by Cory Woodroof | Sep 21, 2012 | News Slider
Lipscomb’s theater department will feature Carlo Goldoni’s “The Servant of Two Masters” in the Flatt Amphitheatre this coming weekend. The play is directed by adjunct theater professor Robyn Berg. The show began Sept. 21 and will be performed again Sept. 27-29 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 30 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for the general public, $10 for faculty and $5 for students, and can be purchased at at the Lipscomb University Box Office (615-966-7075), www.lipscomb.edu/theater or at TicketsNashville.com....
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 19, 2012 | Opinion
Maybe it’s just me, but I want to scream at the top of my lungs whenever someone pulls out their cell phone during a movie. Even though, as a people, our attention spans have dwindled down to that of a toddler shaking a rattle, it still baffles me as to the amount of people who freely showcase their iPhones during a film in which they paid good money to see. Well, I’ve had it. I understand that we all can’t be as sensible as The Belcourt, whose employees will ask you to vacate the premises if a cell phone is used during a screening. I also understand that the art of common courtesy in a theater has become a silly myth akin to the Lock Ness Monster, Bigfoot and holding the door for women as they enter a building. I don’t believe in vigilantism, but I’m ready to take a stand. No more will I tolerate the 15 year-old-tweeniebopper who feels as if her conversation of “LOL”s and smiley faces is far more important than the film her parents paid for her to see. No more will I tolerate the moron who would actually check their Twitter feed during the pivotal scene of a highly-anticipated blockbuster. Enough is enough. I’m going to stare at you. I’m quite literally going to turn my full body in your direction, widen my eyelids and give you the stare-down you never thought was humanly possible. If I have to get up from my seat and sit directly next to you, then so be it. If you feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or bothered, then I...
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 7, 2012 | Opinion
Bradley Cooper has really got to stop doing bad things for the sake of writing. Just last year, the exuberantly likable actor journeyed into the world of Limitless – a film about an author who, in the name of writer’s block, takes a magical medicine that gives him superhuman mental abilities. Naturally, the stuff was off-the-market illegal, and he got into a heap of trouble. But that’s okay because the main character always makes it no matter how awful they are (sorry, I didn’t like Limitless very much). In The Words, Cooper plays another troubled writer given another unique-yet-unethical opportunity on which to form his career. Cooper’s Rory Jansen has no trouble with getting the words on paper. It’s the publishing part that’s giving him grief. There’s no market for his writing, which leads to, well, no cash flow (a visit to dad’s office ending with a signed check isn’t out of the ordinary). After he shotgun weds “the love of his life” (Zoe Saldana), a honeymoon trip to Paris leads to the discovery of a manuscript tucked away in a well-worn briefcase. The manuscript, of course, is an impeccably worded masterpiece that, if published, would lead to instant success. Jansen needs success. Steal the words of a nameless author without any known consequences to receive the dream career of a lifetime? Why not? As the story goes, Jeremy Irons’ “The Old Man” (no name, I believe) – the writer of the book that led to Jansen’s insta-fame – comes to New York with a poignant story to tell the thieving wordsmith (told in flashbacks starring Ben Barnes as...
by Cory Woodroof | Aug 29, 2012 | News Slider
University President Randy Lowry announced a few noteworthy campus-wide developments during yesterday’s annual President’s Convocation ceremony. Following a welcome by Phil Ellenburg, general counsel of the university, and a devotional service led by Dr. Darwin Mason of the Schrader Lane Church of Christ, Dr. Beth Youngblood, executive associate dean and professor of nursing, gave the crowd the year’s academic charge, challenging all with a “call to excellence.” Lowry soon followed, beginning his address with a moment of silence in honor of Matt Deery, the sophomore who died in a car accident in August. Lowry also announced that 35 new faculty members have been added to the campus, as well as a record number of students for the semester – including records set for freshmen enrollment, as well as graduate students, nursing students, Yellow Ribbon students and National Merit scholars. Outside of the new renovations to the Student Activities Center, McQuiddy gym and the Elam dormitory, Lowry announced future plans for further campus renovations that are set to begin in October. A new health and sciences lab facility will be placed by the Hughes Center, new renovations will be made to the square (including the installation of the fountain/baptistery that the campus community has been talking about for months), and much to the delight of students – who went wild with applause after the announcement – the university will pave the way for 110 new parking spots. The still unnamed nursing building is also set to open its doors at some point this fall. The high school football field will also have a new, NCAA-approved track....
by Cory Woodroof | Aug 24, 2012 | Opinion
As we enter Premium Rush, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s bike messenger Wilee (known as the Coyote among the peddling community) hurls through the air in the most cinematic fashion after being full on hit by a taxi cab. The Who echoes in the distance. As worried onlookers rush to the scene of Wilee’s motionless body, we get sent back to the beginning of his afternoon – the reason our fearless hero ended up with his back flat on the busy streets of New York City. As a security-delivery bike messenger, Wilee faces the mean streets of the Big Apple with gusto. Choosing a life of thrill over the bar exam and, as he believes, a boring desk job, Wilee races through the city transporting important items to random people, receiving bruises, bandages and a minimal paycheck along the way. For him, the scrapes beat the suit. One fateful afternoon, a simple errand turns into a madcap chase across town when Wilee intercepts a mysterious envelope from a college worker (Jamie Chung). When the crooked cop from every movie ever (Michael Shannon) comes along to stir trouble and gain some needed leverage against some very bad people, Wilee must figure out why he’s being chased by a looney-eyed maniac through the busy streets of Manhattan – as well as discover the importance of the item that he carries. Aided by his on-and-off love interest and fellow biker (Dania Ramirez), Wilee fights to find out the truth through stellar bike tricks and a wee bit of luck. So I don’t forget to tell you: Wilee’s exploits are combined with stylish flashbacks, filling in...
