Rarely do I spend my time, or $9 for that matter, going to see a movie in theaters. But when I first saw the trailer for Moneyball, I was sold. No pun intended. Starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Moneyball tells the story of Oakland Athletics' General Manager Billy Beane [Pitt] and his plan to replace Major League Baseball stars Johnny Damon, Jason Isringhausen and Jason Giambi, lost to free agency, with a revolutionary statistical strategy.
MSSU nude model bares it all
Most people have nightmares about standing naked in front of a class. Charles Smith, life drawing sculpture model, is paid for it.
The Klassix Society will be hosting the 18th annual Benefit Food & Wine Tasting a week from tonight at the Joplin Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the 25 anniversary of 88.7 KXMS radio station.
Characters come to life in latest theatre production
Some things came together last minute for this year's children's play, but the cast feels Beanie and the Bamboozling Book Machine is ready to go.
The music could be longer
My ears are in love.
Local artist Jeremy Haun has made a lot of news recently.
Over the past few years he has worked his way up the comic book industry, having several Batman titles published with his artwork in the past year and recently signing a contract with Top Cow that will have him working on one of their flagship titles as well. This month, several panes of his artwork line the walls of Spiva Art Gallery at Missouri Southern.
Band ‘teases’ future album with shows
"It is kind of stressful when someone tells you that you're going to make it big."
Aaron Duke, lead guitarist for Touch Me Tease Me
Most students probably do not know anything other than University Java and a computer lab occupy the bottom floor of George A. Spiva Library. But, if a student were to walk in the main entrance of the bottom floor and venture to the very back, this is where they will find the University Archives and the man who manages them.
Unique towns’ stories, features coming to KGCS
A show focusing on the local area's unique towns and what they have to offer is in the makings.
Storyline involves romance centered on online game
Production for the student-produced film Games of Romance is drawing near and casting is about to begin.
Utopians not out to be rock stars
The Utopians may be a new band, but the members are not new to the Joplin music scene.
Since his retirement from Missouri Southern in 1997, Harrison Kash, director of the Missouri Southern Film Society, has been helping bring culture to the University.
Next month, the 49th Annual International Film Festival will continue at Southern.
With a cast of 30 and a completely sold out venue for every night of the show, Stone's Throw Theatre's presentation of Miracle on 34th Street is ready to go.
Betsy Fleischaker, co director of the show, discussed the history of the holiday classic. The most famous version was done with Natalie Wood, but there was a screen adaptation prior to that in the 1940s. The theatre has decided to stick with the original script verbatim.
"It's all very unusual," said Dr. Al Carnine, department of music.
For years, Carnine has directed the MSSU Choral Society, but he's never enjoyed a group as much as this year's batch. 50 students enrolled for this year's class and a strange bond has formed.
"It is the most wonderful group that I've ever worked with here at the college," he said. "It's almost like a family. They're really caring about each other and if something happens to somebody they all gather round to help them out.
Brian Fronzaglia, assistant professor of music, wants to teach his students everything.
"We like to tend to focus on both within the class period so that when the percussion majors that are involved within the ensemble throughout their time have a wide perspective as far as historic and contemporary pieces so when they go out and teach percussion they have a pretty wide foundation as far as the percussion medium is concerned," he said. "I would say that some modern pieces are pieces that have been composed in the last 15 to 20 years. Classical pieces, or I should say historical pieces, that we play are from the early 20 Century."
Todd Manley’s senior project brings the undead home
The Survival Guide may have similar title and subject matter to The Zombie Survival Guide, but senior theatre major Todd Manley swears it was a mistake.
"It's just called The Survival Guide," he said. "A lot of people actually have been asking me about it and I didn't even think about it—there is the book The Zombie Survival Guide but this has nothing to do with that."
Still, Manley promises a 28 Days Later scenario, personalized for Joplin.
The retooling of a classic can be difficult to handle, but it seems that Lyle Burrow, assistant technical director for the theatre department, has a pretty good grasp on it.
Burrow is directing ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas for this year's holiday play with a child friendly twist.
"It's actually the writing of the poem and the story starts, ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring. Not even a mouse…" but it turns out there was a mouse,'" Burrow said. "She was stirring. In fact, she helped Clement Moore write the play."
Burrow said the telling of the writing of the poem stays true to the message of the poem without exactly mimicking it.
As Christmas rolls in, so does the spirited music of the season.
Dr. David Sharlow, director of choral activities, is directing the MSSU Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers in "A Season of Choral Flourish" at 7:30 p.m. tonight at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 812 S. Pearl St. Joplin.
"A Season Choral Flourish is a festive community outreach program in conjunction with the St. Peter of the Apostle Catholic Church and the Crossline Churches of Joplin, which is a charitable organization that helps those in need," Sharlow said. "We're especially focused on that because it's the holiday season. That's sort of our main thrust. We're doing a variety of music but it's all seasonal."
For eight years, the four-state area has seen a regular Beatles night; a night where musicians come together to play Beatles music for a charitable cause.
This year, it has moved to the Kitchen Pass.
"Basically what we do is invite all the local musicians to come in and play their favorite Beatles song," said Lee Snider, organizer of the event.
Several bands took them up on the offer. Local favorites like the Ben Miller Band, Toto Jojo and the Smith Brothers, featuring members of Big Smitty are involved in this years shows, as well as headliner Rattle Trap.
Non-traditional student's performance set for Tuesday
Senior piano performance major Velvet Randolph is a non-traditional student.
"You don't have to tell my age, but I have four children," she said. "Two of them are in college."
As part of the curriculum for music majors, she has to hold a piano recital for the public to attend. Her senior piano recital is at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Corley Auditorium. She is as excited as she is nervous.
An endowment fund has recently been granted to the Missouri Southern music department by retired faculty member Dr. John Cragin.
"This is a gift from a longtime friend of music here in Joplin and a longtime friend of the community," said Dr. Jeffrey Macomber, head of the music department.
On Sept. 8 Missouri Southern will be host to You the Man Anti-Violence One-Man Play.
Centering on the subject of sex and dating violence, You the Man is performed from the male perspective.
Carter Hulsey is a man with a plan, and a band.
Ever since he was young, Hulsey was involved in the local music scene.
"I was in a bunch of different punk bands when I was a kid," he said. "All my other guys went off to college and I started playing by myself."
The audience stood to their feet to applaud as the cast of Oklahoma! took a bow after the final performance of the musical on Sunday afternoon.
Since August 13, the Stones Throw Dinner Theater in Carthage has been presenting Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
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