Submitted by Andrew Fillmore, Comedy & Music Coordinator

1. Ryan Gosling in The Ides of March (2011) with George Clooney
2. George Clooney in The Descendants (2011) with Judy Greer
3. Judy Greer in Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012)

(Judy Greer is amazing in The Descendants, just so you know.)

The best kinds of movies are those concerned with destiny and the human condition, but the most interesting ones do it in a messy way. When the Duplass Brothers’ latest effort,Jeff, Who Lives at Home, opened with Jeff (played by Jason Segel) talking about the role of destiny in a scene from M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs (which is, admittedly, one of my favorite movies), I knew I would be in for an interesting ride. Both movies are about finding destiny in a messy way, and I’m okay with that.

There’s not much plot to the Duplass’ movie. Jeff lives at home (like the title!) with his mother, Sharon (Susan Sarandon). Sharon is frustrated at work, but her life becomes more exciting when she receives messages from a secret admirer. Pat (Ed Helms) is Jeff’s brother, who suspects that his wife (Judy Greer) may be cheating on him. But the real star of the movie is a stranger named Kevin and the way he affects all of the characters’ destinies.

Everyone in the movie is changed by Jeff’s optimistic outlook on life during the course of one day. Stylistically, the movie doesn’t attempt to do a whole lot, and it doesn’t really need to. The quartet of actors carries the movie, and that’s what the core of the movie is about. The story moves along a brisk pace, mostly thanks to quick edits, and clocks in at a short 82 minutes.

The movie doesn’t use a lot of tropes present in previous Duplass Bros mumblecore entries, but the dialogue does seem very natural. Mumblecore-style jerky camera movements and zooms dominate the beginning of the movie and get extremely distracting, but as the movie progresses it seems more natural. I’m not actually sure why I keep using the term “mumblecore” here because this movie (and last year’s Cyrus) have mainstreamed the mumblecore movement.

Production value in the movie seems kind of lacking, but I think it matches the thematic themes. The sets are ordinary, but honestly it would be distracting if the sets were lavish. The sets are simple because these characters are living simple, boring lives until this strange day. The lighting here is plain as well, and it almost has a harsh quality that gives the characters more realism.

I can see how the ending of the movie could be divisive for some and tonally off, but if you believe in the characters like I did, it totally works. It’s all about Jeff’s (messy) destiny, just like it was your destiny to read this review.

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Check out Andrew’s Blog here: http://sixdegreesofgosling.com/

Submitted by Christy Khamphilay, Assistant Coordinator for Communications and Traditional Media

At the first Jayhawks Amazing Race last year, I think I had one of the easiest jobs for the event. Being in charged of one of the locations with two other SUA members, we told competitors the task they needed to complete to get the next clue. Many teams told us they had a difficult time finding our location based on the clue, and I saw emotions of frustration and competitiveness. However, I also saw elation and just pure fun while teams competed in the race.

I think one of the highlights of Jayhawks Amazing Race is it challenges students’ knowledge of KU, lets them gain new information and just the overall fun they get to have with their friends. Our Spirit committee put so much work into this event last year with successful results. For this year’s Jayhawks Amazing race, they have put in so much time, effort, and planning to make it even better for all the competitors. So, I’m wishing good luck to the Spirit committee and all the competitors for Jayhawks Amazing Race!

Submitted by Andrew Fillmore, Comedy & Music Coordinator, from his blog: Six Degrees of Gosling

I’m not a true Muppet fan. In fact, I think I’ve only seen two Muppet movies total. But the beautiful thing about The Muppets is that it reflects on the long legacy of the puppets while at the same time acquainting new audiences with these characters.

From the first scene to the final musical number, The Muppets is pure movie entertainment. The jokes are old school and could have easily fallen very flat, but writersJason Segel and Nicholas Stoller (who worked together on the hilarious Forgetting Sarah Marshall) manage to add clever winks to the audience in every punchline.

And the musical numbers. Some of the songs, like Amy Adams‘ showcase “Party of One,” really detract from the story and add nothing to the movie at all (even though it’s a perfectly okay song). But when songwriter Bret McKenzie (TV’s Flight of the Conchords) gets it right, he gets it really right. “Life’s a Happy Song” (Spotify link) may be one of my favorite movie moments from this year.

Segel and co. are clearly having the time of their lives paying tribute to these classic Jim Henson characters. The Muppets is essentially a 100-minute tribute to The Muppets, and that’s perfectly fine. Add this to the fact that there’s a tribute band called The Moopets present in this movie and you have a mindbender along the lines of Inception.

See The Muppets. Have some fun.

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Check out Andrew’s blog here: Six Degrees of Gosling

Submitted by Mariah Givens, Cultural Arts Committee Member

I just got the details on this Spring’s KU Style Project and I’m trying to hold on to my bloomers! The contestants are all so unique and ready to participate in this thrill of a night. The stylists were hand picked from numerous applicants eager to expose their talent, to turn drab into fab. However, the fun is not just the night of the event (March 14 at 7pm). The events that lead up to the contest include up close and personal interviews, cultivation through shopping, and utmost rubbing shoulders with some of the fashion advocates of KU. The contestants chosen are those who are somewhat… in the clouds about style. Some of them include Graduate Students simply dressing for convenience (nothing wrong with that) but with no true insight on how to dress to flaunt their true personality. The cherry on top just may just be the awesome prizes. I’m expecting a bang of personality to shine through both contestants and stylists by the end of the night. I will be keeping the entire campus involved on what all is going down these next 3 weeks… let the showdown begin.

Submitted by Kimberlee Hinkle, Assistant Coordinator for Communications and Online Media

When I joined SUA as a committee member last January, the thought of applying for a leadership position terrified me. I had every intention of continuing with the path I was on, believing that I wasn’t ready or experienced enough.  A then leader, and a now very best friend was able to convince me otherwise. She sat down one day and asked me what position I was applying for. At a board meeting that night, each and every leader in SUA got up to talk about their experience in their respective positions. It was then that I decided I would apply.

Saying that SUA has completely changed my life would be an understatement. I have learned so much about myself as well as so many others in the organization. I have been given the opportunity to prove what I can bring to an organization, and received so much in return. I have built life-long friendships, and been a part of a community dedicated to enriching student lives

I encourage everyone to apply for a leadership position (here’s the link), because it truly is an amazing experience. You don’t even have to be a current member to apply. We currently have three leaders who weren’t members of SUA before applying for their positions, and are thriving. So, hurry up – apply! It’s 100% worth it!

Submitted by Andy Kriegh, VP of Communications

Two years ago I had a very unique and memorable Valentines Day. I had just joined Student Union Activities and was lucky enough to be selected as one of KU’s representatives for the National Association for Campus Activities’ National Convention in Boston.  Many people may groan at the thought of going to a conference, but this was not your average conference; this is one where you may run into a celebrity around any corner like Snooki, Jamie Kennedy, or Ralphie May just to name a few.

Even though meeting Snooki from Jersey Shore was a highlight of the week, it couldn’t top the performances of truly talented acts on the stage. Between the acts such as musician Ryan Cabrera and comedian Kirk Fox, one act stood out above all; and that act was (drum roll…) BABY WANTS CANDY. I was not sure what to expect from a group named BABY WANTS CANDY, but I knew it would be great coming from a group that has produced notable stars like Jack McBrayer (Kenneth from 30 Rock) and Seth Meyers from SNL. I could not have prepared myself for the whirlwind of energy that BABY WANTS CANDY would throw at the audience over the next twenty minutes.

BABY WANTS CANDY’s breath taking (from laughing too much!) act is an hour-long completely improvised musical based off ideas the audience yells at them. No two shows of theirs is the same, when you go and see them you will know that you are exclusively seeing a one-time ever production (How exclusively VIP does that sound?!) During the act that I enjoyed, BABY WANTS CANDY took the audience on a trip through Sarah Palin: The Musical, a roller coaster account of Ms. Palin falling in love with a polar bear she was hunting with the necessary love ballads and duets between Ms. Palin, the polar bear, and a Russian included.

BABY WANTS CANDY’s unique and hilarious performance on that 14^th day of February, 2010 was one of the greatest and most memorable Valentines Day gift I’ve ever received. If you want an exciting and memorable experience, come receive your late Valentine’s Day gift SUA has to offer for you on Monday, February 20^th in the Kansas Union Ballroom at 6:00 pm with a free BABY WANTS CANDY performance and free pizza!

Submitted by Kevin Wright, Films & Media Committee

Preparations for SUA’s 4th Annual International Film and Food Festival are well underway! The event, which will take place on Sunday Feb. 19th, calls for student film submissions, which will be screened during the all-day event. This year proves to be even more exciting than years past, as the Films and Media committee will be teaming up with the Culinary committee in order to provide students with international food to correspond with the films! If that wasn’t enough excitement for you (and we don’t know why it wouldn’t be), the prizes we’ve lined up are phenomenal! The first place winner will win $500 and an internship with a film company in Mexico City, with second place winning $350 and third place winning $200.

Unfortunately, we can’t accept every student submission (despite the fact that we’d love to!), which means somehow we have to narrow down the options. This year, we have sixteen submissions, but we only have four available spots for the event. With so few available spots and so many submissions, the Films and Media committee members are doing their best to make sure that the best possible films get screened.

To decide on the best films, we’re planning to watch all the submissions and select the best. We’re making an afternoon of it, so this Sunday, we’ll be watching and discussing all the submissions and then voting on the top four. We’re looking forward to seeing what KU students have created, and we can’t wait for the rest of KU to see as well, so make sure to come to the International Film Festival to watch some good films and eat some good food!

Submitted by Kimberlee Hinkle, Assistant Coordinator for Communications and Online Media

Welcome back to school, KU Campus! I don’t know about everyone else, but for me second semester picked up right where first left off. Everyone in the SUA Office is back in full swing planning the spring semester’s events and preparing for another great semester!

Just in case you missed it, we kicked off the semester with a carnival themed Calendar Release Party! I am absolutely in love with the look and feel of the calendar and hope you all are too. The event was a blast to plan and even more fun to attend. We had games, prizes, and even gave away a 42” TV, a signed KU basketball, two Amazon Kindles and tons of other great prizes to our Student Saver Card winners!  If you want to learn more about becoming a Student Saver Card member look here.

So, like I said, we have a ton of great events coming up. Some I can’t wait for are:

Comedy & Pizza Night, featuring Baby Wants Candy on February 20 - Baby Wants Candy is a musical improve troupe that will perform a 60 minute completely improvised musical brought on by a prompt from the audience. We will also have free pizza from everyone’s favorite pizza places around Lawrence! Vote on your favorite pizza and don’t miss out on this hilarious event!

KU’s Dancing with the Stars on March 2 - After the blizzard that threatened last year’s event, I’m super pumped to see how everything turns out this year. Think Dancing with the Stars, but with all on-campus celebrities! The “stars” and dancers have been coming in all week to meet each other and start preparations for the big day!

KU Style Project on March 14 - A spin off of Project Runway mixed with a little What Not to Wear! This homegrown event will throw together five makeover contestants with five on-campus stylists. The stylists will be able to “make-over” the contestant with a set budget and the winner will win $175! Makeover not your thing, but have a friend that you think deserves a wardrobe overhaul? Nominate them here!

There are so many more I could talk about! Pick up your calendar and keep checking back for more!

Are you scanning your SUA Student Saver Card at our events? Did you know, that by doing so, you could be entered to win some huge prizes? There are only a few more events this semester, and we’re upping the stakes! Make sure you scan your card at our events, and you’ll be granted tons of points! Now, here’s what you could win…

Tiers

Third Tier:       One flat screen TV: At least 76+ points

Second Tier:     One of three (3) $150 Target Gift Cards: At least 46+ points

First Tier:        One of five (5) $20 Dillons Gift Cards: At least 5+ points

And here’s how you can win it…

• Tea @ Three, Every Thursday, 3 pm- 1 point
• Campus Movies – 3 points
• Tunes @ Noon – 3 points
• Cosmic Bowling Every Friday and Saturday- 15 points
• 02/15 Dodgeball Tournament – 5 points
• 02/14 Valentines Day Open House – 5 points
• 02/19 International Film & Food Festival – 10 points
• 02/20 Comedy & Pizza Night featuring Baby Wants Candy – 15 points
• 02/27 Everybody Cut Footloose! Event – 5 points
• 02/28 Footloose Movie – 5 points
• 03/02 KU’s Dancing with the Stars – 20 points
• 03/14 KU Style Project – 15 points
• 03/27 Grocery Bingo – 4 points
• 04/04 Student Lecture Series, Bill Rasmussen – 15 points
• 04/19 Earth Day Burger Grill Off – 5 points
• 04/24 Grocery Bingo – 4 points