The RetrIever Weekly 02.26.08 ARTS 15 “Here’s the story from A to Z”: A Spice Girls experience

Katrina Cohen to us that girlfriends come fi rst, that single, “I Turn to You.” SENIOR STAFF WRITER we could do anything, all we needed The show told the group’s story: was positivity. That, um, we wanted together and apart and together again. I was 20 years old, and barely ten. men, not boys who think they can! The Girls, famously bad at keeping I was singing (off-key) and dancing When I listened to the Spice Girls in commitments, have decided to sign (badly) in front of no one, and every- their heyday, I was happy and un- off the reunion tour (for now) before one. I was at a Spice Girls concert, but aware of a social caste system. It was reaching beyond Canada, the U.S. and I didn’t believe it. the ‘90s. Pogs, Peace Frogs and Beanie Europe, and detractors cite greed and If you put two and two together, you Babies were what mattered, and the in-fi ghting. will understand that I am an original Spice Girls, in their giant platform I don’t see that. I believe the Girls Spice Girls fan. I brought Scary (Mel boots, were right in the middle of it when they say they’re tired after three B.), Baby (Emma), Ginger (Geri), Posh all, tongue-in-cheekily providing the months of shows, and have children (Victoria) and Sporty (Mel C.) back to perfect soundtrack. to tend to. During an emotional per- Baltimore from Wales in the summer My roommate and I each spent formance of “Mama,” Geri and Emma of 1997. I was visiting family, and my $122.50 (plus fees) for our chance to passed around a video camera, fi lm- cousin and her contemporaries were see the Girls, back together, live, at ing their groupmates on stage and shocked at my ignorance. “You don’t the Verizon Center on February 21. the audience beyond. Preserving the know the Spice Girls?!” I had been liv- For our chance to once again slow it COURTESY VICTORIA-BECKHAM.US memory. Our cameras looked right > Victoria Beckham = robot? ing in darkness. They soon converted down, baby, and have some fun. back at them. me, and life was never the same. “Tonight is the night,” I kept tell- memory with the Spice Girls. I belted Become 1” and made its lyrics even The Spice Girls, though strong and Flash-forward 11 years. ing myself Thursday—waiting for out “Viva Forever” with the Spice more suggestive with feathers and pole- guiltless, have been blamed for ce- Somewhere in there, Geri, my alter- the MARC train on a cold, rusty blue Girls. I even, true to my Ginger Spice dancing. “Who Do You Think You Are” lebrity rehab culture, underage binge ego—the redhead, the kooky one who Halethorpe bench, traveling along roots, had a wardrobe malfunction. featured the signature costumes from drinking, and other random debauch- made no apologies for kookiness—left toward Union Station, eating three And didn’t care. I felt uninhibited. the ’90s, including Baby’s pink, Posh’s eries. But the fans I know love their the group, and become a U.N. Am- sandwiches for dinner because I knew Four women sitting in front of us little black dress, and Ginger’s Union moms. They value bonds with friends. bassador and solo artist. (In a strange (subconsciously) to fuel up—and sit- were nursing their grown-up drinks Jack jumper. “Lady is a Vamp” was And they share something from their twist, a friend blamed me for Ginger’s ting in the stadium. I anticipated the and text-messaging through the fi rst droll and cabaret-style, “Wannabe,” a childhoods that no cynic can touch. departure. I had chickened out the concert with glee but dreaded its ar- few pieces. But then something hap- must, saved for the encore (as though As my roommate and I prepared week before from dressing as her in rival, because I knew that all too soon, pened. They put down their beers and we believed they wouldn’t perform it). to leave, I heard a female fan behind a leather mini-skirt and fur-bedecked it would be over. And then what? their cell phones and began to dance During “Say You’ll Be There,” the audi- us tell her friend, “I don’t want to go shirt on our elementary school’s Ce- When the lights fi nally went down, and hug and sing with the rest of us. ence provided the chant, “Yeah, I want back now!” Now that the lights are up, lebrity Day.) the packed Center created one thun- The Spice Girls are nothing if not in- you!,” to which Mel B. responded, “We my voice is no longer hoarse, my ears Eventually all four girls split ways. derous boom of excitement. My entire fectious. want you too, D.C.!” aren’t ringing with the joyful shrieks By then I had “grown up.” Middle body went numb. I may have cried. As for the show, what can I say? I Each Girl did a solo performance, of thousands upon thousands…now school! The Girls weren’t (I thought) After a glittering video of fi ve young could not be a more biased witness aside from Victoria, who strutted what? Do I move on? Do I close that on my radar screen, aside from Vic- girls dreaming of fame (young Ginger if you paid me (although I would be down the catwalk stage in a fl owing spicy chapter of my life for good? toria and her babies. Every once and in the middle, of course, always the grateful). The songs were performed black gown, cell-phone glued to her No, no. I will make it last forever. a while I was overcome with the urge ringleader) the Girls emerged from be- live and faithfully to the recordings, ear, in true Posh form. Mel B. locked Because I know without a doubt, as to revisit the music. Sometimes I won- neath the stage singing “Spice Up Your not always perfect but the Girls never a male audience member in a cage and all true Spice fans do, that friendship dered, “what if…?” Life.” I couldn’t breathe, let alone sing claimed to be; the microphones glit- gyrated around him while singing Len- never ends. Until this past summer, when the along. My roommate and I clutched tered; the heels were always high; the ny Kravitz. Geri was carried around on fi vesome announced a world tour re- each other. Nostalgia, childhood hero pieces full of camp and energy. The stage by about 15 male dancers while Katrina Cohen is a Senior union. I smiled for approximately a worship, disbelief. Girls have a walk and a presence to- she performed a riotous rendition of Staff Writer for The Retriever week. Eventually my heart rate returned gether that’s classy now, and priceless. “It’s Raining Men.” And Mel C. showed Weekly and can be reached for As young girls, the Spice Girls told to normal. I did the “Stop” dance from The Girls took their pop ballad, “2 off her vocal talent with her camp-free comment at [email protected]. German department screens “Sophie-Scholl—Die Ietzten Tage” with lecture by Dr. Boehling

Liz Omberg ly, a janitor had seen them and took the death sentence and then another STAFF WRITER them to the head of the university. door is opened. The room is blind- This lead to their arrest by the Ge- ingly white with a guillotine in the Last Monday was the sixty-fi fth stapo police. center. Sophie is lifted up and held anniversary of students Hans and Hans and Sophie were questioned down while the screen goes black. Sophie Scholl’s arrest at the Uni- harshly and separated at the holding Rather than showing us the death we versity of Munich. Along with their facility. After four days of interroga- just hear the sound of the contrap- philosophy professor, a group of stu- tion, the Scholls were found guilty of tion and hear Hans yelling heroically, dents, including the Scholls, resisted treason and sentenced to beheading. “Long live freedom.” Hitler and the German army, not by During questioning, they discovered I am very thankful that this movie physical force or leading a revolt, but the names of the other members of was shown and that the audience through words. Their catalyst was a the White Rose, including Chris- was so large. It was one of those leafl et called “The White Rose.” To tophe Probst ( Florian Stetter). The movies where I left thinking about celebrate and remember the cour- three suspects were taken to the how I take certain things for granted age of the young writers, the UMBC people’s court to be tried. In the fi lm, (cliché as it may sound). As a writer, German club, along with the Modern the court is a daunting place with an I could not imagine getting killed for COURTESY ZEITGEIST FILMS Languages and Linguistics Depart- > Julia Jentsh starred as the hero, Sophie Scholl. audience of Nazi soldiers and a judge writing my opinion. It would be so ment, sponsored a screening of the who screamed and would not listen easy for me to write an article about fi lm Sophie Scholl—Die Ietzten Tage. always engaging. Hinrichs) were in their early twenties to reason. After a heartbreaking how much I dislike Bush and then Before the fi lm was shown, Dr. The fi lm Sophie Scholl—Die Ietz- when they became members of the testimony, the three students were come next Tuesday the article would Rebecca Boehling of the history de- ten Tage was produced in 2005 and White Rose. On February 18, 1943 sentenced to death. The usual wait- be distributed around campus. There partment gave an hour-long lecture was directed by Marc Rothermund. the Scholls brought numerous copies ing time for an execution was nine- might be an angry letter to the edi- summarizing what was happening in I thought that the fi lm would focus of “The White Rose” in a suitcase to ty-nine days after the sentence was tor, but to be in a place where, in or- Germany at the time. It was useful to more on the story of how “The White be distributed on campus when all placed, but the Scholls were killed der to write what you think, you risk get the refresher even though at times Rose” was formed and the story be- of the other students were in class. later that day. I admit that when So- your own life just seems impossible, it was unexciting and felt like I was hind it. However, when it started, the After distributing the leafl ets, Sophie phie went back to her jail cell and and that is what “The White Rose” in a classroom. However, you could story had progressed and the Scholls, realized that she had some left and was told to write a good-bye letter did; it challenged the impossible. tell when Dr. Boehling was talking along with other students, had al- ran upstairs in the atrium to deposit to her family, I started to cry. The that she had a wealth of knowledge ready started publishing the leafl ets. them. Successfully getting rid of all fi nal scene of the movie was of So- Liz Omberg is a Staff Writer for The on the subject, and hearing someone Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch) and her the copies, the Scholls tried to blend phie being escorted into a dark room Retriever Weekly and can be reached discuss what is important to them is older brother Hans Scholl (Fabian in with the rest of the students. Sad- with German offi cers who read her for comment at [email protected].