However, thanks to the charismatic Robert Downey Jr. and $550 million in box office returns, Iron Man shot up from a C-list supporting character in “The Avengers” to an A-list superhero superstar.  As of now, “Iron Man 2” – which will be released on May 7 – is one of the most anticipated films of 2010.

Iron Man was created by Stan Lee (creator of other Marvel classics like “Spider-Man,” “X-Men,” “Fantastic Four,”  “Hulk,” and “Daredevil”) and made its first appearance into the world of comics in issue  number 39 of “Tales of Suspense” in April of 1963.

He became a lasting member of the superhero team the Avengers (primarily consisting of Captain America, Hulk and Thor), but was frequently outshone by his more well-known group members.

Although he has always remained a superhero character at least most comic book readers will be aware of, Iron Man has never been leading man material.

But all that changed when a supposed has-been, washed-up actor by the name of Robert Downey Jr. took the reigns and created something spectacular.

But what is it about this character that made him such a huge hit with movie audiences everywhere?

Cedric Jackson, a freshman, said that he had known very little of Iron Man prior to the film’s trailer release. But when he saw the film, he said it “blew him away.”

Jackson believes the biggest reason for the film’s and the character’s  success lies in the power of the star. “It was all Robert Downey,” he said. “I had never heard of Downey before the film, but now its hard to come across someone who hasn’t heard of him. He’s universally known for making that role his own.”

Jackson doesn’t believe the film would have been anywhere near as successful if Downey hadn’t starred. “He’s such a huge part of the franchise’s appeal,” he said. “I know I wouldn’t have liked it as much.”

Jackson’s thoughts on this seem to be the norm. Katherine O’Brien, a sophomore, said “‘Iron Man’ without Downey’s Tony Stark would be like ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ without Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow.”

“It wouldn’t have been nearly as good as the actual film without Downey’s personality,” she said. “Downey did a great job and I couldn’t imagine the film being done better without him.”

O’Brien said the decision to allow Downey to let his charismatic personality leak into the Tony Stark character was the best decision made with the “Iron Man” film.

“It was a great character development quality that added to the movie as a whole,” she said. “Plus, I have to admit Robert Downey is pretty good-looking.”

Keith Aspery, a senior, said that his attraction to the film came from the unique dichotomy between the man and the hero of Iron Man.

“Tony Stark, in comparison to other heroic characters, radiates with the type of attractive personality that isn’t presented as well in other superhero films,” Aspery said.

“Peter Parker is a nerd in school that no one likes.”

“Bruce Wayne is your average boring billionaire playboy, but Tony Stark is a much cooler character to watch and to learn about. He’s got much more of an individual personality. The best quality about his character is that he isn’t only interesting when he’s in the suit.”

O’Brien said she had heard a little about the character while growing up from her older brother who read comic books.

“But I really didn’t know anything substantial until I saw the film,” she said. She had been “very surprised” as to how much she had liked the movie when she first saw it.

O’Brien said the most interesting thing about the film is how different Tony Stark is from all the other superhero characters out there.

The main idea being that Stark wasn’t transformed into a superhero like Peter Parker (who was bitten by a spider) or Batman (who became vengeful by witnessing his parents’ murders): Stark became a hero by his own choice.

And above that, he’s charismatic regardless of if he’s in a metal suit or a leather jacket. “He isn’t limited to being interesting and dynamic only while in costume,” O’Brien said.

“The film brought a fresh face to the superhero genre that brought to the table something new and unique to the already-repetitious world of superheroes,” Aspery said.

“Considering how well Iron Man was accepted by audiences and critics alike and the explosive box-office results, it makes perfect sense that the studio would continue the epic story of the charismatic businessman-turned-hero. He has such a story yet to be told.”

There will be performances by inductees Terry Sylvester of The Hollies, Gene Chandler, Sheila E., Grand Funk Railroad’s Mark Farner, MC Hammer, and Tommy James and The Shondells to benefit the Museum’s educational programs.

The event will begin on Friday, May 14  in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater with a “Legend Series” event featuring Tommy James.

Tommy James and the Shondells, who are well known for their hits “Mony, Mony,” “Crimson and Clover,” and “I Think We’re Alone Now,” will be answering questions from the audience after his performance on Friday.

The “Legend Series” performances are well-known for offering audiences “rare and unique access to important audiences,” according to Rockhall.com.

Seating for Friday’s performance is limited, however, tickets can be purchased by e-mailing or by calling (216) 515-8426.

The benefits proceeds will support the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum’s educational programming.

Not only are the particular education programs award-winning but also they have touched over 50,000 individuals each year.

Just in Northeast Ohio, over 25,000 students and teachers are reached annually through the “Rockin’ the Schools” program, according to the Rock Hall’s Web site.  This particular program is solely for children grades K-12.

The museum’s “Rock Toddler” program, which has been running for 10 years, has served over 4,000 at-risk children, ages three to four years old.

Other education programs that are offered through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame include “Higher Education” (for University students), “Teachers Rock,” “Summer Teacher Institute” and “Teacher Workshops” (for teachers), and “Rock and Roll Night School” (for adult learners).

In the past, according to its Web site, the Rock Hall Spring Benefit has featured performers such as Joan Jett, The B-52s, Eddie Money (“Take Me Home Tonight”), Kim Carnes (“Bette Davis Eyes”), and Peter Frampton.

The site also notes that all “Spring Benefits” have been sold out each year in the past.

The benefit event will begin on Saturday, May 15 at 8:00 p.m. in Public Hall at the Cleveland Convention Center.

Balcony tickets can be purchased  for $15 at all Ticketmaster outlets  or at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Box Office.

Summer 2010 won’t let audiences down with the number of big name celebs making their ways to the big screen,  from Leonardo DiCaprio to Steve Carell, and Cameron Diaz to Sarah Jessica Parker.  There’s a wide variety of films to choose from, including action, suspense, comedy and mystery.  These are the most anticipated films for this summer season.

IRON MAN 2

“Iron Man” kicked off the Summer 2008 season, making over $582 million world-wide.  This time it returns with new faces like Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, and Samuel L. Jackson.

According to cosmeticsdatabase.com, the average person uses up to 15 products per day in their day-to-day beauty routine.  

Manufacturers and consumers alike are becoming more aware of the harmful substances that these products contain, and the toll they take on the environment.  

Last Thursday, April 22 was Earth Day’s 40th anniversary; now, with the growing popularity of all-natural and organic beauty products, we have more reason than ever to celebrate. 

“I want to try them,” said sophomore Kerry Fox. “However, I don’t really know much about them or what kind of products there are.”  

“Green” beauty products sometimes seem like the best-kept secret in the market.  They sound like a good idea, but many people get used to purchasing the same non-green products we always have for one reason or another.  

Spreading the word about the new trend in the beauty world will result in benefits not only for us, but also for the generations to come.

One of the keys to increase the use of organic beauty products is simply for consumers to know where they are available.  

Freshman Josette Burns, said sometimes she purchases her organic make-up at Target.  

“Other times I go to the Bare Minerals store at Beachwood Mall and buy eco-friendly products from there,” she said.

One factor that might initially deter consumers from trying green beauty products is the price. 

They sometimes sell for slightly higher than the non-green products.  

For example, an individual bar of soap from Lush Natural Cosmetics costs $5-$7, but Dove’s soap costs a little under $2 per bar.

Essentially, we are paying less to receive the added chemicals and toxins that diminish the quality of our environment when we don’t buy organic beauty products. 

Freshman Jess Hammer, said if she likes the products just as much as she likes her non-green beauty products she wouldn’t mind being charged a slightly higher price.  

Manufacturers of eco-friendly beauty products have realized that the quality of their all-natural products can’t be sacrificed or else consumers won’t spend the extra money for their environmental benefit. 

Green beauty products can be found all around us.  

For example, Burt’s Bees is an all-natural beauty product and can be found in your local drug store or grocery store.  

There are also stores such as the Mustard Seed and Whole Foods Market that sell virtually all organic and all-natural products.

Beachwood Mall contains stores such as Lush, which sells beauty products made only from food, and Sephora, which now has an entire section dedicated to selling only earth-friendly products.

Among Lush associates, favorite products includes their soothing facemasks made from products such as lettuce, chocolate or seaweed and their body butter made purely from oils and butters essential to lock in moisture and shine to your skin.  

Sephora now has an entire section dedicated to selling only earth-friendly products, as well.  

Associates at Sephora advise consumers to look for their “naturally sephora” logo that you can find on over 25 brands of their Sephora-approved natural products in stores to guarantee their natural and organic for your skin and the environment.  

This section of their store is quickly becoming more popular as consumers are discovering the quality of these products.

Many factors contribute to making a product “green” including their ingredients, the way they are packaged, and the ethics behind their production.  

However, senior Julie Papalao believes it’s an easy decision to use these environmentally-friendly products. 

“What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in your body.  Don’t use anything you wouldn’t eat!”

 Their sound was described by critics as “a college-dorm experiment gone horribly right.”

The college-dorm duo is back with their sophomore effort “Congratulations.” 

VanWyngarden said that the album is heavily influenced by their massive rise in popularity. 

“It’s us trying to deal with all the craziness that’s been going on since our last album took off. Sometimes it just doesn’t feel natural.”

If there’s one word to describe this album, it’s unnatural.

Those hoping for “Oracular Spectacular” part two will be disappointed. There’s nothing on the album that sounds remotely like the first album’s gems “Kids” and “Time to Pretend.” MGMT has abandoned their techno-poppy sound and become an all- out psychedelic rock band.

The album opens with the undeniably catchy “It’s Working.” The song sounds like the Beach Boys on acid. VanWyngarden’s laid back voice combines with surf tune guitar riffs to create one of the highlights of the album.

Another bright spot on the album is “Song for Dan Treacy.” 

The song sounds like it’s straight out of the 60s. Its rock’n’roll beat, “doo-wop” backup vocals and electric organ makes it a real treat to listen to.

MGMT released “Flash Delirium” as the album’s only single on March 24, 2010. 

It’s a great choice for a single, as it successfully brings all the different elements of the album together for one four-minute song. It features flutes and horns, and a whole lot of synth. Retro influences are all over the place in this song. 

Elvis Presley and “Sergeant Pepper” era Beatles are the most prominent.  Although it’s great in the context of the album, it’s pretty bizarre by itself, so don’t expect to hear it on the radio.

Goldwasser and VanWyngarden clearly have fun with the lyrics. Most of the time they make little sense and are hard to read into. 

“I Found a Whistle” is a sweet little love song about a girl who will stay with you no matter what you’ve done. “Yeah I found a whistle that works every time, that’s when the trail escapes to nowhere, and the flood erases the crime,” said the lyrics.  

“Brian Eno” is a superb and hilarious tribute to English ambient music legend Brian Eno. “He taught me many things, the wisdom of bleak stratagems, the prophet of a sapphire soul, presented through creative freedoms…We’re always one step behind him, he’s Brian Eno, Brian Eno.” 

From its jingle-like chorus to VanWyngarden’s fake English accent, the song is pure fun.

The album’s best song though, is the epic twelve-minute “Siberian Breaks.”  

It is simply stellar. VanWyngarden describes the song, “It’s kind of like eight different songs strung together into one, and the general theme is about surfing in the Arctic Circle by Russia.” 

Each part of the song is completely different from the last, and the transitions are constant and without warning. Yet, the transitions sound natural, and really pull the song together. 

Starting out with gentle harmonies, then transforming into a subtle stomping anthem, and about 10 minutes and five songs later the song completely changes and ends with a cosmic synth-filled finale.

The album isn’t perfect though. The songs “Someone’s Missing”  and the instrumental “Lady Dada’s Nightmare” seem more like B-sides than actual tracks. 

With only nine tracks on the album, one would expect that there are no “filler” songs on the album. Unfortunately, that’s what these songs come across as.

Overall, this is an album that should be heard as a whole. Don’t cheat yourself by just buying the three most popular songs on iTunes. 

MGMT has had its taste of being techno pop stars, and have decided instead to be a couple of peculiar weirdos. 

“Congratulations” is less accessible than previous efforts, but if this kind of music is your thing, then this is definitely a psychedelic trip worth taking. MGMT has avoided a sophomore slump and created something really different.

Congratulations, guys.

A Golden Raspberry Award is often referred to by the media as a Razzie. 

Bullock was recently told by the Razzie Awards that there was a mistake in her getting the Razzie. 

However, it doesn’t mean she will return her title as a Razzie winner. 

The Razzie Awards still think “All About Steve” was terrible, but they realized they gave Bullock the wrong trophy. 

Instead of receiving the traditional $4.79 replica of the original 30-year-old statue, somehow Bullock was accidentally given the a original trophy. 

It took the Razzie Awards over a month and a half to recognize their prized possession was missing. 

According to Eonline.com, Bullock said she will return the original trophy without a problem in return for her facsimile. 

“We will be returning the Razzie to [its proper owners] shortly,” she told Eonline.com in an interview. 

Bullock, along with fellow Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry, made cinematic history with actually coming to the Razzie Awards and personally accepting their prospective wins with charm and charisma. 

Berry won her Razzie for the critically-bombed 2005 film “Catwoman.” 

During the ceremony, Bullock’s joke of the night came in her acceptance speech, when she said “All About Steve” really wasn’t that bad of a film, and that the voters must have made an uninformed decision. 

“Something tells me you all didn’t watch the film,” she said in a mockingly  serious tone. To make amends, Bullock brought with her to the award ceremony a cart full of hundreds of “All About Steve” DVDs to be given to the audience. 

“This is the deal I’m going to make you,” Bullock said. 

“Seeing how when I said I would show up, I miraculously won. I will show up next year if you promise to watch the movie – and I mean really watch it – and really consider if it was really and truly the worst performance. If you’re willing to watch it, then I will come back next year and give back the Razzie.”

But Bullock never let the concept of her winning a Razzie affect her. 

Instead, she considers it helpful in not letting her Oscar go to her head. 

“It’s the best equalizer,” she said during her Oscar acceptance speech. Both awards help her not “get too full of [herself].” 

There is no word as to whether or not Razzie voters will actually accede to Bullock’s request with seriousness. 

Currently, Bullock holds the rank of being the only actor or actress in history to have won both a Razzie and an Oscar the same weekend. 

Why pass up such a prestigious position?

These are all questions that are presented in the play “Household Tales,” a comedy written by local playwright Jonathan Wilhelm, and directed by Karen Gygli of the Tim Russert Department of Communication and Theatre Arts. The play premiered this past weekend in Kulas Auditorium

The cast of Johnathan Bolton, Brendan Hancock, Ali Karolczak, Lisa Reichert, Cara Stamp and Emma Taylor played multiple roles while achieving the humor that was intended.

In the play, four separate families are presented. Giles (Bolton) takes his fiancée Jordan (Taylor) to meet with each family. Each family is different socially and economically, and each has its own significant secrets which leave the audience wondering what is going to happen next.

This play left the audience laughing for the majority of the scenes.

Hancock plays the father in three of the families presented. The first family is a stereotypical 1950s family, and he looked the part. 

The second family is a typical “hillbilly” family, and Hancock plays a rather comical alcoholic. The disoriented state was humorous, and was done effectively both with wardrobe, (a shirt that was not tucked in and a poor effort at a tie) and his hillbilly accent.

The third family is a liberal family consisting of two college professors. Hancock, one of the professors, was able to switch from alcoholic to intellectual fairly easy. All in all, his performance was exuberant and funny. 

Hancock was able to adjust to his different roles extremely well. In one scene he is a helpful husband, in the next he is drunk and reliant on his booze, and then he adjusts to become a liberal, well-educated professor. His ability to adjust was impressive.

The set allowed for a very homey atmosphere, as the seating was limited, as all the of audience members were required to sit on stage.

The set was the same throughout, however, the parts were moved around to create different settings for each scene and family. 

The same movable parts depicted a kitchen in one scene, a living room in the second, a dining room in the third, and a sitting area in the fourth.

The biggest problem however, was that it was often difficult to hear the actors. If dialogue was taking place on the other side of the stage, it was extremely difficult to hear.

Another problem with the play was the ending. 

The final scene ended abruptly and seemed to be rather unrelated to the rest of the play. While I left the first three scenes yearning for more, I left Kulas Auditorium a bit confused.

The play’s biggest point, and the theme of “Household Tales,” was family relationships and family secrets. Every family has some deep, dark secrets and it takes some digging to find out the truth.  

It takes a lie or twisting of truths to make a story sound a lot better than it actually is, but being honest with one another is more important. In each scene of the play, once the honest truth came out, the drama peaked.

Overall, “Household Tales” was a success. It portrayed its message of the importance of family relationships fairly well. 

The acting was good, the set was simple yet effective, and most importantly, there were plenty of laughs. 

However, the sound troubles and the very questionable ending left me craving a better resolution.

Sibling rivalry, family secrets, and a few hallucinogens threaten to blow the lid right off of the coffin in Hollywood’s remake of the 2007 British film, “Death at a Funeral.” The film, which was directed by Neil LaBute shows a surprisingly comical day in the life of a family in the wake of death.

While it wasn’t a comedy masterpiece in the slightest sense, and  the film’s lack of originality was inevitable.

The material was adjusted for an American audience, yet still tried to maintain the charm of the original.

Dean Craig, who wrote the 2007 British version, adapted this film to the likes of an American audience.

Luckily, Chris Rock held up to my comedic expectations developed from viewing the trailer of the Americanized British farce.

After his father passes away, Aaron (Rock) is hoping to make it through the day without problems.

With his successful author brother (Martin Lawrence) refusing to pay for the funeral and wife (Regina Hall) desperate for a child, he has a lot on his plate.

Throw in the socially blundering guest (Tracy Morgan), the fiancé (James Marsden) of his cousin (Zoe Saldana) who happens to be under the influence of a hallucinogenic that her brother (Columbus Short) concocted.

Add in a dwarf (Peter Dinklage) claiming to be a “special friend” of the deceased, and their angry uncle Russell (Danny Glover), and you have an interesting day of mourning.

The film was carried by the consistent, and Americanized one-liners, taking the dry humor of the British one step further.

This is seen in the beginning of the film, when the funeral director, after messing up initially, brings Rock the casket back a second time, this time with the right body inside.

Rock, infuriated, makes sure everything is in place.

“Alright, now do you got your keys? Do you got your Black Berry?  Cause once we bury him, we’re not gonna dig him up so you can tweet,” said Rock.

While the film’s unoriginality wasn’t exactly a nail in the coffin, its acting however, may have been.

Two “Saturday Night Live” veterans (Rock and Morgan) and a slew of other comedic actors isn’t exactly the perfect recipe for a movie that demands some moments of acting in a state of grief.

Rock and Lawrence weren’t cut for this type of acting, and it was reflected multiple times throughout the film.

Glover, arrogant as ever, didn’t disappoint as the cross and crass uncle.

Dinklage, who played the dwarf in both versions, was successful at being the awkward, small elephant in the living room.

However, it must have been Marsden’s role as the hallucinogenic “white boy” in the film that was the most random, yet most hilarious.

The overly dazed and confused expression on his face remained consistent throughout, as did the numerous laughs he created from his one-liners: [On being outside in the presence of foliage]: “Everything is so green. It’s like being inside of a lime.”

Audiences will even get to see a bit of Marsden’s forte for singing, as he sings a portion of “Amazing Grace” to the widow before getting completely distracted by a non-existent something only he can see.

Amid all the chaos that is dead people, hallucinogens and homosexual relationships, “Death at a Funeral” stays true to its theme of acceptance.

As crazy and hectic as a family may seem at times, it’s a foundation based on love that keeps its members grounded.

Comedy aside, that’s what “Death at a Funeral” is all about.

Based on studies by the clinical researcher, Dr. Neal Barnard, the “21-Day Vegan Kickstart”  is a community-based program  offering  support for beginners exploring the idea of  a vegan diet, while helping the original vegans add a little life and spice to their ritual and their recipe books.

With its quick sign-up, one is able to discover and gain full access to what the Web site claims is the “easiest way to trim excess weight, prevent diabetes, cut cholesterol, lower blood pressure, prevent and reverse heart disease and reduce cancer risk.”

With support from other vegans in the community forum to the daily messages, tips and recipes from registered dietitians, to the motivational Web casts from Barnard (the main contributor to the site), the program provides vegans with all one needs to  keep on the path to weight loss and improved health.

Despite its buzz, many John Carroll students are unfamiliar with the program, or with the vegan diet in general.

A vegan diet excludes any and all food, material, clothing, in relation to animals (meat and dairy). Sophomore Jevon Page, like others on John Carroll’s campus, feels the vegan diet is a good thing to try.

“It has its own great health benefits, but can be very hard,” he said.

“If you [become a vegan], you have to have the discipline to give it your all.”

For Page, that is something he said he doesn’t have. “I love chicken too much.”

It can be hard for anyone, not just Page, to commit to the vegan diet, especially on the Carroll campus. On the other hand, for senior Sasha Wallace, the lack of vegan variety on campus is no problem.

“I stopped eating meat when I was 11, and now I just do it out of habit; so if something has meat in it, I just move past it and find something else to eat,” she said.

Although Wallace doesn’t officially consider herself a vegan, she does not eat meat, consumes soy instead of dairy products, and tries to adhere to clothing not made from animals.

“Still, I do have a love for egg whites and leather purses,” she said.

For those on the fence about whether or not to become a vegan, the “21-Day Kickstart” program is a new way to test your potential.  Not only is it free, but also there’s still plenty of time, the next session begins this September.

HS: I think Drake is not gonna disappoint. He’s got Jay on there, you know? I just think he’s dope. Some people just listen to him ‘cause his song’s on the radio, it starts getting commercial, you know? But I think he’s gonna show up. Also, Eminem, he’s gonna make a new album that’ll be dope. Kanye too, man! People hate on him because of the whole Taylor Swift thing, but I think he did it on purpose anyways.

CN: So, you’ve had Ultimate Victory and Mixtape Messiah 7 come out, what’s up next?

HS: Venom is coming, but we had a lot of pushbacks with that. The reason why is because the labels always want to crop the albums to what they want it to be for the artists. They always start turning their projects into something else. All these people come in, sign ‘em for one thing and try to change ‘em into another thing. That’s the reason why I haven’t come out yet. I want to tell my story. I didn’t work this long to get here to tell someone else’s story. So, Venom is coming soon it’s scheduled for June 22nd. That’s the same day Eminem is dropping so I don’t know if I want to drop that day!

CN: Do you just keep building your fanbase as you travel from campus to campus?

HS: Exactly! They got everything in here – they got the lighting right, they got candles in here! That’s the way it works. When I had my first album I actually did a BET black college tour. I started from every city. We weren’t even getting paid we were doing it for free. It worked because it built my fanbase.

CN: What was it like starting your music career with Paul Wall?

HS: Me and Paul, we used to live next to each other, so we kind of grew up together. It just started off like I was rapping, and we didn’t want him coming around just bugging us! Eventually he started getting pretty good and we realized he was pretty cool. Next thing you know we became a group. After all the independent records sold and we’re pretty much household names locally, we just decided to split up. We were just growing into two different people. When we were younger it didn’t matter but as we got older, we started having little problems, conflicts, arguing and everything. Then once we got to the majors we were definitely separate at that time. Everyone was putting us against each other, and we both had success. Now we come back around and we were doing a tour we just got off of, me and him, and it was pretty successful.

CN: We’ve never been in the music business, but watching it, it seems like when you’re doing well you keep doing well. But if things aren’t going well how do you get your career going again?

HS: The best thing you could do is give out content – a lot of content. Because, let’s say people like Charday, people in other genres – Maxwell, Janet Jackson – they’re takin’ their time. But rappers? You got to feed them with content because there are just so many rappers out there, it’s hard to see through all the BS. You have to feed them the content but you gotta be good at it. There’s a lot of people that put out a thousand raps and stuff. If you actually good, and you putting out a lot? I think that’s what Lil Wayne’s thing is. When I was at Universal, they were telling me and Nelly not to be on anybody else’s stuff but Wayne wasn’t listenin’ to that he was jumpin’ on everybody’s stuff!

Chamillionaire hit the stage first with his DJ Rapid Ric and ran through several songs, including “Turn It Up,” “Fly as the Sky,” and his latest single “Good Morning,” which features a sample of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’.”

He also took a page out of T-Pain’s book and performed parts of a few songs he is featured on, including Jibbs’s “King Kong” and Three 6 Mafia’s “Doe Boy Fresh.”

Wanting to make his performance more interactive, Chamillionaire stopped at one point to ask the crowd if any one thought they were capable of getting on stage and freestyling with him. After making it clear he wasn’t looking for an amateur, he chose a student out of the crowd to join him and lay down a verse for the rest of the crowd.

A true entertainer, he added some theatrics before beginning his biggest hit. He asked a security member “You aren’t a cop are you?” before asking the crowd if they were riding dirty. The crowd knew what was about to happen and started getting louder, then DJ Rapid Ric dropped the beat for Chamillionaire’s number one smash hit “Ridin.’”

After Chamillionaire got the crowd hyped, the headliner, Sean Kingston, came out to his hit single “Me Love” and kept the energy going. Kingston also made sure the crowd stayed involved by having them yell up to him what song they wanted to hear from him next.

Despite the fact that many of the crowd members kept yelling “911” to him, Kingston understood they meant last summer’s top-5 Billboard hit “Fire Burning.” He ran through some of his other hits too, such as “Beautiful Girls,” “Take You There” and “Face Drop.” He even performed his own remixes to Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” and Drake’s “Over” at the request of the students standing closest to the stage.

Kingston put on a pretty good show as well, but Chamillionaire was the better entertainer on this night. He was able to keep the crowd energized and had a planned setlist that worked to his performance’s advantage. Overall, it was clear that Chamillionaire came to entertain.

Wilhelm, who has had an interest in playwriting since his childhood, began by writing his own Tintin adventures, based on a character from the Belgian artist Georges Remi.

Beginning to become more involved in the business, Wilhelm started writing plays called “Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre” in the late 1980s, writing more than two dozen scripts.

“Those [scripts] were the first of my scripts that were publicly performed, and was a really great school in terms of learning,” he said.  “It was a great learning ground for how to present exposition, how to end a scene so that the audience is wondering what’s going to happen next and how to create characters.”

‘Household Tales’ follows a newly engaged couple, Giles and Jordan, as they journey through four different households and four unique sets of parents.

According to Wilhelm, its first version was written in 2008 and presented at a staged reading at “The Dark Room,” a local program co-sponsored by the Cleveland Theatre Collective and Cleveland Public Theatre for artists to present their work.

“[During that reading], Karen Gygli (director of ‘Household Tales,’) played the part of all of the mothers,” he said. “She liked the script so much that she asked me, ‘how do you feel about collegiates doing your work?’ I said I would feel great about anybody doing my work.”

Since then, the play has gone through some changes during the rehearsal process, yet its overriding sense of humor has remained constant.

“This play is more of a flat out, farcical comedy [in comparison to my other plays],” said Wilhelm. “I don’t think I can write anything that doesn’t have humor in it, but in ‘Household Tales’ there are definitely more laughs.”

He also indicates the parallels college audiences will find with the characters on stage.

“The play is really about the main character, Giles, trying to forge his own sense of identity by looking back and trying to understand his family,” he said.

“There’s a difference between the family of choice and the family you’ve been given, and I think that’s something that college students can really relate to because they’re at that cusp of being set adrift in the world and trying to break away to forge their own identities.”

Currently clocking in at a $2.7 billion worldwide gross, 2009’s sci-fi smash hit “Avatar” single-handedly proved to audiences and Hollywood itself that 3D films could be both popular and bankable.

Since December of last year, there has been an exponential rise in 3D films on the roster to be released in the near future, including much-anticipated popular franchise sequels “Toy Story 3,” “Tron Legacy,” and “Shrek Ever After.”

But with this added cinematic luxury comes the consequence of radically higher ticket prices, with at least an extra $5 put on the final price.

But “Avatar” was at least able to show there are films out there which audiences are willing to pay the extra money for 3D viewing.

It appears that films like “Avatar,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Clash of the Titans” are the most bankable 3D offerings.

Sophomore Nathan Noga thinks that epic movies hold more of a specific appeal in 3D than in 2D.

“3D is by definition more of an interactive experience than your normal film,” he said. “Take Avatar, a film with great visual effects. Adding 3D to those effects make the already-awesome special effects mind-blowing.”

Noga, who has seen “Avatar” both in 2D and 3D, said he prefers the 3D version.

“It’s without a doubt a better experience with how it stimulates your senses,” he said. “Avatar showed that movies are getting much more appealing visually and that makes it much easier for 3D to amplify those appealing attributes.”

The box office money matches Noga’s thoughts.

“Alice in Wonderland,” for example, has earned nearly $750 million at the box office.

“Clash of the Titans” made over $100 million in its first week of release, even though the film itself was critically slammed and received only a 29 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a Web site dedicated to movie reviews, trailers and news.

Now this is not to say that 3D is necessary for all films.

There is an obvious attraction by viewers to see films in 3D.

That much is shown by Rottentomatoes.com, which states that 3D films account for a full third of all box office revenue since the release of “Avatar.”

According to the Rotten Tomatoes Web site, “Clash of the Titans,” “Avatar,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Alice in Wonderland” account for $1.2 billion of all domestic ticket sales (which fully amount to over $3.5 billion).

In 2009, total box office revenue was $10.6 billion, according to an article posted on thefreelibrary.com.

Noga considers the rise in public interest and acceptance of 3D films to come from the better-looking films that sometimes surpass the at times, been-there-done-that storylines.

“Avatar’s plot wasn’t that original, to be honest,” he said. “So I think a lot of people went to see it and loved it because of the 3D effects combined with the phenomenal visual effects.”

Owen Coughlin, a freshman, agrees. “The big reason (for 3D’s popularity) is the success of Avatar,” he said. “The effects were just incredible and opened the door for a lot of movies to try and grab a piece of that success.”

And apparently, Hollywood studios recognize the potential goldmine of making ‘okay’ movies much more bankable.

“3D enhances special effects so much that it can make fairly boring movies look much more interesting,” said Coughlin.

Vicente Davila, a senior, said he’s unsure as to whether the 3D technology is really that awesome.

“Sure, with Avatar the storyline and graphics were amazing,” he said. “Personally, I enjoyed the 3D part. But now its being overdone and has become an overrated part of movies. The original experience was good, but after a while it begins to wear down on your eyes and your enjoyment. There’s only so long that your eyes can deal with that kind of thing. It’s kind of like a sensory overload.”

So ultimately, what kind of future are we looking at for theaters? So how long can we expect 3D to last as being such a prominent aspect of cinematic theater culture?

Are we just watching a cool fad come and go right before our eyes or are we witnessing the beginning of a massive business model change in the industry?

Davila sees 3D as being this decade’s big trend. “In the 60s, they had rock,” he said. “70s was disco, 80s was rap, 90s was pop, and now in 2010 we’ve got 3D.”

Each decade comes with a trend and it seems 3D is determined to take this one’s vacant spot.

Coughlin, on the other hand, sees 3D as just a fad just like any other fad. “This isn’t the first time 3D has been big,” he said.

Davila’s thoughts are a bit different “As long as they don’t overkill 3D, the industry should be okay,” he said.

John Carroll Junior Ty Tate, a Cleveland native and Communications major, is a rap and R&B musician making his way onto the scene.

Tate, also known as “The-Snake,” has had a passion for hip-hop since he was an 11 year- old.

But, only recently has he begun recording in a studio, partly thanks to BEDROC’s Mike Brownyard.

“We were at a party and they [BEDROC] were freestyling in front of a group of people,” said Tate.

After a friend persuaded him to jump in the freestyle, Tate’s talent caught the eye of Brownyard.

“And so I started and they actually liked it, and Mike Brownyard said that I should get in front of a microphone.”

Tate soon formed a valued relationship with BEDROC, as he said that “it’s good to have someone looking after you.”

“I really look up to them,” Tate said about his bond with the hip-hop duo. “They pretty much brought me in. Mike is kind of like an older brother to me and he’s taught me a lot.”

Tate’s “up-tempo R&B” style was originally inspired by rapper Soulja Boy, but his love for all genres plays a part in his musical creations.

“I don’t just listen to rap, I listen to all types of music and try to pick new styles and find out new ways to create new music,” he said.

Producing catchy songs that are relatable to all audiences is Tate’s main goal in creating music.

“I don’t want to do the same thing that everybody in today’s music business is doing,” he said.

Utilizing his artistic talents (he creates graphics and animations as well), Tate hopes to introduce a brand new kind of sound and look to the industry. “It’s my type of music, so why not make what I’m comfortable with?”

Writing all of his own lyrics, Tate has found his drive for music usually develops from school and his relationships. Whatever the inspiration may be, Tate has found that being compensated for his performances is just a bonus to the already enjoyable hobby.

“A lot of people say that it isn’t about the money,” said Tate. “But, eventually it will be.  You’re spending money to make music, so why not try to make money making music?”

Although life in the music industry may seem glamorous, Tate has found that it’s not always so alluring.

“One of the challenges I face is tying it in with school and work,” said Tate.

Juggling his job, studies and recording has proved to be a difficult task. He said that “[it’s difficult] finding a time to record and actually write a song when I know I have to write an essay for class.  It’s hard to put one of those things off.”

Time management, however, isn’t the only trouble Tate faces being a student solo-artist.

“One of the major things I’ve come across is scamming,” said Tate, who has received numerous e-mails from MySpace and Facebook fans, asking him to come and perform at their venues. In one case, he dodged a scam that could have cost him nearly $400.

“It’s definitely a challenge deciphering whether someone’s interested in you, or just trying to get your money,” said Tate.

Although his music career is important to him, Tate expressed his enthusiasm for being a student as well.

“Music is kind of like my backbone,” he said. “But, getting a degree from John Carroll would be my main focus.  I would say that I’d like to be a musician, but that’s not my main goal.”

Tate sees himself one day being a producer or directing music videos.

Since he has entered the scene less than a year ago, Tate has been a busy student.

“I performed with BEDROC a couple of times, and I’m performing at Relay for Life, and a Relief for Haiti performance. I also have a couple of shows with Chip the Ripper from Cleveland,” said Tate about his busy schedule.

Looking back, Tate reflects on how far he has come as a solo-artist.

“I feel pretty comfortable with where I’m at,” said Tate, whose MySpace page includes songs that have been played in five countries and 24 states. “In seven months, I’ve come a long way.”

The John Carroll jazz band will accompany the silent films, including “Felix the Cat” and “The Immigrant.”

“In the midst of recent tragedies and controversies as well as the traditional specter of school work, I think that the students on this campus have lost something important,” said Pietro Shakarian, president of the Carroll Cinema Society.

“That is, a sense of humor. The students here need to lighten up and laugh once in awhile; that’s why I propose they come to this event.”

Shakarian created the group last April when he was inspired by an SUPB event– a screening of the “Dark Knight.”

When the movie started playing, Shakarian was impressed by an ad about illegal copying of videos, which started out with a scene from “Casablanca.”

He thought students at this campus needed to be able to enjoy great classics like “Casablanca,” and so, the Carroll Cinema Society was created to try and achieve this goal.

When he spoke with Karen Gygli, chair of the Tim Russert Department of Communication and Theatre Arts, about starting it, she suggested that Shakarian put together silent films and live musical accompaniment.

Shakarian thought this idea was ingenious and has been working on it ever since. Almost a whole year later, it is finally ready for the John Carroll Community to enjoy.

Shakarian said he is sad to be moving on from his position as president next semester.

“It’s bitter sweet, but I have to move on,” said Shakarian. Stacy Pendergrass will succeed him as President, and that she has already thought of some excellent ideas for the upcoming semester.

The event will consist of two short films. The first will feature “Felix the Cat” in “Comicalamities.”

Felix was the first cartoon character created for the big screen, and he was the most popular until Mickey Mouse was invented.

The short involves a quick plot where Felix tries to hit up the ladies and win over a specific girl’s heart. The second, a short film by Charlie Chaplin called “The Immigrant,” is a short about a poor immigrant who travels to America and gets into all sorts of mischief along the way.

The film, referred to as one of Chaplin’s best, is only about a half hour long.

Now, I may be the only one, but the only sensible question I ever feel the need to ask myself  about this little temperature yo-yo is “What do I wear?”

Don’t  worry, I think I’ve figured it out.

First step: Don’t get rid of all your winter stuff.  Keep a few staple items out, like a cute pair of boots, a cardigan, maybe a few scarves, etc.

These can help you make an easy transition from winter to spring.

Take that cardigan and pair it with shorts, dress up a skirt with those boots, and keep your scarves on hand.  Also, you can “spring” up the look of a cardigan and scarf with a pair of flip flops.

There’s also a point in time where you just say “who cares, it’s April” and throw a jacket on with your new spring clothes. But until then…

As we all know, springtime doesn’t necessarily mean nice weather all the time.  It’s still a little chilly, and lately it has felt like there’s always a rain cloud somewhere nearby.

That means it’s important for your wardrobe to have at least one (or more) flashy little jacket. My favorites are short little trench coats (preferably in a bright color or pattern) which go great with what you’ll need next, a flashy pair of rain boots and an umbrella.

“I love spring trench coats, especially since you can bring them out every spring. I love them because they’re so classic,” said senior Adrienne Petrella.

Now, for what we’ve all been waiting for: this year’s spring trends. To sum it all up, I have one word for you: floral.  As I was “researching”  at Beachwood Mall (sarcasm intended), that’s the one prominent look I noticed in just about every store.

Floral dresses, floral tops, floral skirts, and even floral shorts are flooding spring catalogs as well as the runways this season.

“Floral frocks are my favorite,” said Petrella.

H&M recently came out with their “Garden Collection,” which is clearly where you want to go to fill your closet with some horticultural duds. Now don’t let this next trend scare you off, but denim is coming back this season.

Not just jeans or jean skirts, but literally head to toe denim.  Stores like H&M, Gap and J.Crew have been showcasing it like crazy.  Although denim-on-denim may not be most people’s cup of tea, they somehow surprisingly make their mannequins look cool.

However, there is a catch: you can’t be monochromatic about it. Be sure to mix noticeably different hues of denim, or else you’ll just look like a big denim jumpsuit.

Still, if you’re not into the whole head to toe look, a denim jacket is a seasonal must and can be paired with anything.

I’m sure many of you still have one collecting dust somewhere in the back of your closet, so you should be in luck!

According to the latest magazines and store windows, nothing says springtime (or “Ahoy, matey”) than some nautical stripes.

H&M, J.Crew and just about every other store in the mall, has plenty of options as they carry a variety of nautical shirts, dresses, and even some skirts.

Bonus points for a necklace with an anchor pendant.

Of course, the trends don’t end there.

Nude colors, neon colors, and even some western gear (cowboy boots, anyone?) are coming in big this season, though nude seems to be the most popular.

“Traditionally I only wear neutral colors, so I’m excited to see nude as a trend this spring,” said junior Alex White.

Now, you can represent your city with these Cleveland-themed T-shirts that show love for the city in a whole new way.

All of the T-shirts are made out of American Apparel tees. Clevelanders can unite through these witty displays of pride such as, “It’s Still the Jake to Me” and “216: Respect the Code.”

This new line is a Cleveland die-hard’s dream come true.

John Carroll sophomore Chris Eggleton finds the T-shirts perfect for Cavs games, Indians games, or whenever you want to show some love to Cleveland.

“My favorite is the one that says ‘440…It’s for the ‘Burbs,’” said Eggleton, who was  born and raised in a suburb of Cleveland.

The tees convey messages that can even  be inside jokes only Clevelanders would recognize, such as one shirt that has a collage on the front of a little bit of everything Cleveland.

Junior Nick Hermez noted that he liked the tees that are unique to the city, such as the collage tee with phrases such as “Superman was born here,” “Witness,” and “Christmas Ale.”

“The leg lamp on the collage shirt shows uniqueness to Cleveland,” he said.

They have been carrying out their mission, and have compelled even a Steelers fan to admit their brand is pretty cool.

“You can be sure I won’t be wearing any of the tees that say I am a Browns fan,” said sophomore and Pittsburgh native Laura Sudo.

“Still, I wouldn’t mind repping Cleveland and I would like it if Pittsburgh would start making tees like these.”

Freshman Laura Kisthardt said that JCU students from Pittsburgh who see the tees would definitely take note of them.

“They’re probably a bit jealous that we have something like this to show our pride,” she said.

Even if you are not born and raised in Cleveland, C.L.E. encourages Cleveland fans from all over the country to stylishly unite with their brand.

The prices remain reasonably affordable for customers, ranging between $10 and $20 for these one-of-a-kind shirts.

Interested buyers can order these shirts through their Web site cleclothing.bigcartel.com or can find stands that sell them at local malls such as Beachwood Place in Lyndhurst, and Southpark Mall in Strongsville.

Home of LeBron James, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, and now C.L.E. Clothing, these “2 dudes with an idea and a mission” for carrying out their duty as true Clevelanders are “spreading Cleveland Pride one T-shirt at a time.”

At times, I struggle to decipher whether a duo has what professionals call “on-screen chemistry.” This one was pretty apparent though, as both Aniston and Butler struggled to get in sync in a movie composed of multiple little coincidences and one-liners.

Aniston plays a driven, career-oriented news reporter for The Daily News hoping to break a major story about corruption in their local police force. While Butler, Aniston’s ex-husband in the movie, portrays a washed-up, former cop turned bounty hunter that tracks down minor felons for a decent sum of money. Butler receives the ultimate opportunity for revenge when his next order is to reign in Aniston for missing her court date.

A boring, predictable storyline will even make the easily-entertained bored to death. Slow to develop, it took nearly 100 minutes for any kind of excitement to unfold.

Even then, it wasn’t enough to engage, excite or interest the moviegoers because of the predictability.

This movie would have done better if it were released in 1988. When our parents were growing up, there was an interest for a heterosexual, battle of the sexes movie that demonstrated the bickering that happens between the genders.

“The Bounty Hunter” hoped to demonstrate the differences between men and women and human behavior. Quite the opposite happened.

Instead, the comedy and sophomoric jokes dumbed down their personalities and made for a sequence of poorly written lines and scenes.

Butler, who plays Milo Boyd in the film, has fallen into the role of playing a self-immersed Neanderthal that desensitizes the audience from what could’ve been some decent humor. His continual rude and petulant remarks to his counterpart Aniston, give men hope that it’s OK to act like a jerk to women. Similar to his role in “The Ugly Truth,” Butler portrays the typical shallow man who is more worried about physical features and fails to emotionally connect with women … until the end.

An ending is best when it’s unpredictable. Audiences sit on the edge of their seats, racing through every possible outcome in their heads, anxiously anticipating the conclusion.

Well, I hate to break it to you, but that doesn’t exactly happen in this one.

Rather, it’s more like you try to play the game, “Predictability Streak.” Basically, you see how many times in a row you can guess what will happen next (hint: pick what seems most predictable).

Overall, “The Bounty Hunter” portrayed a dichotomy so relentlessly overdone that you might as well save your money, stay home, and watch a real bounty hunter, like Duane “Dog” Chapman from “Dog the Bounty Hunter.”

At least that would be more unpredictable and an accurate display of life.

“I’ve taken vitamins before, but I don’t take them now,” said freshman Gillian Ganley. “I don’t really know much about them.”

Those that do understand the benefits of vitamins may still choose to find their nutrients elsewhere.

Senior Sara Nunney gets her nutrients from a drink mix.

“I don’t take vitamins because my mom told me to mix Ovaltine in my milk,” she said. “I drink  a glass of it every morning, and it gives me the vitamins that I need.”

Depending on one’s diet and exercise routine, vitamins can be imperative to leading a healthy lifestyle.

“Vitamins are essential. There are some who believe you should augment your diet with a multivitamin, but I usually say it’sa complicated issue,” said Karen Palmer, nutritionist for John Carroll’s Health Center.  “Vitamins and minerals are necessary to helping with our bodily processes.”

Palmer said that for college students, it’s not a bad idea to take a multivitamin once a day.

“I’ve never taken vitamins before but since eating on campus, I’ve decided that I need to start taking them,” said freshman Keti Suljai. “I even have a list of things I need from CVS, and on it is multivitamins.”

For those who don’t eat healthy, relying on vitamins to keep your body in good condition isn’t the best idea, according to Palmer.

“You can’t say ‘I’m not eating right, I’m just going to take a vitamin,’ because there is no one vitamin that’s going to give you everything,” she said.

On the other hand, even people who do eat healthy may not be getting the vitamins and minerals needed daily.

For example, every hour a freshly picked apple sits out, it loses vitamins. Similarily, humans can be deficient in vitamins, making them even more essential to take.

According to senior Teree Harris,  a member of the football team, taking a multivitamin everyday is crucial for him during the season.

“Taking [a multivitamin] helps keep my body strong and healthy which is important,” he said.

Our bodies rely on vitamins to grow and develop, but also to ward off disease and boost immune systems.

According to vitaguide.org, every year an estimated 500,000 strokes, 1.3 million cases of cancer, and 14 million cases of heart disease can be prevented by taking a multivitamin daily.

Vitamins typically fall into two different categories: fat soluble and water soluble.

Fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E and K, are stored in the liver and fat tissues of the body until needed.

Nourishedkitchen.com, a Web  site that displays recipes with nourishing, whole foods, states that low-fat, no-fat and vegan diets are lacking in fat soluble vitamins. The higher quality the fat, the more likely the food is to contain the fat soluble vitamins.

Vitamin D, one example of a fat soluble vitamin, helps the body absorb calcium for bones to grow. It can be found naturally through the skin from sunlight, or through egg yolks, and milk fortified with vitamin D.

Water soluble vitamins, such as vitamins C and B (complex vitamins), need to dissolve in water before the body can absorb them.

These vitamins cannot be stored and need to be replaced often.

Different vitamins are beneficial to certain parts of the body and can be consumed by taking a daily vitamin or by consuming different types of food.

Regardless of how vitamins are consumed, it is important that they are obtained for the body’s sake.

Starting now, a little Web site by the name of ‘ShopittoMe.com’ will probably become your new best friend.  Become a member on this Web site (for free), and you’ll never have to hunt for bargains again.  

All you do is log on, select what size you wear, and pick out your favorite designers. ‘Shop it to Me’ carries a very wide range of more than 700 brands from J.Crew and BCBG, to the late Alexander McQueen. 

Select how often you’d like to receive your “sale mail,” whether it’s daily, weekly or bi-weekly, and you’ll receive an e-mail with everything your favorite designers have on sale, from any Web site in the world, in your size.

  The site is great for college students, as it offers items that normally would cost a pretty penny, for a fraction of the price.  

“I get e-mails twice a week with sales of the day, and I’ve found some awesome stuff.  Just on Thursday there was a Juicy Couture zip-up for 40 percent off!” said junior Izzy Khaimov.

Don’t worry gentlemen, you aren’t left out here.  ‘Shop it to Me’ offers just as many sales for men, as well as for children.  

“‘Shop it to Me’ allows the average college man to look great for class and go out with style without breaking the bank, which is something that’s hard to do these days,” sophomore Bill Fitzgerald said.

However, ‘Shop it to Me’ isn’t exactly its own retailer.  When you click on the sale item you want, it automatically takes you to that designer’s Web site.  ‘Shop it to Me’ simply does the searching for you.  

In a way, you could call it your personal bargain shopper.  The best thing about this? It’s totally free.  Well, with the exception of your extremely fashionable, easy-on-the-pocketbook attire, of course.

Salsa classes were introduced to John Carroll University by a group known as “Latin Flow,” comprised of seniors Reid Peirce and Vicente Davila, and juniors Ignacio Davila and Paulin Byusa.

The group, which performed for the last time at John Carroll’s annual Dance Ensemble show, incorporates salsa dance moves along with Rueda, another type of dance that, according to Peirce, translates to “wheel” in Spanish.

“[Rueda] is essentially a salsa version of swing dancing that is actually far more fun and not boring at all,” he said. 

Most of their dances, learned in classes or taken to the stage, are mostly improv style and tend to be freestyle.

 “It seems like it’s a lot of choreography, but really we just build up a few moves for our performances and wing it when we get up there,” said  Vicente Davila. 

Latin Flow was created last year after their first Dance Ensemble performance. Originally it consisted of Peirce, and the Davila brothers, until Byusa joined as the forth. 

“Although we aren’t an official team that would recruit dancers, we wanted a name for ourselves, so that’s when we came up with Latin Flow,” said Vicente Davila. 

Peirce said the group’s premise lies with throwing together moves for fun and coming together for a performance.

“That’s when the real fun starts, and that’s the point of it all,” he said.  

Unfortunately for “Latin Flow,” with Peirce and Vicente Davila graduating this year, the two remaining juniors will have the ever-difficult task of maintaining an interest in students for the salsa classes. 

“Girls always find an interest in learning how to dance and they find salsa amazing and want to learn it,” said Ignatio Davila.  “Guys, don’t, and if you don’t have the guys, you can’t have the girls.”

Although the group won’t be together in the fall, Peirce still stresses the importance of building popularity of the dance at John Carroll.

“We want to get people to come out and learn how to dance in a new and different style,” he said. 

After its last performance, Latin Flow has taken its final bow in hopes that they made a difference around campus, one that will hopefully continue with the weekly salsa classes.

“[Dance Ensemble] was the grand finale of it all,” said Peirce.  “It was doing something that people normally don’t do at John Carroll – it was adding flavor.”

Among the long list of films, readers of the CIFF guide will recognize some well-known Hollywood stars, such as Lisa Kudrow, Jeff Daniels, Zooey Deschanel and Steve Buscemi. 

John Carroll junior Chrisden Abrams, an ambassador for the Festival, said the Cleveland International Film Festival also features a film starring Ed O’Neill (Al Bundy of “Married with Children”) in a documentary on the history of Youngstown, Ohio.

According to Abrams, the Festival promotes the true power and value of film while bringing others together.

“It brings together people who enjoy the art of film and attendees get involved and enjoy experiencing such an educational and entertaining festival,” she said. 

In addition to the main world tour program, the CIFF offers sidebars, which are categories that add interest and diversity to the Festival and help moviegoers navigate their way around. 

Those who are present will be 10% Cinema (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender films), It’s Easy Being Green (films dealing with bringing awareness to the environmental movement to save Earth), Film is Art (to learn about artists and the artistic process), Family Films, Jewish and Israeli Visions, and a “Local Heroes” section, which spotlights works by local filmmakers.

Katharyne Starinsky, the local marketing and media manager for the Festival said that every year films are placed within sidebar categories to help attendees avoid an information overload.

“This year’s sidebar collection is bigger than ever before featuring several new categories, including Illuminating Hope, a new sidebar encompassing stories that celebrate the human experience as an inspiration for hope,” said Starinsky.

Among students attending the film festival, sophomore Sara Jane Kukawka finds an interest in sidebars such as It’s Easy Being Green.

“I think movies on the environment communicate with the public about sustainability,” she said. “With a plot line and emotional attachment to whatever characters it is a venue where afterwards people are much more motivated to advocate.”

In addition to the many diverse sidebars, students who have found an interest with the LGBTQ movement on campus can find films relevant to the topic.

“I also want to see some of the LGBTQ- focused films,” said Kukawka. “Everything on campus has made me more aware of that section of our population and I’m curious to learn more about the topic.”

Films will run from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with the option of attending midnight movies on both Friday and Saturday evenings.

  Also, the Festival is offering an option for attendees to come for popcorn at lunch time. 

“Tower City Cinemas will offer a $4.50 small popcorn and small drink special at the concession stand between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. each day, and fresh wraps will be featured at Jules Café, located in the Film Festival store inside the lobby,” said Starinsky.  

“You can take a longer lunch break and enjoy the whole program!”

The Festival, which also offers various film awards, was named in 2009 as a qualifying festival in the category of Short Films by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“This means that winners of our Best Live Action Short Film and Best Animated Short Film awards may qualify to enter the Short Films category of the Academy Awards,” said Starinsky.  

“This week, you have an opportunity to view a variety of Shorts Programs and on Sunday, March 28, you can attend the Independent Short Audience Awards and Jury Awards programs.”

Tickets are priced from $10-$12, and can be purchased on-site at the Film Festival store in the lobby of Tower City Cinemas or by calling 1-877-304-3456.

“Shutter Island” is a film where the superior acting outweighs the movie itself. Despite the story’s flaws, the cast of the film (especially Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley) effortlessly carry the film with their obvious grasp of great acting.
The story takes place in 1954 at a mental institution for the criminally insane.
When an inmate (Emily Mortimer) inexplicably breaks out of the inescapable fortress of Shutter Island, two U.S. Federal Marshals (DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) are called in to investigate the problem.
But the longer they stay, the more they see there’s something disturbing and possibly life-threatening about the prison and its mysterious chief psychiatrist (Kingsley) that could involve a massive conspiracy.
“Shutter Island” is quite an amazing undertaking for director Martin Scorsese.
For a director best known for intense criminal character studies like “Taxi Driver,” here he has created an honest-to-God, unsettling horror film and does it with power and finesse. Everything about it screams film noir, which hasn’t been this effectively done since Christopher Nolan’s “Memento.”
What made Dennis Lehane’s novel a masterpiece is disappointingly absent from the adaptation.
There is just something missing. The source material was brilliant, especially through its use of ambiguity.
Scorsese gives away the plot by almost handing to the audiences a conventionally clear ending he thought they would like, instead of the ending that would have been more fitting to the Scorsese style.
An ambiguous ending with less spoon-fed exposition would have made all the difference.
The cast (also including Michelle Williams, Cleveland’s Ted Levine and Jackie Earl Haley) make up the best part of the film – the acting.
Both DiCaprio and Kingsley are continuously electrifying to watch, especially together. DiCaprio is especially masterful and carries our interest when the story itself drags.
Now make no mistake: this is DiCaprio’s movie. DiCaprio makes this a performance of a lifetime by throwing in everything he’s capable of as a character actor.
It’s like witnessing a master chef at work, flawlessly putting together the perfect blend of ingredients to make a culinary work of art. He seems to go through every emotion, as if checking off each ingredient necessary for an Oscar nomination.
One scene that should get DiCaprio some award recognition comes in a flashback near the end, where DiCaprio comes home and reacts magnificently to a heart-rending tragedy.
Overall, “Shutter Island” offers more than your ordinary horror. It’s a true portrait of depravity and desperation of the human condition disguised as a thriller the average audience can swallow.
While this may be a lower-class Scorsese film, it’s still more enjoyable than most films today.
It’s a well-written classical look at noir horror, filled with energy and excitement. The suspense is breathtakingly effective.
Every scene builds on the mystery and each answer comes with more harrowing questions. The problem is we never get the payoff we’re waiting for.

CN: What’s it like being the head writer on “SNL”?

SM: You’re really just like one of the other writers. The most fun is we re-write everything on Thursdays. It’s really fun to sit in a room and lead a group of incredibly talented writers and try to come up with better jokes for stuff.

CN: Out of all the “SNL” cast members you’ve worked with, who’s the most fun to be around?

SM: Amy Poehler is the most fun. She’s like everything wrapped into one. She’s a bit of a cheerleader, a quarterback, class president [and]class clown. She’s kind of a force of nature comedy-wise.

CN: How upset were you that you weren’t at breakfast with Andy and the Lonely Island when he found the prize in his cereal?

SM: You mean to go on the boat? It was a bummer.

CN: What is one of your favorite skits you’ve ever written?

SM: That’s a good question. One of my favorite sketches that I ever wrote, that’s super stupid, was a sketch called “Jon Hamm’s John Ham” when Jon Hamm hosted, and it was about ham you can eat in the bathroom. I was perfectly happy with that on a pure stupidity level.

CN: Who’s your favorite public figure to impersonate?

SM: I never really liked impersonating people that much. Really early on in the show I did Hugh Grant so that was kind of fun to just do a stammering British guy, but it’s been years since we had a reason to do that.

CN: Do you have to stay up to date with the news sources so that you always have a constant influx of material?

SM: Yeah, even on our off weeks where we sort of miss out on some big stories, but I definitely stay upon the news mostly via the Internet. We have cable news on in the background at work, but I like to read about it more than I like to watch it on TV.

CN: How is Weekend Update different from other sketches on the show?

SM: The biggest difference, and the thing I like most about it, is with a sketch on the show, if it starts bad it’s probably in trouble. Whereas with Weekend Update if you tell a bad joke you’ve got another one right after it. It can kind of save itself.

CN: What advice would you give to college students looking to get into comedy?

SM: Just to perform it as much as you can. It’s one of those things where the more hours you have doing it the better you get. Especially for college students, this is an age where the stakes are low enough where you can go out there and fail and I think you learn the most by failing.