Pop Culture Journalism Class Blog

By Zohra Alnoor

Bernard-Paul Heroux once said, “There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.”

So, over Spring Break, I decided it was a good time for tea.

On Tuesday, March 13, a friend of mine and I walked into Tudor Place. It was a bright, sunny afternoon, and I was ready for a Victorian-style tea party.

After watching numerous films with their own versions of tea parties, I knew I had to attend one soon. Although I could create my own version of a tea party at home, there’s something wonderful and relaxing about being waited and served on. There’s no thinking involved on your part. That’s what I wanted.

Tudor Place charged $25 for every non-member attending and $20 for every member. To be a member, you’d have to pay $45 and you gain access to exclusive events as well as regular events, but with a discounted price. I decided to just pay for the non-member price and see how I liked this event to begin with. What I saw and experienced when was even better than I has imagined.

The Georgetown mansion had tables laden with silver, three-tired platters filled with tea-party foods from scones to strawberries.

“When they placed the food on our table, I kept thinking, ‘That’s nothing. I’m gonna finish that in a second,’ said my good friend, Shabnum Hussain, 23, an Art student at The Art Institute in Sterling, Va. “But by the end of the event, I was so full and still had food left over. It was more like a hearty meal than finger foods.”

First, two of the manor’s staff members came around the tables with two intricately-designed silver teapots bearing two types of tea, Wild Berry and English Breakfast. They continued to stop by each table with more tea every few minutes.

“The service was great and the staff was kind,” said Hussain.

Towards the end of the tea, many women sat at their tables with empty cups and plates, and shared laughs and conversation with ladies whom they knew and ones that they had just met.

“My girlfriends and I do many teas. This is the first one that we’ve come to like this,” said Susan (who for inexplicable reasons decided not to give me her last name), from Sterling, Va. She came to the event with a large group of her female  friends.

There were no men at this event. What a shame. They missed out on some delicious food. Their loss; more food for the women.

Some women came from afar, like Cathy Jones from Toms River, N.J. who was in town on business and met up with a friend for the tea.

“The event was fantastic, I’m definitely dragging [my friend] back here the next time she’s in town,” said Andrea Zizack, a 2007 George Mason graduate, who is now a Trade Specialist at the United States Department of Agriculture.

Her friend, Jones promptly replied, “You can’t exactly call it ‘dragging’ if I would want to come.”

After the tea party, the guests, which included women from their teens to their 80s, were given a full tour of Tudor Place. On the tour, we were given an insight of the life of everyone in the home throughout the centuries from the many different owners, to the butlers and slaves. A tour guide led the group through the many rooms in the manor from the drawing room and dining room, to the kitchens and the bed rooms, giving the group a background of household items that are rare in today’s homes, to quick bios of the people in the many paintings that lined the walls.

Overall, it was a wonderful way for one to spend a beautiful, sunny day.
“This was definitely something that everyone should try out,” said Hussain. “I experienced a part of D.C. that I never even knew existed.”

By: Tabby Hardman

It’s 3:30 a.m. and I was writing a dreadful English paper in the pits of darkness with nothing but a faulty lamp illuminating my corner of the room.

The television flickered to the next program and funky music started to play, I look up and realized “Dance Mom’s Miami” is on.

I pushed aside my laptop and told my roommate, “Oh my God, I have to watch this.”

I was so excited. I was expecting it to be amazing. The commercials made it look so much better than the original Pittsburgh Dance Moms.

But, it wasn’t. Abby Lee Miller still rules.

Last Tuesday, “Dance Mom’s Miami” premiered at 9 p.m. on “Lifetime” and was nothing but a satirical version of the original “Dance Mom’s” run by the mom-hating choreographer, Abby Lee Miller.

As a self-proclaimed “Dance Mom’s” fanatic, I was expecting a slightly more emotional and glittery version of the original, but nevertheless not too dissimilar.  I was mistaken.

The point of the show is to highlight women living vicariously through their marginal children who have yet to experience the trials and tribulations of puberty which, with time, becomes a game of survival of the fittest and less about ‘my mommy said’—but the show couldn’t have been further from that.

The focus of this week’s episode was around, Victor Smalley, one of the two coaches and part-owner of the Miami, Fla. based dance studio, Stars.

Smalley paraded around the show like a precocious drama king playing to the camera after falling ill with a stomach virus and talking to the parents as though they were children without a brain.

Not to mention his side-kick co-owner, Angel Armas, who proclaimed to the parents their children wouldn’t make the “List” (order of best dancer to worst dancer of the week — kinda like Abby Lee’s pyramid — do dance school’s across the country really rank girls every week?) if they didn’t step up their dance mom obligations.

Unlike the original, there was little interest in the actual dance part and more on the  drama and tears, with parents declaring infamous phrases like “I’m done, I’m done.”  It made for nothing but a comical, verbal duel between the parents and coaches with little movement in between, pun intended.

By: Rebecca Offenkrantz

Having grown up in Florida, I love walking barefoot. However, for children in Argentina and other poverty-stricken countries, walking barefoot isn’t a choice — they do it because they don’t own shoes.

That’s where TOMS comes in.

Founded by Blake Mycoskie, in 2006, TOMS is a purpose-driven, one-for-one company. With every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS will supply a child in need with a brand new pair. With rubber soles, and canvas wrapping, their shoes range in pricing from $44 – $98. Options include regular shoes, wedges, boots, and can be made with burlap, crochet and even vegan options.

TOMS’ 5th annual ‘One Day Without Shoes’ campaign was last Monday, on April 10, 2012. The goal is to “challenge people worldwide to go a day without shoes in order to raise awareness for the millions of children who go without shoes every day.”

George Mason University has a newly formed TOMS club — and to celebrate and raise awareness, they held a Barefoot Dance Party.

“It’s a Monday night, so it’s tough,” said Kate McLamb, Vice President of the GMU TOMS Club.”We’re just hoping that at least people stop by.”

It’s a cause McLamb believes in — the Global Affairs Major bought her first pair of TOMS six years ago, when she was 16.

In the JC Bistro, party-music played and tee shirts were handed out in exchange for donations, food.

Elizabeth Anderson, a Civil Engineering sophomore, is head of Creative Marketing for the club. She created the above flyer to raise awareness for the cause.

“Instead of just going barefoot tomorrow,” she said. “Come out tonight.”

She was planning to start her own TOMS club when she learned there was already one on campus. So, she joined and the 19-year-old was put on the executive board of the club.

“It’s a really good way to not only give back to our community, but others communities, as well,” she said.

Students started pouring in right about the time that the 7:20 classes were letting out. Three girls all walked in together, barefoot. It hadn’t even occurred to me that people would arrive barefoot. I assumed students would wear shoes and then take them off. These girls meant business. All sophomores, in either Music or History, had heard about this event from their friend, Livvie Burnett, who happens to be the President of the GMU TOMS club.

One student who came was 19-year-old Jackie Querry, who owns six pairs of TOMS.

“They’re really comfortable,” she said. She told her family members that TOMS are what she wants for all gift-giving occasions.

Music major Hannah Donohue, 20, doesn’t own a pair of TOMS — yet. She says she’s saving up because she “wants to be able to buy a few pairs, not just one.”

At the Barefoot Dance Party, the GMU TOMS club was raffling a $25 gift card to a local boutique, a signed copy of “Start Something That Matters“ written by Blake Mycoskie, and a “Start Something That Matters” tote bag.

Unfortunately, I did not win. I did, however, donate to the cause and picked myself up a pretty blue tee shirt.

I also put a pair of TOMS on my birthday wish list.

BY: Ryan Weisser

All anyone talks about these days is “The Hunger Games” since the movie hit the silver screen on March 23.

Of course, the novel came out years ago (2008, in case you were wondering), and of course there wasn’t much hype about the books until there was talk about the movie. This has been the case for many books-turned-movies before, even Harry Potter. Which reminds me…

I haven’t really enjoyed a book-based film this much since Harry Potter. And by enjoy, I mean love. I loved Harry Potter, and I love the Hunger Games.

Gary Ross took the film in a direction that many directors seem to have forgotten works: He followed the plot line of the novel. There’s a reason the books are best-seller’s, and Ross managed to leave the basic storyline intact. I’m sure having Suzanne Collins, the author of “The Hunger Games” trilogy, assist in writing the screenplay didn’t hurt either.

For those of you who haven’t caught the “Hunger Games” bug and have no idea why it’s such a big deal, let me explain to you the premise of the story. The actual Hunger Games event is an event held every year by the Capitol — the government of the country, Panem, that dictates over 12 districts — where a boy and girl from each district is chosen from a lottery to play in the Games. As a constant reminder of how the Capitol is in control of all the districts, they take these children and place them in an arena to fight to the death and only one child will survive and win. What makes it even sicker, is that the whole event is broadcast on National TV.

Katniss Everdeen, a hunter known for her skill with a bow, and Peeta Mellark, the bakery boy who’s skill is strength, are chosen from District 12, a poor and starving district built around mining. “The Hunger Games” explains the journey Katniss and Peeta take through Katniss’s perceptive, sarcastic, guarded perspective.

The film, while it lacked gore and blood (something that is definitely applaud-worthy for a PG-13 rating, nowadays), was still shockingly violent.

The idea of 12 to 18 year-olds bludgeoning each other until there is a sole survivor, made me want to vomit the cherry Slurpee I downed during the 20-minute previews; not because of the actual actions I was witnessing, but the mere concept of children killing each other on a reality TV-show is horrifying. There was no blood spraying about or intestines spilling to the ground, yet I was more disturbed watching “The Hunger Games” than “Saw III.”

It was perfect.

Many films try to be as graphic and gore-y as they possibly can, forgetting that we, the audience, do not need to have every single bit of action spelled out for us. The fact that the audience could use their imagination to create the blood-bath in their minds, rather than just seeing it on the screen, made the violent scenes have much more impact.

And while everything else about the movie, down to the flaming and sparkling costumes of main characters, Katniss and Peeta, was practically perfect, there are always a few things a nit-picky viewer who-already-read-the-book must critique about a film.

First of all, the movie didn’t take nearly enough time to develop the characters the way Collins did in the book. But, that probably could have added another hour to an already long movie.

Second, I really hated the “romantic scene” where Peeta smeared medicine (and blood) all over Katniss’s forehead. He gazed longingly into her eyes, and then went for it. They kissed and I  cringed. Just how much more awkward and syrupy sweet could it get?

The mockingjay pin is also upsetting. In the novel, Katniss receives the valuable, gold pin from Madge, the mayor of District 12’s daughter, who also plays a role in the second novel. However, in the movie, she just picks it up when she’s at the market like it’s no big deal. This seems like a small change, but for those who have read the second novel, it wasn’t something that should have been messed with.

Other than those few unfortunate moments that, in retrospect, were really only five or ten minutes of the 150-minute movie —  it was great. And while slight dialogue changes, and minor tweaks (like the above mentioned moments) may have made some loyal readers grumbly, they were just meant to speed up the movie.

While I love when movies are exactly like the books, I must get a hold of reality and realize that they have time constraints. Not every movie can be four hours and 34 minutes like  “Gone With the Wind” (which still left out some of the 1,027-page book’s plot). I can accept that.

But I can always hope that the next film of “The Hunger Games” trilogy — which I’m beyond excited for — can fulfill my expectations and hunger for more.

Photo credits: http://stateofmind13.com/tag/the-hunger-games/

BY: RYAN WEISSER

Never before has there been a completely student-run, late-night news broadcast at Mason.

That is, until Late Night Patriot hit the scene.

Jake McLernon, also known as Jolly J for his brand Jolly J. Photography, is the creator of the brand-new show.

McLernon got his inspirations from Steve Buttry, a former reporter and editor who is now the director of Community Engagement & Social Media for Journal Register Co, when he presented to the online journalism course McLernon was taking.

“Buttry telling us that if you have an idea, you’ve got to work with it, just motivated me to start something new,” said McLernon, a senior majoring in communication from Herndon, Va.

And McLernon hopes that Late Night Patriot will stand out from all the other student media.

“I hope it’ll become the best part of student media,” explains McLernon. “Since we have nothing else like it, I see it being something that’s worth it for a college campus.”

But, he adds — he couldn’t have done it without his team of anchors, which consists of three other Communication students: Jeremy Eley, Karina Schultheis and Brit Wright.

Schultheis and Wright both report on Mason news for each week and Eley delivers the Weekly Rundown, a list of events and goings-on at Mason.

Late Night Patriot broadcasts every Monday night at 10 p.m., and you can check out their previous shows on Facebook as well as Connect2Mason.

By Rachel Newdorf

Nickelodeon’s “Double Dare,” or even NBC’s “Fear Factor” is nothing compared to the new interactive exhibit now on display at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. You might not be made to eat worms, or hit your Mom in the face with a pie, but you will experience art in a new way.

“Supersensorial: Experiments in Light, Color and Space” explores what most people don’t consider art: their senses and their perception.

Five artists are showcased in this spectacular show making people look at art with more than just their eyes.

One of those interactive pieces is “Cosmococa-Program in Progress, CC1 Trashiscapes” by Helio Oitcia and Neville D’Almeida. As you walk behind a nylon, stringed curtain into a small room with beds lying on the floor, Jimmy Hendrix-type music plays as orange and yellow pictures of a newspaper and a man’s face are projected onto the far end of the room and on the ceiling (you are encouraged to lie down on the beds to get the full experience). You can’t help but feel as though you’ve been transported in time to the 1960s. Awash with these visual and auditory queues, the piece makes you forget the outside world, and delve into a new, unfamiliar experience.

The next piece takes you to an enormous structure holding hundreds of blue nylon strings. Artist Jesús Rafael Soto encourages visitors to walk through the piece, something unfamiliar in a museum setting — where they usually don’t let you touch things. As you walk through the strings you feel as though you are swimming. In terms of color, light and space, it isn’t as visually stimulating as the rest of the exhibit.

“I felt like a car going through a car wash when I walked through it,” said Dorothy Bonica, a 20-year-old sophomore majoring in art and visual technology at GMU. “I felt like it put everyone on the same level of understanding.”

It does make the viewer rethink the space they interact with, but it feels more like the exhibit was looking for an attraction to the masses, rather than to comment seriously on art that moves beyond paint on a canvas.

The  most memorable, thought-provoking piece makes the viewer look up onto the third floor of the museum at Lucio Fontana’s “Neon Structure for the IX Triennial of Milan.”  The massive neon light structure floats above your head and illuminates the floors below. It looks flat at first glance, but it’s three-dimensional when you actually take a closer look. A real visual puzzle, this piece is essentially two pieces in one and incorporates perception and light to make the viewer take a another look at what they are actually looking at.

This entire exhibit is about exploring the world through your senses. Whether you find it to be art or not, it does make you think differently than you have before.

To find out more about “Supersensorial: Experiments in Light, Color and Space” and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, go to the museums website at http://hirshhorn.si.edu/

By: Anthony Jamison

2012 is the year of the gadgets: iPad HD, Sony’s Google TV, and Sprinkles’ cupcake ATM machine?

Yes, you read that correctly, a cupcake ATM machine.

A friend of mine literally jumped up and down when I told her about it. Sources at the Georgetown Sprinkles say there might be round-the-clock cupcake vending in the  D.C.-area this summer.

“Does it take cards only? Is there a convenience fee?” asked Ben Hagos, 22-year-old, mass communcation major, and senior at George Mason, while laughing. “Damn now I have a reason  to go to Georgetown. Awesome!”

In Beverly Hills, cupcake addicts can get their sugar fix 24-hours a day via a vending machine outside the flagship store.

“Really, people want cupcakes that seriously?” asked Chris Johnson, a 31-year-old, 2005 alumi of George Mason, and editorial assistant at the National Association of Counties.

Yes. There is always a line at Georgetown Cupcake — and cupcake shops are popping up all over the District.

“Is it like the crane game — with the claw —  because I want to play,” stated Ricky Lowy, 24, a George Mason senior majoring in mass communication.

The way the cupcake machine works is about 600 cupcakes will be baked daily, and boxed individually. It’s touch screen (like everything now these days) and you can flip through it to choose a cupcake . And voila — it appears.

So all of you cupcake fanatics, stay tuned this summer because you will be in for a real treat!

At some point, everyone’s been bullied. Even Emmy-award winning director Lee Hirsch was bullied as a child– and he wants to show that people have a choice to be a bully or not. His new film illustrates that you can be the person watching the bully, or the person stopping it. Hirsch followed five children and their families during the 2009-2010 school year as they dealt with bullying and its aftermath.

The “Bully” project has already won more than 26 awards, including the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, and the 2011 Screen Singapore.

This movie is really sad, but it’s really good. It’s thought provoking. I had always thought that once a child went home from school, the bullying stopped. But, when a parent asks their child about their day and keeps asking questions about the bullying going on at school– it’s a constant reminder for the kid. They can’t escape it. I’m sure the parents aren’t trying to be mean, they just don’t realize that they’re tormenting their children. And, that’s a different form of bullying.

Of the bullied kids in the film, one lands in jail, and two kill themselves.

Alex, 12, is currently living in Sioux City, Iowa. He is an adorable 7th grader with glasses, who is often called “Fish Face” because he has prominent lips. Alex is constantly bullied, but downplays it — when his parents find out that other children hit him, he tells his parents “they are only messing with me.” Clips show Alex’s head getting slammed into the back of the seat in front of him on the bus, and getting punched in the street walking home.

Once an all-star basketball and softball player, Kelby, currently living in Tuttle, Okla, was banned from both teams, after coming out as a lesbian. Her parents and a few friends supported her, but many did not. Kelby’s parents offered numerous times to move their family out of Tuttle, but she insisted they stay. Her goal is to change the minds of many of Tuttle’s citizens, who are primarily conservative. Good thing Kelby, 16, has a commited girlfriend and an understanding family to be her support system, because the children and parents in her town are rough. At one part during the documentary, a van full of boys that attend her high school try to run her over!

Ja’Meya, 14, is currently serving time in a juvenile detention center in Yazoo County, Miss. Every day she had an hour long bus ride in the mornings and afternoons. Fed up with all the bullying that occurred during those two hours, Ja’Meya stole her mother’s handgun. On September 1st, not even a week into the new school year, Ja’Meya brought the handgun, loaded, onto her bus. Her intent was to scare her tormentors, which she did, but she was arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including 22 counts of kidnapping and aggravated assault. Her mother completely stands behind her and is truly her support system.

In May of 2010, Kirk and Laura Smalley’s son, Ty, committed suicide at just 11-years-old. Footage of Ty’s childhood in Oklahoma had many in tears. The Smalley’s started an anti-bullying organization called Stand for the Silent. It’s purpose is to prevent any further lives lost, as a result of bullying. In the less than two years that SFTS has been around, they have already met with President Obama and Lady Gaga.

Tyler, of Murray County, Ga, also committed suicide by hanging, when he was only 17-years-old. A group of his own peers, the next day at school, showed up with ropes around their necks in mocking. David and Tina Long are demanding accountability from their school system, in the form of a lawsuit against the county for $1.7 million in damages. They feel the school is mostly to blame for Tyler’s suicide, not his mental disabilities.

As a child, I was taught to love one another and treat everyone with the same kindness and respect you would want to be treated with. More parents, and teachers, and school administrators, and neighbors–the list could go on–need to stand up for children everywhere.

Originally, the MPAA gave this movie an “R” rating because of the use of many usages of the f-word. However, as of April 5, 2012, with the backing of many celebrities, such as Ellen DeGeneres and Justin Beiber, the “bully” project is now PG-13. All ages can now watch this documentary. No excuses. Go watch the “bully” project; my words can only tell you so much about these children’s lives.

Visit the website for more information because, “It’s time to take a stand.”

By Karina Schultheis

On Monday, Feb. 30, dozens of people waited outside in the halls of George Mason‘s Harris Theatre. The scene comprised of a truly eclectic mix of individuals. Students, sporting Mason hoodies and jeans, talked animatedly with each other while laughing intermittently. Well-dressed young adults looking as if they just came from the office spoke softly to one another – clearly taking advantage of the free event.  Others wore gowns and suits, holding bouquets of red roses, looking as nervous as if  they were about to perform on stage –  instead of whoever they had brought the flowers for.

Mason’s School of Music holds their “Faculty Artist Series” in February showcasing the talent of its world-renowned teachers. Tonight Dr. Anna Balakerskaia, a Russian pianist who moved to the United States more than 20 years ago, will be performing five acclaimed Russian songs alongside eight other musicians. The theme of the recital is “Anna and Friends: A Night of Russian Music.”

Balakerskaia is no stranger to the stage. She has performed in dozens of recitals and competitions, and her concert tours have taken her from Belgium to Argentina (AND eight other countries). She has played everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center.

“I have had my opportunity to alter the world,” she said. ” Now I get to help my students change it.”

She is most proud of her performances in Moscow, where she played in the International Tchaikovsky Competitions and was thrice awarded the Best Accompaniment Diploma on three separate occasions.

“The talent we have in our rooms is exceptional,” Balakerskaia said, referring to the students she teaches within the School of Music.

“Anna and Friends” is not just about Anna, although her pianist abilities would easily console an impatient crowd. She was joined by three violinists (two of which were Mason students), a viola player, a cello player, a clarinet player, another pianist, and a bassoon player — fellow Doctorate of Music Arnold Irachi.

The recital spanned from 8 p.m. until nearly 11 and included the world premiere of “Mikhnovsky,” which Balaerskaia composed.

After the lengthy performance, students hugged and dispersed. Those in work attire made their way to the exits. The best-dressed individuals, still holding their bouquets, waited once more outside the hall. But this time, they looked neither impatient nor nervous. They were smiling, waiting to congratulate their special someones.

By: Donovan Taylor Hall

Thanks to Twitter, America has a new outlet to showcase it’s blatant ignorance.

“Hunger Games” hit the theaters on March 23, and broke box office records by bringing in a ridiculous $155 million. However, there were some people that found a major flaw in the production.

Obviously, it was that three of the main characters were played by African Americans. How dare they accurately adapt a book?!

Oh, wait! It’s 2012! There shouldn’t be this kind of racism. Sadly, Twitter showed a very different story.

After the opening weekend, Twitter was flooded with tweets similar to those above.

From statements claiming the movie was ruined, to just flat out calling the actors niggers, Twitter reeked of racism. The funny thing is, some of these people thought they could protect themselves by starting the sentence off with “I’m not racist, but….”

If you have to start a sentence with that, it’s probably time for you to go home and take a hard look at yourself. While you’re at it, why don’t you do us all a giant favor and punch yourself in the mouth.

Within hours of the tweets being posted on the web, the users, whose names appear above their tweets, were bombarded with hate messages. It was so bad that most of these users closed their accounts that same day.

The outrage also spread to our good old Patriots. Anna Koch, 21, is a marketing major from Virginia Beach. Koch is giant fan of the books, so when she saw the tweets she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“The first thing I thought were these people are F****** retarded…..I guess I should say the politically correct term, mentally challenged…they are idiots,” Koch said.

The comments directed at one of the youngest cast members, Amandla Stenberg, who played Rue, were some of the harshest.

How could you hate on that face?

“One guy even said that Rue’s death wasn’t as sad because she was black? Is that a joke? Who are you? Hitler??” Koch said.

Not everyone agrees with bringing attention to these tweets. But with such major offenses made, it’s difficult to ignore it.

Senior Dane Stewart, 22, decided to ignore the racist tweets.

“I don’t see the point in talking about it. They are idiots, and we are only giving them more attention,” said the neuroscience major.

Regardless of how people reacted, one thing is clear. People need to start thinking before they post tweets for everyone to see. Especially if the tweets are incredibly racist.

It’s a shame their accounts got closed down. I would have loved to pitch my idea for a new “Hunger Games:” Put them in an arena with me and let me show them what a real black person can do.

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