THE CURRENT Your weekly dose of arts and entertainment • Thursday, October 24, 2013
That’s So Tarson
NU lecturer shares TV writing, acting background BY ALIX KRAMER Shannon Pritchard, graduate student in the MFA Writing for the Screen and Stage program at Northwestern, has nothing but great things to say about Geoffrey Tarson, lecturer in the RTVF department. Pritchard has had classes with Tarson for the past three quarters, which is especially impressive considering this is only his second year teaching at NU. “Geoffrey Tarson hits the perfect combination you want in a teacher,” Pritchard said. “He helps you get better by giving you enough criticism to make you a better writer, but at the same time he’s really open and warm about it. He makes you feel like you’re doing a good job but that it could be better. He’s just great. He’s so smart.” Even though he teaches writing, Tarson started as an actor, graduating with a BA in theater from Binghamton University. He lived in New York and did regional theater after college, but he soon became interested in improv. Tarson participated in a twoperson, cabaret-like, sketch comedy show “Out
On A Whim,” which actually landed him on “America’s Funniest People.” Tarson was also in a short film that aired on “Saturday Night Live.” It was part of a Schiller’s Reel, which was “in some ways a precursor to the shorts they have now,” Tarson said. Tom Schiller, former SNL cast member, would do three or four of these a year, and Tarson was brought on as an actor for one, where he acted as the boyfriend of cast member Melanie Hutsell. Tarson remembers walking by the writers’ room in 30 Rock and peeking in, thinking, “This is where the magic happens.” After moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting for television, he realized the improv that he thrived on in New York didn’t play as well in LA. After taking a class, Tarson turned to television writing. “I caught the last bus, so to speak, of the big TV writing time,” Tarson said. “In the ‘90s it was huge, they added a couple of networks and lots of sitcoms. I got in right before reality shows got big. ... I remember watching ‘Who Wants to Be A Millionaire,’ which was new, and we were all so fascinated, but at the same time we were watching scripted comedy become much more » See gEOFFREY TARSON, page 2
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INSIDE: Odds & Ends 2 | Columns 3 | Reviews 4
Page 2 | The Current
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Odds & Ends
Geoffrey Tarson
limited, with fewer shows and smaller staffs.” Tarson said he was very fortunate to have worked for 10 years in TV writing. Notably, he worked on “That’s So Raven” while in LA, which was “very fun and different.” However, he does mention that “That’s So Raven” had the longest hours, where the writers would work until 2 a.m. Even when he moved back to the East Coast with his young son, he continued to write and would fly back and forth between coasts working on pilots he developed for Disney. One of these, “Groove High,” is now airing in Europe, and it is a partially-
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animated, partially-live series with a similar premise as the movie “Fame.” Tarson’s wife is an alumna of NU’s RTVF program. When Tarson saw there was an open teaching position here, he felt like it was a wonderful merging of his wife’s background and his experience with TV. Although he concedes that it’s a big change from his prior careers, Tarson enjoys teaching. Tarson said the students come with an openness to find out what the real experience is like. He feels a responsibility to make sure the information he knows is imparted upon his students and that everyone gets their questions answered in the short time they are
together. Tarson had to “learn on the job” for his TV writing career and is happy to share knowledge about how to pitch and write impressive scripts with the students. “It’s my job to help them improve and tell them what to expect,” Tarson said. Tarson says he would like to continue teaching. “It’s very cool to have different people each year and to ... see real talent,” Tarson said. “I hope I’ll see their names on screen.” Tarson plans to keep writing as well. He’s currently working on a play and is involved with other projects, noting that it’s valuable to experience the pain and challenge that his students experience for
themselves. Communication senior Jon Oliver was in two of Tarson’s classes last year. “Geoff is always really good with pitch fixes,” Oliver said. “In a writing class, you are kinda discouraged from being too prescriptive when giving advice to other writers and told to give general advice instead, but in both of the classes with Geoff, he helped created an environment when pitching fixes was encouraged, and it helped massively. He was always right on point with the perfect pitch within seconds.”
Thursday, October 24, 2013
The Current | Page 3
Columns
On a budget: Tips for beating the midterm blues MarTina BarreraHernandez on-the-budget columnist
alixkramer2017@u.northwestern.edu
Between the Sheets: Our lips are not sealed
Q-and-A with
tonya starr
Charlie Oh Audience participation is encouraged in the Northwestern production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Each night, the show will feature four guest spellers, including audience members and people from the NU and Evanston communities, such as Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). Communication sophomore Charlie Oh said he finds the unpredictable nature of the show both challenging and exciting. Oh plays the role of 11-year-old Leaf Coneybear, and he spoke with The Current about his experiences with the production.
THE CURRENT: Can you describe your character (Leaf Coneybear) in the show and your approach to playing that character? CHARLIE OH: This is his first time at a (county) spelling bee ever. … He is really trying to figure everything out, and he fails and succeeds at different points in figuring out what’s going on. … In terms of him spelling … I don’t really want to give a lot of that away, but he finds a hidden gift that he did not necessarily know he had. THE CURRENT: Was it fun to go back and play a younger character? CO: That’s such a fun process. Doing the show is a chance to really get in touch with your little kid side all over again. Every time that I go into rehearsal or a show for this, it just feels like I’m getting to go on a really great playdate.
THE CURRENT: Can you tell me a
little bit about the rehearsal process? CO: The rehearsal process has been really, really fun. … Since it’s a spelling bee, the show is the event of a spelling bee, you don’t leave stage until your respective character does or does not get eliminated. So it’s a show where you get to be really actively involved with every single part of the process. … The show also has a really great, big heart. … I think that the process has been really great because we’ve been really finding the balance between leaving the audience laughing and also touching them at the same time. THE CURRENT: What has it been like to work with director Adam Goldstein (Communication ’12)? CO: He’s such a joy to work with. He’s always open to actors bringing in their own ideas and contributing, and he takes what you bring to the rehearsal process, and he runs with it. … In transitioning between those different hats that he wears, as both a director and also as a really great friend, is why I love working with him. I wish I could do every show with Adam Goldstein. THE CURRENT: What’s been the most challenging part about the show? CO: The show brings in a lot of audience volunteers, guest spellers. So preparing for the uncertainty that comes with having audience volunteers and not necessarily knowing
Malala Yousafzai, 16, has caused quite a stir with the recent publication of her autobiography “I Am Malala.” The book tells the story of Yousafzai’s role as an activist for education and women’s rights. A blogger for the BBC, Yousafzai began her career under a pseudonym at age 11, depicting her life under Taliban rule in Pakistan and her personal views on the education of girls in her region. Nominated for several awards, Yousafzai gained great fame in the media for her efforts to support peace. In October 2012, Yousafzai was on the bus returning home from school when she was shot in the head in an attempted assassination by members of the Taliban. After time spent in intensive rehabilitation, Yousafzai was able to beat the odds and survived this brutal attempt at her life. Now the winner of the first National Youth Peace Prize and a recent nominee for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, Yousafzai has successfully become one of the most influential people in the world and continues to promote her beliefs about education and women’s rights. Northwestern students give their input on her story: — Chanel Vargas
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Source: Creative Commons
Sex COLUMNIST
By ANNIE BRUCE the current @Anniefb13
Martina Barrera-Hernandez/The Curre nt
what’s going to come next is something that we just have to talk about a lot and be really ready for. … Also, the music for the show … is very deceptively difficult. … The music seems very light and simple and kiddy, but then when you really delve into the music and you go, ‘Oh wow, this is really hard.’ THE CURRENT: What’s been your favorite moment so far? CO: I get to go into the show every night not knowing exactly what’s gonna happen and having room for play and room for experimentation, and that’s just a really great gift as an actor to get to constantly be shaking things up and doing new things. THE CURRENT: What makes the production different or similar to past adaptations of the show? CO: Something that we’ve really focused on in this production is really making these characters not caricatures but really making them their own and bringing ourselves to the roles within the context of the text and the story. ... Our costume designer … watched all of our callbacks and tried to shape our costumes even to fit our individual personalities and what we bring to the roll. I think that we’re really trying to bring some authentic feeling and our individual selves to the production, while still having it be within the framework of a really fun show that everybody wants to come see. annebruce2015@u.northwestern.edu
Source: Charlie Oh
CAN YOU USE IT IN A SENTENCE. Charlie Oh plays the role of 11-year-old Leaf Coneybear in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The show runs from Friday through Nov. 10 in Louis Theater.
HERE WE GO AGAIN
After the honeymoon period during the first weeks of college comes and goes, life gets hard. Really hard. And really quickly. I found myself needing some uninterrupted me-time — time to light a candle, to take a bubble bath armed with a cup of chai, to stick my hands in chocolate chip cookie dough or to snuggle up with my loving kitty. But what do you do when all of your relaxation tricks don’t translate to college life? If I light a candle in my room, I’ll be the 1,000th person to set off the fire alarm, causing an evacuation and earning the wrath of my fellow Elderites, and if I take a bath in the girls bathroom bathtub, I’ll most certainly end up in quarantine. (Actually though, why do we have a bathtub?) Instead, I was forced to find new ways to clear my head. Here are a few of my favorites: Find the nearest park with a swing set (for those of us on North campus, I recommend Independence Park a little way down Central Street; otherwise Philbrick Park on Sherman Avenue is a safe bet) and see how high you can go. Think of nothing else, and let the cold Evanston air pinch your cheeks and fly. So maybe you can’t make cookies, but you can definitely make something equally as yummy and stress-free, with half as many
“It turns out the fox is very individual.” — Vegard Ylvisaker, half of the comedic duo known as Ylvis, answering the biggest question about the group’s hit song “The Fox.” “It’s my wedding day!!!!!” — Actress Kaley Cuoco (@KaleyCuoco) tweets teasingly just three weeks after her engagement to tennis player Ryan Sweeting. “I like the feel of a book more than an iPad or Kindle. It’s one of the few places where I think you can get lost in your own imagination with a very simple tool. It doesn’t prescribe what the exchange is going to be. Those things that are on a phosphorous screens, you’ve got to look at sidebars, and advertising, and other stuff, and that’s not a creative or imaginative experience.” — Actor Geoffrey Rush in an interview for the upcoming novel-based film “The Book Thief.”
Make yourself a cup of tea and drink it while not doing homework — giving yourself time to breathe is most important. (As an alternative to smelling a candle, feel free to take a deep inhale from your tea. That’s not weird, right?) No matter what you do to destress, the most important part is that you do something. We rarely put our homework aside and breathe for fear of losing 10 minutes of our not-nearly-long-enough day. Just remember: You’re worth it. martinabarrerahernandez2017@u.northwestern.edu
Living for the City: Halloween in Chicago Miranda Leon ON-THE-TOWN columnist
I am officially 40 days into my freshman year here at Northwestern. I must say, living 1,800 miles away from home in Arizona has been quite the life-altering transition. The constantly changing colors of leaves on trees — from green to orange to purple — shock me each day. However, this brand-new scenery does not surprise a West Coast girl like me the most. What I am shocked to find is how I already consider Chicago my home. Each day the buildings, parks and streets of Chicago possess the vibe of one big party where everyone is invited. Halloween is no exception. In fact, in Chicago, Halloween is celebrated for an entire season, not simply a single day. Want to get in on the fun but are not sure how to do so? Do you suffer from the poor, hungry college student blues? Do not let the daunting array of activities or even the cost frighten you away. Whether you enjoy Halloween because it’s only the night when wearing that tacky gold spandex is socially acceptable or have an addiction to funsized candy, there is an inexpensive
“At least in my case, I’m playing two characters that are, kind of, let’s say emotionally infantile. One is like a baby in the way that he reacts to everything. He’s like a child. Then James, the doppelganger character, is the kind of nasty infant that has no conscience. That’s a totally unique aesthetic that he creates.” — Actor Jesse Eisenberg to Esquire magazine regarding his upcoming film “The Double.”
ingredients and a microwave instead of an oven. For my treat, I grabbed the most readily available ingredients in my college pantry: popcorn, Oreos and chocolate. All you need to do is melt the chocolate, drizzle it over the popcorn and sprinkle on some crushed Oreo chunks. Let it set for about 10 minutes and then enjoy your cookies n’ cream popcorn during a homework break. Make sure you use unsalted, unbuttered popcorn — trust me, you’ll hate yourself if you do this with “theater-style” buttered popcorn. Take a shamelessly long nap. Naps make everything better — enough said. Have breakfast (or lunch or dinner) in bed. Maybe that sounds silly, but there is truly nothing better than taking the time to prepare a good breakfast for yourself instead of running out the door with a granola bar. Make some oatmeal, cut up a banana and put it in your yogurt or lather a bagel in honey and peanut butter. Wrap yourself in your comforter burrito style, curl up and enjoy! (Don’t forget to wear your most ridiculous socks!) Go to YouTube and search “Baby owl enjoys being petted” by masterkiter89. You will never see anything more adorable in your entire life. I almost cried.
Chicago-ween event out there for you. Here is my breakdown of the classic Halloween activities everybody loves in Chicago this week: Freaky Deaky V Halloween Costume Party What: Kick off Halloween week at the ultimate Chicago dance costume party emceed by DJ Griz, rapper Danny Brown, Kill Paris and psychedelic L.A. beat-maker Tokimonsta. Where: Aragon Ballroom, 1106 W. Lawrence Ave. (at Winthrop Avenue) Uptown, Chicago When: Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. Price: $29 Fear City Haunted House What: Located in Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier, the Fear City is the premiere haunted house in all of Chicago. If you are looking for the scare of your life, be sure to stop by The Fear night show, an adult-themed attraction. If you are looking for some PG-rated scares, Fear City offers the Fear-less daytime show.
Where: Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago When: Fear-less Daytime Show: Oct. 26 and 27 from 12 to 5 p.m. The Fear Night Show: Oct. 24 — 27 and Oct. 30 — 31 from 7 to 11 p.m. Price: Night shows are $20 for general admission. Visit thefearhauntedhouse.com for a $5 off coupon. Daytime shows are $12 for general admission. Visit thefearhauntedhouse. com for a $2 off coupon. Northalsted Halloween Parade What: Dress up in your costume and participate in the 17th annual Northalsted Halloween parade or simply watch thousands of your fellow Chicagoans walk the parade, which moves through Boystown. Where: Halsted Street and Belmont Avenue When: Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. Price: FREE mirandaleon2017@u.northwestern.edu
In case the title was unclear, this is a column about female masturbation. Still with me? Good. In just six short weeks, I’ll be moving to a strange, frigid city where I’ll live by myself in a cheap apartment and probably masturbate a lot. I’ll also microwave convenience store food, take up smoking and befriend the neighborhood cat as I pursue some serious journalistic endeavors a la Lisbeth Salander of “Dragon Tattoo.” So how does a girl keep herself warm on a long, cold, lonely night? Well, it depends on the girl. A 2012 study from the Kinsey Institute found that only 77 percent of women age 20-24 have masturbated, whereas 92 percent of men have done the deed by that point. Women just nearly catch up from age 24-29, when 85 percent of us are playing under the blanket (or in the bathtub, or while watching “Game of Thrones”), but then we see a very disheartening trend: As women get older they masturbate less and less, but men maintain a steady rate until the age of 70. My immediate thought is that women stop touching their own special place when they find a partner to touch it for them — or when it’s been ravaged by childbirth and they’re too tired to touch it anyway. My second thought is that this is a downright shame because, despite what some horrible articles on Askmen.com say, women do not only masturbate because they’re lonely and insecure. We masturbate whenever we want, even when we have a partner, because we know ourselves better (and if we don’t, we should). Single or not, we all need to take some alone time to get in touch with our deepest selves and acquire an arsenal of masturbatory tricks that we can consult for the rest of our lives (I bet we could even keep up with men in that “after 70” bracket). So whether you’re Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” reaching under your pink nightgown for the first time or a seasoned toy collector looking for a new game, here’s some tried and true advice master-bater herself: 1. Get a vibrator. Just do it. You know you’ve thought about it like a hundred times. Just go to one of those sex shops off the Berwyn stop, pick one up and stop fretting about it. I got something called a “Posh Rocket” a few years ago as a reward for landing my first freelance gig, and it was the best $20 I’ve ever spent. Mine’s about 6 inches long with three settings and friendly, pink silicone casing, and I wouldn’t give it up for the world. Take a break from midterms and treat yourself to something nice. 2. If you’re too scared to get a vibrator... Then you’re a coward who’s missing out on the greatest joys of life. But if that’s your deal, I’ve had some excellent experiences with candlesticks. 3. Get in the mindset. Seriously, this is so important. Nothing dries up your mojo like a text from your mom or a reminder about a morning meeting. Turn it off, lock the door and settle into whatever feels good (lingerie, a baggy tee shirt, nothing at all). Tell your housemates you’re doing work and mustn’t be disturbed, play something soothing and get on with all the hollering and moaning you like. tonyastarr14@gmail.com
THE CURRENT
Editor in Chief Annie Bruce
Assistant Editor Laken Howard Design Editor Jessica Fang
— Chanel Vargas Source: Creative Commons
Assistant Design Editor Rosalie Chan
Writers Devan Coggan Chanel Vargas Alix Kramer Martina BarreraHernandez Alex Burnham Miranda Leon
Page 4 | The Current
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Reviews
Incredible music behind the ‘Static’
Source: Facebook
TAKE A BOW. Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin make up the duo Cults. The band’s new album, “Static,” was released on iTunes on October 11 but lacks the magic that made its first album so unforgettable.
music columnist @afburnham
Members of the indie-pop duo Cults took an unorthodox approach during the creation of their sophomore album “Static,” released on iTunes on Oct. 11 through Columbia Records. Brian Oblivion, multi-instrumentalist, installed broken televisions on the mixing board of the studio. He and Madeline Follin, singer and lyricist, extinguished all lighting and watched the static produced by the televisions while listening to their songs to see if they “felt right.” A year before this, after touring for their eponymously-titled first album, the two decided to take a break, both from their relationship and from the band. Oblivion and Follin explained that touring and producing an identical show
every night became tiring. And many fans may hear the dregs of a oncevivid companionship in “Static.” Some may recall “Bumper,” from their self-titled album and think of the boardwalk-pop that transmuted into the cerebral shimmer of twinkling “Always Forever,” which at times itself evokes “Oh My God.” But, as Oblivion has said, and as the lyrics demonstrate, “Static” is not a breakup album. “You and me, always forever,” Follin cries. But this does not refer to the former relationship; the words are not wishful thinking. Instead, Follin explains her situation with Oblivion — regardless of a relationship, the duo will remain friends in aeternum. “Darling don’t get over the now,” she sings almost unintelligibly. This line, almost imperceptible, dictates the entire direction of the album. “Static” symbolically represents all of the distractions in everyday life that divert attention away from “the
now.” On the echoing resonation of “TV Dream,” Follin and Oblivion produce a sweet recreation of a television commercial. The 1960s sound, lasting only a minute, evokes merchandising amidst a chorus of angelic staccato. “I Can Hardly Make You Mine,” perhaps the catchiest, “poppiest” song on the album, crashes with snare hisses and tom-tom banging. Moviesoundtrack guitar riffs wail in the background, as Follin’s unique voice penetrates. “So I can never give you up ... before the end of a long day and then I wake.” The singer hints at her relationship with Oblivion, “Boy, just bring all your love back to me/ I guess for now this is how it’ll be.” But at the same time she admits, “I know you’re not the one or the only.” Lyrics aside, “I Can Hardly Make You Mine” evolves into a cacophony of distorted guitar and ecstatic drumming. The orgiastic sound reverberates and simmers into a lo-fi snicker, Follin’s
You don’t need a TV to watch great shows tv columnist @devancoggan
Netflix has been making headlines this week after the company announced its membership has reached 40 million worldwide and its earnings have quadrupled. Clearly, the online video provider is here to stay, and Netflix isn’t making all its money streaming old network shows or movies that have been out of the theater for months. Some of the best new shows of the past year were released as Netflix originals, and when fan-favorite “Arrested Development” returned from the dead in May, new episodes didn’t air on Fox, the show’s original home. They went straight to streaming on Netflix. From Netflix and Hulu to YouTube and Amazon, original onlineonly content has never been better. So, check out a few recommendations that prove you can watch the best shows without ever needing a TV.
The
WikiLeaks movie “The Fifth Estate” bombs on opening weekend Earning a measly $1.7 million, “The Fifth Estate” debuted last week with one of the worst opening weekends of the entire year. The WikiLeaks movie was widely considered to be potential Oscar fodder, but instead, it fell flat. This, of course, proves that if you’re lucky enough to have someone as gorgeous as Benedict Cumberbatch in your movie, you shouldn’t put him in a gross white wig and cast him as someone as creepy as Julian Assange. That’s the film equivalent of hosting a Bob Dylan concert and asking him to sing nothing but Justin Bieber covers.
“HOUSE OF CARDS” With a star-studded cast including Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Kate Mara, “House of Cards” is the model of success for online-only content. The series follows Frank Underwood (Spacey), a manipulative congressman who schemes his way to the top of Washington. David Fincher won an Emmy for directing the pilot, and the entire series holds it own against the best cinematic dramas. The price of a Netflix subscription is worth it just to watch Spacey break the fourth wall in that charming but unsettling Southern accent.
“DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG” No list of online-only series would be complete without Joss Whedon’s beloved musical “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.” Starring Neil Patrick Harris as an aspiring supervillain, this three-part series first found success streaming online through Hulu and even won an Emmy in 2009. The writing is clever, the music is catchy and the ending will break your heart. What more could you want from an online-only musical about singing supervillains?
afburnham@u.northwestern.edu
Kanye West, Kim Kardashian engaged after over-the-top stadium proposal Kanye West proposed to Kim Kardashian on Monday by renting out an entire baseball stadium, complete with a full orchestra and a Jumbotron reading, “PLEEEASE MARRY MEEE!!!” Sources close to the happy couple say they are blissfully awaiting the day they can make fun of their less-wealthy friends’ inadequate wedding gifts.
DEVAN COGGAN
“ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” Just when it seemed like Netflix couldn’t possibly top “House of Cards,” this comedy-drama about a women’s prison took its place as Netflix’s most-watched original series ever. Based on the memoir of a privileged New Yorker who is jailed for drug smuggling, “Orange Is the New Black” derives most of its success from its supporting characters, including a transgender inmate and a drug-addled, Jesusobsessed hillbilly. The series can be both horrifying and hilarious, and after the first season ended with a nail-biting cliffhanger, season two needs to premiere immediately.
voice protruding. But the most memorable song on the album, “So Far,” soars with expansive sound blasting immediately upon arrival. Percussion blasts and shoegaze abounds on the track. Every song on the album is “Static” but “So Far” is Cults. Ultimately, the sophomore attempt lacks many standout songs. Yet the duality, the combination of darker songs with an upbeat focus, in combination with Cults’ timeline, make the album much more salient. Maybe this album was more difficult to create. Maybe the duo is fundamentally altered. But the band that grew from the blog song “Go Outside,” the band that shouldn’t exist if not for a stroke of luck, continues to produce music from, if nothing else, a limitless stubbornness. Cults will always be Cults, whatever that may be.
Rundown
alex burnham
Source: Facebook
“THE GUILD” The brainchild of geek-girl queen Felicia Day, “The Guild” was one of the first online-only shows to prove YouTube could be a successful outlet for an original series. A series of short webisodes, the show follows a group of misfit role-playing gamers as they try to navigate real life, and if future YouTube original series are as witty and engaging as “The Guild,” you won’t ever need a TV again. “THE AWESOMES” Although Hulu original content hasn’t reached Netflix-style success, the online streaming company does have a few noteworthy comedies to its name, including “Quick Draw” and Northwestern alumnus Seth Meyers’ “The Awesomes.” Meyers (Communication ‘96) voices mediocre superhero Professor Doctor Awesome, who tries to unite a team of equally mediocre superheroes, usually with disastrous results. With talented voices like Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson and Bill Hader, it’s no wonder this animated series got picked up for a second season. devancoggan2015@u.northwestern.edu
NBC makes huge mistake, puts “Parks and Rec” on temporary hiatus Tragically, NBC has announced that Amy Poehler’s brilliant comedy “Parks and Recreation” will essentially be on hiatus until 2014. A few new episodes will air in November, although thanks to the schedule shuffling, the Halloween episode will air two weeks late. Although, honestly? That won’t be so bad, seeing as most of us forget to throw out our jack-o-lanterns until mid-November anyway. Brooklyn rejects proposal to rename street after Notorious B.I.G. Despite efforts in Brooklyn to rename a street “Christopher Wallace Way” after the rapper Biggie Smalls, community board members have rejected the proposal. Among other concerns, they cited his criminal history, derogatory attitude toward women and physical size, which is a shame. Just think about how awesome it would be to list your address as “Biggie Boulevard” on all official documents. — Devan Coggan