Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ML. TTTH HI /TTTT THEY SAID IT 1 B I J ’ \\ /I I “Rock journalism is people who can’t write interviewing p iq I I / I I people who can’t talk for people who can’t read.” Monday, April 25, 2005 X X I A XVX XX V FRANMKuS I News, reviews: The Mix highlights from spring 2005 Feb. 7, 2005 V-Day: Until the Violence Stops By JENNIFER FREEMAN THE MIX EDITOR “Until the violence stops.” This phrase is the slogan for the national V-Day campaign, which a group of USC students is joining in by performing Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.” According to the national V-Day Web site, “V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. ... V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation and sexual slavery.” Anita Autry, a fourth-year baccalaureate student and “Monologues” director, said she wants to “bring the message home that violence against women is a local problem, and we can start by solving it right here in Columbia.” “When you first hear about (“Monologues”), you think that it’s all j about sex or angry women venting, but its really highly relatable to anyone — young women, old women and even men can find something to relate to in it,” Autry said. _£_ Feb. 28, 2005 The only catch to the party -you have to B. Y.O.B. By SHANA TILL THE GAMECOCK While B.Y.O.B. sounds like the tag line to last weekend’s party on Greene Street, it’s actually a battle of the bands taking stage tonight at the Russell House. Created three years ago by USC’s Carolina Productions, Bring Your Own Band lets local acts deliver their best stuff for the chance to be best in show. All Good Citizens; Josh Bowers; Ellipsis; If Not, Winter; Kilcoy; Smokey Jazzbah; and The Silver Screens will perform. Thomas Salley, Carolina Productions member and second-year public relations student points out that Carolina Production’s B.Y.O.B. is different from other college battles of the bands. “Basically, what makes B.Y.O.B. different is that while the aim is to entertain USC students, none of the featured band members have to be students here,” he said. Chuck Davis, Carolina Productions concert commissioner, said he hopes it will not only give regional acts more exposure but give USC students a glimpse of the music scene that lies just beyond Columbia. JULIA KNETZER/THE GAMECOCK Diana and Susan Morvey, students from Ghana, dance during an African fashion show. April 15, 2005 Trace, remnant, vestige By JENNIFER FREEMAN THE MIX EDITOR Eleven advanced-photography students will display some of their work beginning tonight in an exhibit titled “Trace, Remnant, Vestige,” at Columbia’s Bus Stop Gallery. “The idea behind it is what is left behind. To show how things get left behind and to show the reminder of what was there — the remnant,” said Kristin Burrows, a fifth-year art studio student. This exhibit will be a mixture of traditional silver prints and digital images, the artists said. There will also be a variety of color and black and-white shots. Most of the students have a series of works they are displaying with a related theme. Some of the titles include “American Icons,” “ Unplugged” and “Revelations of the Abandoned Places.” Rather than having the display in the McMaster Gallery, the class decided to hold the exhibit in the more intimate setting of the Bus Stop Gallery. “I like that it’s away from USC. We’re still students, but we have a more independent status,” Burrows said. Feb. 18,2005 World Night unites cultures By GABRIELLE SINCLAIR FOR THE GAMECOCK Deep in the basement of Blatt P.E. Center, about 40 students, representing their cultural roots, watched as four dancers got down to “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and waited for their turns. At the sixth annual World Night, a celebration of food, diversity and unity, they’ll be dressed differendy as ambassadors to a world of traditions and spirit. There are about 1,000 international students representing more than 100 countries at USC, and World Night is just “a sample of what we’ve got,” faculty adviser Yvonne Viscioni said. She said students don’t even need to leave the city to find a world of diversity, “It’s important for the USC community and Columbia as a whole to appreciate the diversity that’s right here.” International Student Association adviser Christina Kerns, a graduate student in higher education, said USC students should take advantage of the chance to broaden their horizons. “I think that far too often we don’t take the opportunity to expose ourselves to new experiences and culture, and this is a great opportunity to do so,” she said. -. ,---■—i March 28, 2005 “Junkiri”: From trash to treasure By AARON KIDD FOR THE GAMECOCK Dave Bird and Val Myers, co-hosts of Turner South’s Emmy Award-winning television series “Junkin’,” have been on a constant quest to unite people all over the world with the most odd, unique and interesting “junk” they can find. Traveling around in a vintage 1970 El Camino nicknamed The General Flea, Bird and Myers have visited flea markets, yard sales and thrift shops all over the South, including Columbia. Myers and Bird comb through endless piles of junk in search of odd, kitschy and obscure items. After haggling the prices down, their purchases are placed up for sale on eBay, and each show ends with a sales update. All profits are donated to Goodwill at the end of the year. During its first season, “Junkin’” filmed an episode in Columbia at the Barnyard RV Park and Flea Market where Bird bought an antique bartender’s guide for $1 that later sold for $7 on eBay. Myers purchased an old postcard for 10 cents that went for $41.89. Columbia stood out as a town with a sense of humor, Myers said. “There was a guy who chased us with some troll dolls.” March 4, 2005 Vegas fueled by fun, sustained by greed By chas McCarthy THE GAMECOCK LAS VEGAS — Sin City operates in a state of perpetual motion, fueled by bars, casinos and clubs that almost never close their doors to the public. “It’s a whole different world out here,” said Tennent Manning, a third-year business management student at Clemson University. Manning ventured to Las Vegas last weekend to celebrate a friend’s 21st birthday. What he discovered was a two-faced monster — one side full of fun and games and one side dedicated to greed and regret. No one knows that better than the birthday boy Andy Gandolfo, a third-year business student at the University of Miami. When it came time to take the flight home, Gandolfo had been taken for about $500. Financial losses in Vegas end up being taken light-heartedly most of the time because vacationers know what they’re getting into. “It would’ve been nice to win some money, but I basically saw it as money I spent to have fun,” said fellow trip member Mark Miller, a third-year psychology student at Clemson. Miller’s easygoing attitude definitely showed after the weekend ended. All in all, he had a blast. “I guess the high point of the weekend was when I asked a stripper to marry me,” he said. -1 April 6, 2005 Movin' Out moving across country By JENNIFER FREEMAN AND BOBBY BROOKS “Movin’ Out,” the Broadway show with music and lyrics by Billy Joel under the direction and choreography of Twyla Tharp, is moving onto stages across the country. This revolutionary musical tells the story of five friends experiencing love, marriage, divorce, war and reconciliation using legendary lyricist Joel’s songs and the innovative dancing created by Tharp. “Movin’ Out” is not your typical Broadway musical production. Except for lyrics to songs performed by the band, there is no spoken dialogue or music sung by the dancers. The story is told entirely through dance and how it relates to the music. Unable to be slotted into traditional categories, the choreography takes influences from everything, malting it a living entity of its own. Once the audience understands the concept, the story really takes off with familiar favorites such as “Longest Time” and “Uptown Girl.” The second act brings more Joel favorites. Although most people expect to see all the songs Joel made famous •• singing in this musical, a few surprises emerge. The waltzes and1 more classical < instrumental 1 music Joel wrote * are included. The famous Garth Brooks tune “Shameless” pops head into the show as the reconciliation scene between Tony and Brenda. (This song was actually penned by Joel, though he never sang it). April 4, 2005 “Sin City” a graphic guilty pleasure By GABRIELLE SINCLAIR FOR THE GAMECOCK ★★★★. out Of ☆☆☆☆☆ In terms of both brutal violence and cutthroat style, “Sin City,” the lush, stark and disturbing retelling of Frank Miller’s graphic novels, makes “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” look like the first Care Bears movie. It’s intense, overwhelming and kicks ass. If you’ve ever wanted to root for the bad guy, this is your movie. In Sin City, everyone’s a bad guy. It’s all just a question of perspective and who’s holding the gun. “Sin City” isn’t for everyone. The women are either angels or whores, good-natured strippers or homicidal prostitutes. It’s shamelessly violent — pedophilia and cannibalism make cameos; traditional story lines and heroism are systematically shot in the face and gutted. If viewers can take this as a revolutionary graphic novel brought to life, surreal and out of this world, “Sin City” is a breath of fresh air in this post-Oscar purgatory. If that’s not an option, it might be best to stick with the likes of “The Pacifier” and “Miss Congeniality 2” and keep hope alive for what summer will bring. MdlUII lO, ZUUD Michael Flynn: On the brink of success By PATRICK AUGUSTINE the gamecock It’s more than a bit ironic that Charleston-based songsmith Michael Flynn admits that the soundtrack to 1983’s “The Big Chill” is one of his early influences. After all, the Motown-heavy compilation that paved the way for every thematic movie score since served as the backdrop to a script about children of the 1960s who are coming to terms with the death of their idealistic youth. While Flynn’s 2004 release No Disassemble” deals with the perils of growing up and is replete with themes of love gone sour and death, its creative architect is still chasing his dream of making a living singing the songs he s written. Flynn is modest in admitting that his hve-year plan is to make a living doing what he is n9w, just with a few more people in the crowdb , April 15,2005 'Midsummer Night’ excels in production By BOBBY BROOKS FOR THE GAMECOCK ★★★★★ out Of ☆☆☆☆☆ USC Theatre’s Production of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is exactly what great theatre should be. This highly stylistic show does not have a very elaborate set, but it totally works for this play. The whole show is set in the interior of a room at forced perspective, with a few pieces being moved or flown in to create either portions of the palace or the woods. The costuming was another brilliant aspect of the show. Titania’s fairies use masks to create their personas, a la “The Lion King. The fairies’ mythical aincujiig wararoDcs accented with mesh shirts and striking hues of blue and red. The cast could not have been more spectacular. Stephen Davis brings Puck more energy than one could possibly imagine. He commands the stage during dramatic scene changes without dialogue. When Puck controls the actions of the four lovers in Act II, the choreography is excellently executed to show he really is a mischievous little creature who loves to run amuck. His red hair is spiked up and accentuates Puck’s essence. The play-within-the-play is perhaps the showstopper. Never has an audience laughed so hard than during the shenanigans that ensue when the amateur actors try to recreate the story of Thisbe and Pyramis’ doomed love affair. The cast fully wraps the audience in the comedy and does not let i*go.