em Magazine F/W 2010 "New Classics" by EM Mag

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSIC ISSUE

a letter from the editors

here are some who say you shouldn’t mess with a classic. But then again, rules are meant to be broken. And every day at Emerson, students reinvent old ideas to create new and exciting work in film, literature, music and other various fields. And so we decided to call this our “New Classics” issue, because at Emerson, reinvention is all around and the only thing that’s truly “classic” is ingenuity. Because of that, we’ve chosen to spotlight six Emerson students who we feel are set to become icons, new classics, in their respective fields. We’d like to thank our staff for all its hard work; this magazine would never have been possible without your dedication and commitment. You all really raised the bar with this issue and we could not be more proud to share your work with the Emerson community. We hope you all enjoy the issue!

& co-Editors in Chief

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE

behind the scenes:

The New Classics

em magazine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE

Co-Editors in Chief Joanna Arpie, Justin Reis Managing Editor Lauren Landry Editorial Assistant Alexandra Gurvitch Founding Editors Andrea Drygas, Faye Brennan

VOLUME 11 | Winter 2011 EMERSON Editor // Holly Griffith Writers // Jamie Loftus, Micaeli Rourke, Sarah Dwyer, Kiera Murray, Emily Geaman ENTERTAINMENT Editor // Catherine Colliton Wtiters // Carly Loman, Matt Grossbart, Ben Lindsay, Lorena Mora, Grace Gibson LOOKS Editor // Joey Hebert Writers // Olivia Moravec, Siri Winter, Sonya Glaessner, Daniel Tehrani, Blair Li, Lindsey Train, Eric Twardzik STYLING Head Stylist // Alex Oanono Stylists // Mariah Nimmons, Karen Loder, JC Gerald, Blake Metzger, Sarah Cascante Hair & Make Up // TiTi Tran, Jacqueline Tiongson, Olivia Eaton, Lizzy Walsh, Audrey Geiger FEATURES Editor // Shana Wickett Writers // Devin Brown, Courtney Swift, Erin Doolin, Chloe Deas, Jeeyoon Kim, Lauren Vislocky, Melissa Park, Karren Harris, Rehanna Bellomo, Layla Halabian RELATIONSHIPS Editor // Michelle Golden Writers // Caitlin Bueller, Alexandra Hammarth, Joey Polino, Natalie Morgan, Kelly Riordan, Libby Erlbaum-Rumelt

PHOTOGRAPHY co-Editors // Hope Kauffman, Taylor Templeton Photographers // Stasia Fong, Chez Vecchione, Molly Wolfberg, Benjamin Askinas, Lauren Kroll, Joel Soh, Brian Annis, Lauren St. Hilaire, Regina Mogilevskaya, Hilary Hawkins, Peter York COPY EDITING Head // Danielle Bodnar Staff // Talia Rochmann, Lindsay Cole, Sindy Andrade, Jacquie St. Onge, Michelle Zelman MARKETING Director // Teodora Kaltcheva Staff // Amy Sherman, Krista Firkins, Melissa Obleada, Karlan Baumann, Kit Brown, Sana Bakshi, Rachel Palmisciano, Sydney Kirsten, Emily Chu, Julian Schnee DESIGN Head // Melissa Hines-Robinson Staff //Micah Schweitzer, Katie Reynolds, Morgan Stemmer, Sara Wynkoop, Liz Cormack, Maria Murray, Anna DesLauriers WEB Web Directors // Emily Dyess, Shana Wickett Asisstant Editor // Elissa Garza Writers // Marissa Ericson, Corey Catanese, Kristen Mortenson, Megan Fulton, Kassmin Williams, Sasha Smith, Nikki Fig, Hannah Fleishman, Mariah Doloff Stylists // Ean Williams, Christina Muniz, Dominique Banas, Johan Anderson Photographers // Hena Rizvi, Adam Reynoso, Emily Deering

MISSION STATEMENT As Emerson College’s exclusive lifestyle magazine, em Magazine is all about the students who write it, and the readers who love it. We push the limits of your average magazine by providing our readers with provocative and edgy content that spices up the Emerson lifestyle. We groom our staff for the fast-paced, exciting world of magazines and publishing by encouraging them to make each and every issue of em Magazine one you can’t be without. To contact em magazine, email us at emmagonline@gmail.com. We appreciate your feedback! Visit our website at www.emmagonline.com.

em magazine — winter 2011

SPECIAL THANKS Emerson College, Sharon Duffy, Kathleen Duggan, William Beuttler, Lisa Diercks, SGA, Joe O’Brien and Journeyman Staff, Ronit Oanono

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE

FEATURES

44 The New Classics 46 The New Clothier 48 The New Host

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50 The New Producer 58 Adderall: The Line Between Help and Harm The New Sketch Comedian 52 Far From Home 60 The New Wordsmith 54 Wired Generation 62 The New Connoisseur 56

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE

DEPARTMENTS

EMERSON 7 15 Emerson Classics 8 Street Seen 10 What’s it really like in the WLP field 11 Professor Q+A 12 Study Abroad: Israel 14 Obscure Organization 15 Emerson Mafia 16 Hot Shot Alumni 18 Mr. Emerson LOOKS 19 Accessory Page 20 Shop the Trend 26 Four looks, One Trend 27 Student Designers 30 Eat This, Not That 31 Exercise: Yoga 6

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32 Beauty Trend 34 10 Pieces Every Man Should Have in His Closet 35 Fashion Icons 36 McQueen: A Modern Classic? RELATIONSHIPS 37 Where Did All the Straight Guys Go? 38 Ex Etiquette: How to Behave with the Ex 39 Engaged in College 40 Facebook’s Place in a Modern Relationship 42 Out of Bounds: The Truth About Cheating 43 The Road to Exclusivity

ENTERTAINMENT 63 Social Circles 64 Band Profiles 66 Cozy Winter Cafés 67 Entertainment Classics 68 Night Out 70 Heart-beat Productions 71 Boston Boroughs EDITORIALS 73 Redefining Classic 74 Cool Intentions 82 Couture de Force CLOSERS 88 The Classics em Staff Can’t Live Without

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — emerson

Emerson Classics Text // emily geaman

From Birkenstocks at Bard to pearls at Princeton, every college has its stereotypical quirks. Ten years from now, what will be the classics we remember that define Emerson?

Hempfest: What better way to start out the school year than with a hippie festival right outside your window?

Stroopwafels: Even after living off them for three months straight at Kasteel Well, we still can’t seem to get over those delicious caramel filled cookies. If only they were easier to find in this country.

Wadsworth Street: It’s the Saturday night home away from home for freshmen and our school’s excuse for frat parties.

Scarves: Whether it’s 10 degrees or 80 degrees, rest assured that girls and boys alike will be rocking a scarf.

Waffle Wednesdays in the DH, and the long lines that go along with them. Emerson College Football T-shirts, as seen on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia! Only $19.99 at a bookstore near you!

NYP: The one and only New York Pizza… such a shame it’s never as good in the daylight.

Nose piercings: What better way to surprise Mom when you come home for that first Thanksgiving break?

Jacqueline Liebergott: You can take the Emerson out of Jacqueline, but you can never take the Jackie out of Emerson.

Text // Holly Griffith

Next!: At a performing arts school, we treat everything like an audition, and take the liberty of rejecting anything sub-par on the spot.

Janky: Rumored to have been brought to Emerson by students who use Midwestern slang, “janky” is another word for “sketchy” or “questionable.” em magazine — winter 2011

The Gypsy Bar: Gypsy hunting at 2 AM never gets old.

Sunbathing on the Common in the spring and sledding on it in the winter. No need for sleds when you have Dining Hall trays!

Buzzwords

Leggings… as pants. Enough said.

Smoking in front of the Little Building, despite every e-mail from George Noonan telling us it’s forbidden.

Open Mics and Date Auctions: We can never seem to get enough of acoustic guitars and shelling out money to save our friends from embarrassment and/or horrific dates.

4 6

Macbooks, iPhones, Final Cut Pro — we love anything Apple really, including stealing apples from the Dining Hall…

Mafia: This network of successful Emerson grads will hook us up with the right people when we graduate and need jobs.

Dimepiece: As described by a frequent user of the word, someone who is a “dimepiece” is, “10 out of 10!”

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; emerson

Jasmine Pook / Communication Studies / 2014

Dagny Blomster / Broadcast Journalism / 2014

Street

Dagny Blomster / Broadcast Journalism / 2014

Srda Vasiljevic / BA Theatre Studies: Directing / 2014

Becky Cook / Marketing Communication / 2014

Evan Tetreault / Marketing Communication / 2014 Annalisa DiVito / Marketing Communication / 2013

Kirsten Judson / Political Communication / 2013

em magazine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — emerson

John Pohdor & Charlie Chapin

Seen

Vanessa Rodriguez / Writing for Television & Film / 2014

Parker Simon / Marketing Communication / 2013

Emily Sinclair / WLP / 2013 & Robben Barquist / Journalism / 2013 & Vjeran Pavic / Print Journalism / 2013

Landry Albright / BFA Acting / 2012

Kate Horn / Marketing Communication / 2013 Liz Ronzio / Marketing Communication / 2013 Jordan Beder / Acting / 2013

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Emerson

What It’s Really Like in the

Writing, Literature, and Publishing Field text // sarah dwyer

he image of a “starving artist” is a widely accepted representation of what happens to students after they graduate Emerson as Writing, Literature and Publishing (WLP) majors. Although this may be the fate of some, there is actually a wide variety of career options for WLP graduates. One unconventional, but very possible career option for WLP majors is in marketing. The creativity that WLP students hone throughout their time at Emerson provides them with unique ideas to help companies advertise. These skills can also help WLP graduates land marketing jobs at a magazine and publishing houses. Advertising sales agents make a median of $42,800 a year, according to careeroverview.com, and are best suited for those who want a highly business-oriented career. WLP students with an interest in business may also consider careers in both literary agency and editing. Classes such as copy-editing help prepare you for an editing career, and critiques that you give in

“Once you get that job, editors and agents make an average of $50,000 a year, but the salary varies greatly depending on the company and your place in the ranks.” With both of these positions, you may have to start out doing unpaid work to make yourself known in order to land a paying career. Collette earned her position at Rees Literary Agency after writing free critiques for publications, and eventually being published in Publishers Weekly. “Once you are published in Publishers Weekly, you can get a job,” she says. Once you get that job, editors and agents make an average of $50,000 a year, but the salary varies greatly depending on the company and your place in the ranks. However, as Collette explains. “If you are thinking about becoming an agent or editor…no matter how much you become involved with clients, your main function is still as a business person, not as a creative one.” If you are interested in a more creative career, a very tangible one for Emerson WLP grads is to become a teacher. Creativity and passion for writing to inspire others can be rewarding. English language and literature teachers, specifically, make a median annual income of around $51,700. If a WLP student is interested in expressing their creativity in multiple ways, they might want to look into being both a teacher and a writer. As New York Time’s Best-selling author and professor at University of Washington, David Shields says, “As I’ve published more books, I’ve been granted better and better teaching jobs,” showing that there is a direct correlation between these two careers. Shields was able to get his first book published

“Writers and authors make a median of $48,600 year...” workshop classes provide you with skills to be an agent. Ann Collette, an agent at Helen Rees Literary Agency, says that even as the publishing industry develops and becomes more technological, “there will always be a need for agents,” and the same can be said for editors. The career of an editor or agent may seem monotonous, but, as Collette says, each day is interesting because “the writing is always new, and it’s worth it when you come across something you really like.”

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while obtaining his graduate degree in fiction at University of Iowa, where an agent visited and liked his work. When he finished the piece a few years later, he sent it to the agent, and she helped him get it published. Writers are “at work as fully as a dentist is at work in the office,” Shields says. He goes on to explain how he writes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the days when he is not teaching, “takes care of life’s duties,” checks his e-mail, and then reads through what he wrote earlier that day. Similar to careers in literary agency and editing, writing careers may involve some unpaid work in order to gain a reputation, but once a paying job is secured, writers and authors make a median of $48,600 per year, and the highest 10% make over $97,700 per year. Whatever career path WLP grads decide to follow, it is important that they are open to change. Collette found out she was a good critic while taking a writing workshop class, and decided to try that instead of writing. Shields discovered his talent for writing non-fiction while writing a piece that he intended to be fiction. Shields says writers should not be intersested in this field for the money, but because they are passionate about it. He suggests they maintain this mentality throughout their careers and “get in it and stay in it for the excitement, the intellectual, emotional and creative excitement.”

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Emerson

Professor Q&A

Amy Vashlishan Murray text // kassmin williams — photo // adam reyonoso

r. Amy Vashlishan Murray, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication sciences & disorders, strives to help students bring communication, the arts, and science together in the courses she teaches at Emerson: DNA and Society; Personal Genetics and Identity; Science and Translation: Health and Genetics; and a sophomore honors seminar on evolution in human history. em had the chance to talk “science” with the professor and learn how artsy her science classes can really get. Q: A common stereotype of Emerson students is that they’re not too interested in science. Do you find that to be true? A: I’ve encountered some students who create that barrier for themselves where they called themselves “not a science person,” but I’ve been very pleasantly surprised at how open-minded Emerson students are to engaging in new information. So I would say that I have found that stereotype to be generally false. There is a lot of curiosity to learn something different, even if they’ll never become scientists. Q: Most people treat art and science as opposites. Do you find there is a cross between the two? A: There is definitely crossover between the two. In my DNA and Society class, we spend a class looking at bio-art that relates to technologies that we’ve talked about. As a final project in that class, I asked students to communicate some aspect of the course material in whatever media and format they want, and in doing that I get a lot

of interesting crossovers between art and science. We actually had an event at the Museum of Science this past semester. It was an Emerson science showcase and film screening. Two of my students showed their work there. One wrote a poem about cell division. Another student composed and played a violin piece based on the DNA sequence of the flu virus. Those are some really interesting pieces of science art. Q: Why did you choose to teach at Emerson?

A: I’ve always cared a lot about public understanding of science, and this is an aspect I cover in my research outside of the lab. And “Where else can a scientist come and impact most teaching the future communicators of her discipline?” work that you would do in the biological sciences would be training

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future scientists. Emerson is a unique place in that it is one of the few or the only liberal arts school that is primarily focused on communications and the arts. Where else can a scientist come and impact the future communicators of her discipline? That was a really big draw for me. It’s a little fun to work with Emerson students. I couldn’t have anticipated all of the creativity ahead of me. Q: On a lighter note, what is the funniest pair of pajamas that you have? A: I like penguins. I have penguin pajamas. They’re funny because they’re silly and they waddle, but at the same time, they’re formal because they wear tuxedos.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Emerson

Study Abroad: Israel text // Sarah Dwyer — photo // provided by leah mishkin

hile standing in line waiting for a Starbucks coffee, sporting a hot pink cardigan, rolled-up khakis and hiking boots, it is clear that Leah Mishkin, a junior broadcast journalism major, has a worldly quality to her.

With a mother from Belgium and family in Israel, Mishkin was no stranger to travel while growing up. Perhaps the trip that contributed the most to her experience with a variety of cultures, however, was her decision to take a semester-long leave of absence from Emerson and study communications in Herzliya, Israel. “I’ve always loved it and wanted to live there,” she says. “It was kind of impulsive, but it was the best decision.” Although it may seem daunting, Mishkin says she found arranging her classes and housing with the Raphael Recanati International School in Israel relatively easy. It cost her family less than paying for tuition, room and board at Emerson, and transferring credits wasn’t difficult, she says. “I was a little nervous because I wasn’t guaranteed any credits,” she says, adding that World Education Services, which evaluates foreign academic credentials, facilitated the process.

The fleamarket Mishkin and her friends would often go to during their stay in Israel.

Mishkin got right back into the swing of things when she returned because Emerson helped her register for fall semester classes and made sure she could graduate with her class on time. “Even if I hadn’t gotten all the credits, to me it was worth the experience,” Mishkin says. When Mishkin arrived in Israel, she had very few problems adapting to the culture not only because she had travelled there with her family before, but also because “everyone is so warm, and everyone is willing to help you,” she says.

Mishkin browsing through items at the fleamarket.

Mishkin shopping in Tel Aviv.

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Emerson

Looking to create your own unique study abroad experience? The Office of International Study and External Programs are happy to discuss different possibilities with students, but the easiest way to study abroad outside of the programs that Emerson has to offer is through already established programs. Some of the most popular alternative study abroad programs amongst Emerson students include:

Mishkin enjoyed Israel’s culture, beaches and cuisine, but her favorite aspect of Israeli culture is its sense of community. “Israel is not how it’s shown on TV,” she says. “I think people should understand that it’s a really urban, young place. I grew up in NYC and the nightlife there is pretty fun, but I think that nightlife in Israel is better.”

their hand in class, and you would hear a different accent every time,” she recalls.

“The best looking people are in Israel,” she adds with a laugh.

Although she acknowledges the appeal of Emerson’s set study abroad programs, she says, “It’s important for people to know that they don’t just have to do those programs.” No matter how you choose to go abroad, she emphasizes that college students have the time and ample opportunities to travel. “Even if you have to [travel] with your backpack and passport and no money, I suggest that you do it,” she says.

Mishkin’s experience was not limited to Israeli culture, since she met students from all over the world. Her roommates were from Turkey and Hong Kong, and the classes she attended were full of students from a variety of different countries. “Everyone would raise

Mishkin also made life-long friendships with people she met abroad who later visted her at Emerson and adds, “I can now travel anywhere just by picking up the phone.”

“I’ve always loved it and wanted to live there” she says based on her experiences on vacations to Israel to visit family. “It was kind of impulsive, but it was the best decision.”

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Arcadia University College of Global Studies has a Program Finder in which you can plug in what and where you are looking to study to find the option that is best for you. Once you find these options, Arcadia’s website also includes estimate costs for all of these trips, comments from students who have been on these trips in the past, and a variety of portals ranging from “financial aid” to “LGBT” to find out the most recent information about the program you chose. To learn more about this program visit www.arcadia.edu/ abroad/ Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA) Butler University allows you to choose programs from twelve different countries based on the length of study, subjects, climates, population and languages that interest you. IFSA wants to you to be immersed completely in the culture you choose, but also offers support before, during and after your trip. For more information visit www.ifsabutler.org/

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Emerson

Greek Life Obscure

Organization

Greeklife

Text // Micaeli rourke

We see them on campus every day, strolling down Boylston Street in packs, dawning strange letters. But what do we really know about the 7% of the student body involved in Greek Life? When some hear the word “Greek,” they think brotherhood, sisterhood, lovey-dovey friendship things. Others probably think of crazy sorority girls hazing poor freshman into doing obscene things. This ridiculous stereotype probably stems from the secretive and exclusive nature of sororities and fraternities. And at a school like Emerson where many come to avoid the typical college experience, many of us wonder why anyone would ever be interested in going Greek.

“These are girls that get me. Kappa stands for exactly the things I want to base my life on,” said Wynn Harrison, Broadcast Journalism, Class of 2012. the Greek Life Open House, Tang pledged SAE—the largest fraternity on campus—the spring semester of his freshman year. He joined because he wanted a place where he belonged, and says he never regretted the decision.

Wynn Harrison, Broadcast Journalism, Class of 2012, pledged Kappa Gamma Chi sorority this fall, a period she called one of the hardest, yet most rewarding times of her life.

“SAE stands for ‘The True Gentleman.’ Be true to who you want to be,” he said. “Basically, SAE is about growing as far as you can and helping the fraternity to grow as well.”

“These are girls that get me,” she said. “Kappa stands for exactly the things I want to base my life on.”

For Matt Caron, Film Production: Directing, Class of 2011, his initial interest in Phi Alpha Tau stemmed from the networking opportunities it could provide. And with the help of his brothers, Caron has already lined up a gig for when he goes out to LA this spring.

Despite being a junior, she decided to Rush—a period of events that allows potential new members to get a better feeling for what a sorority/fraternity is all about—because she said had been thinking about it for a while. Most students typically Rush as freshman and sophomores.

“Basically, SAE is about growing as far as you can and heling the fraternity to grow as well,” said Sam Tang, WLP, Class of 2012. Harrison explained why she wanted to do it most. “It’s a trend I’ve found in student leaders, and I’m a student leader.” Jordan Moncada, Broadcast Journalism, Class of 2013, said she joined Alpha Epsilon Sorority because she too wanted to surround herself with campus leaders. “I started realizing that all of the big faces of Emerson and heads of organizations were all Greek, and I immediately knew that was something I wanted to be a part of.” In a highly competitive, career-driven environment like Emerson, many turn to Greek life for a sense of loyalty and cooperation. For Sam Tang, WLP, Class of 2012, and the Eminent Deputy Arcon (Vice President) of the Mass Epsilon chapter of Sigma

Alpha Epsilon, this was certainly the case. After attending

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However for Caron, the brotherhood is not just a launch pad for his career. “I realized it was something more than that and made kind of a second family for me,” he said. However simple the reasoning may be, the exclusivity of Greek Life will always lend itself to negative feedback from non-Greeks. “Greek Life is going to feel mysterious at all campuses,” Tang said. “[Greek organizations] are going to feel exclusive because they develop closer relationships than most organizations. This bond is an intrinsic part of us.” For most Greeks, the most significant reason they decided to become a member of their organization, is simply friendship. Helen Hemley, Marketing Communication, Class of 2011, says Alpha Epsilon Phi has provided her with friends she know will last a lifetime. “In my second semester at college I hadn’t met the group of friends that I thought I would,” she said. “When I joined AEPhi I found girls that would understand, trust and love me no matter what.”

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Emerson

Emerson Mafia

text // Jamie Loftus — photo // hope kauffman

orried about finding a starter job when you graduate? Fuhgeddaboutit.

The Emerson Mafia, an organization created by alumni, is dedicated to helping Emerson graduates find start-up jobs in their career of choice, and has been active since 2001. Founded by “mob boss” graduate Tom Grey, who is now working in Los Angeles as a writer, the group has sustained itself quite nicely ever

“It just goes to show what a good reputation the Emerson name carries for producing hard workers with a forward-thinking creative vision.” since its start-up, remaining popular among Emerson graduates. Grey is flanked by “mafiosos” (additional graduates) who post “Welcome to the family!” when you sign up for a free account and subsequently get involved with one of the most effective alumni networks in the country. Joining gives you exclusive access to contact information for every Emerson alumni with a current internship or starter position in Boston, New York, or Los Angeles. It may sound too good to be true, but there are plenty of examples of Emerson Mafia success stories, especially among Emerson Students who opt to take a semester in LA. Being a member of the Mafia’s family could turn out to be very rewarding; the group also updates the site with cheap housing available in NYC and LA areas to get a room over former students’ heads after graduation. Students have worked on big name projects like “The Sarah Silverman Project,” “The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report,” “The Onion,” and “Friends.” Recent graduates Khellie Braxton and Gaby Dunn have gotten internships with both MTV and Comedy Central, and the list certainly doesn’t end there. Many mafiosos with industry connections, whether in Film, Writing, Literature and Publishing, Theater and beyond have extended offers to the Emerson community first before taking interviews with other

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graduates. Some Emerson innovators that have found immense success in the industry are Denis Leary, Maria Menounos, and Henry Winkler, but there are hundreds of other alumni who are able to work in the industries they are passionate about due to their time at Emerson and the connections it forged with the Mafia. There’s no reason to lose sleep about finding a place in your area of interest as long as you’re proactive about addressing it. They’re here, they’re ready to help, and they’re going to give you an offer you can’t refuse.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Emerson

Hot Shot

Alumni

text // holly griffith — photo // hope kauffman

ome Emerson graduates move to LA to make feature films, some publish best-selling novels, and some star on Broadway. But there is only one alum who owns a quirky pawn shop right next door to Emerson.

Patricia Bartevian Patricia Bartevian, Emerson College class of 1945, is the owner of the kooky consignment store nestled in between the Piano Row dorm building and the Steinway piano store on Boylston. The display window at the front of the shop stills bears the family name, “Bartevian,” and is accompanied by an array of antique action figures, posters, Russian nesting dolls, and gemstone jewelry. “We’re a family-owned, non-profit operation that’s been around for a hundred years. We take things on consignment and help people who need money.” That’s what Bartevian says to every customer who buzzes into the building to check out her collection of treasures. Bartevian became interested in Emerson when she and her sister wanted to work in show business. “When I was young, we didn’t have TV and all this stuff. So people used to dress up, put on plays, that sort of thing. One day, my sister and I were stuck at home with the measles, and dad got us a guitar and that was the end of that.” Bartevian and her sister decided to brush up their skills by attending Emerson College as Theatre and Film majors. “We sang, we danced, we had a lot of fun.” Bartevian and her sister, who recently passed away due to cancer, broke into showbiz in Boston when they auditioned as a guitar duo for the local radio station. “We played in different places around town, and then it was off to Hollywood!” In Hollywood, the two worked wherever they could. “I did cement work, plumbing, electrical work. I got some showgirl jobs here and there, but mostly did practical things.” But the practical skills

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that Bartevian learned in Hollywood ended up being invaluable to her, and she found simple satisfaction in playing music and working hard. “It all helps create who you are,” she said. “It helps shape your personality, your character, your accountability, and helps you cope with new experiences.” After a few years of working in Hollywood as everything from a performer to a plumber, Bartevian came back to Boston to help with the family shop on Boylston, and has been there ever since. Because of the store’s proximity to the college, she has watched Emerson grow and change over the years. Bartevian speaks about Emerson’s president, Jacqueline Liebergott, as a good friend. “I told [Jacqueline] that it’s nice that the college is growing, but I told her not to lose what we had when the college was on Beacon Street. We were a family at Emerson. The college had to grow because of the demand of students, but I think the students still find that sense of community here. You find true friendships at Emerson.” While Bartevian may not be starring on Broadway or partying with movie stars on LA rooftops, she still represents the thing that Emerson advocates and values most: noble creativity. Bartevian used the skills she learned in Hollywood to create a meaningful career right in the heart of Boston’s theatre district. Just as she did in Hollywood, Bartevian has surrounded herself with creative, artistic people, and she works hard at the pawn shop and uses the money to help others. “Emerson students are just creative people,” she said. Some things never change.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Emerson

he economic recession can be a scary time for creative people like Emerson students. But even in the print publishing industry, perhaps one of fields most in danger of vanishing, there are still some inspiring stories of publishing professionals who have found success. Jacqueline Houton, Boston resident and Emerson grad, is one example of how hard work, networking, and a little bit of luck can make any Emerson student’s goals become reality.

Jacqueline Houton Houton is currently the managing editor of the bi-weekly Boston lifestyle magazine STUFF, a free publication that can be found in cafés and on street corners. She graduated from Emerson’s graduate school in 2008 with a Master’s degree in Writing and Publishing. Working with a very small and multifunctional staff, Houton has had the opportunity to wear lots of different publishing hats. When it comes to STUFF Magazine, Houton’s responsibilities include copyediting, fact-checking, lineediting, and proof-reading. She also helps with online content and manages emails. “My job really lets me do quite a bit of writing as well as editing. I contribute to features and all of that. Oh! And I manage the intern program.” For many Emerson students, this long to-do list represents an ideal career, and Houton lives this reality each day. Emerson was a huge part of Jaqueline’s success. She attended Emerson straight out of undergrad at Tufts University, and feels that the environment at Emerson was an instrumental part of achieving her goals. “It gave me the time and environment conducive to building up my clips. At Emerson, even undergrads are very driven. They’re very passionate about their projects.” Despite her early success in Boston’s publishing scene, Houton recognizes that the magazine business is very competitive. “I can’t pretend luck didn’t have a lot to do with it.”

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But besides avoiding black cats and carrying around horse shoes, Houton’s best advice for graduates looking to build a publishing career is to have an impressive portfolio of clips, or pieces of published work. “Tangible evidence of writing skills and work ethic speaks much more than a resume does.” Houton also recommends doing your research before sending pitches to magazines. “Don’t waste the editor’s time. Never send the same pitch to lots of magazines. Target your pitch to the magazine’s specific needs.” And when it comes to writing an effective pitch, Houton has it down to a formula. She recommends sending a vivid explanation of why the story is a good fit for the specific publication. “Then give them reasons why they shouldn’t pass up expanding on this idea.” Even in the midst of a quickly changing and competitive publishing industry and a slow-moving recovery from economic recession, Houton found a way to make a career for herself in the magazine industry. And considering all of her calculated advice, it seems that her success has little to do with luck.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Emerson

Jeff Crowned Rizzi First

Mr. Emerson

text // Emily Geaman — photo // hope kauffman

Last September, seven spirited guys competed in swimwear, talent, and interview challenges while duking it out for the title of Mr. Emerson 2010. Jeff Rizzi, wowing the audience and judges with his lip sync rendition of “And I Am Telling You” and Bay Watch-esque swim trunks, came out on top as the first ever winner of the now annual competition, hosted by the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority. A junior acting major from Cold Spring, New York, Rizzi came across the competition by accident. An aspiring television actor, Rizzi had an hour to spare before his Common Auditions, and the Mr. Emerson casting-call was conveniently being held right down the hall. Two weeks later, he had a crown on his head. While he was initially shocked at his win, Rizzi now considers his title to be a great privilege. “It’s an honor; it feels amazing to experience all the love behind it. It’s great to have that backup and have everyone come up to me and say ‘Oh my God, of course you won!’ It’s really very humbling.” Rizzi’s Emerson spirit isn’t hard to see. In addition to holding the title of the first Mr. Emerson, he is SGA’s Performing Arts Senator, a member of Zeta Phi Eta, and an Emerson Quidditch player and cheerleader. He also has his own WECB radio show, performs with Rareworks, works at the Paramount, and is an Orientation Leader. Mr. Emerson chair Nikki Werner, BFA Acting, 2013, says, “[Rizzi] was definitely a front runner from the beginning. He’s passionate, energetic, and above all a crowd pleaser. A smile from Jeff Rizzi while walking down Boylston makes any Emersonian’s day.”

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A Return to

Glamour TEXT // JUSTIN REIS PHOTO // HOPE KAUFFMAN

Above: scarf by Tucker $184, necklace by Winifred Grace Swarovski $300 both from Dress, Leopard clutch from Reiss, sunglasses by Ralph Lauren and fur vest, pumps by Christian Louboutin - stylist’s own

Left: Hermes watch and vintage rings stylist’s own, necklace by Winifred Grace $185 from Gretta Luxe Right: necklace by House of Harlow $95 from Gretta Luxe

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This season, designers shifted from the rock and roll edge of seasons past and returned to utter femininity. Busty models in full skirts paraded down runways in New York, London, Milan, and Paris toting trimmings reminiscent of glamour not seen since the mid 20th-centruy. Pops of red, leopard accents, touches of fur, and structured bags complimented the season’s air of noir while designers like Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Ricardo Tisci at Givenchy, and Dries Van Noten at his namesake line used the accessory palette to redefine the fashion classics and infuse them with modernity. To achieve the classically chic look for fall, offset tonal camel coats and menswear inspired tuxedo pieces with belts, bags, and heels in either leopard or fire truck red. When it comes to wearing fur this season, opt for a fur vest like the one pictured, fur trimmed shoes like those shown by Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent, or a fur trimmed bag like those sent down the runway at Louis Vuitton. If investing in kitten heels or a boucle twinset sounds more tragic than trendy, mix updated classics like a reinvented pair of oversized sunglasses, a wraparound watch, or simple bracelets and necklaces in mixed metals into your wardrobe.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

Model // Stefani Robinson blouse by Phillip Lim 3.1, $395 jeans by MIH Vienna, $195 sweater by Cynthia Vincent $455 - all courtesy of Dress earrings and cuff stylist’s own

shop the trend This season, various designers looked to the past when deciding our future fashion trends. The new must have items could be considered a reinvention; taking cues from the 1940s and 50s. Decades are not the only trends occurring during this year’s fashion week: for Fall 2010 and Spring 2011, the industry has drifted away from a neutral pallete, choosing instead to create a mixture of different patterns, fabrics, and styles. Whether it’s floral with stripes, or velvet with leather, these innovative pieces will surely inspire a fabulously mismatched result from even the most basic of closets. Text // Sonya Glaessner Photo // Ethan Walfish Styling // Alex Oanono & team

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the chunky knit

ith winter nipping at our kitten heels, chunky knits are a must have this fall. Whether in merino wool or cashmere, these sweaters and wraps are a chic alternative to our cold weather comfy cozies. Although it may seem necessary to freeze in the name of fashion, layering an outrageous knit with a more tailored or flashy piece is a favorite styling tip among designers like Rag & Bone and Missoni. For daytime, incorporate this trend into your outfit using a neutral romper or printed shift dress, a crisp collared shirt, your favorite tailored jacket, or a fitted dark pant. Rock this look with some lace up ankle booties, or a pair of oxfords. When changing into your evening apparel, take your knit from casual to classy by creating a contrast in fabrics, using a sequined mini skirt, sparkly knee length dress, a pair of slouchy silk pants, or paneled leather leggings. J. Crew and Urban Outfitters offer fabulous knits, with low price-tags. For those of you willing to make an online purchase, check out Topshop’s online store as another option when trying to satisfy your need for this season’s knits.

From top to bottom: pink oversized jumper sweater by Reiss $185 multi-colored pullover by H&M - stylist’s own 50s sweater coat from Dress $429

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dress $550 and belt $175 by Phillip Lim 3.1 boots by Fiorentini & Baker $552 all courtesy of Dress

the day dress 22

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ere today and still going strong tomorrow, the day dress has proven itself as a trend to be reckoned with. Oscar de La Renta and Alice & Olivia both played with patterns and flirted with florals while designing these feminine frocks. Staying true to their name, these dresses are perfect for a day date, or a casual lunch with friends.

Try mixing prints by pairing a floral day dress with a patterned cardigan, or a cropped jacket with a rounded neckline. For a more conservative look, try a neutral cardigan, or fitted wool blazer in a bold color. Less is more when it comes to accessories, but a good belt will help define your waist, while helping to create a more sophisticated style. Try a wedge, or an open-toed heel, when deciding on a shoe. The day dress can make an easy transition to night, with a dark trench coat or boyfriend blazer, thin belt, bold necklace, and platform heel. When looking for this feminine trend, try to make sure the length of the dress hits the middle, or just below your knee. For fierce finds, check out Madewell, Forever Twenty- One, or H&M.

From right to left: Heartfelt shirt dress $300 courtesy of Gretta Luxe Body con blue dress courtesy of Reiss

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oversized Pipin jumper $185 courtesy of Reiss Barbara Bui pants $685 courtesy of Gretta Luxe pumps by Yves Saint Laurent and vintage earrings - stylist’s own

the cigarette pant 24

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the cigarette pant

ith clean lines and a classic silhouette, cigarette pants are a much-needed addition to any fashion forward wardrobe. The rocker-chic piece made an appearance in the collections of designers like William Rast and Burberry Prorsum. A cigarette pant makes a subtle statement, so the rest of your ensemble should fall in line with this pattern. For a fresh look on a crisp day, try pairing this trend with an oversized button down, fitted tweed blazer, shrunken denim jacket, or sheer baggy sweater. These additions should either be a solid color or simple striped pattern. A black flat or ankle boot, combined with minimal jewelry, will help to finish off the look. Avoid cargo jackets and flannel tops to keep from looking over styled or trend heavy. When transforming from day to night, try mixing your masculine and feminine sides by pairing these pants with a fluid blouse, thin draped sweater, satin blazer, or sheer tank. Add a pair of platform heels to elongate your legs, and a piece of statement jewelry as an extravagant touch. Leather can be pricey, so check out H&M’s faux leather pants as an inexpensive alternative. If you’re looking to splurge, check out Blank Jeans cropped leather skinny pant, available at Saks Fifth Avenue. From right to left: Liam Jean by Genetic Denim $225 courtesy of Gretta Luxe Oslo Jeans by MIOH $195

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four looks one trend

Having versatility in your wardrobe doesn’t mean having an overstuffed closet. Versatility lends itself to essential pieces that can combine the various trends of the moment so they can easily be adapted into several, unique looks. The Zara jacket shown adds the slouchy silhouette of a poncho to shearling, which is coincidentally both a winter classic and a new winterfavorite. Its clean simplicity evokes the minimalist-chic of Celine. With creativity and adventurous styling, one jacket can make four, fabulous looks.

Text // Daniel Tehrani — Photo // Joel Soh Styling // Alex Oanono & team — Models // Justyna Lewinska, Krystal Metcalf, Lindsay Loporchio, Angela Keefea Shearling jacket $129 from Zara

dress $250 and belt $195 by Kimberly Taylor, pants by Barbara Bui $685 courtesy of Gretta Luxe

Jil Sander heels $750 courtesy of Gretta Luxe

wedges $109 from Zara, Firefly dress $290 courtesy of Cotelac, buckle satchel $365 courtesy of Reiss

Shirt $160, vest $335, jeans $245, belt $95, and boots $410 all courtesy of Cotelac

look 1

look 2

look 3

look 4

The right accessories can make the jacket perfect for a night out. A geometric bracelet, a detailed bag or even studded heels toughen up the look when worn over a black dress. Accentuate the LBD with leather accents and leggings. This hard, yet elegant, look recalls warrior women that stomped the runways at Balmain and Balenciaga; it’s punk rock and yet completely chic.

With styling, the jacket can be elegant and quite glamorous when worn by itself. Belt the jacket to give it structure and to accentuate the waist. The collar should be pulled beneath the shoulders, focusing the eye on the collarbones and neck the way a well cut dress might. Pair the look with tights and Oxford heels in a color that compliments the brown of the jacket, like the aubergine shown here.

For a look that could effortlessly transition from day to night, pull from another staple look this fall: vintage romance. Wearing the jacket with a soft, feminine dress in a floral or girly print can be very sweet, yet tongue-incheek with the contrast in texture and pattern. Pile on the accessories – raid Grandma’s jewelry box for bracelets and earrings that are both bold and a bit extravagant.

The jacket can also be incorporated into a masculine and tailored look by pairing it with a white button up and vest. Play with proportion and make the look a bit more casual by wearing classic wash and fitted denim. The clean lines contrast with the jacket’s boxy, oversized quality. All of which make the look both relaxed and chic: evoking the androgynous, 1970’s throwback present Chloe’s latest collections.

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Family to From left to right:model Sarah Murray, designer Michaela McCrink, designer Sarah Schneider, and model Rachel Ottenstein

FASHION

TEXT // OLIVIA MORAVEC PHOTO // HOPE KAUFFMAN Just last semester, Fashion Society challenged student designers to create their own fashion lines for the runway. This opportunity helped one designer transform thrift store rags to recycled haute couture and another to bring her international ambitions back to her roots. However, both designers have one influence in common when it comes to their fashion:

their mothers.

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While in high school, Michaela McCrink had no idea that her self taught sewing skills would turn into anything more than the tweed mini skirts she created and wore with her knee high socks and Mary Janes. “No one else would dress up in high school,” she said. But, McCrink had been trained for creativity since she was a child. As a little girl, McCrink’s mother let her finger paint on her bedroom walls and from there creativity was limitless. “The freedom my mother gave me was the only constant in my life,” she said. Now a Junior, McCrink still carries her sketchbook everywhere. “There’s so much unnecessary mass produced she said. McCrink’s The freedom fashion,” strong belief against fast fashion my mother gave inspired her line “Recreate,” me was the only which was featured last spring in the Fashion Society’s Fashion constant in my life Show. Recycling is trendy for environmental activists, but who knew it could be so fashionable? McCrink’s first piece was a thick, collar style necklace, but her experiment quickly evolved into more. She said it was “more of a challenge,” which she credits with drawing her to the project. Recycled chain was used for making headbands, and it wasn’t long before McCrink started dressing her friends in pencil skirts, dresses and tops that she created from second-hand garments. “The body is such an amazing canvas,” said McCrink. She uses different mediums to make her design more than just fashion. McCrink thinks of it as art. To McCrink, there’s always a bigger picture. “I just love the concept of all of it together,” she said. However, the body isn’t McCrink’s only canvas. “I like just sitting on the floor, spreading things out, and just creating,” she said. McCrink constantly sites the importance of collaborating different mediums like art and photography with fashion. With McCrink’s passion for her layered designs, her original art pieces, and the marketing campaigns she works on for class, she said that she doesn’t know where she’ll end up. “It’s all so beautiful,” she said. “I just need to give up sleep completely,” she joked. “I already have the coffee addiction.” For now, McCrink looks forward to creating a line again for the Spring Fashion Show. “I’ve always been a fan of fashion,” she said, and she doesn’t plan on stopping there.

“

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Ariana Basseri and Murray (below) modeling McCrink’s designs

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“

Sarah Schneider’s childhood was anything but the allAmerican archetype. Born in Portugal, Schneider grew up in Germany and in Shanghai, China. “If I have an At the age of 10, Schneider cut up clothing that her nanny had made for idea, I make her to remake them into her own ideas. it,” she said. “If When Schneider’s mother found the mess, she got angry and taught her it happens, it daughter how to sew correctly. happens. Schneider’s mother had designed the uniforms for all the women at the spa she worked at as a spa consultant. It was only by coincidence that her mother’s tailor would be able to bring Schneider’s visions to reality, too. The summer before Schneider started college at Emerson, she saw a film that she described as the “French Bonnie and Clyde.” The lead woman’s persona inspired Schneider to create her own version of the kitten heels, poodle skirts, and cardigans. “I wanted to be her,” she said, and that’s when she decided she could make the look that she wanted to go for. In the beginning it was a striped t-shirt dress just like the woman from the movie, but Schneider accidentally cut the fabric in the wrong direction making her stripes horizontal instead of vertical. But still, it was a start and she called the situation a “happy accident.” By the time Schneider was a freshman, her hand-sewn pieces collectively made up enough garments for a full line in last year’s fashion show. “If I have an idea, I make it,” she said. “If it happens, it happens. You can’t force it.” The versatile and transitional pieces she creates with wrinkle-less fabric are designed with traditional Indonesian batik, a printed material. For Schneider, it’s not about making the best piece of couture. It’s about making pieces for girls who are happiest when they wear what they want. “A happy, smiling, pretty girl is the best thing to see,” Schneider says. Building upon her international experiences, Schneider visited London this past summer. While visiting her high school friend Irena in London, Schneider saw her friend deeply immersed in her “Art of Design” studies. “She’s another big influence,” she says. “She loves to take risks. It’s like she challenges people to wear her clothes.” As far as Schneider’s designs go, she is undecided how much further she wants to go. “It’s not something I’ve said yes or no to.” A look inside the creative mind reveals that some designers have more in common than their pieces would show. For these Emersonians, that common ground will always be their similar influences. Some say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, but as Oscar Wilde said “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.”

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eat this not

At the

Max...

you crave the:

Cheeseburger and Waffle Fries

Although there is a high amount of protein in this dish, it is overpowered by the amount of fat, calories, and carbohydrates. The amount of sodium in this meal is extremely unhealthy. It is an easy grab and go but there are healthier and equally as tasty alternatives.

At the

Dining Hall...

you crave the:

Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie Chicken. Shining with grease and reaking with that “melt in your mouth” smell, this meal is high in protein but loaded with unnecessary calories and fat.

At the

Paramount Cafe...

you crave the:

that

try this instead:

Grilled Chicken Sandwich+Garden Salad This meal is just as satisfying and is significantly healthier. A grilled chicken sandwich has 346.86 less calories and 23.29 less grams of fat.

try this instead:

Vegan Southwest Sweet Potato

This starch is healthy while still tasty; Find it at the Legrain and Legume station with significantly less calories and fat than a regular potato. It’s a much more health concious choice than greasy chicken.

try this instead:

Garden Salad

Caesar Salad Tossed with Parmesan cheese and croutons, the creamy dressing that tops this salad is filled with fat and calories. Additionally, the lack of vegetables further detracts from its minimal nutritional value.

At the

Emerson Cafe...

you crave the:

Peanut Butter and Jelly

The childhood mixture of peanutbutter and jelly on Wonderbread is always satisfying. An oldie but goodie, the sandwich is high in protein but filled with extra calories and sugar.

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TEXT // LINDSEY TRAIN

This salad is filled with delicious romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, red radish, red peppers, and is topped with pita. It has far more nutritional value than a Caesar and is still substantial enough to fill you up.

try this instead:

The California Turkey Sandwich

This sandwich has much less sugar and fat and is higher in protein, offering a more substancial meal with less fat.

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Debunking the Downward Dog finding the right yoga for you TEXT // Marissa Ericson & Lindsey Train

Yoga has become a transformative art that is used for a variety of reasons. While yoga is generally good for the well being of both mind and body, there are many types that have evolved, each one differing in its emphasis. The following are some popular types of classes, along with a description of their primary focus.

Back Bay Yoga

1. Hatha: Hatha yoga is one of the original six

branches of yoga that was used in preparation for meditation, but is now a general term used for all physical types of yoga. Most Hatha yoga classes today are slow-paced and focused on soothing the body.

364 Boylston St, 2nd Floor (Between Arlington and Berkeley Streets) (617) 375-9642 www.backbayyoga.com

2. Ashtanga: Ashtanga yoga is a type of Vinyasa

yoga, which centers on connecting one’s breath to the movement of different poses. Ashtanga yoga focuses on a swift flow of movements from one pose to the next, increasing one’s heart rate. There are six progressive levels of posed sequences in Ashtanga yoga.

3. Bikram: Bikram yoga is a yoga method that

incorporates a heated room with a series of 26 poses repeated twice. This way of moving through the stretches helps to loosen tight muscles. It is very similar to “hot yoga,” which is also done in a heated room, but does not follow the Bikram’s set series.

4. Iyenger: Iyengar yoga focuses on proper alignment of the body. Props such as blocks and straps are commonly used to ensure proper position of poses. These poses are usually held for longer durations in comparison to the fluid movements of Vinyasa yoga

yoga studios in BOSTON 776 Boylston St Boston, MA 02116 (617) 262-2030

They offer weekly, complimentary yoga classes. Space, mats and amazing instructors. Lululemon Athletica www.lululemon.com

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Drop-In: $12 for students Community Class: $5 Cash only New Member Special: $25- 2 weeks unlimited 10 Class Card: $100 for students 1 Month Unlimited: $150

8 Newbury St Floor 6, Boston, MA 02116 (617) 262-3333

867 Boylston St 2nd Floor Boston, MA 02116 (617) 867-6500 Your first class is free when you register on the site!

Offers a fusion of yoga styles with an emphasis on vinyasa yoga. Boston Body Pilates www.bostonbody.com

LIfe in Synergy Studios www.lifeinsynergy.com

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My Lipstick is Popping text // Alexandra Gurvitch

PHOTO // Molly wolfberg

hen it comes to makeup, lipstick will forever be an essential. Lipstick can take your look from classic Hollywood starlet to edgy punk princess and everywhere in between. It adds spice to your face and brings color to any outfit. For those who don’t like to wear makeup, even just a touch of nude lipstick will add an extra bit of polish to finish off your look. With so many selections out there ranging from 60’s nude, to classic red, lipstick can give you just about any look you want. And the best thing about lipstick is that you can easily find quality products without spending excessive amounts of money.

You absolutely can find quality lipstick at your local drug store. Drug stores provide a great variety of colors and finishes for great prices. Revlon is a top drug store brand that offers lipsticks for less than $8. If you want a little higher quality lipstick, MAC has a great matte finish product that won’t cost you more than $15. If you’re willing to spend a little more, Yves Saint Laurent

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offers an amazing range of rich colors. But the ultimate splurge on lipstick would be Chanel’s signature red or anything from the Tom Ford Line of lipstick, which are nice because they have a somewhat glossy finish. If you are out shopping with your friends and you want to be able to purchase something that will not make you cringe from the cost, then lipstick is your best choice. At malls or department stores, lipstick is the cheapest thing you can find. Women want to feel good and be able to treat themselves without feeling guilty about the cost, so lipstick is the perfect way to make you feel great and look beautiful.

“

If you are out shopping with your friends and you want to be able to purchase something that will not make you cringe from the cost, then lipstick is your best choice.

”

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Above + Below: Both Yves Saint Laurent lipstick

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10items every manshould have Let’s face it, men have it easier than

TEXT // Eric Twardzik — PHOTO // Brian Annis

women. We don’t have to think about different shades of eye shadow, skirt hems and the endless list of other things women worry about when getting dressed. Though we definitely have it easier, there are a few items every man should have in their wardrobe. Gentleman take note, if

As with jeans, ties often range from too wide to too skinny. Three inches is the perfect size - it should also be the width of your lapels.

Earning its name from the Henley Royal Regatta, the Henley is closet, it’s time to go shopping. a crucial layering piece for New Forget the antiquated England winters. Done best by implications of wearing Rugby, and James Perse, a henley a scarf and embrace is great to throw on for class the fact its one of the and then wear under a jacket limited, yet still functional, when venturing out in sub-zero accessories guys have to temperatures. work with. Versatile, simple, and classic. The As men’s style V-neck can continues to be both casual embrace the old and formal; over school rugged look, an oxford with boots make an jeans, under a even stronger case suit jacket, or for themselves. Grab with a tie and Baggy and light wash; a pair you can wear khakis. two things that open and slouchy your jeans with jeans and a tee shouldn’t be. but also zipped and When shopping, under a pair of slacks An American classic, look for a slim fitting to give a cleaner a leather jacket gives you an exciting edge. pair in a darker wash. look. Check out All Avoid baggy bomber jackets, lapels, and too Darker jeans will edge up your simple Saints and Clark’s for many zippers and buttons. Look to get something tee but also work as a night option when great options. minimalistic, with a simple motocross collar. It’s paired with an oxford and sportscoat. an investment, but it’s something you’ll wear again and again but wil also never go out of style. you don’t have these items buried in your

Oxford: Make sure you find a shirt in a slim fit or tailored cut. The ways to style a white oxford are endless. You can wear it with a suit and tie, wear it tucked in with jeans for a more casual look, or wear it untucked and sleeves rolled up for that nonchalant summer look perfected by the Italians. Pocket Square: Saved from extinction by Mad Men, the pocket square is still rare enough that wearing one will instantly make you a sartorialist. Go for a simple, white cotton square to match anything or use it as a tool to make a statement and buy a bold color or print. Watch: Now that we all carry cell phones, people are losing the importance of a watch. With the ability to complete any and every outfit, a quality timepiece is something that should not be overlooked. Though leather is always your best bet, there are some sensible options out there with canvas and cloth straps as well.

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Fashion Icon: Edie Sedgewick TEXT & PHOTO // JOEY HEBERT

orn in 1943 to a wealthy and illustrious American family, Edie Sedgwick is most famous for starring in Andy Warhol’s underground films in the early 1960’s. Dubbed an “It Girl,” she was a model, actress, and socialite who rocketed to fame during her yearlong friendship with the Pop artist. Though drug abuse and a downward spiral in mental illness fueled the latter part of her short life, Sedgwick is famous for both her fashion sense and her charismatic nature. The subject of numerous documentaries and films, her style still manifests itself in wardrobes around the world. Famously decked out in black leotards, mini dresses, and huge chandelier earrings, you can find her style influences in any Vogue, Elle, or Nylon magazine. Walk down Boylston or Newbury Street and anyone can see that Sedgwick’s influence on fashion is still one of importance. American Apparel’s most frequently bought item is the black leotard, H&M sells racks upon racks of mini-dresses, and chandelier earrings are seen on the lobes of many girls at a cocktail party. Famous for her iconic pixie-cut, look at Carey Mulligan or Michelle Williams to see that Sedgwick’s adorable do is still popular today. And Sedgwick’s influence lives on here

at Emerson. The black leotard has become a staple for most Emersonian women. If you don’t have one, run to the nearest American Apparel and purchase one. To put modern twists on Sedgwick’s iconic looks, wear the leotard under a simple and voluminous skirt. Play with proportion!

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Make it floral if the time of year is right. If you’re feeling especially confident pair it with an awesome pair of dark wash stovepipe denim with a pair of flats a la Alexa Chung. As far as mini-dresses go, Sedgwick made them famous. Emerson College keeps them current. American Apparel and H&M offer great options that are inexpensive and fairly good quality. They’re cute and fun and feature awesome additions like fringe and splashes of color. Simpler versions can take you from day to night with the right accessories. Try a ballet flat and fitted blazer for class or lunch in Beacon Hill, and switch into a fierce pair of heels (simple if the dress is busy, outrageous if it’s simple) and add an armful of bracelets or a necklace to finish your look. Not daring enough to try a platinum blonde pixie-cut?? Fine. Deck out yourself out with a gorgeous pair of chandelier earrings. Scour the local second-hand stores for an amazing pair of vintage ones. If the search isn’t as fun for you and you’re looking for more of an immediate find, check H&M for cheap but still stylish earrings. Great for any outfit, they should primarily stay hidden during the day. But break them out at night to dress up any outfit. Frequently photographed in expensive and luxurious furs, Sedgwick is notorious for her leopard fur jacket. A fur vest is a fun twist to take on this, preferably faux, of course. And it’s particularly awesome

when paired with a pair of skinnies and flats. Edie Sedgwick was famous for taking risks throughout her short but fabulous life. She is the ultimate symbol of 1960’s excess and excitement. Emerson College is definitely a palette on which her influence

is still seen, from the minidresses seen at parties in Allston, to the fur-swathed figures chain-smoking outside of Walker in the dead of February winter. Sedgwick is a style icon, joining the likes of Jackie-O and Marilyn Monroe, and you can see her style influence every time you step outside of the Walker building. Check out the fairly biased, but still fabulous, “Factory Girl” with Sienna Miller for a great story about Edie or read “From A to B And Back Again” (The Philosophy of Andy Warhol) to satisfy your thirst for the 1960’s. Remember kids; keep the style and work on the charisma, but preferably not the drug problems.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — looks

McQueen: A Modern Classic? TEXT // SIRI WINTER — PHOTO // Alan Davidson, WireImage and cafe hangout

lexander McQueen was a design er who was just as intrigued by creating drama as he was by creating clothes. In less than ten years McQueen developed into one of the most esteemed designers in the 21st Century. Throughout his career he was recognized for his flamboyancy on the runway, his razor cut tailoring and for turning the ‘skull’ print (his trademark) into one of the most sought after symbols of modern fashion. The sudden death of McQueen, who committed suicide in February 2010, was a tragic loss to the world of fashion. And yet his company continues to live on. Meet the man behind the business, Jonathan Akeroyd, CEO of Alexander McQueen. Appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the brand in 2004, Akeroyd was born and raised in London. The future CEO grew up during the early 80’s and, almost immediately upon leaving high school, got his first job in fashion retail, working in the London-based and world famous department store Harrods as Merchandising Director. “I fell into retail after school, by accident really, I enjoyed the environment I found it very exciting, very fast moving,” he says. Akeroyd enjoyed a successful fifteen-year career at Harrods, during which he was promoted to head buyer of menswear. Akeroyd recalls that around 1995 many luxury brands began to emerge out of nowhere and he formed a connection with many of the major players in the growing fashion world. It was through these connections that he was approached by Gucci Group to work for Alex-

em magazine — winter 2011

McQueen’s legacy. “We are very positive that there is a big strong future ahead of us, Lee’s left us with a strong solid base.” He says. Now, Alexander McQueen enters a new era, with newly appointed creative director Sarah Burton. Burton is charged with an incredible legacy to uphold, and with Akeroyd’s help the company is sure to continue to flourish. Although McQueen’s identity will forever remain the essence of the company, Akeroyd explains that it’s time to re-invent the classic. He explains that although Burton’s newest collection is very much McQueen, there is a softer approach to it, “a feminine touch.” She already understands the DNA of the label, and as fashion cannot stand still, the McQueen label is ever-moving and everchanging. Alexander McQueen defines an era of Although McQueen’s contemporary classics, and with his passing it identity will forever remain is the job of his fashion house to maintain the the essence of the ‘classic’ of his legacy while also keeping it ever company...it’s time to fresh and modern. Lead by the newly appointed Burton and the long-standing Akere-invent the classic.” royd, the company is on the cusp of evolution. “Lee’s vision was that we would be a modsion and his judgment and he backed mine.” ern Chanel, that was always what his ambiAkeroyd explains that their relationship was both healthy and solid, largely due to the mu- tion was for the brand,” says Akeroyd. With tual respect they had for each other’s work a undoubtedly more progressive approach, the House of McQueen has every intention of ethic and professionalism. In February 2010 Akeroyd faced a devas- fulfilling that ambition. The legend of the classic, most certainly, contating and challenging ordeal. McQueen tinues to live on. committed suicide at the age of forty-years old, a mere nine days after the death of his mother. McQueen’s sudden passing took its toll on the entire working team. And, still just beginning to mourn, Akeroyd was left with both reigns in his hands. Akeroyd, while still mourning the loss of his friend, was dealt the responsibility of addressing all the shocked young employees. The same young employees that came to work for McQueen because they admired him. “They didn’t see themselves as working for a company,” Akeroyd explains. “You have to show leadership if you’re running the company, you have to be strong for them.” The brand was determined to survive, regardless of the emotional roller coaster that followed McQueen’s death. Once emotions subsided, there was no doubt that the company was strong enough to continue with ander McQueen, who at the time was a small London-based designer who Akeroyd believed to have huge potential. “To leave a huge scale business like Harrods and then have the opportunity to help grow a small brand like McQueen into a bigger brand in the [global] marketplace was obviously an exciting thing to take up” he recalls. Akeroyd fondly remembers his working relationship with McQueen. He explains that McQueen co-owned the brand with Gucci Group, who later appointed Akeroyd as CEO. He explains that they each had what the other lacked. While McQueen took hold of the designing for the brand, Akeroyd focused on the business of the company and the expansion of the fashion house. “We had a lot of trust and faith in each other. At the end of the day, I backed his vi-

“

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Relationships

where did all the straight guys go? TEXT // Caitlin Bueller

ou’ve just graduated from an all-girls school and it’s your freshman year at Emerson. You’re dying to break out of your shell and meet as many boys as there are nights in the week. Instead, however, you meet one. THE one. He seems perfect. He loves watching your favorite show (Glee), he has a similar taste in music (Lady Gaga and Katy Perry), and the two of you have been spending every Saturday shopping together. Things are going great, but your roommates are growing increasingly suspicious as his jeans are getting increasingly tighter. You’re head over heels, but here’s a reality check that’s about to smack you square in the face. It’s May, and now he’s gay. Single ladies of Emerson, put your hands up. It’s not your fault. While Emerson may be the perfect place to meet your Sassy Gay Friend, it just might not be the best place to find yourself a boyfriend. Even though they are rare, there are still straight guys walking the halls of Emerson. Three of our college’s straight and single

catches weigh in on how to snag elusive men such as themselves. “The Emerson dating scene is reflective of the student body,” says junior Sean McCabe. “Everyone’s always headed somewhere, so it’s sort of difficult to meet new people.” In other words, ladies, stop and smell the roses once in awhile instead of getting sucked into the Emerson fast-paced way of life 100 percent of the time. “I think the key is that if a girl wants a boyfriend, she should be aggressive about it, within reason of course,” says junior Brendan O’Brien. Senior Ivan Sunguroff agrees saying, “If you want to get a date at Emerson, you need to step up your game.” McCabe, Sunguroff, and O’Brien all agreed on one piece of advice to the single ladies of Emerson: Don’t be shy, and put yourself out there. “Don’t sit around waiting for someone,” says Sunguroff. So ladies, be outgoing, be courageous, but most importantly, be yourself. “You never know when you’re going to find someone,” says Sunguroff.

the guys at a glance: Brendan O’Brien, 20

Sean McCabe, 20

Ivan Sunguroff, 21

Campus Activities: Assistant Poetry Editor for The Emerson Review, Writer for The Common Voice, Hip-hop dancer for Emerson Dance Company, Orientation Leader

Campus activities:

Campus Activities: Brother of the

Writer for Hyena

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, Graphic Designer for the Emerson Channel, Animation Club

Writing, literature, & publishing, Class of 2012

Favorite things to do: Watching or playing sports, going to movies and concerts, playing guitar, partying, reading, and writing.

Why he’s a good catch: “I would describe myself as laid-back, open-minded, fun, willing to try new things, a phenomenal dancer, and a lover of waffle fries. I think I’m easy to get along with. I have ambitions, but I also don’t take myself too seriously. I have a distinct lack of style (which I’ve carefully cultivated over time), so it’ll never be a competition for who looks better. And above all else, I’m single and straight, which is difficult to come by on this campus. You ladies can’t be too picky.”

What he looks for: “Nice girls who are optomistic, and into learning, watching college basketball, drinking Four Loko, fighting for social justice, sexting, and eating tons of waffle fries. It doesn’t have to be in that order though.”

His advice to girls: Be confident,

smile a lot, and laugh. “All girls are great just by being girls, but girls are more attractive when they are happy.”

em magazine — winter 2011

Studio Tv Production, Class of 2012

Favorite things to do:

Visual media arts (Animation), Class of 2011

“I love to go to concerts and the movies, shopping for vinyl records, or just hanging out with fellow Bostonites in the area.”

Favorite things to do: Anything

Why he’s a good catch:

on the outside, but a special guy on the inside.” He loves romantic stuff, and is traditional all the way. “I am a really sweet guy, a true gentleman. I feel like girls don’t expect much in the way of chivalry anymore, which is sad. I am a sucker for romantic dates. Concerts? Apple picking? Fancy dinners? Museums? I do it all. I’m an amazing cook. I love conversations out of the norm. I am very different and deep, and not the typical 21-year-old.”

He is funny, nice, a good listener, and has been described as a “truly sweet guy.”

What he looks for: “Girls with a sense of humor and adventure, and someone who can be one of the guys. A girl with a love for music is definitely a good thing too.”

His advice to girls: Stop being so shy! Send him a Facebook request and you’ll grab his attention.

and everything. He is always up for something new.

Why he’s a good catch: He is a “bro

What he looks for: “Girls who are confident, outgoing, passionate, and spontaneous and have goals and dreams and deep personalities. A good sense of humor and romance are also key.” His advice to girls: “Don’t be afraid to be more forward, and not just at parties or bars, but in everyday life. And get out and do random stuff. There are so many amazing things to do here.” And last but not least, ladies, DO NOT play hard to get.”

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Relationships

ex etiquette: how to behave with the ex TEXT // Alexandra Hammarth

Q&A

ETIQUETTE

ou see them in class and at parties. When you’re running into your ex it can get very awkward. Post break-up often leads to several lingering questions, like ‘Should I go say ‘hi’ first?’ ‘Is it ok that I’m still talking to her friends?’ If anything, the best thing to do is to be civil in any situation. Here’s the protocol on dealing with your next encounter with the ex. First order of business should be closure. However, closure isn’t always for everyone. Michelle Roginsky, BA Acting, Class of 2013, shared three out of six classes with her ex. After being broken up with in class via note that said, “We shouldn’t date each other anymore,” Roginsky received the message loud and clear and was convinced that it was better to be without him. But the next day the ex was there and so was the turmoil. “Literally I walked into class and my heart dropped. I just kept thinking ‘This is hopeless, I’m going to have to see him every day,’” Roginsky said. As time went on, more challenges were presented to her. It wasn’t until they did a group project together where Roginsky was obligated to be civil and keep things professional. “If we’re forced to be together, then I pretty much have to treat him like a stranger. Eventually it got easier to not even notice,” Roginsky said. Now with her new boyfriend, Roginsky believes if it weren’t for the maturity she developed from the break up, she wouldn’t have been able to have such a positive and stable relationship. If closure seems like a necessary step, make sure both parties are comfortable with it. Heather Wardell, author of Seven Exes Are Eight Too Many, suggests, “If closure means the typical I-make-myex-explain-exactly-why-I-got-dumped then you don’t need it. It’s humiliating to go back and beg for those answers.” Wardell says the only kind of closure that really matters is with oneself. “You can grow from every breakup if you take the time to realize it and see what it can teach you,” she said. Taking something from a past relationship can be rewarding, but try not to focus on taking trips down memory lane. Something as simple as a song, a smell, or even a reference can put you back in that mindset. Try to see the silver lining and realize that it was a happy memory and leave it in the past. “Get used to having them in your memory,” said Boston Globe relationship advice columnist Meredith Goldstein. However, this brings us to the next issue, the circle of friends. Befriending the ex’s friends is usually a mandatory step in the rela-

tionship. But now that you two are no longer together it can create problems. “Figure out what your intentions are,” Goldstein said. “If you’re being friends with their friends just to make them jealous, it’s probably not a good idea. Know your boundaries.” Even if you choose to continue being friends with your ex’s friends, know that they have the obligation of hanging out with the ex as well. “Don’t be offended if the friends don’t want to talk to you,” Goldstein said. The anticipated moment of running into your ex is not always expected. Boston is a small place so even when there’s no sight of them on campus, it doesn’t mean you won’t run into them off-campus. Small talk can go a long way, and so can a happy face. Masking whatever you feel is not the answer, so be honest when you need to. Being positive is guaranteed to ease any situation. Things are bound to be awkward at first, but soon enough interacting with the ex will just come naturally. The best way to burst the tension bubble is acting like your ex doesn’t exist. Seeing he or she might bring back a flood of emotions, which is why closure is helpful to move forward. So stop stalking them on Facebook, and start realizing your life is equally important to focus on.

Top five Ways to Greet the Ex On the Street: While you might feel tempted to practice the typical snub, a simple “Hello” will do. Unless you want to be cocky, in that case, a head nod would work too.

At a party: Hopefully the party isn’t restricted into one room, so move around but don’t make it too obvious otherwise it will become clear that you are trying to avoid someone. In the Library: No need to shout “Hello” here. Thank goodness for quiet libraries. Smile or wave. Silent greetings are key here. In Class: Seeing as this is unavoidable, maturity is a valuable component here. Saying “Hi” every single time you see them could get repetitive, but acknowledging their presence is of some importance, seeing as they are actually present in the class.

In a Meeting: If you’re greeting everyone at this meeting, make sure to include them. Treat the greeting as you would with every other person in the room, keeping it professional.

How do you deal with the ex? “My

ex and

were best friends before we dated. It was complicated from the beginning but

looked it because

loved him.

Long

me at the beginning of my sophomore year. hard for me so when

over-

broke my heart, but wanted to stay friends. It was too

cut off communication a couple times, but we had the same friends so

went home. It was hard, but

kept on telling myself it would never work out.

sank in, and we’re still really good friends to this day.”

em magazine — winter 2011

story short, he treated me pretty poorly, and he broke up with

I saw him a lot One day, it just

heather stadler, bfa fiction, class of

2012

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Relationships

engaged

in college

TEXT // Natalie Morgan

magine this: You’re twenty-years-old and your boyfriend of three years takes you on a walk through the public garden, stops you on the bridge, and gets down on one knee. Do you cry? Laugh? Answer? Yes? No? Does “Love Story” by Taylor Swift start to DJ your life or do you regress to thinking Jay-Z’s “Solo” might have been the right idea? Emerson College Alumni Katie and Joe Sicora (Class of 2010) answered ‘yes.’ Meeting the summer before their junior year at Emerson, Katie and Joe dated for three months before eloping in the fall of 2008 in Central Park. “It was one of those things where everything connected,” Joe said. “We knew this was more [serious] than in the past . . . so after being together for a few weeks I was like ‘I’m ready to marry you’ and she felt the same way.” Though the demands of school and money initially kept them from tying the knot, Joe maintained that just because they couldn’t afford the big wedding, it didn’t mean they couldn’t get married. Katie surprised Joe by calling him the day before they had planned to meet in New York and told him “let’s do it.” “Are you sure?” he asked. “Yes.” “Are you sure you’re sure?” The next thing they knew they scrambled to find a tux, a dress, a ring, and a close friend to perform the ceremony. ‘It was so weird at first,” Joe commented on being married in college, “talking about my wife . . . but it wasn’t embarrassing.” Though Joe also said he had to defend the marriage to some (especially his parents), people were really supportive of their decision. “It is romantic,” Joe confirms, “being impulsive, being so sure.” To those who say wait, Joe encourages people to be “open to the possibilities” but recognizes that each individual needs to make his or her own decision about when they’re ready. College often redefines “relationship” as an arbitrary term for “hooking up.” At Emerson a story like Joe and Katie’s is even more of a rarity. “Because of this generation [students] are not all about serious relationships like they were in the ‘golden age,’” said Chelsea Davenport BA Acting, class of 2012. “People are more focused on themselves as individuals.” Chelsea and her boyfriend of two years, Brian Lieberman, Film 2012, though in a serious relationship, clarify that they are not engaged but definitely “consider each other in the future.” “I tried dating other people,” Chelsea commented on the months in freshmen year before they became exclusive, “but I was still really into him.” Commitment in college isn’t as rare as Emerson perceives it. “College is usually where you meet your significant other,” Chelsea said, in response to student skeptics. “We’re not in our teens anymore.” Yet not all students are supportive of limiting their experience so early on. “One of our close friends would sit us down individually and try to talk to us about why we shouldn’t be together,” Brian said. Brian and Chelsea both remain resolute about waiting until post-graduation before thinking about engagement. “[People who do get engaged] are going to lose sight of their dreams, their goals, and what they want from themselves,” Chelsea explained. In the end “[marriage] is just a piece of paper. It doesn’t change who we are or our

em magazine — winter 2011

relationship.” “Entering into an engagement in college is as blind as any other relationship,” said Emerson sociology Professor Adrianne Lemon with a laugh. “There are risks to being engaged younger when you’re not yet independent . . . money can be a major factor in how easy it is to stay together.” However, Joe said that both he and Katie weren’t going in blind. They’d both been in serious relationships in the past and knew that this was something more. No one really knows how post-grad life will change his or her circumstances. “The relationship does change,” Lemon said on staying together after college. “It’s a new experience. In college you’re kind of on your own but then you’re really on your own.” “It’s all about how much value the couple places on the relationship,” Lemon clarified. With some people, Lemon said, “you know who you want to be with and everything else will follow.” Sascha Rothchild, author of How to Get Divorced by 30, warns against getting engaged in college. Her memoir explores her own marriage and divorce and the reasons why people get married too young. “No matter how far we progress,” Rothchild said, “there’s always that pressure to get married.” After college you have no idea what you’re going to do. Rothchild describes getting engaged like a safety blanket – one way of ensuring you have a future. Getting married is like taking a final exam, Rothchild said. If all you want to do is receive an A, you won’t focus on the other assignments. Even if you pass, you won’t have learned everything the course offered. Marriage is the same way. Ignore the relationship and focus on the wedding and you’ll find yourself lost when the white gown goes back on the hanger. To engaged couples Rothchild asks, “Why do you want to get married?” – if the answer isn’t “because I love the person” there’s a problem. “Marriage is hard . . . you don’t realize how much work it is,” Rothchild said. “You need to make sure all your flaws work together.” “We really emphasize communication,” Joe said. Part of the reason their romance blossomed so quickly was their initial and lasting trust in each other. “It’s really important that whoever you choose to be with is your best friend,” Liebermn said. “I think if you love someone enough to make it work and work on your issuesthen it can work.” However, Chelsea said if Brian were to propose to her tomorrow she would say no. “It’s not because I don’t love him, but it’s because I’m not ready for that. I want to have my life together before having our life together.” Katie and Joe Sicora – a last name they created themselves after months of mish-mashing their names – now enjoy their post-college married life in San Francisco. Now that they’re not students anymore they plan to have a formal wedding this coming fall on their threeyear anniversary. There will always be the success stories – the tales of beating the odds and of love lighting the way – Joe and Katie are a testament to that. What really makes a serious relationship work, though, stems from a more basic level of trust, commitment, friendship and being at the right place at the right time.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Relationships

Facebook and the

Modern Relationship

TEXT // Joey Polino

very day we meet thousands of new people. Whether it’s between classes at the Emerson Cafe, in the Smoking Lounge, or at a party on Saturday night. We exchange names, maybe some saliva and the occasional number. If the night goes well enough, there’s the possibility that we want to know what they’re up to and maybe even see them again. So what do we do? We go on Facebook… and stalk them. As long as we have their name and what school they go to, it isn’t all that hard to locate someone’s online profile. Our lives as we know it revolve in many ways around what happens while we’re online and how people view us from the confines of their computer screens. In theory, social networking is supposed to connect us to other people. We’re supposed to friend our college classmates, parent’s best friends and that girl we used to be friends

efore we even meet someone in person or know him or her well enough to actually have a legitimate opinion of them, we’ve judged them. Why? Because of everything we can see on their Facebook page. The act of viewing and then judging someone’s every interest and photograph has come to be known as Facebook stalking. Stereotypically, Facebook stalking is the guilty pleasure of our generation. It’s creepy, and we all know it. So then why do we do it? “It’s an effective way to learn more about a person without the pressure of getting it from them,” says Andrew Friedman, Communication Studies, 2013. “Is it even wrong? What people post is in public domain, so in a sense they want others to see it.” With Facebook, we’re always the seven-year-old after a long night of trick-or-treating on Halloween. Everything we want is right in front of us, tempting us. So we dive right in and have as much as we can, never knowing when to say when. And in the end we probably get quite a stomachache. Except instead of chocolate,

with back in the fourth grade before she moved to Montana and disappeared from our life. The only problem: with so much connection and opportunity to find people of all the same interests at our fingertips… is it actually connecting us in real life? Or could it be that the internet has driven us towards this state in which the connection is only disconnecting us more, and what about relationships? What has happened to the modern relationship in result to the Facebook craze? According to Alyssa Altman, Broadcast Journalism sophomore, “Relationships have completely changed in the past seven years because of this website. They’ve completely transformed because it’s not about what your relationship is like anymore, it’s about what everyone is thinking about your relationship due to what’s on your Facebook page.” Pre-Facebook relationships were strictly between the two people in the relationship. But now, it’s as if Facebook has added a third member that many say causes more trouble than anything else.

Facebook is filled with every little piece of information you might want to know about someone. Facebook is essentially the free eHarmony for the average college student. You have an interest in someone, you start getting them on your mind and you’d like to see them more often,” said Ben Kabialis, Writing for Fillm & Television, 2012. “But you’re not satisfied with seeing them in class or whatever. You get bored and you’re on Facebook, so you pop open the photos and start looking through them.” But is a Facebook profile really an accurate representation of a person? “I’m tagged in 5,000 pictures and over 100 videos,” says Samantha Gold, Film, 2014. “There are some pictures of me being really stupid, and that’s not really me.” With Facebook, people have the ability to create any image or version of themselves, misleading people from who they really are via photos and interests. Who’s to say that the person you met on Friday night and stalked the next morning is actually a lover of all things Friends, French cooking and Fellini?

The Stalking of Likes and Interests

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Relationships

Relationship Status: Jealousy Prone

hen you’re in a relationship, the general consensus is that Facebook can only hurt the union. Even at a close distance, interaction with others can already create problems. With Facebook, especially when the relationship is long-distance, a can of worms is opened up from ignorance. It’s hard to not get suspicious when a girl you would qualify as rather attractive is consistently posting on your boyfriend’s wall. “If two people are having a mature, trusting relationship, it shouldn’t hurt,” says Kathryn Barnes, Print Journalism, 2014. But what does it mean to have a mature and trusting relationship when you have to take into account all the mixed feelings that Facebook can bring about? Has Facebook become a routine test for the modern relationship during the college (and surrounding) years? Everyone is on Facebook and they all have opinions. People can get different signals from a different piece of news everyday. All it takes is one of your friends to see a photo of your girlfriend with her arms around another guy for rumors to start circulating that she’s been quite the party girl with a solid number of Walks-ofShame under her belt. And even though she assured you that that guy was actually her gay Orientation Leader who has a boyfriend back in Brooklyn, you still feel that twinge of wonder, curiosity or jealousy tugging away at your shirt sleeve no matter how much you trusted her beforehand. Unfortunately with long distance, lovers’ quarrels have a tendency to start quicker seeing as the low proximity level has already called for hyper-alert emotions. All it takes is a wall post, party photo or tagged status to start the water works. Every little instance on Facebook—romantic or platonic alike— has the ability to be distorted by any one of your friends. For better or for worse. “It can make you worry for no reason,” says Altman.

See Friendship

oving on from a relationship is always tough. After the initial shock of the termination, Facebook can only hinder a person’s ability to move on. Why? Well, since you frequented your boyfriend’s wall so much, Facebook thinks you want to know everything about him and so he’s displayed prominently on your Mini Feed. Translation? Until you block him, it’s impossible to get away. “I don’t like being able to know instantly when they’re in a relationship or talking to other girls. It brings out the jealousy in a lot of people,” says Libby Webster, WLP, 2014. There are some days where you want to just kick back and relax. You open up Facebook after a long day of classes and the first thing you see is your ex-boyfriend’s profile picture with some little piece of news about him posting on another girl’s wall. The picture alone can send you back to the deepest depths of your post-relationship stupor in which coffee-flavored frozen yogurt was the only shoulder you could consistently cry on.

em magazine — winter 2011

Unfortunately, it’s gotten to the point where removing an ex from your Friends List is the only way of moving on. “My ex-boyfriend from high school said it got so difficult to look at my feed that he deleted me,” Altman said. With Facebook, everything about relationships seems be harder than it was seven years ago. You can’t find people without having the verb ‘stalk’ thrown in to the explanation of why you think you know someone so well. Relationships themselves are much more difficult, with jealousy outweighing trust at the drop of any sort of curiosity. And then there is the break-up, the period in which the whole process of getting over someone is publicly displayed for everyone to see as if they’re viewing the Perez Hilton for their friend group. When it comes to the modern relationship, Facebook has forever changed the game. For better or for worse, meeting and forming relationships with people will never be the same.

WHAT KIND OF IMPACT HAS FACEBOOK HAD ON YOUR RELATIONSHIPS? I know many people who have met their significant others through Facebook. It’s really common nowadays. — Casey Smith, Studio Television Production, Class of 2012 Now I’m more concious of what I put as my status or profile picture. I also try to not post too much in a day becuase I don’t want people to think all I do is go on Facebook. I think it hurts more than helps because whenever I see that the guy is on Facebook and he’s not chatting me or writing on my wall I freak out and assume he’s not interested. — Samantha Russo, Broadcast Journalism, 2012 I learned at a young age that what you put on Facebook can haunt you, so anything I put on Facebook is anything I would actually say in person, but when it comes to my relationship with Max we’ve been dating for over two years, but have never considered the Facebook relationship thing because if you know us, then you’ll know we’re in a relationship. — Jacquie Exline, TV Production, 2011 I’d say it’s affected my relationships as well as my dating life in good and bad ways. It allows me to stay more connected with people and pursue people in a romantic way, but it also allows me to be constantly checking on people and I feel like sometimes it’s not good to know too much because it can lead to jealousy. — Lucy Orich, VMA, 2014 It has made making plans a lot easier. It’s also easy to keep in touch during busy weeks. Facebook does become a distraction; however, when you’re on it too much, it can effect day-to-day relationships negatively that way. — Ashley Dos Santos, WLP, 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Relationships

out

of bounds

The Truth about Cheating TEXT // Libby Rumelt

id Ronnie cheat on Sammi, or was the note all a lie? Did Ross cheat on Rachael, or were they “on a break?” Technically, neither television couple were in exclusive relationships—does that mean Ronnie and Ross didn’t cheat? In tricky situations like these, it comes down to boundaries. We tend to believe if a relationship isn’t “official” there are no rules to be broken, but every relationship has rules—they just aren’t always as clearly defined. Instead, boundaries are assumed, and it doesn’t matter what kind of relationship you have—open, friends with benefits, casual hook-ups—when you assume, it’s likely you will cross a line and unintentionally break your partner’s trust. If we think about cheating as breaking a boundary, it becomes obvious cheating is possible in all relationships, monogamous or not. Emilie Mirvis, Musical Theatre, 2014, knows cheating outside of monogamy exists. After moving across the country from her boyfriend Dylan of six months, they decided to make their relationship an open one—but not entirely open. “We decided we could do whatever we wanted, besides sex, but not with anyone we both knew,” explained Mirvis. “And we didn’t want to talk about our hook-ups afterward because it would hurt too much.” Two weeks after the arrangement was made, Mirvis broke two of their three rules by hooking up with a high school classmate and telling Dylan about it. “I felt so guilty. I didn’t want to tell him,” she said, noting the hook-up didn’t change her strong feelings for Dylan. When she finally did tell him, their relationship status went from being open to on a break. Though Mirvis is confident in their decision, it’s unclear what this “break” really means: “We talk on the phone and text everyday,” she admits. As long as the lines of their relationships are blurred, the potential to cheat remains. Clearly, it’s easy to test limits in an open relationship, but there are lines to cross in hook-ups as well. Unlike other relationships, these lines are rarely talked about. Just hooking-up implies no obligations to the person you’re fooling around with. Stopping to talk about what is expected usually ends up feeling too relationship-y, thus defeating the original purpose of simply keeping it a hook up. Without

“If the information helps you learn something about yourself and it can be brought back into the relationship, it can be enriching, depending on the level of understanding,” said K.C. Turnbull, Ph.D. communication, however, an understanding of the arrangement will never be reached. Nick Heller, Film 2011, understands the ramifications of avoiding conversation: “You might not have a title,” said Heller, “but if you hook-up more than once, it means something. Inevitably one person will ‘cheat’ and the other person gets hurt.” But what if hooking up with other people was never made off-limits? Is that still considered cheating? “It’s a form of it,” Heller clarified. “When you’re not the one sleeping with someone else, it hurts, and that makes it a form of cheating.” Heller’s roommate Michael Kaminsky, Screenwriting 2011, backed up Heller with an example from his own life: “I tried to

em magazine — winter 2011

“When you’re not the one sleeping with someone else, it hurts, and that makes it a form of cheating,” said Nick Heller, Film 2011 break up with my girlfriend, but we ended up getting back together just for the sex. Ultimately though, I cared more about salvaging my friendship with her, so I started hooking-up with someone else, which pissed her off.” Kaminsky claimed it didn’t bother him that his friend slept with his ex, but he was angry she blamed their falling out on him. According to Heller’s logic, since both parties were hurt, this situation definitely constitutes cheating. K.C. Turnbull, Ph.D, who has been practicing psychodynamic therapy in the Boston area for over ten years, views any form of cheating as a symptom of the relationship itself. “If somebody gets involved with someone else, maybe there’s some need that isn’t being met in the [current] relationship.” For some couples, Turnbull said getting involved with someone else, even if it’s considering cheating, could be useful should the couple decide to stay together. “If the information helps you learn something about yourself and it can be brought back into the relationship, it can be enriching, depending on the level of understanding.” Turnbull is quick to note she’s not condoning cheating; this scenario is simply the ideal when it comes to a difficult situation. “There are challenges,” she said. “Even if there is a willingness to use that information, inevitably, when trust is broken it can be very hard to earn back.” Turnbull has unique insight into young adult relationships because her clients are mainly college students. Though she believes open relationships can work, she advises that couples who decide to be open understand the meaning and reasoning behind their decision. Drawing on her gut, rather than psychological theory, Turnbull also addresses why hooking-up is so popular among college students. “There’s a feeling of empowerment for young women around their sexuality. [Casual sex] has always been more available to young men and now it’s more acceptable, even expected, of young women.” All relationships present the opportunity to cheat, but if needs are expressed early on, these opportunities are easily avoided. “What many people want is the same,” Turnbull concludes, “and that’s a feeling of trust and security.” Now those are some boundaries we can all get behind.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — Relationships

the road to exclusivity TEXT // KELLY RIORDAN

hen couples have the ‘talk’ it often addresses the issue of exclusivity. Many times when deciding on the status of a relationship we don’t exactly know when it is the right time to become exclusive. “In the beginning you just need some kind of communication that provides a mutual understanding between two people,” explained Jenna Flamberg, Film Production, 2012. “It makes sure each person is on the same page in terms of what they both want from each other.” For couple Cassie Bent, Broadcast Journalism, 2012, and Peter Horgan, 2013, the decision came almost instantly after meeting each other in the Emerson gym. “I’d say on day three we knew. We just had an instant connection,” said Bent.“ So there wasn’t really a talk. Peter asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes.”

“We’ve seen each other at our best and our worst, so we’ve got nothing left to prove to each other. We’re completely ourselves,” said Alex Spanko, Print and Multimedia Journalism, 2011 Determining the status of exclusivity involves defining what specific type of relationship it will be. Jenna Flamberg and boyfriend Ted Larsen were separated by an entire continent in Fall 2009 when Flamberg was getting ready to spend a semester at the Castle, after having only just gotten acquainted. “We didn’t label ourselves as anything before I left. We weren’t going to see each other for three months,” said Flamberg who ending up speaking to Larsen almost every day for three to four hours at a time when seperated. “I basically started to treat him like he was my boyfriend and vice versa,” said Flamberg. In December when she arrived home from her trip, she said the first thing she did was rush over to Larsen’s house. “We became exclusively boyfriend/girlfriend then and there.” Alex Spanko, Print and Multimedia Journalism, 2011, and his current girlfriend, also a student at Emerson, were friends for two

years before entering into a romantic relationship. According to Spanko, there are perks to having known each other for so long. “We’ve seen each other at our best and our worst, so we’ve got nothing left to prove to each other. We’re completely ourselves.”

“We didn’t label ourselves as anything before I left. We weren’t going to see each other for three months,” said Jenna Flamberg, Film Production, 2012 Consistent dating is exclusivity based on Spanko’s experience. “I’ve never really thought of dating in any other way,” Spanko said. “For my current girlfriend and I there was never any talk. Just by dating each other we were agreeing to be in a relationship.” For Andrew Cassidy, Communication Studies, 2011, before agreeing to be with someone else exclusively, it is up to everyone to understand what being exclusive really means, and to hold themselves accountable for their decision in the matter. “By agreeing to be exclusive with someone, you’re setting yourself up to be emotionally vulnerable,” said Cassidy. A person should be not only willing, but enthusiastic to enter the relationship, said Cassidy. “My current girlfriend wanted to be exclusive before I did. I wanted to wait, to make sure the feelings were real, and when I finally realized this was someone I felt completely comfortable with, I asked her to be my girlfriend.” The next time you’re trying to decide whether you want to take your relationship to the next step, remember to have ‘the talk,’ with your significant other, but also with yourself. At the end of the day, it’s about what you want and what you’re comfortable with. Without a solid understanding of your needs and wants, you won’t be able to successfully communicate them to your partner. And that will only result in a relationship with yourself.

Students tell you when they think it’s time to become Exclusive: I think the time to become exclusive is when the relationship with yourself is strong enough that you can love someone else without sacrificing your own inner happiness. — Christie Clements, Broadcast Journalism, 2012 The timing is different for every couple, and for some it never happens. Basically I think it happens when both people decide that it’s what they really want. — Nicole Shelby, WLP, 2012 I think once you start having sex with someone, the relationship should become exclusive. With STDs and the risk of pregnancy, there are just too many variables to be messing around. — Andrew Santiago, Writing for Film and Television, 2011

When you both decide that neither one of you wants to be with anyone else at the time but the person you’re with. — Andre Martins, Film Production, 2013 43

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The New Classics here at emerson

f there’s one quality Emerson students have, it’s potential. When we arrive at this college, we bring with us our passions that allow us to communicate, create, and perform. Before we even receive our degrees, we know we have the potential to push the boundaries of the paths industry icons have already forged ahead of us, and to shake up our industries like Pop Rocks in a bottle of Coke. em chose six students who exemplify the Emerson way: finding any avenues possible to gain experience and become building forces within their professional fields. Each student – a poet, a filmmaker, a TV personality, a comedy writer, a gourmet chef, and a costume designer – has aspired to master his or her craft while keeping in mind the precedence set by perennial industry icons. These six students are just a sample of those who could become the new classic powerhouses and trailblazers in their respective industries.

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Courtney Irizarry

Ellen Dickson

The New Clothier

The New producer

Terry Stackhouse The New host

Doug Paul Case The New wordsmith

Dena Ehrlich

Patrick McDonald

The New connoisseUr

The New sketch comedian

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — features

The New Clothier text // Devin Brown photo // hilary hawkins & Peter York

ourtney Irizarry thrusts herself into a time warp when she ventures into Emerson’s costume closet, bursting at the seams with Shakespearean gowns, petticoats, and 40s-style dresses – the fashions of her favorite time periods. The extensive effort that goes into designing costumes across centuries for the stage and film is what attracted the senior BFA theatre design/technology major to the profession. Although she is always proud of the final product, it’s the process that keeps her most interested, she said. “My favorite saying is, ‘The art of making art is putting it together part by part, bit by bit, and chunk by chunk,’” Irizarry said. “That just shows that there is a process to everything.” The detail Irizarry threads into her work is unmistakable, for instance, in the way she worked with smooth, blue silk to construct a snappy cocktail dress, or satin and lace to create a high-collared, black mournful number for Emerson Stage’s musical production of Illyria, a modern take on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, last year.

“My favorite saying is, ‘The art of making art is putting it together part by part, bit by bit, and chunk by chunk.’” 46

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Nicole Wilson, a senior theatre design/ technology major who worked with Irizarry this semester on Emerson Stage’s The Actor and The Actor’s Nightmare, said Irizarry is talented at her craft and is motivated to make her designs come to life. Wilson was Irizarry’s draper, which means she laid out the material for the designs so it would hang just right. “We worked on a 1940s dress, and she brought me research and photos and everything I needed,” Wilson said. “She always gives her all to any project she is working on.” Gigi Watson, a freshman acting major who also worked with Irizarry on The Actor and The Actor’s Nightmare, described Irizarry’s designs. “She understands how to dress people for the stage specifically. The details are crazy – the furs, the fabric,” Watson said. “Her work is just amazing aesthetically.” The finishing touches others notice in Irizarry’s work aren’t so different from those that catch Irizarry’s eye in the work of Tony Award-winning costume designer Susan Hilferty, who designed costumes for Broadway shows like Spring Awakening and Wicked. Irizarry said she hopes to follow Hilferty’s footsteps as an innovator in the

industry. “She did the skewed hemlines in Wicked, and I just think that it was so cool,” Irizarry said. “I love that kind of thing.” Whether the curtain closes at the end of a college production or a Broadway show, however, the audience is usually buzzing about the performance, not the garb. But Irizarry doesn’t mind. “I think it being a thankless job is kind of part of its charm,” she said thoughtfully. “You don’t have to have this constant gratification. [You have] to be happy with all the work that you did.” Still, there are a few tokens of recognition Irizarry wouldn’t mind receiving: a Tony, an Oscar, and an Emmy, in that order. Of course, winning awards isn’t something she has dreamed about too much. “I want to win them all. I feel like the first one I would ever win is a Tony,” Irizarry said, in a half-joking yet halfserious kind of way. “I’ve already thought about what I would say. I’d probably cry, I’d probably have something to say, and then I would get there, and I wouldn’t be able to say it because I would just be crying.”

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em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — features

The New host text // Courtney Swift

Photo // hilary hawkins & Peter York

hile most Emerson students have no use for the word “piledriver,” Terry Stackhouse has a special place for it in his professional vocabulary. Announcing for New England Championship Wrestling is just one of the junior broadcast journalism major’s recent broadcasting endeavors. Terry Stackhouse? You mean the producer for EIV News? The guy who interviewed celebrities at the 2010 Oscars? Yes, that’s the one. And yes, we’re talking about the dramatic kind of wrestling. “The fake element is what makes it work,” Stackhouse said. “All the elements of a major sport that you wish you could control are at your fingertips. It always ends perfectly. That is why wrestling is fun. It is a spectacle. It’s entertainment.” Stackhouse said he tries to change up his experience and get out of his comfort zone. However, no matter what he’s doing in the videos on his YouTube channel (Stackhouse’s Channel), he never seems anything but calm and collected. In a way, he’s a broadcast journalism chameleon. “I try to diversify what I do,” Stackhouse said. “I try to not just do sports or news. I go to work and wear a few different hats.” And the hats fit. When a star-struck

“The adrenaline rush is what I live for. There is nothing like the excitement of live TV. ” 48

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Stackhouse was a correspondent for the 2010 Oscars in March after winning an mtvU contest, he held it together and knew he was there to work. “My nervousness turned into adrenaline,” he said. “We couldn’t soak in the moment. We couldn’t be starry-eyed.” Zach Cusson, a junior broadcast journalism major who often has worked side-by-side with Stackhouse and won the mtvU contest with him, said he initially felt intimidated when he found out Stackhouse would be his roommate at Emerson. “Naturally, I Facebook stalked him,” Cusson said, adding that he wondered what he got himself into when he clicked through Stackhouse’s photos on Facebook and saw that he had already interviewed some sports stars. That feeling quickly faded when they first worked together on a segment for Emerson Independent Video (EIV). Stackhouse needed a shooter, and Cusson offered to help. The experience helped Stackhouse begin to define himself as a broadcast personality at Emerson, Cusson said.

“It really clicked,” said Cusson. “Terry really did all the work. He’s so comfortable on camera, and he has the ability to make television gold off the top of his head.” Now Stackhouse hosts a radio talk show on ETIN, “Monday Night Talk Time,” during which he discusses news and events in pop culture, and he is a producer for The Common Agenda on The Emerson Channel. He also hosted Good Morning Emerson during orientation week, was the show’s sports correspondent for three semesters, and anchored for EIV News in the past. And if you somehow haven’t caught a glimpse of Stackhouse’s face yet, just check out the many informational videos in which he stars on Emerson’s website. It is the live presentation through broadcast, the responsibility of filling a short amount of time with something relevant and newsworthy, that keeps Stackhouse involved, he said. “The adrenaline rush is what I live for,” he said. “There is nothing like the excitement of live TV.” Stackhouse doesn’t have his heart set on any particular broadcast workplace in the future, but he said the MLB Network

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — features

and the NBC affiliate in Portland, Maine, stand out to him. Wherever he ends up, at least one of his peers said he is more than qualified. “He’s a hard working, dedicated and talented broadcaster who will probably get the job over you,” said Pat Lambert, a junior political communication major who has worked with Stackhouse on many different shows. “And you won’t mind because you have the award of knowing him and loving him.” Despite the many hats Stackhouse wears, he still isn’t sure whose shoes he’d like to fill. He said he knows there are plenty of industry personalities from whom he can learn, and he notices professional behaviors he’d like to put his own spin on. For example, he appreciates the way the host of ESPN’s The Scott Van Pelt Show, well, holds his pen. “He holds it damn well,” Stackhouse said. “Sometimes I keep a pen in my hand on TV and try to copy his movements. It just looks cool.”

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — features

The New producer text // chloe deas

Photo // hilary hawkins & Peter York

ust a week before Ellen Dickson began her freshman year at Emerson, her father suffered a heart attack. A shockwave rippled through her life, and she coped in one of the only ways she knew how: turning to movies. “Before I went to sleep, I would pick my favorite movies and let the world disappear,” said the sophomore film production major. “I watched The Lord of the Rings, Interview with a Vampire, and a few others just to get away.” The world that producing duo Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh created in The Lord of the Rings has driven Dickson toward ambitions to produce films of a similar nature. Dickson said she hopes to provide others with the same escape that the makeup, bigatures (or large, miniature models), and special effects of the movie gave her. But far from creating special effects, Dickson started at square one when she arrived at Emerson and joined students in the Film Immersion Learning Community. “They had this huge array of work that they had done all throughout their lives and so

“Before I went to sleep, I would pick my favorite movies and let the world disappear. ”

em magazine — winter 2011

many videos,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my god. Why am I here? I don’t have any of this yet.’ ” But by spring semester of her freshman year, Dickson went from feeling unprepared to holding down the fort as executive producer of White Chapel Retribution, a short film for Frames Per Second, a studentrun organization. “The location dropped out ten days prior to the date we were supposed to film,” said Evan Sigel, a senior film production major who directed this film. “Ellen worked to change any plans necessary in order to facilitate a new location.” On top of coordinating the location change, Dickson had to find a new camera for the shoot last-minute and paid for it outof-pocket, Sigel said. The film is currently being edited. Dickson recently finished producing a student film, Womanhood, and is the treasurer for the student-run organization Women in Motion. She has been working with the group on Small World, for which she is casting director and assistant director,

and The Gift. She is already preparing to executive produce an independent film with friends this summer, as well. Other student films for which Dickson has been producer or more include The Son Chart, Another Day of Death, and Maya Anderson and the Gem of the West. As a producer, Dickson oversees all aspects of production, such as scouting locations, casting, managing expenses, and making some final decisions for films. Those with whom she has worked with recognize her as a dedicated producer. “When I first worked with Ellen, she was my shadow while I was executive producing,” Sigel said. “I was 45 minutes late to our first meeting, and Ellen waited in the lobby of the Colonial Building the entire time. She thought it was a test.” Amy Davidson, a junior theatre education major who has worked with Dickson in Women in Motion, said that Dickson “always kill[ed] herself over her projects,” even right before studied abroad. “This summer, while she was getting ready to leave for Semester at Sea, she

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — features

focused the majority of her time on making sure everything for Maya Anderson and the Gem of the West was ready to go,” Davidson said. “It is very uncommon to see her showing stress, though, even when she may be feeling it.” And like most Emerson students, Dickson surely has a full, often-stressful plate. “Like this past week for example,” Dickson said, describing one week this semester. “I had this producer who I was hosting come in, I was doing a producer meeting for all my organizations, I had our first Women in Motion meeting, I had a set to go on that weekend, and then I had homework on top of everything.” But Dickson doesn’t have any plans to stop working so hard anytime soon. When she graduates, she said she hopes to work as an assistant to a producer. “It’s a really good way to make a lot of connections and really show one person what you can do, and kill yourself for that one person so that when you’re done with it, they trust you enough to give you other advantages,” she said. After proving herself at Emerson, Dickson wants to see her work on the big – and she means big – screen. “I love independent movies. I will definitely do some of those,” she said. “But I do want my films to be seen on a larger scale.” And if that film attracted as much attention as The Lord of the Rings? “I would die!” Dickson said. “I would just be touched that something I made would reach so many people, and that if you mentioned my film, people would automatically know what it is. I would be honored and touched.”

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — features

The New connoisseur text // rheanna bellomo

Photo // hilary hawkins & Peter York

he semolina pasta, now steaming, had been handmade and rolled out just a few hours before it was plated on a smooth, shining ceramic dish. It was softer than the ordinary dried pasta and, covered in a fresh garlic and olive oil pistou, was light but savory. The rich, gooey ricotta cheese crumbled over the dish melted with every bite. And so did I. Dena Ehrlich, a senior writing, literature, and publishing major, made pasta dough from scratch using only fresh ingredients. Rolling the dough through her pasta cutter, she was surprised to hear that I had never tasted fresh, homemade pasta and reassured me that I had no idea what I was missing. “There is just something about fresh food that makes it so much more satisfying,” she said. Ehrlich, originally from the San Francisco Bay area, has deep roots in cooking. Spending a lot of time at her Tunisian grandparents’ house and experiencing their traditional Moroccan cooking styles, she felt connected to her

“Food is a way to travel without actually traveling. I just love that.”

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culture through food and family from an early age. “Because of them, I understand where I am from. To me, culture is food, family, and togetherness,” she said. “And when I realized how unique the flavors and techniques they use are, I was inspired.” Influenced by the work of Ruth Reichl, the renowned food and restaurant critic and former editor of the recently-folded Gourmet magazine, Ehrlich received Le Cordon Bleu training at the California Culinary Academy, where she earned an associate of occupational studies degree in 2004. “I wasn’t sure if I should attend college or go to culinary school first. When I was looking at college, the most important thing to me was if there was a kitchen in the dorms,” she said. “That told me what my decision should be.” Ehrlich initially attended De Anza College in Cupertino, California, where she was fulfilling general education requirements, and then transferred to Emerson last fall to pursue her food writing career. “I have always loved food magazines,” she said. “In high school, when everyone else was reading Seventeen, I had

Food & Wine.” Ehrlich is a gourmet, which means she has an elevated sense of taste and is an excellent judge of food, especially fine food, and drink. “I have really great taste buds and a lot of creativity,” she said. And she has put this talent to good use. Currently working for Cutty’s, a sandwich shop in Brookline, she prepares gourmet salads and sandwiches that are skillfully crafted and ultra-fresh, according to owner Charles Kelsey. “I’m always surprised by how advanced she is in cooking for her age. When I was 25, I wasn’t nearly as developed or eager as she is,” he said. Kelsey, a former Gourmet writer, said he is impressed with Ehrlich’s drive and determination. “I always tell her that Julia Child didn’t get her career started until she was in her 40s, that no one has an instant career. But that doesn’t stop her,” he said. “She is very accomplished, and she is definitely headed in the right direction.” While working stints at America’s Test Kitchen in Brookline as a recipe tester and food styler from 2008-2009, Ehrlich delved into hundreds of different food types. From

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — features

plating dishes for photo shoots to testing and proofing recipes before their publication in cookbooks, magazines, and even an interactive Nintendo video game, she seems to have done it all. Ehrlich has also traveled abroad to France, Israel, India and numerous countries in southeast Asia to expand her palate, practice new techniques, and learn new and different ways of life. Even when she’s not jet-setting to Europe, Ehrlich still experiences culture through her dishes. “Food is a way to travel without actually traveling,” she said. “I just love that.” While dreaming of becoming the next Ruth Reichl, Ehrlich has imagined numerous other potential career paths. “I think I have overactive creativity disorder,” she laughed. “I just want to do everything. I want to own my own café, and then my own restaurant. I want to write; I want to travel and learn from others; I want to do so many things.” By becoming well-rounded and a master of all cooking and food-related trades, Ehrlich may one day give Reichl a run for her money. Granted the New York Times restaurant critic, Los Angeles Times restaurant critic and food editor, and author of four best-selling cooking and food-centric books has left big shoes to fill, but Ehrlich’s ambitions and enthusiasm for so many different career paths has set her in motion to grow into them.

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — features

The New wordsmith text // Jeeyoon Kim Photo // hilary hawkins & Peter York

hree choppy yet equal one-syllable words, each composed of four letters, make up his name: Doug Paul Case. It’s as if the senior BFA writing, literature and publishing major, concentrating in poetry, crafted it himself. “My favorite thing about writing in general is the perfect line break. When you have a sentence going, and you say, ‘I can cut it there,’ and it lines up,” Case said. “I just get warm and fuzzy.” Take his poem, “First,” for example. The two lines, made up of just seven words, are perfectly poignant: “I loved your smile / from both sides.” The poem was originally published in the July 2009 issue of Alba, a journal of short poetry. Case is editor-in-chief of The Emerson Review, managing editor for The Berkeley Beacon, chief designer for Stork Magazine, and a marketing intern at Ploughshares, Emerson’s literary journal. With that many responsibilities, there’s no doubt: Writing is Case’s passion.

“The best way to be a writer is to just keep writing.”

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“When I look back in the files of what I was writing before I got here compared to now, it’s just exponentially better in the quality and sheer volume,” he said. “The best way to be a writer is to just keep writing.” Taylor Gearhart, a senior writing, literature and publishing/political communication double major and the editor-in-chief of The Berkley Beacon, described Case’s unwavering work ethic. “Wednesday nights are our big nights at The Beacon, and even though he has class from 6-10 at night, he comes in right after at 10, full of energy, just asking, ‘What can I do? Where can I help?’” Gearhart said. “He’s very professional and focused, but at the same time, he is game for random dance parties in the office.” Diana Filar, a junior writing, literature and publishing major and fiction editor for The Emerson Review, said that Case is not only a peer but also a mentor to her. “He tells me to save rejection letters and laugh at them later because everyone gets rejected,” Filar said. Case said he cannot stress enough how

important it is to put your fears aside and put your work out there; it’s impossible not to get rejected because every writer goes through a trial and error process. “I’m not ashamed of [writing bad poems],” he said. “Everyone who is a writer creates crap sometimes. And if you say you don’t, you’re a liar.” Case believes that it’s all about creating a connection between the reader and the words instead of the writer and the words, he said. Though some may complain that Ernest Hemingway’s style is too vague or stark, the great American writer has been an inspiration to Case. “The complaints people have about Hemingway are exactly why I like him. I think it’s obnoxious for a writer to explain everything that is going on,” Case said. “It should be open for the reader to experience what they want to.” Though Case has many accomplishments to list on his résumé, including his poems published in online literary publications such as Every Day Poets and Leveler, he insists he is still “Learning to Write” –just like the title of his WordPress blog.

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“Older writers will often look back at their work and think it wasn’t very good, and that happened to me after a month of being in workshops here,” Case said. “I don’t know if you ever really stop learning.” Case helps other students learn, as well. Gearhart said she feels more than comfortable sharing her own writing with him. “Sharing your writing is very personal, and he is very good at being constructive and not mean. He is so down to earth about it,” she said. “I would trust him with my life, and I do. I trust him with my art, which is my life.” Case doesn’t intend to stop learning, either. It’s the process that engrosses him, not ambitions to be the next great American poet. “For now, for me, it’s about getting as much experience out of Emerson, designing and writing until my fingers hurt,” Case said. “And that’s what I’m going to do because the ultimate test of all of this is time.” “First” was originally published in the July 2009 issue of Alba.

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — features

The New sketch comedian text // Layla Halabian Photo // hilary hawkins & Peter York

atrick McDonald wasn’t always the funny guy. Now an integral member of Emerson’s thriving comedy scene, the sophomore BFA acting major admitted to having his share of comedic blunders. “I was just the kid who would make jokes in class, and every now and then someone would laugh,” he said. “I think I just kept being not funny until one day it worked.” Luckily for McDonald, his comedic timing fixed itself at a young age when he won over his third grade talent show’s audience with his rendition of a bossy mother ordering children to eat vegetables. Although his material has changed, McDonald has made a name for himself as a risk-taking writer and performer, as well as vice president of the student-run video and sketch comedy troupe Jimmy’s Traveling All-Stars. McDonald said he wouldn’t be caught trying to mimic any comedian’s style and remains adamant that originality is the best way to stand out in comedic circles, but he noted comedy legends like Bill Murray and Steve Martin as his inspirations. Robin Zlotnick, a senior writing for film and television major and member of Jimmy’s,

“When a sketch gets a laugh, it’s a really great feeling. Like a hug. A big, warm hug.”

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isn’t surprised. “They have such a silly sense of humor that is simultaneously very smart, which is the same thing Patrick has,” she said. “He comments on everyday situations by making them ridiculous.” Take the sketch “Trick or Trees,” for example, in which a man gives out trees instead of candy on Halloween. “The first draft was the worst thing in the world, and he knew it,” said Griff O’Brien, a senior writing for film and television major and another member of Jimmy’s. “Then, he wrote the second draft, and to this day, it’s still my favorite thing he’s ever written. He couldn’t wait to show me and ran to my room and made me read it with him, and it was so great. That’s when I knew he was really hilarious.” A sketch may even flop on stage, but McDonald keeps at it and moves on to another sketch. “You have to think, ‘Well, that was bad. Now to the next one,’” he said. “If you look at famous people in comedy, they just kept doing it for 10 or 15 years until they really knew what comedy was. I think people don’t realize that comedy is all about evolution and growing.”

With a Blackberry at hand, McDonald records his sketch ideas as soon as they come to him. When inspiration runs low, he turns to life at home. A recent video that aired during the troupe’s first show this semester called “Are You Trying to Sedouche Me?” followed a student after he received a rather curious care package, filled with everything from condoms to illicit drugs, from his mother. Although McDonald’s mother doesn’t send him anything deemed illegal by the FDA, he was inspired by his mother’s habit of mailing him Peeps marshmallow candies. “She just sends me peeps. Peeps after peeps after peeps. I have Peep hearts and Peep pumpkins, and I have to keep telling her that I don’t even like peeps,” he said. McDonald’s zeal for finding comedy in everyday life has led him to dreams of making it to the Saturday Night Live stage. “I feel so silly for thinking it, but if I could do anything, it would be that,” he said. His humility doesn’t faze his fellow troupe members. “Patrick’s going to be huge. If he wants to be on SNL, he’ll be on it. He’d be perfect for it,” O’Brien said. “Really,

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anything comedic that he sets his mind to he’s going to accomplish.” And McDonald excels at more than sketch comedy writing. Zlotnick described how McDonald puts his own spin on the sketches he performs. “He was in a sketch called ‘Janitors’ and it was about two janitors having a normal conversation about eating children,” Zlotnick said. “Patrick tried it with this really goofy New York accent, and it was hilarious. The characters came out so well in that sketch because of that accent.” McDonald is at a crossroads since he loves both writing and acting. “I don’t know which way to go in, but I’m just going to keep doing both as much as I can,” he said. Either way, it’s working. “When a sketch gets laughs, it’s a really good feeling. Like a hug. A big, warm hug,” McDonald said. “Really, it’s just a reaffirmation that what I’m doing is not the worst thing I could be doing, like maybe I might be doing something right.”

em magazine — winter 2011

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Adderall: the line between help and harm text // karen harris

t’s a trend, and it’s climbing. The buzz on the use of Adderall and other medications like Ritalin and Focalin, often prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), has grown louder on college campuses, including Emerson’s. ADHD diagnoses increased an average of three percent per year from 1997-2006, according to the Center for Disease Control. to the results, more than seven percent of And with the rising number of diagnoses has students indicated they had a prescription for come a rising number of both legal and illegal Adderall or stimulants like it, but nearly 29 Adderall pill-holders. While many students percent claimed to have taken Adderall for who have ADHD turn to the amphetamine- non-medical purposes at least once, and more based stimulant, or other stimulant medica- than seven percent claimed to take it for nontions that do not contain amphetamine, to medical purposes regularly. sharpen focus, many others take it for the efIn addition, out of more than 30 responfects it has on those who do not have ADHD: dents who answered the question, “Considerhyper-focus, increased energy, and decreased ing interactions between Emerson students,

photo // sibaudio

drug can become a crutch – an excuse to procrastinate because it becomes harder to work without it, Engler said.

When it’s doctor’s orders…

ationwide, eight to 10 percent of college students take Adderall for medical reasons, according to the CDC. A sophomore

“By 10th grade, [being on Adderall] was socially affecting me. I didn’t like taking it because it was making me weird and awkward,” —An Emerson College Sophomore appetite. While non-medical Adderall use is low compared to the steady use of alcohol, marijuana, and other prescription medications like painkillers, it is the fastest growing among college students, said Deborah Engler, Emerson’s wellness education coordinator.

A trend, nationally and at Emerson

ull-time college students are two times more likely to use Adderall without a prescription than those who attend college part-time or do not attend college, according to a survey conducted by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2009. Specifically, 6.4 percent of college students between 18 and 22 used the stimulant non-medically within that year, according to the same report. Enter, Emerson. em conducted an online survey in November and collected data from a sample of more than 80 people who claimed to be Emerson students. According

em magazine — winter 2011

how accessible do you think Adderall/stimulant prescription drugs are to students who Emerson student, who asked to remain anonDO NOT have prescriptions?” more than ymous, is part of that percentage. She was di80 percent said they are either “fairly” or “ex- agnosed with ADHD after teachers noticed tremely” easy to obtain, or that they thought her falling short of her potential in the fifth grade and referred her for evaluation. Once they would be. Because of its medical uses, common mis- she began taking her medication, she became conceptions about the “safety” of Adderall a straight-A student. But the same medication that helped her may add to its popularity and potential danfocus and improve her grades took a toll on ger to non-medical users, Engler said. While her social life. “By 10th grade, [being on Admany believe Adderall is safe for anyone to derall] was socially affecting me. I didn’t like take, Engler emphasized, its use is only safe taking it because it was making me weird when monitored by a doctor. Professional guidance is absolutely necessary because and awkward. My friends were like, ‘You’re dosages differ from person to person, and it not fun when you take your medicine,’ but I can cause dangerous interactions such as ir- would still take it,” she said. She attributes her introverted behavior regular or rapid heart rate, feverishly high while on Adderall to its effects as a “focus” temperatures, seizures, and even death when drug and said she finds herself distracted by used with other substances, like other media mental priority list rather than living in the cations or alcohol. While Adderall is often perceived as non- moment when she’s with friends. By her seaddictive, its effects can make a user depen- nior year of high school, she stopped taking it. dent on it, according to the U.S. Department “I just didn’t want to take it because I wanted of Education’s Higher Education Center. to have fun,” she said. The student now only takes Adderall Especially when it comes to productivity, the

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when she needs it and times her dosages so that their effects last long enough for her to concentrate in class and get some homework done, but won’t keep her up at night. Even if the Adderall wears off while she still needs it, she seldom takes more. Although Adderall helps her focus, the student said she can channel her energies in the wrong direction. If something in particular bothers her such as boy problems or a disagreement with a friend, she concentrates on that instead of schoolwork. Likewise, sometimes she finds something more leisurely on which to concentrate. “I’ll play my guitar for three hours instead of doing my homework,” she said. Overall, the naturally energetic student said she feels Adderall suppresses a vital part of who she is. “It takes away my personality, I think, and makes me calm,” she said.

…and when it’s not

ne senior Emerson student, who uses Adderall for non-medical purposes and asked to remain anonymous, said she takes the drug primarily to suppress her appetite, but she also utilizes the focus and energy boosts it gives her when doing schoolwork. Taking it once a day, every day, the student gauges her dosage depending on how late she wants to stay awake. She used Adderall for the first time during her sophomore year. “My friend and I were in class together, and we had so much work to do,” she said. “My friend was like, ‘Try an Adderall. It will make you stay up longer.’ It made me really energized and focused.” The student pays $5 to $7 per tablet and said she has no reservations about her illegal Adderall use. “I don’t consider Adderall to be a serious drug,” she said. Still, the student said her use is habitual, and if she doesn’t take her daily dose, she feels tired and sluggish.

Adderall in the workplace

t’s not just students who use Adderall nonmedically in order to get work done. It has a presence in the professional world, as well. A senior Emerson student, who asked to remain anonymous, found out an authority figure at her internship, the marketing director, was using Adderall and buying it from another intern who was prescribed the medication. Though the student said she does not believe Adderall was widely or openly used non-medically around the office and was never offered any or partook herself, the marketing director’s habit wasn’t a secret. “I think that people in the office probably knew,

em magazine — winter 2011

but they just didn’t care,” the student said. One drug, many She described an alarming instance in perspectives which she found an Adderall pill on the side from these students’ stories, there ground. “I texted the other intern – she wasn’t are certainly many other perspectives there that day – and I was like, ‘So I think I found one of your pills on the ground,’” the left unmentioned. More than 65 percent of student said. “She was like, ‘I guess just leave Emerson students who responded to the onit on my desk, and maybe the marketing di- line survey indicated they had never taken Adderall before. The use of Adderall, whethrector will pick it up later.’” er for medical or non-medical purposes, may be an upward trend. Unlike most trends on campus, however, it appears the majority of students are not taking part.

“My friend was like, ‘Try an Adderall. It will make you stay up longer.’ It made me really energized and focused,” —An Emerson College Senior

Adderall Statics According to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and a 2005 study from the University of Maryland. Up to 25% of those enrolled at very competitive universities have used Adderall as a study aid. Adderall is the third most accessible drug on campus, right after alcohol and marijuana. 6.4 percent of college students between 18 and 22 used the stimulant non-medically in 2009.

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Far from Home text // melissa park

photo // horace murray, u.s. army

s winter break approaches, most Emerson students are getting ready to return to places that never seem to change. Most of us are comforted by certainties: The hometown you left will still be standing, your favorite café will be waiting for you, and your loved ones and even your acquaintances will be safe and sound. For Sofia Haroon, a freshman communication studies major from Pakistan, and Muzhgan Rasul, a senior broadcast journalism major originally from Afghanistan, these certainties have faded. During this past summer, floods swept away entire villages and covered one-fifth of Pakistan, an area that is larger than England, the BBC reported. When Haroon returns to Karachi, Pakistan, she’ll find a home different from the one she left. Afghanistan’s past and present has been marked by turbulence for as long as Rasul, whose family now lives in Massachusetts, can remember. She left when she was seven years old and has yet to return to a safer homeland. Haroon’s and Rasul’s contentment in America is limited by homesickness and a greater desire to return to their respective countries. “There’s a certain comfort you feel with home cooking. You can eat at the Max and feel full, but you don’t feel whole,”

em magazine — winter 2011

“There’s a certain comfort you feel with home cooking. You can eat at the Max and feel full, but you don’t feel whole,” — Sofia Haroon Haroon said, explaining her need to return to Pakistan. “You never feel full on the inside.”

A homeland, washed away

lthough Haroon grew up in Pakistan, her life hasn’t been far from that of the typical American teenager. “We have parties, we have cafés, I know who Lady Gaga is,” she said. But unlike most of her peers, Haroon just as casually drops into conversation the name of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who pled for relief efforts in Pakistan. The flooding in Pakistan began in late July and continued through August. By August 6, at least 1,600 people had been killed, and at least 14 million more were affected, the BBC reported. Millions are still homeless. During an interview in October, Haroon said she noticed limited U.S. coverage of the flooding. “People give aid to Haiti, people give aid to China, people give aid to so many

places, and it’s always all over the news,” she said. “The fact that this flood isn’t? It’s painful.” The differences between Haroon’s two lives – the one in Pakistan and the other in Boston – became clear when she arrived at Emerson. Haroon was watching a video of the flooding when her roommate from Atlanta, Georgia, asked what she was watching. “When I told her, she was shocked,” Haroon said. “She had never heard of the flooding. She didn’t even know where Pakistan was on the map.” Haroon said she and her family would be considered wealthy in Karachi. On her side of the city, houses were designed to withstand natural disasters, so the floods did not affect Haroon or her family’s households – a blessing she said she reminds herself of everyday, since flooding easily washed out many homes of the working class. “Their houses are called katchi abadis, which means ‘raw,’ or something uncooked and dirty. This means their houses are not sturdy, so once the rain comes

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photo // sam hummel

down, the houses break and start leaking,” she said. “Have you seen Slumdog Millionaire? The slums. That’s how it is. And just imagine rain in that scenario.” When Haroon arrived at Emerson, she found herself preoccupied with the United Nation’s Secretary-General’s name, images of the flooding on the news, and the condition of the Pakistani people. “I’m sitting here in Boston, but I’m thinking about my maid’s son, who doesn’t have a school to go to anymore because it’s gone,” she said.

tle,” she said. “I remember my mom was just holding me in her arms.” Rasul was just seven years old when she moved to Russia in 1993, but she carried the

Despite the loss that characterizes her experience in Afghanistan, Rasul said she recognizes a potential for growth that thrives there. Her pride in her country and her peo-

“The thing that I hate about the war is that it separates people, it takes away people from you that you love.” —Muzhgan Rasul

weight of her memories of Afghanistan, both ple is undeniable. “I love my homeland,” she good and bad, on her young shoulders. The said. “It’s not safe for me to be there now, but same weight lingers today. “Of course I have I still miss it because it’s my homeland.” bad memories,” Rasul said. “The thing that I A home torn by unrest hate about the war is that it separates people. The path leads home efore Rasul had even turned ten, she had It takes away people from you that you love.” witnessed the height of mujahideen conWhile both Pakistan and Afghanistan One of those people was Rasul’s uncle, trol in Kabul, Afghanistan, in the early 1990s remain politically and economically unstable, who was thirteen years old and just seven – a time of widespread terror and constant they have given Haroon and Rasul the founor eight years older than her when a bomb fear. The mujahideen were Afghan Islamic dations on which they build. As a communiexploded close to where he was playing socfighters who reclaimed Afghanistan from cation studies major, Haroon said she hopes cer outside. “He died the night before our Soviet communist power before the fighters to use the skills she is learning at Emerson holiday, Eid, and instead of celebrating, we turned on one another, resulting in mass cato promote awareness about Pakistan. Rasul went to his funeral,” she said. “You find out sualties of innocent civilians. Kabul was one said she hopes to return to Afghanistan and that your best friend is killed. It’s not like of the most heavily attacked urban areas duruse her broadcast journalism degree to make he’s dead from a disease, but he’s killed – ining the mujahideen infighting, according to documentaries about life there. Though they stantly.” the BBC. are living and studying more than 7,000 miles Tens of thousands of civilians died in KaRasul remembers – or more accurately, away from their homelands, Haroon and Rabul during the mujahideen conflicts, accordcannot forget – nights when her parents sul expect their experiences in Pakistan and ing to the BBC. Although Rasul knows many would wake her and her younger brothers Afghanistan to accompany them through opAfghan families who have lost loved ones, her at 3 a.m. as the bombings started. “We were portunities ahead. uncle’s death has left a permanent mark on sitting in the basement, and I just fell asleep her own memories of Afghanistan, she said. in there, on the ground, because I was so lit-

em magazine — winter 2011

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Wired Generation Challenge O

ur generation has replaced physical power cords with invisible rope that binds us to the gadgets we rely on for learning, communicating, socializing, and entertaining ourselves on-the-go. Four em Magazine writers unplugged themselves from their most beloved technological devices for five school days. The challenge lasted from midnight on a Monday to 11:59 p.m. on a Friday. Medieval, we know.

texting: chloe deas Day 2:

My Blackberry’s little red light has been blinking, testing my self-control. I’m dying to know who’s texting me! Day 3:

I caved today in order to change plans with a friend last-minute and texted her during class. I wish I could read her response.

macboo

op in g e s o n li n e, h iv w e s u o n ’t o H wh at? I d e s pe rat e I wat ch D n ’t ru n out. I m ea n… wo m y batt e ry t. a wat ch t h io n y s h o rt f ict m f o lf a h he irst ty pe t h e f lat e r s hift ba ck t o t I h a ve t o d n a e lib ra ry a ss le. st o ry in t h . S u ch a h m o ro ry d la u n

Day 3:

I’m traveling home, and I can’t text anyone to tell them I’m back. New texts sit atop my cell phone screen, just waiting to be read.

Day 1:

k: layla halabia n

A frie n d text s m e to look at h er late st ta g ca lm ly re p ly, g ed p h ot os. I “STOP TORTU RING ME!”

Day 3:

I n ot ice st u d en ts ch ecki n g Fa ce boo k a n d fe th ey’re ta u nt in el lik e g m e. On th e ot h er h a n d, I’ of m y h om ew ve ork before m id fi n is h ed a ll n ig ht.

Day 4:

My wit hd ra w a l sy p re viou sly spen m pt om s h a ve su b si d ed. T h e ti m e I t on Fa ce boo k h a s freed u p sponta n eou s d so m e room fo a n ce pa rt ie s. r

park

Day 1:

Day 4:

faceboo

issa k: mel

sI o t h e t hin g d o t e im t ee nd m y roo m a g a lot o f fr I’m f in din will d o, li k e clea n in g Ey e. e st yI a lwa y s sa n ’s T h e Blu o is rr o M i To n re rea din g

Day 4:

oolin ipod: erin d Day 1:

ul d m y iPod is wh at I wo t ou th wi ng ni tio nc Fu un darette s is lik e. This po im ag in e givi ng up cig rou gh th g in ly m ea ns I’ m go in g head ache probab with drawal. Day 3:

at in g rippi ng en ds an d co nt em pl fri at ng pi ap sn m I’ out wh ere ng s apart to fig ure gi lon be e’s at m m m y roo . sh e sta sh ed m y iPod Day 4:

a deat h in e lik e th ere ha s be en Fri en ds approa ch m od? A re you goin g with out th e iP th e fa m ily. “How’s it FEELING OK. OK?” NO, I AM NOT

em magazine — winter 2011

Photo // brian Annis

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social circles

em magazine — winter 2011

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emersonrocks

TEXT // CARLY LOMAN & LORENA MORA PHOTO // ETHAN WALFISH

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED “We play poptart rock. It’s like pop plus art and because the plus looks like a ‘t’, its poptart rock.” I don’t know what that means either, but I do know that Some Assembly Required is a band that definitely deserves your attention. Consisting of Boston high school student Patrick Logue (lead guitar/ vocals), Lasell College freshman Pat Rohlfing (guitar), Boston high school student John Michael (drums), and Emerson freshman sound design major Nick Karidayones (bass/vocals), Some Assembly Required is an alt rock band formed in December of 2008. The boys met through a Daddy’s Junky Music program called Band Gig and, with the exception of one kicked out guitarist, have played together harmoniously ever since. And I mean literally. The band describes itself as being “like the Sick Puppies, but with the harmonies of Blink-182.” They are also inspired by Coheed and Cambria as well as My Chemical Romance. The band is lucky to have musicians with diverse tastes; they try to infuse some jazz and funk into their alternative rock sound. For Some Assembly Required, the music comes first. The fact that the lyrics are fit in after doesn’t discourage Logue, who writes the majority of the band’s songs. Louge writes lyrics based not only on his life, but also on the experience of his less verbose bandmates. He says, on the experience of writing for them, “I write for people who can’t”

em magazine — winter 2011

The band’s real zeal is playing live, and they have just finished playing a sold out gig at the Midway in Jamaica Plain. They have also had the opportunity to open for Smash Mouth at Plymouth Memorial Hall through a connection Rholfing’s grandfather had, an experience they describe as being the most surreal thing they’ve done as a band to date. They are looking forward to playing more shows in near future as one of their favorite parts about playing live, says Karidayones, is “knowing that people are paying to see us.” To hear Some Assembly Required, check them out on Facebook and on Myspace (myspace.com/someassemblyrequiredma).

SUN CASTLES When I ask lead vocalist David Broyles what his band Sun Castles sounds like, he paints an interesting picture. “... A cool combo of early Weezer, like when Rivers Cuomo still wanted to write a rock opera... some elements of the Strokes... and I just like to think the sounds of Radiohead.” Bassist Tom MarchettaWood adds that the band always tries to be “rock and roll, but different.” We’re in David’s Piano Row room, surrounded by amps, guitars and a stray keyboard on the floor. The Strokes’ “Meet Me In The Bathroom” is playing. The band is preparing for a Halloweenthemed show set up by their label, Wax on Felt. “[Wax on Felt] is kind of like a big brother that helps you out. They don’t push anything on you, and they help you make it as serious as you want it,” says David. The band is still in the beginning stages, with plans to record an EP later this year. “The music is gonna sound like us, like Sun Castles... but it’s also gonna have that home-recorded feel,” David says about recording in the basement of producer Jon Young, a Northeastern student.

SUN CASTLES: What track would you suggest to readers? “Slimmin’ Out... it’s like our minisymphony. It’s got different tempos and beats.” http://myspace.com/ suncastlesmusic Currently on their iPods... David: “Lots of the Strokes, solely for the show.” (they’ll be playing and dressing up as the Strokes) Tom: “Mat Mos, a bizarre, electronic band that’s, like, really cool.”

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CAUZAMOS Melancholy lyrics thinly veiled by marching beats and sweet acoustic twangs, it’s hard to believe that Freshman Writing, Literature, and Publishing major Jonathan Rizzo does it all himself. Not only does Rizzo write, sing, and play all the instruments in his one-man band Cauzamos, he also does these things well…really well. Rizzo’s sound is heavily inspired by 60’s rock-pop, as well as folk. Musicians like Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Iron and Wine and solo John Lennon are some of Rizzo’s biggest influences. He has learned to fuse together these inspirations to create a fresh sound with references to music from the era of cultural revolutions, bra-burning,

DON’T FORGET TO WRITE: What track would you suggest to readers? Bryan: “COAST TO COAST! It’s our best! But we’ve got a new song coming out, Dial Me In, that Tepper wrote, and it’s amazing.” http://www.myspace.com/dontforgettowritemusic Currently on their iPods... Tepper: “Going Away to College” by Blink 182, Hey Monday’s new album, and Taylor Swift. Bryan: Tokyo Police Club, Weatherbox and lots of Anarbor.

and damn good rock and roll. The name Cauzamos is a reference to the Carl Sagan television show “Cosmos” that aired in the 80’s and 90’s. Rizzo messed around with the spelling of the name and ultimately decided on Cauzamos because it has a Spanish flare, which makes sense as Rizzo says, “that’s a theme I like in my music, 1800’s, Midwest, Mexico and California.” His lyrics, too, reference those changing times. In the title track from his first fulllength album, “ Forgotten Homes”, Rizzo croons about a family torn apart by war. Not the Iraq or Afghanistan war, but the Civil War. The lyric “chief see the pain in your long lost house/ don’t forget where you held your home” offers a clue as to the double meaning of the song; it was

em magazine — winter 2011

written as Rizzo was preparing to leave for Emerson. He admits though, that “ Forgotten Homes,” and most of his other songs have interpretable lyrics. He says, “I prefer when people take what they can from [my music] as opposed to me saying it.” Rizzo’s plans for the future include an EP to be released sometime this winter as well as a possible appearance at Palladium, December 4th in Wooster. And, though he is incredibly proud of his first album he says, “my focus right now is moving on.” So, if you’re interested in hearing “Forgotten Homes,” or more of Cauzamos, you can check out his Facebook page, Reverbnation (an online music marketing program), or buy his album on iTunes or Amazon.

DON’T FORGET TO WRITE “Tep, I’m gonna make you a SWEET CD for your bday,” Bryan Chabrow reveals over the phone to his best friend and bandmate, Daniel Tepper. The two have been best friends since they met in 6th grade at a Jewish summer camp. Influenced by “cute girls, cliches and every-day phrases,” the band’s first full length album, Handsome Expectations, dropped in August. As for who they sound like, Tepper and Chabrow pile it on thick: “A poppier Plain White T’s, some Dashboard Confessional, A Rocket to the Moon, Parachute, Holiday Parade when they were good, My Favorite Highway...” And so on. The band stays motivated by their THOUSANDS of MySpace, Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter fans. “It’s in our genes... we keep writing songs, so we keep releasing them,” Tepper says. Bryan adds, “It’s the coolest feeling in the world to know that people we don’t even know are telling their friends about us.” Up next for the band is a set at Wax on Felt’s Halloween show, as well as a “mini-tour” of Boston, where the band will play street corners in Downtown Crossing and Harvard.

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Cozy Winter Cafes TEXT // CATHERINE COLLITON PHOTO // STASIA FONG It’s easy to get cabin fever when it’s too cold to go out and study on the Common, too stuffy in your room, and the library is packed with other Emersonians writing papers and studying. Instead of trying to squeeze in a spot at the Max lounge, pack up and trek over to one of these great spots on Newbury Street, perfect for keeping toasty warm in the winter and hanging out all day, whether you’re studying for an exam or just hanging out with friends.

Trident Booksellers & Cafeé 338 Newbury Street Keeping this independent bookstore alive is easy to do when there’s an in-house café serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, besides the excellent book selection and extensive magazine rack. Trident has a great selection of teas and other hot beverages, as well as food for all diets including gluten-free, and vegan fare— try the Vegan Cashew Chili! Free wifi might keep you in one of the comfy booths all day, but make sure your computer is charged because outlets are limited.

Espresso Royale Caffe

Live off campus? Check out these comfy cafés in Allston and Cambridge.

Crema Café

In House Café

27 Brattle Street, Harvard Square Grab a table up in the lofted seating area to people watch or get away from the hustle down below, but don’t forget to grab a Pumpkin Chai Latte or Ginger Lemonade and an awesome sandwich (try the sweet potato with green apple, avocado, and carmelized shallot vinagrette on wheat or the rosemary-goat cheese and honey on French). Free wifi and great music selection will bring you back for a date night!

194 Harvard Ave, Allston Big comfy chairs, free wifi, and affordable fare make this place a winner. The other cafégoers tapping away on their laptops will certainly motivate you to get your work done, or provide you with a quiet place to read and sip on a chai tea with a delicious scone or hummus wrap.

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286 Newbury Street Grab one of their spectacular lattes and a scrumptious bagel sandwich and set up camp for the day— the Spanish Latte and Tequila Sunrise bagel sandwich are favorites of regulars. This café is a nice place to spend your morning with some breakfast study buddies. There’s plenty of seating, free wifi, friendly staff, and a laid-back vibe.

Wired Puppy 250 Newbury Street For those who are real coffee connoisseurs, Wired Puppy is the perfect spot to hunker down. With a wide range of blended beans, it’s tempting to try a few different cups of joe here. Wired Puppy has home-roasted and international blends and go great with their baked-in-house muffins and pastries. Plus free wifi!

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Emerson Classics

don’t. Today everything is viewed on DVD, often through a computer. Now we “just look it up on youtube!” “We watch a lot of youtube videos in my politics and advocacy class. On a day when I have three classes, in at least one we’re we’re watching a youtube video.” Heather Corazzini, 2012.

WERS 88.9FM! We may not have a nationally recognized football team, but Emerson College has something better; WERS. The station,

“Twitter and Facebook... without them you can’t do anything. Everyone uses it and it’s the way anyone finds out about almost everything.” Sam Nowak, Marketing Communications, 2011.

RADIOHEAD! Nirvana has long been a college student favorite, but it seems the tides are shifting. “I see a lot of Radiohead shirts and all sorts of other newer bands. I keep up to date with music and am always listening to new stuff.” Derrick Miller, WLP, 2012.

TEXT // ELISSA GARZA

THE B LINE!

College isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days when a pair of Chuck Taylors and a crate of Ramen Noodles were all you needed to thrive. At Emerson College, we play by our own set of innovative rules, and the old school essentials don’t cut it here. Here are a few of the student body’s new favorites.

Whether you’re trekking out to Packard’s Corner for a night out or you’re just heading home to your roommates, the B line is an essential mode of transportation. Home to Sunset Cantina, Urban Renewals, and Great Scott, you can’t go wrong in Allston. “It’s a big deal. The cheap student housing, everyone has been out there. [The B line] is always late because it makes a lot of stops, but it’s sort of a necessary evil.” Kate Farino, TV Production, 2012.

BURRITOS! Forget ordering in the traditional pizza; with it’s endless options (beef, pork, rice and beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, guacamole and salsa) and conveniently wrapped packaging, you can never go wrong with a burrito. Bonus? Maria’s is open until 1 a.m. every night. “Maria’s and Boloco are on campus so they’re an Emersonian’s cheap late night snack. I don’t have a Boloco card like others, but Maria’s is definitely better.” Matt Caruso, VMA, 2013.

iPHONES! Once upon a time students lugged around cameras, cell phones, iPods, and laptops. Now, the iPhone puts it all in one device. “It has aboslutely everything I ever want or need. I can check my email or play Doodle Jump when I’m bored.” Audrey Owens, Musical Theatre, 2014. “If leave my room without it I have to go back for it, it’s a necessity, especially in college when you have professors emailing you.” Andrew Spatafora, Musical Theatre, 2014.

YOUTUBE! Remember when instructors had to borrow a television and VCR from the library, set it up and pop in a VHS to shows films or clips? Many of our younger siblings

em magazine — winter 2011

FLASHMOBS!

which is a local favorite, is one of the best extracurriculars Emerson has to offer. “I was a sports reporter for a while. It’s really fun even if you don’t have anything to do with broadcast or journalism, it’s such a good program.” Hunter Hughes, WLP, 2011.

SOCIAL MEDIA! Forget paper invitations and snail mail, if you want to know if the Green line is delayed, check Twitter. If you want to know if that guy you met in the C-store is single or who’s doing what tonight, check Facebook. And if you want to know who else is at the Orpheum tonight, check Foursquare. Social media has us locked to our phones, and in more ways than one.

Sure, it must have been super cool to march in an old fashioned protest, but ever since the City Place Flashmob video went viral on YouTube, flashmobs are the new way to get your message heard and seen. The eye-catching numbers leave a definite impression on anyone passing by. “It’s spontaneous and unexpected and people look. It makes them ask questions and raises awareness for a good cause.” Zachary Cole, Marketing Communication, 2011.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — entertainment

OUT!

night

Looking for a fun place to go without breaking the bank? Trying to figure out where to go with your weekend visitors, wanted or unwanted? We’ve compiled a list of spots that might make your night out, dare we say it, actually fun. TEXT // Matt Grossbart & Ben Lindsay PHOTO // Benjamin Askinas

Where to go with

Your Parents

Parents love to take their kids out for a nice meal, so make sure you go somewhere you can’t afford on your own. Have your parents take you to The Butcher Shop, a South End steakhouse, or head out to the North End for some Italian and check out Dolce Vita Ristorante, where occasionally you don’t even order, they just bring you food they think you’ll like. If you and your parents aren’t in a food coma after dinner, take them to see a play at the SpeakEasy Stage Company. Voila – A classy evening to balance out your debauchery with friends once Mom and Dad head back to the hotel.

Where to go With

A Friend from Out of Town

Visiting friends are always difficult, so just take them to places with a lot of choices so that all the bases are covered. Go out to Cambridge and hit up Boston Burger Company – with 22 varieties of burgers, how can you go wrong? Then make your way to Phoenix Landing, where you’ll find an Irish pub/sports bar/dance club, a combination likely to satisfy even your pickiest friend. Finally, head back toward campus and go to New York Pizza, if only to show your friend that yes, pizza that greasy does exist. They won’t be able to wait to come back for another visit.

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — entertainment

WHEN YOU’RE UNDERAGE BUT WANT TO GO OUT AND

night

OUT!

DRESS UP HOUSE OF BLUES One of the best places Boston has to offer is the House Of Blues. With 13 venues coast-to-coast, this concert hall brings in some of the music industry’s finest. Tickets average $25$40, which, when considering the costs of arena tours of the likes of Rihanna and Lady Gaga, is one of the best deals for quality entertainment around. For more information you can call the Boston venue’s box office at (888)693-2583 or visit its website: houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/boston.

THE MIDDLE EAST RESTAURANT & NIGHTCLUB The Middle East nightclub is one of the few clubs in the area that permits 18+ rather than the standard 21+, but it certainly doesn’t lack in the fun you’ll have on the dance floor. Head downstairs for concerts, themed partying, dancing, and an all-around good time. For hours, pricing, and directions you can check out their website at mideastclub.com.

ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Now this is where to go if you want to dress up! Every Saturday, Loews Theater in Harvard Square, located at 10 Church Street, hosts a midnight screening of the ‘70s’ cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It is an audience-interactive production, so come ready to yell, throw, and dress up; there’ll be ‘sweet transvestites’ as far as the eye can see.

When You’re

Broke GRENDEL’S DEN Grendel’s Den is the perfect place for lunch and dinner when you’re living on a college budget. Every Sunday-Thursday evening from 5-7:30 p.m. and 9-11:30 p.m., all of Grendel’s meals are half price with the purchase of at least $3 in beverages. Grendel’s is very specific with its qualifications for this excellent deal, so be sure to check out their website: grendelsden.com. The den is located on 89 Winthrop Street in Harvard Square- a prime location for dinner and a movie (Brattle Theater anyone?).

THE BRATTLE THEATER Located at 40 Brattle Street in Harvard Square, The Brattle Theater is just a few stops away on the T, and it is well worth the trip. It has specially-priced tickets for its student audience: compare its $7.75 to Loews Theater’s $11.75! For more information on this movie hot-spot, call their box office at (617)876-6837 or visit their website at brattlefilm.org.

em magazine — winter 2011

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY It is a mere five minutes of walking to 700 Boylston before you find yourself immersed in a world of books, music, and film. After a visit to the BPL, you can plan a movie night with some friends, you can grab a few jam-worthy CDs to broaden your eclectic taste, or you can simply grab a book and make a night out of it.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — entertainment

Introducing, Jake Topkis

Text // Grace Gibson Photo // Hope Kauffman

n the beginning, there was a little kid who made comic books. Emerson junior and film production major Jake Topkis marked this early passion as the beginning of one of his current passions: making films. Topkis is the founder of HeartBeat Productions, an independent film production company he created in 2004. With help, he produces, writes and directs all of the company’s films, which include the award-winning Escapism, Single Bound, Twice Over, and She Is. But before all of that happened, Topkis was just a boy who weaved classic, comic-book tales of superheroes. In eighth grade, he was asked by his teacher to adapt a short piece of classic literature into a movie, and he found the process similar to writing and drawing comic books. In fact, he found it even more fun. “Comics are something you do by yourself in your room, and films are something you go out and do with friends,” Topkis says. Heart-Beat Productions originated from this assignment. Topkis and his friends adapted Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” into their own short film. “We had so much fun, I kind of got my game together and did it outside of school,” he says. And Heart-Beat Productions was born, complete with an accidental misspelling of “heartbeat” that stuck. Even though Topkis is involved in almost every aspect of the filmmaking process at Heart-Beat, he adds, “It’s just so absorbing I can’t handle the marketing stuff,” i.e. pitching the films to film festivals, advertising, etc. which he says is handled by his friends Patrick Paterson and Tyler Needham. Even the other members of Heart-Beat agree, Topkis puts a lot into what he does. Jacob Grodnik, the lead actor at Heart-Beat, says what he admires most about performing for the company is “Some of the detail Jake has in his scripts. There’s such attention to detail, and [I also admire] the professionalism he has on his sets.” Paterson says what he likes most is “working with all the talented people, people from all over the country,” though he acknowledges filmmaking requires “long hours,” up to 15 or 16 hours a day. So, with all those hours spent pursuing his passion, how does Topkis find time to be a student and a filmmaker? “By finding every loophole I can,” he says with a smile. For example, before school started, he was able to e-mail a professor he had for a film editing class who required the class to edit two original films that semester, telling him he was already editing another film and asked if it could count as one of the two required films. Fortunately, the professor said yes. “If you ask a professor well in advance, they’ll work with you,” Topkis says. Topkis says Heart-Beat Productions aims to produce films that “aren’t rooted in a specific genre,” but they usually involve mostly drama (though he also says, “I don’t want them to be too overbearing”) and some comedy, but not too much. I feel like with comedies, people watch [them] once and don’t watch it again,” Topkis says. Topkis aspires to the achievements of late filmmaker Frank Capra (“I love how he’s able to get away with corniness and pull it off so perfectly”)

and, as a more recent example, Christopher Nolan, director and co-writer of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Inception, specifically “the way he will take a familiar genre and make it so psychological and dense.” Topkis says the most common mistake he

“We’re all in this for the struggle.” sees in student-produced films is the lack of a postproduction strategy, meaning a lot of student filmmakers produce a great film, but it never gets seen by many people because they don’t make an effort to market it. “I have seen so many films that start with such promise and get shot,” he says. He even admits there have been times his peers have made a film superior to his, but his gets more publicity because of extra effort to market it. The hardest thing about filmmaking, Topkis says, is when you fall in love with an idea for a film. “You have to be in love with this idea for a year,” he says. Obviously, this is very hard to do. “You lose your way in the process.” But there is hope for aspiring filmmakers. Topkis says to build a network of peers that “have that same sort of drive to do that kind of work.” He encourages young hopefuls to become friends with people who can do things you can’t do for a film, such as operate a camera or come up with creative ideas for sound. This is why Topkis says he is thankful he goes to Emerson, because it has enabled him to meet these types of people. “We’re all in this for the struggle,” he says. At the time this story was going to press, two Heart-Beat Productions films, “Night Wore On” and “Ties,” were currently in post-production.

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — entertainment

Boston Boroughs:

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If you’re up for a quick adventure around the city and want to find some hidden gems, Union Square is the place to start. Either take the 91 Bus from Central or from Boylston catch the red line to the MIT stop. If you have time to kill before the 85 bus you can mill around the MIT bookstore and try to figure out what all the math jokes mean, (such as “cutie π” and “I less than three you.”) Once the 85 bus arrives it’s a simple few stops, and boom, you’re in your own little Boston Soho. The trip is easy, and worth it. Here are just a few of the out of the ordinary things you’ll find on your visit. Text // Ruby Scalera Photo // Stasia Fong & Lauren Kroll

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em magazine — winter 2011

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THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — entertainment`

If you want to go in a totally different direction than sweets and meditation, check out Hub Comics. They’re a privately run comic book shop, carrying everything from original Marvel comics to Ugly Dolls. Their inventory stocks mainstream and independent comics, as well as children’s comics and action figures. This year they will be celebrating their second annual Dark Knight on a Dark Night festival, and every Tuesday they offer free game night to all those who want to get involved. They can be found at 19 Bow Street or on Hubcomics.com, or call 617-718-0987 for more information.

If you want a two for one check out the Bloc 11 Café, underneath the BE Yoga Studio. The café has an urban themed interior, with bricks walls and a shiny piped metal ceiling, and an earthy al fresco seating area, with lights hung overhead and a nice garden to look into. It offers a variety of foods and drinks, such as mint hot chocolate and raspberry lemonade, as well as the art of many local artists, such a Liz Prince, who works in comic art, which hang on the walls and are available for purchase.

The outside staircase leads to the BE Yoga Studio, which holds classes everyday and offers a student rate, as well as group and personal classes. To find out more information on yoga classes check out beinunion.com or call 617-623-9642. The Bloc 11 Café is located at 11 Bow St.

La Cantina La Mexico is right across the street from where the bus lets you off in Union Square Center. It’s a low lit, chili pepper hotspot, with fast sit down service and take out. The food is traditional Mexican cuisine, with enough spices to clear your sinuses. The vegetables are fresh and the meat is cooked savory. They make a delicious quesadilla with shredded chicken and fresh pepper jack cheese. If meat’s not your thing than you can order a vegetarian version with sweet and hot peppers, black beans, tomatoes and different cheeses. What makes this meal even more delicious is the very affordable pricing, that allows a full meal on a thin budget. The phone number for La Cantina La Mexico is 617776-5232 and their restaurant can be found at 247 Washington Street in Somerville.

em magazine — winter 2011

If you don’t want a full meal, but you’re craving new tastes then stop by the Padaria Brasil Bakery, 16 Bow Street. Open from 5:30 am seven days a week the Padaria Bakery offers an array of food, spanning from traditional Brazilian deserts to coffees, sandwiches and fruit juices. The food is made fresh everyday, taking spotlight in the tempting glass domes with exotic tastes such as coconut cheesecake, passion fruit and sweet bread vanilla custard. And if there’s not time to stop then grab a loaf of bread or a bag of Brazilian candies that line the store walls. Drop by or call them at 617628-3100.

Sometimes it’s hard to find nature in the city. Half a block down from the 85 bus stop you’ll come across Ricky’s Flower Market, a nice little patch of garden hidden away. The venue is pushed up against the side of a brick building, where window boxes now prominently display the flower of the season. Hanging plants are strung from what used to be the florescent lights of an old gas station, before it got transformed into a nursery. Ricky’s carries the color that’s hard to find in the concrete jungle with everything from pumpkins to tropical plants. They can be found on the corner of Prospect and Somerville directly across from the Post Office, or reached by calling 617-628-7569.

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — editorials

Classic REDEFINING

This season fashion threw us a curveball - a return to utter feminity. With such a prominenet adult attitude on the runways, the challenge became figuring out how to take what was refined and pretty and make it sexy and youthful. We were determined to dispell the belief that classic and dowdy were synonomous. In Cool Intentions, our styling team shows us that the right attitude is all you need to transform classic to cool. Then they take us on a Couture de Force around Boston’s North End and prove that dressing up is the new dressing down. Regardless of what you’re wearing this season, it is time to redefine your own style and make it your own classic.

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

Cool Intentions 75

em magazine — winter 2011

This season was all about grown up pieces. Models Johnathan Allen, Julie Hubbard, Amber Voner, Jessica Tiernan, Brianna Baxter, and David Goldberg are taking sartorial classics and throwing them back in fashion’s face, letting it be known that they are here to stay. Photo // Hope Kauffman & Taylor Templeton Styling // Alex Oanono & team

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — editorials

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — editorials

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — editorials

second fashion story

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

second fashion story

Couture de Force Models Ilaria de Plano, Xiao Yu, and Jacqueline Exline wander through the North End in this season’s greatest options for a night out and along the way prove that looking your best during the day might just be looking like your heading out for the night. Photo // Hope Kauffman Styling // Alex Oanono & team 83

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE — RUBRIC

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE

em magazine’s staff reveal their

New Classics

“My favorite movie since I was five, my classic is The Wizard of Oz. It is timeless, just like Judy Garland herself, and I can’t get enough of either.” — Rheanna Bellomo, features writer “Sofia Coppola’s movies are my own personal classics. From the suburban surreality of The Virgin Suicides, the urban jungle of Tokyo in Lost in Translation or the 18th century decadence of Marie Antoinette, I draw inspiration from them for everything; from writing to sketching and even just getting dressed in the morning.” — daniel tehrani, looks writer “Glitter. For obvious reasons.” — Alex oanono, head stylist “I can’t live without my Yurman bracelet. I feel cheap with out it and it adds a touch of class to everything I own. ” — devin brown, features writer

“My favorite classic is the Muppet Show. My second word was Kermit, and I’ve been an a huge fan ever since.” — erin doolin, features writer “Plaids, polos, and paisleys.” — blake metzger, stylist “I think that what makes an item a classic is the memories carried with it. Your favorite food, your favorite smell, your favorite place -they induce a nostalgia that makes you love them now and forever.” — olivia eaton, make-up artist

“Grilled Cheese: A perfect and simple combination. Cheese and toast.” — holly griffith, emerson section editor

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE

“A good pair of leather boots. Perfect with dresses in the summertime, skinny jeans in the wintertime, they’re my go-to shoe. ” — Lauren landry, managing editor “My favorite classic is probably Romeo and Juliet. Even though that story has been told millions of times, I still have that pathetic sliver of hope every time I read it that everything is going to work out well for the both of them this time. ” — karen loder, stylist “The perfect morning cup of coffee. Taking a few minutes in the morning to revel in it’s warmth and delectable taste marks the beginning of any optimistic day.” — jeeyoon kim, features writer “My all-time classic is a comfy Grandpa sweater. You’ll wear it forever and you can wear one with anything and everything. ” — joey hebert, looks section editor “I have a bracelet from Buenos Aires, Argentina that’s made up of little coins called “monedas” and each coin has the Argentine sun on it. It comes in handy when I get culturally confused and pretend to be a Latina. — layla halabian, features writer “My winter military jacket. I’ve had it for seven years and I’m not planning on retiring it any time soon” — catie colliton, entertainment section editor “Elvis Presley. Enough said.” — Sarah cascante, stylist “Classic books! It’s always the right time to dust off a copy of an old favorite (1984 or The Picture of Dorian Gray for me) and enjoy it all over again.” — carly loman, entertainment writer “‘Something’ by the Beatles. This song is absolutely beautiful and never ceases to make me stop what I’m doing and listen whenever it comes on my iTunes. It will never get old.” — sarah dwyer, emerson writer

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE

Editorial Credits: Cool Intentions Hair & Make Up - Lizzy Walsh, Audrey Geiger, TiTi Tran, and Jaqueline Tiongson on John - Leather jacket, scarf, polo, black jean, and workboot all courtesy of Ted Baker London on Julie - Ports 1961 dress courtesy of Gretta Luxe, leather belt with disc detail from Ted Baker London on Jess - Loeffler Randall lace bustier dress $475 and Loeffler Randall sandal courtesy of Dress on Amber - Alisha Levine one shoulder black dress and Proenza Schouler booties $795 coutesy of Gretta Luxe on David - Blue knit cardigan, black dress pants, and boots all courtesy of Reiss on Briana - Michael Kors black dress from Gretta Luxe, studded heels from Ted Baker London on Jess - Striped sweater $215 and black jeans $175 courtesy of Cotelac, Fiorentini + Baker boots $519 courtesy of Dress on Amber - Proenza Schouler oxford and Genetic Denim black jeans $225 courtesy of Gretta Luxe, “Meagan” booties $195 courtesy of Reiss on Briana - Vaness Bruno blouse $277 courtesy of Dress, Yigal Azrouel leather jacket $1695 and Chloe boots $975 courtesy of Gretta Luxe, BleuLab reversible denim $160 courtesy of BleuLab on Julie - Yigal Azrouel vest $760 courtesy of Gretta Luxe, BleuLab reversible denim $160 courtesy of BleuLab, Sanyu studded shoe boot $275 on Amber - Cynthia Vincent slip dress courtesy of Dress, Genetic Denim black jeans $225, Yigal Azrouel leather fringe bag courtesy of Gretta Luxe on Bri - Shipley & Halmos shirtdress $435 courtesy of Gretta Luxe, Tesra tessalate print hardcase clutch $135 courtesy of Ted Baker London, Kelsi Dagger heels $89.95 from DSW on Jess - Stella McCartney sweater $1395 and Chloe booties $975 courtesy of Gretta Luxe on Bri - Boy by Band of Outsiders sweatshirt dress $600 courtesy of Gretta Luxe, Sanyu studded trim shoe boot $275 courtesy of Ted Baker on Julie - 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent dress $365 and Vanessa Bruno Athe leather jacket $819 courtesy of Dress, Meagan bootie $375 courtesy of Reiss on Amber - Yigal Azrouel sweater dress courtesy of Gretta Luxe, Loeffler Randall suede booties courtesy of Dress

Couture de Force Hair & Make Up - Olivia Eaton, Audrey Geiger, and Jacqueline Tiongson on Ilaria - Aviat oversized dogtiith dress $375, Mahonia mohair cropped jacket $325, and Leala studded strappy sandal $275 all courtesy of Ted Baker London on Xiao - Osiana lurex knot cowl neck tunic $185, Lingers full hem double coat $425, and Xene mesh shoe boot $165 all courtesy of Ted Baker London on Ilaria - Loeffler Randall silk jumper $425 courtesy of Dress, shoes $49.95 from DSW, necklace $25 from Macy’s on Xiao - Courtney dress $325 courtesy of Reiss, earrings $20 from Macy’s on Jacquie - Parker multi-color sequin dress $297 courtesy of Dress, Shirley shoes $290 courtesy of Reiss on Ilaria - Sonia dress $375 courtesy of Reiss on Xiao - 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent velvet dress $297 courtesy of Dress on Jacquie - Chloe dress $250 courtesy of Reiss, Kelsi by Kelsi Dagger heels $89.95

em magazine — winter 2011

THE NEW CLASSICs ISSUE

Yigal Azrouel Balenciaga Chloe Stella McCartney Jimmy Choo Michael Kors J Brand Strenesse CENTRAL STREET WELLESLEY | COPLEY PLACE BOSTON | WWW.GRETTASTYLE.COM CHECK OUT OUR GRETTACOLE + GSPA LOCATIONS IN BOSTON WELLESLEY CHESTNUT HILL

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em magazine — winter 2011

em magazine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; winter 2011