by Lorena Coleman | Mar 19, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has received a live-action revamp, brought to life by Director Bill Condon. The result is a fresh remake on a beloved classic: a film that stays true to the original tale while adding character back-story and substance. The story centers on Belle (Emma Watson), a young girl from a “provincial” town who takes her father’s place after he is imprisoned in an enchanted castle. Belle’s captor, the Beast (Dan Stevens), is, in essence, imprisoned as well — a young prince who has been cursed and can only return to his human form if he finds true love. Beauty and the Beast is just the latest project in a series of live-action adaptations by Disney, following Cinderella (2015) and The Jungle Book (2016). Given Beauty and the Beast’s predecessors’ success and the amount of hype in the press leading up to its release, there was a risk that the movie would leave its audiences’ expectations unfulfilled. Fortunately, that was not the case, as the film exceeds expectations. Watson’s Belle is not a damsel in distress but portrays the princess as a fearless heroine. Belle is strong, independent and kind, making her character an empowering role model. Because she displays these qualities and is ambitious (in this version, she is not just a book lover, but an inventor as well), she is deemed odd by the villagers in town. Prior to her imprisonment in the castle, Belle dreams of a way to escape her confined life in the village. While Belle initially plans to escape the castle, she finds herself befriending its enchanted staff, who in turn...
by Lorena Coleman | Feb 24, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Hollywood’s finest will gather this weekend at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 89th Academy Awards. The awards show, commonly known as the Oscars, will celebrate the year’s cinematic achievements, and some of Lipscomb’s film students are tuning in. Sophomore film student Clay Mortensen said he will “absolutely” be watching and is excited to see who wins the coveted title of Best Picture. Freshman film student Siena DeMatteis will be attending a watch party put on by the film department and said she is hoping to see her two favorite films, “Moonlight” and “Manchester by the Sea,” take home some awards. According to critic’s predictions, “La La Land” will be the film to beat, with a record-tying 14 nominations, including nods for Best Picture, Best Director (Damien Chazelle), Best Actor (Ryan Gosling) and Best Actress (Emma Stone). The film centers on aspiring actress Mia (played by Stone) and jazz pianist Sebastian (played by Gosling), as they try to navigate falling in love while pursuing their dreams in LA. So far, the musical-drama has taken home multiple awards at every other award show this season. DeMatteis said she is “interested in seeing how many awards ‘La La Land’ receives,” given its track record at other award shows and viewers’ mixed opinions toward the film. Mortensen, an aspiring director, said he is rooting for Chazelle to win Best Director, as he has always admired Chazelle’s work. Other films receiving attention for their nominations include “Fences” starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, “Moonlight” starring Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris, “Manchester by the Sea” starring Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams and “Arrival” starring Amy...
by Lorena Coleman | Feb 12, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Some of the biggest music artists of the year will gather at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to celebrate their achievements on Sunday evening. Among them will be two former Lipscomb University students turned Country Music stars: Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini. Rhett, who attended Lipscomb from 2008-2011, is nominated for Best Country Song with his hit single “Die A Happy Man.” Ballerini, who attended from 2011-2013, is nominated for Best New Artist and is also making her Grammy performance debut with Danish, soul-pop band Lukas Graham. Seeing former Lipscomb students achieving such success in the music industry is inspiring for current students, such as Contemporary Music major Hannah McFarland. “It’s a blessing that we are fortunate enough to go to a school that has developed well-rounded people such as Kelsea Ballerini and Thomas Rhett,” McFarland said. McFarland had the opportunity to open for Kelsea’s show in Alabama last year and recalled getting to meet her. Her first impression of Ballerini was nothing but positive, proclaiming the country-pop star was “sweet, mature and outgoing.” “Going to Lipscomb has proven to me that this university creates not only amazing talent but strong-willed and overall amazing students,” McFarland said. “Their success proves that with perseverance and hard work, you can definitely reach your goals.” The Grammy’s will be hosted by late-night show host James Corden and will feature a star-studded lineup of performances from John Legend, Adele, Metallica, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and many more. Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Little Big Town and Celine Dion will be collaborating on a special performance to salute the music of the Bee Gee’s....
by Lorena Coleman | Feb 3, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Under buckets of snow in Park City, Utah, 10 Lipscomb film students spent a week taking in independent films and discovering a behind-the-scenes look at the industry at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The festival, held January 19-29, is the largest independent film festival in the United States. Attending the festival was an experience film student Natalie Risk says left her feeling “artistically fulfilled.” “We saw a lot of movies,” Risk stated. “There were days where we would go see movies at midnight, then get up at 7:30 a.m. to watch a movie at 8:30 a.m. and just keep it going.” When they weren’t attending showings, the students would go back to the condo to watch even more films. Independent filmmakers from all over bring their films to Sundance, not only to premiere to an audience but also to sell their films to movie distributors. “Working in the film industry,” Risk explained, “that is kind of like an independent filmmaker’s goal…to get their film shown in a festival, because that is how it’s going to get picked up.” The festival offered plenty of films for students to take in. Some of Risk’s favorites were documentaries including “Last Man in Aleppo” and “The Good Postmen,” as well as a drama called “Novitiate,” that was shot in Nashville and includes Lipscomb alumna Lacy Hartselle. Besides attending showings, students also went to several discussion panels to hear industry professionals speak on the art and technique of independent film-making. Film student Allison Jobe said that her favorite part of the festival was attending the “Women in Film” panel. “I was really inspired to see a row of successful women discuss the different issues they’ve faced in...
by Lorena Coleman | Jan 31, 2017 | News Slider
Lipscomb’s Department of Journalism and Communications kicked off its first Media Masters of the semester by hosting Tom Adkinson on Monday evening in Ezell. Adkinson had a plethora of advice to offer students as he relayed his 40 years of experience in both journalism and public relations in a talk lead by Professor Jimmy McCollum. Graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Tennessee, Adkinson began his career as a copywriter for a local newspaper. After a short time in the journalism industry, which included writing for Southern Living and working as a freelance writer for newspapers, Adkinson was offered a job in public relations with Gaylord Entertainment. He worked with the Opryland Theme Park for the next 22 years, cementing his career in the PR world. After his time with Opryland, Adkinson went on to work at BOHAN advertising in downtown Nashville. “You will be astounded that the ability to write is the ticket to a job,” Atkinson said, adding that being able to write a simple, declarative sentence was the key to opening many doors for him in the communications industry. Atkinson cited observational skills, remembering to write thank you notes and owning an Associated Press Stylebook as tricks of the trade for students. He also noted that the best thing anyone can do as a journalist is to value honesty. “To tell the truth, tell all of the truth and tell it quickly,” he said. Adkinson also stressed the importance of checking facts and abstaining from speculation when releasing information to the public. Spending time in PR for both the corporate world and in an agency, Adkinson touched on the differences of working in both. He...
