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Living
The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net
February 4, 2010
Dancing the decades away
Living
February 4, 2010
E N TE R T A I N WATCH ... “THE CARTER” Lil Wayne. The name has become synonymous with revolutionary rap and shameless shirtlessness. Sadly, “The Carter,” a documentary about the rapper, doesn’t do much in the line of breaking any preconceived notions that you may have about Weezy; one of the first scenes shows Dwayne Michael Carter rummaging through a suitcase filled with everything from a wad of hundreddollar bills to a Vitamin Water bottle containing his infamous cough syrup. Though this film has no distinct message, it paints Lil’ Wayne as somewhat of a troubled
Reilly Hourigan | THE BEACON
Sophomore Kyle Cochran fuses the buckskin and breeches of Native Americans with just one of the dance moves of contemporary US culture.
Sporting all kinds of combinations of horn-rimmed glasses, zebra stripes and gold lamé, UP students catch a breather in one of the less densely-populated parts of the Crystal Ballroom last Saturday night.
Reilly Hourigan | THE BEACON
genius. Actually, the entire movie seems to be centered around the artist’s addiction to the medicated liquid and the effect that it has had on his relationships. When it comes to his often prodigious music, he writes nothing down. “I just record, man. Whatever, whenever, wherever. It doesn’t matter,” he said. The rapper carries his recording gear everywhere, thinks up lyrics and records in front of plasma screens streaming an endless array of ESPN highlight reels. The film briefly examines the day-to-day life of the highly publicized rap star, who flashes a smile bedecked with diamonds as he goes to interviews and records in hotel rooms and tour busses, but throws in a few interesting people who have insight into who Lil Wayne truly is. Perhaps the most surprising feature of this documentary is the special attention paid to the reactions of his young daughter to her father’s career and Weezy’s seemingly boundless need to continue to make music. “What’s life without pressure?” he asked an interviewer. “The Carter” examines this very pressure, the struggles and the tensions that Lil Wayne has to deal with and, to a certain degree, has bred. Courtesy of arielpayopay.com Die-hard Weezy fan
The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net
ME
or not, this film is short enough that you won’t swear off his music after you watch it but gives viewers eye-opening insight into his life. Watch it if you have ninety minutes to spare and let’s all hope that Lil Wayne doesn’t sell out and star in a big-budget movie about himself anytime soon. – Olga Mosiychuk LISTEN TO ... NATHAN BOTSFORD. For an artist who claims his music is a mix between Fergie and Jesus, Nathan Botsford sure knows how to make me weep. Why Fergie and Jesus? For MySpace tells me so. His music has a mix of pop and soft rock, hints of John Mayer, Matt Nathanson and Mat Kearny, and a sprinkle of faith. Hence, Fergie and Jesus. Botsford, 23, writes and sings about matters of the heart. His debut album “Pearl” is heavy with emotional twists, fit for times when I’d like to peek out from under a comfortable blanket. Songs “Pearl” and “Olivia” are hauntingly sad and patched with loss. With lyrics like, “When the doctors called up with the news, said they gotta get rid of you, little Pearl/You were a blessing and you were a curse/ You caused me worry and you caused her hurt, oh, little Pearl,” I had to wonder if “Pearl” was a chapter from his life. “Olivia” carries similar weight in its story of a tragic loss. In both songs, his soulful voice accompanies the simple strum of an acoustic guitar with
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The Beacon’s one-stop guide to music, film, dining and culture.
the brief beat of a drum. Other songs like “Final Goodbye” and “Miss You” are lighter in tone, but both tell a story of a lost love. If Botsford writes from personal experiences, I’d like to give him a hug. I commend him for writing without whining. These songs are sad, but sincere; heartbreaking, but hopeful. Botsford can hardly be labeled local if these songs speak to every person who has experienced lost love. Visit www.myspace. com/nathanbotsford for sample clips and upcoming shows. – Gao Na Yang WATCH ... “THIS IS IT.” “This is It,” the documentary of Michael Jackson’s planned world tour, was recently released on DVD, bringing the magic of Jackson to home TVs. Complete with his glorious dance moves and unmistakable style (yes, there were gold sequined pants), “This Is It” provides all access to the details about Jackson’s last mission as an entertainer. The documentary covered the making what would have been the most epic tour of all time. The film focused mostly on the dress rehearsals, which left the viewers with enough Jackson to last for quite a while. As the camera captured his unofficial performances, Jackson covered every-
Courtesy of wdxx.com
thing from his memorable (and natural looking) Jackson 5 era to such classics as “Bille Jean” and the iconic “Beat It.” A mostly solid movie, “This Is It” is clearly geared towards those who would have auctioned their very souls for tickets to what would have been a sold-out tour had Jackson lived to perform it. Slightly sentimental at the end, viewers are reminded of the passion that Jackson had as the last scene shows him dancing solo on the spotlight stage. Don’t watch it if you are looking for details or answers about Jackson’s constantly dramatic life. Take it for the music, and the glimpse of what would have been a show to dominate all other productions. – Laura Frazier
Drama students prepare for prestigious festival Roya Ghorbani-Elizeh Staff Writer ghorbani11@up.edu
Erica Ellingsen | THE BEACON
Dance guest Trenell Anthony Croskey does Shooter McGavin proud and makes our photographer swoon.
Erica Ellingsen | THE BEACON
Students get way down in one of the sweatier portions of the dance floor, a few of them even waving their hands in the air like they just don’t care.
The biggest little city in the world is about to have some drama. The UP theatre department is sending roughly 40 students and faculty to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Reno, Nev. On Jan. 29, the actors in the Irene Ryan Audition/Acting Competition performed their scenes in a showcase, which allowed for the students to see each other’s work and to be critiqued by faculty. Their work will then be shown from Feb. 15-19 as the 26 UP students will compete in the Irene Ryan competition in Reno. Along with the actors in the acting competition, the cast of “Servant of Two Masters” by Carlo Goldoni will be going to Reno. “Servant of Two Masters,” which was performed last semester and directed by graduate student Michael O’Neill, was one of four plays to be chosen to per-
form at ACTF. “From what I hear, 450 shows compete for those spots,” O’Neill said. “It’s such a great honor to go and it’s such a huge honor for the school.” Thirteen cast members will travel to Reno to perform two shows of “Servant of Two Masters.” Some members of the cast of the commedia-style show will also compete in the Irene Ryan competition. “It’s a lot of pressure, but I hope I gave them the impression that they could do no wrong,” O’Neill said. “They can do this show in their sleep.” The last UP show that was invited to perform at ACTF was the 2006 production of “Getting Out,” by Marsha Norman. The showcase allowed for students to perform their two scenes and one monologue for their peers as well as an audience of faculty, friends and family. “They always surprise me,” Mindi Logan, acting professor, said about the performances last Friday. “They are just so good.” While Logan noted the times
of each scene, the actors found the showcase to be a good dress rehearsal before the competition. “It was important for us to perform our scenes in front of an audience,” junior nominee Sammi Boyd said. “We were looking to see that the reactions from the audience were the ones we were looking for.” Audience members also enjoyed the showcase because of the array of different scenes and monologues that were performed. “It was very entertaining, I really like the diversity of all the scenes,” junior Dannica Hutton said. “They were all wellrehearsed and the partners did a great job with one another.” Thirteen UP students were nominated from their performances in the past year to participate in the Irene Ryan competition. The nominated students each choose a partner to compete with them throughout the five-day festival. “They like to call it a scholarship audition,” Logan said. “But it’s really an acting competition.” ACTF focuses on theatre education and also aims to bring the-
atre students from many universities together to compete and learn from various workshops that are taught during the festival. “Colleges from the region get together to show their work and
stay in touch with things in theatre,” junior nominee Danielle Larson said. “They have workshops, competitions in every area, and they bring in shows so you can see actual productions people are in.” UP will be competing with other schools in the Region VII division, which has various theatre departments from Alaska, Northern California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington and
Wyoming. There are eight regions in the country. The competition consists of three rounds during the five-day festival. The 32 winners of the first round go onto perform in the second round, which requires two scenes to be performed in less than five minutes. The nominees are then cut down to 16 for the third round, which allows six minutes for two scenes and the nominee’s monologue. It is after the final performance that the judges pick the two nominees who will advance to the national competition. Last year, junior Philip Orazio and partner Larson advanced past the final round to compete in Washington, D.C. “The way we feel about it, if you make it to the final, you’ve won,” Larson said. “It’s such an honor to perform in the final round.” The theatre department is now looking to make another splash during ACTF this year. With over 40 students and faculty, the UP theatre presence will be felt in Reno.
for a director to take, and Sandell took this opportunity to create a both exciting and engaging stage presence for her actors. Even though opera is generally viewed as an art form for older enthusiasts, the Portland Opera is making a conscious effort to include a wider variety of people in their audience. “I think people who don’t have experience with opera think it’s snooty and something they should like,” Hamilton said. The final dress rehearsal for
production is typically called the “student dress rehearsal” because the entire balcony is sold to students, Kindergarten to collegelevel. Educators with groups of 10 or more students get priority, but any student can be added to the list. Tickets are $12 for students and $15 for educators. The seating is limited for dress rehearsals because the floor needs to be kept empty in order to keep the “rehearsal” feel for the actors. “It is the most responsive as
far as applauding and reacting to things,” Hamilton said. Having an audience present during the final dress rehearsal allows the actors to account for when there will be audience laughter. Both Hamilton and Hammontree explain that the student dress rehearsal is many of the performers’ and crew’s favorite night because of the bigger, less stunted reactions from the students. “Particularly with younger kids, it’s really fascinating to see
how people who are new to the art form react,” Hamilton said. “They don’t have to swallow the pill that in opera land, everyone sings.” “Cosi Fan Tutte” is playing at the Keller Auditorium Feb. 5, 11 and 13 beginning at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee showing on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. Individual students are encouraged to come to the regular shows an hour early and buy student rush tickets, which are $10 for all unsold seats in the house.
“(ACTF is) a lot of pressure, but I hope I gave them the impression they could do no wrong.”
Michael O’Neill director, “Servant of Two Masters”
COSI: From cheery to poignant to beautiful, all within seconds
Continued from page 6
Erica Ellingsen | THE BEACON
Dance of the Decades’ disc jockey maintains his relentless job of keeping of well over 1,000 college students busy for four straight hours.
Reilly Hourigan | THE BEACON
The Pilot crowd on Saturday night channeling the spirit of “Twist and Shout.”
brilliant. The set, originally used for a production of “Cosi Fan Tutte” in Santa Fe, N.M., was easily manipulated with lighting to turn from bright and cheery, to somber and poignant, to romantically beautiful, all within seconds. The key to the Portland Opera’s production’s beauty on stage was its symmetry in the placement of its actors. A play with two couples gives interesting options