketball-star-cum-thespian and nerdy-academic-decathlon-champ-cum-actress continues as the narrative launches you into an awkward mug shot of a perspiring and panting Troy Bolton (Zac Effron). Unlike the original movie, this one puts the championship basketball game on the backburner, making the movie’s focus the challenge of the last few months of senior year in high school, including all the goodies: prom, college decisions, the spring musical, graduation and people telling you that they’re going to take over the school once you’ve left. The latter begins troubling Troy from the get-go. In the ... Keep reading

Follow-up to Montreal’s ‘Fauna’ is schizophrenic, ‘hedonistic’

It’s hard to tell where this went wrong. Last year’s “Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?” saw Kevin Barnes perfect his brand of psychedelic not-quite-dance pop he’d been developing for the last five years. Unlike its predecessors, Fauna created a striking contrast through its relentless documentation of Barnes’ divorce, depression and escapism by setting it to disco beats and aggressively energetic arrangements. Followup EP “Icons, Abstract Thee” ended with “No Conclusion,” which condensed most of its predecessor into a schizophrenic, ten-minute epic of self-destruction to stunning effect. “Skeletal Lamping”, when described by Barnes earlier this year as “one long piece with hundreds of movements,” should have played to his strengths. Instead, the album is chaotic, a manic Prince homage (or parody) so overflowing with ideas that it lacks an anchor. These song collages remind me of the Good Idea/Bad Idea shorts from “Animaniacs”, but longer and in rapid succession. Take “Wicked Wisdom”.  Good ... Keep reading

Going to ‘Our Town’

Even though it’s Thorton Wilder’s most memorable play, “Our Town” also has a reputation of being banal and dull. But Harper Joy Theatre’s Family Weekend production of the play was met with surprisingly effusive praise by the community members, students and parents who attended the sold-out shows. “Our Town” focuses on the modest lives of the inhabitants of the fictional Appalachian town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire.  Grover’s Corners is “an ordinary town, maybe a little duller than most,” where very ordinary things happen.  The characters all serve prototypical roles.  The town has a gossip, a drunk, some slightly bored but industrious wives and their caring husbands.  The two main characters, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, are young lovers and stand-outs in their small-town high school.  They even serve in student government together. But Harper Joy’s Production, directed by theatre professor Cindy Croot, surprised many audience members.  Croot changed the play’s concept, making ... Keep reading

Charara a ‘visual poet’ for all

In addition to aesthetic appeal, the artwork of Adnan Charara humorously comments on the nature of humanity through subliminal ideas equally provocative and profound. Adnan Charara, an internationally acclaimed artist who promotes tolerance and individual identity through his art, was recently welcomed to Whitman College. His exhibit titled Osmosis I & II is being displayed at the Sheehan Art Gallery through November 16. Dawn Forbes, the Interim Director of the Sheehan Art Gallery, articulated that “[Charara’s] work occupies the contemporary sphere while still drawing on the rich traditions of African art and Islamic calligraphy as well as European Modernist artists. His work stands as an inspiring example of the beauty, energy and depth that can emerge from a multi-cultured life experience.” Born in South Africa, Charara moved to the United States when he was 19 to pursue architecture. Although Charara’s parents provided for his education, they did not support his artistic inclinations. ... Keep reading

Fancy footwork and zoot suit riots on this dance floor

As the sounds of the ‘30s poured out of the speakers in the basement of the Reid Campus Center, junior Kali Stoehr gripped senior Justin Daigneault’s arms as he led her around the floor.  Stoehr shifted her feet in quick succession, one lifting up just as the other touches the ground, as Daigneault mirrored her elaborate movements with his own fancy footwork. “Just like this: quick-quick-slow-slow,” Stoehr instructed to her Swing/Tango students as she danced with Daigneault, never missing a step. Afterwards, the pair asked the group if they needed any extra instruction before practicing with their partners. “We’re here to help,” Stoehr said.  “Review is always good so we can—.” “—tell us when we screw up?” A male Swing/Tango student asked as nervous laughter erupted around the circle of would-be swing kings and tango queens. Group interaction is not unusual during Swing/Tango since the class emphasizes learning—rather than competition—among dancers. “We do social dancing, rather ... Keep reading

The New Classics: Wave goodbye to poor ‘Lenin!’

East Berlin, 1989: Young rioters fill the streets with noise, loudly protesting their government’s harsh restrictions that separate them from the real world.  The Wall is about to fall, and the iron curtain is about to reveal its repressed citizens. Director Wolfgang Becker’s “Good Bye, Lenin!” paints an intimate picture of this historical period that occurred just twenty years ago, but is far from the thoughts of current college students born during the same time. The movie focuses on Christiane (Katrin Sass), a single mother and loyal comrade who wholly believes in the GDR’s importance in the world.  Just a few nights before the wall falls, she sees her rioting teenage son Alex (Daniel Brühl) being harshly beaten and carried away by the police.  A heart attack strikes and lapses her into a coma in which she is relegated to a hospital, laying unconscious for months; the same months where the wall ... Keep reading

Customized scares dominate ArtWalla haunted house

Trick-or-treating this Halloween won’t be the only thing to do in Walla Walla. ArtWalla, a nonprofit art agency, will be putting on a Haunted House at the historic O’Donnell Building on Oct. 25, 30 and 31. With both a family friendly section and a ‘scare your socks off’ section for the more daring, the Haunted House will be open for two nights, closing with an all-ages Halloween party at 26brix at 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, along with live Brazilian music by Eduardo Mendonca. ArtWalla has been around since 1992. It is a nonprofit art agency that promotes and celebrates access to art in the community. “Primarily, this is accomplished through our Art in Public Places Program in which we raise money, purchase public art and donate it to the City of Walla Walla.  It is through our efforts that many of the public sculptures have been placed on the streets of downtown,” said ... Keep reading

Atwood pitches ‘The Tent’

Poignant, understated drama is what comes to mind when describing Margaret Atwood’s “The Tent.” A small collection of short stories, poems and literary works, some of the material published here in 2007 has been previously shown in other compilations of Atwood’s. “The Tent” consists of deeply emotive vignettes that hang together not through common characters or plot lines but rather through trends and themes in Atwood’s writing. Although there is no over-arching narrative all of the stories come together to form a cohesive message. The same can be said of each individual excerpt. If you are looking for a long narrative with in-depth character development and analysis, “The Tent” will likely not please you. Very few of the chapters consist of a complete story and while they sometimes feel disjointed when read right in a row, each story has the perfect amount of detail to nail home the point but remain succinct. Reading more ... Keep reading

Big band, bigger ideas

While some bands may be content to perform at parties, Whitman’s White Vowels are looking to looking to distinguish itself as a company that will reach audiences beyond Whitman. “We want this to be universal. We want everybody to playing us,” said junior Peter Richards. “Our goal is for you go to a house party where a live band is playing, and they won’t be playing their songs. They’ll be playing our songs.” After several members had played together in the past, Richards, Julie McQuary ‘08, Kevin Klein ‘10 and Finn Straley ‘10 organized the group this summer. The group now has 19 members, who work together to write and perform folk music influenced by different music from opera to the rock band Slipknot. “We decided that we wanted there to be as big [a band] as possible, and that just started to translate into every conception of the word big—many band members, many different types ... Keep reading

The New Classics: hard times in the ‘City of God’

Among the library’s many overlooked cinematic gems is directors Fernando Meirelles’ and Kátia Lund’s ‘City of God,’ the 2002 Brazilian drama that took the world by storm for its naked portrayal of blood- and power-thirsty juvenile crime in its port city of Rio de Janeiro. The movie is teeming with blood, violence and horror that makes you question the vulnerability of life itself. In the words of film critic Stephen Holden, “it reminds us that the civilized society we take for granted is actually a luxury.” Indeed, the movie is frightening not for the already unsettling fact of murder, but for the gut-wrenching knowledge of the mere age of the perpetrators. Spanning two decades, none of the film’s characters surpass the age of 25.  The majority of them are under the age of 16. The most telling quote of the film comes from a boy named Steak & Fries: “I smoke, I snort. ... Keep reading

Stay tuned: Blue Scholars holla’ in Walla Walla

It’s a sound that Seattle-ites are used to and one that out-of-staters have grown fond of. Back by popular demand, Blue Scholars will be visiting campus for a second time this Sunday, Oct. 19. Their unique style stems from soulful lyrics about politics and social issues. This strikes a chord with the more politically active youth, especially considering their strong interest in the current elections. Blue Scholars are a pair of musical activists: MC Geologic and DJ Sabzi. Together they blend deep words with smooth-flowing beats. Sam Chasan, the ASWC Public Events Director, organized the upcoming concert based on the overwhelming requests from students to bring in the Seattle-based duo. Chasan believes that it’s because the Blue Scholars have more to offer than most artists students listen to today. “It’s lyrical hip-hop. It’s not the kind of hip-hop you’d hear on the radio that’s kind of like a bumpin’ beat and a few ... Keep reading

Chamber Orchestra provides student-run concerts

Listening to music on an iPod can never replace the feeling of going to a live concert with real instruments and talented musicians. At Whitman, it’s not difficult to find live music anytime around campus, from Coffeehouse on Fridays to various concerts on weekends. Among the variety of music ensembles at Whitman is the Divertimento Chamber Orchestra, created by senior Lee Mills. “I created this orchestra in fall semester last year when I realized I wanted to be a conductor. I started by asking students I knew personally and then asked teachers for recommendations for spots which I had not filled,” said Mills. “We performed three times last year and will also have a total of three concerts this year.” Mills pursued his passion for conducting after taking the introductory conducting class in his sophomore year. After studying composing at a workshop in Portland, Ore., he came back and started the Divertimento Chamber Orchestra. “When ... Keep reading

Art aficionados flock to Fine Arts House living room

Since last Tuesday, sophomores Liz Hockett and Peter Baryshnikov have decorated their living room just how they like it: chock-full of art. The reason for the more than 26 pieces proudly displayed in the Fine Arts House’s (FAH) living room? Their biannual living room gallery, a campus-wide event displaying any and all art submitted. The FAH living room gallery was originally started years ago, but was decommissioned after the installment of student shows at the Stevens gallery in Reid and Sheehan Gallery in Olin. Last year, however, FAH RA Rachel Hahn reinstated the old living room tradition with the goal of giving the campus a completely unfiltered showing in which to display work. “[The living room gallery] is a more casual atmosphere. It’s more relaxed, more open, more flexible [than Sheehan]. People who aren’t necessarily established artists feel comfortable,” said Hahn, a junior. Among the artists that took advantage of the campus-wide call for submissions ... Keep reading

Emotional, psychological winter in July’s latest

“No One Belongs Here More Than You” is a collection of short stories by the multi-talented Miranda July.  Written from perspectives of varying experiences, genders and sexual preferences, these stories are a haunting and enchanting journey through the psyche of loneliness and intense desire. While the book would most likely appeal to a female audience, it is nonetheless a remarkable study on the universal aspects of the human condition.  Most of the stories are written in first person and from predominantly female and often homosexual perspectives. Primarily character driven, these short narratives go on deep journeys through the emotional and psychological universe of a single person, while the physical plot is often as simple as a walk down the street. For example, in “The Man on the Stairs,” a woman lying in bed goes through a deep internal journey simply by pondering over the sound of someone climbing the stairwell outside her door. Preferring ... Keep reading

No Country for Idiots: Coens laugh again with “Burn”

The Coen brothers (“Fargo,” “O Brother Where art Thou,” “No Country for Old Men”) have a very strong personality in showbiz.  They are notorious for screwing around with the actors and workers on set, and ultimately, with their audiences. Their critically-acclaimed films are almost guaranteed to attract attention from  critics and avid moviegoers alike. For exactly this reason, every actor wants to do a Coen brothers’ film.  George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and John Malcovich approach “Burn After Reading” with utterly awesome performances as the main characters and the smaller parts with just a few lines are even filled with recognizable co-stars.  But, will the all-star cast and Coen brothers’ script of “Burn” live up to the high standards set by their award-winning past? As I left the movie theater, I honestly couldn’t answer that question.  The movie leaves you stuck in your thoughts, trying to figure out exactly ... Keep reading

Creating something from nothing for Instant Play Festival

It all started with an idea that Chris Petit, Assistant Professor of Theater, pitched last spring to the theater department through the Whitman listserv. “In short, the festival will create, produce and present 13 plays in 48 hours,” said Petit. “This is the first time we’ve had anything like this at Whitman, but if it goes really well, maybe it’ll become a tradition. No one knows, but we’re all very excited,” said sophomore Tessa Carlson. Harper Joy Theater presented the Instant Play festival - the promised 13 plays in 48 hours - on Sep. 27 and 28. With over 65 students and 15 faculty members participating, the event aims to bring together the Whitman community and inspire creative spirit among those who may not have much theater experience. “As far as the casts, they can be anyone. All we had to do was put our names on a list. And it’s not just students, there are ... Keep reading

Digging out memories of 9/11 in “Falling Man”

These are the elements of Don DeLillo’s “Falling Man”: Smoke rising and rubble falling, acts of extreme selfishness or altruism played out in an atmosphere of confusion, and bewildered and scarred characters emerging from a city becoming a post-apocalyptic world unto itself. “Man,” an enigmatic and poignant novel, explores several lives deeply affected by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center: Keith, a man who escapes from one of the towers; his estranged wife Lianne and son Justin; and Hammad, one of the hijackers. These characters move in and out of the narration like ghosts, their identities and purposes often ambiguous, fading behind a curtain of aftershock and half-numbness that dominates the story. Dialogue—both internal and external—dominates the majority of this novel. Keith, Lianne, Justin, and Hammad grapple with the difficulties that have been forced upon them.  Keith ponders his desires and attachments to other human beings as he tries to reconnect with ... Keep reading

‘Proust and the Squid’ turns reading into a scientific exercise

It is a miracle humans can read. It is a miracle we are able to decode not only the symbols of our alphabets but also the meanings entrenched behind sounds, word combinations and sentences. “Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain,” written by Maryanne Wolf, gives ample evidence to support these facts. Wolf starts her book with the statement, “We were never born to read.” As a student at a small liberal arts school, majoring in a social science, this is hard to grasp. All I do is read. Every day I get home from classes and activities and assess my reading load for the night. It is always daunting. How can it be that this thing that takes up so much of my time is not innate within me? Wolf examines this exact question, beginning with the earliest known languages and writing systems. From the Sumerians ... Keep reading

Writing House enforces creativity, one prompt at a time

Only in the family room of the Writing Interest House could one find students focused on a “bucket o’ beets.” Over 25 students sprawled on couches, chairs and the floor to write about the imaginative phrase at last week’s Writer’s Colony. Each Thursday at 9 p.m., the eight residents of the Writing House host the weekly tradition open to all students. “Writer’s Colony is all about being part of a large group and writing about a prompt with no restrictions on what you can write. It’s just about being creative with words,” said sophomore Kyle Byrd-Fisher, a resident of the Writing House. Writers write for about 10 minutes on each of three prompts, which range from asking writers to picture themselves in a certain situation to a short phrase that writers interpret for themselves. “One prompt in the past that I really liked was ‘write a story in the fourth person.’ It was the ... Keep reading

Unconventional sculpture creates buzz on campus

The art department’s contributions to the new Fouts Center for Visual Arts have inspired artistic contemplation in some students and genuine confusion in others. The meaning of art professor Michelle Acuff’s scaled statue of David paired with an oversized orange chain has created quite a buzz. “I heard that the chain was supposed to look like a necklace—for the building… for David?,” said senior Shawn Kelly. While many students can only claim hearsay, others have attempted interpretation of the piece. “I think it is a metaphor about the contrast between the structuralistic idea of psychology and the Gestalt theory,” first-year Katelyn Sorensen said. “The art of the chain and David combined is worth more than the wall on which it is mounted.” Professor Acuff is delighted that Whitman students and community members are discussing the art. “It was intended to be a conversation piece,” Acuff said. Asked to contribute to two tiles for the façade of ... Keep reading

Sculptor Chabre strives for whimsy, character

I rang the doorbell of a beautiful Walla Walla house, constructed in 1886. Wayne Chabre’s wife answered the door and welcomed me into their home. After explaining that Wayne had probably forgotten about the interview, she went outside and whistled for him. He came running in, a little bit disoriented, confirming her suspicion. “I guess I won’t be working in the shop this afternoon, then,” he said, smiling. Chabre is commissioned to create public art by various organizations committed to making art more accessible to the public. The Washington State Arts Commission Art in Public Places Program commissions many of his pieces.  The 1974 law that established the program mandates that state-owned buildings must spend 0.5 percent of their construction budgets on artwork.  Public schools, state agencies, community colleges and universities are all considered “state-owned buildings.” Once Chabre is chosen by a commission to create a work, he meets with a series of ... Keep reading

Whitman community welcomes Dagoberto Gilb

Whitman students, staff and community members welcomed Mexican-American author and poet Dagoberto Gilb to Kimball Theatre on Thursday, Sep. 25. This event signified the beginning of the Visiting Writers Reading Series. At the gathering, Gilb talked about his struggles and achievements as a writer, revealing to audience members a rather humorous evaluation of his career. Gilb described his reason for becoming a writer in a peculiar and surprising way: “I don’t know. Someone must have administered electric shock therapy. It’s like a disease [or] like the feeling when you’re about to sneeze.” As a writer “you have problems with identity. There should be workmen’s compensation for being a writer,” said Gilb. As a Mexican-American, Gilb’s Chicano identity has an inevitable and implicit effect on his writing. English Professor Katrina Roberts commented on the impact of Gilb’s Mexican-American heritage on his work:  “His writing has definitely been shaped by the way he identifies with his ... Keep reading

Instant play festival successfully debuts on campus

It all started with an idea that Chris Petit, Assistant Professor of Theater, pitched last spring to the theater department through the Whitman list serv. “In short, the festival will create, produce and present 13 plays in 48 hours,” said Petit. “This is the first time we’ve had anything like this at Whitman, but if it goes really well, maybe it’ll become a tradition. No one knows, but we’re all very excited,” said sophomore Tessa Carlson. For the first time, Harper Joy Theater will be showing 13 plays in the span of 48 hours at the Instant Play Festival on Sep. 27 and 28. With over 65 students and 15 faculty members participating, the event aims to bring together the Whitman community and inspire creative spirit among those who may not have much theater experience. “As far as the casts, they can be anyone. All we had to do was put our names on ... Keep reading

Book Review: ‘Proust and the Squid’ breaks down reading

It is a miracle humans can read. It is a miracle we are able to decode not only the symbols of our alphabets but also the meanings entrenched behind sounds, word combinations and sentences. “Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain,” written by Maryanne Wolf, gives ample evidence to support these facts. Wolf starts her book with the statement, “We were never born to read.” As a student at a small liberal arts school, majoring in a social science, this is hard to grasp. All I do is read. Every day I get home from classes and activities and assess my reading load for the night. It is always daunting. How can it be that this thing that takes up so much of my time is not innate within me? Wolf examines this exact question, beginning with the earliest known languages and writing systems. From the Sumerians ... Keep reading

Andrew Hill sings from the heart

Senior Andrew Hill, a musician since age 7, a song writer since age 10, entertained Whitman students while performing at Coffeehouse in the Reid Center on Friday, Sep. 19. A past performer at Coffeehouse, Hill again relished in the supportive ambiance and expressive freedom it provided. Like other Whitman student musicians, Hill took full advantage of the opportunity to perform for his peers in an upbeat and relaxing environment. Every song Hill performed was his own creation and reflective of his musical ingenuity. He enjoys explaining his honest opinion on poverty, racial inequality and the war through music. Hill’s voice and songs are entirely unique and expressive of his personal take on the world. “I write mostly classic rock, but also what you would consider folk or pop. ... Keep reading

“Specimen days” pieces together stories to understand human psyche

“Specimen Days,” written by Michael Cunningham, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Hours,” is a compilation of three stories: a ghost story set during the Industrial Revolution, a modern crime mystery, and a futuristic romance between an android and a reptilian woman from another planet. These wildly different chapters are linked to each other by the enigmatic presence of a captivatingly beautiful bowl, Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass,” and the following sentiment: “Urban society is pretty terrible. We should all move back to nature.” While Cunningham’s daringness and originality should surely be admired in this novel, greater issues, such as the stories’ collective message and the crafting of a cohesive narrative, seem to fall by the wayside in the face of unbridled imagination and Walt Whitman worship. The first part of the novel is about a young boy struggling to take care of his parents and his brother’s ... Keep reading

Block Party suceeds indoors

Reid Campus Center buzzed with excitement last Saturday as students sporadically dropped to do pushups, jumped in an inflatable bouncy-castle and sprayed paint on T-shirts during the annual Interest House Community (IHC) Block Party. The interest houses were encouraged to put on events pertaining to their respective houses. Patrick Herman, IHC Resident Director, wanted to spread awareness about the houses. “I really wanted to have a good time and to invite people to learn about the houses... We have a goal to really open the IHC to campus this year,” said Herman. Students were invited to partake in a variety of events. Many houses offered food. There were crepes, piñatas with candy, Vietnamese rice pudding, cotton candy and popcorn, among other treats offered to students. “The food ... Keep reading

Laughing the night away with Theatre Sports

“Do I have a best friend? Well of course I do. It’s my hand.” Jokes like these had the entire audience laughing hysterically ten minutes after 10 pm on Tuesday Sep. 16. The comedy came from Whitman’s improve theater group known as T-sports, who put on their first performance of the school year. There were no scripts, no props (except for chairs) and yet the audience never stopped laughing. “I fully believe in improv as a form of performance, and I want to be involved in it for the rest of my life,” said Sarah Hatheway. The seven person team - sophomore Finn Straley, junior Peter Richards, senior Evan Cartwright, senior Sarah Hatheway, senior Kevin Moore, senior Benjamin Kegan, and alumni student Julie McQuary - come from ... Keep reading

Penelope Cruz dazzles audience in Woody Allen’s latest feature

Woody Allen’s 39th installment will, among other things, quench an intellectual cinematic thirst that has been snoozing in a den of stupid-comedies since the Oscars, save those of you who watched any of the late HBO miniseries’ or movies, including “John Adams,” “Recount” and “Generation Kill.” In “Vicky Christina Barcelona,” a type-A lanky brunette, a free-spirited blonde artist in search of her calling, an attractive and impulsive established painter and, in the words of The Economist, a “sloe-eyed, chain-smoking Iberian hurricane” are tossed together in a mixture that - in the end - reveals how treacherous and impatient, yet astonishingly close to inconsequential, an episode of romance can be. The backdrop, Spain’s northeastern city of Barcelona, is idyllic in the sense that it strongly appeals to the three of the movie’s senses: culture, art and romantic getaways. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is in it for the culture. Her pursuit of a master’s degree in ... Keep reading

One-woman play humanizes Middle Eastern conflict

Harper Joy Theater’s first play of the season required countless hours of memorization and work by its cast—a cast of one person. Senior Rosie Brownlow performed in the one-woman production of “My Name is Rachel Corrie.” The show had four performances between Thursday, Sep. 11 and Sunday, Sep. 14. “My Name is Rachel Corrie” chronicled the last few months of the life of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old woman from Olympia, Wash. After high school, Corrie attended The Evergreen State College. While there, she took classes that caused her to become more involved in local and world politics. She ultimately joined the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a human rights organization that brings world-wide volunteers to the Gaza Strip. Corrie traveled to the Gaza Strip herself in early 2003. The play is an ... Keep reading

BSU dance brings together student community

From the classroom to the dance floor, the Black Student Union talked logistics and made final preparations for the annual hip-hop dance, predicting a high turnout to the all-campus function in the Reid Ballroom on Friday, Sep. 12. The Whitman community was buzzing with excitement while anticipating the “biggest social event on campus,” said BSU Treasurer Kiet Vo. President Jordan Wheeler similarly expressed the magnitude of the event: “It’s so big that fraternities schedule their parties around the dance.” Many Whitman students expressed their excitement, looking forward to a crowded dance floor, flashing strobe lights, and a night brimming with laughter and hip-hop music. “College students want to have a good time; hip-hop brings everyone together. It is universally known and celebrated,” said BSU member Anthony Woods. As Wheeler said, this dance “brings people together”  and helps “establish connections with all students” in an entertaining and enjoyable manner. As the club advisor, Professor Nadine Knight, ... Keep reading

Fouts Center for Visual Arts opens amidst excitement, controversy

Charles Timm-Ballard, chair of the art department, stood in the second floor painting studio and pointed toward the skylight overhead. “They made models of what the sun will be doing at different times of day throughout the year.  Each of [the skylights] is placed so that the way the light from the skylights combines with the light that comes in from the other windows and those artificial lights, there will be the absolute minimum amount of glare,” said Timm-Ballard. At the dedication ceremony on Saturday Sep. 3, trustees, donors, students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members roamed the cement floors of the Fouts Center for Visual Arts, taking in the details of the state of the new art facility. “I love the light.  It’s really breathtaking,” said sophomore Dana Bialeck of the $15 million art facility. Bialeck’s sentiment was echoed by a most everyone who had toured the new building.  While a few people ... Keep reading

Sheehan gallery aims to bring art to students and community

Artist Candace Nicol excitedly took the stage to the applause of students, faculty and community members. Her presentation described her journey as an artist and explained her artistic process. Nicol’s presentation is one of many the Sheehan Art Gallery hopes will accompany its exhibitions in the coming months. The gallery typically shows five to six exhibitions per year. Nicol, an artist from Las Vegas, NV, is praised for her ability to create unique works of art by fusing a variety of different art forms together. Her process brings together printmaking, painting and digital photography, combining them in ways that add to the character and depth of each piece she creates. Her exhibit, Manifestations: The Male Nude, is being showcased alongside a collection of pieces by Jedidiah Chavez entitled This Feeling will Surely Leave You in the Morning. Nicol’s talk was something relatively new to the Sheehan gallery. “To keep interest in the gallery ... Keep reading

Perry’s film evokes psychological themes

“Tyler Perry’s The Family that Preys” is a lightly sermonizing and heavily moralizing interracial soap opera that leaves us briefly stirred, but ultimately unsure of what to take away from the film. Perry typically makes films that are set in Atlanta, have conspicuous and predictable moralistic themes, have pious undertones, cast mainly African Americans and credit himself in the title. The Family doesn’t diverge much from the pattern, except that this time he includes a few white characters in the foreground. The cast, on the whole, is spectacular. Almost every actor deeply stirs our sympathy. The plot and directing, on the other hand, though stimulating throughout (just as a teen gossip magazine is stimulating throughout), are artistically mediocre. The film follows the intrigues and melodramas of two families, one white and one black, with an unlikely relationship. At the head of the former is Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates), the obscenely wealthy ... Keep reading

Book Review Milan Kundera’s ‘Ignorance’

Kundera’s “Ignorance” is a modern version of the Great Return, coming home after the Odyssey has taken place.  While simultaneously questioning if such a return is even possible, Kundera tells the story of two Czechs who,  after being exiled for 20 years, accidentally run into each other while flying back to their homeland in 1989, after the fall of Communism in Prague. Irena, who left Prague with her now-deceased husband, is coming home only to encounter a transformed culture that is at once familiar and alien.  Her idea of a glorious homecoming is shattered by the realization that the people she once knew are indifferent to the past 20 years she has spent living in Paris—her Odyssey ceases to exist after she has reached her Ithica.  Josef, who returns to Prague to fulfill a promise made to his since-passed wife, experiences a similarly disheartening reunion.  He no longer belongs to the ... Keep reading

Fey stays smart in ‘Baby Mama’

There is a certain brand of humor generated by “Saturday Night Live” that makes for entertaining sketch comedy, but shoddy comedic films. For years, SNL has tried to cash in on their most popular characters by drawing out what should, at most, be 15 minute sketches into feature length films such as “Night at the Roxbury,” “The Ladies Man,” and “Superstar.” These films almost always turn out to be disasters, or at least extremely dull, because a single funny idea just isn’t funny anymore when reiterated for an hour and a half. Tina Fey, one of the smartest, most inventive writers SNL has ever employed, has managed to break out of the typical sketch to screenwriting mold like no one from NBC’s hit show has before. Her first screenplay, “Mean Girls,” was a masterpiece of the teen film genre, if there has ever been such a thing. Part parody, but rooted in ... Keep reading

Netflix it: the color of friendship

Remember the days when the Disney channel would come out with an original movie every month? They would be called, cleverly, Disney Channel Original Movies? Most of them were pretty dumb. Fun to watch, but dumb. And then, in February of 2000, “The Color of Friendship” got released and everything we thought we knew about the Disney channel changed. The studio that brought us such golden reflections on racial politics as “Peter Pan,” “Pocahontas” and “The Lion King” suddenly tackled South African apartheid like it was born for the job. Five incredibly short years after black South Africans cast their votes for the first time in history and Nelson Mandela was elected President, the freaking Disney channel was making movies about political assassinations and the Afrikaaner equivalent of the n-word. Then the movie won an Emmy. People sat up a little straighter and started paying attention. Mahree Bok (Lindsay Haun) is a white ... Keep reading

Aesop Rock to perform tonight in RCC

Hip hop laureate, Aesop Rock, born Ian Matthis Bavitz, is coming to campus with force Thursday, May 1. Recording music since 1997, Aesop Rock was a forerunner of the underground rap scene and is best known for his detail-driven narratives and eclectic rhymes.Reviews for Aesop Rock claim he has, “introduced a raw, urgent, intelligent new sound designed to break the monotony of mainstream rap,” and that “listening to Aesop Rock is like taking your brain on a futuristic urban hell-ride through pop culture.” Aesop Rock has been met by sold out shows on both coasts and across the globe. His popularity is establishing a wide range of fans. Playing music from his 2007 release “None Shall Pass,” students can expect traditional hip-hop, futuristic funk, and even some laid-back rock riffs. Tracks are interlaced with sociopolitical critiques and inventive word-play: “Duke of early retirement pick a dream / American nightmare hogging the screen ... Keep reading

RenFaire popular, yet faces uncertain future

“Unfortunately, I left my armor at home, in the laundry,” said Ruth Garcia, an Oregon resident, as she peddled chain mail at Saturday’s 38th annual Renaissance Faire. “Luckily vending is fun!” This year’s faire drew colorful costumes and eye-catching performances, from sword fighting demonstrations to musical and theatrical performances. Some attendees were highly enthusiastic about recreating the medieval period. “I was in England when I saw some of these old pieces,” Garcia said of her motivation to create chain mail. She began working on some pieces as many as three years ago, in addition to knitting and crocheting. She is also a member of the Empire of Adria, who led broadsword demonstrations throughout the day. Others merely came for a day of free entertainment. “Though I’m not particularly interested [in the time period], I’m really enjoying it,” said Walla Walla resident Juli Stout, with three children in tow. “The activities are great for kids, ... Keep reading

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Sit, Ubu, Sit’

As long as you don’t live under a rock and you’ve watched network television at some point in the last 20 years, you’ve heard the phrase, “Sit, Ubu, Sit” followed by a bark and “Good dog.” “Sit, Ubu, Sit” is the name of a production company started by Gary David Goldberg, and also the name of his new memoir about “how [he] went from Brooklyn to Hollywood with the same woman, the same dog, and a lot less hair.” Goldberg is the writer and producer of “Family Ties,” “Brooklyn Bridge,” and co-producer of “Spin City.” With credentials like that, Goldberg has a right to be arrogant, but he’s not. His entire memoir praises the people who helped him. More of a glorified thank-you note to others than an exercise in selfishness, the memoir reads like Goldberg is running out of time to tell the people he loves that he loves them. ... Keep reading

ArtWalk inspiries young artists

The program allows artists and performers to display their work downtown in Heritage Park (between Spokane and Colville on Main Street) on the first Friday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m., May through December. ArtWalk was founded by Whitman alumna Julia Harris in 2006 and has served as a medium for young artists including musicians and performers. Performing artists are encouraged to sell CDs or originally produced art and can collect additional income through tips and donations. According to Chris Erickson of Tourism Walla Walla, “One addition to ArtWalk this year will be performers on the street, whether music or talent; we are hoping to showcase our local performing artists to an audience of passersby.” Another addition to ArtWalk is the ArtSpace for young artists (ages 15-30), which allows artists to “show their work and have an ability to sell their original work, crafts and goods,” said Erickson. There will be no ... Keep reading

Senior art majors present their theses

One of the first art theses that greets visitors upon entering the Sheehan Gallery is Kento Ushikubo’s “The Auq,” a nearly 10-foot leech-like monster, whose open mouth visitors are invited to step into. “The Auq represents the imaginary that humans feared as children,” Ushikubo wrote in an Artist’s Statement hanging nearby the piece. “The Auq” is part of Senior Art Thesis Exhibition, a display of theses by 11 Whitman senior art majors. On Friday, April 18, the exhibition opened with a reception at the gallery. The reception was preceded by the Perry Award Lecture by contemporary artist and Perry Award Juror Marie Shurkus. “It’s really interesting to have met the lecturer beforehand and then to see what she’s interested in,” said thesis presenter Emma Wood. Wood, whose thesis is an installment of light boxes that experiments with shadow and silhouette, described the atmosphere as unreal. “It’s like we’re in a real gallery space with people I ... Keep reading

Netflix It: “Thelma & Louise”

“Thelma and Lousie” gets a pretty bad rap. I will tell you right now: it is not a fun road trip movie. It is not a girly slumber-party movie. It has guns and blood and rape attempts and cars going over cliffs. It’s not a chick flick. It kicks ass. Everything starts out innocently enough. Thelma (Geena Davis) and her best friend Louise (Susan Sarandon) are ready to leave their dead-end jobs and relationships and take a drive. They pack small suitcases and plan to gamble and drink and have fun together. They take a Polaroid picture of each other in Thelma’s driveway, smiling in the sun and wearing new sunglasses. Things get exciting pretty quickly. The first bar they stop in, Thelma is assaulted by a cowboy in the parking lot and is almost raped except that Louise shoots the cowboy. Now it’s real. There’s a dead body outside the bar, ... Keep reading

Chan and Li, together at last in ‘The Forbidden Kingdom’

It’s a good thing “The Forbidden Kingdom,” the long-awaited first-ever collaboration between Hong Kong legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li, is so much fun, because deep down it’s a little depressing. The delightful mythical story—about an irreverent martial arts master called the Monkey King, who is held captive by the Jade Warlord until the prophesied Seeker returns his magic staff to the Five Elements Mountain—is bookended by the modern-day story of Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano), a Boston teen obsessed with old kung fu movies. Jason frequents the Chinatown memorabilia shop of Old Hop (Chan in terrific make-up), and one day in a back room he stumbles upon the real-life version of the dusty old staff that belonged to the Monkey King, and finds himself catapulted into the fantastical world of the Middle Kingdom, where the Jade Warlord is crushing all who fall in his path. The aim is that Jason will be ... Keep reading

Spoken word artist Staceyann Chin fills coffeehouse

Spoken word poet Staceyann Chin performed at Reid Coffeehouse Friday, April 18. The event was sponsered by ASWC, the Campus Activities Board (CAB), Coffeehouse, and Feminists advocating Change and Empowerment (FACE). Some of the issues that Chin’s poetry addressed including masturbation, menstruation, sexuality and sexual assault. Sophomore Rachel Hahn described the performance as being very empowering. “She was extremely bold in the way that she addressed all of these really important issues,” Hahn said. The event drew a large crowd. “It’s as full as I’ve ever seen cofeehouse,” said Hahn. Keep reading

Phi Delta Theta raise over $1000 for local youth center with ‘Battle of the Bands’

Judging from the size and enthusiasm of the crowd, it was hard to believe that it was a Tuesday night. Whitman students cheered, danced and sang along to the lyrics for three hours as seven different groups played at the Phi Delta Theta’s Battle of the Bands fund-raiser that raised over $1,000 for charity. Sophomore Albert Lee organized the fund-raiser for the Walla Walla Community Center for Youth (CCY). Although many of his fraternity brothers initially wanted the money to go their national charity for Lou Gehrig’s disease, they eventually decided to donate the money to CCY. “We wanted to do something for the community, too; we thought that it would be more beneficial and have more impact to donate it to CCY because it’s in Walla Walla,” said Lee. Lee had his own reasons for urging the Phis to consider the center.“I personally wanted to do something for the kids because ... Keep reading

‘What is the What’ provides unique perspective of Lost Boys

Dave Eggers’ “What is the What” is the true story of Valentino Achak Deng, a young boy who escapes from the massacre of his home in Sudan to walk for months across the deserts of three countries to reach safety along with thousands of other children called the Lost Boys. Facing the daily threat of militia attacks, government bombings, wild animals, disease and ever-present starvation, Achak suffers through seemingly endless conflict and struggles to maintain a sense of self, to hold onto his humanity and his will to survive even as others around him die one by one. The deadly journey brings Achak and the other survivors first to Ethiopia, then finally to a refugee camp in Kenya. Here, Achak waits for years, not knowing his purpose or even if his family is alive, until he is brought to live in the United States. The narration of “What is the What” switches ... Keep reading

Wilbur reads celebrated poetry at annual Walt Whitman lecture

When Richard Wilbur, former U.S. Poet Laureate and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry, ended his reading at Thursday’s Walt Whitman Lecture by sharing a few of his lesser-known children’s poems, some audience members were skeptical. “I thought he was kidding when he said he was going to read the alphabet poetry,” said senior Ben Stevens. “But it ended up being really good and funny.” Wilbur’s “Disappearing Alphabet” poems were only a small part of his multifaceted poetry reading, which also included short, long, rhyming and non-rhyming original poems, as well as a series of translations of Latin riddles. The reading was the culminating event in this year’s Visiting Writers Reading Series (VWRS). The series, directed by Creative Writing Professor Katrina Roberts, brings celebrated authors and poets to campus to read their original writing. This year, writers in the series have included Sam Witt, Carolyne Wright, Kim Barnes, Tim Marshall and Jon Clinch, and ... Keep reading

Netflix it: Step Up

I do not personally find Channing Tatum attractive, so you know this review is legit and not hormone-driven. That being said, I did watch it because it stars Jenna Dewan and she once dated Justin Timberlake. I’m scoping out the competition. Needless to say, she’s got a lot on me.Dewan plays Nora, a wealthy suburbanite attending the Maryland School of the Arts for dance. In the days leading up to her senior showcase, her partner sprains her ankle and she is left partnerless for the most important dance of her career. Enter Tyler (Tatum), the hoodlum who’s stuck doing community service at MSA after vandalizing it with his two best friends. Little did he know his janitor uniform was about to be traded in for some leggings and some pirouettes.Actually, that’s a lie. He doesn’t wear leggings until much later. He dances in baggy jeans and Timberland boots. I kid ... Keep reading

‘Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day’

What better way to indulge in nostalgia than to make a period film? Bharat Nalluri’s new film, “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,” takes this idea one step further and actually mimics the style of films made in the period he is trying to evoke.“Miss Pettigrew” is reminiscent of the great screwball comedies of the ‘30s and ‘40s, such as “Bringing Up Baby” or “It Happened One Night.” Glamorous, flouncing leading lady? Check. Scads of suitors vying for her affections? Check.High-society cocktail parties and ornate costumes? Check, check. But mere mimicry of good filmmaking does not another good film make. The film must bring something new to an audience, so that it burns with its own flame rather than acting as the reflection of something greater. “Miss Pettigrew” frequently succeeds in this effort, mixing farcical comedy with the threat of real consequences and simply delightful performances from an excellent cast ... Keep reading

Students drink tea, eat their words

On Tuesday, April 1, art students and friends gathered in the Olin Faculty Lounge to participate in an edible-book tea party, an annual tradition hosted by art professor Mare Blocker. The celebration takes place yearly on April 1 and is observed by book arts communities around the world. “The tea party is a way for arts communities around the world to participate in a global activity, in their own little neighborhoods,” Blocker said. This is the third year that Blocker has organized the event at Whitman, although she has participated since the ‘80s. Blocker also participated in this year’s exhibit at the Center for Book Arts in New York. Blocker encourages guests to bring books they have made out of edible materials to enter into an informal competition. The books, after being displayed and awarded prizes, are then eaten. This year’s books ranged from cream cheese and tortilla “scrolls,” to cookies with fortunes baked in ... Keep reading

Top 10 YouTube videos you’ve never seen

You’ve seen “Obama Girl,” OK Go’s treadmill exploits, the Evolution of Dance, prisoners dancing to Michael Jackson, the “Leave Britney Alone!” guy and “Dick in a Box.” Maybe you’ve even spent some time f*cking Matt Damon or Ben Affleck. But now it’s time for some truly epic, possibly obscure and inevitably offbeat videos that you may have missed. Only one rule: no animals on skateboards. Oh, and I promise not to Rickroll you. 1 “Rejected Jokes,” [youtube.com/rejectedjokes] This endearing and self-deprecating guy was a writer for “Saturday Night Live,” “Letterman” and a few other comedy shows. He now makes videos with laugh lines that were tossed in the trash—some of which are decent, others less so. Sometimes, he has B-list guests embarrassing themselves. 2“A Beginners Guide To Faking Your Death On The Internet” by user “lukeuea” [youtube.com/watch?v=ZXUHy8vrVY0] Feeling unwanted? Unimportant? All you need is a Livejournal and a really twisted mind (check and check). Try looking to the ... Keep reading

Whitman bookstore adopts new online purchasing methods, works with ASWC towards rental program

Prices of books in the bookstore should decrease as new buying methods are considered. Bryan Hoppe is the new textbook buyer this year, and one of his primary goals for the bookstore is to reduce the prices of books for students.  Hoppe, who is younger than previous textbook buyers have been, is planning to use the Internet as a resource.  He is working to buy more from online vendors and is taking advantage of the used book market. One text that is normally sold used for $30 is being sold for $6.50 this year. ASWC is working with the bookstore to adopt a textbook rental program.  Through the program, students may save as much as one-third of the cost for a textbook. However, students can’t sell back books at the end of a semester, so the actual savings may not be as high as they may initially seem. The textbook rental program ... Keep reading

‘X-Men Trilogy’

I’m generally not an enormous fan of the action movie, but I make exceptions. Each one of the X-Men movies is an ENORMOUS exception. I got the trilogy for Christmas last year as a “we’re-about-to-break-up” gift, and that still didn’t ruin them for me. I’m still obsessed. Granted, much of this obsession is fueled by Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). I have loved her since childhood, when I watched the X-Men cartoons. Mostly I like that she’s the most powerful mutant in any of the movies, but they still bother to name the movies after men. Anyway. Jean’s is the most exciting story of the mutants, as she grows (mutates?) from an unsure psychic to the terrifying Phoenix, who disintegrates things (and very important characters) with her mind. After she turns all veiny and sort of purple and fiery looking. It’s freaking awesome. Also of note is the not-so-subtle political commentary being made ... Keep reading

‘21’ deals a rags to riches rollercoaster, lacks reflection

One of the least celebrated but most charming of standard movie plot propellers is the Impregnable College, that most intimidating and rigid of institutions––usually Harvard or Yale something-or-other, law, medical, you name it. The school represents both the great dream of the protagonist and his or her insurmountable challenge––to get in, to fit in, to raise enough money to go, etc. The funny part is that the institutions that Hollywood sets up at the arrival end of the American Dream are invariably portrayed as cold, towering, and unhelpful. In reality, many of the nation’s top schools have stellar financial aid programs and a stated interest in helping disadvantaged or unusual candidates get accepted and thrive as students. The Hollywood Harvard, however, is always an unyielding ivory tower, and it appears this week in “21,” where young Ben Campbell is a moppy working-class Boston kid who needs $300,000 for Harvard med school. Never ... Keep reading

Book Review ‘Salt: A World History’

In his book “Salt: A World History” Mark Kurlansky explores the rich past of a common object. The book traces the history of one of our planet’s most abundant resources and does it such a way that makes you care. Kurlansky jumps head-first into the history of salt, beginning before the common era and taking the reader on an international journey through time to the present day. The book presents salt as a unifying culinary force, transcending national boundaries. Kurlansky offers original recipes from around the world, including an ancient Greek recipe for preserving tuna, an Englishman’s instructions for salt cod from the 17th century, and a 20th century Irishwoman’s advice for making spiced beef. Although the recipes can become a bit tedious for the non-foodies among us, Kurlansky redeems himself with description of what may be the most interesting part of salt’s past: its effect on language.  The word salary literally ... Keep reading

Cryptic script, dark themes drive Harper Joy Theatre’s ‘Apparition’

“Apparition,” subtitled “An Uneasy Play of the Underknown,” follows a group of characters rehearsing for a performance of “Macbeth.” Written by Anne Washburn and directed by Professor Cindy Croot, the play explores paranoia and the anticipation of fear. “It’s about the idea of fear before seeing something that’s actually frightening,” says senior cast member Beth Frieden. The characters are tied together by their involvement in “Macbeth,” but the script frequently breaks out into monologues on characters’ own stories. “It’s so unusual. I’ve never read a script like it,” says junior cast member Seren Pendleton-Knoll. “It’s very conversational: sounds like ‘um’ and ‘ah’ are written into the script.” “When I first read the script, it just seemed like a lot of sentences thrown together,” said junior cast member Bryce McKay. “It seemed very disjointed. During rehearsal, however, it became much clearer. The playwright did a great job of taking a lot of ideas that don’t seem ... Keep reading

BOOK REVIEW: Water for Elephants

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen is the story of a young bereft man who finds himself employed as a veterinarian in a Depression-era traveling circus.  Confused, moneyless and utterly robbed of the promising future he had always anticipated, he is launched into a new life filled with unlikely friends, the troubling politics surrounding worker and animal treatment, physical abuse and a complicated and dangerous romance. In addition to the dramas between characters and the adventures the main character Jacob is exposed to in the big top, “Water for Elephants” also grapples with some historically significant issues.  Class differences, poverty, animal abuse and alcoholism are some of the main obstacles that Jacob must deal with. While this book presents a virtual barrage of excitement and traumatic experiences, as a whole, the characterization, psychological development and dialogue remain remarkably juvenile. Throughout the story, Jacob acquires all kinds of emotional baggage that the book completely ... Keep reading

‘The Bank Job’ delivers the goods, a grimy heist flick

I’ll admit it—I’m a sucker for a good heist movie. There is something hypnotizing about watching a group of people commit a (mostly) nonviolent crime. Why is it that we always root for the criminals to get away with it? Maybe because pulling off a heist takes such careful planning, such perfect calculation, that we can’t help but admire the gumption of those who actually decide to do it. Plus, since the antagonists of heist films are frequently the “evil” rulers of large businesses, like banks or casinos, we get to enjoy the Schadenfreude of watching the little guys screw over the big ones. Personally, I like the glimpse these films allow into a world in which, in all likelihood, I will never take part. All of these are components that make almost any heist movie entertaining, but Roger Donaldson’s new film, “The Bank Job,” has a bit more to offer than most ... Keep reading

Whitman Chorale, Symphony to perform ‘Requiem’

This Saturday, the Whitman Chorale combined with the Whitman Symphony will set its sight high, performing Mozart’s Requiem. At 7:30 in Cordiner Hall, the choral program and the symphony will be presenting their spring concert, directed by Dr. Robert Bode. “Requiem is a really demanding piece” said first year McKenna Milici.   “There really is no such thing as easy Mozart, but it will be especially challenging to sing for that long.  Amazing, but challenging” she said. First year Michelle Davenport agreed;  “There are a lot of really high parts.  It will be hard to sing for that long, but the musical themes are absolutely amazing” she said.  Both Milici and Davenport are members of both the Chorale and the Chamber Choir. Requiem, which Mozart only partially completed before dying, is one of his most famous pieces.  Franz Xaver Süssmayr completed the piece after Mozart’s death.  The Whitman Choral program is able to undertake ... Keep reading

Where have the boys gone? the video game culture at whitman

It has come to my attention that some boys are frequently preoccupied; they only show up to eat their daily meals and then mysteriously disappear. Their appearances are becoming barely more regular than the presence of a blue moon. The reason for this odd behavior is not a living, breathing organism with a pulse. No, instead the culprit is a massive pile of twisted and tangled cords belonging to Playstations, Xboxes, Nintendo 64s and their respective controllers. Although video gaming seems rather foreign to a large proportion of the Whitman community, I am pretty partial to the idea of sitting around multiple hours a day kicking it on Super Smash Bros. I remember when I used to think that video gaming was merely a silly pastime that people partook in. What I’ve realized recently, however, is that video gaming has become a form of lifestyle more than a routine activity. What I’ve learned, ... Keep reading

Local artist captures community’s attention

“Butterflies are my favorite,” said local artist Virginia Peacock. “I like drawing animals best. Sometimes I do stars. But landscapes are good, too.” Known around town as “the crayon artist,” Peacock, who is developmentally disabled, has become something of a local celebrity because of her vibrant works of art. “I start with crayons, and then I paint over them. Sometimes I even use colored pencils or poster paint.” The 48-year-old artist’s paintings are gaining in popularity as more and more local businesses are buying and displaying Virginia’s art, and their customers are taking notice of the brightly-colored drawings. “Virginia came in here selling her paintings not long after we opened the store last April,” said Rare Finds owner Kris Reed. “I just fell in love with her work. People are so attracted to it, because it’s very innocent and very childlike, and yet there’s some very sophisticated artistic elements in it. They get really ... Keep reading

‘Definitely, Maybe’ an unexpected pleasure

With a tagline like “Three relationships. Three disasters. One last chance,” one might expect the fourth disaster that the wordsmith who composed that line forgot to mention will be the film itself. But as much as you can’t judge a book by its cover, you also shouldn’t judge a movie by its tagline. After all, practically the same tagline could apply to “Casablanca.” That isn’t to say that “Definitely, Maybe” is a comparable film to “Casablanca”; these films don’t even exist on the same plane as one another, and to say such a thing would be heresy. The point is, “Definitely, Maybe” is not as bad as you might expect. It is written and directed by Adam Brooks, who also penned the screenplay for the charming film “French Kiss” back in 1995, and while it has certainly been churned out of the same romantic comedy machine as many other films of ... Keep reading

book review: stealing budha’s dinner

Chances are, there has been a time in your life when you felt like you didn’t fit in; a time when it felt like everyone but you had a niche, a role, an identity. And, chances are, you felt like you were the only person feeling this way, but you weren’t. “Stealing Buddha’s Dinner” is this story. Written by Bich Minh Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant, this memoir is a beautiful ode to identity, lack of identity and the ever possible chance that even when we’re home we may not belong. “Stealing Buddha’s Dinner” follows Nguyen and her family from Saigon in 1975 to greater Grand Rapids, Michigan and her struggle to find an identity amidst profound change. Nguyen was determined to be American and strove to be like her peers. She loved food and longed to eat American foods, packaged and full of preservatives. Pringles, Toll House cookies, Steak ‘n Shake, Hamburger ... Keep reading

netflix it: pride and prejudice

This should have been the first movie I ever wrote about. It’s that important to me that you watch it IMMEDIATELY. By that I mean, watch it the next time you have four free hours and a hankering for Jane Austen. I am referring specifically to the BBC version of  “Pride and Prejudice,” starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Accept no substitutes. This version is much longer than most, as it was first presented as miniseries. I promise you, every minute is worth it. The plot of Austen’s most beloved novel follows the Bennett family, consisting of four daughters, a quiet father and a ridiculous mother prone to fainting spells and giggling. In typical Jane Austen fashion, all the girls are on the lookout for husbands in an era where love matches are just becoming acceptable. All, that is, except Lizzie. Lizzie (Jennifer Ehle) is the Carrie Bradshaw of “Pride and Prejudice.” Everyone ... Keep reading

Netflix it: princess mononoke

Hayao Miyazaki is one of those directors you are either obsessed with or have never heard of. I am obsessed with him. His movies are incredibly creative, bordering on insane. They’re all animated, but this is about as far from Disney as you can get in the same medium. And every one of them, to my knowledge, has a strong female lead or supporting character. Princess Mononoke, played by Claire Danes in the English version, is a half-wild human who lives with wolves. She is met by Ashitaka (Billy Crudup), a warrior who is cursed by a boar/god/disgusting monster thing. The only cure for his otherwise fatal mutilation is to find the deer god. You think this sounds tame, but really there are some beheadings and dismemberments in between. It’s Miyazaki, so the violence is metaphorical and magical, but getting your head shot off looks the same no matter how you ... Keep reading

WGA Writers Strike ends, business getting back to normal in Hollywood

“These past three and a half months have been very tough,” Oscars host Jon Stewart told the crowd at Kodak Theater on Sunday night. “The town was torn apart by a bitter writers strike, but I’m happy to say that the fight is over. So tonight…welcome to the make-up sex.” Stewart, of course, was referring to the Feb. 12 conclusion to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which lasted over 100 days and threatened the Feb. 24 Oscars ceremony. At the core of strike was disagreement over new media residuals. “The studios clearly won,” said Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Film Studies Robert Sickels. “I don’t think they gave much; the writers are still paid a pittance.” The WGA voted 92.5 percent in favor of returning to work. Under the new agreement, which runs till at least 2011, writers will get a total of $1,200 for streamed programs in the first two ... Keep reading

‘Major Barbara’ features Whitman alumnus

George Bernard Shaw’s controversial “Major Barbara,” directed by Nancy Simon, addresses unending issues concerning faith, morality and its relation to poverty.   The play centers around Major Barbara Undershaft, an officer of the Salvation Army in 1906, and her disillusionment regarding the corruption of Christian leaders to accept money from armament manufacturers.  Barbara Undershaft’s rejection of her world of affluence to provide charity and faith for the poor is challenged by her estranged father, a man who made millions selling ammunition. Junior Kristan Brown plays Major Barbara. She describes the play as an exploration of “the true meaning of morality.” “[The play is] witty and clever—a lot of fun!” said senior Kaitlin Phillips. What made the production of this play truly unique was the return of Whitman alumnus (’77) and celebrated actor Mark Chamberlin, who was invited back to play Major Barbara’s estranged father, Andrew Undershaft. “Mark was great!” said Kaitlin Phillips. “He’s really fun ... Keep reading

Decline of American reading culture: Literature’s struggle in face of pop culture

According to the 2004 survey by the National Endowment for the Arts called “Reading at Risk,” less than half of Americans read literature for pleasure.  The national decline in reading culture has been seen most notably in America’s youth.  The study also noted that the number of literary readers fell 10 percent between 1982 and 2002, but now the rate of decline is increasing. These statistics may reflect what you’ve already been noticing or hearing about from your teachers and parents for a long time: reading culture in America is on a definite decline, heading towards what some fear is an ultimate demise.  It may have been translated into other forms of media or replaced entirely by new types of entertainment but pleasure reading, especially for young Americans, is becoming a thing of the past. The most obvious culprit behind the decline in literature reading is the modern entertainment that seems to ... Keep reading

Fast Forward: Notes on the future of ‘Lost’

For those with patience, and a strong ability to ignore the sense of being dragged inexorably toward disappointment, “Lost”—on ABC, Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. this season—has provided all the fascination, thrills and pseudo-metaphysical mumbo jumbo of “Twin Peaks” and “The X-Files” while, remarkably, being hip enough to attract hordes of viewers without duct tape on their glasses. Now that executive producers J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof have announced that the show will definitively end with its 117th episode in 2010, the fourth most-watched show on television has a lot going for it. For those who yet retain their dignity, “Lost,” loosely speaking, is about the survivors of a plane crash—Oceanic flight 815—who find themselves on a mysterious island that attracts some very mysterious people. For the truly curious neophyte, much better than reading this article would be to visit abc.com and watch “Lost: Past, Present, & Future,” a summary show that ... Keep reading

Energetic FAH residents engage community

A house full of fine arts fiends can be a colorful group dynamic. This semester’s residents are a mix of photographers, painters, actors and dancers. Surprisingly, none of them are fine arts majors. “Even though we’re all majoring in non-art-related areas, we each have a passion for something artistically creative,” said sophomore theater veteran and environmental studies-chemistry major Spenser Meeks. Most popularly known as the “FAH,” the house is part of the Interest House Community on campus, which was formed in the 1970s by student groups and academic departments. Today, there are 11 interest houses. The FAH sits on the corner of Boyer Avenue and Otis Street. The FAH currently houses seven sophomores: Meeks, Lauren Imbrock, Lara Spengler, Cristine Tennant, Susannah Lowe, Marie Westover and the newest RA, Rachel Hahn. All seven residents make for great company and are constantly busy around the house. “It’s a pretty high energy group, so there is almost ... Keep reading

‘Finn’ author Clinch to speak in

The Visiting Writers Series returns this semester with a reading by author Jon Clinch at 7 p.m. today in Kimball. Clinch is the author of “Finn: A Novel,” released in 2007. The book was named one of the best of 2007 by the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Christian Science Monitor, among others. It is also on the shortlist for the first ever “Best Recommended List” by the National Book Critic’s Circle. Clinch’s Web site features praise for his novel by several other authors, including Mary Gaitskill and Sara Gruen. “‘Finn’ is as dark, as brutal, as ambivalent and as insane as the history and legacy of American racial slavery. It is also graceful, imaginative and relentlessly intelligent,” wrote Gaitskill in her review. Before becoming a novelist, Clinch taught American Literature and Advanced Composition to high school students. During this time he was awarded the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Award. After three years of ... Keep reading

2008 Oscar Predictions

The 2008 Academy Awards—mercifully saved from an ignominious press conference by the end of the Writers Strike—will be announced on Feb. 24. Below, the Pioneer’s resident film critics give their picks and predictions for the big six. GREYHAVENS: “No Country” won Best Picture among the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Chicago Film Critics Association, National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle, among many others—but “Atonement” won the Golden Globe. “There Will Be Blood” is the most deserving film of the bunch, a profound, full-spirited odyssey that, I think, will emerge in the coming decades as one of the great American films—but this race will come down to the Coen brothers’ grisly mystery and Joe Wright’s melodrama. “No Country” is the favorite, but Oscar swoons for English grandeur, so “Atonement” could upset. And how in the hell did a cupcake like “Juno” get nominated in the first place? SALVI: It’s ... Keep reading

Netflix It: ‘Once’

“Once” is the kind of movie you get done watching and then ask yourself, “Why do I EVER watch movies that aren’t independent?” The answer is: because you’re brainwashed. Fight the system. Watch “Once.” Shot documentary-style in Ireland, the movie follows a broken-hearted musician (Glen Hansard, who looks like a real guy) who is swept off his feet by a charming, forward foreigner (Marketa Irglova, who wears no makeup and looks like a real girl).  More than their romance, “Once” follows the music the two make together over one intense week. Their names are never revealed, so that we know them only as “Guy” and “Girl” in the credits, but amazingly you never realize you don’t know them.  The characters are so real they don’t have to force an identity on us. They have real singing voices, recorded in front of the camera, which makes the incredible soundtrack that much more remarkable. ... Keep reading

Student places in European film-writing contest, attends workshop in France

“Amazing” cannot even begin to describe sophomore Dena Popova’s experience at a recent screenwriting workshop in France. Popova, a rhetoric and film studies major and native of Bulgaria, was invited to attend the workshop after her screenplay, “In the End, It Rains,” was one of 25 selected in an annual European short film-writing contest sponsored by Nisi Masa, a French film organization. Two screenplays are chosen from each country, and Popova’s was one of two selected from Bulgaria from an applicant pool of over 70. She was also the youngest participant selected. The theme for this years contest was a circle. “I wanted to make this combination of something very traditional and related to folklore and something very modern and up to date,” said Popova of her inspiration for “In the End, It Rains.” “I played with a very fascinating Bulgarian tradition, Vaydudulka, of old women making a prayer for rain and the dance they ... Keep reading

BOOK REVIEW ‘The Professor and the Madman’

If you don’t already have an obsession with words, you might wonder why Simon Winchester’s “The Professor and the Madman” was even written.  But this historical account of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is more exciting than non-English majors would think. We’ve all heard of it, we’ve all used it, but how many of us have ever stopped to consider how difficult it would be to collect every word in the English language into one book?  “The Professor and the Madman” tells the story of Professor James Murray, the leader of one of the most difficult projects in literary history, and an American named Dr. W. C. Minor. During the compilation of the OED, a process that took several years, Minor submitted over 10,000 definitions and proved himself to be a remarkable authority on linguistics.  If there was ever a word that gave the OED trouble, they would consult ... Keep reading

Clean, green Valentines

Across America today, approximately one billion greeting cards will be exchanged, as well as about 110 million roses, with the average lovebird forking out about $95 for their significant other. In other words, Valentine’s Day means a lot of waste. Rather than emptying your wallet this year, why not refuse to consume? Here are a few green ideas for the non-consumer in your love life: MAKE CHOCOLATE: This can be as simple as melting some dark chocolate in a bowl over just-simmering water and dipping nuts, dried fruits, or strawberries. Let dry on wax paper in the fridge. COLLAGE YOUR LOVE: Include old magazine clippings, string, melted crayons, clear contact paper, comic strips, or pictures from children’s books at the thrift store. HOME-MADE CARDS: One beautiful idea is to sew colorful ribbon through an old brown paper bag and to glue this on top of heart-shaped card stock. PLANT SOMETHING: Get a few seeds from dried ... Keep reading

Alumnus offers ‘conservatized’ humor, words of wisdom

When one of the most memorable Whitman grads comes back to campus, embarrassing memories are bound to come up. Douglas Carlsen, director of the Whitman College Bookstore, introduced John Moe as someone who had “always been an entertaining actor.” In fact, Carlsen was so impressed with the alum’s speaking and performance skills that he recorded Moe’s commencement speech from the 1990 ceremony. “I thought, ‘Oh crap. He’s going to play the recording,’” said Moe, modestly reacting to his introduction. The alumnus was persuaded to speak at his alma mater with the help of free One-Act tickets for that night’s showing, a production that Moe was involved with during his tenure almost 20 years ago. Moe started out doing theater work after graduation, before going into a radio career in his early 30s. He has been in public radio for seven years and continues “to find stories I find interesting. They’re the easiest to ... Keep reading

netflix it: center stage

I’ll tell you right now: I only know one boy who likes this movie. But that’s just because not enough boys have seen it, I’m sure. It’s full of attractive women. Really, boys, it’s a goldmine. “Center Stage” is the story of a group of young dancers following their dreams of ballet stardom at the American Ballet Academy. There’s Jodie, the main character who falls for her sleazy teacher; Maureen, the only actor in the movie who has no history with dance, and whose character has the ever-present ballerina eating disorder; and Eva, the feisty one whose attitude gets in the way of her potential. One more reminder, guys: They’re all gorgeous. ALL. I adore this movie for several reasons. One: outstanding dancing which you will, I promise you, try to imitate during or immediately after watching. There’s one move in particular with a pelvic thrust kind of thing that my sisters ... Keep reading

art vs. ENTERTAINMENT

We are surrounded by would-be painters, musicians, filmmakers and authors with tortured souls and delusions of grandeur, obsessed with making the “next great American novel” or some other masterpiece. People everywhere absolutely have the right to do this and make whatever it is they want to make—but I, for one, am sick of it. We artists, art-lovers and people who call ourselves both are so wrapped up in the concept of art and beauty and symbolism, that we have become an elite people: silly and arrogant and full of our own self-importance. We’re a culture of peacocks, marveling at unexplainable shapes and words, nodding our heads wisely and pretending to find meaning in the meaningless. It is time to cast off the desire to produce and consume only the “meaningful”—we need to recognize and appreciate entertainment for what it is, without any pretense of “art” marring this appreciation. Take the movie “300.” Terrible, terrible ... Keep reading

‘27 Dresses’ wears audience’s patience thin

Well, we all knew it had to happen sometime. Frankly, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. Director Anne Fletcher has taken the old axiom “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” and brought it to life on screen. Well, sort of. “27 Dresses” has all the classic elements of a romantic comedy: an unlikely pair of youngsters who just happen to keep bumping into each other, the acerbic best friend, the promiscuous sister, the break-out-into-song-together-while-drunk moment, etc., etc. And yet something is missing. The film doesn’t have the wit of “Annie Hall,” the charm of “When Harry Met Sally,” or even the absurd comedy of “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” It plays like a lesser version of “Runaway Bride,” which was not a very good film in the first place. Other than the obvious, the premise is this: Jane (Kathrine Heigl) loves weddings. She loves the flowers, the cakes, the invitations and the look on ... Keep reading

ART vs. entertainment

In 1965 Bob Dylan was asked whether he considered himself more a singer or a poet. He answered, famously, “Oh, I think of myself as more of a song and dance man, y’know?” The moment is immortalized in D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary “Don’t Look Back,” and looking back, the quote is useful not only as a means to understand the supposedly perpetually “mysterious” Dylan, but in considering the similarly mysterious relationship between art and entertainment. Why then did Dylan shy from the question, the very asking of which appears to legitimate his standing as an artist of wide public appreciation, a figure who fundamentally altered the course of one of the 20th century’s most culturally and artistically enduring and influential forms by injecting poetry into rock and roll? Or did he shy away at all? I think, rather, that Dylan’s answer is a bold statement on the nature of art, a nature which ... Keep reading

BOOK REVIEW: ‘god is not Great’ attacks religion

Christopher Hitchens, grade-A asshole, leaves no religion un-attacked in his latest work, “god is not Great; How Religion Poisons Everything.” This book offers a piercingly harsh look at religion, calling on real examples, historical and contemporary, as the basis of its assault. There is no rest for the weary when it comes to the list of religions under scrutiny, with the potential to offend anyone who cares to read it. Discussing monotheist, polytheist, Western and Eastern religions alike, “god is not Great” cites human rights abuses, wrongful death and torture, war and more as examples of “how religion poisons everything.” Some of Hitchens’ examples of injustice are hard to argue. However, he artfully spins other instances in order to make his case. Hitchens charges that fascism, Communism and Nazism were all exacerbated by religion. Although this is irrefutable in some cases, his argument sometimes asserts the pious are to blame for ... Keep reading

Whitman students hypnotized at Sigma Chi House

Half of the students in the room suddenly jerked their hands, swatting at flies that only they could see. These students were in a hypnotic trance, courtesy of Rich Jacks, Whitman’s associate dean of student health and wellness. The event was held at the Sigma Chi fraternity house on Tuesday, Jan. 30. “I’m not going to make anyone look stupid and foolish,” said Jacks, to the disappointment of the crowd. “It’s up to you whether you become hypnotized or not; it depends on your individual cooperation and concentration.” Jacks then divided the group into two circles: a smaller one in the middle of those who only wanted to observe and a bigger surrounding circle of students eager to be hypnotized. Those on the ... Keep reading

‘Untraceable’ a guilty, gratuitous spectacle of gore

Some years ago I was introduced to a Web site (which shall remain nameless) dedicated to awful photos—of autopsies, accident victims, malignant tumors, deformities, feces, meth addiction. I remember one image, of a man who was thrown from his motorcycle face-first onto the pavement so that his bottom jaw was ripped off. I will always remember that image. I have no doubt that there are many other sites like this one, where people can ogle not only pain and suffering but the most grotesque, visceral pain and suffering available. Now there is “Untraceable,” a movie that takes this very real perversion and amplifies it to an extreme that seems both horrifying and natural, even inevitable. There is a serial killer loose in Portland, Ore., but he never touches his victims. Instead he straps them to torture devices which are wired into the counter on his personal Web site. Each time someone ... Keep reading

‘Volvos,’ ‘Eggs,’ ‘Cleavage’ for this year’s One-Acts

The plays in the One-Act Play Contest, running from Feb. 6 to 10, have been entirely produced by students. Students have done the writing, directing, casting, and will even do the judging. Retired Physics Professor Craig Gunsul, started the contest 19 years ago to promote creativity on campus. “As a physics professor, I felt that the college was superior at encouraging analysis, but lacked in promoting creativity,” said Gunsul, “Acting is such a gutsy proposition. Putting it all out on the table like that is hard.” His intent to promote creativity has been successful. This year, there were 12 one-acts submitted, and over 400 students are projected to attend, making it one of the most popular productions put on in Harper Joy. Last November ... Keep reading

‘There Will Be Blood’ challenges viewers’ conscience

What does it mean when the Academy nominates not one but two films for Best Picture that offer no tidy conceptions of “right” and “wrong,” no chance for redemption and no just punishment, but instead only depict greed, revenge and their natural consequences? “No Country for Old Men” was the first, and now we have “There Will Be Blood.” The Academy must either be growing more pessimistic or more realistic. It’s not as if these are new notions that writers and directors are exploring—Paul Thomas Anderson based his screenplay for “There Will Be Blood” on a novel titled “Oil!” by Upton Sinclair, penned in the 1920s. And yet the Academy has shown an obvious tendency in the past towards films that serve up some sort ... Keep reading

Netflix it: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

There is no movie I can think of more ahead of its time than this one. It tackles America’s favorite political hot button (racism) by following the story of an interracial couple breaking the news of their controversial engagement to their parents. It’s also notably the movie Spencer Tracy made immediately before he died, which adds a poignant gravity to his speech about undying love to Katharine Hepburn in the last scene. Despite the presence of these two enormous stars, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” manages to keep the focus on the task at hand, which, in this case, is shocking the socks off of conservative America. I audibly gasped twice at how unabashedly radical this movie is, even 40 years after its release. There are those among my grandparents who certainly did not approve of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” despite Sidney Poitier’s dreamy dreamy face. There are bigger political ... Keep reading

Writer’s Strike continues; industry suffers

Twelve weeks into the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike, many television programs have gone dark. “I was watching ‘Chuck’ and there was no resolution! Suddenly it just ended, and my sister and I just looked at the screen and said ‘What!?’” said senior Deanna Lucini. The strike began in November and primarily focuses on the writer’s perceived rights to Internet residuals. The WGA is facing off against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and asking for  2.5 percent of profits from new-media sales and distribution. Writers are currently not paid for streaming material—including full episodes archived online—which some companies have argued is “promotional material,” despite embedded advertising. “Soon, when computers and your T.V. are connected, that’s how we’re all going to watch,” said writer Howard Gould at a WGA meeting just prior to the strike. “Those residuals are going to go from what they are towards zero if we ... Keep reading

blue moon’s ‘Install Me’ takes over campus

This week Whitman’s literary magazine blue moon went 3-D. On Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m., blue moon hosted “Install Me,” an exhibition of performance and installation art on campus. For one hour, the entire campus became a gallery of student art that couldn’t be printed in blue moon. Kate Rosenberg, editor-in-chief of the magazine and creator of “Install Me,” chose installation and performance art specifically because they are underrepresented on campus. “This is the first year we’ve ever done anything like this with blue moon before, and we’re hoping to overwhelm the campus with this art,” said Rosenberg. “Install Me” was originally planned for a single venue, but the magazine staff decided instead to allow entrants to choose their own sites. During the event, campus maps were handed out highlighting the positions of every artist. “Install Me” was the second event put on by the magazine this year, but the ... Keep reading

IN FASHION: Should the boot get the boot?

“What are you wearing?” This was the disgusted remark which came from my eternally fashion-savvy roommate this morning as I emerged with my cup of coffee wearing thick, sensible, black goulashes over my blue jeans. “They’re goulashes.” I knew how I looked: I looked like a clown. “I’m aware. But why are they goulashes?” “I don’t know if you noticed, but there are eight inches of snow outside.” I was visibly perturbed by his chagrin—although I secretly figured I’d be the one laughing an hour later as we walked to class together, me comfortably dry in my knee-high atrocities while his trendy Vans bore the brunt of the brutal weather. It is a tricky question, though: In dire weather situations (like this week’s uncharacteristic-for-the-Northwest blitzkrieg of a snowfall), should fashion suffer, or should you? To answer this question, I decided to test various shoes-and-jeans combinations in the field (i.e. in makeshift catwalks across Pioneer Park, where ... Keep reading

Nextflix It: “The 10th Kingdom”

“The 10th Kingdom” is seven hours long. Perhaps I should start by saying that. It first aired as a nine-episode TV miniseries. But what I’m recommending is setting aside an entire day (or night) and watching the whole thing, start to finish. You can only leave the couch to make more popcorn. Everyone knows Manhattan is full of freaky things, but maybe you didn’t know it is also a portal to the mythical Nine Kingdoms, home to Snow White, Cinderella and wicked witches like you would not believe. This comes as a shock to Virginia (Kimberly Williams), who finds the portal by mistake and thus also lets in some baddies from across the three-dimensional pond. Immediately upon her arrival in the Kingdoms, Virginia is saddled with the tasks of returning a dog prince to human form; avoiding the lustful gaze of Wolf (Scott Cohen), a well-meaning but carnivorous man-wolf and defeating ... Keep reading

Snazzy Movies, Silly People: ‘Atonement’ and ‘Cloverfield’

“Atonement,” directed by Joe Wright and adapted from Ian McEwan’s novel, is a beautiful film. With cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, Mr. Wright has filled the movie with popping, liquid moments like a shot following a young girl (Saoirse Ronan) down an overgrown garden corridor, or the much-ballyhooed four-minute take on a war-worn beach. Given the revered source material and the visual sheen, the film should be an assured success. Yet I left “Atonement” with a sense of dissatisfaction I couldn’t place. The story begins in 1935, in an English country house where no one seems to have anything to do but lounge about, most of all 13-year-old Briony Tallis, a precocious hopeful playwright whose endless tapping at the typewriter inspires Dario Marianelli’s score. Keira Knightley and James MacAvoy play Cecilia and Robbie, the stifled English equivalent of star-crossed lovers. Their reverie is broken by a series of misunderstandings that culminates in a ... Keep reading

‘Arms and the Man’ comes to Walla Walla theater

The Little Theatre of Walla Walla kicks off the 2008 portion of their 2007-’08 season with George Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man” this Friday. Opened in 1944, The Little Theatre of Walla Walla is an all-volunteer, community theater. “For a town this size to have such a great, active theater is just fantastic,” said Julie Arnold, a season ticket holder. “We’re really excited about this play,” said director Rich Hinz.  “We’re putting some finishing touches on it right now, but it’s coming along really nicely and we have a really impressive cast, so it should be a great show.” “Arms and the Man,” written by Shaw in 1894, is characterized as romantic comedy and a comedic satire which takes place during the Bulgarian-Serbian War of 1885.  According to The Little Theater’s official description of “Arms and the Man,” “In this play Shaw wrote a satire on war and the professional fighting man; the ... Keep reading

BOOKS: ‘Memories of My Melancholy Whores’

In between his more well-known works such as “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and “Love in the Time of Cholera,” Gabriel Garcia Marquez published a novella with the curious title of “Memories of My Melancholy Whores.” The story is told from the unlikely perspective of an old, ugly, Colombian journalist, who decides to celebrate his 90th birthday by having wild sex with a virgin girl. The girl chosen for him by the owner of the brothel turns out to be only 14, but after working in a button factory all day and taking care of her family, she can only sleep. Thus begins the bizarre and sometimes touching romance between a man whose body is decaying as his career becomes completely pointless and a girl who struggles just to stay alive. Having never slept with a woman he didn’t pay, the protagonist finds himself in love for the first time ... Keep reading

‘Big Art’ event at Verve Coffeehouse showcases ‘blue moon,’ student art

Last Wednesday night at Verve Coffee and Art House, blue moon unveiled its latest edition of “Big Art,” a celebration of Whitman’s artistic community. The event, which ran for two hours, featured poetry and prose readings from last year’s blue moon, musical performances and art from the 2007 magazine for sale. Verve also hosted “Big Art” last year. “The venue is a great size for an event like this, and ... Keep reading

Art majors seek inspiration in New York City museums, galleries

Senior studio art majors traveled to New York City last month as part of their senior seminar in search of inspiration for their culminating projects in the spring. New York City, described by Whitman’s Professor of Sculpture Michelle Acuff as the Mecca of the art world, is home to some of the world’s best museums and galleries. “These museums are like temples—they ... Keep reading

Dreams, Myth and Memory

Dance instructor Vicki Lloid stands in the center of the room beside an enormous red umbrella, conferring with student soloist Chris Fade about her belly dance performance. Another student enters with a folded tarp, and off to the side, an old-fashioned telephone is placed on a stool. “If anyone has a headlamp, can they bring one?” Lloid asks a group of girls who are warming up in the back of the room. “I have four,” one answers. It is a Friday afternoon in the dance studio, and the Dance Theater class is in the midst of rehearsing for its upcoming performance, “Dreams, Myth and Memory,” a compilation of ensemble, student-choreographed, and solo performances. The class, which kicked-off mid-September and typically meets twice a week for three hour ... Keep reading

Film class produces movies, holds screening for community

The students in Film Studies 165 know that writing, directing and filming movies isn’t easy. Taurra SunEagle’s group argued daily—once for 20 hours before compromising, rewrote a script after spending three weeks working on it, filmed both in the rain and at 2 a.m., and lost every single one of their DVD tapes throughout the semester. Now, however, the junior and her classmates are finally ready to present their work to the campus in a screening at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, in Kimball Auditorium (doors open at 7 p.m.). This is the eighth year that film studies Professor Robert Sickels has offered the Introduction to Filmmaking course, and he says it’s definitely his most enjoyable course to teach. “Filmmaking is like writing; most anyone can be taught the technical skills to do it competently, but utilizing that skill-set to create a novel is another thing entirely. So the hardest part ... Keep reading

Campus Climate Challenge make strides to teach

“I am shocked and stunned. I’m going to be better,” was the response of one Whitman student who, after taking an ecological-footprint quiz, learned that 3.7 planets would be needed to sustain his current lifestyle. Last week Whitman’s Campus Climate Challenge set up tables in Reid where students could take an ecological-footprint quiz through the Earth Day Web site. The point of the quiz is to learn how many Earths it would take to sustain your lifestyle. According to Sociology and Environmental Studies Professor Ann Finan, the ecological-footprint is a concept developed by environmental sociologists and economists to capture either an individual’s or a community’s environmental impact in terms of acres. “The idea is to allow an individual to take a quiz, answering a series of questions about their consumption, about where they live and their transportation habits, which will give people an estimate of how many acres their lifestyle takes up ... Keep reading

‘I’m Not There’

It seems like everybody wants to figure out Bob Dylan these days. In 2005, Martin Scorsese released “No Direction Home,” a revealing documentary that examined the linear evolution of Dylan’s expansive career. Now Todd Haynes has come out with his own exploration of Dylan with “I’m Not There,” a film that is far less linear than Scorsese’s, though perhaps more illuminating than any magazine interview or documentary ever could be. Rather than trying to finally capture that elusive being behind the music Haynes works to exhibit what Dylan is not, because he believes the former simply cannot be done. Throughout his career, Dylan has undergone numerous chameleonic transformations, as has his music. He went from folk singer to protest writer to rock star to religious fanatic, and as his career carries on his image continues to evolve. It is this ever-changing image that Haynes is most interested in, more so than ... Keep reading

‘Lars and the Real Girl’

Lars (Ryan Gosling) has been acting strangely. Although he is going to work and taking care of himself and his apartment in his brother’s garage, he is removed and despondent. His brother Gus (Paul Schneider) thinks he’s fine, but his sister-in-law Karin (Emily Mortimer) is worried. She has to tackle him to even get him to come to dinner. Six weeks later, Lars comes to his brother’s house with a surprise. He has a visitor. A lady visitor. Her name is Bianca. She doesn’t speak much English, and she’s in a wheelchair. She’s also very religious, so Lars asks if she can sleep at their house. Delighted that he has found a friend, Karin and Gus agree to put Bianca in what was Gus’ mother’s room before she died and invite them over for dinner. Cut to Gus and Karin staring like codfish at a life-size, anatomically correct, silicon sex doll: ... Keep reading

Netflix it – “Spice World”

Yes, I’m serious. I think you should Netflix the Spice Girls movie. I think it will not be a waste of your time. It will NOT, as one reviewer said, be “less exciting than watching a brick for an hour.” I am prepared to tell you that Spice World might change your life. First, there’s Meatloaf. He plays the bus driver for the Girls. At one point he interjects the lyrics for “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” into a speech he gives. That’s the same scene where the Spice Girls meet aliens in the woods and one of them tries to grope Mel B. That’s Scary Spice. I dressed up like her for Halloween. Anyway. The plot’s like this. Being Las Chicas Picantes, as they translate their name while speaking to their international fans, is hard work. Newspaper moguls plant spies in the Girls’ ... Keep reading

Nerf guns banned in response to Virginia Tech shooting

Nerf guns are banned this year for the campus-wide game, Humans vs. Zombies. The game involves participants who have become zombies that “feed” on humans by tagging them. This turns the humans into zombies. However, humans can stun the zombies for 15 minutes by shooting them with a Nerf gun or throwing a pair of balled up socks. Some students have opposed the use of Nerf guns, feeling that it is disrespectful in light of the April 2007 school shooting at Virginia Tech. Whitman has adopted the no Nerf guns policy this semester. Numbers of participants have dropped as a result. “On the surface, it seems like a good argument, but if you look a centimeter deeper, it’s clear that the people making these statements know nothing about ... Keep reading

Seattle Comedy Competition returns to campus

How often do you walk by Reid Ballroom on a Tuesday night and overhear, “Water, go suck on it, bitch!” “Fuck teeth, what other part of your body do you have to clean twice a day or it will fall off?” or “Don’t drink and drive, go home and smoke pot!” The 28th annual Seattle Comedy Competition was in town on Tuesday, imparting the aforementioned words of wisdom on students and faculty, looking to narrow down their competitors in a semi-final round of comedy. Ten contestants entertained students, hoping to garner their approval. Audience members were to clap loudly for those they liked. The amount of applause each comedian earned, in conjunction with a rating from Whitman’s Theatre Sports members, who were judging the event, determined whether or not they would advance. Comedian John McClellan hosted the event. McClellan won the competition in 1996. At the end of the night, ... Keep reading

Students express frustration over Sunday programming

“The whole Sunday thing was not some big programming plan that I had,” said Ellie Klein, this year’s public events director. “The fact that the two biggest bands this semester happened to be on Sundays was completely random.” On Sunday, Nov. 4, Ben Lee and Cary Brothers played Cordiner Hall, marking the second major concert event of the year and the second Sunday night show. Earlier in the semester, the popular mash-up artist Girl Talk performed to sold-out crowds at the Reid Ballroom, also on a Sunday night. Students have noticed the pattern, which Klein called incidental, and many have expressed frustration or even outright confusion about the scheduling of events. Sunday nights are often inconvenient for students attempting to finish homework or study for exams on Monday. “Sunday nights aren’t major nights, and so it’s probably cheaper and more advantageous for bands to ... Keep reading

Award-winning author reads from memoir

On Nov. 8 in Kimball Auditorium, visiting author Kim Barnes read passages from her memoir, “In the Wilderness: Coming of Age in Unknown Country,” and a soon-to-be published book. The audience listened intently as she read about her troubled and adventure-filled teenage years; she read one passage about drinking with her cousin at a young age. The memoir was a finalist in 1997 for the Pulitzer Prize in the biography/autobiography category and received the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association award the same year. Barnes is also the author of “Hungry for the World.” Her work has appeared in various literary reviews, including “Shenandoah,” “The Georgia Review” and “Folio.” Barnes’ talk was part of the Visiting Writers Reading Series, which is supported by Whitman’s English department and the Mabel Groseclose Fund. ... Keep reading

Up-and-coming band Lucid Dream impresses Anderson Hall residents

What started as three guys playing music in the Anderson courtyard with a 12-string acoustic guitar, harmonic vocals and various textbooks as drums has turned into “a band which creates the spirit of a lucid dream through the magic of music,” said Patrick McCleery, a resident of Anderson. Adrian Tuohy, lead guitarist of Lucid Dream, knew he wanted to start a band the first day he got to Whitman, and a few section mates­­­—drummer Matt Oakes and lead vocalist Patrick Miller­­­­—took interest. The band name came about when Miller entered Tuohy’s room one morning and said “I just had the greatest lucid dream!” “Before that we had come up with a name that was horrible. In fact we were ‘Green Smoke’ for about a day,” said Tuohy. The addition of bass player Kyle Byrd-Fisher, originally a guitar player, came later. “He is an amazing musician. He picked up the bass in like ... Keep reading

‘Lions for Lambs’

Again with the liberal Hollywood! “Lions for Lambs” is the third major film released in the past two months about the conflict in the Middle East following “Rendition” and “In the Valley of Elah”’s lead. Having a usual liberal bias, “Lions for Lambs” tackles the war in Afghanistan. The movie begins with reporter Janine Roth (Meryl Streep) interviewing Republican Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise) about the mistakes made in the War on Terror, but he quickly changes the subject by unveiling a new tactic being used in Afghanistan at that very moment. Meanwhile, at a generic California university, Professor Stephen Malley (Robert Redford) sees “potential” in a lazy, distracted student, Todd Hayes (Andrew Garfield). Malley tells Hayes about two students exhibiting that same “potential,” Arian Finch (Derek Luke) and Ernest Rodriguez (Michael Peña), who volunteered to serve in Afghanistan and are currently fighting in Irving’s new strategy. When flying over a ... Keep reading

Movie Times: 11/16-11/17

Saturday and Sunday Movie Times Grand Cinemas - 1325 W. Poplar Fred Claus: 11:50, 2:10, 4:35, 7:00, 9:25 Lions for Lambs: 12:20, 2:20, 4:20, 6:45, 9:05 Darjeeling Limited: 12:15, 2:10, 4:15, 6:50, 9:00 Across the Universe: 12:25, 4:00, 6:40, 9:20 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Crawford: 11:50, 3:00, 6:25, 9:30 P2: 12:10, 2:25, 4:30, 6:55, 9:10 American Gangster: 12:00, 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 7:00, 9:30 Bee Movie: 12:15, 2:15, 4:15, 6:55, 9:00 Into the Wild: 3:30, 6:30 Martian Child: 12:05, 2:15, 4:30, 6:50, 9:15 Dan In Real Life: 12:20, 2:25, 4:35, 6:45, 9:00 Saw IV: 12:30, 9:15 30 Days of Night: 4:00 For weekday times, visit hallett.com/times/wallawalla.html Keep reading

Netflix it: ‘Ghost World’

Are you an Enid or a Becky? That’s the question “Ghost World” wants you to ask. It has two very cool-in-different-ways main characters, both of which are great choices for who to be. But are you the type to draw cartoons of Satanists sitting across from you in a diner and dye your hair green to match a shirt? Or are you the more responsible type, the one guys always look at, and are you getting ready to move into your own kitschy apartment for the first time? You could be both, but that’s less fun. “Ghost World” started as a graphic novel, and I personally think the transition to the screen was great. Thora Birch plays artistic, moody Enid perfectly, so that we love her, admire her, and are frustrated by her all at once. Scarlett Johannson got her big break with this movie, unless you count “The ... Keep reading

‘Across the Universe’

If you’ve ever heard the song “Across the Universe” (and if you haven’t, please find an appropriate time to do so), you’ll know that it’s one of those Beatles tunes that doesn’t quite make any coherent sense—it is a song built on abstract images that blend and dissolve into each other, and yet these images and the soft, hypnotic melody take you on a fantastic, warped journey through time, space, and John Lennon’s mind. Julie Taymor’s film “Across the Universe” may very well be attempting to parallel the song by fulfilling this description in film form. Her brainchild is essentially a series of dazzling images, sometimes crossing into the realm of the psychedelic, tied together by revamped versions of songs by The Beatles that trace the atmospheric trajectory of the ’60s. This isn’t to say that “Across the Universe” has no plot. It’s just that the plot is less important ... Keep reading

J.K. Rowling outs Dumbledore, creates hysteria among Potter fans

It’s not every day that a dead fictional character makes the top headline of the BBC; but then again, it’s not every day that J.K. Rowling reveals that Albus Dumbledore was gay. Since the “Harry Potter” author’s revelation of Dumbledore’s sexuality at Carnegie Hall on Friday, Oct. 19, the Potter-obsessed (and otherwise) world has been aflutter with the news. According to the BBC, at the Carnegie Hall book tour stop an audience member asked Rowling if Dumbledore ever found “true love.” “Dumbledore is gay,” said Rowling in response to the question. Rowling went onto explain that Dumbledore had been in love with rival wizard Gellert Grindelwald at one point. Following Rowling’s announcement, the audience gasped, then applauded. “I would have told you earlier if I knew it would make you so happy,” said Rowling. With leading headlines on the BBC, CNN and most every other Western news source, Rowling’s off-handed comment caused quite a stir.... Keep reading

‘The Darjeeling Limited’

Whatever else you might say about Wes Anderson, you’ve got to admit that the man has panache. Of all the filmmakers working today, Anderson has one of the most recognizable, distinctive styles in the business. He is practically a genre in and of himself, which has its positive and negative consequences. It is a style that tends to polarize people almost as much as most political issues; after seeing a single one of his films, a person will likely be either pro- or anti-Anderson. I happen to reside in the party of people who worship the Andersonian technique in an almost cult-like fashion, though I do have my own personal criticisms of his films. They frequently walk the fine line between pretension and intelligence, and his dialogue can be overly pointed and obvious at times. Yet his aesthetic sense is brilliant—every shot is imbued with beautifully saturated colors and meticulously ... Keep reading

Halloween-inspired campus events include Haunted Hospital, Cobweb Ball

Halloween was hardly a one-day celebration on Whitman Campus. Festivities began on Oct. 25 with a showing of “Silence of the Lambs” at Kimball at 7 p.m. and ended on Oct. 31 with a showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at 10 p.m. in Maxey, complete with the traditional actors and props. On Oct. 27, North Hall hosted the Haunted Hospital. The event consisted of 35-40 actors, whose roles ranged from zombies to psych patients. These actors were dispersed throughout North Hall, the residence hall that formerly served as Walla Walla General Hospital.... Keep reading

‘Dan in Real Life’

“You don’t have to smile,” says Juliette Binoche’s character. “It’s better than the alternative,” Steve Carell’s character replies. And that bit of dialogue pretty sums up my entire experience of going to see “Dan in Real Life”: I laughed frequently, but without that crutch to lean on, those two hours would have been one long depress-a-thon. The strong undercurrent of angst was somewhat surprising given that two well-known funnymen were in the main cast—Carell as the titular Dan and Dane Cook as his brother. Now, I’ll admit my bias: I sat through all 95 excruciatingly painful minutes of “Evan Almighty” in all its pigeon-poop-joke glory. That’s how much I love Steve Carell. But on the flip side, I watched two minutes of Cook’s standup routine once and nearly stabbed myself in the eye with a salad fork. So, really, it could’ve gone either way. Co-written and directed by Peter Hedges, the man behind ... Keep reading

Netflix it: ‘Shortbus’

Last week I wrote about “Gia” being like bad porn. This week I am going to talk about “Shortbus” being like good porn. The concept of the movie is this. John Cameron Mitchell, director of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” decided to make a film about sex and New York. He decided to cast all unknowns that were willing to have real sex on camera. Then he found them, and the result is “Shortbus.” It’s not actually a porn, though! It is a movie that has sex in it that happens to be actually happening. The plot follows a sex therapist who has never had an orgasm and whose clients include a gay couple hoping to rejuvenate their relationship with a threesome. They invite her to a shortbus party as a ploy to get her to loosen up: an underground New York club that allows guests to lose all ... Keep reading

Whitman alumni Jeff Grant plays coffeehouse

Keep reading

Lunchbox play features favorite home front American Girl

This year, Harper Joy’s annual American Girl Doll lunchbox featured “War on the Home Front: A Play About Molly.” At least 25 people came during lunch last Thursday to the Alexander Stage to share in the American Girl phenomenon that has become far more than a doll series. The play runs its course in just over 20 minutes, but it has it all, namely constant exploitations of the depravity of a WWII era childhood and conscientiously checked sibling rivalries. “The War” is cited to giddy exhaustion, whether to render Molly’s elaborate Halloween costume or the kids’ patented pranks selfish and wasteful. Doe-eyed Molly, played by first-year Eliza Young, and her entourage of preadolescent schoolgirls, especially British dilly Emily, played by Beth Frieden, make perfect incarnations of the American Girl dolls. Ricky, played by senior Sam Horwith, while hardly quick-witted, provides a hilarious foil to his sister Molly. ... Keep reading

Movie Times: 11/3 – 11/4

Saturday and Sunday Movie Times Grand Cinemas 1325 W. Poplar Rendition: 12:20, 4:00, 6:45, 9:15 Dan In Real Life: 12:15, 2:25, 4:40, 6:55, 9:05 Saw VI: 12:10, 2:10, 4:10, 6:50, 9:10 Rendition: 12:20, 4:00, 6:45, 9:15 The Comebacks: 12:15, 2:10, 4:15, 6:40, 9:05 30 Days of Night: 12:05, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30 Gone Baby Gone: 12:00, 2:20, 4:40, 7:05, 9:30 Ten Commandments: 2:15, 4:10 Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour: 12:20, 4:35 We Own the Night: 12:30, 4:15, 6:55, 9:25 Michael Clayton: 12:25, 4:00, 6:40, 9:20 Elizabeth: The Golden Age: 11:55, 7:00, 9:20 Seeker: The Dark is Rising: 4:45, 6:50 The Heartbreak Kid: 2:15, 6:45, 9:25 The Game Plan: 12:10, 2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:15 3:10 to Yuma: 12:00, 2:25, 9:10 For weekday times, visit hallett.com/times/wallawalla.html Keep reading

Netflix it: ‘Gia’

This was supposed to be my favorite movie. It was essentially made to be, in fact. Every single thing I usually love about movies was in “Gia.” Strong female characters, drug problems, pretty clothes, artsy shots, AIDS. (See also: RENT). And yet, I could barely make it through the whole thing. At two hours long, “Gia” overstays its welcome by about 45 minutes. The movie tells the true story of Gia Carangi, the world’s first supermodel. She became a world-famous celebrity literally overnight at the age of 17 and was dead at 26 of AIDS acquired during her years-long addiction to heroin. Angelina Jolie, in her first high-profile role, takes on Gia like a crazy, lesbian second skin. If you miss crazy Angie with knives and blood and bisexual tendencies, Gia will be your tall drink of water. Bonus for readers of this column: You now know that ... Keep reading

‘Rendition’

Loosely based on the allegations made by Khaled el-Masri and Maher Arar, “Rendition,” raises the ethical question of torturing suspected terrorists. It attempts to show as many sides to this sensitive issue as possible by running nine stereotypical perspectives parallel and ultimately running them together. Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally), an Egyptian-America, is falsely suspected of having ties to the terrorists. His record of ever having entered the U.S. is deleted, and the head of U.S. intelligence, Corrine Whitman (Meryl Streep), has him sent to an anonymous African country for further investigation. This transfer of a suspected terrorist to another location is called extraordinary rendition. It was authorized by the Clinton administration for combating Islamic terrorists, but after Sept. 11 its use is more frequent and more talked about. El-Ibrahimi is taken to a prison and subjected to what is known as “enhanced interrogation techniques” such as waterboarding and electroshock. CIA analyst ... Keep reading

‘Michael Clayton’

At once a condemning-if-familiar polemic against corporate America’s treatment of the working man, “Michael Clayton” delves into the lives of the people who work for these monolithic entities and the ethical black hole they find themselves in. But “Clayton” also struggles under the weight of its self-importance throughout the nearly two-hour running time. Screenwriter Tony Gilroy’s (The “Bourne” trilogy, “The Devil’s Advocate”) directorial debut is beautifully crafted as a slow-burn thriller, but it fails to provide new insight on a well-worn theme. A corporate-fixer for a professional law firm, Michael (played here by a less-charismatic-than-usual George Clooney) can solve any problem plaguing the upper-echelons of the business world. The only problems he can’t solve are his own. Beguiled by financial debts and disconnected from his relationship to his son, Michael is disillusioned with his work, referring to himself as a “janitor” who cleans up the messes of the ... Keep reading

Int’l Sweet Onion Film Festival Preview

The International Sweet Onion Film Festival starts tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 26) and will continue through the weekend. Tickets are free to Whitman and Walla Walla University students, although there is a suggested donation. The awards ceremony will be on Sunday Oct. 28, from 7-9 p.m. at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. Three awards will be given in each category: Best Picture, Best Director and Audience Choice. Many of the films’ directors will attend. More information can be found at the festival’s Web site: sweetonionfilmfestival.org. The following are some of the festival’s most promising films. “Droomtijd (Dreamtime)”: Oct. 27, 7-10 p.m. at the Marcus Whitman Hotel The just-under-20-minute short film is by Belgian filmmaker Tom Van Avermaet. “A man lives contentedly in a dark, industrial world where clocks are treated as gods and give the beat. He appears punctually at his work every day, until a visit from the mysterious sandman changes everything....” “Boletos Por Favor ... Keep reading

Students make statement with political art show

The Stevens Gallery in Reid Campus Center features student art, and this month there is a specific show displaying political art. “The political art show was inspired by an idea from Andrea Ramirez, who is one of the Stevens Gallery’s advisors,” co-curator Margot Wielgus said. “She thought it would be interesting to have a show based on political posters. We would ask people to create posters presenting their views on candidates and issues, especially since there will be some elections and measures to be voted on in November.” The show displays many pieces of art by students. The art covers ... Keep reading

‘Phil-zombies’ populate assistant professor Hanrahan’s lecture

“But how can we be sure that we aren’t zombies?” It’s a question that might not pop up in your everyday lectures, but students raised it immediately following Associate Professor of Psychology Rebecca Hanrahan’s presentation on “The Problem with Zombies” on Tuesday, Oct. 16. And unlike most lectures, this one began with a clip from British comedy film “Shaun of the Dead.” Hanrahan used the clip—which featured Shaun mistaking a zombie for a drunk person— to introduce the idea of the “best explanation,” which she said is a way people explain or rationalize events based upon prior experience or context. A foundation of the lecture was the distinction and inherent contradiction between dualism and materialism. Materialism, according to a handout from the lecture, says that “there is only one kind of stuff and/or property in this world and it is physical in nature…everything that exists, exists in space and time. Consequently, everything ... Keep reading

‘Isn’t It Romantic’ challenges players

Romance is not necessarily the central theme of “Isn’t It Romantic,” the play that was performed in the Harper Joy Theatre during Family Weekend. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein, “Isn’t It Romantic” tells the parallel stories of two female former classmates as they negotiate the post-college world in the 1980s. According to Miriam Cook, who played the protagonist Janie Blumberg, “[The play] explores the struggle between wanting the ideal and staying true to yourself.” Cook said that this struggle plays out between her character and her character’s friend, Harriet Cornwall. “Harriet begins by being very adamant about who she is and then gives it up to have this ideal life, whereas Janie thinks about having this ideal life with the Jewish doctor, but in the end she realizes she has to sacrifice her individuality in order to do that,” said Cook. For Cook, one of the things that ... Keep reading

Controversial writer Rushdie to speak on ‘Culture Wars’ Nov. 7

World-renowned novelist Salman Rushdie will be delivering a lecture entitled “Culture Wars and the Importance of Free Speech” at Whitman next month. Rushdie, an Anglo-Indian novelist and essayist, is scheduled to speak at Cordiner Hall on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and will be offering a book signing directly following his speech at 8:30 p.m. Whitman Public Speakers Chair Rachel Stein worked in conjunction with the Intercultural Center on campus to book Rushdie. “[Rushdie] has a really interesting story to tell. … He offers something different and something of a multicultural nature as well,” said Stein. “I was excited from the very beginning,” said Mukulu Mweu, director of the Intercultural Center on campus. Mweu heard that ... Keep reading

Visiting theater group chronicles life of ‘Albertine’ through flashbacks

Visiting theater group Théâtre de la Chandelle Verte performed an adapted version of the play “Albertine, en cinq temps,” or “Albertine, in five times,” by French-Canadian playwright Michel Tremblay on Thursday, Oct. 11, in Olin. Actress Francine Conley and director Henrik Borgstrom also conducted a workshop Thursday afternoon with Professor Sarah Hurlburt’s Introduction to French Literature course. Théâtre de la Chandelle Verte was founded by four Ph.D. French graduates of the University of Wisconsin, according to their Web site, chandelleverte.com. Still only a six-person company today, it has been adapting and touring various French plays since 2001. Their mission statement says they are “committed to . . . promoting French-language theatre to university audiences nationwide.” “They’re so devoted to French theater,” said French Professor Mary Anne O’Neil. “They show how to teach with theater. All their performances are adapted for American audiences of French learners.” O’Neil said that Théâtre de la Chandelle Verte ... Keep reading

Sheehan’s three new exhibits feature work by professors, Los Angeles artist

A montage of three new exhibits now fills Sheehan Gallery. The featured exhibit, “not by everybody,” consists of porcelain pieces by Los Angeles artist Michael Minelli. Minelli spoke during the gallery opening last Friday about the work that led up to “not by everybody.” Minelli’s work relies heavily on inspiration from culture. “Art isn’t made in a vacuum,” he said. “It’s all about a working process.” Minelli discussed the evolution of his work from “Natural Selection” in 1997 to “not by everybody.” Accompanying Minelli’s work in Sheehan Gallery is work by Charles Timm Ballard, a member of Whitman’s studio art faculty, as well as a collection of ceramics curated by Ron Takemoto, Director of Whitman’s Asian Studies Program and Professor of Japanese Foreign Languages and Literatures. “Environment and location (physically, culturally and psychologically) play key ... Keep reading

Whitties reflect on value, presence of TV

“TV is so convenient. It’s always there; you just flip a switch, and…instant entertainment!” said Jordan Estes. According to a 2006 Nielson study, college students watch an average of 24.3 hours of television per week. Although lower than the national average, this figure represents almost four hours a day. At Whitman, some students expressed disbelief at the amount of television watched by the average college student. First-years in particular described having very little time to devote to TV. Many said they use television only in certain circumstances, rather than as an ever-present cure for boredom. “I watch TV when I go to the gym,” said Allie Kussin-Shoptaw, a first-year. “In high school, my study breaks used to be like an hour for ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ but ... Keep reading

Student brings 5 international films on democracy to campus

Our country is currently fighting a war in the name of democracy, spending money and losing lives. It seems like an especially appropriate time to ask: What is democracy? Why democracy? These are the questions the past week’s democracy film series aimed to inspire. Over the span of four days beginning on Oct. 1, five films that explored the topic of democracy were shown in Olin. Senior politics major Yukta Kumar spearheaded bringing the films to campus. Over the summer, she interned for Steps International, which commissioned the films in order to ignite a global conversation about democracy. “Basically, the internship was building the global online space for the discussion to happen. They had the movies, they had everything, but there was no online space. They had a Web site but not an interactive one,” said Kumar. A group of international students traveled to Africa to work on creating a forum ... Keep reading

‘The Breed’

There’s a scene in John Frankenheimer’s “Prophecy” that relays the shortcomings of the animal horror genre. In it, a family is sleeping in the woods until they are attacked by a puppet-like mutant bear. One of the family members, a girl, gets up whilst still in her yellow bag and struggles to bounce away from the monstrosity. Sadly, Mama Mutant Bear notices and sideswipes the girl with a fist. The girl goes flying into a rock and explodes into a cloud of feathers. No blood, no body—just a swirling mess of feathers. Frankenheimer lets the camera settle on the aftermath, as if telling the audience, “Hey, isn’t this poignant?” When done right, animal horror leads to successful films such as Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.” When done wrong, the genre turns into one unintentionally funny fiasco, as is the case with Frankenheimer’s “Prophecy.” At least Frankenheimer had ... Keep reading

‘In the Valley of Elah’

As the credits for “In the Valley of Elah” began to roll, I exited the theater with one thought on my mind: “How am I supposed to write a review about a movie I’m completely indifferent towards?” The plot was kind of interesting, but mostly slow. The acting was okay, nothing special. It was partially about Iraq, and yet I wasn’t completely shaken up. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The more I thought, the more it opened up into a real gem of a film. Several days after returning from a tour in Iraq, Mike Deerfield goes AWOL. His father Hank (Tommy Lee Jones), a retired Army career officer, drives to his son’s base to investigate. While looking at Mike’s quarters, Hank steals his son’s cell phone. Although it had been severely damaged from the Iraqi heat, he pays to have the few videos clips from his tour ... Keep reading

Netflix it

"Imagine Me and You" Cutest. Movie. Ever. The cuteness of “Imagine Me and You,” however, is both its strongest point and its downfall. It dares to be a seemingly typical romantic comedy…about two women falling in love. It’s cute because the actors are like a day older than us and because they all have English accents. The cute gets in the way because it sugarcoats the subject matter and dilutes it enough that you don’t really have to think about lesbians if you don’t want to. That being said, if you like romantic comedy and you like England, watch this now. Rachel (Piper Perabo, the absurdly beautiful lead from “Coyote Ugly”) and her longtime friend Heck (Matthew Goode) are young newlyweds looking to start their grown-up lives together. At the wedding, Rachel befriends the eccentric florist Luce (Lena Headey) after making star-crossed eye contact with her while walking down the aisle. ... Keep reading

‘night, Mother

To paraphrase Bob Dylan: The times are a-changing, at least in terms of Walla Walla’s theater repertoire. Previously, if you wanted to catch a bit of the drama bug in this town, the options were either popping into one of the college shows or stopping by for a performance at the Little Theatre. Good options, both, but considerably limited, nonetheless. This October, however, director Gregg Gilmore and the Westmain Stage are shaking up the arts scene in Walla Walla with their debut production of ’night, Mother by Marsha Norman. For a premiere show, the Westmain Stage could have chosen a lot worse. ‘night, Mother was originally staged in 1983 at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge. The show’s success took it to Broadway, where it received a Tony award for Best Play, and then went on to win the Pulitzer prize for drama. It is a haunting, riveting play about ... Keep reading

Concert-goers learn Latvian dance from visiting folk group

Whitman has in recent years been trying to pull in artists and performers from around the world. This last Wednesday, Oct. 3, the Latvian post-folk group Ilgi performed at the Coffeehouse. This concert was one in a series the group is performing on a tour of the United States. They began their tour in Minnesota on Sept. 9 and will end in Philadelphia on Oct. 6. Ilgi is considered the premier Latvian folk dance group in the world. They celebrated their 25th anniversary as a group on April 21, 2006. Over the past 25 years they have put out a number of albums. Their latest, titled “Ne Uz Vienu Dienu,” was released in 2006 and was sold at the concert. When Ilgi finished they were given a standing ovation by most of the audience. The concert was broken up into two parts. The first was a dance workshop led by Ilgi ... Keep reading

‘Devil’s Highway’ author speaks at Cordiner Hall

Luis Alberto Urrea, author of “Devil’s Highway,” the first-year summer reading book, came to Cordiner Hall on Thursday, Sept. 27. Urrea spoke to students, staff, faculty and community members about his experiences researching for the book. He also spoke about his upbringing as the child of a Mexican father and an American mother, which spurred his interest in immigration issues. Keep reading

No sleep ‘til four-day (is over)

Sure, sleep might sound really appealing now, but just wait until it’s Tuesday night and you’ve spent your entire four-day weekend watching re-runs of “The Golden Girls” and eating puffy cheesy snack foods. Then you’ll get to school on Wednesday and all the cool kids ask will you what you did, and you’ll have to say that you watched Blanche whore herself out again while salivating over those pies that are always in Sophia’s fridge. And that’s seriously uncool. Just imagine if you could say, “I saw The Greatest Band Of All Time put on The Greatest Concert Of All Time and it wat the greatest moment of my entire life.” But uh-oh! You forgot to check the concert listings! Now you don’t even know where to start, do you? Never fear: the ear is here. I proudly present the where-to, how-to, why-to concert guide for all four days. Your ... Keep reading

GO SEE: Lil’ Wayne

10/06/07, Eugene For some inexplicable reason, Lil’ Wayne, the self-proclaimed (and ear-endorsed) “best rapper alive,” hits Eugene this weekend, in what promises to be the easiest way to get really, really high without actually putting any sort of piece to your lips. Seriously, the cloud of smoke Weezy and crew will undoubtedly inspire will probably be visible from space. All jokes aside, Lil’ Wayne has basically solidified that outrageous claim, putting out album after mixtape after album, and filling them with some of the finest, funniest and most original flow in mainstream rap. Considering he recently transcended the aforementioned boast by very publicly declaring “I am hip-hop,” you really have no excuse to skip this (unless you’re like the ear, and made it rain a little too hard this past month and are low on, uh, stacks). Yeah, floor tickets are running north of $60 (to say nothing of the fifth of ... Keep reading

Sunset Rubdown, “Random Spirit Lover”

I love Spencer Krug. He’s the keyboardist and one of the vocalists from Wolf Parade, and other Canadian bands named after various animals, like Frog Eyes and Swan Lake. His “solo” band – not named after an animal – is called Sunset Rubdown. Their last album, “Shut Up I Am Dreaming,” feels like a kid manically scribbling outside of the lines in a coloring book. But overall, the album sounded like a Wolf Parade side project instead of something all of its own. Their newest album, “Random Spirit Lover,” makes the coloring book come alive, and it sounds like a crazy carnival with weird antics happening in each circus tent and in every booth of the midway. Don’t like carnivals? Neither do I, but it’s just what comes to mind, but that doesn’t mean that this album isn’t amazing, because it is, and I think it’s one of the year’s ... Keep reading

Okkervil River, “The Stage Names”

On their fourth album, Austin sextet Okkervil River move onward from the world of 2005’s Black Sheep Boy, abandoning their familiar territory of unrequited love and extended-length epics. They’ve even gone so far as to embrace traditional pop structures, now sounding more like a rock and roll band than they ever did before. Despite this, singer-songwriter Will Sheff’s words have become denser, more intriguing, and are still every bit as powerful as they were on the band’s previous releases, exploring the worlds of celebrity, pop culture, and the blur between fiction and autobiography with a remarkable attention to detail. The album opens fittingly with the sound of a projector spinning into action, leading into the first single, “Our Life is Not a Movie Or Maybe.” Sheff moves quickly through dozens of words to make his case that everyday life really just isn’t that interesting: “It’s just a life story, so there’s ... Keep reading

Rant: Radio

I know I’m not really supposed to do this, but sometimes I listen to Walla Walla radio stations that aren’t KWCW. It’s just that sometimes I’m longing for non-collegiate music. You know: Sugar-coated Top 40 music played completely unironically. Unfortunately, although some DJs will laughingly spin “Sk8r Boi,” they’ll follow it up with like an hour of Deerhoof. Sometimes I just need a break. These are the times when I turn to Walla Walla’s own 98.3 The Key, 95.7 Oldies, and 99.1 KUJ. On these statons I can listen to Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, The Monkees and The Archies to my heart’s content – just as long as I keep my windows up because I wouldn’t want anyone to think I would actually stoop so low. So the other day I was driving to Safeway because they had a 5-for-1 special on Ramen, listening contentedly to 98.3 when the ... Keep reading

IN CONCERT: Bright Eyes

On the second Saturday of September, fans lined up outside the Big Easy venue in Spokane waiting in anticipation for Bright Eyes’ concert. The crowd was composed of a few awkward, young children accompanied by a parent, a plethora of over-eager teenagers, as well as a middle-aged couple sitting at a table sipping some overpriced alcoholic beverage. At seven o’clock the stage was set, and Nik Freitas, a singer/songwriter with a mundane, folky vibe, walked on stage to open for Bright Eyes. It was apparent that the crowd was impatient and overall displeased with his performance, as the volume of conversation gradually increased and faces turned to one another in place of the stage. After nearly two painful hours of waiting for Bright Eyes to appear on the stage, they walked out one behind the other − Conor Oberst’s appearance ... Keep reading

To review: The ear weighs in on recent releases

Joni Mitchell − Shine Despite being a walking advertisement for how smoking can ruin a beautiful voice, Joni Mitchell can still write a damn good song. For “Shine,” she has tackled the heavy subjects of genocide and the growing war on the environment, even revamping her classic anti-DDT anthem “Big Yellow Taxi” for a 2007 audience. As in all of Mitchell’s later work, jazz is a major influence (“One Week Last Summer”), but she’s still at her best when she picks up an acoustic guitar and sings from her heart (“This Place”). I can forgive her for destroying her vocal cords, because her music still makes me miss California and still makes me want to save the world. Grade: B -Katie Presley Super Furry Animals - Hey Venus! Hey Venus!, Super Furry Animals’ ... Keep reading

Worth noting: The past few weeks in music news

Circulated heavily around the Internets this week was a sex tape allegedly featuring Meg White of rock group The White Stripes, which after much speculation turned out to be a fake. Many suspected the tape to be a fake when it was clear the video look-alike could actually keep a beat. Amazon.com opened up a brand new online mp3 store this week, which sells songs files that at the cheaper-than-iTunes price of 89 cents and are all completely DRM-free. This is really great news for those of you that are not hip enough for vinyl, not immoral enough to download illegally, and too lazy to actually buy the CD. Nominations recently put forth for the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame include the likes of Afrika Bambaataa, the Beastie Boys, Chic, the Dave Clark Five, Leonard Cohen, Madonna, John Mellencamp, Donna Summer, and the Ventures. You read right, 2008 apparently ... Keep reading

Rocks or Reeks: Kanye West’s “Graduation”

Rocks Upon surveying the track list of the new Kanye West release, I was sure that I had received only a small portion of the album. Thirteen tracks? Really? All I could assume is that someone did me a favor and deleted all the skits. As it turns out, Kanye West, the epitome of excess and ego in an industry that rivals Xanadu in its decadence, has chosen to exercise some restraint this time around. The disruptive skits and boring, orchestral filler of his previous release, 2005’s “Late Registration,” are gone, and what we get instead is a well-paced, tasteful sequence of songs that is actually more sonically compelling than anything he has recorded to date. The album’s simultaneously reserved (I use this relatively) and ambitious feel is exemplified by his recent foray into European dance music, most obviously evident in “Graduation’s” second single, “Stronger,” which is driven by a sample ... Keep reading

Professor playlist: Glenn Odom (english)

Jamie Cullum – “Photograph” from “Catching Tales” This is my cell ringtone. Great contemporary jazz music sung by an Irish lad with enough stage presence to soothe even the rowdiest football hooligans. Cullum revitalizes some of the classic jazz songs from a variety of periods and also writes a number of his own pieces. The lyrics remind me to celebrate the small moments in life. Dan Bern Often touted as the new Bob Dylan, Dan Bern’s lyrics are often funny and always unnerving. This is the sort of music you listen to over and over again and discover new complexities in what he is saying. Given that the content of his songs is as often sobering as not, it isn’t something I want as the soundtrack for my life; but it does hang there on the outskirts, waiting to get in. Ben Folds Five -“Stephen’s Last Night in Town” ... Keep reading

‘Devil’s Highway’ author speaks at Cordiner Hall

Luis Alberto Urrea, author of “Devil’s Highway,” the first-year summer reading book, came to Cordiner Hall on Thursday, Sept. 27. Urrea spoke to students, staff, faculty and community members about his experiences researching for the book. He also spoke about his upbringing as the child of a Mexican father and an American mother, which spurred his interest in immigration issues. Keep reading

‘Feast of Love’

People will only stop making films about love when the topic ceases to be interesting or when people forget how to make films—the latter of the two being the more likely possibility, I think. It is, after all, an infinitely fascinating subject, at least when explored in an honest fashion. I admit that I occasionally cringe unconsciously at the prospect of seeing a love-based movie because too many films are created based on a fantasy of love which has little to no foundation in reality. However, when a film can capture love in all of its raw, painful, nuanced, thrilling, overwhelming glory, it is an accomplishment worth noting. Director Robert Benton attempts to achieve this in his film “Feast of Love” by exploring the multitude of forms that love can take: lustful, familial, passionate, heart-wrenching, platonic, false, earth-shaking, temporary, lasting. The list goes on. Perhaps it is a bit too ... Keep reading

‘The War’

Ken Burns is known for making history come to life. Burns, a documentary filmmaker and historian best know for “The Civil War” (1990), is acclaimed for not only rehashing old information in a completely different way but presenting little known and even new information about the subject. “Baseball” (1994) and “Jazz” (2001), his other recognizable pieces, have similar appeal. His latest project, depicting World War II, is called “The War.” If you went to crappy public school like me, you know all about Pearl Harbor, the Blitzkrieg, Midway, D-Day, the turning points. This film goes deep into the nooks and crannies of WWII from the battlefront to the home front, which I found to be very informative. The amazing part of this series is the veterans, some of which have never opened up before, telling their stories and Burns and his team finding the footage that corresponds with them. Much ... Keep reading

Netflix It: Laurel Canyon

“Laurel Canyon” is a love story set in Los Angeles. This should make it very clear it’s going to be a strange love story. Alex (Kate Beckinsale) is engaged to Sam (Christian Bale), who has just started practicing as a psychiatrist. The pair has moved to Los Angeles for Sam’s residency and are told by his mom they can stay in her Laurel Canyon home. Sam and Alex show up at the house expecting to hunker down into predictable, smart-people domestic bliss. Sadly for them, and luckily for us, his free-spirit mom Jane (Frances McDormand, one of the best actors working today) is still there, producing an album for her latest boyfriend Ian. As Jane is wrapped up in Ian, Ian gets wrapped up in Alex, luring her into the studio to smoke pot or into the pool to frolic naked or into his hotel room ... Keep reading

‘The Kingdom’

“The Kingdom” introduces itself to the audience by providing them with a short, highly stylized history of the United States’ close relationship with Saudi Arabia (hint: it’s all about oil). Unlike “Syriana,” “Kingdom” wants audiences to know its context before plumbing into its procedural-cum-action flick about a terrorist attack on a US oil company compound in Saudi Arabia. Jamie Foxx plays Robert Fleury, an FBI agent trying to put together a team (consisting of actors Jason Bateman, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner) to send into Saudi Arabia. Fleury has to cut through the political red tape in order to get into the country in the first place: The United States doesn’t want to complicate its tenuous relationship with Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia isn’t keen on having foreign investigators in its domain. Fleury is joined by Colonel Al-Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom), a soldier for the Saudi army ... Keep reading

Autobiographical theater class culminates in HJT’s ‘From Inner Worlds’

The series of monologues entitled “From Inner Worlds,” written and performed by students in the class Autobiographical Writing and Performance, proved to be an interesting acting experience for the writers and actors involved. The production debuted last week at Harper Joy Theatre, which ran from Sept. 26 through 29, showcasing a series of autobiographical monologues. The class is taught by Dan Kwong, a visiting theater professor. The performance topics ranged from a love of the history of baseball to sexual discovery, to the death of a close friend and many other topics in between. The 10 students that performed were given roughly a week to complete their final performances. To become prepared to write these deeply personal stories, the students utilized many trust exercises and other physical exercises. ... Keep reading

Sophomore year of ‘quarterlife’ kicks off with ‘Under the Influence’ theme

Whitman’s newest literary journal quarterlife is starting its second year of publication this fall, with the first issue is set to be released Oct. 12. Can’t keep all of Whitman’s creative outlets straight? According to whitman.edu/quarterlife, this journal is “published four times a year featuring poetry, short fiction, drama, creative nonfiction, analytic essays, alternative journalism and any other sort of literary work Whitman students might create.” At the close of the final week for submissions, editor-in-chief Kim Hooyboer answered some questions about what makes this project unique to Whitman. Pio: What does quarterlife bring to Whitman that nothing else does? Kim Hooyboer: quarterlife is an exercise in creative subjectivity, a celebration of the conceptual diversity of Whitman writers when presented with a single theme. Each quarterlife theme acts as the proverbial elephant in the dark, fragmented by individual perception: each portion is ostensibly unconnected but ultimately relevant to the whole. ... Keep reading

‘Balls of Fury’

A parody of the 1973 Bruce Lee film “Enter the Dragon” with ping-pong instead of martial arts, “Balls of Fury” reveals the “dangerous” side of this seemingly harmless and slightly trivial game. Randy Daytona is a 12 year-old ping-pong prodigy. His father bet on his victory at the 1988 Olympics with Feng (Christopher Walken), ping-pong enthusiasts and notorious criminal. When Randy’s match ends in a humiliating loss, his father is then murdered by Feng. Nineteen years off the circuit, Randy (Dan Fogler) is contacted by FBI Agent Ernie Rodriquez (George Lopez) to aid in a mission to capture Feng. Feng is hosting an invitation-only ping-pong tournament of the best players in the world, and the FBI believes something fishy is up. Randy is asked to infiltrate the event by being invited. After such a long time without competing, Randy is a little rusty. He begins lessons with Master Wong (James Hong), a ... Keep reading

‘Good Luck Chuck’

I am going to start this review with a piece of dialogue. “If I could order you at McDonald’s I would order a McBeautiful titties with tits on the side.” This piece of cinematic gem-dom was uttered by the ‘misogynist Jewish best-friend’ character. He was full of ‘em. You probably laughed at that line, which is OK. That means you would probably also laugh when he fantasized about taking a bong hit off of a hot woman’s farts. I laughed in that way where I looked over at my best friend and asked her what we were doing there. I did that three times during this movie. That being said, I liked “Good Luck Chuck.” The premise of the story is this: Charles (Dane Cook) is a good-looking dentist with the misfortune of having been hexed by a spurned 7 Minutes in Heaven partner in fifth grade. ... Keep reading

‘Shoot ‘Em Up’

To say that a film starts off with a bang is usually a figure of speech. Writer and director Michael Davis, however, wastes no time tiptoeing around this issue in his film “Shoot ‘Em Up.” It begins with about 20 bangs, actually, or possibly 30 or 40; it’s hard to keep track after a while. I suppose it is just the way of the action movie. I hesitate, though, to describe “Shoot ‘Em Up” in such a way, if only because the genre immediately brings to mind movies that star Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Yet Davis’ film could hardly be described by any other word, as it consists mostly of Clive Owen racing around the city and, well, shooting people. Not a film for the faint of heart. Owen plays a brooding, carrot-munching loner who self-identifies as “Smith” and happens to have a bit of trouble minding his own business. ... Keep reading

Students cuddle up at Drive-In Movie

Hundreds of Whitman students, armed with warm clothing, blankets or heavy-duty sleeping bags, flocked to the Reid side-lawn for a paired showing of “The Incredibles” and “Dr. Strangelove” Saturday night. This event, known as the biannual “Drive-in Movie,” is put on each semester by the Campus Activities Board (CAB). An e-mail sent out by Katie Phelps prior to the event suggested, “Bring blankets and a cuddle buddy, and we’ll provide the popcorn, cotton candy and two awesome movies.” One group of first-years took this suggestion further and zipped together five sleeping bags. This seems to reflect the idea of togetherness promoted by the event. It also helps provide extra warmth, as nights outside in Walla Walla can get quite cold, and many students, albeit bundled up, were ... Keep reading

Poet Witt reads to full house: Visiting prof. kicks off VWR series

He strolled onto the brightly lit podium dressed in a black leather jacket and a pair of slim blue jeans, with locks of unruly brown hair tumbling over his forehead. His tranquil eyes gazed out into the audience from behind a pair of thin-frame glasses. He looked every inch the scholarly biker, except instead of a length of chain, he wielded a portfolio of poetry in his hands. His name is Sam Witt and his performance last Thursday night at Kimball Theater kicked off this year’s first session of the ongoing Visiting Writers Reading Series hosted by the Whitman English department. Witt read to a full house audience poems from his two published collections as well as select pieces from his new manuscript. The Visiting Writers Reading Series is the brainchild of poetry professor Katrina Roberts, who created the program nine years ago and has been serving as its coordinator ever ... Keep reading

KWCW provides aural diversity

KWCW, Whitman’s student and community-run radio station, has resumed programming for the fall. The schedule places new DJs alongside experienced broadcasters from Whitman College and the surrounding community. A peek into what a few DJs, new and old, have to offer: Kayla Hudson and Michael Hui, both seniors from Walla Walla High School, are going to “make it a point to find the most bizarre news worldwide to showcase for our bizarre news segment.” Their show is called Pretty Alright Radio and airs Saturdays from 2-3 p.m. First-years Nicole James and Nathan Eberhart will play “international modern music—the stuff that is insanely hard to find in this country.” Both DJs have international backgrounds and see it as their “job to unite the internationally-deprived music lovers with exactly what they are longing for: ... Keep reading

Mentalist amazes students with mental, physical illusions

Mentalist Craig Karges performs in a packed Reid Ballroom on Tuesday, Sept. 18. Karges amazed students with illusions such as a table-lifting routine and several variations on mind-reading. Named Entertainer of the Year six times by the National Association for Campus Activities, Karges offers “$100,000, payable to charity, if anyone can prove he uses stooges, confederates from the audience or hidden assistants to accomplish his demonstrations,” according to craigkarges.com/biography.html. Keep reading

to review: the ear weighs in on recent releases

Throughout his decade-plus career, Aesop Rock has always seemed to be a man who followed his own muse. Even when he essentially became the Def Jux label’s flagship MC a few years back, he still retained a very distinct identity, never really feeling like a mere appendage of the label, unlike, say, El-P or Cannibal Ox. Most telling of his iconoclasm, perhaps, was his 2003 release, “Bazooka Tooth.” After the very positive response to 2001’s “Labor Days,” Aesop decided to produce most of his next album himself, ending his two-album run with producer Blockhead, and ended up with one of the least accessible (though quite interesting) rap albums this side of cLOUDDEAD. If “Labor Days” had attracted a following, “Bazooka Tooth” almost seemed like an attempt to shed those new fans. In light of this history, “None Shall Pass” is quite a surprise in its immediacy. ... Keep reading

Lead review: Caribou, “Andorra”

Will somebody please make Dan Snaith an honorary Whittie? This is the guy whose moniker “Caribou” was the product of an acid-induced vision quest in the wildest of Canadian backwoods. This is the same guy who earned his Ph.D. in algebraic number theory, just to belittle academics everywhere with claims of making gold records in his spare time. Snaith’s fascination with nature and foreign countries continues on the remarkably lush “Andorra”, but this time he’s thrown people into the equation; girl people, specifically. However, don’t mistake his transition from hammerhead sharks to women named Desiree as losing his edge. These are some of his fiercest songs to date. There are some humble artists out there that never want to admit that they knew which of their songs would be the hit single. Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses thought people would really dig “Wicked Gil”, ... Keep reading

concert reviews in heat

SHOUT OUT LOUDS: brooklyn, ny grant margeson The Luna Lounge is nestled only one subway stop up from the famed hipster capital Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg (for those pretending not to know, that is in Brooklyn, NY). A little way off from the bars, music stores, and people on Bedford, the Luna Lounge — which lacks the same garish signs that some other venues have — is actually kind of easy to miss. That is, unless there is a show. Then the Beford-ites and East Villagers swarm like bees to their Indie music honey. With a capacity of nearly 400, that is quite a lot of thick black-rimmed glasses and skinny jeans. The saving grace is, of course, that it is a 21+ venue, so it bars the being-young-and-living-with-my-parents-sucks hipsters of the next generation. Upon entering the venue, you immediately encounter the crowd around the bar, which is understandable given ... Keep reading

worth noting: The past few weeks in music news

Mac guru Steve Jobs announced Apple’s plans to start selling the new iPod Touch last week, which is essentially an iPhone without a phone. The new iPod is completely touch-screen and has wi-fi Internet access, but at only 16GB capacity it runs with a $400 price tag. So, like most women, the new iPod is probably too expensive for you touch no matter how bad you want to. On the charts this week, the “High School Musical 2” soundtrack held on to number one for the third week straight, proving effectively the contract between Walt Disney and the Devil is still valid. Bono, of U2 fame, has gotten off his high horse long enough to play the role of Dr. Robert in the new Beatles-inspired movie musical “Across the Universe.” In it, he will sing a rendition of “I Am the Walrus”. There, now you have no excuse to see this ... Keep reading

professor playlist: nadine night (english)

1. The Kelly Bell Band − I’m from Baltimore, so I have to start the list with a hometown favorite. They describe their sound as “phat blues music,” and what a sound it is. I recommend their live album, “Live From the Recher” for a good survey of their groove. Best songs: “Homegrown” and “Dear Maggie.” 2. Carbon Leaf − These guys hail from Richmond, VA, but I don’t hold that against them. Tracking the evolution of their sound from Celtic and Appalachian folk to more of a rock sound has been fun. They play some great jams during live shows (and they usually play Seattle a few times a year). There is not a single bad song on their 2004 album “Indian Summer.” 3. Rockwell Church − Completely obscure, and they might even be defunct at this point. But they were a staple on the Philly-New York-Boston coffeehouse scene for years, ... Keep reading

A Lifetime show by the numbers

705: miles I drove round-trip to see the band. That same distance would’ve gotten me to northern California, or pretty deep into Montana. 1997: the year Lifetime broke up. 17: age I first heard Lifetime, about five years after they released their genre-defining swan song “Jersey’s Best Dancers.” I’m 22 (and a half, for math’s sake) now. Therefore: 25: percent of my lifetime that, uh, Lifetime has been one of my absolute favorite bands. Considering I only really got into music in general at around the age of 13, it’s closer to half of my life. Thus, how I justified dropping: 96: dollars in gas (generously averaging it at $2.75 a gallon). The carbon footprint for my punk-rock weekend was pretty large, but come on. Fucking Lifetime! 7.50: dollars TicketsWest wanted to charge me in service fees to pre-order tickets. Nah, brah. 1: times I gave a shit during Seattle generi-core snoozers Sinking Ships’ opening set ... Keep reading