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^ Ring tones only beginning of cell-phone fashion sense Wallpaper, faceplates, charms, purses highlight tip of iceberg for making trendy statement Tonya Jameson KRT CAMPUS CHARLOTTE, N.C. — What’s that hanging from your hip? Or buried in your purse? Maybe it’s a spunkless factory cell phone in need of a makeover. Or maybe you’re already on top of the game. When your phone rings, everyone hears Prince’s “U Got the Look.” And you’re way too stylish to have a factory faceplate: Pamela Anderson covers your pnone, ana youve got a handcuff charm hanging from the antenna. Just 15 years ago, cell phones were clunky anvils that few ^ could afford. Today, they’re must-haves, and young people are driving the movement to make them hipper. “They want the good stuff,” said Bryan Biniak, senior vice president for marketing at American Greetings Interactive and general manager of American Greetings Mobile. “It’s a statement about who you are and it’s reasonably affordable. You can’t necessarily afford a $100,000 Bentley, but you can have the hottest phone.” yj In the past few years, cell phones have created a new industry for accessories. Ring tones, wallpaper, faceplates, charms, cases, purses, flashing antennae and more give phones personal pizzazz. Christa Grace recently searched for a faceplate at the Wireless Shop kiosk in Eastland Mall in Charlotte, N.C. She had many to choose from: Tupac, a $100 bill, the Playboy bunny, Phat Farm. Grace, 19, settled on a pink Baby Phat cover for her clamshell Motorola VI80. “You can change your personality and then you can change your phone,” explained Grace, who also has special ring tones and wallpaper for her phone. Ring tones started as a functional device to help users distinguish callers without looking at the phone, but now they send a message about the phones owner. borne young people change their ring tones daily, said Theda Sandiford, brand director for Def Jam Mobile. The tones can be a popular song or even your own poetry. “It’s really a way for you to broadcast to the world what your point of view on life is,” she said. Customizing phones has become so popular that Vonage held a “Pimp My Phone” contest which ended last week. The winner received $2,000 and a year of free Vonage phone service. After-market accessories barely skim the surface of tricked-out phones. Manufacturers now sell fashion phones. For example, the Nokia 7280 looks like a tube of lipstick. Vertu has a line made of platinum and 18-carat yellow and white gold. Designer Anna Sui designed a limited-edition phone for Samsung. Nextel sells NASCAR phones, which have the number of your favorite driver on the case. Here are some trinkets to hook up your phone. Most can be found online or at wireless stores. — Wraps and faceplates: You’re too cute to carry the standard gray or black phones. Your phone can be an ode to West Coast Choppers or John Deere. $9.99-$24.99. — Wallpaper: Change the backdrop of your phone’s LCD to display your favorite star, team, etc. Free and up. — Ring tones: A phone that rings is so ‘03. Tell everybody you’re hot with the Pussycat Dolls’ “Don’t Cha” ring tone. Free to $2.99. — owarovski Crystals: t^an you see me now? Make your phone sparkle with crystals. “Each Bling Ring kit comes with a Bling Bag in either gold or silver!” boasts Swarovski. www.myblingring.com. $125. — Cases and purses: Go simple with a universal holster or get fancy with a Dooney & Bourke case. If you need a spunkier cell phone, try one of these: — Moto Razr V3: “With the precision-cut keypad, minimalist styling and metal finish, the V3 looks just as beautiful as it performs,” claims Motorola. Retail: $399. www.motorola.com — Nextel NASCAR Cup Series: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett available. NASCAR-themed wallpapers and ring tones. Built-in racing stopwatch. Retail: $149.99. www.nextel.com Special to TilK (iAMECOCK Belly dancing, once an almost exclusively female activity, is now gaining popularity among men. Male belly dancers ready for moment in spotlight Strutting across stages to loud club music not for women anymore, as men carefully get into act — hairy legs, bellies and all Lauren Smiley KRTCAMPUS You have to try pretty hard to stand out at Yaa Halla Y’all. Upon entering the Grapevine, Texas, Convention Center for a weekend of belly-dance performance and workshops, women named Phyllis and B.J. become “Soraya” and “Tambra.” A guy hawking DVDs suggests the new release “Lights! Camera! Bellydance!” Backstage, the bellies waiting their turn to shimmy in the spotlight range from smooth to cellulite-pocked, alabaster to cinnamon, surgery-scarred to roll layered. Actually, there are so many you stop paying attention, until you see this one: Hairy. No hips. All man. Look up and there he is, the one the dancer in the lobby must have forgotten when she called the subculture a “sisterhood.” This is Drakon, a male belly dancer. (He’s really Danielle barAbba, 54, of Austin). Drakon wears a fringed skirt and blue shiny pants, revealing curly red hair down his back. Minutes before going onstage, he’s stressed because a woman dancer before him is using the same drum solo he is. Another performer in a Star Trek-style dress assures him" “It’ll look different.” Different indeed. When the 6-foot-2-inch man takes the stage, one hand on hip and the other twirling a cane in a typically female folkloric style, a few chuckles erupt throughout the audience. Drakon executes some body waves, then throws in a couple of hip shimmies while gripping the cane above his head, smiling widely the entire time. While two belly dancers from Oklahoma let out a tongue trill of appreciation, a wide-eyed woman in a back row looks as if she is witnessing the Antichrist dancing a jig. No, you are not at a male strip club, and you had better not laugh: To the small and still-underground band of male followers, belly dance is about serious artistic expression. Thirty years after Mikhail Baryshnikov proved that men could do ballet and John Travolta discoed his way into sex-object status, Drakon is one of the male aficionados who are putting an equal opportunity spin on the dance long associated with beaded bras, genie pants and coy femininity. So what if women rave that belly dancing is great for toning childbirth muscles? Turns out some men like figure-eighting their hips, too. The spectator reviews for Drakon were mixed. One man used the word “fantastic.” But Los Angeles-based drummer Ziad Islambouli, who performed at the convention,' said such theatrical dancing would not go over well in his home country of Lebanon. “In America, I respect it ’cause it’s an American thing,” he says. “America is way more open. “But in the Middle East, I wouldn’t accept it. It’s all about the woman and beauty, and it’s a very feminine thing.” HAVE AN IDEA FOR A NEW BUSINESS? The Student Business Incubator Center is looking for you! Attend an informational meeting to learn more: September 15, 2005 at 5:30 pm in the SG Conference Room September 19, 2005 at 5:30 pm in the SG Co nference Room Contact the SG office if you have questions: 777-2654 Benefits to this program can include... • Capital up to $1000 • Rent free office space • Telephone and computer connections • Plus more!! *; , _ - ''program January - May 2006 Priority I: University Wide Events_September 16,2005 Priority II: Carolina Productions.September 19,20Q5 Priority III: Registered Student Organizations ....Sept.20,2005 Priority IV: Other.September 21,2005 | Lottery September 20,2005 * Priority Reservations Lottery 2nd Floor Lobby Russell House September 20,2005 9am - 1st Ballroom Date 10:30am - 2nd Ballroom Date NOTE: Academic space will not be reserved until February, 2006 Because of the high demand for space in the Russell House a "lottery" system is used to ensure equitable distribution of space to registered student organizations. The highest level of demand is for Ballroom reservations, however, the lottery system will apply to all reservable spaces in the Russell House. For more information, contact the Reservations Office at 777-7127 or stop by Russell House 218. I '- I stvp£ur>, we- want to s££ you in this! "I'd rather be a bird with a Spur than a fdtfrj with a £fr* Celebrate our football rivalry with that certain school in the upstate and show ^ your Gamecock pride by making a gift «*«•***•» of $15 to the Carolina Fund. Once your ****+_ gift is received you'll get one of these limited edition tees! The Carolina Fund supports the most vital needs of our university including scholarships, fellowships, classroom resources and faculty recruitment. The back of the shirt is shown here. The front says, "Carolina" in garnet. Everyone is encouraged to wear their tee at the big game on Nov. 19th. This shirt is only available through the Office of Annual Giving at www.sc.edu/annualgiving, and orders must be placed by October 7th. Payment must be received before the shirts can be picked up in early November. What are you waiting for, visit us online today or call 777-2985. Go Gamecocks! * USC Faculty and st ff may purchase the shirt for $ 12 after making a gift of $18.01 or more through the Family Fund campaign.