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We’re Playing Basketball

This should get you in the mood to read this post.

I had never really been a basketball fan until I went to my first Mizzou basketball game. Everyone talked about how excited they were for basketball season, and that was just a foreign concept to me. In both professional and college sports, football is a much bigger deal than basketball. I’d gone to a few Hornets games to sing the national anthem in elementary school, but it was never an event like a Mizzou basketball game. I’m not sure I’ve ever been more excited and alert than I was at the Mizzou vs. kU game in 2012 (just skip ahead to 0:44).  The atmosphere was absolutely insane, and I didn’t have a voice for a week afterwards.

Tonight I watched the end of ESPN documentary “The Fab Five.” I thought I’d heard of them before, but I thought it was about a football draft until talking to my roommate.  I was skeptical at first, but it was such an emotional story and so well told. I was completely invested in not only the teams wins and losses, but their personal experiences of being thrust into the spotlight at such a young age. That’s why I love journalism. We get the opportunity to share amazing stories with the public, and, hopefully, leave people  feeling as good as that left me.

NOLA Girl’s First Snow Days

When I heard we were getting 5-10 inches of snow, I think I looked something like this.

Living most of my life in a place where snow is a rarity, it’s always been magical to me. The two times it snowed in New Orleans (it was only a couple of inches, but we were still excited) everything shut down and everyone was excited. The most recent snow storm was my sophomore year of high school. We had a ten minute passing period, and the entire school ran outside to play, take pictures and enjoy the snow. Most of it was melted by lunch, but we still made snowballs, snowmen and snow angels. Even though no one knew how to handle the snow, schools and businesses remained open because, let’s get real, how many people actually thought it was going to snow?

My snow days last week were the first since pre-school when I lived in Connecticut, and they were fantastic. My first day was filled with walks through Greek Town, sledding in trash bags, and making snow angels on Sankowski Field. We played around for about an hour, and I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it. After a hot shower, the rest of the day was spent in sweatpants with hot chocolate while watching movies and doing homework. I think I could get used to snow days.

Pictures of the Year

I attended the judging of the 70th Annual Pictures of the Year on Tuesday, Feb. 19. It was the magazine editing division, and I went in without knowing what to expect.

I entered the dark lecture hall and saw that three judges were seated in front of a large projection screen. A moderator kept the conversation flowing while two students clicked through the entries. Each entry had multiple photos and were judged on storytelling and editing technique. The category was officially called news and issue story editing, which the judges joked was”everything” besides feature stories. As long as there was an issue or news peg, it was valid for the category.

Each judge was given a chance to “speak to” each work and explain their opinions. They narrowed the field to the top six, which all received awards of excellence. From there, they tried to narrow down a top three and later determine place.  Because the competition was so steep, the judges discussed if certain entries made the top photos stronger than others. The judges considered the effectiveness of design, headline and typography. As the judges continued discussing, they all began to agree on the top choices. The mentioned that there weren’t many breaking news pieces, but then decided that the spread on Egypt could be considered breaking news. National Geographic’s story on wild weather, a piece on Pine Ridge and wounded knee and pictures of the underground rock city of New York, along with the Egypt story were constantly being revisited.

I had no idea how many elements can be looked at when judging a photo.  I can tell when a photo is professional or good quality, but I have no idea how they decide which photos to keep and which to cut. I guess it just comes with time and more knowledge , but I’m glad I just got to enjoy the photos without the added pressure. The top six, as well as the three division winners can be seen here.

The judges looking at top four stories at POYi judging took place Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013.

The judges looking at top four stories at POYi judging took place Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013.

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Signs displayed outside of the lecture hall where POYi judging took place Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013.

Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler!

Happy Mardi Gras! To get you in the mood, play this while you’re reading.

I have to start this post with my favorite Mardi Gras quote by Chris Rose. He encapsulates the atmosphere I have such a hard time trying to explain to my friends who’ve never been to Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras has always been a family event for me. My mom, dad and I have been going to the same spot on St. Charles for years, and I love seeing new families with little kids starting the same tradition. I knew people knew about Bourbon Street, but I didn’t realize that was the only idea they had about Mardi Gras. It’s so much more than that. It’s going to parades with friends and family, but becoming friends with the people standing next to you on the parade route or in line for a bowl of red beans. It’s dancing to the wobble in the middle of the street between parades with a crowd of strangers. It’s costumes, music and kids playing catch and frisbee with old friends and new friends and just for a day friends. Mardi Gras is an atmosphere and an energy of friendliness and revelry.

“They got music always playing. Start in the daytime go all through the night.”

I saw DRUMLine Live tonight for one of my classes, and remembered how much I love marching and brass bands. I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised, but I didn’t know what to expect from the concert. While it had some forced dialogue, the band music was fantastic. It centered on the marching band culture of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which I know about through the battle of the bands. Every year, Grambling and Southern meet in the Superdome and perform huge marching band half time shows. The city is always packed, and it’s a huge tourist event for alums and students. While I’ve never been to the actual event, it’s too big for me to be totally oblivious.

I also grew up going to Mardi Gras parades, and marching bands are an essential part of each one.  Every local has a favorite high school band to see, and it’s always fun to have bands from out-of-town. New Orleans is such a music hub, it’s no wonder that we have good musicians teaching in high schools. The marching band sound crosses over into professional groups, like the Rebirth Brass Band. They’re often featured on HBO’s Treme, which really authenticates itself by using local actors and artists. Maybe I would have loved performance marching band music anyway, but New Orleans definitely fostered the interest and love.

The title come from “Down in New Orleans” by Dr. John from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog soundtrack.

“Stars in Our Eyes Because We’re Having a Good Time”

I’m going to my third Lady Gaga concert this weekend, but it’s the first time I won’t be in New Orleans. Three concerts may seem excessive, but I’ve never seen the same performance twice. I love that she’s not only an incredible performer, but a constantly changing artist. Like “No Floods” on Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga) Band’s Red and Blue EP from 2006 to to her solo album, The Fame, in 2008. From her fashion to her music, she’s keeps people interested by not staying static.

I saw Lady Gaga in concert for the first time December 2009. I didn’t know much about her and only knew her songs from the radio, but my best friend wanted to go and I knew we’d have fun. We ended up going in a limo with a huge group of our friends, and Gaga gave an amazing performance. Everything was dramatic but so clean, especially her dancers (like SYTYCD alum Mark Kanemura), and I left the concert with an obsession. I bought both of her albums the next day.

By May of 2010, Gaga released the second version of her Monster Ball Tour,made for bigger arenas, was coming to the New Orleans Arena April 9, 2011. We bought the tickets practically a year in advance, and instead of being in the nosebleeds again, bought floor seats. I found out around September that April 9 was also opening night for my senior spring musical, which I’d done every year since eighth grade. I ended up performing the show, changing out of my costume, putting on a (second) pair of fake eyelashes, and getting to the concert right before her first song. The frantic rush was worth it to see the new, revamped Monster Ball.

Now she’s gained weight and dyed her hair back to its natural brunette, and I’m sure the tour has changed just as much. Here’s hoping the third round is as good as the first two.

Lady Gaga roles out to perform her opening song "Dance in the Dark" at the UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans on Dec. 27, 2009.

Lady Gaga roles out to perform her opening song “Dance in the Dark” at the UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans on Dec. 27, 2009.

Lady Gaga is lifted from under the stage after a major costume change at the New Orleans Arena April 9, 2011.

Lady Gaga is lifted from under the stage after a major costume change at the New Orleans Arena April 9, 2011.

25 Years Old and Going Nowhere Fast

Phantom of the Opera celebrates its 25 birthday today, making it the longest running musical Broadway history.  Playbill.com gives all the background information on the famous attendees, including the incredibly handsome and talented Hugh Panaro. It’s really a shame his face is covered up for most of the show.  I saw it for the first time in 2010 (kind of crime when since we go to New York every year for Thanksgiving), and loved it more than I could have imagined. Plus, Sierra Boggess, the current Christine, is just perfect.

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Majestic Theatre, 2010