Collegiate Times

BY: KAILA TAYLOR

FEATURES STAFF WRITER

Let me tell you about the day when I looked at my TV screen and saw Will Smith running around with a gigantic black rifle in his hands. My first thought was “Hmm, this looks like it might be a good movie.” As the trailer went on, I started to notice some things that looked familiar like creepy alien-like creatures. I figured that it couldn’t be what I thought. At the end of the trailer I realized that my hunch had been right; “Men in Black 3” is now in the works.

You would think that after 10 years, Will Smith would say goodbye to the old days of fighting extraterrestrial crime in New York; however, that doesn’t seem to be the case. On May 6, 2012 the story of the mysterious “Men in Black” will come out into theaters.

The plot involves Agent Jay (Will Smith) trying to save Agent K who was played by Tommy Lee Jones back in 2002. Agent Jay discovers that yet another alien enemy that has traveled back in time to 1969 and is trying to kill Agent K, therefore resulting in the end of the world.

If you don’t know anything about the men in black, let me give you a little background. Agent Kay is an alien expert who hires Agent Jay to help him fight off the disgusting creatures. They get into all of these fights and have been victorious in the past two movies. At the end of the second movie (SPOILER ALERT), Agent Kay decides to neutralize himself (erase his memory), so that he would not remember any of the bad things that happened to him while fighting off aliens in the city.

So in the third movie, once Agent Jay finds out about the enemy trying to kill Agent Kay before he was an expert so he runs to try and find Agent Kay to help him. However, there is a twist. The secretary at the headquarters informs Agent Jay that Kay died over 40 years ago. This causes Agent Jay to travel back in time and save the life of his partner in crime, 26-year-old Agent Kay, played by Josh Brolin.

Some are saying that this movie is going to be lame; however, others feel differently. It sounds like a decent plot, but some feel that the “MIB” phase is long gone according to comicbookmovie.com. Judging by the trailer, it looks like the graphics are the same as they were back in 1997 when the first film was released. This could be because of old time’s sake, but who knows. I guess we will have to see when the ratings come out next month. Happy viewing!

compiled by Emma Goddard

After several festivals and parades to celebrate the Easter holiday, Blacksburg is taking this weekend to slow things down a bit. Take the time to relax and enjoy some local music at a restaurant or bar in the area.

Thursday, April 12

6:00 p.m. – The Inn at Virginia Tech – Live music with Blake Parker

6:00 p.m. – Due South BBQ – Live music with Jason Byrd & Friends

8:00 p.m. – The Lyric Theatre – Live music with Nanci Griffith, a Grammy award-winning Texan singer-songwriter

Friday, April 13

6:00 p.m. – Gillie’s – Live music with Justin Craig

7:00 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. – The Lyric Theatre – First screening of “A Separation”

8:00 p.m. – Castle’s Kettle Pub – Live music with Mist on the Mountain

Saturday, April 14

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Price House, Wharton St. SE – SEEDS Center nature activities learning about birds with volunteers from Virginia Tech Biological Sciences

6:00 p.m. – 217 West College Avenue – Live music with Melodime

7:30 p.m. – 11.30 p.m. – GLC Multipurpose Room – Ballroom Dance at Virginia Tech is holding their annual Spring Fling

By Jacob Wilbanks

Where to even begin with the movie sequel? Usually the most obvious cash grab that Hollywood executives make results in terrible films that disappoint fans worldwide. There are very few movies that have ever produced quality sequels, and even fewer are on par with or better than the original.

Sequels usually stink due to the lack of a good script as well as an absence of cast members that were present in the original. The whole premise for making most sequels is to produce another movie — as quickly as humanly possible — that can be put into theatres almost as soon as its predecessor has left. Therefore, the producers can capitalize on susceptible moviegoers to make quick cash (think basically every horror movie sequel ever).

“Anchorman 2” fortunately does not suffer from a lot of the same ills that plague the typical sequel. Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and Steve Carell have already been confirmed to be returning to the Channel Four News team. Christina Applegate (Veronica Corningstone) and David Koechner (Champ Kind) have not yet been confirmed, but at least a good majority of the main cast is guaranteed back.

The money grab route also does not appear to be the motivation for making “Anchorman 2.” Rudd and Carell have blossomed into leading actors since the first movie and Ferrell certainly doesn’t need the money. You also can’t blame Ferrell for wanting to step back into the shoes of one of the most iconic comedy characters of the last 10 years.

Looks like the behind the scenes group will relatively stay the same as well. Ferrell and Adam McKay, who wrote the original “Anchorman,” are writing the sequel. Judd Apatow produced the first film and will produce the second as well. McKay will also be back in the director’s chair for “Anchorman 2.”

All of these signs of stability are a good start for “Anchorman 2,” but there are still a lot of questions up in the air. Virtually nothing is known about the script and the potential direction of the movie.

Overcoming the cult classic status of “Anchorman” is going to be extremely hard to do. The first movie garnered so many fans over the years that expectations for the sequel are going to be sky-high.

The sequel should be approached with skepticism until more of the project actually comes to fruition. If Ferrell and crew can successfully pull it off though, it will be a comedy of the ages.

It has been eight years since “Anchorman” was released. IMDB currently has the film slated for a 2013 release. Therefore, it will still be some time before you can ride the most glorious rainbow ever into the pleasure town that is 1970s San Diego with everybody’s favorite anchorman, Ron Burgundy.

by Patrick Murphy

For avid fans of the USA show “Psych,” anticipation is already high for tonight’s season finale. However, even non-watchers may have a reason to tune in.

Ashley Hall, a 2006 Tech grad and current post production coordinator for “Psych,” promises the finale will contain a reference to Virginia Tech.

“I can’t completely give up the reference, but I can tell you that it’s in our season finale, and it’s a scene that involves Woody the Coroner, Shawn and Gus,” Hall said.

Tune into the finale tonight at 10 p.m. on the USA Network to find out exactly what the Hokie reference is and also find out if Shawn, Gus and Henry can crack the 20-year-old case of Veronica Towne’s murder.

by Patrick Murphy

Social media giant Facebook acquired Instagram, a photography application for smartphones, for an astounding $1 billion. This is the most expensive acquisition for Facebook, as well as the single greatest intake of users.

Instagram, which is available for both iPhone and Android, allows users to snap a photo and using filters add special visual effects. Photos are then shared with anyone on Instagram, unless the profile is set to private. Users can also follow their friends, much like Twitter, to collate photos from other users.

So what does this purchase mean for the more than 30 million Instagram users? So far there’s isn’t a definitive answer, but Intagram founders tell their users not to worry.

“It’s important to be clear that Instagram is not going away,” Instagram’s founders stated on the company’s blog. “We’ll continue to add new features to the product and find new ways to create a better mobile photos experience.”

Instagram was recently valued at $500 million, yet Facebook snatched them up for double that to ensure that other competitors couldn’t beat them to the punch. So far, there is no distinct plan for what to do with Instagram, but one can only imagine Facebook will be looking at ways to turn a profit off their investment.

Currently, Instagram is completely free to download and all of its features are free as well. The founders said they intended to start with everything being free, then after building up a sizable base, would start looking at ways to really start cashing in. Facebook solved that problem for them with the $1 billion purchase.

As Instagram’s future may now seem a bit uncertain, especially as Facebook is in the process of going public, the 30 million Instagram users, myself included, will be crossing their fingers that everything they love about the photo-sharing app will remain intact and still be free.

review by Madeleine Gordon

Everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure (“Jersey Shore”) may be on a brief hiatus, but fans can still get a taste with cast member Pauly DelVecchio’s new show, “The Pauly D Project.”

The “Jersey Shore” spinoff follows Pauly D as he pursues his dreams of being a celebrity DJ. The series focuses on a different side of Pauly, one that showcases his Rhode Island roots and his life before the Shore.

In the premiere, we are introduced to his entourage, which is mainly made up of his hometown friends. There are a bunch of new characters including “Big Jerry,” Pauly D’s bodyguard, Ryan Labbe, his “social director,” and “Biggie,” Pauly’s road manager and mentor.

“The Pauly D Project” is a pretty big departure from “Jersey Shore.” Viewers will supposedly see a more serious side of Pauly and his love of music. That’s right- there is more to Pauly D than GTLing and searching for girls who are DTF. However, fans of Jersey Shore might not transition well to this new take on Pauly D.

Pauly D is easily the funniest and most laid-back cast member on Jersey Shore. His catch phrases like “cabs are here!” and “yeah, buddy!” are well known in today’s culture. Always down for a good prank, Pauly D brings the hilarity to the Jersey Shore. So when I heard he had a new show, I was expecting all of his hilarious antics to be on display. This was not the case during the premiere.

Although it premiered to 2.9 million viewers, the spinoff brought very few laughs and very little drama compared to “Shore.” During the premiere, I kept asking myself why they made this a show. It was very obvious that there wasn’t much going on. The most dramatic event was when Pauly D’s sound system stopped working before a gig. Watching a bunch of people try to fix the equipment was very drawn out and over dramatized.

The laughs weren’t much better. Pauly D’s sense of humor was not on display. Instead, everything felt contrived and perhaps scripted. In a ridiculous scene, Big Jerry tried to interrupt Ryan’s date by joining the couple in the hot tub, complete with a shower cap. What was supposed to be funny ended up feeling uncomfortable and weird.

The show focused too much on introducing his entourage. Viewers barely got a chance to see the playful Pauly D we all know and love. Hopefully as the season progresses, we will see more of Pauly and things will get more interesting. As for now, MTV needs to focus on making this show more exciting. At the conclusion of the first episode, I was keenly aware that I had just watched a show about nothing.

For “The Pauly D Project” to really take off, it needs to center more on Pauly and become less contrived. Maybe it was bad editing or maybe Pauly doesn’t really have much going on, but the first episode did not leave me wanting more. However, Pauly D does have a large fan base so the show will no doubt get a second and maybe even a third chance in the coming Thursdays.

Compiled by Emma Goddard

Easter is just around the corner and a few events to celebrate the holiday will be taking place this weekend. Make sure to get involved with the community by participating in the local festivities.

 Thursday, April 5

 8:00 p.m. – XYZ Gallery – One-man piano band, free but donations are accepted

7:00 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. – The Lyric Theatre – Last chance to see “A Dangerous Method”

9:00 p.m. – BreakZONE – Moonlight bowling, $15/lane

Friday, April 6

7:00 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. – The Lyric Theatre – The first screening of “The Secret World of Arrietty”

7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. –YMCA’s Stuart Event Room, 1000 N. Main Street – Swing and dance lesson: first time free, members: $5, general: $7

8:00 p.m. – Squires Recital Salon –Percussion recital by student Aaron Cook

Saturday, April 7

 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Blacksburg Farmers Market, Draper Road – Easter Egg festival with egg hunt and music

8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Blacksburg Farmers Market, Draper Road – New Vintage and Indie-Craft Street Market. Clothes, jewelry, furniture and other goods will be sold at this fair.

10:00 a.m. – Veterinary college complex on Duck Pond Drive – Community Easter egg hunt hosted by Omega Tau Sigma. This is free and open to the public.

BY EMMA GODDARD

“Jack, I want you to draw me like one of your French girls.”

There’s no doubt that this seductive quote from Rose Bukator — or Dawson — is the most memorable line from Titanic. From holding the box office record for years — just surpassed by another James Cameron hit — to being one of the most classic romance movies to date, almost everyone knows about “Titanic.”

While 3D movies have been around for quite some time, only recently have old movies been brought back to theaters in this fashion. In all honesty though, who wouldn’t want to see Leonardo DiCaprio popping off the big screen?

A lot of controversy has been surfacing over movies being revived purely for 3D purposes with some viewers being highly against it, and some being all for it. Professional critics and moviegoers alike wonder what the appeal is of paying extra money to see a movie that is already out on DVD or Netflix. Some may even believe that 3D doesn’t do anything to enhance the original movie.

Surprisingly though, an abundant amount of crazed fans have still gotten their tickets for these movies despite what others say. Bringing movies like “Titanic” back to life allows younger generations to participate in something they weren’t able to before. But now, they get to experience it the exact same way that their parents experienced it firsthand.

Not only this, but die hard fans of Rose and Jack get the chance to relive that moment when they sat in the cinema to see “Titanic” for the very first time in 1997. To some, it’ll never make sense, but to others, sitting in a theater seat with a bag of popcorn is a completely different experience from watching the movie at home.

For those who are eager to re-watch that steamy car scene or to just have a good cry, they can take a voyage on the RMS Titanic once again in 3D beginning April 4.

by Katie White

Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton hosted this year’s Country Music Awards. The show started off with a boot-stomping rendition of Carrie Underwood’s latest hit, the fiery “Good Girl,” and continued to focus heavily on performances for the rest of the night.

There were 24 performances in all, ranging from the awesome, like Brad Paisley’s redneck anthem “Camouflage,” to the awkward, such as Carrot Top’s appearance with Toby Keith on “Red Solo Cup.”

But believe it or not, Carrot Top was not the most random guest at the ceremony, as Ashton Kutcher and KISS both introduced awards over the course of the evening.

The show also included a live wedding between a real couple, while Martina McBride and Pat Monahan of Train sang “Marry Me” in front of them.

Two great guest appearances were Lionel Ritchie and Steve Martin. Ritchie’s new album is influenced by country music, as shown in his duet with Shelton. Martin, an accomplished banjo player, joined the Zac Brown Band for the song “Banjo,” which made an otherwise somewhat dull performance highly watchable.

When it came to the awards, there were fewer surprises. Miranda Lambert won Top Female Vocalist for the third straight year and Taylor Swift repeated as Entertainer of the Year, giving a predictable speech about how shocked, surprised and honored she was.

Blake Shelton, however, did win Top Male Vocalist for the first time, breaking Brad Paisley’s five-year streak. Thompson Square also had a surprise win for Top Vocal Duo.

Other winners include Lady Antebellum for Vocal Group of the Year, the Eli Young Band for “Crazy Girl” as Song of the Year, “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery for Top New Artist, and Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” for Video of the Year. Miranda Lambert also once again won Album of the Year with her “Four the Record.”

by Patrick Murphy

The blood and nudity-ridden series “Spartacus” will close this season’s “Vengeance” chapter this Friday on Starz at 10:00 p.m as it undoubtedly ends with the long-awaited showdown between the rebel gladiators and the Romans that oppressed them.

All season long, Spartacus, now played by Liam McIntyre, has been collecting stray slaves, former gladiators and others who are adamantly anti-Roman. There have been numerous bloody showdowns throughout this season already, yet the ultimate battle is staged for the finale.

When we last left our band of brave, muscular stock, they were being forced to retreat from their stronghold due to the Romans’ attacks. Spartacus instructed his troops to head up the mountain, which antagonist Claudius Glaber noted was an unwise choice, planning to let them starve and suffer before finishing them off.

Fans of “Spartacus” need not fret too much over the doom and gloom portrayed on the show’s penultimate episode. Starz renewed the series for a third season and has some big things already in the works. When it comes to ancient Rome, nothing comes to mind more than Julius Caesar, right? Expect to see a lot of him, as well as successful general Marcus Crassus.

Australian actor Todd Lasance (“Crownies”) will play a young Caesar, as he rises to power and attempts to crush the slave rebellion. Crassus will be played by British actor Simon Merrells (“The Wolfman,” “Family Affairs”).

While the future of the show may look promising, this season’s finale is still likely to be a bloodbath. The show has never shied away from killing off fairly major characters at the drop of a hat. (Batiatus, Seppia, Varro or Barca, anyone?)

Certainly Spartacus will survive, but the fates of his comrades are less certain. My guess is that Crixus, Doctore, Gannicus and definitely Lucretia will be fine. But Glabor? He seems an easy bet in the death pool. I’d also bet that Agron, his lover Nasir, Spartacus’ now ex-flame Mira, or Crixus’ main squeeze Naevia will bite the dust, because if this show has taught us anything, it’s that love never prevails and is always tragically ripped away to die a gruesome “300″-esque death.