Vol. 10 No. 26

FREE PUBLICATION

The Galaxy’s New Steward Neil deGrasse Tyson and the Return of Cosmos

03.19.14 - VOL. 10, NO. 26 - MAROONWEEKLY.COM

pg 2 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 19, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

contents

03.20-03.26

meet the team PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Chris Shepperd BUSINESS MANAGER Leisha Shepperd MANAGING EDITOR Chris Zebo CREATIVE DIRECTOR Bekah Skinner ASST. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kaitlin Vickers WRITERS

Sara Gilmore Katie Lea Cheyenne Mueller Luke Murray Amanda L. Reynolds

Essentials: Listen Discover Taste Play Look

4 8 11 12 19

On the Cover:

8

Science celebrity Neil deGrasse Tyson rekindles Carl Sagan’s Cosmos for FOX and introduces a new generation to the wonders of the universe.

INTERNS Haley Clark Katy DeLuna April Elkins Alex Gieger Brittany Holm Avery Moore Kelly Porter Heydy Sanches Kyla Spaugh Camille Youngblood DISTRIBUTION Chris Frank Randy Shepperd

Maroon Weekly is an independent, publication and is not affiliated with Texas A&M University. Maroon Weekly receives no student fees or university funding.

Neighbors: 19 - Seth Rogen and Zac

Efron tell us what it’s like to play prankster nemeses in their new film hitting theaters in May.

Pipeline: 14 - Director John Fiege

and actress/activist Daryl Hannah talk about their new documentary, Above All Else.

After Hours: 12 - A new

promotional outfit in town is keeping the party going way past last call.

Opinions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the editor, publisher or the newspaper staff. Maroon Weekly is not liable for omissions, misprints or typographical errors. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express consent of the publisher. © Copyright 2014 Campus Press LP

ASHANTI Album: Braveheart

Release Date: March 4, 2014

Rating: Sounds Like: Brandy Keyshia Cole Ciara

Reviewed by Katy De Luna

Recommended Tracks:

Tracklist:

Intro No Where Runaway Count Early in the Morning 3 Words Love Games Scars Never Should Have She Can’t Don’t Tell Me No I Got It First Real Love

She began working on the album in 2010, and the title is inspired by Mel Gibson’s movie of the same name.

The metaphor is that the major labels are like the Europeans in the movie, with their big shields and weapons; whereas the small labels are like the Scotts and have homemade weapons. Ashanti released album teaser singles “Never Should Have” in March of 2013 and “I Got It” in November 2013.

Braveheart opens with a five minute intro consisting of a spoken monologue for the first minute and then four minutes of Ashanti singing the same lines over and over. Artists don’t have to be edgy to produce great albums, but it would help if listeners were able to remember the music afterwards. Unlike Ashanti’s debut album in 2002, which sold over 503,000 copies within the first week of release, Braveheart is forgettable overall.

pg 4 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 12, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

LISTEN

After 2008’s The Declaration, R&B songstress Ashanti left the major record labels and decided to create her own. Braveheart is Ashanti’s first album with her record label, Written Entertainment.

••••••

Runaway Never Should Have Don’t Tell Me No

American Authors

Release Date: “Oh, What a Life” Mar. 4, 2014 Reviewed by Katy De Luna Brooklyn based American Authors debuted their first studio album with Oh, What A Life.

The band was created in 2006 under the name The Blue Pages. Zac Barnett, James Shelley, Dave Rublin, and Matt Sanchez started making music their last year at Berklee College of Music. In 2013, they changed their name and label, and then Oh, What A Life was born.

It’s hard to really pinpoint American Authors style, but we can safely say they fit somewhere between alternative and folk. Their single “Best Day of My Life” is a commercial success and has sountracked advertisements in the United States, the UK, and New Zealand. “Best Day of My Life” is similar to Imagine Dragons, but imagine them with a banjo. With inspirations like Vampire Weekend, Youngblood Hawke, and Mumford & Sons, Oh What A Life is upbeat, quasi-innovative, and a fun listen.

St. Vincent

Release Date: Mar. 4, 2014 Reviewed by Heydy Sanches

“St. Vincent”

Thrilling, sensational, bizarre, and incredibly refreshing. The new self-titled album

by St. Vincent, also known as Annie Clark, is so diverse and genre-crossing and yet it has a kind of built-in consistency anchoring it. This new release is a huge transformation and possibly evolution from her previous album Strange Mercy.

Clark beautifully combines an ironic mixture of beauty and hostility, and the album is weighed down by very minor flaws, such as the album’s song progression (they don’t seem to be part of the same album, but they’re great on their own).

Overall, this is probably Clark’s best effort thus far. St. Vincent introduces new elements while remaining loyal to the sound DNA she established on Strange Mercy.

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE & COMPUTER COLLECTION EVENT

April 26, 2014

7am– 2pm

FREE Event is at University Services Building Parking Lot– Enter HWY 30/Harvey Rd. East– No Entry from University Dr East Items Accepted: Fluorescent Light Bulbs Batteries Household Cleaning Agents Automobile Fluids Oil / Oil Filters Paint & Thinners Pesticides & Herbicides Cooking Oil Computers / Components TV’s Expired/ Unused Medication Items NOT Accepted: Radioactive Materials Tires / Household Garbage Large Copiers / Printers Refrigeration Units Explosives / Ammunition Waste Generated by a Business

CALL THE HHW HOTLINE FOR MORE INFO

979-764-3809

www.twinoakslandfill.com

WE NEED YOU TO VOLUNTEER!

Attention Students

* Free Meal & Refreshments * Free T- Shirt * Community Service Hours & Certificate of Appreciation

Five 2½-hour shifts are available

Please Register at www.cstx.gov/recycle

Great for Stu-Groups!

#hhw #properdisposal

maroonweekly.com • March 19, 2014 •MAROON WEEKLY • p 5

By Haley Clark

www.brazosvalleybride.com

Brazos Valley Bride | spring/summer 2014

Want a FREE community workout? Try

FreeFit

3

Fahrenheit 451 @ Rudder One of the most revered and renowned novels of the twentieth century, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a gripping narrative set in a desolate, dystopian future. The novel centers around Guy Montag, a fireman whose job description requires him to create fires rather than extinguish them. In the bleak future, television is at the top of the hierarchy, while literature and books are heading toward ultimate elimination. Montag’s responsibility is to burn all printed books and the houses that encompass them. Without an ounce of compunction, Guy fulfills the duties of his job on autopilot.

But then Clarisse, Montag’s eclectic neighbor, shows Montag what life was like when people’s lives were literary. She introduces him to slow media, and most importantly, to media untainted by propaganda and commercialism. The nonsense that streams on televisions forces Montag to question his job and the topsy-turvy world he lives in.

Bradbury’s novel has been adapted for the stage by the Aquila Theatre, founded in London in 1991 and based in New York City since ‘99. Fahrenheit 451 will be coming to Rudder Theatre on March 27 at 7:30pm. Tickets are available at opas.tamu.edu.

the scoop Go to cstx.gov/events or call 979.764.3486

WHAT: FAHRENHEIT 451 WHERE: RUDDER THEATRE WHEN: MARCH 27 | 7:30PM

pg 6 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 19, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

With their 8th studio album released last year, Reckless Kelly is at it again. Long Night Moon has a lot to stand up to though. Their previous album Good Luck & True Love, released in 2011, was Grammy nominated, awarded 4 Lone Star Music Awards, and had 3 number 1 singles on Texas Radio. Long Night Moon has a central theme focused on traveling, which is no surprise, considering the band is well versed with life on the road. They are currently touring in the US and bringing their music to ears all over the country.

Reckless Kelly at Hurricane Harry’s

By Kelly Porter

The band is composed of brothers Willy and Cody Braun, Jay Nazz, David Abeyta, and Joe Miller. Willy Braun is the front man of the group and writes most of the songs for the band, including songs on Long Night Moon. The band describes their genre as “Country, Rock & Roll” and is known for their energetic live shows. They’ll be sharing the stage with The Statesboro Revue, a “Rootsy Southern Rock and Roll” band.

Both Reckless Kelly and The Statesboro Revue will be playing at Hurricane Harry’s on Friday, March 21. Doors open at 9pm and tickets can be purchased online for $10 (“plus applicable fees”).

YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEAVE THE HOUSE TO GET A FUN, FRESH WORKOUT. We now have on demand workouts delivered fresh to your living room daily via your pc/mac, iPhone/iPad, or television.

Piranha Fitness Studio On Demand Now Online!

Go ahead and try us out. $1 Class Pass or $9.95/month

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On demand workouts. Your own time. At home.

maroonweekly.com • March 19, 2014 •MAROON WEEKLY • p 7

A Universe Rebooted: Neil deGrasse Tyson and the Return of Cosmos

By Chris Zebo Preaching the benefits of innovation and discovery at SXSW is like, well, preaching to the choir. But that didn’t stop the world’s scientist laureate from proselytizing during a standing-room-only keynote address at SXSW 2014. Neil deGrasse Tyson, the indefatigable astrophysicist, author, lecturer, and now host of FOX’s Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, gave an ardent conversation at the Austin Convention Center to set off the festival’s Interactive segment. Journalist Christie Nicholson, charged with the task of interviewing the brilliant behemoth, tried desperately to interject questions and direction into Dr. Tyson’s adrenalinefueled musings on everything from exoplanets to instilling curiosity in his children via cracked eggs.

host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. The new series on FOX resurrects Carl Sagan’s Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, a 13-part television series that debuted in 1980 and is considered one of the most popular televised edutainment productions of all time. The original series explored the mysteries of the universe with Sagan as host, who was, at the time, the most celebrated popculture scientist in the world. The show introduced the scientifically uninitiated to abstract concepts such as time dilation, white dwarfs, and dark energy in familiar and engaging ways. It also introduced burgeoning, controversial discoveries that were becoming a challenge to civilization, such as the then nascent concern with something called “global warming.”

She was hopeless and would have done better to kneel before the God of Geekdom and allow him to divulge his storehouse of intelligence upon his captivated audience.

“The day you stop thinking about tomorrow, you stop innovating” was just one of a hundred insightful utterances Tyson blasted from his rapid-fire smartgun.

You could feel the room’s IQ collectively raise a few points by the end of the hour-long address.

Behind every great man is a great woman, and Sagan’s wife, Ann Druyan, was largely responsible for articulating Carl’s esoteric knowledge into something palatable for the masses. Druyan, a screenwriter who’s written for television and the silver screen (she adapted Sagan’s novel, Contact, for film), was left with a void vaster than a black hole when Carl passed away in ‘96.

Tyson was on hand not only to address tomorrow’s innovators but also to support his new venture as

Wanting to reboot the series years later, Druyan had someone in mind to fill Carl’s shoes if the series were ever to get greenlit. “About 7 years ago, I set out to do a

pg 8 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 19, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

new Cosmos,” Druyan told us at the red carpet premiere for the series’ first episode at SXSW. “I had known Neil for several years, so with my first inkling of wanting to do this, there was no one else I considered for the job as host because he has the ability to connect. I knew he was the right one, and also there was an organic connection between Carl and Neil, which I felt was perfect for the writing of the story.”

That connection was forged many years ago when a young Tyson, still in high school, met Sagan 34 years ago, at the time the original series aired. Tyson was smitten by Sagan’s range of otherworldly knowledge and even more enamored by Sagan’s humble and giving demeanor. The two scientists, one budding, the other flowered, cultivated a strong friendship over the years.

It was Sagan who inspired Tyson to become the person he is today. And now he is becoming, in some respects, the person he wanted to be 34 years ago.

“I think of the things they have in common,” says Druyan.

“They love science and they love to connect with people.

They have no snobbery; they have no disrespect for the audience. They are filled with a kind of passion to communicate. They’re kind and very generous. I can’t make comparisons beyond that. I love Carl with all my

heart, and I adore Neil. He’s just wonderful. I’ve know him for years, and we’ve been working very closely together for most of the last two years while we’ve been shooting.”

When Druyan approached Tyson about trying on Carl’s shoes, they both realized it would take much more than the combination of her writing talent and his celebrity status to get the show off the ground. And that’s when the most unlikely figure entered the picture, one who not only got financial backing for the production but also managed to square it up with FOX, a network...not exactly known for producing hard science shows with a liberal edge.

“Neil introduced me to Seth McFarlane,” Druyan says.

Having MacFarlane backing the show was a huge break for Druyan and Tyson. With MacFarlane at the helm, it also granted them access to some of the creatives within his universe of film and TV production, including Jason Clark. Clark, who produced MarFarlane’s blockbuster comedy Ted and has produced a number of high-grossing features in recent years (The Cabin in the Woods, Stuart Little, and the new animated film Mr. Peabody & Sherman), was a fan of Sagan’s original series years ago. He was inspired by the series’ groundbreaking special effects, and when he signed on as co-executive producer of Spacetime Odyssey, he said he was excited to take the effects-side of the new production to a whole new level.

Everything about our civilization is on the back of someone who made a discovery that transformed who we are and how we live.

- NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON

“Seth asked us to join him for dinner in Hollywood about 4 years ago. I sat down with him and he started making some really extravagant promises. But he kept every single one of them and many more. He’s made some really substantive contributions to the show. When you think of the wit and his targets in Family Guy and his other shows, he’s an enemy of foolishness. And in my book, that’s someone who’s going to love science.”

However, filming a series based upon theories set in unknown reaches of the galaxy was not an easy task.

Capturing the unknown, according to Clark, would require some of the newest technologies available in the film industry. “When you read the script, seventy percent of it took place in space, and you can’t go there,” Clark says. “You just can’t get a camera up there. But that’s what the technology allowed us to

do: put the camera over Neil deGrasse Tyson’s shoulder and be there.”

In addition to capturing the imagination of the series visually, it was also important to capture the imagination of the audience without losing them in abstractions. It was also important to not dumb down the science.

“It was important to strike a balance between the educational value and the entertainment value of the series,” says executive producer Mitchell Cannold (Dirty Dancing, Little Monsters). “It’s really important to have the audience feel like they’re on an entertaining journey.

At the same time, the stories we tell are all value learning. But they’re not told in a professorial way, you don’t feel like you’re at school; if you did, we would have failed. It’s really meant to feel like you’re on a theme park ride, and along the way, this stuff is coming at you and you grab as much as you can.”

Working with science luminaries isn’t always an easy task in show business. Translating the abstract into an entertaining medium took another kind of medium who could bridge the divide between TV and textbook, and that’s where Druyan excelled.

“She’s not a trained, credentialed scientist; she’s a screenwriter and she’s a writer,” Cannold says. “And she understood the need to tell stories from the heart and to tell them with passion, with magic, wonder, and awe.

She had enough grounding in science that the science fed into the stories in a natural way. But in essence, what we had was the gift of a true storyteller who understood how to speak to the audience in words that

maroonweekly.com • March 19, 2014 •MAROON WEEKLY • p 9

#WalkAmerica Chance Stephens is trekking across the nation to raise money for the fight against human trafficking

By Chris Shepperd Human trafficking is real. And Chance Stephens wasn’t okay with that. The 27-year-old Oklahoma City native and U.S. Air Force veteran had returned home from deployment and was transitioning to civilian life.

“It started with a trip to Utah. I was introduced to Tiny Hands International and knew that was something I wanted to get involved with. I didn’t have a rental car and I was walking everywhere. One day I thought, ‘If I can walk across this city, I can walk across America.’”

And so it began. Stephens boarded a plane to Santa Monica, Calif. last September and set out to walk to Virginia Beach, Va. “I told Paul at Tiny Hands I wanted to walk across America to raise money and support for the work they are doing to rescue girls out of trafficking. He said, ‘You want to do what?!’ Then he told the rest of the staff and they were blown away. No one ever does this. Tiny Hands doesn’t have a walking team that treks across America,” Stephens said.

5 months and 1,200 miles into his journey, Chance was joined

by Jacob Leonard. Leonard heard Stephens speak at his church and immediately connected to what he was doing.

“He spoke at my church and I immmediately knew I wanted to join him,” Leonard said. “It is awesome to see people connect to what we are trying to do. Everyone from people our age to 70-year-olds who give to Tiny Hands,” For these two it’s more than just raising attention. It’s about raising money.

“It sucks that everything takes money. But we are trying to get people to give to Tiny Hands,” Stephens said. “Our goal is $160,000, which is enough to rescue 1,300 girls.

The struggle is real, and Tiny Hands is doing something about it.”

You can connect with Chance and Jacob at achancefor. com or by searching #WalkAmerica on social media. They will also be at Mugwalls on Thursday night selling t-shirts and other merchandise. All proceeds go toward their goal.

would resonate within the core values of science yet not lead with facts and figures.”

Druyan managed to bridge that gap 34 years ago, too. But back then, ironically, it was the scientists who felt affronted by her attempts to make science popular, not the general audience.

“Attitudes have changed,” she said. “For instance, when Carl did Cosmos, he was sort of punished by the scientific community for doing it. Now, I think most scientists of this generation realize how important it is for the public to understand the values and the methods and the ethos of science. This is a society that’s dependent on science and technology.”

It’s also a society that still has various inhibitions about science and its role in touchy debates regarding everything from geopolitics to religion. Tyson has been at the forefront of reverse-witch burning for some time now, setting fire to controversies smoldering across the cultural landscape. He’s unabashed about his appraisal of history, science, and the cultural milieu. For example, in the debut episode that screened at SXSW, an animated scene recounts the life of astrologer Giordano Bruno. The 16th century heliocentrist was charged with heresy by the Inquisition and burned at the stake for arguing the universe contained an infinite number of stars and that some of them might even be inhabited by other intelligent beings.

When asked why the scene was included in the episode, Tyson told us, “Because he’s a martyr. And people don’t normally think of scientists as martyrs. They’re scientists who are the first to think of something about our place in the universe, our relationship to nature, which more often than not conflicts with the prevailing philosophy, be it political, cultural, religious, economic.”

The place of these “heretics” in the historical record is gravely important to Tyson, and the series will feature others, as well. He believes redressing the wrongs of the past is pivotal if we are to advance as a civilization.

“What do you do? Do you say, ‘Well, okay. I acquiesce.’ If that’s how these searchers had behaved throughout the centuries, we’d still be in the caves wondering what was on the other side of the valley. Somebody’s got to go out there and say, ‘I’ve found a new truth. And these truths are not subject to your opinion or your philosophies.’ Everything about our civilization is on the back of someone who made a discovery that transformed who we are and how we live.”

Ever since the first series aired nearly 35 years ago, science has had to address a number of changes to the modern astrophysical paradigm. “The universe got a lot younger the last 35 years,” says Druyan. “It was a scientific consensus back in ‘79, ‘80, when we were writing the series, that the universe was about 15 billion years old. Now it’s only a young 13.8 billion years old.”

But getting the facts straight isn’t as important as bolstering the notion that science is making discoveries and improving our relationship with the universe.

“Cosmos is a celebration of how and why science works, what it has discovered about our place in the universe—not only space but time,” says Tyson. “I would like to think that at the end of an episode, and at the end of the series, you will feel the power to say, ‘I will now become a better shepherd of my civilization.”

pg 10 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 19, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

Wafology Food Truck

Food Review Wafology Takes Belgian Waffles to a New Level

By Amanda L. Reynolds

Price - $ Cuisine - Waffle Food Truck Parking - Walk-up Food Truck Signature Dishes - Chicken and Waffles, Cookie Butter Waffle

$ ($5 - 10) ramen noodle budget $$ ($10-15) part-time job $$$ ($15-20) hard-earned cash $$$$ (Over $20) mommy and daddy are in town

While we often take the Belgian waffle for granted because of its appearance on hotel breakfast buffets, it created quite a stir when it first arrived in the states a little over fifty years ago. The waffle made its debut in 1962 at the World’s Fair in Seattle and was still a relatively new idea as they had only been introduced four years prior at the Brussels World’s Fair.

At the time, the dominant style of waffle in Brussels was based off of thick break dough, which yielded a denser, chewier, and richer waffle.

However, the newly introduced Belgian was lighter and fluffier than traditional waffles. The addition of yeast to the batter gave them a slight tang, so they could be topped with either sweet or savory items, such as fruits, meats, and—of course—syrups.

The new waffles were an instant hit.

In just six months at the World’s Fair, over half a million Belgian waffles were served! They were so popular that the proprietor of the waffle booth at the Fair, Walter Cleyman, granted a franchise right to a local pancake house in Seattle to serve them.

Sanif Maredia, a College Station native and owner/creator of Wafology, has breathed new life into the waffle trend and opened an waffle food truck here in town.

Everything at Wafology is served on, you guessed it, Belgian waffles. Cooked

to order until golden brown, the waffles are fluffy on the inside and have a nice crisp on the outside.

For lunch, as one would assume, chicken and waffles is the top bill on the menu. The chicken is perfectly battered and fried. The tender chicken has an adequate crunch while being incredibly juicy on the inside. With every waffle you order, you can select a sauce as a topping. For the chicken and waffles, we highly recommend the spicy maple aioli. It’s not too spicy and provides that hint of sweetness you’re accustomed to.

The idea for Wafology stemmed for Sanif’s penchant to top waffles with strange items (which worked most of the time, he said). He has an uncle who has a burger restaurant that serves a Mediterranean style burger. He got his uncle to share his secret recipe for the burger, and then he traded a bun for a waffle, thus introducing the region to the “kebab burger.” The handformed burger patty has traditional Mediterranean spices and is topped with cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes.

(For those with dietary restrictions,

Wafoloy also serves gluten free and vegan versions.)

Wafology also offers a comprehensive sweet menu. You can order just a plain Belgian waffle with syrup or you can experience delectables such as the cheesecake waffle, which is a cheesecake spread topped with graham cracker crumbs and strawberry sauce.

The cheesecake wasn’t overly sweet like grocery store cheesecakes but instead tasted like a New York cheesecake, which has a hint of sweetness and a slight tang, as well. Another must-try is their cookie batter waffle. Sanif won’t tell us what’s in it or how it’s made, but we can tell you that it’s like a chocolate chip that’s been finely ground into a delicious spreadable paste smeared atop a waffle.

Wafology can be found either at Blinn College or Citibank in College Station during the week. They also attend special events like First Friday in Downtown Bryan or the College Station Music Festival at Wolf Pen Creek.

Updates are posted on their Facebook and Twitter page so they can be easily found.

maroonweekly.com • March 19, 2014 • MAROON WEEKLY • pg 11

Aggieland After Hours: NightOwls Keeps the Party Going After Last Call

By Chris Zebo

You're at your favorite bar. You and your friends are having the night of your lives.

The DJs are in the “zone,” and you're in it with them. You've danced up a sweat, your adrenaline is pumping, and just when you hit your groove...the lights go up. “Last call!

Last call!”, the bouncers scream.

But you're not ready for the party to end.

You're just getting started. And as you're closing out your tab at the bar, a couple of your friends are asking around, to find an afterparty. “Where's everybody going after this?” The usual answer in Aggieland...is a shrug and a sigh.

That all changed last September when NightOwls—a grassroots production group in College Station made up of local DJs and organizers—started hosting afterparties.

The organizers (who wish to remain anonymous for this article) started hosting small parties last summer at random houses. They created a secret Facebook group and told their friends to invite their friends. As more and more people discovered the events, the attendance snowballed from just a few partygoers to over 200 a night. The parties are invite only, attendees must be 18 or older to enter (NightOwls has a doorman), and no alcohol is served.

However, that doesn't mean guests can't bring their own booze.

We caught up with NightOwls to get the scoop on Aggieland's only organized underground party.

MW: What motivated you to create NightOwls?

NightOwls: We felt that Bryan-College Station lacked any form of afterparty scene, like in other cities. We also wanted to nurture the budding EDM scene around here and provide new DJs with an opportunity to showcase their talents.

anyone that leaves our parties is sober so that they can drive, or we have cabs on call to make sure they get home safely.

It's an idea we had independently for years; then last summer a discussion started that made us realize we shared the same vision—so we went for it!

NightOwls: We have a semi-private group on Facebook that we can allow people to join, and we promote on Northgate and have numerous friends in the party scene that help get the word out. NightOwls is technically invite only, so you'll receive a verbal or flyer invite in person or one via text, call, or Facebook. Just like the party, it's a movement and a group effort with a ton of support and promotion by a lot of people.

MW: Who are the DJs that spin?

NightOwls: We have everyone from the most seasoned DJs to the newest DJs. The point is to give everyone an opportunity to show College Station what they're made of. Some of our most regular resident DJs include DJ Squared, Falko, Nomac Jack, A-RUDD, and Get Low. MW: How frequently are you hosting events?

NightOwls: We really try and have them every Saturday, but there are some Saturdays we take weekends off, like Valentine's weekend, for example. We host 2-3 on average per month.

MW: What obstacles have you encountered?

NightOwls: Our biggest issue was providing a safe and fun environment for our partygoers. But we've easily tackled that by making sure everyone is drinking appropriately, having people on hand to help if there's problems, and keeping a cool head when problems do arise. We also make sure

pg 12 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 19, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

MW: How do people find out the “where, what, when” of your events?

MW: How do you guys handle a cover charge?

NightOwls: We only ask that people help us take care of paying for the DJs, sound equipment, lights, bouncers, and other expenses. So it's not really a cover charge.

This movement wouldn't happen without the contributions of patrons, and it's much appreciated.

MW: What do the neighbors think about your events? They're hosted in a residential neighborhood.

NightOwls: We're sure to check with all the neighbors and make sure the parties are appropriate and kept at a manageable level.

We give all of them our contact information in case anything were to happen or if they have any issues. We don't want to disrupt the community in any way, shape, or form.

After 19 parties to date, we've had zero

complaints from neighbors.

MW: What are the rules about alcohol? You don't serve alcohol, correct?

NightOwls: We don't serve any form of alcohol at our parties, but they all are BYOB. A lot of people will bring enough alcohol to share with everyone at the party. It's kind of a community mentality. At every party, we have several experienced bouncers that make sure everyone who is drinking is 21 and over. At the door, we check IDs and mark people over or under just like they do on Northgate.

MW: The parties are usually hosted just over the College Station border in Bryan. What does the Bryan PD think about all of this?

NightOwls: In over six months of putting on the parties, we've only had two police officers come out. And in both situations, they arrived and saw there were no problems and went on their way. We have a good relationship with the Bryan PD and haven't had any issues thus far.

MW: From when to when do the events happen?

NightOwls: From 11:50pm on Saturday to 5am Sunday morning.

MW: What are your plans for the future?

NightOwls: We are currently in talks with several businesses and investors who want to take NightOwls to the next level.

Our goal is to be the first official after-hours club in Bryan-College Station.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

MSC Opas presents Bring It On the Musical at Rudder Auditorium.

Reckless Kelly is back at Hurricane Harry’s with The Statesboro Review.

Come prepared to sweat and to meet tons of new people at this Aggie hot spot.

PAGE 23

PAGE 7

SEE BELOW

WEEKLY // PICKS WEEK

OF

MARCH 20 - MARCH 26,

2014

FIND MORE AT: WWW.MAROONWEEKLY.COM/EVENTS

SATURDAY 3/22 MONDAY SALSA SATURDAYS

Voted “Best Night of Dancing” for three years, Salsa Saturdays starts with a “30-Minute Crash Course Salsa Lesson” at 10pm followed by a scorching hot night of dancing til 2am. Come prepared to sweat and to meet tons of new people at this Aggie hot spot. Visit mambosentertainment. com for more info. VILLAGE CAFÉ 210 W. 26th Street, Bryan, March 22, 2014 10:00 PM $5

SUNDAY

3/23

MIC CHECK POETRY

Speak your mind or listen to those who perform at Mic Check Poetry Slam. Hosted by Revolution Cafe, MCPS is held every Sunday at 8:30 and completely free. Break out of the mold and channel your inner artist; you’ll go home feeling inspired. REVOLUTION 211B S. Main St., Bryan, March 23, 2014 8:30 PM

BREAKAWAY

THURSDAY 3/20 OTIS THE DESTROYER

Take your lunch outside to hear this rock/blues/soul group perform. Otis the Destroyer hails from Austin and played the SXSW festival before heading to Aggieland. RUDDER FOUNTAIN TAMU Campus, March 20, 2014 12:00 PM

LADIES NIGHT

Gatsby’s hosts Ladies Night every Thursday, so let your inner diva out and enjoy a fun night of dancing, drinking, and socializing.

GATSBY’S 111 College Main, College Station,

March 20, 2014 6:00 PM

FRIDAY

THE HOBBIT

3/21

Journey along with Bilbo Baggins as he continues his quest. Watch the second part of the Hobbit trilogy outside at Rudder Fountain. RUDDER FOUNTAIN TAMU Campus, March 21 2014 7:00 PM

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

Classic tracks from back in the day will keep you moving all night at Gatsby’s Flashback Fridays! GATSBY’S 111 College Main, College Station, March 13, 2014 8:00 PM

PUB QUIZ

Sundays are trivia night at O’Bannon’s, so grab a group of friends to play or just to watch. Check with their Facebook page the day of to find out what the topics will be.

O’BANNON’S 103 Boyett, College Station, March 23, 2014 9:00 PM

KARAOKE

Warm up your vocal cords and belt out those lyrics at the Hookah Station’s weekly karaoke night. Join the fun or be a spectator every Sunday night from 9pm until 2am. HOOKAH STATION 106 College Main, College Station, March 23, 2014 9:00 PM

TRIVIA NIGHT

3/24

Monday nights are pretty boring; it’s too early in the week to party and too early in the week to study. So, you’re kind of left with nothing to do but Facebooking, channel surfing, or Netflixing. What if you could spend a Monday night with a drink in your hand and “study” at the same time without feeling like you’re partying or doing your homework? Well, you can do just that. Every Monday night, Revolution Cafe hosts Trivia Night from 9pm till just before midnight–ending just in time to sleep 8 hours before class on Tuesday.

REVOLUTION 211B S Main St, Bryan March 24, 2014 9:00 PM

OPEN MIC

Take the mic or just listen to others as they belt out the classics in and out of key every Monday night. Drink some liquid courage with $2 wells and domestic specials all night long.

SCHOTZI’S 205 University, College Station, March 24, 2014 9:30 PM

TUESDAY 3/25 BREAKAWAY

Non-denominational Breakaway Ministries’ events have already set a record for attendance, and Tuesday’s assembly of worship, inspiration and entertainment will surely set yet another one. For more details check Breakaway Ministries Facebook @ facebook.com/ breakawayministries REED ARENA March 25, 2014 9:00 PM

maroonweekly.com • March 19, 2014 • MAROON WEEKLY • pg 13

Above All Else Raises Fists and Awareness About Keystone Pipeline at SXSW

By Chris Zebo The “Don't Mess with Texas” spirit is alive and kicking in director John Fiege's latest documentary, Above All Else. In the film, which premiered March 10 at SXSW, Fiege trained his camera on people affected by TransCanada's Keystone XL Pipeline as it snakes its way from the Alberta tar stands to refinery facilitates near the Gulf of Mexico. When the pipeline crossed the Texas border, a group of landowners, ranchers, activists, and concerned citizens galvanized a grassroots movement to contest Texas' eminent domain laws and the questionable propriety of TransCanada Corp.

At the center of the many landowners featured in the film is David Daniel, a late-forties, redbearded, East Texas landowner who rouses his similarly threatened neighbors and also invites a young group of activists to stage a tree-sit on his property. Daniel, a retired high-wire circus performer and stuntman, purchased his land in the remote East Texas pines to raise his daughter away from the world's problems… but the problems came anyway, knocking on his door in the form of 4-foot-wide steel pipes, monstrous industrial tree harvesting machines, and—worse—men in suits with seizure papers.

The Keystone XL pipeline is a $7 billion dollar project proposed in 2008 with support from Washington, albeit reserved and at times clandestine. The sheer force of corporate power and political impotency weighs heavy

upon the landowners, but Daniel reinvents his retired stuntmen skills as he scales the pines on his property and erects an elaborate tree fort bulwark. The fortress in the trees is stationed with an envoy of local activist volunteers who live “Above All Else” day and night, hoping to deter the encroaching tree gnashing machines from clearing Daniel's land for the pipeline.

up where things are [with the pipeline situation]. People have a lot of heightened emotions about their views of the situation.

Fiege and executive producer Daryl Hanna, the actress/activist known for her roles in Kill Bill 2, Blade Runner, and Splash met with us the day after the film's premiere. For more information about the Above All Else, visit aboveallelsefilm.com.

MW: Eminent domain is quite a blurry issue.

You attempt to define it in the documentary, but even after hearing what it was, it's hard to be sure just what it is. Or maybe it's just denial that such a thing exists and it's hard to wrap your head around it. What is it, if you were to describe it to a layman?

MW: How was the reception to the film at the premiere yesterday?

Fiege: It was amazing. It was very emotional, very passionate.

Hannah: I think it was the first time I've ever experienced people standing up and screaming at the screen before the credits were even done. And pretty much everyone stayed after the screening for the Q&A, and there was a visceral anxiety and tension of outrage in the room. It was really potent.

MW: What were some of the things you were hearing from the audience?

Fiege: Well, near the end, we kind of wrap

pg 14 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 19, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

Hannah: People were pissed. There was definitely some screaming about the large green groups that hadn't lent support to the people who were fighting these eminent domain issues on the ground.

Fiege: One of the characters in the film is Julia Trigg Crawford, who has been at the vanguard of that eminent domain fight in the courts in Texas. The way the system works now is if you want to build something through Texas, and your company believes that it's for the common good—however you might define it—then you check a box on a form that says, “Yes, we are a common carrier. We will be allowing other companies to use our facility. So we should be given the right of eminent domain.”

So that's what the company did to build the Keystone XL pipeline. And there's dispute as to whether that pipeline—which takes oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast mostly

to be sent abroad to be exported—is really in the public good.

There's some pretty low bar as to what qualifies as a common carrier. You know, if you take some oil from another company in your pipeline, you're a common carrier to a certain percentage. The law is written in a way that pretty much any company can come in and say that what they're doing is for everyone's benefit and that they should be given these enormous powers of eminent domain to take people's private property.

Hannah: And then there are all these additional issues; like because it isn't actually crude, they don't have to put money into the cleanup fund. So when something happens, if there is a spill, they won't be responsible for the cleanup; taxpayers will be responsible for the cleanup. There are all kinds of sideline issues that go along with it that you wouldn't believe.

MW: John, how did this story fall into your lap? Did you go looking for it, or did it find you?

Fiege: It's a little of both. Four years ago, I got cancer, and I started developing a film about how fossil fuels and the chemicals that come from them have saturated our economy and our culture and cause things like cancer and climate change. So I started asking myself, “How do I tell a story about

this? How do I tell a story about what people can proactively do to make changes?”

A few months later, the BP Oil spill happened in the Gulf of Mexico. So I went down to Louisiana and started shooting. And my cancer came back. So I fought cancer for like 2 years trying to develop this film. And toward the end of that process, I started to hear about the Keystone XL Pipeline protests that were happening in D.C. It really perked up my ears because it was a sea change in the environmental movement. The people were getting back into the streets and demanding change in a way they hadn't done since the 1970s. And I was like, “Wow! Here's a single project that hasn't even been approved and people are trying to stop it now, while they can, to prevent maybe another BP Oil spill.”

I live Texas, so I said, “Okay, I'm gonna hunt for land owners—people who live along the pipeline route in Texas who are opposed to this project.” I had no idea what I was going to find. We just started searching on the Internet for people who had already received some notice for it, or who were just posting their own material. And we found a couple of folks, we went up and met them, and we had our story—because they're just amazing people and charismatic, kind, warm, and wonderful people.

MW: How did you discover David Daniel? What was it about him and his role in all of this that made him seem like the best central character for the film?

Fiege: Well, David really is the one who started the fight in Texas. He's the one who most proactively educated himself. And we recruited other people, his neighbors—so by the time I arrived, David was the main character in everybody's eyes. And everybody who was engaged in the fight in this area—it's because of David. It was such an obvious fit.

He has a history as a circus performer, a gymnast, a stuntman. So his personal story is just so fascinating, and it's interesting he decided to do a tree-sit, because he had the skill to do it.

MW: Daryl, how did you and John join forces? How did you come into the fold and become producer?

Hannah: I had already been engaged with people along the northern route, and I narrated a brief documentary about the proposed northern route and the resistance it had encountered all along the way, from First Nations communities to ranchers and farmers. And when the southern route got sort of fast-tracked and it was largely ignored by

the media, I felt like it would be important to go down and try to bring some attention to the fact that it was being built. And then my manager had met David Daniel and John and had heard about the film; it was a natural fit.

MW: What was your initial reaction to the film, when you'd seen the final cut?

Hannah: I think I had a very similar reaction as the rest of the audience. It left me with a sense of outrage and heightened emotions and sort of ready to figure out what I needed to do to be receptive to helping defend these people's rights.

MW: Is that the take-away for the two of you from this? A hope that others will become engaged?

Fiege: For me, the way the story is covered in the media is being done in a very polarized way where real simple dichotomies are created between jobs and environment, climate change versus oil—you know, these things that don't do justice to the complexity and the importance of the issues. So, what I wanted to do was tell stories, human, universal stories from the individual's perspective that show the personal side of these struggles. It's not a black and white situation.

The take-away is an understanding of what the individuals of this pipeline experience went through, what their personal experience was—I think it's a very revealing, eye-opening film. Our main character, David, says this in the movie. He says, “People need to understand what's happening.

People need to understand this situation we're in.” And he's referring to the unbelievable and unprecedented corporate influence on politics.

Hannah: And on our rights.

Fiege: The film doesn't have an agenda in and of itself. The only agenda is to truthfully tell the story about the people in the film. I think people will be hit by it very emotionally and very viscerally and want to learn more about these issues and become engaged.

Hannah: Yes. To me, that's the best takeaway. Anything that inspires people to educate themselves further. The facts speak for themselves.

Once people actually learn about it and don't just listen to the parroting on TV and the pundits, then we'll all be on the same side. We all need the same basic life-support systems: clean water, livable climate, etc. So at the very least, if this film can inspire people to do some research into these issues, that's a fantastic outcome.

maroonweekly.com • March 19, 2014 • MAROON WEEKLY • pg 15

Adult Swim Fun House Comes to College Station

By Chris Zebo In 2011, Adult Swim—the late-night programming block on Turner's Cartoon Network—came to College Station and set up a block party called Ragbag of Jollification right in the heart of Northgate. Fans of AS shows like Aqua Teen, Squidbillies, and Venture Brothers were treated to carnival games and live music by indie rockers Best Coast. Well, Adult Swim is coming back to town this Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21 from 5pm-10pm.

The Adult Swim Fun House will be a little different than 2011's Ragbag. You can expect a 40-foot-tall inflatable castle filled with 15 themed rooms set up at Church and Boyett, and AS shows such as Robot Chicken, Loiter Squad, Metalocaplyse, Childrens Hospital, and—yes— even Aqua Teen will be brought to life for everyone 18+.

Admission is free and ticketing will open at 4pm both Thursday and Friday.

Last week, we caught up with Adult Swim's director of events, Amantha Walden, to get the scoop on what attendees can expect at this year's AS campus tour.

MW: Talk a little about the Adult Swim Fun House tour.

The event is traveling to 10 college towns/campuses this year. Why does Adult Swim host the event?

Walden: The Adult Swim Fun House is our way of connecting with our fans in a very real, very fun, and very different way that brings the whole vibe and culture of Adult Swim to life. College students are a core segment of our audience, and we see these live event executions as

a great way to create new experiences and engage with our fans in a way that goes well beyond the TV screen. We came up with the idea of taking a traditional fun house type experience and putting our Adult Swim stamp on it by incorporating our specific shows and characters as well as the overall brand, and I think we’ve done just that.

Texas A&M is the fourth stop on our tour, and so far the response has been great – and we’re excited to be here and share this experience with the A&M community.

MW: In 2011, Adult Swim did a similar event called Ragbag of Jollification. What can attendees expect at this year's Fun House? What's different than the event hosted in 2011?

Walden: The carnival tour from a few years ago was a totally different experience than the Fun House in its execution, so people coming out to see the Fun House should expect a different event. The Fun House is a massive, 15,000-square-foot inflatable castle that puts a unique twist on the traditional fun house experience.

We have fifteen different themed rooms that are set up in a maze within the walls of the castle and guests will chart their own course as they go from room to room. We aren’t giving out too many details on the specific rooms by design – we really want people to experience it for themselves and not ruin the surprise!

MW: What shows from the AS programming block will

pg 16 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 19, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

be represented at the event this year and how will attendees get to engage with the shows?

Walden: We’ve got some really great tie-ins for some of our most popular shows that help bring those shows to life. I don’t want to spoil the element of surprise, so I won’t give away too many details, but you’ll be able to have very unique interactions with Squidbillies, Robot Chicken, Aqua Teen, and Metalocalypse, among others. Each of the rooms in the Fun House contain a different experience, so as you move through the castle, every turn brings something totally different. You’ll have to check it out for yourself.

MW: Can people expect freebies and giveaways this year?

What sort of swag is being doled out?

Walden: Yes – of course! The Fun House is a totally free event, so fans should come out and have some fun with us free of charge. Once you get through the Fun House, we’ve got a t-shirt printing press set up where you can create a free Adult Swim Fun House t-shirt as a fun memento of the occasion. We also have two sponsors on board for this year’s tour–Hershey’s Ice Breakers and KFC–and both of them will offer free samplings at the event. We also have a photo tent set up on site that fans can take pictures in and that will post to their Facebook and Twitter accounts. All in all, we wanted to create a fun experience for college students that’ll leave an impression and help spread the awareness of the network both at the same time.

Wood-Style Flooring Flat-Screens in Every Apartment Stand-Up Tanning Booth Fully-Equipped Fitness Center Basketball & Sand Volleyball Courts Individual Leases Resort-Style Pool Game/Activity Room

Chec out o k upco ur ming SP

ECIA LS

“Luther” to 47464 for information* *standard text messaging rates apply

thedistrictonluther.com 866.973.5389 maroonweekly.com • March 19, 2014 • MAROON WEEKLY • pg 17

TEXAS BACK ROADS facebook.com/TexasBackRoads

Sipping a Glass of Red Wine at Red Caboose Winery

By Jeremy Rinard of txbkrds.com

When you think of a red caboose, it likely invokes train tracks and railroad crossings. The last thought on your mind is probably award-winning red wines, but at Red Caboose Winery, that’s just what you can expect.

Tucked away in the rolling hills of central Bosque County, Red Caboose Winery provides a very welcome surprise for travelers and oenophiles alike. With land purchased in 2001, owner and architect Gary McKibben and his son, Winemaker and Vineyard Manager Evan McKibben, originally set out to start a hobby vineyard, a plan that quickly escalated. Gary is a train enthusiast, and with his son, Gary, he started by planting vines and camping out overnight in an old Santa Fe red and yellow caboose, the winery’s namesake. Four years later, the winery was bonded and produced its first two vintages, a viognier and cabernet sauvignon.

While the list of awards the winery has won is a bit dizzying, the wines are not the only reason to visit the winery. The steel and limestone winery building is beautiful, resembling a small resort. Visitors have the option of tasting wines inside the oak barrel-lined cellar or outside on the rock patio, which provides views of the 20 acres of vines included in the winery’s 200 tree-filled acres.

And if all of that weren’t enough, possibly one of the most intriguing aspects of Red Caboose Winery is the sustainable focus. Since the inception of the winery, Gary and Evan have approached the winemaking process with a “back to the basics” mentality. They looked at the earliest principles of wine making and sought to replicate many of those techniques. They also use green and sustainable practices in producing their grapes, including a 4-year composting process of all organic waste.

Furthermore, the limestone used in the rock patio along with the rock on the building was all harvested from the property. The cellar was sunken and surrounded with dirt to naturally keep the temperature cooler. Further cooling and chilling are provided with a geothermal system. Other electrical needs are supplemented with solar panels installed on the roof, providing net-zero energy consumption. Add in the fact that the winery captures and stores almost 19,000 gallons of water to assist with irrigation and you’ll soon realize that the way they make wine is just as green as the way they grow the grapes.

Maybe all that’s nice, but you’d rather just get together with some friends and enjoy a nice glass of wine around a fire pit on a crisp Texas evening. No worries, you can do that, too.

Insider Tip: If you truly want to please your palate, you might want to attend one of the winery’s monthly Cork & Fork events from February through October. These events fall on the last Friday of the month and include dinner and wine pairings. In addition, twice a year they host Camp Cork & Fork, an opportunity to camp after the regular event. The next Camp Cork & Fork event is scheduled for Friday, March 28.

Red Caboose Winery is located at 1147 CR 1110, just 4 miles northwest of Meridian, Texas. The winery is open Fridays 12pm-5pm, Saturdays 10am-5pm, and Sundays 12pm-5pm. Tastings are $10 and include all of their award winning wines plus a complimentary wine glass. If you have any questions, you can call 254.435.9911. For additional information, check out redcaboosewinery.com.

pg 18 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 19, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

Rogen and Efron’s Neighbors is the Millenial’s Animal House

By Chris Zebo Although director Nicolas Stoller's (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek) unfinished film Neighbors isn't scheduled for release until May, that didn't stop him from bringing a rough cut to the film's premier at SXSW last week. Although it needs a few postproduction tweaks (continuity issues, developing scenes missing), the film, which stars Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, screened before a full house at Austin's Paramount Theater.

Rogen and Byrne star as Mac and Kelly Radner, a married couple with an infant daughter who move to the leafy suburbs in hopes of leading a quiet life among other middle class neighbors. Unfortunately, just as the new family is becoming ensconced in their semirural lifestyle, the house directly next to them acquires new tenants: the Delta Psi Beta fraternity. Frat president Teddy (Efron) and his protege, Pete (Dave Franco), are at first amicable, welcoming Mac and Kelly to their parties, introducing them to mushrooms, and more or less taking the couple back to their halcyon days—not very distant in the thirtysomethings' rearview mirror. However, the Radners are earnestly trying—with occasional pratfalls—to write a new chapter in their lives as they embrace adulthood and parental responsibilities. When the Beta's partying keeps the couple up past their bedtimes one night, they call the cops. The frat brothers, in retaliation, declare war.

From that point on, the film becomes one vengeful prank scene after another as the Betas and the Radners try to one-up each other with various stunts like the cast of Jackass on the set of Animal House.

On the red carpet, supporting actors Christopher Mintz-Plasse, best known for playing McLovin in the Kick-Ass movie franchise, and Franco (the younger brother of James Franco) answered questions in tandem and still apparently in character. The two actors, who play frat brothers in the film, retained their bro-status off the set and told journalists the filming of the movie was like one big party. When asked what state of mind people should have when entering theaters in May, Franco told us, “Drink heavily and go see this movie

while intoxicated.” “Or maybe go see the movie at 4pm and then go after the movie and party,” Mintz-Plasse countered.

Comedian Jerrod Carmichael, who plays another supporting frat brother in the film, makes his silver screen debut in Neighbors. He told us the transition from comedy clubs and TV series such as Comedy Bang! Bang! “was a very natural experience.” Carmichael says he grew up a prankster and still pulls the rug from under his friends to this day. “I like to pull pranks on friends a lot,” he says, laughing. “We were kind of mean though—mostly hitting each other.”

Rogen, on the other hand, known for his roles in Judd Apatow films and an early member of Apatow's “frat pack,” had to play the other side of the coin this time. When asked what it was like to portray a character not in the “frat pack” but as the pack's aging antagonist, Rogen told us, “It's very far from my real life. But I really relate to the idea of wishing [my character] could party as much as Dave Franco and Chris Mintz-Plasse do.” The 31-year-old actor is reaching a turning point in his career, with the sun setting on his ability to portray the youthful roles that made him famous in films like Superbad and Pineapple Express. “I still play an idiot in the film; but eventually you have to play someone who's slightly more mature.”

Efron has also experienced the arc of his career shifting, from his innocent days on High School Musical to shedding his adolescence completely in That Awkward Moment, where he plays a playful womanizer alongside actors Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan.

Despite his graduation from High School Musical and his new roles as raffish college-age characters in That Awkward Moment and now in Neighbors, Efron says his portrayal of Teddy is all in good spirit and fans will find him redeeming. “I think they're going to take away a lot of laughs,” he says. “I think we pay homage to some of the good qualities of fraternities, so there is something great about these guys. I think there is something character building about this film, and that's really what Teddy kind of stands for. He takes it a little too far, but he has good intentions.”

maroonweekly.com • March 19, 2014 • MAROON WEEKLY • pg 19

By Cheyenne Mueller

Mr. Peabody & Sherman Animated (PG)

Based on characters from the Peabody’s Improbable History shorts from the 1960s animated television series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Mr. Peabody & Sherman features the voices of Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Max Charles (The Neighbors), Ariel Winter (Modern Family), and Leslie Mann (This is 40).

Before any drama unfolds, Mr. Peabody (a dog) and Sherman (a boy) timetravel to the French Revolution, so the audience understands what and how their WABAC (a time machine) operates. After an encounter too close for comfort during the revolution, Sherman begins his first day of school in modern times. Because of his particular knowledge for historical events, an unintentional rivalry begins between Sherman and a fellow student, Penny Peterson.

Penny originally begins as Sherman’s antagonist, and her whole existence is stereotypical to the core: she’s a blonde bully who acts like a young Regina George. She’s a smart gal and exceedingly selfish – her jealous scene in the lunchroom is what kicks off the whole movie – but she eventually evolves into a likable character. Even though she doesn’t adhere to the rules, she encourages Sherman to step out of his comfort zone.

While Penny has some redeeming qualities, the same can’t be said for the primary antagonist, the mean-spirited social worker, Ms. Grunion. While looking more like Ms. Trunchbull from Matilda, Ms. Grunion sports a pink pencil skirt/jacket combo and an unattractive brunette bob, which has become a trend for female villains in recent years (Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter and Miss Hattie from Despicable Me). She’s absolutely hell-bent on destroying Mr. Peabody and Sherman’s family life, and although her reasons for doing so aren’t made entirely clear, there’s a few hints that suggest Ms. Grunion is a cat lady.

While journeying through the space-time continuum (ya know, battling King Tut in ancient Egypt, fencing against Robespierre during the French Revolution, and taking a casual flight on Leonardo Da Vinci’s flying machine), the film does a fairly decent job of including bonafide historical events throughout the film, with a feel-good motif about love and family.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is 92 minutes and rated PG for some mild action and brief rude humor.

pg 20 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 19, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

1. Mr. Peabody & Sherman

8. The Grand Budapest Hotel

The time-travelling adventures of an advanced canine and his adopted son, as they endeavor to fix a time rift they created. PG (92 min)

Wes Anderson chronicles the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the world wars, and Zero Moustafa, a lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.

2. 300: Rise of an Empire Greek general Themistokles leads the charge against invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.

R (102 min)

3. Need for Speed

Fresh from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross-country race with revenge on his mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins. PG-13 (132 min)

4. Non-Stop

After receiving a series of text messages demanding a transfer of $150 million into an offshore account, an air marshal must prevent a terrorist attack and clear his name. PG-13 (106 min)

5. The Single Mom’s Club The life story of Jesus is told from his humble birth through his teachings, crucifixion, and ultimate resurrection. PG-13 (138 min)

6. The Lego Movie

An ordinary LEGO, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the universe together.

PG (100 min)

7. Son of God

The life story of Jesus is told from his humble birth through his teachings, crucifixion, and ultimate resurrection. PG-13 (138 min)

9. Frozen

In a kingdom cursed to endure permanent winter, a young girl voiced by Kristen Bell teams up with a mountain man to rescue her sister and stop the curse in the latest Disney animated adventure. PG (102 min)

10. Veronica Mars

Years after walking away from her past as a teenage private eye, Veronica Mars gets pulled back to her hometown (just in time for her high school reunion) to help her old flame, Logan Echolls, who’s embroiled in a murder mystery. PG-13 (107 min)

11. The Monuments Men An unlikely World War II platoon are tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners. PG-13 (118 min)

12. 3 Days to Kill

A dying Secret Service agent trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter is offered an experimental drug that could save his life in exchange for one last assignment. PG-13 (113 min)

13. Ride Along

Fast-talking security guard Ben joins his cop brother-in-law James on a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta in order to prove himself worthy of marrying Angela, James’ sister.

PG-13 (100 min)

14. 12 Years a Slave In the antebellum United States, Solomon

Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. R (134 min)

15. RoboCop

In 2028 Detroit, when Alex Murphy - a loving husband, father and good cop - is critically injured in the line of duty, the multinational conglomerate OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, partrobot cyborg police officer. PG-13 (108 min)

16. About Last Night

Two couples journey from the bar to the bedroom, and their ties are eventually put to the test in the real world. R (100 min)

17. American Hustle

A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive British partner, Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and the mafia. R (138 min)

18. Pompeii

A slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii crumbles around him. PG-13 (98 min)

19. Gravity

A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.PG13 (91 min)

20. The Nut Job

An incorrigibly self-serving exiled squirrel finds himself helping his former park brethren raid a nut store to survive, which is also the front for a human gang’s bank robbery. PG (86 min)

maroonweekly.com • March 19, 2014 • MAROON WEEKLY • pg 21

“Understand?”

- i hope you do.

Across 1 Chocolate sources 7 “Dude! Gross!”

10 Confetti-throwing Taylor 13 Mike’s Hard Lemonade or Bacardi Breezers 14 Place for SpongeBob’s pineapple 15 Classical ___ 16 Diamond attendant 17 I piece?

18 Holstein or Guernsey 19 Shrinking sea of Asia 20 Emergency signals 23 Rose-like flower 26 Ending for theater or party 27 Atlanta sch.

28 What a hand stamp permits at a concert 31 Clean, on-screen 34 Mobster’s weapon 35 Fortune-ate folks?

37 Pre-med subj.

38 Van Susteren of TV news 40 Members ___ jacket 41 Band-wrecking first name 42 Sprint rival 43 Jazz bandleader Stan 45 Like healing crystals and biorhythms 47 Suffix for south or west 48 Hathaway of “Get Smart” 49 Formed teams of two 54 Wealthy socialite 57 “Going Back to ___” (LL Cool J single) 58 “___ y Plata” (Montana’s motto) 59 Andy Warhol portrait subject 60 German word in a U2 album title 63 RSVP part 64 “Where did ___ wrong?”

65 Hunter’s gatherer 66 Show with a Five-Timers Club, for short 67 Manual alphabet, briefly 68 Chips away at

Answers

pg 22 • MAROON WEEKLY • March 19, 2014 • maroonweekly.com

Down 1 American Red Cross founder Barton 2 Happy as ___ 3 Athens, Ohio and Athens, Georgia, for two 4 Police dispatch, for short 5 Tic-tac-toe win 6 Genre for James Bond or Austin Powers 7 Beef-grading govt. agency 8 Actor-turned-Facebook humormonger 9 Deride 10 Like some themes 11 Do a laundry job 12 Hound’s hands 13 Scheme for a quatrain 21 Like some crossword books 22 Jump online, or a hint to the long theme answers 24 1960s drug 25 They say where your plane will land 29 Fill up on 30 Modern day “carpe diem” 31 Light beam 32 “Author unknown” byline 33 Do major damage 36 Roget’s wd.

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44 Commit a mistake 46 Red blood cell deficiency 50 “___ in Harlem” 51 French stew with beef, wine and garlic 52 Arm bones 53 “Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop” singer Landon ___ 54 Whedon who created the Buffyvers 55 “Happy Days” actress Moran 56 Maynard James Keenan band 61 “The Price Is Right” prize 62 Org. for docs 2014 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

Bring It On at Rudder

By Kelly Porter Admit it; when you first heard they were making the teen romcom Bring it On into a musical, the 17-year-old you secretly squealed with joy inside. Then, when your too-cool-to-care friend rolled her eyes and said she wouldn’t be caught dead at something like that, you halfheartedly agreed and made a mental note to take down the Bring it On poster taped to the back of your bedroom door.

Now is the time to satisfy the teenager inside of you–Bring it On the musical is coming to Rudder Auditorium. Experience all of the sass, competition, and drama all over again—but this time, in a new format. For those of you clueless to the world of cheerleading and Bring It On, no worries. The storyline is loosely based on the film, with the same name and same emphasis on the competitive world of cheerleading. Both fans and non-fans alike will be able to experience the show afresh.

Performances from the show have been broadcast on TV and featured in a parade.

Furthermore, the musical production is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler. It also features an original story by Tony Award winner Jeff Whitty and has music and lyrics by multiple award-winning writers.

The musical extravaganza will be showing on Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21 at 7:30pm. You can purchase tickets online, at the MSC Box Office on the first floor of Rudder Tower in the lobby (hours are Monday-Friday 10am-7pm), by phone at (979) 845-1234, and at the door.

the scoop WHAT: BRING IT ON WHERE: RUDDER AUDITORIUM WHEN: MARCH 20-21 | 7:30PM maroonweekly.com • March 19, 2014 • MAROON WEEKLY • pg 23