The Dialogue Wins Towson Battle of the Bands: Band to Open for Tigerfest

The Dialogue performing Friday night at the Battle of the Bands competition. The Dialogue won a Paul Reed Smith guitar as well as an opening slot for Tigerfest on April 25.

The Dialogue won the annual Battle of the Bands competition Friday night in Paws after several other rock performances, CAB Programming Chair and host Amanda Walter announced.

The indie rock band was "speechless" when they won the competition, lead singer Drew Shaffer said. It was their first performance they've had since they finished recording their new album, to be released this spring, guitarist Brian Pollack said.

The Campus Activities Board hosted the event on March 6, from 7 to 10 p.m., where bands from the Towson music scene competed. The winner received an opening performance for the All American Rejects at Tigerfest, scheduled for April 25, and a Paul Reed Smith guitar. All bands that previously performed came to the stage at 10 p.m. where Walter announced the winner.

Some Like It Hot opened first, followed by Count Me In, Railaway, The Dialogue, and Getting to Goodbye. A group of judges who were members of CAB arrived at the event to decide which band would play at Tigerfest.

"We judge them based on their press kits and we judge them based on what we thought would fit Tigerfest," Walter said.

Hundreds of Towson students with their families came to the event to cheer on the bands. "A lot of our friends go here, so we feel at home," Some Like It Hot guitarist and business major Greg Parker said.

Each band also had at least one Towson student as a member of the band. "It's cool... to play the festival where we go to school." Drummer Jordan Goodman said. "If I could pick any festival we can play for, it would be at Towson."

CAB Assistant Director Janet Kirsch said that Tigerfest would also be great for a band's resume. "We like to give Towson students a great opportunity to move forward in their careers," she said.

Some bands aren't so sure of continuing after Battle of the Bands. Music education major and member of Some Like It Hot Mikiel Peratino said: "Some of our members are in other bands, too. We have to talk to each other first."

Others are even more hopeful of getting noticed. "We're trying to go as far as we can with our music, wherever it takes us," Chris Diller of Railaway said. "We want to live passionately."

Gone Shopping- "Confessions of a Shopaholic"

Imagine your relationship as a red Prada cashmere coat... It's beautiful and soft and comfortable; it gives you all the power and confidence. Then, you find out that it's dry clean only and the fabric is cheap, light material that doesn't keep you warm in chilly, windy weather and gets ripped at the seams the first day you wear it.

That's not how I see a relationship normally, but I can understand shopaholic Becky Bloomwood's situation with buying things just for the labels.

On February 19, I paid a visit to the normal, expensive movie theatre, which is unusual for me because my parents can't afford something like that. Tickets cost eight or nine dollars per person today, which is pretty crazy considering the economic crisis today. However, the trip to the movies was worth it. I excitedly wanted to see Confessions of a Shopaholic ever since I saw the hysterical preview online.

The film stars Isla Fisher (the red-haired copy editor love interest in Definitely, Maybe and the crazy, 'stage five clinger' in The Wedding Crashers) as Rebecca Bloomwood, a New York journalist who has an obsession with trendy labels such as Prada, Chanel, Yves Saint Lauren, Gucci, and a bunch of others. She is so obsessed with shopping, that she's thousands of dollars in debt.

The movie begins with a flashback, where Becky is a little girl in a shoe store, sadly gazing at the cheap brown loafers her mom bought her and then looking back at the other girls her age who had prettier shoes than she did. Later, she passes by a very expensive store, where young Becky is mesmerized by all the beautiful fabrics and the women with "magic credit cards" who can buy as many of those fabrics as they wish.

Fast forward to present day, Becky now has twelve credit cards and an overflowing closet of over-priced clothes, bags, and shoes. But the one thing she fears most is the debt collector. She refuses to pay her credit card debt back, let alone even looking at the bills, and she makes ridiculous excuses over the phone not to pay them. And when the magazine she works for folds, she has to search for a new job and pay the bills back. She wanted to work for Allete, a fashion magazine she's coveted for years. Since the position she desired was filled, she gets hired by the manager of a savings magazine (Hugh Dancy, Jane Austen Book Club). Though, it's hillarious how she lands the job: after she and her roommate Suze looked at the credit card bills over shots of tequila, Becky wrote a pleasing article for her boss about the financial analysis of purchasing different shoes.

The movie continues with hillarious scenes and jokes about Becky's struggle with her addiction to stores and writing stories under the name 'The Girl in the Green Scarf'. She bestowed the title upon herself after purchasing a $120 green scarf with several different credit cards on her way to an interview with the boss of Successful Saving, who also helped her pay for the scarf by handing her twenty dollars at a hot dog stand.

The film is comical as it is suspenseful. Every moment was exciting, funny, and thoughtful as to today's economic crisis. I giggled incessantly when a mannequin came to life in Becky's mind, coaxing her into buying the green scarf. I give excellent, commending marks to the screenwriters. There is only one snippet near the end of the movie where it becomes dramatic, where Becky loses her job and her best friend/roommate, but it only lasts about ten minutes or so. Then, it gets back up to its fast-paced speed, only with Becky's financial makeover and change of heart. And the ending is just as funny and adorable as the rest of the film.

It not only pokes fun at movies and shows such as The Devil Wears Prada and Sex and the City, it takes revenge on all expensive stores that no one can afford. Every time I go into Hollister or G by Guess at Towson Town Center, I admire all the beautiful, stylish clothes but I never buy any because I know a simple t-shirt should not cost more than $10-15. I may have shopped at Wal Mart and Target for too long to believe that a shirt on the clearance rack for $15-20 is a good price, but I still think that a shirt at that price is an affront to any wallet. But go to a shop like Armani Exchange or Saks Fifth Avenue, the prices are much scarier than a bad deal at Arden B. A woman's blouse by Armani could cost anywhere between $50 and $98. Saks Fifth Avenue is even worse- tops cost as little as $100, and possibly even splurge over $2,000, which is almost the cost of yearly tuition at a community college. No one could possibly afford anything in there, unless that person is wealthy enough to pay for it, like Gwenyth Paltrow.

The other aspect of the film is that it gives the impression of "rehabilitation" for someone sobering up from drugs or alcohol. The scenes with the "Shopaholics Anonymous" group is hysterical and it eventually helps Becky kick the bad credit habit. ("My wallet is closed! I do not want to shop!") Also, the entire film reaches out to those with financial issues. The entire lesson of the film is not to spend money on things that are unneccessary. There are some cheap clothes and accessories out there that are inexpensive and fashionable. The film additionally reminded me of a lesson I learned in the past: NEVER get a credit card or it will ruin the rest of your life.

I highly reccommend any fellow redheads and fashion lovers to see this film. It isn't just some ordinary chick flick and it's well worth viewing than laughing occasionally or yawning through He's Just Not That Into You. Confessions of a Shopaholic is a long awaited, nail biting, must-see empowering comedy of 2009.
Rating: 5 hearts
Rating guide: 1 heart- Don't even leave the house, 2 hearts- Rent it, 3 hearts- See it in digital, 4 hearts- See it twice in the theatre, 5 hearts- See it twice and buy the DVD

News Story Draft- Toddler Caught in a Washer

It's not exactly 100 words, but it's close enough.

Rockland- A girl nearly drowned herself yesterday afternoon in a washing machine at Glen Rock Laundry and Dry Cleaner.

Police Chief Ralph Robinson said that 3-year old Jennifer Childs climbed inside one of the washers while playing with her sister at the laundromat. Jennifer's sister Elizabeth, 7, closed the door without knowing that a customer previously put coins into the machine, he said.

When Elizabeth realized the washer was running, she went to get her aunt, Janice Childs. Childs tried to open the door, but could not because the washers had automatic door locks. Five minutes later, a bystander, Paul Hecker, rescued Jennifer by using a hammer to smash the glass in the washing machine door.

Afterwards, a Rockland Hospital spokesperson said the hospital admitted Jennifer and listed her in good condition.

Tips for Future News Writers

(Photo courtesy of "Confessions of a Shopaholic") Curious about your surroundings? Want to find out about things happening at Towson U and in your neighborhood? Feeling creative writing juices? To anyone who wants to be a journalist, here are several tips for writing news stories and finding good stories to write about.

- First off, keep these five words in mind (somehow, they come in fives): accuracy, transparency, fairness, objectivity, and thouroughness. These words keep all journalists in check when writing a good news story. Allow me to break it down briefly. When in doubt, don't use information that may be controversial or inaccurate. Evaluate every piece of information you have. Tell readers where you got the information from and be honest about any conflicts of interest. Look at all sides to a story and give equal coverage of a story. (In other words, be open minded.) Try to leave your opinions at home when you go to write. Finally, answer all questions that you have and do lots of research before hitting the event for your story.

- To maintain focus in the entire story, follow the 5 W's and the H, especially when you write your lead. In news stories, the most important information about an event is written first. This includes the who, what, where, when, why, and how. Remember this for your story, especially when you write your lead. The lead is usually the first sentence of a story that summarizes what happened quickly in less than 30 words. It usually includes the who, what, where, and when in one sentence. "Who did what where, at what time, (someone) said."

- Most important writing tip: write in SVO not OVS! Almost every news story in AP style format is written in SVO, or subject-verb-object. "Person did something", not "Something was done by this person." It saves a lot more words in the lead and in the story. All news stories need to be brief and to the point.

- Characteristics of a great summary lead: specifics (not vague, contains the most information), doesn't back in (strong leads don't have introductory phrases or clauses before the subject), conciseness (only put in the essential information in the beginning of a story), active voice (where a subject takes action, creating movement in the story and catches the reader's attention! once again, SVO not OVS)

- The "when" of your lead should usually go after the verb, to avoid confusing your readers.

- Handle each element and detail of your story one at a time. Don't try to blend them all at once in your story. Start with the most important, then break it down.

- Let the inverted pyramid be your guide for writing an interesting, pivotal news article. The inverted pyramid is the journalist's ultimate format and blueprint for writing in order to get a hold of readers. Your stories should be in this kind of style: most important information at the top (where you tell your story really quick), body (retelling the story with further details and interesting info. either chronologically or by order of importance), and the ending. However, you may want the story to just end where it is at the end of the body. You don't have to make a thoughtful statement at the end. Just let the remaining facts end your story.

- Double check your facts: names are spelled correctly, corporate or company names are also spelled correctly, titles of people or things (refer to the AP style book), numbers are correct, and any photos or graphics are relevant. Also, make sure you have places and dates are correct.

- Depending on what kind of story you're writing, you may or may not use a delayed lead. There are two kinds of leads that writers use: delayed and direct. Direct leads are the most frequently used leads in stories- they are basically the leads used in the above fashion (active voice, under 30 words, SVO, etc.). On the other hand, delayed leads are used in stories where the information isn't as important, but very interesting to learn about or second day stories. (Second day stories are follow up stories to a prior story that just covered the basic information. For instance, the "first day" story covered a very prominent or shocking event that happened yesterday, but didn't answer the how or why it happened. The second day story covers the rest of the interesting information.) Just decide whether or not to open your story with either lead style. You will see both styles used in publications such as The New York Times. But normally, delayed leads are used most in other sections of newspapers and direct leads are used primarilly in the news.

- Note on quotes: Know the quote rules! Make sure you get everything down word for word when quoting people. That, or you can use a partial quote. Also, remember when you quote the person, use the word said when in doubt. And, use said in the right order- "Blah blah blah blah blah," (person) said. NOT "...," said (person). You want to stay in active voice the entire time. The quote rules are listed in the blog below about newswriting rules.

- Covering events, speeches, conferences, meetings, panels, and others: Make sure you are well prepared, like going on a job interview, almost. Get any information about the event in advance. Prepare any questions you may have. Do plenty of research. Ask for clarity. Listen carefully, take good notes, check the details, and bring a tape recorder if you need to. And last, but definitely not least, look around at everyone else to find any sudden recations to anything.

- Another tip on writing about events you may cover: don't get correlation and causation mixed up! Correlation is when events happen at the exact same time and causation is where somethins causes something else (like a domino effect- event causes event). Make sure you get your facts straight and check your sources to get the correct insight of the events. Be careful of making assumptions! You may be wrong about something.

- Don't be a Becky Bloomwood (character from "Confessions of a Shopaholic", review of film coming soon). In other words, don't Google exactly what you're looking for and write things down word for word. Don't write about something without leaving your room. You can conduct research to look at what you're getting into, it can help you formulate questions. Don't be afraid to go out there and find an interesting event. In this case, it's alright to be curious!

Sorry if this is long, but I'm sure you can refer back to it when you can. These tips should help you out a lot and you'll be well on your way to writing the next featured news story, maybe.