by Bridgette Begle | Mar 17, 2014 | Opinion, Sports
In our home series against Jacksonville we took two big wins on Saturday and spent some time dancing in the rain on Sunday. Saturday’s first game was nothing short of a roller coaster ride. Until the fifth inning it was tied at zero, but both teams had hot bats. The Dolphins struck first scoring four runs in the sixth inning. We only scratched one that inning but labeled ourselves the “Comeback Kids” later in the game. Losing 1-4 going into the seventh is not an ideal situation at all, but with the help of Kristen Sturdivant, who earned A-Sun player of the week, we matched their three run lead. After we rallied back to take the game into extra innings, Jacksonville started the inning off with a solo home run and went on to score two more runs. We connected some hits here and there and found a way to comeback again even after trailing by three. In the top of the ninth, the Dolphins couldn’t find a way to push one across so all we had to do was score one. With two runners on, slapper Brittany Elmore sent one over the right field fence, pushing our lead and finishing score to 10-7. With pounding hearts, we all decided to make the next game a little less stressful for everyone, including our fans. We came out and run ruled Jacksonville in the fifth with a grand slam by Brianne Welch to lock it in at 11-0. The real fun started on Sunday when the rain delay was in effect and both teams moved into Allen Arena to kill...
by Cory Woodroof | Mar 15, 2014 | Opinion
Getting ready to wrap up its brief stint at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Sister Act: The Musical does not have a single problem with leaving its joyous impression on all who attend. Based on the popular 90s comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg, the play follows Deloris Van Cartier, an aspiring singer who is whisked away to a church for a unique form of witness protection after she witnesses a rotten mobster commit a crime. While in hiding with a caring group of nuns, Cartier must to get used to her new surroundings, a challenge that increases when she is tasked to help the vocally-lacking ladies of the church’s choir. The musical eschews some of the pitfalls that cause other screen-to-stage adaptations to flounder. The musical numbers nicely compliment the storyline, the vocal ensemble is top-notch (hearing Hollis Resnik’s Mother Superior belt “Here Within These Walls” is an easy standout) and the humor actually works. However, the show rests solely on the performance of Ta’Rea Campbell as Cartier, and Campbell does not disappoint. She gets plenty of moments to showcase her immensely talented singing (listen in for “Sister Act,” a show-stopper in every sense of the phrase), but it’s her comedic timing that really impresses. Campbell and Resnik’s back-and-forth makes for some of the sharpest moments in the play. The fellow nuns all contribute greatly to the play’s success, and Chester Gregory earns a special nod for his take on the dedicated cop Eddie Souther, whose standalone number “I Could Be That Guy” might just be the highlight of the entire show. Overall, the musical is a triumphant reminder that...
by Logan Butts | Feb 27, 2014 | Opinion
It’s that time of year again where all of the world’s movie nerds and pop culture aficionados rejoice. This Sunday is the 86th Academy Awards. Lumination Entertainment Editor Logan Butts here with my predictions for the night’s major awards winners. Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave. With 13 months and hundreds of movies in the rear-view mirror, the race for best picture has been whittled down to three competitors: 12 Years a Slave, Gravity and American Hustle. At various points throughout the marathon that is awards season, both Gravity and American Hustle were the front-runners for the big prize, but now that it is time for the Oscars to finally happen, it looks like 12 Years a Slave has proven to be the film that will stand tall among a crowded Best Picture field. Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron. Gravity was undoubtedly the work of a director’s vision, and although Steve McQueen’s directorial work in 12 Years a Slave has just as many fans, I think Cuaron pulls out a victory due to the sheer magnitude of his accomplishment. Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey. In an unusually competitive race for this category, the “McConaissance” (the term McConaughey’s new career trajectory) will peak with a victory at the Oscars for his performance in Dallas Buyer’s Club. All five nominees could claim to still be alive for the win, but Chiwetel Ejiofor should provide the closest competition. Best Actress: Cate Blanchett. Despite a late run from Amy Adams multi-accented performance in American Hustle, Blanchett, for her work in Blue Jasmine, should already have her acceptance speech written. Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto. Best Supporting...
by Brianna Langley | Feb 25, 2014 | Opinion
(Originally published on Feb. 19) This entire past week was a complete blur for me. I will try to recount all of our adventures chronologically, but please forgive me if I have to jump around a bit. Let me start by saying that I almost cried at several points during this last week out of sheer wonderment and total happiness. Some of the experiences I was able to have are ones that most photojournalists go their entire lives just dreaming of. Now my goal is to make you (my reader) feel as though you were there seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling and smelling everything right along with us. The first two days of our journey last week were spent in the coastal town of Chiloé, and although being in Torres del Paine, Patagonia was certainly the pinnacle of the trip for me, it would be a terrible disservice to my readers to not touch on this historic Chilean island. Chiloé’s important role in Latin American history really begins in the 19th century, when Chiloé became the main Chilean port for foreign whalers. Moving into the twentieth century, this little island grew to be the main producer of railroad ties for the entire continent of South America. Up until this point, European settlers had mainly occupied the coastline, but with the influx of farming inland, Chiloé slowly became more and more inhabited, and new towns were created. Today, Chiloé is a thriving, sea-loving, friendly island. It is home to Magellan and Humboldt penguin colonies, as well sea otters, sea lions, many different types of gulls and a plethora of fishermen, all of which...
by Cory Woodroof | Feb 7, 2014 | Opinion
When George Clooney’s latest directorial feat The Monuments Men got the push from last December’s crowded Oscar season to a softer February open, many raised their eyebrows at the move. How could such a supposedly sure-fire contender for the Oscar get the boot to the next year’s winter months? All worries of lacking quality should be calmed, as Clooney’s newest film is no winter flop. What feels like something shot in the 40s with really, really great equipment, The Monuments Men has an wonderfully old soul. It’s in the realm of movies that call back to the days where honoring the sacrifices of those involved in World War II was the primary focus. The film follows the story of the U.S. government’s Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives program, which entailed a group of artists and architects who attempt to save rare pieces of important art and culture from the clutches of the vile Nazis during the waning days of the war. Clooney plays the group’s lead-man in Lt. Frank Stokes, with Matt Damon playing his right-hand man, Lt. James Granger. John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balabin and Dimitri Leonidas round out the crew, while Cate Blanchett shows up in a supporting role as a French art museum representative who becomes vital to the group’s quest. The Monuments Men plays a delicate balancing act with whimsy and gravitas, eschewing not to focus for too long on either to provide an effective blend. It’s difficult to verve into humorous set pieces when dealing with such a serious topic as war, but Clooney manages to do with respect....
by Brianna Langley | Feb 6, 2014 | Opinion
Due to popular demand, I’m dedicating this article to everything food. However, I’m still trying to decide how I want to go about this, even while I type. As I mentioned in a previous story, Chilean food is nearly undefinable. The best way to approach it is without expectation. Don’t expect it to resemble Mexican cuisine because it doesn’t. Don’t expect it to be all seafood because it isn’t. Don’t expect to have a European dining experience because you won’t. While Chilean food is certainly influenced by all of the above flavors, its very own flavors and combinations are incorporated into the cooking here as well. I think the best way to try to define Chilean food is to simply describe a few traditional dishes that I’ve had so far, and thereby give you a “taste” for what dining is all about down here. Escalopa This filling dish has a similar concept to chicken cordon bleu. Escalopa is bread crumb-encrusted chicken breast stuffed with ham, queso (melted cheese) and beef. While the concept may be similar to that of chicken cordon bleu, the taste is entirely different. The taste of Chilean escalopa is that of hardy, gamey meat combined with the smooth richness of the warm (usually served at a-bit-too-warm-to-eat-right-away temperature) queso harmonizes together just perfectly enough to give every bite of Chilean escalopa a warm, inviting taste. Café Helado This one is tough to write about because it’s one of my favorite Chilean dishes, but I’m not sure if it’s a drink or a dessert; or perhaps it’s an intertwined mixture of the two! Café helado is literally...
