Last Post: John Mulaney

Hey everyone, it's Matt for one last time.

The semester's almost over which means there aren't many events to look forward to until next year. Hopefully next April has comedians as good or better than what SPA offered this year. It was all great.

On that note, I'd like to review the last show from Tuesday, John Mulaney. Before John went on though, a friend of his, Joe Mande, took the stage first to also do some comedy. Just like music, it's common for bigger comedians to have an opener and just like music, they can be really hit or miss. I've seen some terrible openers in my time, comedy and otherwise. I actually saw Joe Mande last year when he opened for someone else here at PSU (Mike Birbiglia?). I remember him being very funny and as a result I've been following his hilarious twitter for the last year or so (@JoeMande).

Joe once again did not disappoint. All his material was new and hilarious. Joe's comedy style is to tell funny stories that personally happened to him. Two stand-outs include having some GI issues late at night at a Jewish Summer Camp when he was a kid, and accidentally using the toilet after cutting up peppers for dinner. The latter story had me laughing so hard I could barely breathe. Part of what made it so funny was how you could anticipate where the story was going to go. Needless to say, the story ends with his girlfriend walking in on him naked, crying, and covered in milk.

John Mulaney during his most recent 1-hour Comedy Central special.

After Joe's short and sweet 30 minute set, John Mulaney took the stage. The funny thing about John Mulaney is that for being almost 30 years old, he could blend in with the crowd of student that was there that night.He looks very young and he often brings it up in his jokes for comedic effect. One of the more entertaining aspects of the show was Mulaney's almost reverse heckling of the audience. He would ask audience members questions about their majors and job ideas and then make fun of them when they were a graduating senior with no idea what to do with their degree. It was very entertaining and John apologized so it wasn't hurtful.

Mulaney is also a story kind of comedian and he has some of the funniest stories I've ever heard. I already mentioned the Salt & Pepper diner story earlier in this blog. Imagine stories of that caliber for almost the entire hour. That can give you a good idea of how great he is. I had actually heard a large portion of his routine already, but the way he presents the stories keeps them fresh and almost as funny as the first time you hear it. He also had a fair share of funny tangents that kept the audience entertained for the whole show.

But that's it for comedy. Don't forget to check out Movin' On tomorrow like Maria said! It's free and a great stress relief before finals weekend. I'll leave you with another one of my favorite Mulaney jokes about waking up the next day from a black out. Good luck and goodbye!

Moving On

Hey Nittany Lions,

It's hard to believe that this semester is almost over.  It seems like yesterday I was studying for my first midterms, but my mom keeps reminding me of how soon until I arrive home (7 days!).  I have bittersweet feelings, since I LOVE being home but I also love being at school.

This is the main stage at last year's Movin' On.. Looks pretty
bumpin' to me.

Sadly, PSU events are also coming to a close, but fortunately, there is still one event to look forward to before enclosing ourselves in our rooms to study for finals.  The event is called Movin' On and apparently has been a part of Penn State tradition since 1974.  This spring festival originated with the purpose to celebrate students graduating and getting done with the school year.  Their website claims corporate and local sponsors provide plenty of "freebies".  Of course, food and drinks will be for sale.



The event will be held on Friday outside of Beaver Stadium on the IM fields.  The first performer, Keegan Tawa, starts at 3 p.m.  Following that show, David Mayfield, Parade,Young the Giant (presented by SPA),Michael Franti & Spearhead, Ludacris, and The Avett Brothers will perform until 9:30 p.m.  

I never went in the past, but I've already made plans with friends to go check it out.  I googled last year's Movin' On and found a couple of videos and it looks pretty cool. Look below at the video I found on YouTube.


Well, that is all I have for tonight.  Good luck studying!!! 


-Maria 


Here is Lupe Fiasco performing at last year's event:

O Brother Man: The Art and Life of Lynd Ward

This is Pat again, checking in for my final blog post of the semester!

Again I decided to change to topic up a bit this week and talk about an event I attended last friday (after hearing The Von Shakes in the HUB). In Paterno Library at 2:30 on friday afternoon, I sat down to watch a film entitled "O Brother Man: The Art and Life of Lynd Ward". The subject of the film was a man named Lynd Ward, who is known as the father of the American graphic novel because of his major influences to the world of storytelling through pictures. "O Brother Man" featured over 150 pieces of Ward's art, particularly his woodcuts, for which he was famous. For those who don't know, woodcutting is the process of carving out detailed pictures on boards of wood and, after applying ink to the carvings, pressing them onto a piece of paper. This results in a mirrored image of what was carved on the wood. Ward was famous for 6 wordless woodcarving graphic novels, including "Gods' Man", "Madman's Drum", "Wild Pilgrimage", "Prelude to a Million Years", "Song Without Words", and "Vertigo". What I found so interesting about the film and the woodcarving novels specifically was that they were so well executed. Furthermore, the woodcarving novels were totally wordless, and yet had the ability to convey emotion and tell a better story than some authors today can do with 3 or 4-book series. Ward’s subject matter was very serious as well, as the film detailed, and many of his woodcuts pertained to life during the Great Depression, wordlessly discussion things like corporate greed and the dichotomy of good and evil in unrestrained capitalism that still resonate with us today in 2012. I know I keep coming back to it, but the fact that Ward’s novels were totally wordless were what really blew me away. All of the stories are so clearly defined and the actions and emotions very much in evidence, despite not having the words with which to describe what is going on. I think this really takes the idea of the graphic novel to another level, removing the “novel” part and emphasizing the “graphic”. Ward’s daughter Robin Ward Savage, who was interviewed in the film, was also present at the viewing and introduced the filmmakers themselves, after which they took questions from the group. Savage talked about her father as well as his work, and her own understanding of just how important he was not only to society, but to the world of graphic novels as well. If you’re ever in the library and need something to do, I highly recommend checking out some of Ward’s pieces, found in the Rare Books room. You may not be able to take them home, but taking the time to read Ward’s work is time well spent.

Thanks for reading and following our blog! Have a good rest of the semester and remember that on a campus as large as PSU’s there’s always something to do, all you have to do is look for it!

John Mulaney Reminder and Corpsing

Hey again, it's Matt.

Just wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow night John Mulaney of SNL and stand-up fame will be in the HUB at 8PM. It's free and ticketless (first come, first served), so you have no excuse not to check out a great comedian... unless of course you're worried about finals next week or something. Another fun fact I found out about John Mulaney and his SNL creation, Stefon, is that Mulaney purposely tried to make Bill Hader break character and laugh. I personally think that when an actor or comedian breaks character on occasion, it's one of the funniest things ever. Who doesn't get a kick out of seeing Stephen Colbert or Michael Palin laughing hysterically? It takes a lot of skill to make a good actor/comedian laugh.

Stephen Colbert corpsing. Also, check out the clip here (around the 2:20 mark).

This little fact is actually a terrific setup for what I will be talking about next. In fact, the situation I described above, when a comedian/actor breaks character and can't stop laughing, it is called corpsing. As Wikipedia defines it, corpsing is a British slang term when a character breaks out laughing or makes another cast member laugh. (Wikipedia). Obviously, a lot of this doesn't make it into the movies or previously recorded tv shows. Mostly you will find this happening on live shows or in the blooper reels of your favorite film or show.

The thing about corpsing is that it is not always due to something hilarious being said. Anything can set an actor/comedian off and can potentially ruin an important shot. Sometimes, it will even get to the point where after numerous mess-ups of the takes it really is not funny anymore and starts to get annoying. However, this isn't always enough to get the person to stop corpsing. It becomes something of a self fulfilling prophecy in that they are so worried about laughing and ruining the take, it makes it all the harder to stop laughing.

Surely some of us have felt something similar to this, even if we aren't actors or comedians. I remember my freshman year in the dorms when I was watching a funny video. My roommate was sleeping not even 10 feet away and I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. The fact that I was trying to be quiet and considerate made the video all the more funny and my reaction all the more loud. I eventually had to take a 5 minute break to calm down and stop laughing...

A lot of the information I have on corpsing comes from none other than one of England's best comedians, Ricky Gervais. Gervais and his friends working on the tv show Extras made a mini documentary (more of a blooper reel than anything) about the phenomenon. Check it out below.

I've got the Von Shakes

Welcome back!

So I figured I'd mix it up a little this week and change the topic of my blog posts from the poetic goings-on here at PSU to the musical side of PSU entertainment. A little preliminary knowledge, every Friday afternoon, actually at noon on the dot, Student Programming Association (SPA) schedules a musical act, typically acoustic, to perform on the second floor of the HUB, next to Heritage Hall. So this past friday, since I didn't have class and had to wait in the HUB for an hour or so before my next class, I figured why not check out that day's act. I sat down and listened in to Von Shakes, three members of an Irish rock quartet that played an "acoustic" set. However, there was an electric bass and electric guitar, as well as the acoustic being played by the lead singer. But the sound wasn't overwhelmingly electric, because the tones of the electric instruments were clean and the acoustic guitar was more resonant than the others. Von Shakes' repertoire included a wide range of original tracks, including my personal favorite "Bali" which the lead singer said, in his wonderfully thick Irish accent, was about "an island we've never been to, but we plan on getting there someday." The song had a folky feel to it, kind of like an edgier, bluesier Bob Dylan, but it was the sad, howling vocals that made the song what it was. Coupled with a very technical and very impressive blues guitar solo, the song became an instant classic and I was hooked for the rest of the set. Von Shakes also covered a Bob Marley song, which I don't know the name of but it was a great cover and was such a drastic change from the reggae I was expecting that it really surprised me. But the song was great and the performance was just as endearing as the originals from Von Shakes. Between each song the lead singer made some friendly banter with the crowd and made a great connection with the students sitting and listening to the performance. Overall, it was a great set from some really talented guys, and I highly suggest getting out to the HUB next Friday for SPA’s final noontime concert of the semester if you find yourself with nothing to do at noon. You’ll hear some great music and spend a relaxing hour in the HUB, the perfect way to wind down at the end of the last week of classes and relax before finals start up!

-Pat

Lost in Afghanistan Review

Heyy,

On Friday, I went to watch The International Center for the Study of Terrorism's Event, "Lost in Afghanistan" with my friend Cristina, who is also studying International Politics. We arrived at the Lewis-Katz Building (aka the law school) and entered into the auditorium that was hosting the event and were delighted to find out that we were able to speak to the speaker, Jack Segal.  Segal is now an independent consultant and lecturer at the National Defense University in D.C.  He served in Vietnam and has since worked in the National Security Council during the Clinton administration and was also senior political adviser to the NATO commander in charge of Afghanistan.
The event started promptly at 6 p.m. and was very enlightening.  Afghanistan has been on the news a lot recently, and I felt it would be a great opportunity to learn more about what is going on there, since I am mainly interested in European and South American politics and government.
The event was definitely worth going to.  It was evident that Segal was extremely knowledgeable on the subject of American influence on Afghanistan and the effects our counter-insurgency (military tactic that the U.S. is using right now for the region) will have in the future.
After the lecture, there was a reception with delicious food that I rarely get to enjoy during my college days.  There was crab cakes, homemade pita chips and mango sauce, spanakopitas, chimichurri meatballs, the most delicious chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted.  (Yes, even better than West Dining Halls).
After eating, Cristina and I went to go talk to  ICST's director, John Horgan and he told us that for next semester they have a former terrorist coming to speak, as well as a former CIA agent.
Overall, it was a great event, and I'll surely be attending most of ICST's events for next semester which you can find here.

Below, is a YouTube video about the U.S.'s counter-insurgency strategy, just in case you are interested.

Hope you all enjoy the last of the weekend.

-Maria

My Absence, Am I Nostradamus?, The Boston Marathon, and Some Music News

Hey all, Matt here again.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I couldn't make the Hal Sparks and John Caparulo shows due to being in Boston for the marathon. I'll get to that in a minute. As far as comedy at Penn State goes, Hal Sparks apparently had a good set Friday night (Collegian) as did John Caparulo on Monday (Collegian).

Also, remember how in my last post I mentioned how great it would be if John Mulaney would come to Penn State? A few days after that post, SPA announced he would be coming as well for FREE. Needless to say, I am very excited to go and considering I picked the correct comedian to be announced next out of all the comedians out there, I have now accepted the fact that I have been born with the gift of divination. Mulaney will be performing in the HUB on April 24 (Tuesday) at 8PM. Another interesting fact I discovered is that John Mulaney writes for SNL. He is credited with creating the character Stefon, who is played by the also very talented Bill Hader. Check out the link below for another taste of John Mulaney's work!

On to the Marathon. Obviously, I didn't run it. I haven't done anything to physically exert myself since the boxing season ended 2-3 weeks ago. My dad ran it, though. It was his 5-6th marathon and the first time he's ever qualified for Boston. He ran it in a little over 4 hours which was good considering the heat (over 90 at some parts of the race). Overall, it was a fun trip. However, I wish there had been a little bit more time to explore the area more. It definitely got me thinking of checking out medical schools in the area though!

Lastly, let's talk a little bit about some of the music coming to Penn State. Movin' On, Penn State's annual senior send-off and weekend before finals stress relief is now only 9 days away. Headlining the show will be one of my favorite bands, the folk group The Avett Brothers. With them will be another staple of live music festivals, Michael Franti & Spearhead. Also announced was Ludacris, Young the Giant, and The David Mayfield Parade. Before these major acts, the winners of the recent local Battle of the Bands will play. From the event page on Facebook, it looks like the event will begin at 3PM in the fields near Beaver Stadium. Be sure to check it out because like this month's comedy, it's also FREE.

Also, because nothing is better with comedy than a little music, here is what to expect from a headliner like The Avett Brothers.

Interested in Law School?

Hey guys!
Hope everyone had a great weekend.

So delicious. I should
probably learn to grill. 

Mariano standing in front
of Burrowes Building on
Friday

My weekend was great.  My brother, Mariano came to visit from Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Cape Cod, MA to visit and celebrate his 20th birthday.  Over the weekend, we went out to a friend's party and made an asado, which is the Argentine version of b.b.q. with sausage (chorizo) and grilled tenderloin (lomito).

Anyway, tomorrow means back to business for the both of us: he's going back to school, and I have an exam (so happy two weeks left until finals!) and so many other events for classes and law school preparation.  Which brings me here to tell you of what events I think are worth attending this week.

For students thinking of LAW SCHOOL-

4/18- Penn State Law will be hosting How to Get Into Law School and Pay For It... in about an hour in the Lewis Katz Building at 6:30 p.m.  The admissions seminar will provide tips for everything covering the LSAT, GPA, C.V., Personal Statement, and Personal Appearance.  Not only is this event free, but they will also provide pizza and drinks (which is always a plus in my book).
4/21- Yes, this Saturday is Blue & White Weekend, but you should always take advantage of a free mock LSAT exam.  The Princeton Review is holding a mock exam at 9 a.m. in Wagner.  If you are interested in taking the exam you must call (800)-2Review (800-273-8439).  (It takes two seconds.)

Be back soon to tell you about an interesting talk about Afghanistan's relationship with the U.S. since 2001, taking place this Friday.  Now, time to study for my Social Statistics exam tomorrow. Yeah, totally sucks, but at least it's the last one! 

Goodnight!

Evie Shockley Poetry Reading

Hey there Pat again!

So as an English Education major, there are obviously a lot of English classes on my roster. However the biggest one I have taken this semester, and also one of the most annoying classes, is ENGL 437: Modern American Poetry. The readings are good, but the teacher knows too much for his own good. As a result he goes on lengthy monologues about the history of poets and their writings. In any case, part of my grade is attendance at a particular poetry reading (which the professor happened to have set up himself). Seeing as how it was a mandatory poetry reading, I was not necessarily looking forward to it, but when I made it to 104 Thomas and sat down, I actually found myself pretty excited. As I stated last week I just recently became a fan of poetry, and this event turned out to be a pleasant evening after all. The poet giving the reading was one Evie Shockley, an African American female poet and professor at Wesleyan University. She, as I expected, wrote about being a black woman in today's society, but with an entertaining twist on a number of topics. For example, one of her poems whose title I cannot remember but that it had something to do with a golden shovel, was directed to the popular R&B singer/S&M aficionado Rihanna, criticizing the singer for her taste (or lack thereof) in clothing choice and subject material, as well as how she presented herself. Shockley wittily criticized Rihanna on all of these points, competing her irony with a surprisingly accurate Jamaican accent. Another of her poems, entitled "Never After" was a twist on the classic "princess story" set in a modern day bar and following the exploits of an unlikely princess. Without going into too much detail, there were some serious twists to the poem and the ending was surprising. However what was the most surprising about this poem was Shockley’s response to a question about the poem. When asked if the “princess” had been slipped a drugged drink (don’t ask), Shockley responded, “Yeah, that sounds like a good explanation”. This response really intrigued me into Shockley’s writing as well as her personality. She seemed to treat poetry like an organic process, and her poems as if they were living things that were constantly changing. She allowed to audience to interpret her poems in their own ways and didn’t seem to have a problem with any of the interpretations. I really admire that in a poet and thought it was a great way to look at one’s artwork. However the best part of Shockley’s poems by far were her use of terrible, horrible, really bad puns. Poets by default love using puns, and I guess there’s a bit of poet in me because I thoroughly enjoyed Shockley’s use of corny wordplay. Overall, I really enjoyed the poetry reading and heartily suggest to others to check one out in the near future. Hopefully I will be able to see another reading and tell you guys about it here on the blog, but if not stay tuned I’m sure I’ll find something equally as enthralling to captivate your attention next week!

Till then!

For the Science Nerd in All of Us

Hey Penn Staters,

On April 22, Jeremy Cohen, Raymond Najjar, Tim White and Iliana Baums (undergraduate professors focusing their research on the environment) will have a photo exhibit of their trips to various beaches and seas and also discuss their research on the human effects on oceanic life.  

This exhibit and talk will take place in the Earth and Mineral Sciences Art Gallery in Deike Building.  The event will take place at 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Picture I took in Key West last summer. Can't
wait to go back.

Who doesn't love going to the beach? As someone who grew up in South Florida, the beach is paradise for me.  I have a different kind of respect for everything about this setting.  There is nothing that comes close to the first glance of the clear, blue ocean and the smell of salt.  No matter how stressed I am, going to the beach calms me in a way that nothing else can.  Walking on the sand and seeing the vastness of the water always makes me realize something that a lot of people I know (including myself) forget at times: how big the world we live in is.  It is hard to think that the daily choices we make, such as things we buy and eat, affect this ecosystem.

This is a free and ticket-less event.  Just make sure to bring your student ID.  

I strongly recommend that we all attend.  I heard about it through my roommate who is a geography major, and she said it will be interesting.  Most importantly, attending this event will you knowledge you probably don't have about how to do your part in helping the environment.  

Check out the video above for a glimpse into this unknown world underwater.  The exhibit will include "Reef 'Health' in Curaço -- A Disappearing Underwater World".  

See you all there!!! 

Maria 

An Evening with Julia Kasdorf and Nicole Cooley

Pat O’Brien here to talk about Penn State’s numerous poetic endeavors!

Poetry is somewhat of an enigma to me. As a student I have never been necessarily taken with poetry, but never really against the idea of reading it. In my career as a high school student, I read a number of great poems from a variety of authors including Poe, Dickinson, and Keats. However now as an English Ed major only two short semesters away from graduation, I decided to broaden my poetic horizons a bit. As a result I found myself sitting in Foster Auditorium on the evening of Thursday April 5th hoping to hear some poetry and not be too bored by the end of it. However, I was pleasantly surprised as I left the auditorium a few hours later at the amount of really great poetry I had heard. The first poet, Julia Kasdorf, is actually a local to the State College area, born in Lewistown, and is actually currently a member of the English Department here at Penn State. Kasdorf has won a number of awards for her books of poetry, and she recited a number of poems from her collections entitled Sleeping Preacher, Eve's Striptease, and Poetry in America. Her selections from Sleeping Preacher were really interesting and outlined her difficulties with growing up in a Pennsylvania Mennonite home but then attempting to live a normal life in New York City. Clearly there was some serious conflict when she wrote these poems, and that really came through in her reading. I really got what she was saying and it all just really made sense to me.

As Kasdorf finished up, I was looking forward to the next poet to recite. However, when New Orleans native Nicole Cooley arrived on stage I was surprised by the subject matter of her poems. Far from the Mennonite subjects in Kasdorf’s poems, Cooley read from her 2010 book, Breach, concerning the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and the living in the Gulf Coast. These poems were hauntingly beautiful and really hit home concerning the terrible event of Hurricane Katrina as well as the difficulties faced by those who survived the disaster. These poems gave grim testament to the aftermath of the hurricane and brought a perspective to my thinking that I never would have had before. Overall, both poets performed exceedingly well and their poems were strong and moving. I highly suggest looking into their publications and keeping an eye out around campus for upcoming poetry events. One such event is the Evie Shockley’s reading from 4:30 to 6:30 on Thursday April 12^th. I’m pretty sure it’s in Foster Auditorium as well, so if you’re interested come on out!  

The Beginning, a Review (Lewis Black), and a Few Wishes

Hey all, Matt Woodward here.

The comedian Lewis Black came to Penn State two weeks ago. If this blog was around before then, we could have posted a reminder about it. Since it wasn't, here is the review of the show.

I've seen Lewis Black once before a few years back when one of his tours passed through Reading, PA. I remember really enjoying the show. I also recall that after only about 45 minutes into the show, I was "laughed out" and I mean that in a good way. I couldn't really laugh anymore because the first 45 minutes had had me constantly cracking up. All I could do for the end of the show was smile or let out a quick "hah" at a particularly funny joke. I've seen my fair share of comedians and only a handful have been able to do that.

Black once again exceeded expectations this time around. Once again, 45 minutes in, I was laughed out. Black talked about everything a college audience loves or loves to hate: politics, marijuana, and technology. Despite now being in his 60s, Black is still very sharp and still brings a very relevant view point to social matters. While doing his fair share at yelling at/towards the audience, Black also took the time to remind everyone about what was important. At the end of the show, he gave a few heartfelt words about doing what you love and enjoying college as it is the best time of our lives. Overall, it was a great show and if Lewis Black does another tour near wherever I am in the future, I will probably go.

If you like comedians, don't forget SPA's April Fool's comedy month is now in full swing. Loni Love came last week, but that wasn't a show I had any particular interest in seeing. Just announced for this Friday the 13th, Hal Sparks will be in the HUB for free at 10PM. On Monday the 16th, John Caparulo will also stop by the HUB at 8PM for free. I would go to both of these shows and review them if I could, but I will most likely be in Boston for the marathon for most of the upcoming weekend. Hopefully, there will be a few more shows that have yet to be announced.SPA has been playing it pretty close to the chest this year in terms of announcements.

I'm really holding out for another big name. Last year we had Gabriel Iglesias, Jo Koy, Mike Birbiglia, and Steve Byrne, all of which have had hour long specials on Comedy Central and then some. So far this year, we've only had Lewis Black who would really match that criteria. One of my new favorites is a guy named John Mulaney who is on the rise. Having him come to Penn State would be awesome and since he is not a huge name yet should be rather affordable. If you want a taste of how hilarious he is, check out this story about childhood shenanigans at a local diner. There may be some language.