Browsing: Arts and Entertainment

A collective sigh of contempt among horror enthusiasts is the best mental picture to describe this new scare flick. Another notch in the proverbial bedpost of horror flicks, “Insidious Chapter 2” was essentially nothing more than a collection of the first film’s outtakes and deleted scenes that never made it into the movie.

The film picks back up with the Lambert family and their life post-possession, or so they think. Delving into the father’s forgotten past, the film reveals that everyone must deal with their own demons, no matter how delightfully creepy.

The models hit the runway last week at New York Fashion Week to show the world what will be in style in spring and summer 2014. Back in Waco, Baylor apparel students are helping bring ever-changing trends seen on the runway.

“The fashion world never sleeps,” said Dr. Lorynn Divita, associate professor of family and consumer sciences.

Divita’s Fashion Trend Analysis and Forecasting class posts on their blog, PersiOso Forecasting, what is happening in fashion now and what it believes will be happening in the future. The blog has received more than 8,000 views in 60 different countries.

Why read The Baylor Lariat when you can wear it?

Boldly going where no newspaper has gone before, this beauty pin was a pleasant change to my typical reddish-orange OPI “Cajun Shrimp.” I’ve seen many craft fail websites that have attempted this pin, and very few have turned out as flawless as the original. Honestly, I had no expectation my trial would go any differently.

Despite the growth of Netflix, Amazon.com and other legal channels for watching entertainment online, the volume of pirated movies, TV shows, music, books and video games online continues to grow at a rapid pace.

The amount of bandwidth used for copyright infringement in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific has grown nearly 160 percent since November 2011, accounting for 24 percent of total Internet bandwidth, according to a study from NetNames, the British brand protection firm.

Students are required to write numerous research papers covering a wide array of topics, but more often than not, these papers are tossed into the recycling bin after the grade has been earned. Instead of recycling these papers or letting them stay on a hard drive, students can submit their papers for publication in The Pulse, the official undergraduate journal of Baylor.

The animals at Cameron Park Zoo weren’t the only ones going wild on Saturday. Continuing its yearlong celebration of “20 Wild Years,” the zoo hosted NBC’s “The Voice” top six contender and Baylor student Holly Tucker in concert at its Brazos River Country attraction.

Though this event was not the only celebration the zoo is having this year, the concert was the first they have ever hosted in hopes to do more in the future.

The Berlin Wall was a thing of chicken wire and Kleenex compared with the barrier that once stood between film and television in America.

Unlike British actors, who moved easily between stage, television and film, American movie stars were essentially instructed not to bother with TV.

At Waco Civic Theatre, the bigger the hair, the closer to God. Their newest production of “Beehive: The ’60s Musical” has big hair and classic songs.

This musical revue follows the changes of women’s music in the 1960s. The show’s narrator tells the story of her teenage years through flashbacks, some fantasied, using popular tunes during the time period.

Warner Bros. and “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling are going to try to catch lightning in a bottle again.

The Hollywood movie studio and best-selling writer have unveiled a new agreement to make movies based on Rowling’s work. While Harry Potter may be over, the witches and wizards that can be found in Potter’s Hogwarts textbook
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” along with the adventures of fictitious author Newt Scamander will live on.

Rarely do pins with unique ingredients or unconventional methods of baking actually become more than a failed noble attempt to make a sweet treat.

This cookie was the best exception to that norm I’ve ever encountered.

A conglomerate of chewy caramel and rich Nutella goodness swirls around in the brownie-like crust that holds it together.

Now that smartphones have overwhelmed the concert experience to become part of life, we must strive to reach an understanding regarding etiquette and rules of engagement.

As it stands, anarchy reigns. Frustrated technophobes grumble at wired enthusiasts during many shows, and with good reason. Deciding to document the event not only affects the documentarian but also the performer and other fans. Eager to offer a solution, we’ve carved onto (imaginary) tablets a reasonable set of commandments, with the aid of “divine” guidance.

Just as I started to have faith in the art of horror films again, this load of trite guff happens. Reeking of apathy and lacking continuity, “You’re Next,” released on Aug. 23, is a bloody awful time that’s less of a suspense quencher and more of a sadistic “Home Alone.”

The plot follows the Davison clan gathering together at their parents’ new house in the woods. Catty comments and trivial squabbling around the dinner table is abruptly cut short when assassins invade their home, killing them off one by one. While it’s certainly the typical slice-‘em-up flick, the last seven minutes or so offer a compelling twist to the norm.

Texas folk musician David Ramirez returns to Common Grounds Coffeehouse once again, performing live tonight. This stop is only one of many on his most recent tour that will take him around the United States from New York City to Los Angeles.

Ramirez’s most recent work, “The Rooster EP,” was released in May as a follow-up to his 2012 “Apologies” album, which debuted at No. 2 on iTunes’ Singer-Songwriter chart.

Exposure: This is what artists can gain by performing at Open Mic.

This event takes place every Wednesday evening at a local coffee shop near Baylor’s campus, Common Grounds. It is free to attend and to perform.

“Open Mic is a long-standing tradition,” said Wes Butler, live event coordinator at Common Grounds.

From students to faculty to visitors, this weekly event is open to anyone and everyone.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet—that is, unless it’s in pie form.

What appeared to be a delightfully different variation to an American classic turned out to be an absolute embarrassment. The pin I found, Apple Pie of Roses, seemed like a doable recipe on the surface and even looked as tasty as it did too pretty to eat.

What a joke.

My bake ware has been soaking for a few days now to get rid of the sticky-sweet crust that burned permanently into my grandmother’s baking dish—a wedding gift to her 63 years ago, no less.

Lost at sea, lost in space, lost children, lost freedom, lost homeland, lost money, lost identity, lost jobs, lost hope, lost faith, lost lives: This fall, this is film. This is serious. I can’t wait.

September always brings a change in the temperature of what we see on screen. The Oscar contenders start showing up, the significant films with more to consider than, say, “The Wolverine” or “World War Z.” As much popcorn fun as “Wolverine,” “War” and the like might be, they don’t ask much of us. Not so the fall.

While it’s true my tastes typically run toward exotic fare, I’ve got no beef with a good burger. If you’re looking for a quick and easy meal to reward yourself after a grueling day of class, sometimes a good, old-fashioned cheeseburger is just what you need. I visited five notable Waco burger joints to rate their food: Health Camp, Cupp’s Diner, Kitok’s, Dubl-R Burger and Dave’s Burger Barn.

Baylor Theatre has been perfecting its bend and snap for “Legally Blonde,” the delightfully-ditzy first production of the 2013-2014 season.

Baylor’s production of the smash Broadway musical has not been adapted from the original script, said Dr. Stan Denman, chairman of the theater department and director of “Legally Blonde.”

The story revolves around Elle Woods, a vain and seemingly airheaded sorority girl determined to win back her hunky ex-boyfriend, Warner, by getting into Harvard Law School. According to Denman, Woods evolves into a person of integrity whose story empowers women.

Set during a time that drastically overhauled the American societal landscape, “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” released on Aug. 16, is a bold move in the way of touching on issues most people would rather forget. However, in this biopic, director Daniels neither excels in storytelling nor disappoints in whistleblowing.

The plot follows Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), a black house servant born on a cotton farm in the South, and his long-time-coming journey to employment as head butler in the White House. During his lengthy tenure, he serves every president from Eisenhower to Reagan, collecting insightful views of each.

Baylor fashinonistas interested in revamping their look with high-end clothing will soon be introduced to a new unconventional way of doing so at a fraction of the price—renting.

Recommended by fashion magazine moguls like Teen Vogue, Glamour and The New Yorker, and even praised by the New York Times as a “Netflix for haute couture,” Rent the Runway is a New York–based retailer that gives cash-strapped college students access to high-end brand names. Starting this fall, a team of campus representatives of the company will host promotional events at Baylor.

The first experiences a student has at Baylor are some of the most memorable. The Traditions Rally and Late Night are annual events that start the semester off strong, but unlike previous years, a sentimental factor accompanies this year’s events.

On Thursday, the rally will be held at Floyd Casey Stadium for the last time. Come fall 2014, the Traditions Rally will take place at the new football stadium.

Baylor Student Activities plans the Traditions Rally and Late Night to introduce new students to Baylor’s unique culture.

I’m always down for unconventional ways of making recipes. As soon as I found Lauren Conrad’s 90-Second- Cookies pin a while back, I knew I had to test it out.

Clearly, that was a monumental mistake. Not only did the cookies not turn out at all like the photo, On top of that, it took some time and a lot of elbow grease to finally get rid of the burned cookie residue.

The point of the recipe is to have quick and easy cookies in under 90 seconds. To me, it would have been a lot less trouble to simply pop them in the oven for a few minutes longer.
Lauren Conrad, your cookies were a travesty.

For 31 years, Becky Chollett worked at the Baylor law school as the assistant dean of admissions. She said she recalls her time at Baylor with fondness, saying that her job was rewarding. However, Chollett said her life came to a crossroads a year ago when she felt God’s calling for her to do something different with her time and talent. From there, Chollett said she decided to take a leap of faith and do something she had wanted to do since her 20s—start her own business.

Months of planning and a vintage food trailer purchase later, Chollett now has her own mobile bakery, Vanilla Bean Bake Shoppe, parked at 520 Franklin Ave.

Many people will pull up to a drive-through window at McDonald’s and order a McCafe Frappe Mocha in order to treat themselves or a get a caffeine boost. Coffee shops in Waco, however, believe that they’re offering something more than a quick fix –they say that with their coffee and service they’re offering an experience.

Jessie Harris, store manager of Trailhead Coffee Shop on the corner of University Parks Drive and Franklin Avenue, said there is a difference between the “coffee culture” and the coffee industry. Coffee culture, he said, is more about the attitude behind making coffee, whereas the industry of coffee is more about making profits.

Every story has a beginning, and for many aspiring students of film and digital media, the journey starts when they enter the classrooms of the Castellaw Communications Center.

Each professor has his specialty; for senior lecturer Brian Elliott, it is television and screenwriting. Elliott said his desire is to guide those who are trying to achieve their dreams of making it in the entertainment industry.

“When I first came here, hamburgers were 25 cents, and for a nickel extra you could get an order of fries in a basket, and 15 cents extra was a Coke.”

Longtime Cupp’s Drive Inn customer Fred Winslow, who has been a regular since the 1960s, said he remembers a simpler time at this locally owned diner.

Good music is defined by an individual’s taste. That being said, popular music is measured by the charts and according to the charts, Baylor has not recently booked any currently popular artists.

“In comparison with schools like UT [University of Texas at Austin], our campus is not smaller and not in a major city like Dallas or Austin,” said Dr. Kirk Wakefield, professor of retail marketing and holder of the Edwin W. Streetman Professorship in Retail Management. “Here in Waco we don’t have the draw to bands that bigger colleges near bigger cities have.”

Oversized T-shirt?

Check.

Nike shorts?

Check.

High socks?

Check.

The Baylor girls I’m thinking of may not participate in any sports, but they sure pull off the “slaving in the gym look” like a champ, even in full make-up.

Baylor fashion stereotypes exist as an irrefutable campus characteristic, prominent to anyone walking around campus for the day. Not all students fall into the Nike short trap, though.

With fewer than three days until the family and consumer sciences fashion show, McKinney junior Taylor Allen, a volunteer, along with a team of students is working on the final details. The race to the end is here.

This year’s show is at 3 p.m. Sunday on the fifth floor of Cashion Academic Center.

After Tuesday night’s knockout round on NBC’s “The Voice,” Lorena sophomore Holly Tucker will advance to the next round of competition.

Tucker, a member of Blake Shelton’s team, won in a face-off with Los Angeles native Luke Edgemon during the knockout round.