The Michigan. Daily - michigandaily. com
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 5
EVENT RECAP
Panel features 'U'
alumni in fashion
FILM REVIEW
'Mockingj ay' doesn't
deliver as expected
Fashion Speaks
panelists discuss
career paths
at Rackham
By KATIE CAMPBELL
For The Daily
On Nov. 18, Rackham
Auditorium saw the first
ever Fashion Speaks panel
hosted by campus fashion
magazine SHEI and the
Michigan Association of
Communication Studies
(MACS). The panel featured
Michigan alumni who are
authorities on the fashion
industry, drawing in an
eager crowd of students
ready to take notes. The
speakers presented with the
intention of sharing their
personal experiences within
the business, describing
their individual career
paths.
LSA junior Jilly Richman
is the literary editor of SHEI
Magazine and co-creator of
the Fashion Speaks panel.
Without a fashion major at
the University and only a
limited number of outlets for
students who are interested
in the industry, Richman
and her fellow founders saw
an opportunity to bring in
alumni who could inform
students on careers in
fashion.
"I think a lot of people
don't even know where
to begin because it's not
like you pursue a degree
in fashion," Richman said.
"Some people don't have
the opportunity to have
internship experiences
or don't know how to
necessarily get connected
with internships. There
are others ways of getting
involved, so I think it's really
great to hear about from
people who have been there."
The five presenters
invited to the panel were
all University alumni, two
of them previous Michigan
Daily employees. The
presenters included Marly
Graubard, W Magazine's
Executive Director of
Fashion and Beauty, Steve
Madden Ltd. President
Matthew Guthartz, and
more.
"We reached out to the
speakers through LinkedIn,
through the Comm. alumni,
SHEI alumni," LSA junior
Hannah Schiff, president
of marketing for MACS and
writer for SHEI, explained.
"We were just looking at any
type of alumni that we could
get our hands on."
Each of the presenters
shared experiences of
misdirection in their careers,
which ultimately led them
to their current positions.
Between working hard and
building, solid networks
through colleagues at the
University, they discussed
the paths that successfully
led them to the top of their
professions. Among the
anecdotal advice and real
life experience handed
out to the audience, the
guidance consistently leaned
toward the typical creative
profession mentality: don't
be afraid to make mistakes,
show ambition, prove
accountability and pursue
your passion.
As far as interest goes,
the event spread across
campus anl brought in
an unexpected number of
student fashion devotees,
requiring that the panel
be moved to a Rackham
Auditorium for more
seating.
"We've gotten an immense
reception from the students,
and I think it just shows
that there really is a desire
for more fashion events like
this and that there's space
for people to bring different
ideas to Michigan." Richman
said.
As ,for as the future
for Fashion Speaks goes,
Richman hopes that the
panel can sustain a presence
on campus. If students'
interest in fashion continues
and expands, she sees the
panel doing the same.
"We would love to create
a basis for SHEI and MACS
or other organizations to
expand this type of forum,"
she explained. "I would love
to see it expand further
and to become some kind of
career event and networking
opportunity."
'Hunger Games'
sequel tries too
hard to be dark
By NOAH COHEN
DailyArts Writer
Young Adult fiction has seen
a growing trend of dramatic
and strange
dystopias. C-
"Divergent,"
"Maze The Hunger
Runner," Games:
"The Hunger
Games" - Mockingjay,
each of these part 1
has chosen
to adopt a Qualit 201
consistent
degree of Lionsgate
realness. "The
HungerGames"changeditschoice
in its most recent installment,
opting to take the story several
notches chillier.
But "The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay - Part 1" is riddled
with problems. Young adult
fiction has a shaky precedent
for the degree of darkness that
"Mockingjay - Part 1" strives for.
Inpreviousfilms,the audience was
exposed to children murdering
each other, but those films didn't
put war and personal violence and
PTSD onscreen for two straight
hours. The dramatic portrayal of
pain was too much. There was
a need for relief, and the movie
didn't deliver. It left the audience
with weird feelings. F
Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence,
"Silver Linings Playbook") was
rescued from the oversight of The
Capital at the end of "Catching
Fire," and in this movie, Lawrence
plays an emotionally broken
17-year-old girl forced to present
herself as the living symbol of a
violent revolution. Most of the
film is dedicated to documenting
her character development as
she's huddled in a bunker with
the resistance, the rebel faction,
District 13. The only games in this
movie are horrible mind-games.
"Mockingjay - Part 1"
consistently commits to its
sadnesses and angers, at times
losing touch with how sadness
and anger exist in reality, and at
other times, striking those notes
with killing precision. Different
actors handle the pressure of
the portrayal of angst with
vastly differing levels of success.
Lawrence does not fit the role of
Katniss in this movie. When she
puts her hand to her mouth to
show shock, it feels like there's
a director behind the camera
telling her to do just that. This
movie tries to transform her pain
into a dramatic event, and the
choices it makes in that effort are
A murderer.
questionable. After a beautiful
scene with a cat and a flashlight,
Katniss flat-out explains the
resonance of the scene to Gale
- exposition for the children in
the audience. Much of the script
is conspicuously Y.A. The film
captures an awesome darkness,
which young adults can handle,
buttheColdWarrealismisdiluted
by overkill escorting-scenes to
ensure the level of darkness is
acknowledged.
Peeta (Josh Hutcherson,
"Bridge to Terabithia") handles
the portrayal of his PTSD with
greater grace than Katniss. His
hauntedness succeeds where
Katniss's waterworks fail.
The interview format of his
presentationin"Mockingjay- Part
1" gives Peeta a believable platform
from which to deliver his wooden
lines, whereas Katniss expresses
herself strangely in context. When
she's speaking into the camera
from the desolated District 12 (her
former home), she vents about
what the resistance "must" do.
Real 17-year-olds experiencing fits
of emotion, especially those who
grew up in starving poverty, don't
say "we must," they say "we have
to," and it's these small dramatic
exaggerations that cripple this
film.
When Gale (Liam Hemsworth,
"Paranoia") talks t}about how:
he and Katniss kissed, Katniss
responds, "I didn't think you
remembered that." This is
another exaggerated PTSD
moment. Who expects their best
and only friend to forget their
kiss? Many more things were
unbelievable: the bombed bodies
with the unbroken skeletons;
the stricken villagers in District
8 who ask Katniss the perfect
questions for a propaganda reel,
the rain propagating through the
underground bunker in 13.
There's a scene in the bunker
when the doors are about to
lock, where Prim and Katniss
practically mosey down that
staircase; it's laughable. Her life
is on the line, and she's taking the
stairs one at a time. Real people
don't take the stairs one at a time
under threat of death.
The real stars are Finnick
(Sam Claflin, "Snow White and
the Huntsman") and Haymitch
(Woody Harrelson, "True
Detective"). Finnick's pain is
probably the most authentic
among the traumatized
Victors, and his kiss with
Annie is the singular highest
romantic achievement of the
entire franchise to date. On
another positive note, the way
Haymitch's status as a recovering
addict is incorporated into his
character represents a rare
note of thoughtful writing, and
endears him to the audience as
a known and dependable entity
in circumstances of chaos. Even
when the- world is burning, you
can count on Haymitch to be
trying to score some drugs from a
traumatized 17-year-old.
The cold gompulsion of this
filmwas expected as soon as "Part
1" was announced as an element
of the title. "The Hunger Games"
is doing what "The Hobbit" did,
and it's working about as well.
"Mockingjay-Partl"didless well
this weekend than either "The
Hunger Games" or "Catching
Fire" did, and deservedly so. It
hasthe words"Partl"to thank for
that. However, it manages to leave
viewer on a powerful cliffhanger.
At the end, the audience is
genuinely concerned for Peeta's
wellbeing, then Lorde's "Yellow
Flicker Beat" plays, and we feel
it. "Yellow Flicker Beat" is a
beautiful anthem for the credits
roll along to. The credits (which
pay tribute to the late Philip
Seymour Hoffman, who plays the
ethically iffy Plutarch) are almost
a dirge. "Yellow Flicker Beat," in
its affective power, is reminiscent
of "Into The West," the credit
roll track for "The Return of the
King." In both cases, a contralto
epilogue for heartbreak, but in
the case of "Mockingjay - Part
1," it's a 17-year-old singing. Very
appropriate.
The credit - and Finnick's
kiss - were the only bullseyes
of this movie. The film was
dramatic Absolute Zero. It wasn't
completely wrong, but it wasn't
what we came to see.
ALB UM R E V IEW
Pitbull strugglestohold
" his own on new album
By CARLY SNIDER
Daily Arts Writer
By this point in his career,
Pitbull's persona and reputation
have come to precede him. When
thinking
about the
Cuban
rapper, one's Globalization
mind jumps Pitbull
to overly RCA
processed
club hits, almost always featuring
a popular artist on the chorus,
and less-than-insightful lyrical
content. Not to mention his
signature - and questionable -
style of white suits and sunglasses.
While gaining more and more
recognition - Pit hosted the
AMAs this year and was chosen
to sing the official FIFA World
Cup song - Globalization was a
perfect opportunity for the rapper
to break out and be innovative.
Unfortunately, Mr. Worldwide
delivered the same tired tracks.
The album starts out with
the dubstep-driven, "Ah Leke,"
featuring Sean Paul. Like most
Pitbullsongs,thisoneisextremely
repetitive without much depth.
Paul's contribution doesn't go
much further than repeating the
same line again and again, while
Pitgoes on and on abouthisglobal
identity.
Moving into more dance-
friendly sounds, the album
picks up with "Fun (feat. Chris
Brown)" which gives listeners
more 'of Pitbull's classic Cuban
beats. While this track's backing
and main melody are engaging,
Brown does little to add to the
song. His vocals are processed
to the point where they could
have been provided by anyone,
and Pit, as per usual, raps only
about his unimpressive ability
to get women and drink copious
amounts of alcohol.
The album's peak comes in
"Fireball," a drunken ode to
the popular cinnamon whiskey.
The track's chorus, provided by
John Ryan, is catchy and would
be easy to sing along to while
drunk on its namesake beverage.
The song even features what
sounds like a room full of people
RCA
Mr. Clean steps rap game up, incorporates dole into vocabulary.
joyously shouting "Fireball," a
sound not uncommon throughout
campus on Friday nights.
Long instrumental breaks and
changes of pace make the song
perfect for parties, tailgates or
solo dance sessions. While in no
way insightful, inspirational or
innovative, the song does what it
sets out to do. With Ryan's help,
Pitbull managed to produce a
fairly entertainingparty jam.
From this point on, the album
trudges through more of the same
chorus-driven tracks. Even with
features from various artists such
as Jason Derulo and Juicy J on
"Drive You Crazy" and Ne-Yo on
"Time Of Our Lives," the cliches
run rampant. Subject matter
consists almost exclusively of
partying, sexandlivingitupwhile
stillyoung. While there is nothing
wrong with these sentiments -
everyone loves a good night out -
they become far too overdone to
be enjoyable.
Adding to the repetitiveness
are Pit's constant reminders of
his exotic nature. Every track
features multiple mentions of
Mr. Worldwide, the Miami area
code 305 and his dale catch
phrase. His "beachy" persona is
epitomized in "Sexy Beaches"
and "Day Drinking," with both
tracks having spring break
vibes. "Sexy Beaches," a not so
subtle euphemism for referring
to women as bitches, is classic
Pitbull, letting featured artist
Chloe Angelides do all the work.
In "Day Drinking," Pit tries for
a slightly country sound and
fails. The track is more laid
back, which doesn't mesh well
with Pitbull's faster paced rap
style. Not to mention the slightly
uncomfortable use of the phrase
"crazy mother fuckers" in the
chorus, as the song is not at all
wild in comparison to the rest of
the album.
Pitbull also struggles to find
his place on some of his own
tracks. In "Wild Wild Love (feat.
G.R.L.)" and "This Is Not A Drill
(feat. Bebe Rexha)" Pit sounds
out of place, almost as though
he is being featured on someone
else's song rather than the other
way around. This is especially
obvious on "This Is Not A
Drill," as Rexha's contribution
is undeniably her own sound,
using more techo-based beats
and sirens in the background.
Essentially out of his element,
with a lack of any Latin beats,
Pitbull is unable to match her.
Ultimately, this album
delivers exactly what listeners
would expect - an alcohol
fueled, sex driven compilation
of laughably repetitive party
songs. Tracks featured classy
lyrical gems such as "Always like
a squirrel, looking for a nut" and
were largely based upon choruses
that Mr.305had no part in. While
Pitbull continues to embody
his international character, his
foreign flair is not enough to bring
him success with Globalization.
Uber and Spotify collaborate
By RACHEL KERR
Daily Arts Writer
Every time I get into an
Uber, the first thing out of
my mouth is always: "Do you,
have an aux cord?" And while
I do enjoy badgering my driver
about music, now I'll no longer
have to.
Announced last Monday,
a new partnership between
Spotify and Uber will allow
Spotify premium account
holders to stream their music
through the Uber app.
If you're unfamiliar
with Uber - do you live
in the 21st century? - the
company launched in 2010
and introduced us to a more
personalized taxi service, one
in which drivers were easily
accessible and knew your
name before you even got in
the car. It also got rid of the
inconvenience of carrying
around cash for a cab, as
well as the "how much do I
tip?" dilemma, by charging
users directly through their
smartphone, tip included.
And, the experience
just became even more
personalized. Now, when
"calling" an Uber through
the app, those who pay
$10-a-month ($5 if you're a
student) for a Spotify premium
account will be able to choose
what music will play on the
ride, as long as the car is
"Spotify-enabled:"
Spotify is a music service
that allows anyone to instantly
stream endless amounts of
songs and albums from their
database. It's available to all
account holders on a computer,
and, if you're one of millions
who pays for a premium
account, you also have access
to unlimited streaming on
your phone: And now, during
your Uber rides, too.
There are a few catches,
though.
It's not available in Ann
Arbor. Yet. The feature,
which just launched on Nov.
21, is starting out in select
cities, including Los Angeles,
Toronto and New York.
The service is also optional
for the driver. Meaning, if
they don't want to listen to
French Montana, you can't
make them listen to French
Montana. Granted, you can
express your dissatisfaction
by giving the driver a bad
review, but that doesn't
change the fact that you
didn't get to listen to French
Montana.
You also can't control the
volume; sadly, that is still
dictated by the driver. So,
while I'll no longer be asking
if they have an aux cord, I
sure as hell will continue to
ask them to please turn the
music up.
The announcement comes
shortly after Taylor Swift
pulled the entirety of her'
discography from Spotify,
including her wildly popular
new album 1989. Enraged
fans wanted to know why.
Apparently, Spotify refused
Swift's request to allow only
premium account holders
access to her music. She
responded by not allowing any
Spotify account holder to have
access to her music, citing the
disparity between royalties
from the paid account and
those from the free service as
her reason.
This new feature, though,
could give many people the
incentive to drop the extra
cash for a premium account,
which would in turn, lead to
higher royalties for artists
using Spotify. Maybe Swift
will even put her music back
up! If not, I didn't really want
to listen to 1989 anyway.
I
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