Author: neethi

“They don’t have it.”
“Have what?”
“They don’t have the movies.”
“So no Superbad or Pineapple Express?”
“Yep.”

 These were the words exchanged between three friends on a Friday afternoon in Askwith Media Library. Rays of artificial light illuminated their dejected faces as they flipped through binder after binder. Just when it seemed that there was no chance for cinematic satisfaction, one of the friends (me… I know, what a surprise!) saw an intriguing image. Underneath a laminated cover was a face. His face was almost as distressed as those of the three friends. His disheveled body stood in front of a large green board. The words CHALK were scrawled across it. Finally. Movie magic.

The film “Chalk” is a mockumentary (much like “The Office”) about the ups and downs of high school through the eyes of teachers and administrators. Directed by Mike Ackel, “Chalk” achieves that perfect balance between humor and sadness. The level of reality portrayed by Ackel made it impossible to not be invested in the characters. I found myself immediately rooting for romantic entanglements between Mr. Lowry (the pathetic first year history teacher) and Coach Webb (the overly pushy gym teacher), while I could not stop laughing at the absurd nature of Mr. Stroope (the teacher who yells at students who use big words).

However, “Chalk” is not superficial in its intrigue. It truly is a fascinating cinematic commentary on the American educational system. According to the director at the start of the film, 50% of teachers quit within the first three years and what’s even more disheartening are the quality of some of the teachers hired. “Chalk” serves to illuminate these facts by showing the day-to-day struggles of being a teacher. Not only does the pay suck, but teachers also have to put up with numerous devil children (watch the first scene and you will understand the plight of teachers). After viewing this film I gained a new perspective on my own teachers, both past and present (maybe it was the students who made my freshman biology teacher a bitch… or maybe not). I also left with a newfound respect for these professionals whose life long goal (at least for some) is to educate and hopefully inspire.

If you are looking for a great way to spend a Friday night definitely check this movie out. It’s definitely better than Superbad.

Before I begin, I would like to preface this entry with the following: Yes, I am from New Jersey, and no, I have never encountered (for better or for worse) the “Situation.”

I guess my obsession with the MTV hit “Jersey Shore” was a long time coming. Everywhere I went people were talking about the “shore” and these self proclaimed “guidos” and “guidettes.” Even my friends (both from New Jersey and elsewhere) were completely hooked. “Is that what Jersey is like,” my friends from Michigan would ask, to which I would have to calmly respond, “No. It’s not.” For my friends back home, the intrigue of the show was the fact that it presented them with a new perspective of their home state. The places, roads, and landmarks that are shown throughout the show were the backdrops of some of our fondest memories. In fact, most of my friends spent the weekend after prom frolicking about in what has now been made infamous by MTV, Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

For those of who have read thus far and still don’t know what the hell “Jersey Shore” is let me quickly explain. “Jersey Shore” follows the lives of eight twenty- somethings living and partying together for one summer on the shore. Part “Real World” and part “The Hills” (except instead of Dior we have to settle for DEB) “Jersey Shore” is truly a whirlwind of fake tans, big boobs, and even bigger hair.

 The fakery, however, is not exclusive to the outward appearance of the “cast.” In fact, the entire notion that this show is an authentic portrayal of the Jerseyites (yes, I just made up a word!) is truly ludicrous. The truth is that only one of the eight cast members is actually from New Jersey, while most of the cast hails from New York (while one guy is from the great state of Rhode Island)- oh the joys of “reality” television!

Ultimately, “Jersey Shore” is truly just another caricature of the Garden State, founded upon stereotypes rather than reality (an albeit addictive and “so bad that it’s good” type of caricature!). My only hope is that you, the viewer, will be able to discern the truth from the reality. Trust me, New Jersey is more than theTurnpike, malls, and annoying accents. Take a chance and find out… I can give you first hand accounts if you’d like 🙂

Have a great MLK day/ FOUR-day week and be sure to leave your comments below!

Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Though during his lifetime capturing images usually required an easel and a paintbrush rather than a digital camera, images of all mediums provide a gateway into a specific moment in time. Paintings, photographs, drawings etc. serve as a form of social commentary. They can be a rather specific (and sometimes spontaneous) narrative of the times in which we live in.

Yearbooks, I think, are the most fascinating presentation of visual art. My interest in these personal photographic exhibitions started innocently enough. I began flipping through a stack of yearbooks in my dorm with the hopes of finding my football and personal idol Tom Brady (yes, I AM a Patriots fan and yes, I refuse to acknowledge that the Ravens beat them yesterday). As I flipped through the glossy pages of the leather bounded book I was struck by the images of carefree students lounging on the Diag with captions such as “squirrels mingled with students as they rested in between classes or during a lunch break.” These colorful pictures painted a simple and uncluttered commentary and description of the college experience. This sentiment was even more apparent as I began looking at older yearbooks. Yearbooks that dated back to the beginning of the last century showed a more unified university life. They participated in traditions such the pushball contest (which entails exactly what you think it entails… pushing a large rubber ball) and spring contests.

Though certain yearbooks touched on the unfortunate events of the day (i.e World War I/II, Vietnam War, etc.), what was really astonishing about these books was the transformation between generations of Michigan students. As I “traveled” from the early 1900s to the 60s and through to the present day, I was intrigued by how complex our lives have seemingly become. The simple pleasures of field days and dances have for better or worse given way to beer pong and frat parties. Though I whole-heartedly support the progression of society’s ideals and standards, I found myself longing to be one of those students standing in a long line on registration day, rather than anxiously waiting in front of a computer screen in my room. Maybe it’s just me, but I would rather be hanging out at Swift’s in a poodle skirt and cardigan set, than at Starbuck’s in skinny jeans and a North face jacket.

Take a look for yourself and see- flipping through yearbooks is a great way to enjoy a study break! Don’t forget to leave your comments below and enjoy your first full week of classes (as hard as that may be 🙂 )!

“Dad can you turn on the radio?”

 “Oh Neethi, why do you always have to listen to some kind of noise?”

 “Daaad, pleaaassseee.”

 “Okay, okay.”

 It is a constant struggle. My mom wants silence, my dad wants Rush, and I want Jay-Z. Most of the time we all (meaning my dad and I…remember- “two out of three ain’t bad”) agree to listen to a station dedicated to the oldies like LiteFm since my Dad can’t handle the auditory assault that is Hot 97. But today was a different day. I managed to guilt my parents into letting me fully control the radio dial (oh the joys of going to school halfway across the country!). Excitedly, I switched the radio on and turned the dial to 96.5. “Po, Po, Po, Poker Face,” blasts from the speakers. My mother looks at me, as if to further prove her point. My dad starts laughing at the absurdity of the song. I didn’t care. My afternoon with the Lady had begun.

 To be honest, when I first heard Lady Gaga’s stuff I didn’t like it. Both her music and persona seemed superficial and ridiculous. I mean anyone can spastically dance around in an outfit made up of stuffed animals of Kermit the Frog- what made Lady Gaga so famous? And what the hell does the name Lady Gaga mean- why can’t celebrities just be normal?! Don’t get me wrong, I liked Just Dance, but Poker Face was mildly annoying and Love Game was downright vulgar. However, a few days ago I discovered her song “Bad Romance,” and I became hooked. Maybe it was the fact that I was delirious with fatigue while writing my Women Studies paper (the night before…don’t judge) or I was in the middle of a sugar coma, but I just couldn’t stop listening to that song. Even though the verses were a little too boring, the chorus was glorious and catchy. Upon further investigation I stumbled upon another one of her new songs called “Telephone.” For any of you Beyonce fans out there, this is a sister song of sorts to Beyonce’s “Video Phone,” except it’s a million times better. Seriously, it’s nearly impossible to not get this song stuck in your head. What is truly fantastic about this track is the production of it. Darkchild (producer extraordinaire) manages to seamlessly infuse real telephone sounds and tones into the track, which make it musically interesting. Also, unlike in Beyonce’s “Video Phone” where Lady Gaga’s contribution seems to be forced and awkward, Beyonce adds to the track by keeping her hip hop influences within Lady Gaga’s song.           

After listening to these two musical gems I decided to check out the entire album. Though I had high hopes for Gaga’s latest creation, I was unfortunately under whelmed. Many of the tracks fell victim to the Gaga formula- synthesizer heavy with a strong 80s influence and similar vocal presentation of the lyrics (i.e the vocal repetition that made Poker Face such a hit). Also, on several of the tracks such as Dance in the Dark, the lyrical content and vocal strength of Lady Gaga is overshadowed by overproduction. You really see her musical and artistic abilities on tracks like “Speechless,” which is by far the best track on the album. This song gives listeners an all too brief glimpse of the person behind the persona with a track uncluttered by dance beats and engineered sounds. Gaga truly shines when presented naturally and stripped down to her essence. I would have loved to hear an album filled with raw and simply produced songs. I think that the world has heard enough of the Lady, and now needs to hear from the woman behind the sensation.  

 Check out Lady Gaga’s new record The Fame Monster and let me know what you think! Have a great week  🙂

I hate studying. I realize that this is a completely obvious statement, but it is true. I truly hate reading textbooks and writing analytical essays about the deeper meanings found in the “classics.” Honestly, I would much rather run a marathon than sit down and decipher my orgo textbook (anyone who knows me knows the severity of this statement… let’s just say I run like Forest Gump with leg braces).  But alas, the worth of a 50,000 dollar education would never be realized if I spent all day watching the Tyra show (yep- I’m THAT classy). So we all struggle. We spend hours in the UGLi trying to cram a semester worth of information into our brains before finals. We sit in the hallowed halls of the Law Library trying to churn out the greatest essay ever written. We procrastinate. (To be fair though would you rather go out on a Thursday or stay in memorizing verb tenses… yeah that’s what I thought). I guess what gets me about studying is the silence. The silence makes me fall asleep and I tend to get distracted and almost anxious by the lack of noise (I went to a high school without any walls… Quiet rooms freak me out!). Maybe, it’s just me, but I need music to help me focus .  However, not any type of music will work. Each task requires its own soundtrack, its own musical vibe. Thus, for this post I have decided to focus on the ever important task of reading (specifically science textbooks since I am premed!). The key to listening to music while reading is to not have songs on your playlist that will cause any sort of intense reaction. This includes songs like Single Ladies by Beyonce, Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z, or my personal favorite, September by Earth, Wind, and Fire. Instead of studying, songs like these will create a very strong urge to get up on top of a desk and start shaking “ya grove thing” (that’s right, I said it). What you really need is quite background music that provides a foundation upon which you can carry out your academic tasks. The music should enhance your studying, not detract from it. So readers, as an early turkey day/black Friday gift I have compiled a list of songs that have recently helped me get through the woes of studying. Here they are:

~ So Natural by Toby Lightman
~ Rowing Song by Patty Griffin
~ Stoppin the Love by KT Tunstall
~ Summer by India Arie
~ Million Faces by Paolo Nutini
~ Use Somebody (Cover) by Pixie Lott
~ Read My Mind (Like Rebel Diamonds Remix) by The Killers
~ Turn and Turn Again by All Thieves
~ Ruins by Jones is George
~ Tell Him by Lauryn Hill
~ When The World Ends by The Bittersweets
~ Please Don’t Stop the Rain by James Morrison
~ Make You Feel My Love by Adele

Take a moment to check this stuff out and let me know what you think. Hopefully these will help make studying a little more painless 🙂 Have a great week everyone!

Have you ever had a day that was so horrible that the extent to which it sucked was astounding? How did you deal? Did you stuff your face with junk food and drown your sorrows in the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy? Or did you call your friends and bitch to them about your issues? Well readers (aka my parents), this past Friday I experienced the crappiest day of my life and indulged in all the things listed above. I won’t go into the details of what caused the mental breakdown (and lack of good sense regarding the limit of cream puff intake), but suffice to say there were tears, Tiramisu, and tweed. Lots of tweed- specifically of the Chanel kind. That’s right folks- when I get bummed I do some serious window shopping. However, instead of scouring gap.com for five dollar t-shirts, I decided that a good ol’ fashion movie was in order (Key words being fashion and movie). So, chocolate in hand I made my way over to the Michigan Theater to catch a screening of “Coco before Chanel.” I went in thinking the gorgeous dresses and presumably inspirational story about a French woman creating a fashion empire would cheer me up. As usual, I was completely wrong.

I left the theater completely underwhelmed and slightly more irritated than when I had entered. Save for the gorgeous shots of the French countryside and early twentieth century French fashion, the plot lacked a consistent driving force. The film spent much of its run time of 110 minutes building up to a climactic moment that happened far too quickly for anyone to notice. It seemed as if one moment Coco was a poor orphan girl singing in sleazy bars, while the next moment she was showcasing her world famous fashions to Parisian elite. Where was the struggle? Where was the triumph? However, the lack of a steady plot wasn’t the only thing that made this movie frustrating to watch- the entire movie was painfully SLOW. So slow in fact, that at several points during the movie my friend opened up her bag, picked up her cell phone, and began surfing the internet. Just FYI to the directors, producers, etc. of feature films- it’s never a good sign when people are texting while watching your movie and contemplating how much longer this “torture session” will last.

However, if we take away all the superficial aspects of film presentation, there is a deeper, more fundamental problem with the movie “Coco before Chanel.” It was essentially a love story. Call me a pessimist, feminist, or ludicrous, but I couldn’t help but to agree with my friend when she mentioned that the entire film was basically an ode to men- specifically the men in Coco’s life. Through most of the movie, she is seen chasing after men in order to get by. In fact, it isn’t after she meets her boyfriend (more specifically the love of her life) that her career begins. It is also interesting to note that even though she does eventually succeed in her endeavors, the movie ends on a rather depressing note. The first line of the ending narration is that “Coco never married.” Is that what’s really important?! Is the institution of marriage more important than describing the maverick and visionary that Coco was?

Maybe you think I’m overreacting. Maybe I am. Maybe I am just a crazy feminazi who is overly sensitive to cultural images and stressed out from my orgo exam. Or maybe this movie is crap and perpetuates the patriarchal institutions within our society. Take an evening out of your day (hopefully not a crappy one) and see it- let me know what you think 🙂