In Bed with Billy: What Can Anal Sex Do for You? October 27, 2009
Posted by Sonya Hudson in : Style , add a commentBilly Curtis, Sex Columnist
For scores, centuries and even millennia, women have been letting themselves be engaged in an act that is not only unnatural to their body, but painful when improperly experienced. I’ve always wondered why girls let their boyfriends, or just guys in general, do this to them.
I know, you may be thinking, This kid is gay. He has to love anal sex, doesn’t he? Yes, I do enjoy anal sex and yes, I am obviously a gay man; therefore, I have the necessary functional tools, as well as the desire, to enjoy such things like anal intercourse. Girls do not have a prostate gland and thus, I don’t think getting anything shoved up their bum would give them any sort of pleasure.
This begs the question, what can brown really do for them?
I can imagine that some girls are more afraid of anal sex than they are of bugs and spiders.
While smoking a cigarette outside with some co-workers the other day, one decided to blurt out that her boyfriend had been trying to get her to try anal sex, which further led to the question of why men are so fascinated with having anal sex.
In my opinion, it’s either because they are secretly gay or they just want to sleep with you without using a condom and the consequence of getting you pregnant.
This has undoubtedly not been the first time that one of my friends has inquired about this sexual act to me.
Girls often find it easier to speak to gay men not only about sexual topics, but also about anything bothering them in their relationships – sometimes being the salvation to my career.
Anal sex has always brought up a world of questions to the heterosexual couple.
Will it hurt? Will I feel satisfaction from it? Guys clearly get the normal excitement of sticking their penis in a hole, but I had to wonder, girls don’t have any sexual stimuli in the rectum, so what is their reasoning for doing it when they obviously receive no gratification from the act?
In a survey done by Redbook, 43 percent of woman questioned said they had tried anal sex with a partner at least once in their lives; only 40 percent of the original 43 actually enjoyed it.
This also brought me to the question that, despite most heterosexual standings against sodomy and homosexual relations, how can they be so against the idea of two men having anal sex when they are so eagerly willing to try it themselves?
After all, it technically is the same thing and in the end, it’s not like anyone is forcing you to watch it, or do it yourself.
Brief anatomy lesson: the female anatomy is composed to enjoy such excitement in the vagina through the stimulus of the clitoris, that’s why they get pleasure from sex, but there is nothing in their rectum that is going to bring them pleasure.
Now, for the male counterpart, the prostate gland in the rectum is a directly comparative structure to the female clitoris because if stimulated the correct way, it can give your partner quite the orgasm – as scene in the 2000 film Road Trip when Sean William Scott’s character accidentally discovers the pleasure of having his prostate stimulated by a female nurse.
The next time your boyfriend or partner begs you to let him try anal sex (because you know he probably will), turn it around on him and ask him why he doesn’t let you try some anal pleasuring on him, because he would clearly enjoy it more than you would.
It all comes down to the simple concept of whether you get excitement from the act of anal sex. I know some women enjoy such sexual expressions, but clearly, it’s not for everyone.
I mean, I love anal sex just as much as the next homosexual, but I can still admit as a medical professional that it is unnatural for anyone: the sphincter is meant to push things out of the body, not shove them in.
But if God wanted this act to be unnatural for gay men, then why would he create the prostate gland that can compare to the female clitoris in its stimulated functions?
Maybe it’s a sign that he knew gay people were going to exist in this world? I guess I’ll save that topic for philosophy classes.
The next time anyone brings up anal sex to you, or asks you if you are willing to try it, weigh the pros and cons: You may enjoy it, or it may be one of the most painful experiences you’ve ever had.
Either way, in my opinion, anal sex should stick to the homosexual community because, seriously, we gays clearly enjoy it more than you heterosexuals ever will.
Improv Expert Visits Mason: Wayne Brady and Company Crack Up Students at the Patriot Center October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentPatrick Wall, Style Editor
Few entertainers today can really be called the triple threat. The days of performers being able to sing, dance and act may seem like a distant memory to some, but the spirit is kept alive in one man—Wayne Brady.
Yes, this might seem a bit dramatic; maybe even over the top. But to be fair, that’s the kind of spirit Brady brings to the table with his performances. And a zany brand of comedy is exactly what he brought to George Mason University when he visited the Patriot Center last Saturday.
By now, everyone knows Brady’s resume: he entered the hearts of audiences as the star of the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? where he showcased his singing, dancing and acting talents.
After winning a Primetime Emmy for his work on the show, Brady entered the realm of daytime television in 2001 with The Wayne Brady Show.
He is now set to host the remake of the popular game show Let’s Make a Deal. But for many college students, Brady’s most well-known work came from his 2004 appearance on Chapelle’s Show.
One popular catch phrase later, Brady was back in the spotlight. When he isn’t touring the country, Brady has found a home of sorts in Las Vegas.
Along with his “white dude” (his words, not mine) co-host Jonathan Mangum, Brady hosts “Making It Up!” at the Venetian Hotel.
The days of Whose Line? now a memory, Brady was free to do with the show as he pleased. Which, as it turns out, entails doing more of the same shtick we all loved from Whose Line?
That isn’t to say the show was stale. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Brady and his supporting cast of characters including a drummer, keyboardist and Mangum brought the best of the genius improv show without any of the unnecessary Drew Carey.
Brady started the night by channeling his inner will.i.am, re-doing the lyrics to The Black Eyed Peas’ “Let’s Get it Started.” Before coming onstage, audience members shouted out words for Brady to use in his song.
No, words like “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” weren’t allowed, but ones like “surreptitious” and “colonoscopy” certainly were.
Not surprisingly, Brady handled it with ease, showing off his improve skills and impressive vocabulary.
The staples were all there: Brady flexed his vocal muscles as he performed hilariously accurate send-ups of Creed, Prince and Rod Stewart, got a little ambiguously gay in a Batman and Robin parody featuring students as props, and re-created a hillbilly trucker scene in the style of, what else, The Godfather.
Naturally, audience participation was a must. Brady went through the audience, bringing students onstage to perform along with him.
“The show was a lot better than I expected.” said senior history major Kyle Roe. “He was high energy and a lot of fun.”
Audiences young and old packed the Patriot Center. Admittedly, some of Brady’s humor was a bit more racy than his squeaky clean image might suggest.
But any potentially awkward moments–like his song about herpes–were met instead with raucous laughter.
Much of America may have put Wayne Brady behind them, but as anyone who has seen him live can attest, Mr. Brady is far from history.
The Art of Birth: Local Artist’s New Art Exhibit Draws Praise, Criticism at Mason October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentMarian McLaughlin, Staff Writer
When Jessica Clements was pregnant with her first child, Sam, she was terrified at the idea of birth.
She tried to find photographs, videos, anything from our cultural media depicting birth, but became frustrated at how censored and unrealistic this topic was.
So Clements decided to cope with pregnancy and birth by creating a series of realistic and raw paintings, sparing no details.
Now comfortable with birth, Clements has three children: her son Sam, her daughter Sierra and her show, “The Origin of the World,” a series of 10 paintings that show different women in the process of birthing their children.
One of the most explicit paintings is “Charity and Izaiah,” which portrays a breeched birth on a square canvas. It is abstract in a sense that it is difficult to tell the point of view of the subject.
The process of birth is often depicted with the soon-to-be mother lying down on her back, but here, Charity seems to be sitting, possibly trying to gain leverage through labor by arching her back and placing her arms behind her.
Only a portion of her body is visible, from her torso to her mid-thighs, which makes the image even more raw.
There is no facial expression tied to such a graphic scene, only two human bodies shown in a state of stress and struggle.
Charity’s body seems almost pornographic, her legs spread wide, which from a distance or a first glance might seem pornographic.
However, even as she pushes her newborn out, Charity’s stance is anything but inviting. Sex is not the basic human instinct represented here; instead this scene is all about survival.
Other paintings, such as “Heather and Mike,” focus on the relationship between the soon-to-be parents during stages of their child’s birth.
Although the primary focus is on the women in each situation, their male counterpart is ever-present behind them, providing physical and emotional support.
In “Heather and Mike,” Mike is standing right behind Heather, as if leading her further through her labor while holding her up with his embrace.
The mood of “Jill, Renee, and Sevilen” sets it apart from the other pieces.
The husband and wife lay together in a bathtub, and the reflections from light scatter and penetrate the water’s surface.
The wife lays back into her husband, overcome by either a state of relaxation or surrender. Her husband observes, and envelops her in his arms, but instead of holding onto her shoulders, as Mike did to Heather, he is more sensual, grasping his wife’s breasts.
Some students like Sarah, who wrote in the comment book, complimented Clements on her “courage to display so openly” while others found the content too graphic or gross.
The exhibit, located in the Johnson Center’s 123 Gallery, is right by the food court. As people stand in line for Taco Bell, Clements’ paintings of womens’ bleeding and expanding vaginas are in full sight.
Another note in the comment book, remaining anonymous, said “I EAT HERE, YOU IDIOTS.” Some boys chuckled as they walked past, making a quick entry into the gallery only to run out, seeming repulsed.
Art and Visual Technology major Mike Forster has seen many shows come through the 123 Gallery, but he has never seen anything so realistic, especially pertaining to a subject such as birth.
“Usually, images are done through metaphor, but they never show the actual act.” said Forster.
“In Clements’ exhibit, you can just tell what is happening through each figure’s expression. There is no interpretation involved at all. It is graphic, but it depicts something important and true.”
Wild Things a Ride Into Fantasy: Children’s Classic Story Makes for Heartwarming Adapation October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentAlex Hylton, Staff Writer
Every so often, a film comes along that is absolutely wonderful, marking a real achievement in filmmaking. It’s a film that delightfully taps into the imagination of a child but allows adults to marvel at its grandeur.
It becomes something more than what is shown on the surface and delves into real emotions and themes that reach out and touch our hearts.
Where the Wild Things Are is one of those films, adeptly exploring the dynamics of life and the paths many children take to learn and grow to be born again into a mature, young adult.
Based on the beloved book by Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are begins with Max, played by Max Records, facing a number of troubles.
His father has long since left, his mother is too focused on other things to give him much attention and his sister is neglectful, allowing her friends to bully him without intervening.
Max is lonely and friendless, his only reliable companion being his imagination. One night, his bottled up frustration explodes into aggression and he runs away only to find a sailboat which drifts him out to sea, eventually landing him on a strange island where he meets the wild things.
The beauty in this opening is that you cannot pinpoint the exact moment that reality turns imaginary because his imagination is his only absolute truth.
His troubles carry over into his fantasies and the strong correlation between the fantasy world and real life makes his transition indistinguishable. The Wild Things and their world feel just as real to Max as his life back home, if not more so.
The parallelisms between Max and the wild things offer up the overarching themes that dominate the film, with the closest comparison being the crude effigy to Carol, voiced by James Gandolfini.
They are both troubled souls and take no trust in anybody. They both have short tempers and decimate the things around them. They both have created works of art for the ones they love only to destroy them later when they feel emotionally betrayed.
However, each wild thing outside of Carol represents a piece of Max or a person in his life. A quarrel that exists between two of the creatures corresponds with Max and his sister, with each drifting further apart from one another.
Another creature named Alexander, voiced by Paul Dano, is hurt at one point in the movie from the bullying received by the other wild things, much like Max is by his sister’s friends. Whereas Carol portrays Max’s angry side, Alexander shows the timidity and fear that he lives with on a day to day basis.
With themes of death, rage, pain and loneliness, the film is very much an adult fairy tale, despite the PG rating, but age matters not in this story because its message is timeless and its artistry extraordinary. All ages will find themselves lost in this absorbing tale.
Where the Wild Things Are is magical, a tour de force of imagination and spirit. It is a true masterpiece that will be cherished for generations to come and it is one of the best movies of the year.
Watching the Watchmen: Who is Securitas? October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentEvan Benton, Staff Writer
When roaming the dormitories of George Mason University late at night, even the least-observant resident may notice the black-suited men and women that roam them, too.
Armed with thin black rods that resemble lightsabers, these black suits travel from dorm to dorm, stopping at particular doorways to scan these rods at corresponding sensors. They continue their appointed rounds until daylight, maintaining a schedule that sees them seemingly monitoring Mason’s dorms while its resident students are sleeping.
But, in college, many students don’t keep normal hours.
“I do my laundry later than most people—mostly because you can’t seem to get an open machine before midnight,” said Sreeram Mohanan, a sophomore computer engineering major. “And every single time I’m doing it late at night, I see [them] in the student lounge watching television.”
Watching television?
The emblem on the collars and lapels of the men and women in question display the word “Securitas,” with a corresponding logo of three red circles.
One of the largest private security companies in the world, Securitas, Inc. operates in over 40 countries, with close to 250,000 employees. Services provided are specialized guarding and mobile services, monitoring and investigations.
Mason’s housing office hired Securitas in 2006, when record-setting enrollment made necessary the need for more dormitories and therefore more security. The housing office states their official university functions as securing common areas, providing assistance to the Mason Police, and helping to maintain an environment that is conducive to sleeping and studying.
“They make rounds, do reports, and deal with anyone who is breaking laws,” said Steve Morehouse, associate director at Office of Housing and Residence Life.
One can assume that Morehouse would be more than interested to hear of Securitas, Inc. employees spending their twilight hours watching late-night television in the student lounge, rather than investigating the multitude offenses that could be happening at any given moment in the dorms.
“What about people partying too loud at 2 a.m., or vandalizing the hallway bulletin boards?” Mohanan said. “How about all the people that go in and out of the building every day that aren’t even residents? This stuff happens every night practically, and yet they feel that it’s all [safe] enough to sit down and watch some MTV.”
As the only patrolling security on campus from late evening to early morning, Securitas’ role is vital to safeguarding Mason’s students.
“It makes me wonder just how secure things are around here,” said Monahan.
Local Restaurant a Hidden Gem: Bernie’s Delicatessen Features Mouth-Watering Subs, Friendly Atmosphere October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentRob Bock, Broadside Correspondent
About six months ago, I went to Bernie’s Delicatessen on Chain Bridge Road in search of a delicious meatball sandwich. SubConnection and Gold Rush weren’t cutting it anymore, and I had heard good things about Bernie’s from my roommate.
So I went in and $7 later, I ate one of the best meatball subs I’ve ever had.
The soft, fresh Italian bread perfectly held the provolone cheese, the sweet marinara sauce and the delicious meatballs in place.
On that day, I swore to return to Bernie’s to see if they had anything that could top my meatball sub experience.
Turns out, they do. I had a chance to speak with Bernard Socha, owner of Bernie’s Deli. After having co-owned Wagshal’s Deli in Washington, D.C. for around 20 years, Socha and his family opened Bernie’s Delicatessen and Gourmet Market two years ago to work closer to home. Business has been picking up slowly but surely since then, and for good reason.
Turns out Bernie’s cooks its own corned beef, roast beef and roasted turkey every day, in addition to fresh potato salads, bread and desserts made daily without preservatives.
When I asked Bernie himself what I should order, he told me, “Anything with meat.”
The first thing I sampled was the “Mom’s Potato Salad.” I really noticed the lack of preservatives in this, having eaten grocery store potato salad all my life. It was surprisingly rich and flavorful, and the crumbled bacon bits and cheddar cheese on top were a nice touch. If you like potato salad, you’ll love this.
Next, I tried the Italian cold cut sandwich. Since this sandwich had three kinds of meat on it, I was eager to see if it would stand out. Turns out it did, but not for the reason I originally thought.
Of course the Capicola ham, hard salami and peppered Italian ham made the sandwich tasty, but the sweet peppers added a sweet, fun taste to the salty meats and cheese to push the sandwich from “good” to “great.”
After this, I decided to move to the dessert counter to try something even sweeter. My eyes settled on an Oreo brownie, and I tried it out. I’m sure nearly everyone’s found their perfect brownie before—soft and chewy and chocolatey and delicious—so I’m just going to let you know that I found my perfect brownie at Bernie’s. And it was heaven. The white “Oreo” layer in the middle was a wonderful touch.
Surprisingly, I ate something better that day. After the brownie, I tried to eat one of the more meat-packed sandwiches, just to see how right Bernie really was. I settled on a Reuben, a sandwich commonly found at delis, usually made of corned beef, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on toasted rye bread.
Bernie wasn’t lying. The sandwich was phenomenal. This time, all the credit went to the corned beef.
I have no idea what Bernie’s does to make its beef so great, but I don’t really care as long as I can keep going there to order Reubens.
The only problem I had with the sandwich was its size. It was a quarter pound of meat on a small rye bread sandwich. It may sound like a lot, but as a hungry college student, I was left wanting a little more. Luckily, you can ask for extra meat, but it’s another $2. I’d probably recommend this.
I left Bernie’s feeling extremely satisfied. The prices were a little more than what you can get in the on-campus cafeterias, but for the increase in quality, it’s totally worth it.
The only real fault I had with the restaurant was its hours. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday are okay for commuters, but for college students, later hours would be awesome.
Don’t let that ruin Bernie’s for you. When it’s open, Bernie’s is easily one of the best take-out places around.
Taking the Lead: Penn Badgley Opens Up About New Thriller October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentThe Stepfather is a new film that portrays a family whose lives are threatened by the new addition of an unhinged stepfather.
This recently released thriller movie stars Penn Badgley and is giving the Gossip Girl cast member his first chance at a lead role in a major production. Badgley took the time to talk to a few colleges about the experience.
How will this film be different than other thrillers?
Well, there are actually, I think, a surprising number of differences between The Stepfather and a lot of modern thrillers or horror films.
First off, it is a thriller. It’s not straight-up horror. It’s not a slasher the way that I think maybe the original was in 1987. It’s a simpler, story-driven thriller.
It isn’t full of twists and turns. I think for that reason, people might not be getting what they’re expecting going in, but they’ll be pleasantly surprised.
What personal touches did the writers made to separate this film from the 1980 version?
First off, I think the biggest difference we had was that I thought it was an eerie, creepy slasher film, like much more in that ‘80s vein of the cult genre picture. This is a broader thriller. I think there’s more of a story that will draw you in and keep you invested as opposed to relying on gimmicks.
Also, a huge difference you have in this one from the original is my character was a girl. I think they changed that to make the relationship between the stepfather and my character to be one where you can only see one of two ways for it to end, and that’s probably one of them dying. So it has to end in a battle. It’s a different kind of tension and it’s a different kind of rapport that they developed, a different kind of interaction.
What are the similarities and differences of playing someone who is alienated in their own home as in The Stepfather and someone who is alienated in their socioeconomic setting as Dan Humphrey is in Gossip Girl?
I think Michael, who is the kid in The Stepfather, he comes from a very different place I think mentally [and] emotionally than Dan . . . because I think most of his life he’s had the acceptance, he’s gotten the girl and things have sort of come easily to him, probably too easily, which is why he became disenchanted or whatever it was that drove him to act out and rebel and then they sent him off to military school.
Are you a fan of horror films yourself?
You know, I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m a fan of horror films. Everybody likes a scare, and around this time of year, I’m always game.
I saw the first two Saw films and then after that I thought it got kind of silly. Yes, I think it’s really fun, and that’s the whole point of these movies.
Yes, you want to terrify the audience for a bit, but the whole reason that anybody does that is because it’s fun, especially during the time around Halloween.
What was my most memorable experience working on the movie?
You know what? I don’t want to give away too much, but there’s a sequence that takes place outside on a rooftop where we were shooting in the rain, in movie rain. Movie rain is really heavy in order for it to read on camera. So the second it turns on, you’re soaking wet. We shot this over a three day night shoot which happened to be scheduled on the only three days where it was below 50 degrees in L.A. I think it was about 40 degrees and they had to make the water cold, otherwise it would steam and would read on camera.
So I was in this thin cotton t-shirt and jeans all night for three nights under these rain machines in freezing cold weather. It came to this point where I couldn’t get dry in between takes. For 12 hours, 14 hours at a time I would just be wet and either cold or hot because I’d be standing in between these body heaters. It was physically – I wouldn’t even say it was a challenge; it was just miserable. At the time it was really close to unbearable, but I look back on it fondly. Honestly, the whole movie was an incredible experience for me. I’d never done a big picture like this, let alone a lead in a big picture. So it was just, in so many ways, an awesome time.
From the Bathroom to the Big Time: Local Band Set to Release Sophomore Album October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , 1 comment so farNicole Ocran, Staff Writer
Writing songs in the bathroom may sound strange, but frontman Brad Rhodes of Melodime appreciates its simple solitude. To escape the craziness of growing up in a household full of older siblings, at 10 years old, he retreated to the basement bathroom of his house to begin the writing process.
This Northern Virginia band’s latest endeavor, The Bathroom Diaries, Vol. 1, is a nod to Rhodes’ songwriting tendencies. Although now, the rest of the band—keyboardist Sam Duis, drummer Tyg Duis, bassist Nate Thomas, and violinist and George Mason University music major Katie Shanta—play a large role in the production.
Rhodes, Sam and Tyg have been together since the band’s inception. Rhodes was first introduced to Tyg in high school by a mutual friend and soon after, they recruited Tyg’s brother, Sam.
“They’re brothers so, [there is a] package deal with that,” said Rhodes. “It was just us three for awhile. In the spring of ’06 was when we kind of got serious about it and started playing together. Then, the two new members, Katie and Nate; they were brought on [about five months ago].”
The group has been slowly but surely climbing up the ranks. “D.C. is definitely a great place to grow and it’s a very creative place to be when you’re making music. It’s been good, there’s lots of great places to play and bands to play with, so it’s been nice,” said Rhodes.
Their hit song, “Sweet Contentment” off their debut album Memories in the Form of Sound was featured on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance last summer.
Rhodes explained the differences between Memories and their upcoming album.
“With the first album, we had a much larger budget and we had a lot of time just to go into the stud . . . we were kind of learning how we wanted to do it,” said Rhodes. “This album on the other hand, we had a very small budget, and we had not a lot of studio time . . . The whole thing was recorded, pretty much in about a week—it was a lot of just all-nighters in the studio, recording this one. It’s a totally different feel.”
After an abundance of studio time and playing three-hour sets at local bars, what’s next for these up-and-comers?
“We’re trying to get a lot more opening slots for bands down the road. I feel like that’s the next thing we need to do to broaden the fan base,” said Rhodes, “we’ve also been working on a few tracks in Raleigh, N.C. with our producer that we’ve got hooked up with, which we’ve never do . . . so we’re hoping with his connections, some things can happen to take us to that next level. That’s kind of what we have in mind for the future.”
Described as a “stripped down, acoustic-y feel,” The Bathroom Diaries, Vol. 1 is comprised of songs from their first album, as well as exclusive tracks. The album release party will be held at Iota in Arlington, Va. on Oct. 24.
For more information, check out the band’s MySpace at www.myspace.com/mymelodime.
The “Pack” is Back: The Top 10 “Frat Pack” Films October 20, 2009
Posted by style in : Style , add a commentRoss Bonaime, Staff Writer
Last weekend, Vince Vaughn’s Couple’s Retreat opened with a surprising $34 million dollars, proving that the films of The Frat Pack—movies featuring Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Luke and Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Steve Carell and Will Ferrell—still have a chance against films from Judd Apatow’s crew.
In honor of this box office victory, here are the top 10 films from The Frat Pack:
10. Zoolander
The world’s two top models face off against the evil creator of the piano tie in Ben Stiller’s Spinal Tap of the fashion industry.
Stiller and Owen Wilson are ridiculously dumb as the two models and Ferrell as the villain is one of the most over-the-top antagonists in recent memory.
9. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
The first and best of Ferrell’s sports parodies, Ricky Bobby was the epitome of a racer stereotype.
His father told him “if you’re not first, you’re last,” so when he does lose a race to Jean Girard, played by Sasha Baron Cohen with arguably the worst French accent ever, Bobby starts to go a little nuts. And if anyone knows how to go crazy, it’s Ferrell.
8. Step Brothers
Speaking of Ferrell being crazy, imagine if he was a 40-year-old still living at home with his mom when she gets married and the stepfather’s 40-year old son, perfectly played by John C. Reilly, moves in.
After hating each other and trying to bury one another, the two bond over their favorite types of dinosaurs, using night vision goggles and their guy-crushes on John Stamos to create one of last year’s weirdest and funniest films.
7. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Vince Vaughn and his crew of misfits try to save their gym by entering a dodgeball tournament against a rival gym, led by Ben Stiller.
Dodgeball was an insane success, even beating Spielberg’s The Terminal in its first weekend. With its supporting characters including Justin Long and Alan Tudyk, it’s not hard to see why it was so loved.
6. Meet the Parents
Stiller was at his neurotic best with this 2000 comedy hit where he faced his fiance’s father, Robert De Niro.
Nothing goes right as Stiller is given a polygraph test, breaks an urn filled with a loved one’s ashes and ruins everything he touches.
But the film has as many sweet touches as it does laugh-out-loud moments. Let’s just forget about that terrible sequel, though.
5. Wedding Crashers
Vaughn and Owen Wilson play two friends who have a great time at weddings they aren’t invited to but get in dangerous territory when they start falling for two girls they meet at one of the weddings.
Like Meet the Parents, everything goes wrong for Vaughn’s character, and the believability level might be pretty low, but hilarious moments, including a great cameo by Ferrell, make this a pretty great comedy.
4.The 40-Year-Old Virgin
This is the film that put Steve Carell and Apatow on the map. Carell’s character Andy is the perfect lovable loser, and his friends, played by Romany Malco, Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen, are misdirected but have their hearts in the right place.
As Andy tries to find love and his friends try to find him lust, Carell became one of the most likable entertainment personalities in the comedy world.
3.The Royal Tenenbaums
What could be called the dramatic Frat Pack movie is a beautiful film from director Wes Anderson and written by Owen Wilson. The film stars Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson and Gwyneth Paltrow as the children of an uncaring dad, played by Gene Hackman.
But the beauty of the film is how out of this confusion, they create their own mixed-up family. Wilson and Stiller take on some of their most dramatic work, including Wilson, whose attempted suicide scene is one of the greatest scenes Anderson has ever directed.
2. Old School
Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell and Luke Wilson relive their college days by creating their own fraternity in this gigantic hit.
Old School made Vaughn a comedic giant for the first time since Swingers and brought Ferrell into the pantheon of Saturday Night Live alumni who were actually successful.
1. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman was the film where truly the entire Frat Pack shine. With the exception of Owen Wilson, all of the members make appearances and feature easily some of their best comedic moments.
The film has become a monster of its own, becoming one of the most quoted films of the decade, and for good reason. It’s hard to not still laugh at the ridiculousness of Ferrell, or the stupidity of Carell’s Brick Tamland.
But the fight sequence between the news anchors in the pinnacle of the film and allows The Frat Pack to be as ridiculous as they want to be. And it’s pretty ridiculous.
Liberty and Justice for All October 20, 2009
Posted by Sonya Hudson in : Style , add a commentKatie Miller, Staff Writer
On Sunday, Oct. 11, fabulous people from across the nation came together to march on Washington for the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community.
Kicking off the march with an actual rainbow (mind you, there was not a drop of rain in the sky), the event proved to be magical.
With waving banners and elaborate chants, 200,000 LGBTQ rights supporters marched from McPherson Square to the Capitol, a three-mile trek.
The organizing body known as Equality Across America asserts on their web site that the National Equality March was an effort to fight for “Equal Protection for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. Now.”
The movement’s urgency was palpable. During the rally on the steps of the Capitol following the march, all speakers, ranging from Lady Gaga to Academy Award-winning screen writer for Milk, Dustin Lance Black, to slam poet and LGBTQ activist Staceyann Chin, called for people to take action to make the march more than just an afternoon of waving rainbow flags.
While Lady Gaga’s booming cry for Obama to listen was surely one of the events highlights, the overall importance of the march goes far beyond the spoken word. The entire event proved that mobilization can happen.
Equality Idol Runner-Up and rally speaker Mario Nguyen, who is a sophomore at Western Kentucky University, was skeptical about how impactful the march would actually be. Once there, however, his doubts evaporated as quickly as the grass before the Capitol filled.
“This march was organized at nothing but a grassroots level, no corporate endorsement at all. And it was not just some cute gathering of pretty gay people, or some little pride march. No, it was a convention, where we networked, we connected, we inspired,” said Nguyen.
As a participant in the event, with a twisted ankle no less, I have to say that limping for three miles and standing for three hours left me much more than just sore and slightly sunburned.
As kids we hear about this thing called civil rights and that it is something people have died fighting for, but until you actually participate alongside those fighters, hold their hands, listen to their stories and become one of them, do you understand the urgency for a piece of what has been deemed our inalienable rights.
Not everyone shares my or the marchers’ views on gay rights, but anyone can understand that when surrounded by like-minded strangers expressing pure joy at the thought of working together to bring change to life, you are forever impacted.
“We gained knowledge, and most importantly we got ready to take what is rightfully ours with our own two hands,” said Nguyen. “So watch out America.”