When I was an upcoming sophomore, I was extremely nervous about Mrs. Gray’s class, because all of the upperclassmen I had spoken to the year before did a stupendously superb job explaining how they had tried their hardest yet barely passed. But trust me, it’s not as scary as it seems. Like most teachers, Mrs. Gray is absolutely devoted to her work, and she expects the same from you. Her expectations are high. Despite my anxieties going into her class, I passed ASUSH I with an A-average, but it was nowhere near easy. It was by the grace of God and sheer luck that I was able to succeed. And because I know you guys are dying to hear how I survived ASUSH I, I’ll break it down into four steps.
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The 2008 found-footage horror film Cloverfield was conceptualized by producer J.J. Abrams and director Matt Reeves as they attempted to capture the present tensions in New York and across America. It is successful in portraying everyday life post-9/11, and the ever-present fear that plagued Americans and especially those living in New York after the attack on the World Trade Centers. Strikingly, the movie’s poster features a decapitated Statue of Liberty, drawing a parallel to a destruction of freedom and a life reigned by fear.
As You Like It, one of Shakespeare’s most loved comedies, is performed with wit and energy by ASFA’s theatre students, giving a fresh take on this centuries-old tale on the insatiable nature of love. The strength of this production lies with its actors, who manage to deliver the Elizabethan text with poignancy that experienced Shakespeareans can appreciate, as well as a command of tone and a sprinkling of physical comedy that, while occasionally gimmicky, allows less familiar audience members to understand the heft of the play. The two leads, Rosalind and Orlando, both give lovely performances that create a comedic, yet believable romance. Taylor Hank’s Rosalind is an absolute highlight performance here, managing to be both thoughtful and energetic, fully realizing the emotional range of the character. The lovesick Orlando, as performed by Jonathan Henderson, is rather wistful and mildly melancholy, a delivery that works beautifully during the courtship scenes, but is more awkward for parts that involve physical violence. Other highlights are Noah Dates’ Touchstone, an artful dodger-like theoretician that is the perfect blend of crass and clever, and Mary Handsome’s Duchess that becomes the perfect cackling, wicked queen acting as a great foil for the more buffoonish comedy of the play. Also notable is Josiah Schock’s hobo-esque Jacques, who delivered one of the best, meatiest ‘seven ages of man’ speeches personally seen to date. With Shakespeare’s plays remaining staples of classic literature for many centuries, it is hard to think of any original retellings of his works that haven’t been done yet. But Bards of Birmingham’s The Merchant of Venice does exactly this, reimagining the classic Shakespeare play as though it were set in fascist Italy. The characters fit right into this premise in a way that seems purposeful rather than gimmicky. In the hands of a different group, this performance would have been hard to pull off, but the dedicated talent of the actors and director is able to execute the play perfectly.
Denim Day is a fantastic event that raises awareness for rape and sexual assault victim blaming that is ridiculously easy to participate in. Wear jeans. Here's the introduction from the website: "For the past 17 years, Peace Over Violence has run its Denim Day campaign on a Wednesday in April in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. The campaign was originally triggered by a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault. In this rape prevention education campaign we ask community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault. This year’s Denim Day is April 27, 2016." If you want to participate on Wednesday, all you have to do is wear jeans and make a social media post if you like. Hope to see plenty of you doing just that!
Go ahead, you deserve it but make sure its cool with the parents. If you have some suggestions, please share them in the comments! Purple: Drama Blue: Comedy Once Upon A Time: TV-PG In a show that twists the fairytales and bedtime stories you heard before bed, Emma finds herself in a mythical town located in Maine with characters from the enchanted forest who have adapted to modern society and don't remember that pasts. Warning: If your parent would feel some type of way about you watching the movies on this list, then you probably just shouldn't watch them. Beasts of No Nation: Unrated Agu, the movie's protagonist, has been pulled from his family in the middle of a civil war where he then finds refuge in a group of corrupted soldiers. Dope: Rated R Malcolm and his friends crash a drug dealer's party and leave with a bag full of drugs and a firearm which they now have to get rid without damaging their reputations. Black or White: PG-13 Widower, Elliot, is now charged with raising his granddaughter alone after his wife's death but her paternal side of the family wants custody and Elliot doesn't particularly agree with that notion. When people meet me, one of the first things they find out is that I love Shakespeare. I’ve been locally performing the bard for three years now, and recently, I have embarked upon a mission to read the complete works. I’m about halfway through, and I recently have been debating something. It came from reading two plays back to back. The Merchant of Venice, a play whose plot is often propelled by a character named Portia, an heiress and princess of Belmont. She’s kind of badass. She succeeds not only in saving one character’s life by disguising herself as a male lawyer and defending him in court, but also manages to trick her husband into giving away his wedding ring, securing dominance in their new marriage. The second was The Taming of The Shrew, a story revolving around Katherine, a strong willed woman who is forced into a marriage she vehemently protests, and then is promptly literally tortured into absolute submission by her new husband, the protagonist we as an audience are meant to root for. As a result, my thoughts are this: Shakespeare wrote some amazing and decidedly feminist characters, but he also often wrote some women who are constantly marginalized and made into objects. So—are Shakespeare’s works feminist or product of misogyny?
Going through some of my old things, I found a list that I'd made, entitled: Songs to Download to My Ipod. Long story short, I lost my Ipod and never got to download these songs but five years later, I'm sharing them with you for some nostalgic joy. 1. Ke$ha: "Tik Tok"
2. Usher ft. will. i. am: "OMG" 3. Nicki Minaj "SuperBass" 4. Lady GaGa ft. Beyonce: "Telephone" 5. Travis McCoy ft. Bruno Mars: "Billionaire" 6. Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs & Dev: "Like A G6" 7. David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj: "Turn Me On" 8. Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris: "Baby" 9. Rihanna: "S&M" 10. Miley Cyrus: "Party In The U.S.A." 11. 3OH!3 ft. Ke$ha: "My First Kiss" 12. Beyonce: "Sweet Dreams" 13. P!NK: "Raise Your Glass" 14. Foster the People: "Pumped Up Kicks" 15. Brittany Spears ft. Nicki Minaj & Ke$ha: "Till the World Ends" 16. Bruno Mars: "The Lazy Song" 17. Ke$ha: "We R Who We Are" 18. Mike Posner: "Cooler Than Me" 19. Tinnie Tempah ft. Eric Turner: " Written in the Stars" 20. Maroon 5: "Misery" You could always hit that K's Formal store in the galleria. (I'm kidding; please don't go there.) If you know any other great sites with great prices and great prom dresses, please comment. ModCloth.com With prices ranging from $37.99 to $400, Mod Cloth is the perfect online store for modern but vintage high quality clothing. Standard Arrival Time: 3-10 days LuLus.com Their prom selection is filled with simple dresses that are still very flattering. Despite the cuteness, their sizes run small so be aware of that before your purchase. Standard Arrival Time: 7-10 days BooHoo.com Boo Hoo's variety is diverse in terms of formal and extremely formal. In addition, their dresses are very affordable (the highest being $70). Standard Arrival Time: 5-7 days RenttheRunway.com
Yep, it's exactly what it sounds like. RTR has a wide variety of designer dresses for rent and a website to help you make the right choice. While previewing a dress that you like, you have the option to see other (regular) people wearing the dress that your interested in as well as their reviews. You're given a 10% discount after your rental , assuming it's your first time renting and two dress sizes of your choice with your 4 or 8 day rental. Standard Arrival Time: depends on your reservation |
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