EXPRESSIONS
- Cutting Corners Matt Coleman
- Ensemble to perform first opera on campus Ross Brooks
- 'Rocket' takes off in Jacksonville Laurel Wright
- Former homeless drug addict turns life around Brooke Wiles
- Oddball Antics Mike Pinree
Cutting Corners
College is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor for most students. To combat this, some students have come up with interesting ways to make their lives easier on a daily basis.
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Building construction management junior Zack Flinn said he saves money by carpooling. When it comes to making classes easier, Flinn said he only takes classes with his friends and only after he looks up the teachers on ratemyprofessor.com. |
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Sarah Garcia, a sophomore classical voice major and game room frequenter, said she has parked at the University Center, even though it's supposed to be for patrons only. She said she skirted the rules by buying a bottle of water from the vendor inside, effectively making her a patron. |
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When junior history major Z.J. Khan runs out of toilet paper, he said he often resorts to borrowing some from various facilities. While many people have strong feelings about brands, Khan said he doesn't care what toilet paper he gets his hands on because "you can't be picky when you're stealing." |
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UNF graduates Laura Nielsen (right) and Erin Liddicott (left) said they both had to be creative to get through their time in college. While Liddicott said her parents paid for most of her expenses, Nielsen said she saved by taking advantage of the free food on the Green and selling her old clothing at Plato's Closet. |
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Food is definitely draining on many student's bank accounts. Senior business management major and member of VEGANS, Tommy Seabolt, said he prepares food early in the week to save money on expensive outings. He also said eating vegan is "pretty inexpensive." |
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Ensemble to perform first opera on campus
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Members of the UNF opera ensemble prepare for the April 20 debut of "Dido and Aeneas," |
Henry Purcell's 17th-century opera titled "Dido & Aeneas" has been preformed in theatres throughout the English-speaking world for more than 200 years. The opera will make its first appearance in Jacksonville on April 20, at the University of North Florida's Robinson Theatre.
Based on a story from Virgil's "Aeneid," the opera follows the tale of Dido, Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan prince Aeneas. Aeneas is shipwrecked in Carthage and quickly falls in love with the queen, leaving her at the opera's end to fulfill his destiny and found the city of Rome.
The production marks the first opera ever preformed at UNF and will be put on by the UNF Opera Ensemble. A project of Krzysztof Biernacki's, director of the UNF Opera Ensemble, the organization was formed in 2006 after Biernacki became head of applied voice at the UNF Department of Music
Biernacki said the driving force behind creating the UNF Opera Ensemble was to get aspiring voice students some experience.
"We've never had an opera ensemble at UNF, and the timing was perfect. We had students who were more than ready for the experience," Biernacki said.
"They can't get this experience anywhere else in the city," Biernacki said.
The performance is comprised entirely of UNF students, drawing singers and instrumental artists alike to complete the ranks of a full production opera with chorus and an orchestra.
"We will be putting together a full Baroque ensemble, including the UNF String ensemble and UNF Chamber singers," Biernacki said.
While the cast of the opera is comprised of veteran performers, it will be the first for all to appear in a full stage production opera, and they all seem excited for the opening curtain.
"Dr. B. made it so a lot of people got an opportunity to do lots of things, or to just be in a cast," said Amanda Finch, a junior voice major cast in the opera. She said it was Biernacki's enthusiasm for the project that really made things possible.
"He swoops in like Batman and says 'here's what were going to do,'" Finch said.
Finch, like many of the singers in the operatic cast, plays multiple throughout the three
day showing.
"It really shrinks your ego," Finch said.
"There's times when you know something so well you go on auto-pilot," said Angelique Peretta, junior voice major and voice said. "And that just can't happen here because there is always so much going on."
"Dido & Aeneas" is the first opera performed on UNF campus, and according to Biernacki it definitely wont be the last.
"From now on we will do one full stage production a semester" Biernacki said.
The UNF Opera Ensemble will be performing "Dido & Aeneas" running April 20-22. All shows start at 8 p.m., and tickets can be purchased through the UNF Ticket Box Office.
To find out more about "Dido & Aeneas" or the UNF Opera Ensemble, visit www.unfopera.com.
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'Rocket' takes off in Jacksonville
Jacksonville might not
be Hollywood, but it is the site
for the filming of a new movie with some big-name Hollywood actors.
The movie, titled "Rocket," stars Jimmy Fallon, Sharon Stone, Lucy Liu and Tom Arnold, and has been filmed all around Jacksonville.
The movie is about a 35-year-old man, played by Fallon, who finds that his problem committing to his girlfriend, played by Liu, comes from his troubled relationship with his unhappily married father, played by Arnold, according to variety.com.
April 12 found the crew at an Empire Point home filming scenes. The home had a few
of its windows blocked with black sheets.
Some of the crew was standing outside talking and the family living next door set up lawn chairs to watch the production.
The Empire Point home
joins a lengthy list of
filming locations.
Other locations include Huguenot, where filming was halted when helicopters
and planes flew over,
and Jacksonville International Airport, where they filmed a scene of Jimmy Fallon trying to catch a plane.
They also filmed scenes in a Cecil Field hanger, Hidden Hills, Mayport, San Jose Country Club and Mill Cove, said Ed Machek, executive producer of
Ring Productions.
"The stars have been absolutely wonderful," Machek said. "They have been good to the city and nice to everybody. Jimmy Fallon goes out
and entertains people while doing Karaoke."
Ring Productions helped to bring the movie to Jacksonville, Machek said. They had a few movies to choose from and chose "Rocket" because it was ready to be filmed.
Ring Productions goal is to bring more movies to Florida, with a focus being on North Florida and Jacksonville, Machek said.
"Rocket" was originally supposed to be filmed in California but because it features golf, it is able to be filmed Jacksonville.
"Everything we needed to film was here," Machek said. "We have all different kinds of settings. We have beach, we have water, we have old neighborhoods and new neighborhoods, and it was everything that we
needed for this movie. I believe we can create any environment here,except for mountains."
Most of the crew working
on "Rocket" is from Florida,
he said.
"We want to make it so that the crew that lives in Florida doesn't have to go to the other states to work," he said.
Ring Productions is working to bring a second movie to Jacksonville titled "Glad All Over," and they are attempting to sign Robert Duval as a member of the cast, Machek said.
Filming of "Rocket" concluded April 14, and after five weeks in Jacksonville, the stars returned to their lives outside
of Florida.
The movie still has 14 weeks of editing to go through, then after more work, such as audience screenings, the movie will be shown at the Toronto Film Festival, Machek said.
Although most movies take about a year to film, "Rocket" will be completed in slightly over seven months.
Another movie recently filmed in Jacksonville was "Lonely Hearts," a crime drama starring John Travolta and Salma Hayek.
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Former homeless drug addict turns life around
Local performer to play Fuel Coffee House
Orlino Esguerra was not always a working man with a normal life. Only a few years ago, he was living on the streets of Atlanta - homeless and addicted to drugs.
Now, Esguerra uses his previous experiences and his newfound sobriety to educate others through music.
Esguerra will perform at Fuel Coffee House April 20
and 21.
A rapper with a backing band, his music speaks about the "darker side of alcohol and drugs," and all proceeds from his shows go to Grove House, an organization that trains mentally-challenged people valuable job skills.
He said the impetus for him to get off drugs and start helping others came in 2003, when he had two of his friends die within a short period of time.
He then flushed his drugs down the toilet, he said.
"I have to give back after taking so much," Esguerra said. "God has given me a second chance at life, and I'm using that second chance to give back to the world."
After kicking his habit, Esguerra began pursuing music and founded his own company, Pineapple Records, in 2003.
He started out performing at local conventions, halfway houses, and homeless shelters, and made a habit of giving the show proceeds to local charities.
He said the most important aspect of his music is the message he tries to impart to his audiences.
"If the music doesn't have a message, then it is here today, but gone tomorrow," Esguerra said. "I write the music to try to show people what is going to happen if you do the things I did, so you don't have to go down that road and find out your self."
He attributes his newfound success to the support he receives from Tom Ashton, his boss at Edwin Watts Golf.
Esguerra said Ashton gives him the time off he needs to perform and any support he can offer.
Ashton's daughter, Christen, is one of the singers in Esguerra's band, and his boss' other daughter, Kimberly, created the Pineapple Records logo.
After years of living on the edge, Esguerra is finally at a stable place in his life, free to
pursue his lifelong passion of music.
"Now I have a plan in life," Esguerra said. "If you don't have a plan, then you're just floating around and letting life control where you go. Where you end up might not be where you want to go, and then it may be too late."
Tickets can be purchased for $20 at the door or via the Pineapple Records Web site at www.myspace.com/pineapplerecords2004.
Contact Brooke Wiles at uspinnak@unf.edu -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Oddball Antics
WHEEEE! TOP OF THE WORLD!
After becoming heavily intoxicated, a Zamboni driver proceeded to groom the ice at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown, N.J., at a high rate of speed almost crashing the four-ton vehicle into the boards. He was arrested for drunk driving, but a judge threw the charge out on a technicality: the vehicle can't be used on the road and can't carry passengers.
GO AHEAD, SHOOT IT, THERE'S NO ONE AROUND
Two teenagers were walking through the Ochoco National Forest in Oregon firing rifles at road signs for target practice. They probably went too far when they shot a temporary sign that read "Police Training Exercise Ahead," because a sheriff's patrol car was on them in seconds.
CAN'T TALK NOW, I'LL HAVE TO CALL YOU BACK
Police in Halifax, Nova Scotia, were searching the neighborhood for a man who had been seen breaking into parking meters nearby.
The thief hid in a dumpster, but was caught when his cell phone rang just as the cops were passing by.
EXCUSE ME, HONEY, I'LL BE RIGHT BACK
A man took his girlfriend out to a restaurant in Chattanooga, Tenn., then left her there and went back to their apartment where he loaded up all of their furniture and moved out.
YEAH, I'VE HAD A FEW, YOUR HONOR, SO WHAT!
A man was summonsed to court in York, Pa., to answer a charge of driving while intoxicated. He showed up drunk.
I SAW YOU DURING THE RAID AND I FEEL WE MADE A CONNECTION
After raiding a brothel in East London, a married police officer finished his shift then returned to have sex with one of the ladies.
THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, BABY; I SWEAR
A man in Dallas came home for a card game late at
night to find his wife having sex with another guy in the cab of a pickup truck parked in the driveway. The wife got out of the vehicle, and, thinking fast, said she was being raped. The husband pulled his gun and fired at the other guy as he was driving off, killing him. Now the wife - not the husband - is being charged with manslaughter.
VERILY WE SHALL SMITE THE WICKED
After beginning Sunday Mass outside a Port Richey, Fla., church to accommodate the crowd, the priest went inside to continue the service but left the microphone on. Some teenagers took advantage of this, stepping up to the mike and swearing and saying things like "Yo homey." Eight angry men came out, chased the lads down and gave them an Old Testament-style thrashing.
WHY DON'T YOU MAKE ME, COPPER! GUSH! AIEEEEE!
After murdering his mother-in-law and 13-year-old nephew in Shenyang, China, a man went out on the eighth floor of a hospital and refused to come down.
After two hours, the cops got tired of the ordeal and ordered firemen to blast him off his perch with a water cannon. He fell into an airbag they had thoughtfully positioned on the ground.
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