Published since 1915 by the students
of Xavier University
Hollywood wakes to surprises, snubs
Emily Hoferer
Diversions Editor
It’s the morning that I’ve been waiting for all year. I get out of bed very early, earlier than I have all year. It’s a crisp, winter cold outside and my roommate is still sound asleep. She has no idea what is waiting for her. There are some things that are expected, some that will get snubbed and some that will be a total surprise. It’s clearly the most thrilling thing all year and no, it’s not Christmas morning.
It’s the morning of the 79th Annual Academy Awards’ Oscar nominations. Today, dreams are one step closer to coming true for actors, directors, producers, screen-writers and special effects gurus.
But dreams won’t be coming true for the producers of “Dreamgirls.” The musical-drama that is fresh off a Golden Globe win was snubbed in the most competitive category this year, best picture.
Taking the place of “Dreamgirls” is the indie-hit with which everyone seems to have fallen in love, “Little Miss Sunshine.” This is not the picture’s only nomination, either. The little beauty queen herself, played by Abigail Breslin, is nominated in the supporting actress category and Alan Arkin (who?) in the best supporting actor category.
Joining Breslin is Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”), Cate Blanchett (“Notes on a Scandal”) and two relative unknowns, Adriana Barrazza and Rinko Kikuchi, both from the language bending drama “Babel.”
“Babel” is also nominated for best picture, as well as best original screenplay and best director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. He definitely has the longest name of the bunch, and he is joined by Martin Scorcese (“The Departed”), Clint Eastwood (“Letters from Iwo Jima”), Paul Greengrass (“United 93”) and Peter Frears (“The Queen”).
Another pleasant surprise came with the announcement of the nominees for best actor. Instead of DiCaprio pulling double duty like at the Globes, he was only nominated once, for “Blood Diamond.” The relative newcomer, Ryan Gosling, best known for a romantic kissing scene in “The Notebook,” was nominated for his critically acclaimed performance as a teacher addicted to cocaine in “Half Nelson.”
Those two actors are joined by Peter O’Toole (“Venus”), Will Smith (“The Pursuit of Happyness”) and Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”).
As far as the ladies go, it looks like it is still Helen Mirren’s year. She was nominated for her performance in “The Queen.” Joining her are Judi Dench (“Notes on a Scandal”), Meryl Streep (“The Devil Wears Prada”), Penelope Cruz (“Volver”) and Kate Winslet (“Little Children”).
Lastly, the supporting actor category is filled with some colorful men (to say the least). Former Calvin Klein model turned actor, Mark Whalberg, is nominated for “The Departed” and the former SNL alum Eddie Murphy is nominated for “Dreamgirls.” Rounding out the stiff competition is Djimon Hounsou for “Blood Diamond,” Jackie Earle Haley for “Little Children” as well as the previously mentioned Arkin for “Little Miss Sunshine.”
The relatively new category of best animated film has three very competitive entries: “Happy Feet,” “Cars” and “Monster House.”
Of course, Oscar is not without its snubs. Other than “Dreamgirls” being nowhere in sight of best director or best picture nomination, Jack Nicholson came up empty handed as well. And, sadly, Borat only got a nomination for best original screenplay, and not for Sacha Baron Cohen.
Be sure to catch the Academy Awards hosted by Ellen DeGeneres on Feb. 25 on ABC. Be sure to check the Newswire for predictions and commentary as the event approaches!
Kerouac brings Buddhism back
Matt Finger
Op-Ed Editor
Some things never cease to be topics of thought and conversation: love, friends, religion, politics, society and of course wine. That is why “The Dharma Bums” by Jack Kerouac is what I would call a timeless piece of American literature.
“The Dharma Bums,” which takes place after Kerouac’s most famous work “On the Road,” is a vivid recollection of Kerouac’s travels and his struggle to discover himself in the culturally shifting landscape of 1950s America.
Kerouac, who names himself Ray Smith for the book, chronicles adventures on the West Coast, travels across the continent both to and from his mother’s home in North Carolina and most importantly his relationship with young Buddhists and intellectuals, particularly Japhy Ryder, whose actual name was Gary Snyder.
Buddhism plays a central role in Smith’s exploration of himself as well as his surroundings and, though a little previous knowledge of the religion was helpful, not having a clue about Buddhism would detract little from the experience.
It is the application of Buddhism to 1950s American society and Kerouac’s thought on the disparity between the two that both creates a major conflict in his life and pushes readers to question, or at least consider, their beliefs.
Although the nature of Smith’s adventure is interesting in itself, it is the commentary and description stemming from his reaction to anything and everything that is the real content of “The Dharma Bums.” From giant parties on the outskirts of San Francisco to mountain climbing in sneakers to meditating outside in the dead of winter under trees and everywhere in-between, Smith’s free-flowing thoughts and reminiscences draw in the reader and establish a realistic bond with the narrator.
But it’s not just the experiences themselves that create the reader-writer relationship; it’s the honest and beautifully human way that everything is presented. Kerouac writes down his thoughts, be it his wants, regrets, hopes, fears, loves, hates and every other contemplation that occurs on a regular basis. That honesty and the clear, articulate way in which it is presented is what made “The Dharma Bums” so enjoyable.
His style also provides the reader with countless one liners that provoke reflection and attention. These quips are often outward expressions of Kerouac’s deep mindset and they do a very good job of retaining the reader’s interest. Little sayings like, “Pain or love or danger makes you real again” fill the pages, giving the book Confuciusesque undertone. But by mixing in humorous witticisms, such as “Pretty girls make graves,” Kerouac successfully uses deep thought and dry humor to advance his narrative.
Kerouac tackles life and if there is one thing that everyone can relate to, it is simple existence. He falls in and out of love, makes and loses friends, finds conflict within himself and struggles with the idea of God and a greater power. In doing so with the crisp, natural fluidity unique to his style, Kerouac has put down in words what everyone experiences: a journey of joy and grief, of confusion and understanding and of memories.
Pageants pose problems
Brandy Williams
Asst. Diversions Editor
Many young girls and teenagers dream of one day being crowned with the prestigious title of Miss USA. But, the recent naughty behavior of several Miss USA title holders may cause parents to force their daughters to consider new role models.
Current Miss USA Tara Conner was threatened with dethroning due to “unacceptable” behavior. Conner has been accused of underage drinking, snorting cocaine in club bathrooms, kissing Miss Teen USA (with whom she shares a Trump Plaza penthouse) and sneaking men into the penthouse for late night rendez-vous. Trump surprised everyone when he agreed to let Conner keep her tiara as long as she agreed to complete rehab and undergo regular drug testing.
Miss Nevada USA 2007 and former Miss USA contestant Katie Rees has been stripped of her title after raunchy photos of her were posted on Canada.com. Photos of the 22-year-old Rees show her exposing her breasts, passionately kissing other young women and simulating oral sex with females and a male while at a party in Tampa, Florida when she was 19.
Rees insists that the racy photos were “an isolated incident” and said that she was “…very embarrassed by the situation. Regardless, such a brief and distant lapse in judgment does not warrant my loss of the title I worked so hard to achieve.”
Miss USA co-owner Donald Trump was not so forgiving of Rees and stated that ,“The pictures were disgusting. These pictures were pretty far out there and that is not representative of Miss USA. We had no choice but to terminate her.”
Miss New Jersey USA, Ashley Harder, announced that she has chosen to step down from her title due to the fact that she is pregnant. The 20-year-old had to step down because it is against pageant rules to compete while pregnant. Harder is expecting her child in late summer and has made plans to marry her live-in boyfriend.
Talk of the Miss USA scandals has also prompted a celebrity fight between Donald Trump and talk show host Rosie O’Donnell.
O’Donnell called Trump a “snake-oil salesman” and questioned his audacity to evaluate the morality of Conner, saying, “(He) left the first wife – had an affair. (He) had kids both times, but he’s the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America.”
She also attacked the pageant saying that, “It’s basically a model competition . . . They have one question in Miss USA, yeah and they’re like ‘I’d like to cure cancer and end world hunger – and then I’d like to go to Studio 54 and do some crack.’”
Trump fired back stating that he will most likely sue O’Donnell for her comments and that, “Rosie is a loser. A real loser. I look forward to taking lots of money from my nice fat little Rosie.”
UNRATED! with Jeff McMurray
Jeff McMurray
Contributing Writer
Welcome back, readers! This is the new year and what a year it has been so far. A good feud is happening between Rosie O’Donnell and the rest of America, and the new season of “American Idol” has begun.
Now both of these oh-so-interesting topics could take up an entire page but after lying around for three weeks, I am sick of hearing about what Simon says or what Rosie thinks of <insert pop culture icon here>. She’s attacking Oprah now, for those who care.
Instead, I am going to give you a compelling view of the upcoming Sundance Film Festival. Unlike the real Sundance, this article will not involve hippies and indie movie goers.
This year’s festival includes a movie about the death of an icon, “Chapter 27,” and child rape, “Hounddog.” Both of these movies have been receiving a lot of press recently for their intense subjects and they both hope to capitalize on that fact. “Chapter 27” revolves around the life of Mark David Chapman and the days leading up to his murder of culture icon John Lennon. This movie stars an overweight Jared Leto and the always recovering alcoholic Lindsay Lohan.
There is currently a boycott against the film stating that John Lennon would not want his killer to be humanized and glorified in this way. I, too, am calling a boycott of this movie but for an entirely different reason. I am calling for a boycott of Lindsay Lohan and all work she does. This includes TV shows, movies and all future CDs she makes. I am also calling for a boycott of Justin Timberlake but that is for an entirely different “Unrated.”
“Hounddog” as I said, is receiving bad press for a scene depicting the rape of child actress Dakota Fanning. Both Fanning and director Deborah Kampmeier are claiming that there is no child nudity (sorry, old creepy guy) and that Fanning was never uncomfortable during the filming of the scene.
I wish I could say more on this movie but I cannot get over the fact that a movie has been made with a child rape scene. Last time a person saw a movie like that, he was put in jail. Dakota Fanning has gone from working with Tom Cruise to a movie with child rape, though I’m not sure which one is worse. Either way, it is still wrong. “Unrated” condemns all forms of child rape.
That’s it for this week; I’m off to find a new way to hate on Lindsay Lohan.
Emily Hoferer 
Diversions Editor
Coffee Hour
Love coffee? Food? Clothes? If you answered yes to any of these, then from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Jan. 24 you should stop by the GSC second floor atrium in front of the ISS office. The Student Organization of Latinos will be hosting a coffee hour. The event will feature tasty coffee, delicious food and you can purchase SOL’s club T-shirt for only $10.
Late Night Movie
Students, take a break from your studies or your procrastination and take part in the funny antics of comedian and actor Robin Williams. At 11p.m. on Thursday in the GSC Theatre, SAC and GSC will be showing the comedy “Man of the Year” . The event is free to XU students and will run through Saturday.
A Blue and White Affair
Xavier’s student art majors will be showcasing some of their artwork on Friday from 6 -11 p.m. at Nicholas Gallery. Come show your support for XU art students and enjoy some fine art.
Pre-game breakfast
Get in the Muskie spirit before the game from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Dana’s. The Senior Board will be hosting a pre-game breaksfast before the Dayton game. There will be drink specials, hot breakfast and lots of fun. Only students over 21 with valid ID will be served alcoholic beverages.
“Into the Woods” audition
If you think you have talent, bring it on. Auditions for Opera Workshop production of Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” are scheduled for Sunday from 1-4 p.m. in Edgecliff Hall. Prepare a song by Sondheim and bring an accompanist. For more information and to schedule an audition date, email Scott Buzza at buzza@xavier.edu.
