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George Steven’s magnificent biblical epic comes to Blu-ray.  Featuring an all-star cast with many cameo appearances, “The Greatest Story Ever Told” is a true classic!

Growing up, my household from both sides of my parents family, Easter vacation featured a lot of watching of biblical epics and “The Greatest Story Ever Told” was one of those epics that I watched along with my family.

And despite going to bible school and growing up with a strong Christian background as a child, watching “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, I’m not a compleat viewer of biblical epics to know how accurate this film is to the bible but for so many years, I have heard that “The Greatest Story Ever Told” was the best film on Jesus Christ and how the reverential film captured the life of Jesus Christ.  And of course, to know how much time and effort in the research conducted by George Stevens and crew before making this film, I never question it but I’m sure there are many of those who have.

And for one thing, I’m not going to get into any discussion if this biblical film is better than this or that biblical epic or how it compares to a more modern depiction of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion such as in “The Passion of the Christ”.  Because everyone watches biblical epics differently.  Some who are wanting to celebrate the life of the Lord, some who watch it for the sheer number of talent that have cameos in the film and some who watch it because it’s that time of the year and it’s what many families do during the Easter holiday to remember how Christ died for our sins.

In fact, I can easily remember as a child watching this every year, not because we were forced too but because it was on and my family watched it, in some ways, I thought it was part of family tradition to watch this film and other biblical epics during Easter vacation.

And simply, when it comes to biblical epics, you either enjoy them or dislike them and whether or not you feel this person plays a good Jesus Christ or some other character after watching countless biblical epics is up to one’s personal taste but I will say this of “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, for one, it was magnificent to see how much was put into the creation of this film.  From the cities that were built, to the number of extras that were hired and how many talent took part in the film.  And the duration is pretty long, thus you get the music intermission half way into the film.

For me, I have watched so many versions of the life of Jesus Christ, from feature length films to made-for-TV movies and in some way, I felt that I could not sit still throughout the viewing of this film.  My mind wandered, I felt myself wanting to do other things while watching this film because I knew what was going to happen and unlike other films where there is an element of surprise, I felt I was more or less waiting to see how many talents I can spot doing cameos, the efficacy of the costume design and set design and how well were the talent being cast for the film.  So, that is what I mean by these type of films depends on the individual.

I know my religious mother would watch this film and enjoy it throughout its entirety and if I watched it with her, it would be like deja vu of going to church at a young age and hearing my mom telling me to pay attention to the priest instead of looking around the church at people.    Not to say that the story doesn’t interest me because it does. It all comes down to ones mood and discipline.  I see how other people in my family can watch these films, cry during the crucifixion and really are moved by it.

As I watched this film again but this time on Blu-ray, I’m going to be truthful and say that I wasn’t focused.  Because I have seen this film so many times, I was more focused on seeing how the picture and audio quality would be in certain parts of the film and when I was watching, I felt my mind was drifting.  I was looking at my watch, my mind was elsewhere quite a few times throughout the film and so, watching it again, I felt my interest in the film did wane quite a bit and I felt that when I was ready to watch, it was the time when you get to the story of the Last Supper and leading up to the crucifixion and then the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Blu-ray release does come with the two cool featurettes as the 2001 DVD, as well as a deleted scene and trailer but outside of that, there is nothing much added to the Blu-ray release and for those who are considering of upgrading, it would be a worthy upgrade especially for the better visuals and notably the lossless audio compared to its DVD counterpart.

Overall, “The Greatest Story Ever Told” is a great story and for Christians, its an important story.  But as a film, it’s a long film that demands your attention and if you have watched it repeatedly for so many years, it all comes down to your mood.  I can’t say it’s a George Stevens masterpiece as he had created many wonderful films in his oeuvre, but in an epic sense, he did a fantastic job in creating this film and doing the research for it, but also getting so many all-star talent to participate.  I just wished that there was more added to this Blu-ray release, considering the film is over 45-years-old and the last release was back in 2001.  It would have been great to have some thing new for the 2011 release.

But still, it would be a wonderful upgrade if you owned it on DVD and If you enjoyed this film or are a person who wanting a well-done, well-produced and well-acted biblical epic on Blu-ray, “The Greatest Story Ever Told” is definitely for you!

 

Material Girls (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

If you are a Hilary and Haylie Duff fan or if you loved the film “Material Girls”, then you may want to upgrade to your DVD copy to Blu-ray.

Images courtesy of © 2006 Material Girls Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Material Girls

FILM RELEASE DATE: 2006

DURATION: 98 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, Widescreen (2:40:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Surround, French 5.1 Dolby Surround, AVC @ 40 MBPS, Subtitles: English SDH,  Spanish

COMPANY: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/20th Century Fox

RATED: PG (Language and Rude Humor)

RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2011

Directed by Martha Coolidge

Written by John Quaintance, Jessica O’Toole, Amy Rardin

Produced by Mark Morgan, Guy Oseary, Tim Wesley, Hilary Duff, Susan Duff, David Faigenblum, Milton Kim, Eve LaDue

Executive Produced by Greg Carney, Michael Mendelsohn, Tara Pirnia, Austen Tayler, Gary Hamilton

Co-PRoduced by Mirjana Mijojilic, Brent Emery, Gary Raskin, Troy Rowland

Line Producer: Ronald Colby

Music by Jennie Muskett

Cinematography by Johnny E. Jensen

Edited by Steven Cohen

Casting by Aleta Chappelle

Production Design by James H. Spencer

Starring:

Hilary Duff as Tanzie Marchetta

Haylie Duff as Ava Marchetta

Maria Conhita Alonso as Inez

Anjelica Huston as Fabiella

Brent Spiner as Tommy Katzenbach

Lukas Haas as Henry Baines

Marcus Coloma as Rick

Ty Hodges as Etienne

Reagan Dale Neis as Jaden

Obba Babatunde as Craig

Henry Cho as Ned Nakamori

Misti Traya as Martinique

Christina R. Copeland as Brigitta

Brandon Beemer as Mic Ronn

Sisters Tanzie and Ava (Hilary and Haylie Duff) have it all — designer clothes to wear, hunky guys to date and millions of dollars to spend. Their life has been one big party since inheriting their dad’s cosmetics company… but the party ends when a product scandal leaves the celebutantes without a penny to their name. It’s a hilarious riches-to-rags tale as the girls go from maximum fun to minimum wage.

In the early 2000′s, there were two famous sisters that grabbed headlines.  While the Hilton Sisters were known for being socialites, the Duff sisters were known for being in the entertainment world.  Younger sister Hilary Duff was known for her starring role on “Lizzie McGuire” and appearing in various films such as “A Cinderella Story”, “The Lizzie Mcguire Movie” and “Cheaper by the Dozen”.  Older sister Haylie is best known for her role as the popular cheerleader Summer Wheatly in “Napoleon Dynamite”.

And on camera, these two sisters were always together and were even voted by E! at #2 for their ranking of “Favorite Famous Sisters”.

And it was no surprise when it was announced that both sisters would appear together in the film “Material Girls”.

The film is directed by Martha Coolidge (“Real Genius”, “If These Walls Could Talk 2″, “The Prince and Me” and features a storyline written by John Quaintance (“Aquamarine”, “Joey”), Jessica O’Toole (“Greek”) and Amy Rardin (“Greek”).

“Material Girls” is about two socialite sisters.  Ava Marchetta (played by Haylie Duff) is the party girl dating a popular actor and both will be announcing their upcoming marriage, while Tanzania “Tanzie” Marchetta (played by Hilary Duff) is the younger sister who loves partying but also has a major interest in chemistry and is trying to get into UCLA.

For Tanzie, she misses her deceased father Victor, the owner of the multi-million dollar cosmetics company, Marchetta Cosmetics and often watches his recorded shows on their Tivo machine.  Although the sisters are quite young and live at home by themselves, they are taken care of by their housekeeper Inez (played by Maria Conchita Alonso) and their finances are being taken care of by Tommy (Brent Spiner).

One night at an event celebrating their father’s memory, news breaks out that Marchetta cosmetics have been giving several women major skin deformities and because so many people use the cosmetics, word gets out that Victor Marchetta knew about his problematic cosmetics but yet sold it to the public.

Immediately, the company becomes hated and their stocks drop significantly.

As for both sisters, they noticed how people are picketing outside of their home and needless to say, they are unable to leave.  While, Tanzie remains sympathetic to their father, Ava doesn’t and begins smoking.  Tanzie gets upset with her sister for smoking that she tries to get the cigarette away from her and in the process, the cigarette flies on the floor and the home catches on fire.

The sisters take a few of their belongings and try to go to a hotel but find out immediately that their credit cards are closed and they are broke.

With only their clothes and their convertible car, they head to the only person who has helped them throughout their lives and that’s their housekeeper Inez.

Meanwhile, the two sisters realize how much they lost.  Ava’s boyfriend will not talk to her and their agent feels his association with her can hurt his show’s ratings, so she is cut out of the loop and their relationship and marriage is ended.

As they go to talk to their company’s manager, Tommy, Tommy tells them that their father’s cosmetics rival, Fabiela (played by Anjelica Huston) wants to buy the company and essentially, if they sell Marchetta Cosmetics, they will have money to live on.  But Tanzie does not want to see her father’s legacy going to his bitter rival and she does not believe the stories that her father intentionally wanted to hurt people with bad cosmetics.

So, the two go to the person they think can help them, a pro-bono lawyer for the poor, a guy named Henry (played by Lukas Haas) who tends to get into arguments with Ava, meanwhile Hayley starts to become interested in a guy named Rick (played by Marcus Coloma) who she thinks is a valet but is actually a lab technician.

Henry’s advice to both sisters is that if they need to find the truth about the women who were allegedly hurt by the cosmetics, they need to do some investigating.  But with no money to hire an investigator, both Marchetta sisters decide that they would need to investigate these cases on their own.

Will Ava and Tanzie find out the truth about the bad makeup?  And will they find love along the way?

VIDEO:

“Material Girls” is presented in 1080p High Definition (widescreen 2:40:1).  This is a more recent movie, so picture quality is pretty good.  Watching it on Blu-ray, the details are more apparent.  From the materials of the clothing the girl’s wear, to the detail of their makeup.  Skin tones are natural, colors are vibrant and blacks are nice and deep.  I didn’t notice any edge enhancement, artifacting, DNR or banding during my viewing of the film, but I did notice occasional dust and speckles throughout the film.  Not a lot but it’s there.  Also, there is a good amount of grain featured in the film as well, which is a good ting.

For the most part, picture quality is very good for the film and if you are a fan of the film and owned a DVD copy, then you may want to upgrade to Blu-ray as you get much more detail and vibrant colors over its DVD counterpart.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Material Girls” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Surround and French 5.1 Dolby Digital.

The film is pretty much dialogue and music-driven.  Dialogue is clear through the center and front channels.  But because this film doesn’t really feature much action, you will hear some crowd ambiance through the surround channels but the sound that you will mostly hear in this lossless soundtrack is the bass and pop music sung by Hilary Duff.

Subtitles are in English SDH and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Material Girls” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary – Audio commentary by director Martha Coolidge – Director Martha Coolidge talks about the characters in the film, setting up scenes and working with the various talent and cost-cutting measures for the film.
• Getting to Know Hilary and Haylie as the Marchetta Sisters – (9:42) Hilary and Haylie talk about working together, answering if they are “material girls” in real life and the message they wanted to get across with this film.
• Cast of Characters: The Making of Material Girls – (9:56) Director Martha Coolidge and the the cast talking about the film and their characters.
• Material Girls Music Montage – (2:21) Scenes from the film accompanied by the music of Duff’s “Material Girls” cover.
• “Play with Fire” Music Video – (3:11) Hilary Duff’s music video for “Play with Fire”.
• Trailer – (2:18) The official theatrical trailer for “Material Girls”.

Are you a fan who loves Hilary Duff, her music and her films?  More than likely, you probably enjoyed “Material Girls”, the first film she starred with her older sister Haylie.

With a Hilary Duff film, from what I have watched so far with her as the primary actress, her films tend to be more cute girl, comedy films and for her 2006 film, “Material Girls” continued that direction of films she feels comfortable doing.

First, let’s get this out of the way.   “Material Girls” is a film that didn’t receive much love from the film critics and many have panned it and is generally considered one of the worst movies of all time (ranked #46 of 10 worst reviewed films of all of the 2000′s).  In fact, even actor Lukas Haas was unhappy with the film and producers have been trying to sell the film and got lucky when MGM picked up the rights to it.

I liken “Material Girls” like watching a Disney Channel youth film.  May it be along the lines of “Hannah Montana” to “High School Musical”, the young star in a comedy type of series that younger audiences love, while older audiences tend to  look at them quite unfavorably.  The same can be said with a starlet film along the same lines of a Jessica Simpson film like “Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous”.

One can say that the film is contrived, the film is your typical rich girls who are not so bright taking on challenges and along the way, they meet guys that they fall for.  Yes, there is a banality to films like “Material Girls” but sometimes, there are films where people don’t need anything deep.  I’m not going to say I was disappointed because I was expecting a ditzy, cheesy type of film and ended up watching that type of film.  Sure, it has its fun moments but it’s one of those films that will appeal to fans of the two actresses or how much you are wanting to see a not-so-deep and involving film.  A popcorn comedy film that is not raunchy, mature but is mostly accessible to younger audiences (especially Duff’s “Lizzy Mcguire” fans).

The Blu-ray contains the same special features as the DVD release and if anything, the special feature are upbeat, especially to see how the two sisters are together not just in the film but also in real life.

Overall, “Material Girls” may not be the greatest sister comedy ever made.  And while some feel that “Material Girls” is one of the worst feature films ever made, as cheesy as this film gets, it’s not that horrible.  In fact…there are films released in the 2000′s featuring music talent that are much, much worse.

In the end, if you did enjoy this film or are a big fan of Hilary or Haylie, then definitely upgrade to the Blu-ray version of this film.

 

Q&A Session with “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” actress Shailene Woodley (J!-ENT Interviews and Articles)

Images are courtesy of ©ABC Family.  All Rights Reserved.

Back in 2008, the critically acclaimed ABC Family series “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” received a lot of attention as it focused on a normal American family and a shy daughter, a musician who went off to band camp and had a one night stand to later find out she was pregnant.

The character Amy Juergens (played by Shailene Woodley) struggled with abortion, adoption and in the first season, she decided to keep the baby.  As for the baby’s father, Ricky Underwood (played by Daren Kagasoff), he was the bad boy who lived life dangerously and had some personal issues which led him to seek out sex and never took any responsibility.

But throughout the second season, we had the opportunity to see Amy grow up to be a mother and learning how difficult it was to be a teenager, a student but also a mother, while Ricky started to learn more about himself and also becoming more mature and knowing his responsibilities as a father.

This last season left everyone wondering if these young teenagers, who were brought together due to a one night stand would ever get back with each other.  Considering that Ricky is the father of her child.

Recently, a media Q&A with actress Shailene Woodley was held and Shailene talked about her character, playing a pregnant teenager, the series, her castmates and her upcoming film “The Descendants”.

Here is a transcript from that Q&A session.

Moderator Do you think that Ricky could make a committed husband?

S. Woodley I think that Ricky could make a committed boyfriend and a committed lover, but to be a husband is a big deal especially when you’re in high school.  So, I don’t know if Ricky’s ready and honestly I don’t if Amy’s ready, just because that is such a huge lifelong commitment.

Moderator Where do you see Amy the most happy in the future?

S. Woodley I see her the most happy with Ricky, with John, in an amazing comfortable job where she makes a good salary and she also still gets to play her French horn.

Moderator Are they married

S. Woodley Yes, they are married, absolutely.

Moderator Now can you talk about how confusing Amy’s living situation is these days and how that informs the way you play the character?

S. Woodley Absolutely.  I think that it’s super confusing for any teenager to have a boyfriend, especially a boyfriend in a relationship like Amy and Ricky’s.  Then to have to live together or not live together and all the pressures of other kids in high school and the pressure of wanting to feel grown-up , but not really being grown-up yet and wanting to prove to her parents that she can do it on her own, but she can’t really do it on her own yet.  So, I think that affects her life in a lot of different ways, because she’s always got that in the back of her mind, trying to prove that she’s older because she does have a two-year-old son, trying to prove that she can do it, when she might not really be in the space to be able to.

Moderator While speaking of wanting to be older, what’s it like for you as an actress to work with a small child at your age?

S. Woodley It’s amazing.  I love kids.  I live for kids.  To have those little boys on set all the time is so much fun.  We have dance parties in the trailers.  They laugh.  They call me Shai-Shai.  It’s great to have their young, youthful energy on the set.

Moderator It’s good practice for you too?

S. Woodley Absolutely.

Moderator I wanted to ask you about how Amy and Ashley’s relationship really is.

S. Woodley Amy and Ashley’s relationship, well, they are siblings and they are—I mean in a lot of ways polar opposites, but in a lot of ways, they’re kind of similar too.  Ashley definitely is an old soul, I would say.  She has a lot of knowledge that she was probably just born with, a lot of commonsense, street-smart knowledge.  Amy’s more book-smart.  So, I think they kind of rub each other wrong or they rub each other wrong with that department of their life, a lot in the sense that Ashley thinks she always knows and Amy thinks she always knows, but I think deep down, of course, they love each other.  Of course, they would do anything for each other.  We’ll see that coming up, I’m sure, just because as teenagers get older, they kind of become closer with their siblings.

But, I think there’s also a jealousy factor between Ashley and Amy, because Amy does have the boyfriend.  Amy does—even though she has a child, and we’re not glamorizing it -it’s really difficult to be a teenage mom, Amy has a lot of responsibility and Ashley doesn’t really have anything.  So, I think Ashley’s always trying to prove that she’s more mature.  She can do it on her own.  I think that kind of gets in the middle of them as well.

Moderator How did Amy feel about Ashley liking Ricky and wanting to be with him?

S. Woodley I think it would be hard for one of your friends to like the father of your child, I can’t even imagine a sibling liking the father of your child, but I think Amy reacted in a very fair way.  She wasn’t crazy, mean about it, but she also didn’t let Ashley walk over her.  She told her how she felt and I think that’s a big milestone to get over.  For Ashley to accept the fact that it might not be the best decision to like or fall in love with the father of her sister’s baby.  So, I think that was really difficult on Amy.  Even if she wasn’t as vocal about it, I think that emotionally it took a toll on her.

Moderator What message do you want to send to the fans of the show?

S. Woodley Personally, I would say it is so important to live from your heart and to let your heart kind of rule in your life versus your mind.  Because, I think a lot of times when you start letting your mind rule your life, your ego, your pride, your opinions, all of those things kind of get in the way and skew what you really are trying to do and steer your path.  But if you live from your heart, I truly believe that everything will always work out the way it’s supposed to.  I think your intuition always knows best.  Just live from a place of compassion.  I think that if everyone would live from a place of compassion and a place of patience and love that this world would be phenomenal.

Moderator What’s your best memory with your cast mates on the show?

S. Woodley Oh, my gosh, we have so many.  I guess one of my favorite one’s, when Willow Smith’s, Whip my Hair came out, all of the girls on the show went into one of the trailers, we blasted Willow Smith.  We whipped our hair for the two minutes or however long her song is.  Then we danced to Spice Girls and it was so much fun.  Then the next morning we all woke up and we couldn’t even bend down to brush our teeth because our necks were so sore from whipping our hair so much.

Moderator We’re really excited for the new episodes to start up again.  I was just hoping you could tell us a little bit about what to expect from some of the upcoming storylines.

S. Woodley Well, there’s a lot of drama, obviously.  There might possibly be a wedding; there might possibly not be a wedding.  Someone might move in with someone else.  Someone might fall in love with someone else.  Someone might move out of someone else.  Someone might fall out of love.  There’s a lot going on.

Moderator Will there be any more focus on the relationship or the friendship between Amy and Adrian?

S. Woodley Absolutely, I mean Adrian is kind of going through what Amy went through, so I think Amy is going to be there for Adrian to help her along and help her progress through this pregnancy.

Moderator I wanted to know what first attracted you to the role of Amy.

S. Woodley When I first read the script, I thought it was really great and spectacular how there was going to be a show on television that really depicted life of high school.  The role of Amy really drew me in just in the sense that she was 15 and pregnant and not in a stable relationship with the guy who got her pregnant.  Her parents were going through a divorce and she had the troublesome little sister, so I think that that—I’m not saying every girl in high school is pregnant, obviously, but there are those pregnant teenagers out there and I thought it was really important to give them a show.  This is before Teen Mom came out and before all of those.  I thought it was really important to give them a show where, we showed that it is hard.  It is really difficult to be pregnant at any stage in your life, let alone being 15 and financially not in the best position.  For … in America and all around the world, but they’re not alone, that this does happen.  That it’s okay and they’ll survive and they’re kids are going to be phenomenal human beings.

I also was just attracted to the trueness of the plot.  They dealt with so many issues.  They dealt with divorce.  They dealt with death.  They dealt with the drama of high school with boys and the friends.  I don’t know, I thought it was really creative and different.

Moderator Do you think that it’s an accurate portrayal of high school today?

S. Woodley Absolutely.  I mean in my high school alone, obviously it’s a television show, but I think the main themes are very on key.  In my high school, we had a pregnant girl at prom and a pregnant girl at graduation.  We had the girl whose parents were never around and who kind of were a little more promiscuous.  We also had the guy who had a really hard upbringing and who wasn’t really clear about if he could be stable and committed to one girl.  Then we had everyone from the choir girls or choir boys to band people.  I thought it was really important to give kids out there a reason to watch television and also learn as well as be entertained.

Moderator I had a question about your name.  It’s such an original, unique name.  Where did it come from?  Who named you?

S. Woodley My name came from a license plate, actually.  My mom was driving when she was 18, she was in traffic on the freeway, and the car in front of her the license plate said, Shai and then it had a bunch of numbers.  She doesn’t even know if it was supposed to be pronounced as Shai, but she created that in her mind.  Then, she … adding the second half to it … it would be a cute nickname, but I want something longer, so she had Shailynne or Shailene or Shaillyn, and she—I don’t know, I guess she went for Shailene and when she met my dad, my dad loved it and that’s how I got my name.

Moderator Were there ever any doubts that the show would return for its fourth season?

S. Woodley No, I don’t think so at all.  I think it was all just a matter of timing and scheduling.

Moderator We’d love to know who’s a better a kisser, Daren or Ken?

S. Woodley Oh, no, I can’t answer that question.  They’re both good kissers in their own way.

Moderator What made Amy propose to Ricky

S. Woodley I think there was a lot of pressure that she kind of put upon herself just because Adrian and Ben, their relationship is kind of progressing.  I think she wanted to prove to other people that her and Ricky were more committed.  I think she really proposed to him more to prove to others, than she did for herself.

Moderator How did you get started in acting?  Has it been something you’ve been doing since you were a child?

S. Woodley I was five and it was a complete accident.  Both my parents work in education and we thought it was a local theatre class because I wanted to be in a play, and apparently the agents came and sat in and called my mom and was like, “We want to represent Shai,” and my mom was like, “What’s an agent?”  We finally just learned as we progressed.  I had three rules growing up to stay in acting.  I had to stay kid they knew I was, stay good in school, and have fun.  As long as I met those three requirements, I could act.  So, instead of going to soccer practice, I went to auditions.

Moderator What direction would you like to see Amy go in?

S. Woodley I think that Amy has done a lot of growing over the past two years, especially over the past year.  I think that she’s kind of come into her own and become more of a woman, and accepted more responsibility and didn’t complain about it.  But, I think she has this need to prove to others that she’s happy and that Ricky and her are happy.  I would like to see Amy kind of be so secure with herself and so confident in her own personality and her beauty—I’m not talking about physical, I’m talking about emotional—beauty that she is able to live her life without feeling that she needs the approval from others.

Moderator You were talking before about cliques in high school, I’m wondering what you were like in high school and were you similar to Amy.

S. Woodley I was nothing like Amy.  I was kind of like the outgoing.  I was in leadership.  I was in charge pep rallies with some other friends.  I was really involved.  I was in choir.  I was in Key Club and Builder’s Club and all those clubs that you can imagine.  I loved school.  I loved the educational aspect of it, as well the social aspect of it.

I don’t know, I was never part of a clique.  I feel like I was the person—me and a few friends were kind of the people who liked bounced around between all the groups.  We were kind of like the mold.  I loved high school.  It was an amazing experience … there was progression.  As a freshman I was very insecure and not so set in stone about where I wanted to be in life and who I was.  Then, by senior year I feel like I totally did that transition into—I don’t want to say a woman because I don’t ever want to be a woman.  I want to be a kid forever, but—I made that transition into maturity, I guess.

Moderator Why should people tune into the season premiere of Secret Life?

S. Woodley There’s going to be a lot of surprises.  I know that we’ve been advertising the proposal, but there’s obviously the reaction from that.  We need to know what he says.  I think people will want to know why she proposes to him.  As well as, with the other characters there’s just a lot going on there.  Ben and Adrian’s relationship, they really kind of step it up notch, I think people will want to see that.  Then, there’s the relationship between the parents, so there’s a lot going on.

Moderator In what ways does Secret Life show the consequences of intimacy?

S. Woodley I think that Secret Life shows what can happen if you’re not careful and what can happen if you’re not prepared and not educated.  Obviously, there’s the pregnancy.  Obviously, there’s broken hearts.  There’s the pregnancy and there’s physical things that can happen.  It is dangerous to do things without being educated and without being so pressured just because you could invite things into your body that you don’t want to invite, but there’s also the emotional side of intimacy, which is connection and doing something and then not seeing that person.

With Amy obviously, she got pregnant from Ricky, but there’s an emotional connection of, “Oh my gosh, this guy thinks I’m attractive.  This guy’s interested in me and now he’s not.  What’s wrong with me?”  I think a lot of girls do that.  I think a lot of girls get into situations and do certain things and then afterwards when it doesn’t fulfill their expectations or it doesn’t turn out the way they expected it to have turned out, then emotionally their broken.  Emotionally they start questioning themselves and questioning what’s wrong with them.  I think it’s important to know that no matter how a situation happens or ends up, you are an incredible human being, regardless.  I think we kind of show that it’s smart to wait to be with somebody who you know you’re going to be comfortable around and you know who is going to treat you respectively.

Moderator How would you compare Secret Life to other shows about teen pregnancy like, Teen Mom?

S. Woodley I don’t think that there’s any way to compare them, just because their two completely different shows.  Teen Mom is obviously a reality show.  To be completely honest, I don’t own a television so I haven’t really watched ….  They’re totally different.  Secret Life is scripted.  I don’t know enough about Teen Mom to really compare them, but it is a reality show so they’re very different.

Moderator I wondered if Amy still has feelings for Ben and how she’s dealing with his engagement or planned engagement to Adrian.

S. Woodley I assume that Amy still has feelings for Ben just because he was there for her for so long and helped her out in so many ways.  However, I know that she loves Ricky and I know that she wants to be with Ricky.  I think it’s the same for most relationships.  Like even after you break up, you still have feelings for that person because you devoted so much of your life and your energy to that person.  Just because, Amy, I think still loves Ben and would do anything for him as a human being, I don’t think she necessarily wants to be with him again.  But, I’m sure on the same note, it’s probably hard for her to see him moving on because I think it’s hard for anyone to see an ex moving on.

Moderator How did the teen mom program in New York change Amy?

S. Woodley I think that being involved with so many other girls who were going through the same thing that she was going through really opened up her eyes to the fact that she’s not alone.  I think it really grew her up in a lot of ways because she didn’t have the right really to complain anymore because she wasn’t the only one going through and she actually has it pretty good.  She has parents who, even though it’s hard on them they support her and they help her out.  She has Ricky now, the father of her child who’s there for her, when so many girls don’t have either of those options.  I think it opened her eyes to realm of possibilities and let her know that this is how it might be a tribulation right now, but they’ll get through it and her life is ultimately going to be phenomenal.

Moderator When you first read the script for the show, what was it about Amy that appealed to you and about the character?

S. Woodley The character appealed to me because she was different from all of those glamorous— I love Gossip Girl.  I think it’s entertaining.  I think it’s awesome, but I don’t think a lot of people can relate to it because I don’t think a lot of people are able to live those lifestyles.  I think Amy’s character really appealed to me because not only was her life going through all of these difficulties, but she lives in a household where her parents were getting divorced and fighting and where her sister wasn’t the easiest person to get along with.

I thought it was kind of important to show girls across the U.S. as well as across the world that you’re not alone.  My parents got divorced and even though it was a very healthy, great divorce, it still is difficult as a young child.  I think that it’s important for kids to be able to tune into show where they can relate to the character.  I think Amy is very relatable for a lot of people.

Moderator Do you have other projects you’re working on or anything else coming up that you could talk about?

S. Woodley I’m not working on anything right now.  I worked on a movie last year and that is going to—actually, we just got … yesterday.  It’s going to premiere December 16^th.

Moderator What’s that for?

S. Woodley It’s called The Descendants.

Moderator I was wondering what it’s like working with Secret’s Life newest cast member, Beverley Mitchell?

S. Woodley Oh, Beverley Mitchell’s awesome.  I don’t get to work with her too often just because we don’t have many scenes together, but she’s really great.  She’s super sweet and it’s cool to see her back on set just because she knows all the crew members because she worked with everyone on 7^th Heaven.  She’s great.  She’s really professional and really nice and sweet.  It’s great to have her on.

Moderator We’ve been following a lot about your new movie that you were just talking about, The Descendants.  Can you tell us a little bit more about your character in the movie?

S. Woodley My character in the movie’s name is Alex and she’s a bit different from Amy.  She was kind of the trouble maker.  She did drugs and drank a lot in high school and was sent to a boarding school to kind of clean her up and get her act together.  Throughout the movie, she kind of progresses into this incredible person.  She’s kind of one of those girls—she’s comes off as rough around the edges, but deep down she has a heart of gold.  She helps her dad kind of become a dad and she helps grow up her little sister.  I don’t know, it’s really great to see that transition of a hard tough teenager to young adult, like soft kind of woman.

Moderator What are Amy’s plans for after high school?

S. Woodley After high school I know that Amy I think would love to go to college just because she loves to learn, she loves to be informed and she loves to know what’s going on in the world.  But, she does have a son and she’s dating Ricky so I think it might be possible for her to be a stay-at-home mom for a while, while Ricky goes to college.  But, ultimately I think Amy’s dream would be for both of them to be able to go to college and both of them embark in incredible career paths.

Moderator What’s stopping Amy from having sex with Ricky again, other than obviously the fact that they had a baby last time?

S. Woodley I think she’s being smart about it and intelligent this time.  I think that she’s taking the appropriate precautions because Ricky has been with a lot of girls.  I know that she wants to ask him to make sure that—maybe get tested to make sure that there’s no danger involved in it to her own body or there’s no risks.  I think that emotionally standing she wants to be sure that he wants to be with her for her and not just for the physical benefits.

Moderator So, Amy proposed to Ricky, I’m wondering what your perfect marriage proposal would be.  How would it play out?

S. Woodley It would definitely have to be outdoors, just because I live for the outdoors.  It would have to be outside.  I don’t know, I don’t really enjoy big things, so I think some kind of small amazing—like maybe on a beautiful hike near a waterfall or something like that.  Something that is very connected to nature would be the perfect proposal for me.

Moderator What do you do when Secret Life is on hiatus?

S. Woodley I try to never be in L.A.  I love to travel.  It’s one of my biggest passions.  Hawaii is kind of like a home to me.  I absolutely adore it there.  Whenever I have time off I’m either in Hawaii or backpacking somewhere in the world.  A few hiatus’s ago I moved to New York for a few months and lived out there.  Last August, we had a month off and my friend and I went backpacking through Europe and stayed in hostels and stuff, so I don’t know, anything that has to do with being active.

Moderator How do you think Secret Life is different than  other shows about kids in high school for instance, Gossip Girl and 90210?

S. Woodley I think it’s different because like I said earlier, Gossip Girl and 90210, they’re very entertaining.  They have a lot going on, but I don’t think they’re very relatable to a lot of girls or boys for that manner of that demographic … that age just in the sense that not everyone can throw a ball on every Friday night and wear fancy designer dresses and go dance.

I think those shows are really awesome and fun to kind of fantasize and watch, but I think Secret Life is more realistic.  Just in sense that it deals with issues that everyday high school students have to deal with.  Also, the clothes they wear and the school and the … I think are more general, general as far as realistic like what teens are actually going through.

Moderator Are you and George Clooney from The Descendants bff’s now?  What was it like working with him?

S. Woodley Well, we’re not bff’s, but he’s a really phenomenal human being.  He is so down to earth I cannot even tell you.  You would never think that he was the sexiest man alive twice, because he’s just so down to earth and so normal.  He’s super professional.  He shows up to work on time.  He knows his lines.  He is an incredible actor.  Every single take was just outstanding.  He’s super intelligent.  He knows everything about everything, whether it has to do with politics or movies or—he just knows everything.  He’s like an encyclopedia.  He’s hilarious.  He is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my entire life, if not the funniest.

Moderator What’s your favorite music?

S. Woodley Bands, I don’t know, I have a lot of favorites.  I like a lot of older music, I love Simon and Garfunkel.  I love The Beatles; they’re always on my iPod.  But, I also like newer bands like, Arcade Fire, Blue Foundation, Animal Collective and then E3.  I love like Aretha Franklin.  I don’t know, my musical range is so broad.

Moderator Will Amy’s parent’s separation be hard on her?

S. Woodley I think it’s going to be hard on any child whose parents are separating, but I think that Amy wants ultimately what’s best for her parents, so she’ll support them in that.  But, I think, yeah, I think it’s definitely going to be a little bit tricky for her even if she doesn’t express it.

Moderator Can Amy trust Ricky not to cheat?

S. Woodley I think that’s why she’s waiting to sleep with him.  Because, she wants to for sure know that he is committed to her and only her.  I think she does trust him right now.  I think she trusts him just because—I don’t know, they have a really special connection and I think she just feels like she can trust him.  So, yes, I think she does.

Moderator What do you think is the most difficult part of portraying a teenage mother?

S. Woodley I guess the most difficult part would be that I’m not a teenage mother.  Sometimes people will come up to me in my normal life and be like, “Oh, my gosh, I love Secret Life.  I just had a baby.  I’m 19.  Do you have advice?”  I’m like, “Well, actually I just read the lines.  I’m not really pregnant.  I don’t know what to tell you.”  So, that’s— I mean, that’s kind of a silly one.  There isn’t really anything hard about it now because I’ve kind of … myself in it, but in the beginning in Season 1, I did a lot of research as far as the physical aspects of being pregnant and how you hold yourself and how you carry yourself.  But, emotionally I just pretended like I was in that situation and how I would react as Shailene.

 

Moderator Let’s say you were Brenda Hampton and you wrote the script.  How would you change it and what direction would you go in?

S. Woodley I really love everything that’s Brenda’s done.  I think being so many seasons along there has been so many ups and downs and changes.  I think it’s been great.  Everyone has kind of come into their own and I really like what she’s done with the relationships.  I don’t think I would change anything.  I really love seeing what happens each week.  We get the scripts a week in advance, so we read them and it’s like we’re watching the show because it’s new to us.  It’s a surprise every week.

 

X Japan Rocks Los Angeles! by J!-ENT’s Edwin and Mel Macaraeg (Interviews and articles)

Saturday, September 25, 2010, the dreams of thousands of fans came true on this special evening with one of the most influential rock bands in history, X Japan.  Performing live in Hollywood, California, this legendary band delivered one of the most memorable, dynamic performances ever to be held in Los Angeles’s very own Wiltern Theatre.  A diverse setlist included many favorites from the past as well as more recent works, thus fans were not disappointed despite the many hours many endured, waiting for this “once in a lifetime” performance.

X Japan is a unique band that creates songs, which cater to music lovers of many genres and categories.  The leader of the band, Yoshiki, is a ravisher of the double bass foot pedal on the drums while maintaining grace and elegance on the grand piano.  Through Yoshiki and talents of the other musicians in X Japan, this band has been creating a memorable sound, which will forever enthrall the audience through the dynamism in their musicality and romantic chord progressions.  Other members would include Toshi on vocals, Pata and Sugizo on guitar, and Heath on bass.

Thousands of voices were applauding and chanting in darkness as they eagerly awaited the arrival of X Japan on stage.  The lights slowly began to appear as Yoshiki appeared on the throne of the drumset, as they begin their opening act with the song “Jade”.  The crowd grew ecstatic as they found all members appeared playing on stage.  X Japan then moved to the next song, “Rusty Nail”, which drew the audience closer to ecstasy with one of their most popular hits.

The show moved forward with another popular upbeat song, “Silent Jealousy”, which continued to captivate the audience.  A more progressive side of X Japan was displayed during their performance with “Drain”.  Members of the audience were then treated to an interlude with a surprise violin performance with guitarist Sugizo.  Pianist, Yoshiki, later joined this mesmerizing piece as they gracefully played one of their most beautiful compositions.

The whole band came together again for a performance with one of their most beloved songs, “Kurenai”.  This memorable classic was followed by two later works, “Born To Be Free” and “I.V.”  The show ended with a very explosive performance with “X”.

After what seemed to be the end of the X Japan concert, the members gave the audience a very special encore performance.  Yoshiki allured members of the crowd, as he spoke briefly about the first American X Japan tour.  The band came to the stage once again to perform two very sentimental songs, “Endless Rain”, and “Art of Life”.

X Japan gave Los Angeles one of their most memorable concerts in history.  Performances of both nostalgic and more recent selections developed a very intimate connection between the artists and the audience, as they cheered, applauded, and cried into the night.  With a multinational fan base stretching from Japan to the Americas, this “once in a lifetime” moment will be remembered forever in their hearts.

Concert Setlist:

JADE
RUSTY NAIL
SILENT JEALOUSY
DRAIN
VIOLIN AND PIANO INTERLUDE
KURENAI
BORN TO BE FREE
I.V.
X
ENDLESS RAIN (Encore)
ART OF LIFE (ENCORE)

Photo credits:

© 2010 YSK Entertainment.  All Rights Reserved.
Edwin Macaraeg, Melvin Macaraeg

 

[VG Review] Super Street Fighter IV: Hands on

Street Fighter has sure come a long way.  Some of us here remember scrounging up our quarters to play Street Fighter II at the local 7-11.  In another place in time we find ourselves lining up arcade tokens to take a stab at taking down the neighborhood champion.  Now the revolutionary game has gone beyond the arcade cabinets to the limitless HD capabilities of cyberspace and beyond.  With all original characters, the return of favorites from past games, and exclusive new characters, this latest edition promises to satisfy every genre of the Street Fighter legacy.

Game play is superb, as the graphics are as beautiful as they are stylish.  For those who has played the original Street Fighter IV should be pleased to know that their original characters has been unmodified, with the exception of their new Ultra moves.  All characters also have a new set of outfits they can play with.  Capcom has always had a unique style in character design, which is realism with a touch of exaggeration.   SSFIV does a wonderful job at doing this, which makes the characters fun and enjoyable to watch.

New additions to the game would include Bonus Stages, Endless Match, and Team Battle.  The Bonus Stages are almost identical to the ones found in Street Fighter II.  Instead of beating up an old sedan, players get to mash on a SUV among all things.  The barrel stage has made a return on this game, which is very nostalgic to many Street Fighter fans.

Personal Angle:

I’ve always enjoyed Capcom games.  I’ve been playing Street Fighter since part 2 of course, and has been following the game quite religiously since then.  I would probably say, Street Fighter II is the game that turned myself into a gamer.  My favorite Street Fighter games would probably be Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Or Street Fighter Zero 2 in Japan), Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, and now Super Street Fighter IV.  Alpha 2 was awesome.  Three levels of Super Combos, Alpha-Counters, and the devastating Custom Combos, made the game quite addicting. Anyhow, now that SSFIV has made its way to home consoles, I have the opportunity to relive this memorable genre of gaming history.

Perhaps one of the most nostalgic components of the Street Fighter series is the character theme music.  I really enjoy the music in these games, especially now that you have the option of switching the stage theme music to the character theme music in SSFIV.  Original character themes have been remixed, and I would probably say this is the best they have done so far.  The game itself has a sort of retro feel to it, which would differ from the original SFIV, due to the opening pop theme song.

Online battle is pretty neat.  Outside of the glitches here and there in internet connection issues, the digital arena is quite a competitive one.  I would probably say I win about 50%-60% of my games using my favorite characters Makoto and Guy (who are very difficult to use!)  Players are very serious on there!  Many really good players.  What usually happens is I fight amongst different people, and normally stay in rooms with those who are around the same level.  Some are pretty friendly so they send friend requests.  Thanks to my brother-in-law, I have this arcade stick which is awesome.

Anyone who is a fan of fighting games will really enjoy Super Street Fighter IV!

 

[APR] Student Spotlights: Artists at Fresno State

Thanks to the diverse nature of students represented here at Fresno State, we are blessed to be amid many talented artists of different genres and backgrounds.   Through a cultural complexity found within the Art Department, we can find inspirational work from contrasting compositions to more parallel contextual arrangements.  Let us take a moment to traverse behind the artistically adept mind, whose well-being strives upon creativity.

Meiru Huang is a Fresno State graduate student from China.  Creating art since the 3^rd grade through traditional ink painting on rice paper, class officials noticed Huang’s artistic talents at a very young age.  Therefore, she feels very fortunate to have artistic guidance throughout her early academic years.   Upon studying art in the United States, she notices many differences between Western art and traditional Chinese art.  “Western art seems to be more rational because of the focuses on perspective and anatomy.  Chinese art is more about atmosphere and engaging with the audience”.  Traditional Chinese art leans towards these ideas, which can be seen through abstract landscaping and calligraphy.

Huang recently exhibited a show on “Objects of the Mundane”.  She explains that art is a wonderful way to represent one’s own culture, and that one way of communicating that culture is through food.  As Huang arrived in the United States, she noticed a big difference between the Chinese food here and the food in China.  “Food in China is very delicate and presented in an artistic way”.  She would like to show the more authentic side of Chinese culture.  Huang also feels that society is being overwhelmed by a faster, technological way of life.  “Technology is supposed to connect people (through e-mail, cell phones, etc.).  Yet as technology advances, I feel that there is a growing distance between individuals.” Huang hopes that art can allow people to appreciate the mundane things that we may ignore despite our busy lifetimes.

Mai See Lee is a senior in the Fresno State Art Department.  She was born in Thailand but has lived in Fresno most of her life.  Being introduced to art during middle school, it seemed to be an exciting option to study other than a basic typing class.    Lee’s favorite medium in creating art is through graphite.  “No matter what medium I am currently working with, I know that it always starts with a simple sketch.  Graphite allows the texture, shadow, perspective and blending… everything which can be easily adjusted as the image in my mind develops”, explains Lee.

Lee’s favorite work of art was created during her Advanced Drawing class.  This work challenged her to think conceptually, which can be difficult for many artists.  She mentions, “A block which frustrates me over an assignment eventually wore off, and I was shocked to have ended up with a piece that I am proud to have created.”  Through her artwork, Lee feels that if she can engage the viewer in a piece, regardless of whether or not they find the subject matter interesting or confusing, is considered it an accomplishment.  Lee chooses not describe explanations behind certain works with hopes to invoke personal interpretations of each individual viewer.

Arun Naina is a senior at Fresno State.  Although he was born in San Antonio, Texas, he has lived in California for the majority of his life.  His parents are from Kerala, a state in the southern region of India.  Naina remembers being very young and being fascinated by cartoons, games, illustrations, etc.  “The colors, the expressions, the animations were all very surreal to me and I had to have them in a sense”, he explains.   Naina feels that art is that line between imagination and reality.  Objects and and ideas that are drawn or created are not ‘real’ in a sense, because they are only mere representations which evoke real emotions and reactions.  As an Impressionist, Naina loves and is most comfortable creating works between realism and abstraction.

Naina hopes to inspire people by creating content, which can identify with the viewer.  Through his art, he would like to help redefine what “art education” means.  He explains, “Art is, in reality, the developmental process of perception. The best artists are usually stereotyped with having special ‘talent’ and what not, but in actuality their skills are due to a highly developed sense of perception”.  Naina states that, “Perception is the greatest life skill to have, and I believe a good art education is the way to successfully develop that.  But to do that, we have to redefine it all first!”

 

[APR] “Artistic” Movies Worth Checking Out

“Like Stars on Earth”  (2010)

Recently released by Disney earlier this year, this award-winning Indian film wins the hearts of children and adult audiences worldwide.  Ishaan is an 8 year-old child who struggles to find himself within the expectations of his family.  Having a very loving and understanding mother, he also has a father who relentlessly compares him to his older, successful, ideal son.  After being scolded by the many instructors at his school, Ishaan becomes a bully victim by both students and teachers.  With almost no hope of understanding the difficulties Ishaan is experiencing as a student, one man stands up to give the child a chance at discovering what his true talents may be.  This picture was filmed beautifully, with inspiring song and dance collaborations.  Inspired by children who can be misunderstood at a young age, this movie allows one to become open-minded about the infinite possibilities and hidden talents that one may bestow.

“Honey and Clover” (2006)

Based on a famous manga and anime series in Japan, “Honey and Clover” tells the lives of students attending the same art institute.  Takemoto is a talented but modest art student, who returned to school after a year of hiatus due to illness.  Hagumi is a shy, introverted first-year student, who was discovered at a young age due to her unique artistic abilities.  Morita, the roughneck of the group, is a “super senior” who has yet to graduate from the institute, due to his artistic success overseas.  Takemoto and Morita fall in love with Hagumi as they first meet her.  Hagumi having lived a very sheltered life, does not realize their affection and befriends the both of them.  They later form an unforgettable love triangle that will change and shape the rest of their lives.  This romantic comedy has these and many other wonderful characters.  Every character portrays a unique personality and role to the developing story between Takemoto, Hagumi, and Morita.

“Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara” (2007)

As one of the most prominent contemporary artists from Japan, Yoshitomo Nara creates an intimate documentary about his life as an artist.  Popularized by the astonishing faces he creates through drawings, Nara captivates audiences of not just art lovers worldwide, but children and adults of all ages.  Through simple yet provocative gestures he creates through his art, he brings a world of emotion to the adorable characters.  Despite his success and fame within the art world, he is known for being a solitary worker.  Therefore, this film is a rare treat for all who enjoy the work of Nara.  The film takes us to various areas around the world such as Korea, London, New York, Bangkok, and many others.  Nara explains the building of small houses, which encompass many of his exhibitions.  “Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara” is one of a series of films about contemporary Japanese artists called “New People Series”.

 

[Asian Pacific Review] The Hmong Student Association

With goals such as promoting higher education and exposing the importance behind cultural values throughout the community, the Hmong Student Association has profoundly become one of the most active student organizations at Fresno State.  Established in 1984 with only five original members, the founding fathers represented at the time, a community of about twenty students of Hmong descent.  Two and a half decades later, a new generation of students has become committed to continue the legacy of the HmSA to a wonderful extent.  This year the club has expeditiously grew into a mass of about eighty students with a handful of leaders and officers.  Participating in a vast number of community services and fundraisers throughout the community, this Fresno State club has created a positive atmosphere for the members, the Hmong community, as well as the whole vicinity of Fresno.

The Hmong Student Association usually meet every Friday evening between the times 5-7 p.m. on the upper level of the student union.  The meeting would begin with a type of icebreaker, in which the students would gather together and play a game.  These interactive games help the members engage in something fun that would raise the level of participation for the meeting.  Club President Tou Lee Chang would then announce the agenda of the meeting, discuss upcoming events, the current logistics of the group, and then open the floor to suggestions and notions.

Exposing the Hmong culture and its traditional values is one of the clubs most important aspirations.  A general meeting by the group would have a very educational “Hmong Word of the Day” moment.  Led by culture chairperson Xeng Xai Xiong, this segment would educate students about certain phrases that are valuable in the Hmong language.  This event would then be followed by a physical activity, in which members would stand up from their seats and participate in a kind of gesture or exercise that would mimic some aspect of the Hmong history.  In one particular meeting, the group would perform an exercise the Hmong people would do in the agricultural fields in Laos, mimicking the lifting of stalks of rice over their heads.  “I feel more Asian now!” explains Community Activities Advisor Javier Perez.  The club educates members on the importance of Hmong traditional values, yet they would like to mention that you do not have to be Hmong to join the club.  This organization is open to anybody who would deem dedicated in creating a positive atmosphere for the community.

Participating in fundraising events and community services are only a couple of very many inspiring commitments by the HmSA.  For 22 years the club has sent members to attend a leadership conference, in which members participate in a retreat where they learn techniques in becoming better leaders.  They have engaged in many disaster relief fundraising events.  One would include the apartment complex fire that happened 3 years ago in Fresno, which left 14 families homeless.  “In the beginning I joined the club with hopes of becoming something better, but in the end, the things I’ve done become a huge part of myself”, explains club member Jerry Her.  This club is devoted to helping the community in many ways possible.

Throughout the past, the club has been traditionally putting together a Miss Hmong pageant. With hopes of expressing something new and contemporary, the club is putting together a Mr. Hmong competition.  This event has been created to reveal an idea that there is a beauty behind each individual, no matter who you may be.  There are only a few requirements for one to enter the Mr. Hmong competition:  The individual must be of Hmong descent, male, sixteen years or older, never married, and there is also an educational requirement.  The winner of this event would hopefully be someone that can act as a role model for the community.  The club is currently looking for possible contestants, so anybody interested in participating should contact the Hmong Student Association right away!

The club strives through their motto: “Live, Learn, and Lead”.  This idea passes on with the intent to promote higher education.  Club Historian Kathy Vue explains, “You do things to feel good for yourself and the club rewards you for it”.  The club is dedicated to living out their legacy in creating a positive atmosphere and promoting higher education for the members and all members of the community.

Club info: http://www.myspace.com/hmsa

 

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