The Buzz Around Queen B

By Nicole Pollitt

To say this year’s Super Bowl Half Time Show was amazing would be understatement, when it both figuratively and literally shut the stadium down.  Beyonce, or Queen B, as her fans have named her, had quite the year in 2012 and has shown us she’s not finished quite yet. Prior to her highly talked about half time show, Beyonce released a number one album, which resulted in 7 hit singles, won the Billboard's Millennium Award, scored the cover of GQ, sang at the Presidential Inauguration and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, named Blue Ivy. So what could this superstar mommy have left to show us?

February 16^th, Beyonce once again captured our attention but this time in a way we’ve never seen her before. Life Is But a Dream, a 90-minute documentary, produced by Beyonce herself, aired on HBO and shows the mom and superstar as a businesswoman, private moments with her husband and family and even segments from her personal video diary. Beyonce who is know for being incredibly private when it comes to her life, opens up about some of the biggest struggles in her career and life as well as some of the most life changing moments. We hear about what it was like to fire her father as her manager, how she took control of her own career, how her husband Jay-Z has inspired her and how her outlook on life has changed after becoming a mother. Throughout the film there is sense of vulnerability shown by the singer and it’s a feeling that the viewer can relate to.

“Stop pretending that I have it all together. If I’m scared, be scared. Allow it. Release it. Move on,” she says to herself, in one of her diary segments.

 We feel her pain and her excitement but most of all we feel inspired. It’s as though we’ve learned a little bit more about life as she shares little pieces of wisdom with us.

After emotionally exposing herself to us all, what’s next for Queen B? A Vogue cover, a world tour, and hopefully  a few more years of music.Who run's the world? Well, as of now it's clearly this Queen B.

Philadelphia without a script.

Bianca Vasaturo

Searching for high quality comedy for a low price? Catch an improv show!

What is improv, you say?

Improv is acting without a script. Contrary to popular belief, improvisers are not just lazy actors who cannot memories lines; rather, they are sharp thinkers and storytellers. Traditionally Chicago is the Mecca for comedy with New York coming in second and Los Angeles in third. However, with the recent jump in troupes and performances, Philadelphia is making a name for itself.

Improv in Philly started to develop a stable following in 2005. The N Crowd  became the first improvisers to make a name for themselves in the city of brotherly love. The N Crowd is a short form improv comedy troupe.

(There are two different types of improv comedy, short and long form. Short form improv consists of audience participation and fun games that often wind up with silly concepts and huge laughs. Long form is a collection of made up scenes based off of a suggestion from the audience with no pre set structure.)

Philaldephia Improv Theatre (PHIT) was first started in 2006. They began as a small introductory level course company that began to grow into one of the best improv organizations between the Chicago and New York area. Now PHIT is the crux for Phillys top stand up, sketch and improv comedians.  

Phillyimprov.com is the go-to website to find out “the know” on everything improv in this theatre filled city. This site will tell you who’s- who in the Philly improve world; our own Drexel University’s “ Football Team” is featured on the site.

Get laughing with these comedy outlets:

The Philadelphia Improv Festival : takes place every November and features all types of comedy. PHIF features talent from Second City, IO, Annoyance Theatre, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, The Groundlings and The Steppenwold Theatre Company. 

Laff house : comedy club

Philadelphia Comedy Academy : a monthly stand up comedy worksop.

Helium Comedy Club : comedy classes and performances

Comedy Cabaret : a comedy nightclub that features famous comedians.

New Palladium : comedy club

Comedy Sportz : comedy club

The Golden Orb

By Amanda Smith

After postponing his Monday night slot because of delivery issues, Marc Jacobs was one of the last people to show during this year’s New York Fashion Week. Held at the Lexington Avenue Armory, Marc Jacobs transformed this space into a lunar arena with stadium seating around a large circular stage. Models walked around the edge of the circle while an enormous orb or light hung from the ceiling at the opening where the models entered and exited the stage. The warm, heavy yellow light from the orb illuminated the whole armory giving the illusion of a sepia photograph, leaving some ambiguity as to the color of the garments.

            After the garments were seen in the yellow light, all 55 looks were sent out a second time in a regular light setting so that the true colors, small patterns, and metallic fabrics could be seen. The clothing was loungewear inspired, with luxurious fur and metallic elements on classic and tailored silhouettes. Each model wore a shaggy, dark shorthaired wig.

            The lighting for the show was inspired by the exhibit The Weather Project by Olafur Eliasson at the Tate in London. It featured a large yellow sun projecting serene light onto mirrors covering the ceilings while people could lay on the floor to take in the full experience. Also as a Hurricane Sandy victim, Marc Jacobs had lost his home and wanted this collection to reflect comforting clothing and a homey style, shown in the pajama style shirting. Together the yellow lighting and the comfort clothing inspiration came together to create a mix of gloom yet optimism in the Fall/Winter 2013 collection.

            In Jacobs’ quest for comfort and the familiarity of home, he took his bow in his own pajamas, keeping in style with the show.

An Introduction to Fashion Photography

By Tara Giancaspro
I have experience with just about every type of photography you can think of. I have snapped concerts, sporting events, portraits, plays and musicals, still-lifes, speeches and presentations. I have photographed the President. I have photographed the Vice President. I've photographed Bill Cosby, twice. But I had never before photographed a fashion spread, and to my own surprise I found the experience, at first, a bit daunting. The fashion industry and its players are strong-willed people with forceful and creative ideas. I saw these same traits when I worked with my classmates on my first shoot, an Old Hollywood "behind the scenes" display. My classmates had clear ideas and a clear vision. When I am hired or asked to photograph, I am often given little or no direction. And while that freedom is appreciated, it also leaves me at risk to wind up with photographs that those involved do not love. With the direction of my classmates, I was able to secure that their vision and their goals would be represented, and hopefully enriched by my own stylistic touches and shooting style. I feel that this shoot was educational. I taught myself how to focus on the clothing and accessories, and how to frame, light, and position a model to best accentuate their features and the outfits they wear. With the retro styles we featured, it was important to find the best way to capture the flow and sweep of the beautiful dresses we worked with, to give the pictures lively movement. This photoshoot was supposed to convey a sense of the accidental. Sophie, pictured above, accidentally broke her strand of pearls, creating a funny moment for us to capture, resulting in photos that I believe will be featured in the final layout for the magazine. The shot above was also an accident of sorts - the models were simply waiting around for direction, and I liked what I saw. I did not think that so many ideas would come to us on the fly, but they did, and I am grateful for that. I think that this shoot was one of my favorites that I have ever done.

"Punk: Chaos to Couture" at the Met

By Emily Sheltraw
The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City held a preview for its latest exhibit this week, showcasing punk fashion from the 1970s forward. The exhibit,  "Punk: Chaos to Couture,"  focuses on how the punk music scene in New York and London in the 1970s has influenced fashion since. Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang, Rodarte and Vivienne Westwood are just a few of the designers that will be included in the exhibit.
Co-chairs of the exhibit, Rooney Mara, Riccardo Tisci, Lauren Santo Domingo and Anna Wintour attended the preview which was hosted by museum curator, Andrew Bolton. Bolton has been tight-lipped about the exhibit up until the preview, but he told WWD, "Punk broke all rules when it came to fashion, and everything became possible after punk. Its impact on high fashion became so enormous, and continues at the same time."
The exhibit, which will be open to the public on May 9, is organized into themed sections, including: "The Couturiers Situationists" (which will highlight the work of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren), "Rebel Heroes," "Punk Couture," "DIY Style," and "La Mode Destroy."In addition to various punk-inspired clothing, guests can expect a recreation of CBGB, the notorious Bowery music club, within the museum. The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts the exhibit for three months (until August 11), with the opening set for three days after the Met Ball. 

Prabal Gurung, Fashion Domination

By Jessica McGuinn

Prabal Gurung, the Nepalese fashion designer who has recently been the center of attention across all major fashion media outlets. I was watching TV with my roommates when a commercial came on for what appeared to be a romance movie, complete with a stereotypical playful couple, an emotional breakup scene, and an unrealistic happy ending. However, I couldn’t help but notice how much the camera focused on the clothing worn by the star-crossed lovers, something that is definitely not characteristic of most previews. When the descriptive text, “chic, stylish, and romantic” flashed across the screen, I knew I wasn’t watching a movie trailer. Ten seconds later, my suspicions were confirmed… “Prabal Gurung for Target, LOVE.”

Gurung debuted his first collection during New York Fashion Week back in February 2009. Since then, he has quickly and quietly risen to fashion stardom, dressing A-List Ladies including Demi Moore, Zoe Saldana, Oprah Winfrey, and First Lady Michelle Obama, among others.  On Saturday, the talented young designer wowed the audience at his Fall 2013 show with a collection dedicated to the leading lady in his life, his mother. “Mom, this one’s for you,” the show notes read.

“The whole thing was about empowerment,” said Gurung. “I’m sure every son says that about their mother, but I don’t think there’s anyone in my life more empowered” (Elle UK). 

The fall collection reflected this inspiration with militaristic pieces softened by more feminine details. Cargo pants were styled with peplum tops while fur collars provided the perfect balance for the structured pieces and leather accents that ran throughout the line. While the looks primarily featured a dark color palette, the floral silk and stunning embroidery used in the evening wear garnered praise from even the toughest of critics. Cathy Horyn, famed fashion critic for The New York Times, proclaimed, “Mr. Gurung’s draped pieces were his strong suit, in part because they were so simply done" (The New York Times).

With no surprise, Prabal’s capsule collection is almost entirely sold out at Target locations across the country after less than 48 hours in stores. I guess it’s safe to say that everyone loves a happy ending, whether it be in film or in fashion.

Trend: Dip Dyed Hair

 

By Eryn Park

For the past couple of months I have seen an array of hair colors on the runways, at award shows,  in street fashion and everyday life. These are not just ordinary hair colors such as the ombre brown into blonde hair that was in fashion last year; these are My Little Pony statements. This means aquamarine, lavender, pink, red and bright blue hair. Normal colored hair is no longer special or interesting anymore. Are bright colors the new trend for the hair this year?

I was first introduced to this trend when my sister walked into my room one morning and had bright aquamarine tips at the ends of her long dark brown hair. When I asked her what in the world she was thinking to do this to herself, she simply responded that she just did it for fun. I demanded for her to dye it back but she refused. Later that week I was watching Fashion Police on E! and realized that Kelly Osbourne had dyed her full head lavender. It was a shock to me that people were actually dying their hair these crazy colors. I took a second look at Kelly’s hair and decided that it did not look half bad. Next thing I know, I’m seeing pink dip-dyed hair in Prada’s ad campaigns and runways and on many celebrities.

I slowly began to like the idea of dying my hair pink and blue because it looked so chic and effortless on everyone that was doing it. That was until I saw Christina Aguilera as a judge on the show The Voice. Her hair was several dip-dyed colors and it just looked awful with her platinum blonde hair. Fashion lovers commented on how her hair looked like the tail of the My Little Pony toys that they used to play with when they were kids. I sadly agreed with all of them and told myself that there is a limit to dying your hair pretty colors.

I found out that the trick to dip dying your hair is to stick with one color and not multiple. I do not find dip-dying strange anymore but somewhat interesting and unexpected. It is nice to be different from other people, and I think it allows people to send the message that they are just having fun and enjoying life. Since it has been around now for a couple of months, I may decide to give it a try and dip-dye my ends. My short dark hair is in need of a change and I think going in a colorful direction may be the answer.