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Junjo Romantica ~Pure Romance~

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

Junjo Romantica ~Pure Romance~

Junjo Romantica artwork by Shungiku Nakamura

純情ロマンチカ
(Junjō Romanchika)

Genre
Romance, Yaoi, Comedy

Manga

Author
Shungiku Nakamura

Publisher
Kadokawa Shoten
BLU

Demographic
Shōjo

Magazine
Asuka CIEL

Original run
2002 – ongoing

Volumes
10

TV anime: (first season)

Director
Chiaki Kon

Studio
Studio Deen

Network
TV Hokkaido

Original run
April 2008 – June 2008

Episodes
12

TV anime: (second season)

Director
Chiaki Kon

Studio
Studio DEEN

Network
TV Hokkaido

Original run
October 2008 – December 2008

Episodes
12

This article does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

Junjo Romantica ~Pure Romance~ (純情ロマンチカ, Junjō Romanchika?, lit. “Pure Hearted Romantica”) is a yaoi series by Shungiku Nakamura. It focuses on not only a main couple but three other male couples. It has expanded into several cd-dramas, a manga series with a spin-off running in Asuka CIEL, a light novel series running in The Ruby with a spin-off and a 24-episode anime series.

Contents

1 Plotline
2 Characters
3 Anime Adaptation
4 References
5 External links

Plotline

Misaki is suddenly having some unexpected and odd problems. What started as a need for some college entrance exam tutoring has somehow led him to being romanced by a suave older man who also happens to be his big brother’s best friend.

Confused by all of his brand new emotions, Misaki struggles to deal with his suddenly very odd life. And if that wasn’t enough, his suitor, Usami, has plenty of issues of his own. A man-child who decorates his room with giant teddy bears and toys, Usami is a famous novelist who also writes steamy boys’ love novels on the side.

Junjo Romantica focuses on three different sets of lovers, each with their own compelling stories, these other three couples are introduced in Egoist, Terrorist, and Mistake. There is also another mini series called, ‘Junjō Minimum’, which is also in the CD dramas.

Characters

Junjo Romantica

Misaki Takahashi (高橋美咲, Takahashi Misaki?)
18 yrs, 19 yrs in episode 8: The protagonist, younger brother of Takahiro. At the start of the series, Misaki is about to sit for his college entrance examinations. His dream is to go to Mitsuhashi University since that was the college his brother dropped out of so that he could begin taking care of Misaki after their parents died. Although seemingly childish and brash, Misaki is later revealed to be a person who is simply adamant on insisting against doing anything that might not be beneficial to anyone else. Misaki and Usagi eventually begin a relationship together which puzzles Misaki, who is unconfident about his feelings towards the older man.

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai

Akihiko Usami (宇佐見秋彦, Usami Akihiko?)
28 yrs: A popular author of non-fiction and erotic boys love novels, and the youngest recipient of the distinguished Naomori Award. His nickname is “Usagi”, which means “rabbit” in Japanese. Usagi is Misaki’s tutor for the upcoming entrance exams, and a very close friend of Takahiro (he, in fact, harbored an unrequited love for Takahiro for a long time). He and Hiroki were childhood friends.Shortly after meeting Misaki, Usagi realizes that he loves the younger boy and the two become lovers.

Voiced by: Hikaru Hanada

Haruhiko Usami (宇佐見春彦, Usami Haruhiko?)
30 yrs: Akihiko’s older half brother (they have different mothers). He is generally cold and disapproving towards his brother, though no one really knows why. After a brief apearance by him in the middle of the series he begins proclaiming that he ‘loves’ Misaki, but that was only after he found out how close he and Usagi were. When he begins sending Misaki flowers and saying he would take Misaki as his own, Usagi claims that Haruhiko was, ‘always trying to take things.’

Voiced by: Kōsuke Toriumi

Takahiro Takahashi (高橋孝浩, Takahashi Takahiro?)
Misaki’s older brother, and Akihiko’s long-time friend. He was the subject of Akihiko’s love interest for a long time, but never noticed Akihiko’s feelings due to him being naive and having a somewhat air-headed personality. He is extremely caring towards his brother, even dropping out of school to support Misaki’s studies after their parents died.

Voiced by: Kishō Taniyama

Junjō Egoist

Hiroki Kamijō (上條弘樹, Kamijō Hiroki?)
28 yrs : A long-time friend of Akihiko’s, who is an associate professor at the college Misaki studies at. He is a bit of a loner and is extremely passionate about classical Japanese literature, apparently having graduated at the top of his class. Hiroki was initially in love with Akihiko, his childhood friend. He is an example of the tsundere character archetype: he has a bad temper and is feared among his students, though he is actually shy and gets flustered easily.

Voiced by: Kentarō Itō

Nowaki Kusama (草間野分, Kusama Nowaki?)
24 yrs : Orphaned without a name as an infant, he was named “Nowaki” (”typhoon” in Japanese) by the head of the orphanage because he was found in a heavy rain storm. Nowaki first meets Hiroki 6 years ago, when he is crying about his fruitless relationship with Akihiko, and goes on to insist that Hiroki become his tutor. He is currently studying to become a pediatrician. Nowaki is very kind and understanding.

Voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna

Junjō Terrorist

Yō Miyagi (宮城庸, Miyagi Yō?)
35 yrs: A Literature Professor at Mitsuhashi University and a co-worker of Kamijo Hiroki. He was once married, but is now divorced most likely due to his indifference to feelings and emotions. His love interest is his ex-wife’s younger brother. Miyagi is often playful when it comes to teasing Hiroki, though his true character is far more serious due to an event from his past.

Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue

Shinobu Takatsuki (高槻忍, Takatsuki Shinobu?)
18 yrs : A young high school student (and the son of Mitsuhashi University’s dean of literature and of Miyagi’s boss) who believes it to be fate that he is in love with his ex-brother-in-law, Miyagi You. He would very much like Miyagi to take responsibility for Shinobu falling in love with him. He is often blunt and unreasonable, though is shown to have a softer side.

Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio

Junjō Mystique

Ryūichiro Isaka (井坂龍一郎, Isaka Ryūichiro?)
Akihiko’s editor and Haruhiko’s childhood friend, he is 32 years old in the main timeline. Junjou Mystique takes place ten years before. He aspired to be a novelist, but his real talents lay in finding future best-sellers.

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa

Kaoru Asahina (朝比奈薫, Asahina Kaoru?)
Kaoru is Ryūichiro’s assistant, and came to work for the Isaka family when they helped the Asahina’s out of a bad situation. Originally intended to be Isaka’s playmate, he ended up becoming something more of a caretaker.

Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu

Anime Adaptation

Further information: List of Junjō Romantica episodes

The series began airing April 10, 2008. As of now, the first season, which has 12 episodes have been released, and the second season which has 12 episodes, began airing on October 12, 2008. According to Oricon and DVD sales data from Animesuki, the first DVD was released on July 25th, 2008 and it became a hit, selling 8,406 copies in its first week. It is currently the fourth best selling debut DVD for an anime series of 2008, just after Gundam 00, Macross Frontier and Aria the Origination. It continued to dwell on the Oricon anime DVD charts for the second week charting on the top 5 with total sales for the first DVD at 10,986 copies. With those sales, it is currently ranked at number 1 for the shojo category on DVD sales for the year 2008. According to Oricon sales for the past 5 years, it is the best selling BL (Boys Love) anime so far and has performed the best on the charts.

References

External links

Official Site: http://www.suzukisan.info/
BLUmanga, the official site for the English version’s publisher: Junjo Romantica
Anime News Network’s encyclopedia entry for Shungiku Nakamura

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Chulip

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

For the Ai Otsuka single, see Chu-Lip.

Chulip

Japanese cover

Developer(s)
Punchline

Publisher(s)
Victor Interactive (Japan) / Natsume (USA)

Designer(s)
Yoshirou Kimura

Composer(s)
Hirofumi Taniguchi

Aspect ratio
480i (SDTV)

Platform(s)
PlayStation 2

Release date(s)
October 3, 2002
February 14, 2007

Genre(s)
Role-playing game, Adventure game

Mode(s)
Single Player

Rating(s)
ESRB: T (Teen)

Media
CD-ROM

Input methods
DualShock 2

Chulip (チュウリップ, Chūlip?) is a video game developed by Punchline and released on October 3, 2002 in Japan by Victor Interactive (now Marvelous Interactive) for the Playstation 2. After several delays The game is well-known for its unique Japanese themes and humor, and its focus kissing as being part of the gameplay.

The title is a play on words; a cross between chu, the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of a kiss, and the word lip. チュウリップ also happens to be the Japanese spelling of tulip, the flowering plant.

Contents

1 Plot
2 Gameplay
3 Development
4 References
5 External links

Plot

During a beginning dream sequence, the male protagonist kisses the girl of his dreams under the talking tree known as the Lover’s Tree on a green hill. The player can then name both the protagonist and his dream girl, similar to what is seen in certain Harvest Moon games. The dream takes its course, the tree ends the sequence saying they lived happily ever after. However, once the protagonist wakes up, he and his father are just moving into the village of Long Life Town, which appears very much like a Shōwa period Japanese village. Coincidentally, the girl of his dreams lives in this town, but she flatly rejects him due to his reputation as coming from an incredibly poor family. To improve his reputation, the player must kiss other characters. En route to strengthening the character’s heart and improving his reputation, the player must also write a killer love letter. When the treasured Love Letter Set is stolen, the player must track the missing pieces.

Gameplay

The gameplay is similar to most role-playing games in that the main character has a simplistic inventory, levels up to gain hit points (hearts), and spends most of his time in dialog. To gain more hearts you have to find and kiss other characters in the game, finding out how and when to kiss other characters is a puzzle in of itself. Saving takes place in various bathrooms in the game (most of which have to be cleaned by various denizens). If you die you’ll have to load the most recent save.

The game and its characters follow a 24-hour day schedule similar to what is seen in the Harvest Moon Series in a free roaming world, and each non-playable character has their own schedule. In the daytime, many of the characters of the game are walking around the streets happily. Most of these characters go home to sleep at night, apart from a select few. The Policeman, for example, will attack you on his nightly patrols. Some characters come out of their underground living apartments through holes in the ground at certain times in the day, if you look through these holes clues are given in regard to when they come out or when to kiss them. These clues can be cryptic at times.

After a denizen comes out of the ground, the player has to find the opportunity to give them a smooch. To succeed, you have to wait for the correct time where they will be happy and press the corresponding button. If the player succeeds he will be one step closer to levelling up (similar to an experience point system). To level up the player must return home and go to sleep, where his progress will be recited by his father, and the Lover’s Tree will give him more hearts and a new title if he advances. There is also a photo album in your home which contains pictures of the person kissed in various situations with quotes.

As the story progresses; you gain access to new areas of the game world via train which include many more underground residents and hazards. After certain steps, when you wake up from sleeping the protagonists father reads the latest front page news. Additional information can be found on another page when talking to him.

Development

Chulip took a full two and a half years to develop after its initial planning with 1 year and 3 months devoted to programming. Director Yoshirou Kimura began work on the project as he helped his colleagues at Love-de-Lic finish their final game, L.O.L.: Lack of Love.

References

^ Spencer (2007-01-19). “Natsume Clarifies the Fate of Chulip”. Siliconera. Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
^ Spencer (2007-01-24). “Chulip only at Gamestop, but they have plenty of copies”. Siliconera. Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
^ Seff, Micah (2007-05-05). “Chulip Review”. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
^ 1UP staff. “Sealed With a Kiss”. 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2008-10-27.

External links

Official page
IGN coverage
Hellbored.com Review
Chulip at MobyGames
Chulip Strategy Guide
Let’s Play Video Playthrough

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chulip”
Categories: 2002 video games | PlayStation 2 games | PlayStation 2-only games | Romance video games

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Ronald Kirkbride

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Ronald Kirkbride

Born
Ronald de Levington Kirkbride
February 1, 1912(1912-02-01)

Died
March 1973(aged 61)

Occupation
Novelist

Notable work(s)
A Girl Named Tamiko

Ronald de Levington Kirkbride (February 1, 1912–March 1973), directed by John Sturges.

Kirkbride wrote over two dozen other novels

This article about a writer, poet or playwright is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

References

^ a b Library of Congress Online Catalog entry for Kirkbridge from the Library of Congress Online Catalog
^ a b c “Individual Record: Ronald Kirkbride”. Social Security Death Index. FamilySearch. Retrieved on 2008-11-16.
^ Crime Fiction IV: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1749-2000 from the Locus magazine website
^ Online Catalog entry for A Girl Named Tamiko from the Library of Congress Online Catalog
^ A Girl Named Tamiko at the Internet Movie Database
^ Plotting “Family Plot” at the Internet Movie Database; Hilton Green tells the story about the circumstances that led to Hitchock’s retirement beginning at approximately 44 minutes and 12 seconds into the documentary.

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Bachelor

Monday, November 17th, 2008

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

For other uses, see Bachelor (disambiguation).

A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married (see single). A man who was formerly married is not a bachelor but rather is a divorcé or a widower (except in cases where the marriage was legally annulled, in which case there was legally no marriage—especially if it was never consummated).

The term is sometimes restricted to men who do not have and are not actively seeking a spouse or other personal partner.

Research done by sociologists Richard Pitt and Elizabeth Borland sharpens the definition of bachelor to mean “men who live independently, outside of their parents’ home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating” for just this reason. They discovered that these bachelors were more liberal in their attitudes towards women’s roles in society; this was not the case for those men who were only “unmarried”.

During the Victorian Era, the term “confirmed bachelor” often was used as a euphemism for a gay man and is currently still in use in the United States and Great Britain. In spite of the wider acceptance of gay people and same-sex relationships in recent years there are only little changes in this historic usage. Meanwhile, the term “confirmed bachelor” can also refer to heterosexual men who show no interest in marriage or classes of committed relationships.

“Most eligible bachelor” is a generic term for a published listing of bachelors considered to be desirable marriage candidates. Usually “most eligible bachelor” lists are published on an annual basis and present listed men in a ranked order.

Contents

1 Etymology and historical meanings
2 Penal laws and customs
3 See also
4 Footnotes

Etymology and historical meanings

The word is from Old French bacheler “knight bachelor”, a young squire in training, ultimately from Latin baccalarius, a vassal farmer. The Old French term crossed into English around 1300, referring to one belonging to the lowest stage of knighthood. Knights bachelor were either poor vassals who could not afford to take the field under their own banner, or knights too young to support the responsibility and dignity of knights banneret. From the 14th century, the term was also used for a junior member of a guild, otherwise known as “yeomen”, or university; hence, an ecclesiastic of an inferior grade, e.g. a young monk or even recently appointed canon (Severtius, de episcopis Lugdunen-sibus, p. 377, in du Cange).

“Bachelor” can also refer to those holding a “bachelor’s degree” from a university (or a four-year college, in the American system of higher education). In this sense the word baccalarius or baccalaureus first appears at the University of Paris in the 13th century, in the system of degrees established under the auspices of Pope Gregory IX, as applied to scholars still in statu pupillari. Thus there were two classes of baccalarii: the baccalarii cursores, theological candidates passed for admission to the divinity course; and the baccalarii dispositi, who, having completed this course, were entitled to proceed to the higher degrees. The term baccalaureus is a pun combining the prosaic baccalarius with bacca lauri “laurel berry” — according to the American Heritage Dictionary, “bacca” is the Old Irish word for “farmer” + laureus, “laurel berry,” the idea being that a “baccalaureate” had farmed (cultivated) his mind.

The sense of “unmarried man” dates to 1385. The feminine bachelorette is from 1935, replacing earlier bachelor-girl. In 19th century American slang to bach was used as a verb meaning “to live as an unmarried man”.

Penal laws and customs

Bachelors, in the sense of unmarried men, have in many countries been subjected to ridicule and draconian penal laws. In Sparta, citizens who remained unmarried after a certain age suffered various penalties. They were not allowed to witness the gymnastic exercises of the maidens; and during winter they were compelled to march naked round the marketplace, singing a song composed against themselves and expressing the justice of their punishment. The usual respect of the young to the old was not paid to bachelors.

In Athens there was no definite legislation on this matter; but certain minor laws are evidently dictated by a spirit akin to the Spartan doctrine. In Rome, though there appear traces of some earlier legislation in the matter, the first clearly known law is that called the Lex Julia, passed about 18 BC. It does not appear to have ever come into full operation; and in AD 9 it was incorporated with the Lex Papia et Poppaea, the two laws being frequently cited as one, Lex Julia et Papia Poppaea. This law, while restricting marriages between the several classes of the people, laid heavy penalties on unmarried persons, gave certain privileges to those citizens who had several children, and finally imposed lighter penalties on married persons who were childless.

Isolated instances of such penalties occur during the Middle Ages, e.g. by a charter of liberties granted by Matilda I, countess of Nevers, to Auxerre in 1223, an annual tax of five solidi is imposed on any man qui non habet uxorem et est bache-larius (”who does not have a wife and is a bachelor”). In Great Britain there has been no direct legislation bearing on bachelors; but, occasionally, taxes have been made to bear more heavily on them than on others. Instances of this are an Act passed in 1695; the tax on servants, 1785; and the income tax, 1798.

In some cultures, the “punishment” of bachelors is no more than a teasing game. In small towns in Germany, for example, men who were still unmarried on their 30th birthday were made to sweep the stairs of the town hall until kissed by a virgin. This “punishment” (Treppe fegen) is still practised today in parts of Northern Germany. Similarly, in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia, a man is called a pebersvend and may receive a giant pepper grinder on his 30th birthday if unmarried.

Sarong party girl

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Sarong Party Girl (also known as SPG or Sarong Party Girl) is a derogatory term used in Singapore and (to a lesser extent) in Peninsular Malaysia.

It describes a local Asian woman (e.g. Chinese, Malay, Indian) who usually dresses and behaves in a provocative manner, and who exclusively dates and prefers white men. This can be considered a variant of the Pinkerton Syndrome. The term first achieved international notoriety after the 1994 publication of Jim Aitchison’s book “Sarong Party Girl”, which offered a satirical portrayal of the SPG and related aspects of Singaporean culture.

The term has its fairly innocuous roots in the late 1940s-early 1950s when Singapore was still ruled by the British. As a general practice, the British forces personnel socialised very much among themselves, according to their military ranks and status (i.e officers and enlisted men). However, there were some instances when specific local guests were invited to social functions hosted by the British. The term ‘Sarong Party’ came into use to describe social functions which included local invited guests. The sarong is a wrap-around ’skirt’ that is part of Malay formal dress popular among local men and women of the time. It is still worn today. Over time, the term has taken its more colourful meaning.

Contents

1 Common traits and stereotypes
- 1.1 Isabella X
2 See also
3 Bibliography
4 External links

Common traits and stereotypes

The stereotypical Sarong Party Girl has extremely tanned skin, a false foreign accent, and is provocatively dressed. Originally, the outfit of choice was thought to be a bikini/tank-top paired with a sarong, but that has changed. Many of them frequent nightclubs or other nightspots that are popular with expatriate white men, in order to meet and form relationships with them. Sarong Party Girls are known to prowl specific nightspots in Singapore along Orchard Towers, Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Emerald Hill and City Hall; the classic location being the now-defunct Carnegies at Far East Square.

Sarong Party Girls in local entertainment are usually portrayed as gold-digging, husband-snatching Asian sirens. This perception contributed much to Singapore’s decadent image in the 1970s, as seen in films such as Saint Jack. The Sarong Party Girl stereotype was popularised by a series of humorous books by Jim Aitchison in the 1990s.

Isabella X

In 2005, a 19-year-old Singaporean blogger known as Isabella X wrote first under the alias “Sarong Party Girl” and then later as “Miss Izzy.” She received attention in the local press after posting nude photographs of herself on her webpage. Her blog, which began in 2004, often discusses the politics of sexuality, religion and controversial issues such as the death penalty; in addition to documenting her often tragic/comic encounters with white expatriates. As of 2007, she continued to post provocative photos of herself on the site and write articles for Today and a monthly column for FHM Singapore.

Drumline (film)

Sunday, November 16th, 2008

This article is about the 2002 movie. For the percussion unit of a marching band, see Drumline.

Drumline

Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Charles Stone III

Produced by
Dallas Austin
Timothy M. Bourne
Wendy Finerman
Jody Gerson
Greg Mooradian

Written by
Tina Gordon Chism
Shawn Schepps

Starring
Nick Cannon
Orlando Jones
Leonard Roberts
Zoe Saldana
Jason Weaver

Music by
John Powell

Cinematography
Shane Hurlbut

Editing by
Patricia Bowers
Bill Pankow

Distributed by
20th Century Fox

Release date(s)
December 13, 2002

Running time
120 min.

Country
U.S.A.

Language
English

Budget
$20,000,000

Gross revenue
Domestic:
$56,399,184
Worldwide: $57,588,485

Drumline is a 2002 film directed by Charles Stone III. The screenplay, which was inspired by the life of Dallas Austin (one of the producers of the film) was written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps. The story is about a young drummer from New York, played by Nick Cannon, who enters the fictional HBCU Atlanta A&T University and bumps heads with the leader of his new school’s drum section. Leonard Roberts, Zoe Saldana, and Orlando Jones, playing against type in a more dramatic role, co-star in the picture.

The film opened to generally positive reviews, particularly towards the energy and playing of the musical bands in the film, as well as Cannon’s performance, which is considered to be his breakout film role. It was also a success at the box office, earning over $56 million dollars in the U.S., and almost $1.2 million in the foreign market.

Contents

1 Plot
2 Soundtrack
3 Critical Reception
4 References
5 External links

Plot

The movie starts with Devon Miles (Nick Cannon) graduating from high school in New York City. He is the best drummer in the senior band and frustrates his teacher by modernizing the band’s rendition of “I Believe I Can Fly”. Upon graduation, Devon heads to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the fictional Atlanta A&T University, a historically Black university that takes enormous pride in its marching band. Later it is revealed that Devon was personally invited to attend on full scholarship by Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones), the head of the marching band at A&T. The A&T band separates itself from its competitors by requiring all band members to read music, by focusing on various styles of music rather than what is popular on the radio, and by their dedication to the teamwork-emphasized “one band, one sound” concept. The band has a preseason that is similar to an athletic team’s induction in that it is very physically and mentally difficult and challenges all recruits to push themselves past what they previously thought were their limits. At the end of preseason, the musicians must audition for spots on the field (ranked P1 through P4) and Devon is the only freshman to make P1, the highest level player. While going through his rigorous process, Devon finds time to romance an upperclassman dancer, Laila (Zoe Saldana).

Things seem to be going very well for Devon, he has the girl, he has a spot on the field, but things start to go wrong when the percussion leader (Leonard Roberts) challenges him to take a solo in his first game, saying to another upperclassmen, “he’ll freeze up like any freshman.” He is shocked and offended when Devon takes the solo and humiliates the section leader. This sets up some tension in the drumline which is exacerbated when Dr. Lee is told by the college president to change his focus from music to entertainment or lose his funding. Lee doesn’t want to give Devon a solo because he feels that Devon’s attitude and respect are lacking. The situation further deteriorates when it is revealed that Devon cannot read music. The final straw is that, in a drumline standoff at homecoming, Devon incites a melee with the visiting band. The fight is started when Devon leads the line in using their sticks to play on the visiting line’s drums (a serious insult in drumline mythos). This fight also harms his relationship with Laila as she is now embarrassed to introduce him to her parents. Because of his part in starting the fight, Dr. Lee kicks Devon out of the band.

Devon is hurt by this rejection and tries to pretend he isn’t bothered by it. He contacts Atlanta A&T’s rival school Morris Brown College, to discuss playing for them the next year. The rival band leader says that Devon doesn’t need to know how to read music (something Dr. Lee insisted on) and will likely get a full scholarship and a good position on the drumline. Things appear to be going Devon’s way again, but when the rival band wants to know what Dr. Lee is planning for the BET Big Southern Classic (a large competition of college bands), Devon learns that his honor and his heart are still with the band he was kicked off of. He rejects the scholarship offer from the rival band and returns to A&T.

Though Devon is still not playing for the band, he can’t give up his drumming. He is sent cassette tapes from his estranged father and gets some ideas for new drum arrangements. He and the senior drummer have a final confrontation that clears the air and they begin working together. They present their ideas to Dr. Lee who decides they will be used during the Classic. Devon helps the drumline prepare and patches up his relationship with Laila.

At the Classic, the other bands are shown performing a mixture of popular songs. Morris Brown’s band even gets rapper Petey Pablo to perform during their routine. A&T is not fazed by this and goes out does their performance of mixed retro and current sound. A tie results and the Morris Brown and A&T drumlines face off. Dr. Lee tells Devon he can play for this face off, showing his faith in Devon’s improved character and in thanks for all the hard work he had put in getting the band ready for the Classic. Morris Brown goes first and A&T responds. Morris Brown’s second cadence includes their snares moving forward and playing on the A&T drums then throwing down their sticks. It was a similar situation that started the fight that got Devon kicked out of the band. The A&T line holds their composure in the face of this insult and comes back with the gloves off. They play their cadence and in the middle throw down their sticks, mimicking the Morris Brown actions, but then the entire line pulls out another set of sticks and continues playing. They end their routine up in the faces of the Morris Brown drumline, but instead of playing on their drums, the line drops one of their sticks onto the other drumline’s drums. The judges award the win to A&T.

Soundtrack

#
Title
Performer(s)
Length

1.
“D&K Cadence”
A&T Drumline “The Senate”
0:28

2.
“Been Away”
Q “The Kid” feat. Jermaine Dupri
3:50

3.
“I Want a Girl Like You”
Joe feat. Jadakiss
3:59

4.
“Blowin’ Me Up (with Her Love)”
JC Chasez
4:50

5.
“Club Banger”
Petey Pablo
3:49

6.
“Faithful to You”
Syleena Johnson
3:30

7.
“Butterflyz”
Alicia Keys
4:12

8.
“Uh Oh”
Monica
3:39

9.
“My Own Thing”
Raheem DeVaughn
3:58

10.
“What You Waitin’ For”
Nivea
3:35

11.
“Peanuts”
Nappy Roots
4:35

12.
“I’m Scared of You”
Nick Cannon
4:00

13.
“Shout It Out”
Too Short & Bun B
4:47

14.
“Let’s Go”
Trick Daddy feat. Duece Poppi and Tre + 6 & Unda Presha
4:11

15.
“Marching Band Medley” (Let’s Go/Uh Oh/Bouncin’ Back/I Told Y’ All/In The Stone/I Want You Back/Shout It Out March)
Bethune Cookman College Marching Band
4:04

16.
“The Classic Drum Battle” (Destruction/No Draws/X-Factor/Hot Sauce)
Morris Brown College Drumline
4:04

17.
“I Want You Back”
Jackson 5 Marching Band
2:58

Critical Reception

Drumline received generally favorable reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of the critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 80 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has an average rating of 63 out of 100, based on 28 reviews. Roger Ebert called the film, “A very entertaining movie and a really good one for all of the marching bands out there”.

References

^ “Drumline (2002)”, Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.

External links

Drumline at Allmovie
Drumline at Box Office Mojo
Drumline at the Internet Movie Database
Drumline at Metacritic

Drumline at Rotten Tomatoes

v • d • e

American films by year

Actors · Directors · Animation · Cinematographers · Composers · Editors · Films A–Z · Producers · Screenwriters

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v • d • e

Films directed by Charles Stone III

Drumline (2002) • Paid in Full (2002) • Mr. 3000 (2004)

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First Love (1977 film)

Saturday, November 15th, 2008

First Love

Theatrical release poster.

Directed by
Joan Darling

Produced by
David Foster
Lawrence Turman

Written by
Harold Brodkey
David Freeman
Jane Stanton Hitchcock

Starring
Susan Dey
William Katt
John Heard
Beverly D’Angelo
Robert Loggia

Music by
John Barry

Cinematography
Bobby Byrne

Distributed by
Paramount Pictures

Release date(s)
November 4, 1977

Running time
91 min

Country
United States

Language
English

First Love is a 1977 romance film. It stars Susan Dey and William Katt and was directed by Joan Darling. The movie is based upon the story Sentimental Education by Harold Brodkey.

Plot Summary

The story follows Elgin (Katt), a college student who experiences his first romantic and sexual relationship with older coed, Caroline (Dey). Caroline must choose between an older man she is seeing and the younger Elgin. Fine acting by both stars helped make this critically acclaimed by some for its candid frank portrayal of romantic relationships. This was also a groundbreaking film for its director.

In the United States, this film is rated R for its nudity and frank sexual language content.

Main cast

Susan Dey - Caroline
William Katt - Elgin
Beverly D’Angelo - Shelley
Robert Loggia - John March
Swoosie Kurtz - Marsha
John Heard - David
Tom Lacy - Professor Oxton
June Barrett - Felicia

External links

First Love at the Internet Movie Database
First Love at Allmovie
First Love at Rotten Tomatoes

This 1970s drama film-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

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Fire (1996 film)

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

Fire

Movie poster

Directed by
Deepa Mehta

Produced by
Bobby Bedi
Deepa Mehta

Written by
Deepa Mehta

Starring
Nandita Das
Shabana Azmi

Music by
A R Rahman

Cinematography
Giles Nuttgens

Editing by
Barry Farrell

Distributed by
Zeitgeist Films

Release date(s)
6 September 1996 (Toronto Film Festival)

Running time
108 min. UK
104 min. US

Country
India
Canada

Language
Hindi
English

Followed by
Earth (1998)
Water (2005)

This article is about the Indian film. For the Pakistani Lollywood film of the same name, see Fire (2006 film).

Fire (Hindi: फायर) is a 1996 film directed and written by Deepa Mehta, starring Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das. It is the first of Mehta’s “Elements” trilogy. It is followed by Earth (1998) and Water (2005). The movie is loosely based on Ismat Chugtai’s 1941 story Lihaf (The Quilt) , and is the first Indian film to explicitly show homosexual relations. After its 1998 release in India, right-wing Hindu groups staged several violent protests, setting off a flurry of public dialogue around issues such as homosexuality and freedom of speech.

Contents

1 Plot
2 Events surrounding screenings of Fire in India
3 Commentary and Countercommentary
4 Cast
5 References
6 External links

Plot

The film is set in contemporary Delhi, India, in the household of a joint family which runs a fast-food and video business in the ground floor of their two-storey home. The protagonists are the two daughters-in-law, both of whom have joined the family by arranged marriage: Sita (Nandita Das), who is newly wed to the younger son Jatin (Javed Jaffrey); and Radha (Shabana Azmi), who has been married to the elder son Ashok (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) for 15 years. Both couples are unhappy. Jatin, who feels he has been pressured into marriage by the family, neglects Sita and continues to see his Chinese girlfriend. Ashok has chosen to become a tapasvin (an ascetic) after discovering that Radha is infertile, and has been using her to test his resolve in celibacy for 13 years. The two women turn to each other for solace and become lovers. Tipped off by a servant, Ashok discovers them in bed together. Sita leaves, while Radha, who wishes to explain matters to Ashok, promises to meet her at the Nizamuddin Dargah to start a new life together. In the confrontation that follows, Radha’s sari catches fire from the kitchen stove and Ashok abandons her in flames. In the final scene, the two women are reunited.

Events surrounding screenings of Fire in India

Fire was passed uncut by India’s censor board (the Central Board of Film Certification) in May 1998 with a rating of ‘Adult’, the only condition being that the character Sita’s name be changed to Nita . The film was first screened on 13 Nov 1998 and ran to full houses in most metropolitan cities throughout India for almost 3 weeks.

On December 2, more than 200 Shiv Sanaiks stormed a Cinemax theatre in suburban Goregaon in Mumbai, smashing glass panes, burning posters and shouting slogans. They compelled managers to refund tickets to moviegoers. On Dec 3, a Regal theatre in Delhi was similarly stormed. Bajrang Dal workers with lathis invaded Rajpalace and Rajmahal in Surat, breaking up everything in sight and driving away frightened audiences. Theatres in Surat and Pune stopped screening the film on the same day. When attackers attempted to shut down a screening in Calcutta, however, ushers and audience fought back and the movie stayed open. Twenty-nine people were arrested in Mumbai in connection with these incidents.

On December 4, the film was referred back to the Censor Board for a re-examination. The Indian government was criticized for siding with the vandalizers.

On December 5, a group of film personalities and human rights activists, including Deepa Mehta, Indian movie star Dilip Kumar, and director Mahesh Bhatt, submitted a 17-page petition to the Supreme Court asking that a “sense of security” be provided, in addition to basic protection, so that the film could be screened smoothly

On December 7, Deepa Mehta led a candlelit protest in New Delhi with activists from 32 organizations against the withdrawal of Fire, carrying placards, shouting anti-Shiv Sena slogans and crying for the freedom of right to expression.

On December 12, about 60 Shiv Sena men stripped down to their underwear and squatted in front of Dilip Kumar’s house to protest his support of Fire. 22 were arrested and Kumar, as well as others involved in the production of the film were provided with police security.

Cinemax reopened screenings of Fire on December 18, but a hundred members of the BJP vandalized posters at the Sundar Theatre in Kanpur despite the police commissioner’s reassurance that protection has been arranged.

Fire was re-released without cuts by the Censor Board on February 12, 1999.

Commentary and Countercommentary

In the initial weeks following the release of Fire, reviewers praised the film’s explicit depiction of a homosexual relationship as “gutsy”

Following the Shiv Sena attacks on the film, prominent party members said Fire had been targeted because it was an “immoral and pornographic” film “against Indian tradition and culture.” The lesbian relationship depicted in the film was criticized as “not a part of Indian history or culture.”

A statement issued from the Shiv Sena’s women’s wing said, “If women’s physical needs get fulfilled through lesbian acts, the institution of marriage will collapse, reproduction of human beings will stop.”

Critics charged the Shiv Sena of committing “cultural terrorism”

Gay activist Ashok Row Kavi criticized the Shiv Sena’s protests as “gay-bashing” and disputed their claims that lesbianism was “against Indian tradition”, indicating that homosexuality is in fact abundantly present in Hinduism and that the criminalization of homosexuality was a legacy of British colonialism, heavily informed by Christianity.

Madhu Kishwar, then-editor of Manushi, wrote a highly critical review of Fire, finding fault with the depiction of the characters in the film as a “mean spirited caricature of middle class family life among urban Hindus”. She claimed that homosexuality was socially accepted in India as long as it remained a private affair, adding that Mehta “did a disservice to the cause of women… by crudely pushing the Radha-Sita relationship into the lesbian mould,” as women would now be unable to form intimate relationships with other women without being branded as lesbians.

Deepa Mehta expressed frustration in interviews that the film was consistently described as a lesbian film. She said, “lesbianism is just another aspect of the film…Fire is not a film about lesbians,” but rather about “the choices we make in life.”

Cast

Karishma Jhalani as Young Radha
Ramanjit Kaur as Young Radha’s mother
Dilip Mehta as Young Radha’s father
Javed Jaffrey as Jatin
Nandita Das as Sita
Vinay Pathak as Guide at Taj Mahal
Kushal Rekhi as Biji
Shabana Azmi as Radha
Ranjit Chowdhry as Mundu
Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Ashok
Alice Poon as Julie
Ram Gopal Bajaj as Swamiji
Ravinder Happy as Oily man in video shop
Devyani Saltzman as Girl in video shop
Sunil Chabra as Milkman on bicycle
Avijit Dutt as Julie’s father
Shasea Bahadur as Julie’s brother
Meher Chand as Goddess Sita
Bahadur Chand as God Ram
Puran as ‘Ramayan’ theatrical troupe member
Sohan Lal as ‘Ramayan’ theatrical troupe member
Meher as ‘Ramayan’ theatrical troupe member
Amarjit Chand as ‘Ramayan’ theatrical troupe member
Karam Chand as ‘Ramayan’ theatrical troupe member
Kabir Chowdhury as Boy in video shop
Laurence Côte as French tourist at the Taj Mahal

References

^ Gopinath, Gayatri (2005). Impossible Desires (Book), Durham and London: Duke University press.
^ a b c Jain, Madhu; Raval, Sheela (1998-12-21), “Ire over Fire”, India Today, http://www.india-today.com/itoday/21121998/cinema.html, retrieved on 14 March 2008
^ a b Bearak, Barry (1998-12-24), “A Lesbian Idyll, and the Movie Theaters Surrender”, New York Times, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE5DB113CF937A15751C1A96E958260, retrieved on 12 March 2008
^ “‘Fire’ referred back to censor board”, The Times of India, 1998-12-05
^ Unknown Author. “Hindu leader says lesbian film should be about Moslem family” Agence France Presse, December 14, 1998. Accessed March 14, 2008.
^ a b c d e f g Vanita, Ruth (2002). Queering India (Book), New York: Routledge. ISBN 0415929504.
^ Unknown Author. “Candle-light protest against withdrawal of controversial film”, BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, December 9, 1998. Accessed March 14, 2008.
^ Unknown Author. “Sainiks spew venom against Dilip Kumar for backing Fire,” Indian Express, December 13, 1998. Accessed March 16, 2008.
^ “Indian censors clear “Fire” for a second time”, Reuters, February 14, 1999. Accessed March 10, 2008.
^ The Naz Foundation Trust, “History’s Flirtation with Fire”, August 1, 1999. Accessed March 7, 2008.
^ “That Burning Feeling”, Times of India, November 20, 1998. Accessed March 16, 2008.
^ Mullick, Swapan. “Explosive Power of the Woman”, The Statesman, November 26, 1998. Accessed March 14, 2008.
^ Somaaya, Bhawana. “Year of Unusuals”, The Hindu, November 27, 2008. Accessed March 13, 2008.
^ Kidwai, Saleem. “Sena fury on Fire,” The Independent”, February 5 1999. Accessed March 12, 2008.
^ a b “Indian activists force cinema to call off ‘Fire’”, Reuters News, 18 December 1998. Accessed 11 March 2008.
^ Trehan, Madhu. “When we don’t get what we want, we have to get violent”, The Hindustan Times, December 13, 1998. Accessed March 14, 2008.
^ a b “Activists slam attacks on lesbian film, Hindus vow to widen protest,” Agence France-Presse, December 3, 1998. Accessed March 13, 2008.
^ Ghosh, Shohini and Madhavi Shahani Kapur. “From the frying pan to the Fire, Fear of Fire, Communalism Combat, January 1 1999. Accessed March 11, 2008.
^ “Hindu leader says lesbian film should be about Moslem family”, Agence France-Presse, December 14, 1998. Accessed March 12, 2008.
^ McGirk, Tim. “Plenty of Smoke Over Fire” Time Asia December 21, 1998. Accessed March 13, 2008.
^ Menon, Ritu. “The fire within”, The Indian Express, December 9, 1998. Accessed 13 March, 2008.
^ Upadhya, Carol. “Set This House on Fire”, Economic and Political Weekly, December 12, 1998, 3176-77.
^ “Sena attacks theatres to douse Fire”, The Indian Express, December 3, 1998. Accessed March 10, 2008.
^ Kishwar, Madhu. “Naive Outpourings of a Self-Hating Indian: Deepa Mehta’s Fire”, Manushi, January 1, 1998. Accessed March 15, 2008.
^ Verma, Suparn. “An interview with Deepa Mehta” Rediff.com, October 24, 1997. Accessed March 10, 2008.
^ Deshpande, Manisha. “In the line of fire” The Indian Express, December 13, 1998. Accessed March 12, 2008.

External links

Queering Bollywood (an internet resource with queer readings on Indian cinema)
History’s Flirtation with Fire: Documenting the Controversy (an extensively detailed timeline of the events outlined above)
Fire at the Internet Movie Database
Interview with Deepa Mehta
Roger Ebert’s Review

v • d • e

Films directed by Deepa Mehta

Martha, Ruth & Edie (1988) • Sam & Me (1991) • Camilla (1994)

Elements Trilogy: Fire (1996) • Earth (1998) • Water (2005)

Bollywood/Hollywood (2002) • The Republic of Love (2003) • Heaven on Earth (2008) • What’s Cooking, Stella? (2008) • Exclusion (2009)

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Chanel Solitaire

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

Chanel Solitaite is a 1981 British-French historical drama film directed by George Kaczender and starring Marie-France Pisier, Timothy Dalton, Rutger Hauer, Brigitte Fossey, Karen Black. The film’s budget was around $7 million.

This article related to the cinema of the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

References

^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082156/

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All About Love: New Visions

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

All About Love: New Visions

Author
bell hooks

Country
USA

Genre(s)
Philosophy, Non-Fiction

Publisher
Harper

Publication date
2001

Media type
Print (Paperback)

Pages
272 pp

ISBN
ISBN 0060959479

All About Love: New Visions is a book by bell hooks published in 2001. The book discusses aspects of love in modern society. Hooks combines personal anecdotes, psychological and philosophical ideas to make her point. She focuses on romantic love and believes that in American culture men have been socialized to mistrust the value and power of love. Each chapter explains her position and provides suggestions of how to reverse the process. She proposes a transformative love based on affection, respect, recognition, commitment, trust and care, rather than the customary forms stemming from gender stereotypes, domination, control, ego and aggression.

Summary

In the first chapter she proposes that if we came to an agreement on the definition of love and acknowledge it as a verb rather than a noun we would all be happier. In the second chapter she proposes that children be treated with respect and justice so that they may learn to love. In the third chapter she proposes that complete honesty is necessary for a healthy relationship. She believes males learn to lie as a means of obtaining power, while females do the same but also lie to pretend powerlessness. In the fourth chapter she proposes that self-acceptance and self-love are necessary to have a happy relationship. In the fifth chapter she proposes that a relationship with God is necessary to provide love to others. In the sixth chapter she proposes that in order to love we must let go of obsessions with power and domination as a culture. In the seventh chapter she proposes that we must place love above materialism. In the eighth chapter she proposes that a sense of community and belonging is essential to feel loved and desire to give love. In the ninth chapter she proposes that both partners have to be giving.

This philosophy book-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_About_Love:_New_Visions”
Categories: Philosophy book stubs | 2001 books | Self-help books | Love | Feminism

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