Browsing: Arts and Entertainment

For master’s candidate Kathryn Parsley, music is the underlying connection between all mankind, and she’s made it her goal to follow it.

Parsley grew up in Mesa, Ariz., and started singing in her junior high choir.

“I joined because I wanted to get to know a boy. For the record, it never worked out with him,” Parsley said.

A new study by the Library of Congress reveals some disquieting facts about the country’s early film heritage.

Of the nearly 11,000 silent feature films that were produced and distributed in the United States from 1912 to 1929, the report says, only 3,311 are known to exist today — and fewer than half of those, 1,575, exist in their original 35mm release format.

Imagine a world without people such as Beethoven, Picasso, Morgan Freeman and the Beatles.

All of these people are artists. They are painters, musicians and actors ­— people who create art for others to enjoy. However, all these artists had to learn their craft from somewhere.

A recent bill approved by the House of Representatives committee will cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Frisco senior Kira Rockwell went to a friend’s house before the fall semester began with plans to play board games.

When she left, she had an interview for an opportunity to step closer to her dream. Now, Rockwell is helping kids reach theirs.

The theater major hopes to bring community centers to areas lacking fine arts emphasis in school systems someday.

A memorabilia collector is selling the gray wool suit Gene Kelly wore as he joyously danced in a downpour in the Hollywood musical “Singin’ in the Rain.”

The suit is expected to sell for more than $20,000 when Heritage Auctions offers it up Friday in Dallas. Memorabilia collector Gerry Sola has had the suit for more than four decades after buying it for $10 at a 1970 sale of MGM props and wardrobe items following the sale of the studio to financier Kirk Kerkorian.

The coffee in Waco just got a little bit better.

Dichotomy Coffee & Spirits, which ran out of Croft Art Gallery for the past year, finally opened its doors last week at its own official storefront on Austin Avenue in downtown Waco.

The specialty coffee shop, which also serves food and alcoholic beverages, was founded with the mindset of bringing a high-grade product to its customers while giving them a comfortable, unique environment in which to enjoy it.

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, there is one thing that really puts people into the autumn spirit: pumpkin.

Pumpkins are no longer just for decorations and pie. It seems like during the fall season, pumpkin-flavored things are everywhere, and people are loving it.

For some, Thanksgiving means turkey and stretch pants, but for others, it means despair and hunger.

Dave’s Burger Barn, located on 600 N Patricia St. is working to help those families. “We will be opening the restaurant doors to anyone in need who would like a free traditional Thanksgiving meal,” Tim Quiroz, owner and operator of Dave’s Burger Barn, said. “Food will be offered from 11 to 2 p.m.”

The Digital Age will be back in Waco to rock Baylor and wow its audience members with its high-energy songs.

Baylor Uproar Records artists Luke Hicks and Manifest Music Co. will be opening the show, which takes place at 9 p.m. Friday in Waco Hall. For both groups, this will be the most significant concert they have been a part of to date.

Nothing unites the people of the Internet quite like hatin’ on something together. So the press release Monday afternoon announcing a sequel to the beloved holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” was met with the sort of overwhelming derision that really brings people together.

Titled “It’s a Wonderful Life: The Rest of the Story,” the sequel was written by Bob Farnsworth and Martha Bolton. Star Partners and Hummingbird Productions are collaborating on the project and, though no director is currently attached, Monday’s announcement declared that the film, with a proposed budget between $25 million and $32 million, was looking to shoot in Louisiana to be ready for the 2015 holiday season.

Baylor Theatre’s constantly moving department has been rehearsing for the next show for the semester. The play, “Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as told by himself),” was cast in the closing days of the production of “Legally Blonde.”

Salem, N.H., graduate student John Michael Sefel, the play’s director, said the audition process for this particular play was unique.

“Many shows ask for a certain look from the actors,” Sefel said. “This one is about the performers.”

An award winning filmmaker is coming to Baylor to clear up the mystery surrounding President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and his killer’s subsequent capture once and for all.

Charles Poe, a Baylor alumnus who serves as the vice president of production for the Smithsonian Networks, will be at Baylor today to present his film, “The Day Kennedy Died.”

Film & Digital Media and Phi Beta Kappa are screening Robert Rodriguez’s debut film “El Mariachi” (1992) at 7 p.m. today in Castellaw 101. The film screening is open to the public and free of charge.

According to IMDb, El Mariachi is an action and crime drama that follows a traveling mariachi who is “mistaken for a murderous criminal and must hide from a gang bent on killing him.” The film is 81 minutes long.

Max Helmerich graduated from Baylor in December of 2011 and immediately high-tailed it to the big city of Los Angeles to play in a band called Thick as Thieves, opening for popular acts such as Matt & Kim and Imagine Dragons. During his time in Waco, Helmerich was the creative force behind Uproar Records’ own Zoo Studio, a band that experienced great success with students and Wacoans alike.

Alabanza DC, a praise and worship team from Cuba, returns to Baylor with bongos and conga drums, adding a Caribbean flair to traditional praise and worship.

Last time they were here, Alabanza DC performed at First Baptist Church of Woodway. This time, the group will be performing in a free concert at St. John Missionary Baptist Church at 301 Tyler St. at 7 p.m. Thursday.

We can all agree that it’s been a pretty great year for movies.

But when it comes to this year’s best picture Oscar race, that’s probably where our accord ends.

At the moment, the critically lauded historical drama “12 Years a Slave” and the equally acclaimed box-office juggernaut “Gravity” head the list.

Lights, camera, propaganda.

This is the theme for the Cold War Film Festival, which will be presented by the history department Monday through Thursday.

The festival is an event featuring four days of movies from either the Cold War era or movies that represent it. The films will be shown in the Armstrong Browning Library Cox Lecture Hall. The event is free and open to everyone.

Beside cake balls and fancy cupcakes, macarons have become a trendy and unique way to satisfy a sweet tooth. Pinterest is obnoxiously full of recipes for these little sweeties ranging from traditional flavors to seasonal favorites.

A favorite French confection, the macaron is a meringue-based sandwich filled with either a cream or jelly.

Mesquite junior Deondria Murphy won Baylor’s first-ever Miss Green and Gold Pageant on Friday in Waco Hall, beating out 20 other Baylor beauties. Murphy will move on to compete in Miss Texas, and the winner of Miss Texas competes in Miss America.

Q: How long have you been doing pageants?

A: Well, actually this was my very first pageant. I saw a flier and thought, “I could see what this is about it.” I wanted to experience something new.

She has shared the stage with music greats like Toby Keith, Jack Ingram and Ronnie Dunn. She won Collegiate Songwriter of the Year while just a freshman. But for McGregor junior Trannie Stevens, her headlining performance Saturday has the potential to make the greatest change in her pursuit of a serious music career.

The students who started Luxurylites.com are doing business again, and this time, their focus is fashion.

The beta version of Zafaré, the social media platform for fashion, will be available for purchase in the app store today.

Everything. That’s what music means to artist Johnny Stimson.

And this weekend, Baylor students can hear Stimson’s music right here in Waco. He will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at Common Grounds. Tickets are $5 online and $7 at the door.

Performing with him will be Uproar artist Trannie Stevens and Aprilemade.

Two of Marvin Gaye’s children sued Robin Thicke and his collaborators on the hit song “Blurred Lines” on Wednesday, accusing them of copyright infringement and alleging music company EMI failed to protect their father’s legacy.

Nona Marvisa Gaye and Frankie Christian Gaye’s suit is the latest salvo in a dispute over Thicke’s hit and whether it copies elements of Gaye’s song “Got to Give It Up.”

The first thought that comes to many people’s mind when thinking of Halloween is candy. We have all done it. Eat piles and piles of candy and later regretted it.

People love Halloween and all the yummy treats, but many feel so unhealthy afterward.

Who says the treat can’t be healthy? Here are some Halloween treats that you can enjoy without all the guilt.

The sounds of Halloween will fill Jones Concert Hall Thursday evening. The School of Music’s organ department will highlight its namesake instrument that has become associated with this time of the year.

This year’s performance marks the 23rd annual celebration of Halloween through the demonstration of one of the oldest continuously developing instruments in the music world. Dr. Isabelle Demers is the assistant professor of organ in the department and is coordinating the event.