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[email protected] Technique Entertainment Editor: Jennifer Aldoretta 15 Assistant Entertainment Editor: Friday, Entertainment Richard Otis August 28, 2009 Funny newspeople deliver Blomkamp’s somber District 9 brings a new twist to the alien Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live and John invasion science fiction trope Oliver of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart FILM world. Naturally, humans of the world look to this occasion with a bring laughs to the Ferst Center for the Arts District 9 mix of hope and fear, anticipating GENRE: Drama, Sci-Fi either a new era of technological enlightenment or devastating war. STARRING: Sharlto Copley Instead, what they receive are DIRECTOR: Neill Blomkamp refugees; aliens far away from home, desperately trying to sur- RATING: R vive. RELEASED: August 21, 2009 They come to our world starved and frightened, an all too OUR TAKE: «««« « familiar story in Earth’s history. The aliens, while insect-like and slightly grotesque, invoke pathos By Yameen Huq through their seemingly emaci- Contributing Writer ated bodies and large, naive eyes. They’re referred to derogatorily In a world of giant Rock ‘Em as “prawns” and forced into Dis- Sock ‘Em Robots, comic adapta- trict 9, living in cramped, filthy tions, horror rehashes and TV re- conditions where they must forage makes, District 9 stands as one of for garbage. the most original movies in recent The allegories for racism years. flow throughout the movie. The Stylish and innovative, this clear references to the cruelty of film is a perfect conclusion to the apartheid regime in South Af- otherwise substandard summer rica are displayed in the suffering movie season, which for the most and inhumane treatment of the part consisted of only franchise “prawns.” continuations. At the same time, their suf- Despite the aliens, District 9 is fering is universalized. In the not a run-of-the-mill sci-fi movie. eviction scene, for example, the Through the use of a documen- “prawns” are forced to sign con- tary style and a cast of unknowns, tracts to be evicted, a concept that the film creates a sense of realism they do not even understand, by that films rarely attempt. their foreign oppressors. It begins with our planet re- ceiving visitors from another See District, page 20 Image courtesy of NBC PERFORMANCE treat for all returning Jackets and the highlight of Meyers’ portion Seth Meyers and John Oliver alumni alike. The success of the of the night came from the audi- presentation marked the begin- ence participation that showed off LOCATION: Ferst Center for ning of a promising school year. Meyers’ improvisational skills and the Arts Though both comedians are highlighted the Tech audience’s DATE: Aug. 21, 2009 famous for their contribution to appreciation of the comedian. The political humor on their respec- cooperation and responses from PERFORMERS: Seth Meyers tive television shows, neither of the audience made the evening and John Oliver the two focused primarily on po- even more enchanting. DURATION: 120 min. litical topics in their stand-up rou- John Oliver took the stage after tines on Friday night. Meyers, and he went down a more OUR TAKE: ««««« This resulted in fresh and de- personal and global approach to lightful materials that were not his one-hour showing of British anticipated by the audience, how- sophistication. By Zheng Zheng ever still meeting expectations of What led off as a “shocking” Staff Writer hilarity in the end. announcement of his British Seth Meyers, anchor of Satur- background slowly evolved into a It is only the second week day Night Live’s “Weekend Up- personal tale about Oliver’s arrival of school and the semester has date” segment, led off the evening in America, leading into a com- started out with a bang. This past by elaborating on the lifestyle of mentary on global culture. Friday, Georgia Tech’s Ferst Cen- modern youth in the American The stories involved friendship, ter for the Arts proudly presented culture. fellow comedian Demetri Martin, the unprecedented comedic blend From futons to hangovers to a stuffed bear that presumptu- of John Oliver (The Daily Show online shopping, nothing was out ously predicted Oliver’s end and with Jon Stewart) and Seth Meyers of bounds or outside the realm of much more. (Saturday Night Live). discussion for the young comic. Many of Oliver’s staple jokes The unique combination of the Meyers also drew mate- involved punch lines on cultural two relevant and political comedi- rial from his experience as a cast differences among the British and ans, both from popular television member on Saturday Night Live, Americans which were well re- programming, took the Institute sharing unforgettable anecdotes ceived by the audience. by storm as the event was com- on an embarrassing incident with Though a couple of Oliver’s pletely sold out by the night of the a musical guest as well as a tale jokes were interrupted due to au- show. involving former Governor Sarah dience disturbances, these “set- The spectacle was the perfect Palin and a man in a moose suit. welcome for freshmen as well as a Entertaining as the bits were, See Meyers, page 19 Image courtesy of TriStar Pictures ENTERTAINMENT Technique • August 28, 2009 • 17 Mad Men illuminates darker side of ‘60s culture TELEVISION These include the cutthroat Pe- Mad Men ter Campbell as well as Ken Cos- grove, a fun-loving young man NETWORK: AMC with a penchant for writing. Toward the end of season two, WHEN: Sundays, 10 p.m. Betty found out about Don’s adul- GENRE: Drama terous behavior and kicked him out of the house. To maintain the STARRING: Jon Hamm, Draper family’s reputation, Betty January Jones, Vincent tells no one and can hardly handle Kartheiser, Elisabeth Moss the emotional breakdowns. OUR TAKE: ««««« In the finale, the question as to whether or not Don will move back in is answered by Betty find- By Kristin Hanson ing out she is pregnant. Staff Writer Season three starts out with another peek into Don’s past, The lives of Don Draper, his showing how he came to be ad- beautiful wife Betty and their two opted and why he wants to bury lovely children may look perfect his demons as deep as possible. from far away, but behind closed The British company that doors this 1960s picturesque fam- bought Sterling Cooper is making ily is anything but. a lot of changes and every employ- “Mad men” are the New York ee is anticipating a huge layoff. ad men who sell not just ideas, but Don and Sal, the art director, go ways of life to brands just making on a business trip together where it big in the 1950s and ‘60s, such Don still can’t quash his playboy as Clearasil and Crest. ways and Sal begins to come to The mad men spend their days terms with his sexuality and the sitting in board meetings at Ster- taboos that surround it. ling Cooper, never far from a glass Mad Men never disappoints, of whiskey and their nights of and the season three premiere is wining and dining with potential Photo Illustration by Hamza Hasan / Student Publications no different. New drama, new clients. two seasons. It is a show that is ond season he becomes a partner during the day to rendezvous with characters, and new shocking Alongside the mad men are almost completely about character in the company. Everyone loves certain ladies who are not their turns of events keep the fans wait- their secretaries who are hiding development. There are reasons to him, but no one knows the de- wives. ing to see what the Madison Av- just as many secrets as them. In love and hate each and every one tails of his past or the fact that his While Don is making plays in enue mad men have in store week a town as ruthless as New York, of them. Even the most lovable name isn’t even Don Draper. the boardroom and the bedroom, after week. some will do anything to get characters have a dark side. Traditional 1960 family values there are several young up-and- With its subtle plot develop- ahead. Don Draper seemingly has it go out the window in Mad Men, coming executives that would do ment and award-winning charac- Mad Men has won an Emmy all. The show begins with Don as and it isn’t uncommon for the ex- anything to become Head of Ac- ters, Mad Men is truly a pleasure and Golden Globe with its first Head of Accounts, and in the sec- ecutives to leave for a few hours counts. to watch. Discover student research opportunities to solve real-world problems: • work with world-class scientists and engineers. • work on real projects for real customers. • get paid to do research that makes a difference. Discover the world of GTRI: Wednesday, September 16 Student Center Ballroom 11:00 am to 3:00 pm Georgia Tech is an equal education and employment opportunity institution. 18 • August 28, 2009 • Technique ENTERTAINMENT 2 4 9 8 1 6 8 1 SUDOKU 3 6 8 4 7 6 9 5 2 7 5 2 6 1 3 PUZZLES 8 7 2 6 1 9 5 6 4 9 8 3 7 2 9 4 1 4 2 6 5 8 4 7 4 9 9 1 4 1 2 4 5 6 3 6 3 8 1 2 5 Fill in the grid so that every 4 9 row, column and 3 by 3 box 2 7 contains the digits 1 through 9. 83 6 sliver www.nique.net I don’t know if you’re trying to be nice or want some more.