Buzz Magazine: May 8, 2015

Champaign-Urbana’s community magazine FREE

2 buzz May 8-14, 2015

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COMMUNITY

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FOOD & DRINK

MOVIES & TV

MUSIC

Beautified

Beauty Break down

Study Snack Attack

Throwback Thursday: The Case for a Top Gun Remake

The Pygmalion Festival 2015 Lineup Review

Ipek Firat

Jami Singer

Food & Drink Staff

Jeff Bishop

buzz Music Staff

Check out Beautified this week to find out about the eight essential items you should always have in your gym bag!

Buzz writer Jami breaks down the essentials of these tried and true “Fab Four” facemasks.

What’s your go-to snack for surviving the long study ses-sions of finals week? See what the Food & Drink staff has to say and share your answer at readbuzz.com

With talk of a Top Gun 2 in the making, Jeff describes how audience expectationS haVE changed over the generations, and what a dream team cast would look like.

The buzz music staff weighs in on their first impres-sions of Pygmalion’s 2015 lineup.

CU STAND UP TO EXPAND

08LOCAL MUSIC MUSES 06

AUTUMN BERRY BUSINESS Dustin Kelly uses an invasive species to innovate.

CALENDARYour guide to this week's events in CU

EDITOR’S NOTEANWEN PARROTT

IN THIS ISSUE

REVIEW: PITCH PERFECT 2

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Check out Beautified this week to find out about the eight essential items you should always have in your gym bag!

By this time next week, I will have taken an exam, written 50+ pages and completed my junior year of col-lege. This is a reality that I’m struggling to come to terms with for when that happens, I’ll be forced to face the

consequences of my many poor time manage-ment decisions (and that is an encounter I’d like to delay for as long as I feasibly can). Instead of do-ing something proactive to soften the blow of the upcoming week, I’m inclined to replace thoughts of finals with those of summer. After a particu-larly long Midwestern winter, the return of warm weather and thick summer air is more appreciated than usual. I’d like to continue swapping thoughts of papers and projects with ones concerning the change of seasons, so here are a few of my favorite things about summertime in Urbana:

1 – Going to the Farmers' Market on Saturday morn-ing (and seeing everyone you know there)

When separate social circles overlap, a slight degree of discomfort usually follows; at the Farm-ers' Market, however, the meshing of friends and acquaintances happens seamlessly. As a townie, it’s not uncommon to see high school teachers, former employers, college acquaintances and the parents of childhood friends during one loop around the bustling Lincoln Square parking lot – and I love that. The sense of community es-tablished by the Market is infectious, and I look forward to its warm atmosphere and friendly, familiar clientele each week.

2 – Exploring the miniature forest beside Meadow-brook/Clark Lindsey Village

The existence of this little forest is a mystery - why is it at the corner of two busy streets? Who owns the property? Am I going to get in trouble for admitting that I hang out there? - but I think that it’s one of the most peaceful places in town. On afternoons when the trails at Meadowrook are congested, this wooded area is calm, quiet and consistently 10 degrees cooler than anywhere else.

3 – Spending time in C-U’s finest alleysThere are few things I enjoy more than eating lunch

outside of Crane Alley or unwinding outdoors at The Blind Pig. After months of seeing the outdoor fur-niture neatly stacked, locked up and often covered with snow, the ability to sit below the strings of lights and enjoy a quiet evening is incredible.

May 8-14, 2015 buzz 3

»DISNEY LUVVJill accidentally adding me to the disney college program google hangouts facebook group.

»HEADED HOME

»DISNEY LUVV I'm studying for finals when I could be at Disneyland!!!!

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Doing some spring-cleaning or going back home for the summer? Instead of throwing out old items, donate them. The University YMCA will be hosting Dump & Run: A Community Recycling Program. Now in it’s 14th year, the event brings the C-U com-munity together for a common purpose: to reduce litter and consumer waste. All the items donated will be sold inexpensively in the fall and will act as a major fundraiser for the University YMCA.

The event also saves space in landfills and helps decrease the dumping costs for certified housing and apartments. The items that can be donated vary from anything that is reusable and is in good quality. Some of the items that can be donated are furniture, dishes, glassware, artwork, clothing and more.

Participants can bring their items on May 11 through May 16 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and May 18 to 22 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Once the spring sale is over, there is an hour and the remaining items that were not sold or donated to other non-profit organizations are free to the public.

Join the YMCA as they try to bring environmental awareness to keep items away form dumpsters and encourage others to join and make a difference.

4 buzz May 8-14, 2015

A BERRY GOOD IDEA FOR A BUSINESS

EMILY SCOTT

THREE years ago, Dustin Kelly was living and working at an organic farm in

Urbana when he discovered the autumn berry.Soon he became curious about this small red

berry that grows on Autumn Olive trees, an invasive species. He started to get excited when he discovered that these berries were edible, non-toxic, nutritious and, most surprisingly, delicious. According to him, they taste like cranberries and sometimes like grapes.

Over time, as he learned more about the berry and its turbulent past, he realized that a per-fectly good resource was being put to waste. Whereas some people see the Autumn Olive tree as a pest that needs to be contained, he sees it for what it can provide: a tasty berry, a chance to bring a community together and an opportunity to bring people closer to nature.

He decided to create a business revolving around this fruit, an entrepreneurial pursuit that became Autumn Berry Inspired, which harvests the autumn berry and creates homemade prod-ucts with them such as jam, fruit leather strips and puree. After harvesting the berries from trees grown on his land, the berries are frozen to allow them to last longer and then made into a puree. This raw ingredient can then be made into almost anything, even ice cream or fruit snacks. But a unique twist is also added to the products. Kelly cited their autumn berry fruit leather dipped in

chocolate and their autumn berry jam with jala-peno pepper, which is the most popular product.

Autumn Berry Inspired sells their product to local co-ops, farmers' markets, stores and res-taurants in the area. In the future, they hope to expand their market to larger cities such as Chi-cago and New York City.

Eventually, Kelly said he would love to see the environment surrounding the autumn berry to become more cooperative. Landowners could collectively produce the berry and sell to one pro-ducer, bringing what he hopes could be economic growth to rural communities around America.

Since Autumn Berry Inspired fi rst started three years ago, Kelly said they have tried to keep the growth of the business slow and steady in order to create a quality product, which is his main goal. But to him, it’s more than just an entrepreneurial pursuit. It’s also a chance to defi ne what the Au-tumn Olive tree can be in its natural environment.

“In North America, there’s maybe hundreds of thousands of acres of this tree producing millions of pounds of fruit, but not very many people really collect very much of it,” Kelly said. “I realized there was a gap in a food system.”

Kelly explained how Autumn Olive trees in-crease diversity because their fruit attracts birds and animals. As the trees mature, their canopy grows and overshadows the ground, causing the ground to become desolate.

“The important thing is that what we’re seeing is not the death of nature. What we’re seeing is the succession from grassland into shrub-land, which then turns into forest,” Kelly said. “These trees will fall down and new trees emerge. Then you have a tall mature forest over time. As I learned more about this process, what I realized is that we need to speed up that succession.”

Kelly is quick to point out that the invasive label on the Autumn Olive tree isn’t a bad thing. In fact, humans introduced the autumn berry.

“Scientists and conservationists and bureau-crats and researchers thought it was a good thing to have, so they planted it. When you do that, the birds spread it, and it’s going to cause a new future,” Kelly said. “We basically made a decision in the 40s and 50s that this species would always be, for better or worse, in North America. We invited them in like a group of im-migrants and gave them a home and said this is where you belong. Policy changed, then people felt like it’s too much.”

Instead of fighting against this natural species by working to eliminate it, Kelly proposes a so-lution that he believes is wiser and more helpful to the ecosystem: using the Autumn Olive tree for its natural purposes while preventing it from spreading further.

“Humans think that we are the top and we should be able to get rid of it,” he said. “When a species

is actually more powerful than us we can’t toler-ate it. We keep on attacking until they’re all gone. Humans choose to eliminate them. But this species spreads far wider than we can appreciate.”

He hopes that the harvesting of the autumn berry can also bring people closer to the wild by approaching it naturally and primitively.

“All you have to do is start collecting the fruits and cutting the trees,” Kelly said. “This lowers the technology barrier so that every small group of working people can do this. Because of that, its an idea that can spread, and it’s also a good workout.”

The goal is to make the experience more insightful. “It inspires a reconnection with the trees and

the land,” he said.Kelly said that he could consider himself as

something like a pioneer, harvesting and creating a product that not many people know about, and also creating new foods with new fl avors for people to enjoy out of a berry that some believed wasn’t even edible. But for him, being a pioneer means taking on a larger role, one that affects much more than just his business or even the community.

“I think that I have been lucky to come across some ideas that could benefi t the future; that’s what a pioneer does,” Kelly said. “There’s no new continents to go to, but if you look around us, the wild is living around us. If we look at the mar-ginal land, we see there are a lot of wild areas and there’s value in that.”

Autumn Berry Jam. Champaign, IL. Photograph by Maggie Wierzchucki.

May 8-14, 2015 buzz 5

A TRULY TASTY TRIOJIM SINGER

UPON being invited to attend Fluid Event's fi rst annual “Bourbon, Beer, & Bacon

Festival,” my response was, “You had me at bour-bon.” Add beer and bacon to the mix? Sounds like heaven on Earth.

The festival was held on Saturday, April 25 from 2-10 p.m. at the Fluid Event Center in Champaign. From the moment I arrived, I was greeted with courteous, effi cient and professional staff mem-bers directing cars where to park, checking ID’s and giving out bracelets, all with a smile. I entered the large, clean event center and was immediately hit with the intoxicating aroma of sweet, smoky bacon being offered by local food vendors. The fi rst to catch my eye was Gracie’s Sports Grille and Pizza from Washington, IL. They were selling “Peg Legs,” a uniquely prepared, smoked chicken leg. While serving their never-ending line, owner Greg Wilson happily explained the cooking process in detail. “The raw drumstick meat and skin are pushed towards the meaty end, lollipop-style, and the knuckle is removed for a cleaner appearance; they are rubbed with creole seasoning, wrapped in bacon, and then smoked over cherry wood. After

letting them cool overnight, the smoked 'Peg Legs' are grilled outdoors, on-site, over an open fl ame.” The result is a crispy outer layer of bacon and chick-en skin, combined for a divine, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Each bite has the perfect balance of smoke and bacon fl avor, with a slight after-burn from the creole seasoning. Magnifi cent. Not a surprise they sold almost 900 of these delicacies.

Next, I sampled Chester’s BBQ, a catering com-pany with a local food truck that can be found at Tumble Inn Tavern in Champaign after 5 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. They offered a bacon wrapped, feta stuffed, smoked pork tenderloin served on a dollar roll, topped with a spicy BBQ sauce. The pork was very tender and the creamy, sharp feta introduced a salty counterpoint. The smoke was a bit overwhelming for my taste, mask-ing the natural fl avors of the meats and feta, but the outer layer of bacon had a pleasant, chewy and fatty texture.

The food vendors’ portion sizes were substantial, so I couldn’t try everything. Champaign's Amano’s Pizza offered a very popular chicken, bacon and bourbon-BBQ pizza, which looked delicious. Piato’s

Catering served succulent pulled pork topped with coleslaw and a unique dessert: vanilla ice cream smothered with a bacon-bourbon caramel sauce. Gibson City Meats and Deli, who donated their locally-produced bacon for the bacon-eating con-test, were giving away samples of beef jerky, sum-mer sausage and beef snack sticks. The jalapeno-cheddar beef summer sausage was surprisingly spicy; way too good to pass up, so I bought one to take home.

Having fi lled myself with tasty bacon and BBQ, I moved on to the lively atmosphere of the beer and bourbon tasting room. Upbeat blues music played over the sound system and patrons milled about in anxious glee. I bought 27 drink tickets for $20 and surveyed the large room. With most items ranging between two and four tickets, I was able to sample quite a few offerings. My favorite bourbon, hands down, was the very rare Jim Beam Distiller’s Mas-terpiece, which retails for $200 per bottle. The 100 proof bourbon whiskey is aged in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, imparting a fruity aroma and vanilla fi nish to this remarkably smooth yet bold bourbon.

Having satisfi ed my bourbon cravings, I headed over to sample some locally brewed beers. I was greeted by Greg Alstetter, co-owner and assistant brewer from Triptych Brewing in Savoy, who was very knowledgeable and willing to discuss his prod-uct at length. I opted for a sample of AJ’s Stout, which was aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels, making it the perfect selection for this event. The stout was bold with a sweet, chocolatey fl avor and a refreshingly strong bourbon fi nish. Greg explained how Triptych’s self-distribution affords them great control over the uniqueness, quality and freshness of their beer, as well as the ability to customize product placement with each retail establishment. The two owners on-site at the festi-val, Greg and Anthony, displayed a passion for their business which encouraged me to make plans to attend their tasting room in Savoy.

The Blind Pig Brewery, affectionately known by many locals as “The Piglet,” was staffed with people who were equally enthusiastic and passion-ate about their product as the men from Triptych. I chose to sample their coffee stout, which was blissfully complex. They cold-steep their stout with 10 pounds of locally-roasted Columbia Street Roastery coffee beans, creating a silky, full-bodied coffee aroma and fl avor, with a refreshingly sweet fi nish. The Fluid Events staff had fun creating a spicy bloody Mary made with Bakon vodka and served in a bacon-salt rimmed cup. Owner Jeff Grant prepared the bacon salt himself in an at-tempt to make this drink an over-the-top bacon

experience. Mission accomplished. This smoky, salty bloody Mary was one of the best I have ever tried. I went back for seconds.

After the event, I spoke with Jeff and he told me he was “ecstatic” with the results, especially con-sidering this was its fi rst year, with 2,500 guests consuming between 25,000 and 30,000 beer and bourbon samples. The food vendors all sold out of food. He told me plans are already underway for next year’s event and his staff hopes to improve on the fi rst year’s amazing results. When asked what changes are in store for next year, Grant said they would like to incorporate a collector’s tasting cup that each patron would use in place of the dispos-able cups used this year. Their value-based compa-ny prides themselves on making environmentally friendly decisions, and they found it disheartening to see so many plastic and paper cups get thrown away. He also plans to increase the advertising and promotional scope of future events. Judging by the growth and success of Fluid Event's other triple-B themed event, “Blues, Brews, and BBQ,” it’s safe to assume the “Bourbon, Beer, & Bacon Festival” will follow suit and continue to impress patrons with a bigger and better event in the years to come.

Used with perrmisson from Fluid Event Center.

6 buzz May 8-14, 2015

FINDING THIN GIN

DANNY STANKUS

THE story of Thin Gin began in 2012, when guitarist and vocalist Todd Reese and

drummer Will Newton fi rst found themselves as a cohesive unit.

“Thin Gin started out as me and Will working on this folk song that I had written,” said Reese. “He had just gotten this beat machine. He was learning to put beats on it and shit and we did that song together.”

Reese and Newton later brought on longtime friend Bryan Bachman as a guitarist and vocalist. Reese also recruited Joe Brown, his bandmate in So Long Forgotten, to play bass.

Despite a completed lineup, the early days of Thin Gin were still met with challenges.

“When we fi rst came together,” said Newton, “It was a really goofy time because I had been singing and playing guitar in bands forever and it was kind of my fi rst time playing drums. And at the time I was playing a beat machine, and it was just me up on stage playing a toy in a rock band. It was kind of rough.”

After bringing in a full drum kit, the band began to fi nd their groove. “We sound like a real band now,” Newton said. Reese said that the band’s initial writ-

ing sessions lacked the energy they had been hop-ing for.

“I think we played two shows and then we real-ized that we had to fi gure something else out,’” Newton added.

After playing together for a bit to fi nd their sound, the band wrote a few original tunes before releas-ing their self-titled EP in July 2013.

“It started out with - I think it was fi ve songs that we had,” said Newton. “They were all folk songs. We adapted them and made them a little bit of electronic songs, and little bit of rock songs, and we were all kind of bringing songs together.”

Looking back, Brown said that their writing pro-cess has changed from those early sessions.

“Initially, we started with bringing whole songs to the table and then trying to make the whole song a little bit different,” Brown said. “Now we’ll come with barely a skeleton of a song and then someone starts playing on that and we all have spots where we come in.”

Reese added, “If we leave practice feeling that we haven’t accomplished anything, at the next practice we come ready because we’ve all been thinking about it.”

Their strong work ethic is refl ective of how pas-sionate they are for their music.

“It’s something that’s so important to us,” said Bachman. “We get together every week or more if we have to.”

The band is still waiting on their upcoming full length to do any touring to support their outputs.

“We’re in the process of writing an album right now,” said Newton. “We play shows here and there for ourselves because we enjoy doing that and en-joy that energy, but we’re trying to take time to write a full length album.”

Although Thin Gin hope to take their music on the road, Reese said that after years of touring with So Long Forgotten, he’s not looking to tour just for the sake of playing shows.

“I don’t like playing shows that aren’t awesome anymore,” he said.“Maybe that’s a shitty thing to say, but I’d rather take the time and energy to make shows that are rad than having to drive nine hours and get paid with a panini. Having a high energy performance is very important to us.”

Because of their focus on playing great local shows, Thin Gin have only played in Champaign-Urbana. They have especially enjoyed working with

Mike N Molly’s and Isaac Arms to ensure that their shows have a “pulsing energy.” Thin Gin’s ultimate goal for their performances is to play a show that feels like “a party with people.”

When asked why they love Mike N Molly’s, Reese laughed, saying: “the most banging shit happens there.“

Reese is particularly passionate about the local scene and everything it has to offer.

“Music is my favorite thing in my entire life and I’m not moving," he said. “We’re thrilled to be a part of [the local music scene].”

According to Newton, that includes every aspect of the local music scene.

“We want to do shows with punk bands,” Newton said. “We want to do shows with indie bands and we want to do shows with hip hop acts. We want to kick it with everybody in this town.”

Thin Gin will play at Mike N Molly’s on Saturday, May 9 with Finer Feelings and Pageant. Doors at 9:00 p.m. $7 cover. Ages 19+.

Used with permission from Thin Gin

May 8-14, 2015 buzz 7

grand theft otter

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: THE PYGMALION FESTIVAL 2015

BUZZ MUSIC STAFF

Another year, another Pygmalion! Today the festival announced it’s preliminary lineup which features Ride, Purity Ring, tUnE-yArDs and more, with many bands still to be announced. In addition, the festival is adding a technology portion on top of all the music, literature and crafts that have made Pygmalion one of the biggest events of the year.

Here are some of the buzz music staff’s thoughts on the artists coming to this year’s Pygmalion:

BullyNashville-based rockers Bully fit perfectly into the

mold of the Pygmalion Festival because, in my opin-ion, the overall sound and vibe that they put forth in each song just screams C-U. Defined as grunge rock, the band exudes positive energy thanks to front-woman Alicia Bognanno’s vocals and the guitar so-los that are interspersed throughout the songs they have up on Soundcloud. I’m looking forward to the energy and am excited to see what this band has in store for us at this year’s festival. -Caroline Kalkowski

tUnE-yArDsI admittedly know very little about tUnE-yArDs,

but I’ve heard nothing but great things about the experimental pop act’s live performances. Merrill Garbus’ solo project also features Nate Brenner on bass, usually along with a slew of touring members. With a strong focus on experimentation and impro-visation, tUnE-yArDs will no doubt be one of the most anticipated sets of the festival. As a new lis-tener, I for one cannot wait to see what tUnE-yArDs had in store for us at Pygmalion. – Christine Pallon

White ReaperSigned to local label Polyvinyl, White Reaper is

definitely going to be that show where I’m going to be that girl rockin’ out a little too much. I’ve been really into that garage rock, noise, almost surfer rock thing going on and these dudes meet all those qualifications. These guys aren’t that popular yet and I’m super stoked that Pygmalion gave them a chance and invited them here. – Fran Welch

Purity RingEarlier in the year, Canadian duo Purity Ring re-

leased the long awaited follow up album to 2012’s Shrines. The album, another eternity, was received with mixed reviews but overall it has filled the void many fans feel is missing in the synth-pop genre. It only seemed fitting that after a very receptive crowd at the CHVRCHES last year, the Pygmalion Festival would seek out another synth-pop art-ist for Pygmalion 2016. While, Purity Ring isn’t as versatile as CHVRCHES, the band’s sound brings musical diversity to an otherwise relatively similar lineup. –Elizabeth Morales

Pygmalion 2015My initial thoughts regarding the recently an-

nounced Pygmalion lineup: “I wonder who the TBA headliner will be,” and “cool, Tune-Yards is play-ing.” In all this bill lacks excitement; there’s noth-ing to rally behind—no American Football reunion to make tickets an absolute necessity. There is a silver-lining, however, and it’s the announced local acts; some of CU’s best are featured this year, and

that, in and of itself, makes catching at least some of Pygmalion worthwhile. As far as the major acts go, hopefully, the TBA headliner will inject some much-needed excitement, but until then, Tune-Yards and CU’s finest will have to do. – Elias Tracy

To read more of the buzz music staff's reaction to the CU festival lineup, visit readbuzz.com

8 buzz May 8-14, 2015

NEW HORIZONS FOR CU COMEDY

JAMES KOH

A SEMESTER ago, Jesse and Justin Tuttle were impossible

to ignore Tuesday nights at The Canopy Club. The bald identical twins towered over the crowds at Canopy Club’s weekly open mic night, where locals, University of Illinois students and out-of-town acts from around the Midwest came out to perform stand-up comedy.

The open mic night at Canopy Club has since been moved to Mike N Molly’s on the fi rst Tuesday of every month and Clark Bar for the fi rst and third Thursday of every month, but Jesse and Justin re-main the center of CU Comedy. What Lewis and Clark were to the American Northwest, the Tuttle brothers are to the comedy scene on campus.

There was already a comedy scene established in the area through the likes of Champaign-based groups Zoo Improv and Soapbox Stand Up, but the twins launched CU Comedy to help pioneer an organizational effort that would centralize the amateur comedy scene and make it more acces-sible to the general public.

CU Comedy began six years ago as a way to bet-

ter promote local comedy shows. Jesse and Justin’s goal was to have a collection of shows that would make up for the lack of an offi cial comedy club in Champaign-Urbana. They are now going to be bringing in a lot more out of town acts, with the goal of making it a legitimate showcase of stand up.

Jesse handles a lot of the day-to-day show-running stuff, formats, sign ups, advertising and communication. Justin is in charge of the online graphics, website and a lot of the technical aspects of the actual shows. The Tuttle brothers also travel around Illinois for various gigs. “One time years ago, Justin and I did a show," Jesse said. "While we were on stage upstairs at a bar, the staff started tearing down and moving the empty tables and chairs in the front row. Just mid punch-line, three guys started turning tables over to break them down.”

Another time, “A fi ght broke out in the middle of my set. One guy got up and threw a punch at an-other guy. Why? I was told by the owner afterwards that it was because they accidentally seated two families near each other that have been feuding

for years. Southern Illinois is a fun place, isn’t it?” Esteban Gast, Illinois alumnus and current Uni-

versity teacher (as well as creator of the award-winning musical about Pluto), has been helping out as an entertainment producer for the past year. "Found and Lost: The Story of Pluto" featured mem-bers from the collegiate improv scene and took place at the Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland Col-lege. With an eye for unique productions, Gast has been very important to the success of the shows in and outside of Champaign.

Jesse also insisted that “All of the performers are the ones who really make it work. Without them there are no shows to promote. It’s a collective be-tween all of them that really makes the shows work.”

Abe Froman Improv, a partner of CU Comedy, has been doing shows every Monday at 8:30 p.m. at Mike N Molly’s, free of cover. CU also works with volunteer performers who contact Jesse to do stand-up sets. Performers can be students, Champaign-Urbana residents—anyone who sim-ply wants another opportunity to hone their stand up skills in a low pressure environment.

“It’s pretty simple to get signed up… the hard part is just setting the nerves aside and getting up there,” Jesse said. CU has also worked with the col-legiate improv community. Sketch comedy group Potted Meat; improv team Spicy Clamato and mu-sical improv team Debono perform on campus through the Illini Union Courtyard Cafe, but they have also opened for stand-up shows run by CU Comedy at The Canopy Club.

As for upcoming events, “The Showcase that started on April 29… is a weekly show every Wednesday night [that] is going to be the cor-nerstone of all C-U Comedy," Jesse said. "We have moved to Soma Ultralounge in downtown Champaign. We want to make it a destination spot mid-week for people to hang out and see some great performers. We already have comics who work comedy clubs in Peoria, Chicago, St. Louis and Idaho on their way to New York coming the fi rst fi ve weeks.”

Anyone interested in trying out stand-up comedy, sign up by emailing Jesse Tuttle at [email protected].

Used with permission from CU Comedy.

May 8-14, 2015 buzz 9

by Matt Jones “This ‘n’ That”--put it all together.JONESIN’

Across1 Maze runner4 Sarah Michelle Gellar

role9 Tasmanian ___14 Mellow15 Skater ___ Anton Ohno16 Hair extension17 Skeleton’s weapon?19 Redheaded Broadway

character20 1996 gold medalist in

tennis21 Black Sabbath singer,

to fans23 Last of 12, for short24 ___ of Maine

(toothpaste brand)25 Antiseptic used on

muscle pulls?28 They can be rolled or

crossed30 Potato outside31 Pipe unclogger34 Address starter37 Spitefulness40 Ready follower?

41 The rougher alter ego?44 Card game based on

matching groups of three

45 Impersonates47 Exchange48 Impersonate50 Disorderly defeat52 Cable staple since 197954 Act on misery loving

company?58 Obama predecessor62 The A of BAC: Abbr.63 Aunt Bee’s nephew64 Aretha Franklin’s

longtime label66 Shop tool68 Complaint during a

bland Mad Lib?70 “Roots” family surname71 Pint-sized72 Pen fl uid73 Comedic actor ___

William Scott74 Defeats, as a dragon75 “Dr. Mario” platform

Down1 City near Casablanca2 L.A.’s Whisky ___3 First coffee break time,

perhaps4 Meadow sounds5 Revolt6 In favor of7 Knock senseless8 “Holy moly!”9 The Rock’s real fi rst

name10 Ending with hallow11 Bad change of scenery?12 Cornell and Columbia,

for two13 Bloodsucker18 Krupp Works city22 Lighter option26 “Baloney!”27 Intricate network29 ___ Kippur31 June honoree32 2016 Olympics setting33 Colonial collectibles35 ___ Impact Wrestling

(wrestling league)

36 Blood bank’s universal donor

38 Band presented on an island, perhaps

39 “And many more”42 Bar legally43 Figure known for calling

out?46 Theo, to Cliff49 Risking a lot51 Annual PGA event53 High-class54 ___ or better55 Skateboarder’s jump56 Cheese coverings57 Do some tune-up work

on59 Bolt like lightning?60 “Goosebumps” creator

R. L. ___61 “The Green Mile” actor65 2008 World Series

runner-ups67 ___ Dew (stylized

brand name)69 “___ Maid en

Manhattan” (Telemundo novela)

Stumped? Find the solutions in the Classifi eds pages.

DAVID ROBERTSON

MOVIE REVIEW: PITCH PERFECT

THE cult comedy hit Pitch Perfect was a breath of fresh air when it debuted in 2012, mix-

ing zany humor with girl power and the aca-pella music fad popularized by shows like "The Sing-Off." While its follow-up, Pitch Perfect 2, is somewhat uneven and less novel, the makers have beefed up the laughs and musical numbers, upped the stakes and added some new characters on top of the entire returning original cast. The sequel probably won’t have the lasting impact of the original, but it’s a lighthearted slice of summer cinema that’s worth the price of admission.

Hailee Steinfeld plays a new character named Emily, whom the story focuses on quite a bit, in-stead of Beca (Anna Kendrick). This is one of Pitch Perfect 2’s few missteps. While Steinfeld is an ac-complished actress, having garnered an Academy Award nomination at 14 years old, her character is fl at, and the part doesn’t allow her to exercise any dramatic or comedic chops. Kendrick’s sarcas-tic and awkward Beca was a more engaging and relatable protagonist. Good news is that writer Kay Cannon has also amped up Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and Bumper’s romantic subplot, which

concludes in a hysterical musical sequence that could only work in a series like this one.

This sequel picks up three years after the origi-nal movie ends. The Barden Bellas have remained national acapella champions for those intermit-tent years, but tragedy befalls them on their last tour when Fat Amy accidentally exposes her lady parts during a high-profi le performance for the POTUS. After creating a media fi restorm, the Bellas are banned from competing, and the re-mainder of their tour is cancelled. However, the girls bargain that if they win the World Champi-onship of Acapella, which is approaching shortly, they can be reinstated.

It seems that writer Cannon is capitalizing on the quirky humor that worked well in the first installment because the story is hokier this time around -I mean, the central conflict arises from an overweight Australian flashing her vagina at Obama on national TV. There is also a hefty dose of offensive jokes, of which about three out of four succeed, about every minority pos-sible. Nonetheless, fans of Pitch Perfect aren’t going to care.

The movie struggles to fi nd direction in the middle, which could be attributed to fi rst-time director Elizabeth Banks, but it fi nishes with rol-licking musical numbers and an uplifting mes-sage of female empowerment to compensate. Kendrick, Wilson and Brittany Snow, among the other girls, have a contagious chemistry that helps sell the more unrealistic scenes.

Once again, Pitch Perfect’s greatest strengths are its eccentric cast and the toe-tapping soundtrack. The performances feature even more of today’s chart-topping hits, from Beyonce’s "Run the World" to Miley Cyrus’ "Wrecking Ball," which are sure to score with the movie’s target audience. The Bellas chief competitor, Das Sound Machine from Ger-many, also delivers some memorable moments with their overdramatic interpretations of songs by the likes of Muse and Fall Out Boy.

Pitch Perfect 2 does what any sequel does best. It gives its fans more of what they loved from the original, but on a bigger scale. While that doesn’t necessarily mean this aca-sequel is better, it does guarantee viewers a good time, fi lled with sharp humor and a soundtrack worthy of downloading.

Used with permission from Universal Studios.

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COMMUNITY

MOVIES & TV

FOOD & DRINK

MUSIC

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CALENDARSUBMIT YOUR EVENT TO THE CALENDAR

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MALAS & MANTRASSaturday, May 9; 3 - 4:30 p.m.; Living Yoga Center; $40

PARKLAND COLLEGE GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDENT SHOWMonday, May 11 – Thursday, June 4; 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Giertz Gallery at Parkland College; free

C-U COMEDY PRESENTS STAND-UPWednesday, May 13; 8 p.m. SOMA Ultralounge; free

AFTERNOON YOGA AT KRANNERT ART MUSEUMFriday, May 8 & 15; 12 p.m.Krannert Art Museum; free

ARTISTS INCLUDING ME: WILLIAM WEGMANOpen until July 25; all day;Krannert Art Museum; free

Explore William Wegman’s “visual puns” inspired by history’s most iconic artists and artistic movements.

SOLA GRATIA FARM: SPRING PLANT SALEFriday May 8; 4 p.m.- 6 p.m.; Sola Gratia Farm

STAND-UP COMEDY SHOWCASE AT THE IRON POSTFriday May 8; 9 p.m - 11 p.m.; The Iron Post

COUNTRY DANCING AT EAGLES LODGESaturday May 9; 7 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.; Eagles Lodge

MAY DAY RALLY AND MARCHFriday May 8; 12 - 1 p.m; Rally at University Alma Mater and march to Krannert via Green Street and Goodwin Ave.

In celebrating international Workers’ Day, participants can show support for women workers and hear speakers and women activists.

BRAINGAME SATURDAYS!Saturday May 9; 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Dr. G’s Brain Works, The Brain Fitness Store and more.

CHAMPAIGN-URBANA HERB SOCIETY ANNUAL HERB PLANT SALE Saturday, May 9; 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. (or until sellout); Lincoln Square, Urbana

Select a variety of fresh, fragrant herbs for Mother’s Day while helping to support the community’s Herb Society at their annual fundraising event. Proceeds of the herb sale will be used to fund book donations for local libraries, mini-grants to schools, as well as the Herb Society’s educational public herb garden at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana.

URBANA’S MARKET AT THE SQUARE Saturday, May 9; 7 a.m. - 12 p.m.; Corner of Illinois & Vine Streets, Urbana

THE LAND CONNECTION CHAMPAIGN FARMER’S MARKETTuesday, May 12; 4-7 p.m.Lot on Neil and Main, Champaign

FINALS WEEK VEGAN BREAKFAST FOR DINNERWednesday, May 13; 5-8 p.m.; Red Herring Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant; $8

JAPAN HOUSE TEA CEREMONYThursday, May 14; 3-4 p.m.; Japan House; $8 per person. Reserve in advance.

SHOW ‘EM WHAT YOU’RE MADE OFWednesday, May 13, 7 p.m.Goodrich Savoy 16 IMAX; $12

GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE ANSALMMonday, May 11; 7:30 p.m.The Art Theatre Co-op; $8

WHERE HOPE GROWSThursday, May 14; 7:10 p.m.; Goodrich Savoy 16 IMAX; $12

A slice of life movie following the lessons a ex pro-baseball player learns in his chance encounter with a store clerk who has Down Syndrome.

SOUND OF CU 2015 W/ T.R.U.T.H, WITHERSHINS, RESINATER AND JAY MOSESFriday, May 8; 9:30 p.m.; Cowboy Monkey; $5; Ages 19+

Buzz wraps up our 2015 Sound of CU at Cowboy Monkey with another night of great local music. Catch T.R.U.T.H, Withershins, Resinater and Jay Moses at Cowboy Monkey to get a taste of all the local music scene has to offer.

FERAL STATES W/ MINIBOONE AND THE PHANTOM BROADCASTFriday, May 8; 9 p.m.Mike N Molly’s; $7Ages 19+

THE O’MY’S, ZARAMELA AND WOO PARKFriday, May 8; 9 p.m.The Canopy Club; $7Ages 18+

THIN GIN W/ PAGEANT AND FINER FEELINGSSaturday, May 9; 9 p.m.Mike N Molly’s; $7Ages 19+

CJ BOYD, MARATHON, JARREL YOUNG W/ MISFIT MUSIC, FLAMINGO Saturday, May 9; 8:30 p.m.; Institute 4 Creativity; $5Ages 19+