Slumdog Steals the Spotlight

Beginning with Hugh Jackman, who was the host for the night, singing a comical opening number, the stage was set for a successful 81st annual Academy Awards. While many movies, directors, actors, and producers were honored with nominations, Slumdog Millionaire stole the spotlight by winning eight Oscars, including Best Picture. Despite this award being the last to be announced, the Slumdog cast and crew seemed to be the focus of the entire night.
Shot in Mumbai, India, Slumdog Millionaire used children who have lived in the slums their whole lives as the stars of the movie and they were all in attendance at the Kodak Theatre for the Oscars. Probably the first time these kids have ever left Mumbai and the first time many of them have ever been on an airplane, they were well received by Hollywood society. The awe in these children’s faces seemed to be inspiring to everyone watching and gave a remarkable sense of innocence to the show. Slumdog’s run began with the third award of the night, which was Best Adapted Screenplay (adapted from Q & A by Vikas Swarup), and continued right on through the end of the night when they upstaged the host (and sexiest man alive) by rushing the stage after winning Best Picture.
Along with Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was also a big winner on the night with three Oscars. While this would normally be a huge honor, Button enthusiasts were inevitably disappointed since the movie was nominated for 13. Other movies to win included Dark Knight, Milk, and The Duchess. None of these movies however, could compete with Slumdog Millionaire and its winning of a third of all the awards given and winning eight of the nine awards possible.
Because of the film’s origins, in the slums of Mumbai, it was hard not to feel excited for the cast and crew of the movie. The final award of Best Picture seemed very fitting as a cap on the night and it was great that the kids from Mumbai got to be in the spotlight for all to see. As the camera kept cutting to Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Ayush Mahesh Khedekar and their huge grins, everyone watching could feel their excitement and it became contagious. The excitement of the young children reached more than just the Kodak Theatre, for when it was announced, several viewers squealed and clapped their hands in the Hicks Center and Kalamazoo College and this was likely the response of millions of viewers worldwide.
The 81st annual Academy Awards were a huge success and it would be a shame if the viewership did not reach at least its 2007 levels of 40 million people. While they were extremely well choreographed, reasonably well written, and immaculately designed, the awards owe most of their success to the success of Slumdog Millionaire and the vast support that the movie has found in America.

LAST COMIC STANDING LIVE TOUR LIGHTS UP MILLER WITH LAUGHS

Last Comic Standing’s goal of finding the funniest comic on the planet seems to be complete. With no plans for a 7th season of the show, the live tour that performed at Western Michigan University’s Miller Auditorium on Saturday will likely be the very last live show ever. Featuring the top five finishers of Season 6, the Last Comic Standing Live Tour was a great way to spend a Saturday evening.
Since the first season, Last Comic Standing has put countless comedians on the fast track to fame with their country-wide search for the funniest comedian on the planet. Comedians from more than 20 different countries have tried out for the show, legitimizing the “on the planet” part of their mission statement. LCS has been the springboard for many popular comedians since their first season in 2003, examples include Dat Phan and Ralphie May (season 1), Alonzo Bodden (season 3), Josh Blue and Gabriel Iglesias (season 4), John Reep, Lavell Crawford and Amy Schumer (season 5), and this season’s winner, the only female to win the title of Last Comic Standing, Iliza Shlesinger.
The best act of the night seemed to be the third-place finisher, Jeff Dye. The young heart-throb from Hollywood, CA warmed the crowd with a hilarious mix of gym humor and some bits about his mother. Dye’s most popular joke of the evening began with a brief story about his mother and her cats. Much like many parents, his mom suffers from the empty-nest syndrome since Jeff and his siblings all went off to “bigger and better things.” As a way of coping, his mom holds conversations with the cats and acts as though her cats are her children, even pretending that they have voices. Jeff then goes on to describe how, during his last visit home, his mom kept telling him what the cats were thinking, things like, “Who is this stranger? We haven’t seen this guy in forever!” Simply to spite his mother, a hardcore democrat, Jeff adopts his mother’s “cat voice” and tells her that the cats are saying, “VOTE MCCAIN! VOTE MCCAIN!” It is at this point that his mother informs him he’s crazy and that cats can’t talk. It was these easy-to-relate-to jokes that made Jeff Dye the crowd favorite at Miller.
Along with Dye, Iliza Shlesinger, Louis Ramey, and Marcus all put on hilarious performances and succeeded in their goal of making the audience laugh. The only disappointment of the night came in the tall, bald form of Englishman Jim Tavare. Tavare had his moments during his 20-minute performance, commenting on how big everything is in America compared to England, “cars, meals, houses, this American violin,” (he was holding a bass). These comedic pearls proved few and far between during the time Tavare had the stage and his dry humor and monotonous delivery left the crowd unsatisfied.
The final Last Comic Standing Live Tour was definitely well worth the $30.00 students had to pay for the tickets. The auditorium was packed and everyone in attendance seemed to have had a great time and enjoyed the company of four great comedians.

Last Comic Standing Ends with Success

In this day and age, one might think that a black guy talking about tazering a beautiful young woman and throwing her in the back of his rental car would be cause for a quick three-digit dial on your cell phone; Louis Ramey proved that it is actually a very funny joke. Who knew?! From the moment Louis stepped onto the Miller Auditorium stage at Western Michigan University on Saturday night, the crowd knew they were in for a laugh-filled evening.
The show began with fifth-place finisher Louis Ramey, of Atlanta, Georgia, who served as the MC for the night. Judging from the crowd’s reaction, it seemed as though Ramey might have been the season winner, if only Kalamazoo were voting. Between his jokes about giant boobs and wanting women “in the worst way… standing up in a hammock,” Ramey managed to carry the show and segue hilariously between the other four comedians.
Englishman Jim Tavare was second to take the stage at Miller, and his dry humor definitely dried out the crowd. Compared to the laughs induced by the other comedians, Tavare’s performance raised questions as to whether or not he deserved his fourth-place title. This is not to say that he didn’t have his moments. Lugging his 7-foot-tall bass onto stage, he cleverly quipped that this wasn’t actually a bass but an American violin, since everything is so much bigger here than in England. Tavare certainly has a unique style and unquestionably is a funny guy, but he was not a crowd favorite in Kalamazoo.
Next up, following a flattering introduction from Ramey, was the Last Comic Standing heartthrob, Jeff Dye. Dye quickly became a huge success on the show, combining his good looks with his self-awareness of being a skinny guy to give a pleasing mixture of gym humor and some hilarious bits about his mother. Perhaps the most memorable of these jokes was when he began telling the audience about how, now that all the kids are gone, his mother holds conversations with the cats, and actually pretends that the cats have voices and talk back. When Jeff goes home to visit, his mom always tells him what the cats are apparently wanting to say to him, things like “Who is this guy? We haven’t seen this stranger in ages!” To spite his mother, a hardcore democrat, Jeff simply adopts the same squeaky cat voice and tells his mother that the cats are saying “VOTE MCCAIN! VOTE MCCAIN!” at which point his mother informs him that he’s crazy and cats can’t talk.
The final performance of the night was the winner of Last Comic Standing Season 6, Iliza Shlesinger –the only female comic to ever win on the show. Her routine was a hit with the crowd and eliminated any reservations one might have had about her first-place finish. Her unharnessed enthusiasm and obvious sexual appeal make it impossible not to like her and, while she does have a few sexual jokes under her belt, she does not rely on the misfortunes of men for her act. Possibly the most popular joke of the night actually made fun of women and how only a couple inches can mean the difference between a sexy model with beautiful flowing locks and a long-haired religious nut.
The show at Miller was undoubtedly a huge success among the sold-out Kalamazoo crowd as people were still laughing while walking out to cars in the freezing cold. This tour was most likely the very last live tour ever for Last Comic Standing because, as of right now, there is no plan for a seventh season. While this is certainly a disappointment, the show has catapulted many great standup comics to more fame and riches than they could have ever have hoped to know just playing bars and local clubs in their home cities. The Last Comic Standing Live Tour was a great show and made for a hilarious and fun-filled evening for all who braved the elements, including the unfortunate man who decided it was a good idea to wear a squirrel hat to a comedy show and quickly became the target of numerous jokes.

The Critic as Artist - Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde uses his essay The Critic as Artist to discuss his view that a critique is the highest form of art. The form that he uses to put these ideas forth is a discussion between two men, Ernest and Gilbert. This style of writing works well for the essay because it allows Wilde (through Gilbert) to express his ideas and also address questions and problems that one might have with what he posits. I cannot say that I fully agreed with Gilbert's argument when I first began reading the essay, but as I moved through it Gilbert was very persuasive and I now agree that the critic is indeed an artist.
The sentence that really convinced me comes on page 904 and it comes right after Ernest asks, "But is Criticism really a creative art?" Gilbert responds, "Why should it not be? it works with materials, and puts them into a form that is at once new and delightful. What more can one say of poetry?"
Wilde's point that "Anybody can write a three-volumed novel. It merely requires a complete ignorance of both life and literature," can be held true of any art form. Anyone can paint a mural, draw a portrait, write a poem, or write a piece of music. This said, it takes a true genius to do any of these things well and the same goes for writing critiques. Because a critique is indeed an art form, it is true that anybody can write one, but a good critic will take it upon oneself to become familiar with the art they are critiquing and only then can their piece be considered a masterpiece.

The Elements of Style

The part of Elements of Style that I found most helpful and that I would like to try to incorporate more in my writing is section 17 in Principles of Composition. It is entitled "Omit Needless Words" and I think that this is something I really need to work on. It gives several examples and ways of getting around unnecessary words. I often try to put in extra words because I think it makes my writing sound more educated or more poignant, but this is not the case, as it says in this section, "vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences..."
Hopefully now that I am conscious of this element I will be able to greatly improve my writing by cutting down on needless words and sentences and making my writing more concise.

WHILE TORTUROUS, “TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE” CONTAINS VALUABLE INFORMATION

Alex Gibney’s documentary, “Taxi to the Dark Side,” offers a depressing and one-sided look at the alleged torture practices of the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay. The documents exposed and the interviews with soldiers in this film are very informative and interesting, but Gibney took it too far.
The documentary attempts to center around the story of Dilawar, a young Afghanistan taxi driver who was picked up and taken to Bagram Air Base, where he was found dead in his cell five days after his arrival. This heartbreaking story is unfortunately lost in the mass of horrifying pictures and video clips that Gibney puts into his movie. After beginning with a brief interview of Dilawar’s family, the film quickly moves on to the shocking torture techniques used at Bagram and then Abu Ghraib and eventually Guantanamo Bay.
The research that went into producing this movie had to have been a massive undertaking and, in that respect, “Taxi to the Dark Side” is well deserving of its many awards. The Oscar for Best Documentary, however, illustrates just how liberal the Hollywood society really is. “Taxi to the Dark Side” makes no attempt at defending any of the actions of soldiers or policy-makers in the post 9/11 world.
While “Taxi to the Dark Side” provides important information in a very convincing manner, these accusations should not be accepted or believed without any doubt or reservations. Gibney looks at only one side of these issues and, while no torture should ever be allowed by US policy-makers, certain techniques used and discussed in the movie are not typically considered to be torture and are lumped in with things like waterboarding and sexual assault.
The use of female interrogators, for instance, is not torture; it is simply using these detainees’ culture for our own benefit. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with allowing dogs to bark and growl at prisoners as long as no physical harm is done. The way that Gibney lumps things like these in with physical beating, sleep deprivation, and other terrifying torture tactics is uncalled for and poorly thought out on his part because it detracts from the horrors that are happening.
A disappointing part of this documentary is the ominous soundtrack that creeps into your senses throughout the movie and the use of lighting on the soldiers in their interviews. Despite the fact that these soldiers are undoubtedly being interviewed in what could be a well-lit room, they use only a single light and their faces seem to fade into the black background in what can only be read as an attempt to make them seem evil. Another trick that is utilized in the film is a negative filter on documents, making them mostly black and having white or gray type. All of these things combine to create an evil and menacing air throughout the film. If this is what Gibney set out to do, he did a extraordinary job.
“Taxi to the Dark Side” is a worthwhile documentary and Alex Gibney certainly deserves some of the awards he received for the film. It cannot be stressed enough though that this is one of those things where one should think back to their childhood and remember what was inevitably advised by a wise elder, “don’t believe everything you hear.”

Spot-on Casting and Direction Make "Live From Baghdad" a Must See

The HBO film “Live From Baghdad” chronicles one of the most important moments of modern times, the advent of 24-hour news television. The story that started it all was the US attack on Baghdad in 1991 and the beginning of the Gulf War. The made-for-TV movie is well deserving of the three Golden Globe nominations it received as well as the seven other various awards it snagged, including three Emmys and a Director’s Guild of America award.
Right from the start, “Live From Baghdad” demands your undivided attention. The movie follows Robert Weiner, played by Michael Keaton, and his news team to Baghdad and Kuwait and through their many struggles to get interviews, powerful footage, and moving news stories. All of these trials and tribulations eventually culminate in “the journalistic equivalent to walking on the moon” – live coverage of the US airstrike on Baghdad.
Michael Keaton’s work as Robert Weiner is flawless, and he could not have asked for a better supporting cast consisting of Helena Bonham Carter, Joshua Leonard, Lili Taylor, David Suchet, and many more. John Papsidera won an Emmy for his casting and it is well deserved – the cast works well together and between the comedic jabs they toss around and the questionably romantic nature of the relationship between Robert Wiener and co-producer Ingrid Formanek they are a very convincing news crew. Another notable element of this movie is the score, which works immaculately with each and every scene.
Director Mick Jackson and writer Robert Wiener both deserve much credit for their impeccable use of real news footage from the time leading up to the Gulf War as part of their movie. For instance, when the crew manages to secure an interview with Saddam Hussein in the movie, rather than find an actor to play the part, they cut back and forth from Bernard Shaw, played by Robert Wisdom, and the actual news footage of the Saddam interview. Along with this interview there are many clips of President Bush’s speeches and even some real footage of Baghdad that are expertly intertwined into the movie plot.
What is most striking about “Live From Baghdad” is the relevance that it still holds today with the War on Terror. It gives an inside look at what reporters endure to deliver the news every day and also illustrates what a vital role the media has in political and diplomatic relations. Keaton repeats this phrase to David Suchet, playing Naji Al-Hadithi, many times throughout the movie, “People are going to die when the talking stops.” This phrase could not ring truer than in current times.
This movie is very well made and the cast is talented. Because of the subject matter, it is definitely worth seeing in the context of today’s political climate. Michael Keaton gives a memorable performance in “Live From Baghdad” and it is a movie that should not be missed.