5 Students, 1 Quest: Entertainment Journalism Through Blogging

In 1938 the Sioux City Art Center was founded as a Works Progress Administration project in order to serve people from all different types of backgrounds, interests and ages. The center offers exposure to the arts through many different facets such as; education, exhibition, permanent collection and through the support of artists.

Starting on the third of January 2008 visitors to the museum are able to experience a site-specific installation by Minnesota artist Liz Miller. This installation entitled Resplendent Reconnaissance can be seen in the three-story Atrium of the art center and will remain there for up to two years.

Miller’s exhibit contains materials such as felt, colored vinyl and plastic sheeting.

“Ms Miller’s constructions, from what are most typically considered “craft” materials, have accessibility and playfulness that makes their abstract forms familiar and accessible.” (www.siouxcityartcenter.org).

Her creations explore many of Miller’s ideas about order and chaos and help to show how variety and complexity can emerge from what may seem like simplistic and repeated forms. In her artist statement Miller says that her wall-based installations, “reference biology, natural disasters, and computer imagery.” Throughout her work she constantly strives to portray equal parts of both fact and fiction when it comes to her wide range of already existing patterns.

“Saccharine colors and intense repetition seduce the viewer, subscribing to an underlying logic that allows playfulness to lead to sinister conclusions. Beauty and whimsy are catalysts for events that are increasingly aggressive,” (www.lizmillerart.com).

Miller uses the exploding and morphing forms to call into question the possibilities that exist in a world that, as she says, “is increasingly complex and multi-layered.” Anyone can feel a great appreciation for Miller’s work. However, she comments that children tend to find the greatest joy in her creations because they are able to put their imaginations to use and see objects such as fish and birds and then relate these objects to the activities of their daily lives.

“Because Miller designed her artwork to interact with the Art Center’s space, the installation invites the viewer to explore the sculpture and view it from a number of different angles from all three floors of the Art Center,” said Al Harris-Fernandez, the Art Center director.

- Mackenzie

If you are worrying about what to wear this summer and are needing a look that is more office-appropriate, or are just bored with the old standbys of short-shorts and strappy tank tops, fear not. New York resident Bianca Posterli, Associate Editor of Chic Report and a reporter for the website Fashion Week Daily, as well as the Editorial Assistant for The Daily and the Mini magazines shares her style tips on how to look amazing when the temperature begins to rise.

Posterli predicts the biggest trends we will be seeing this summer will be less about flashing an excess amount of skin and will rely more on romantic cuts and billowy shapes.

Ladies, for your torso and below, say good-bye to the micro-mini and hello to flowing skirts that add an air of mystery and a sense of fun. Hippie looks, with floral prints and flowing gowns will be making a revival, accompanied by appropriate scarves, hats, and wraps to complete the look.

If you are not one for the gypsy-chic look, channel your inner Charlotte York with a nice A-Line skirt cinched at the waist. “Belted looks are still in, very much giving girls the natural waists” says Posterli. “So get to the gym!”

Menswear-inspired options are also chic, but beware of overdosing on this trend. One key piece is all you need to make this layered look pop. Going overboard will only make you look like you are auditioning for an Annie Hall remake. After all, you want to look like you borrowed your boyfriend’s sweater, not raided Diane Keaton’s closet.

“Gucci has a great example…with long boyfriend-type blazers over pants and shirts.”

As for the hot colors, brights are always en vogue during the warmer months, but watch for extreme neon hues making a resurgence in the coming months. Even your nails can get in on this trend.

“Essie has a fabulous collection out for summer with bright orange, yellow, pink, and purple that can give you the neon trend without a huge push for the color all over your outfit.”

If you do not feel bold enough to rock the blinding brights, bold blues in deep hues will also be a big color in the fashion world, as will shades of purple. Posterli notes that these hues are versatile enough to be worn throughout autumn, “so it’s a good color to invest in.”

These tips can work for anyone, regardless of location or budget. While some might spring for a dazzling blue ball gown, you might opt for a simple accessory, such as a blue headband or cocktail ring. The choice is totally yours.

For more stylish tips, and to read more of Posterli’s work, check out Fashion Week Daily’s website.

-Justin

Ruben Perez Ramos, born in Sugarland, Texas, is currently the head of a family legacy that has been going strong for over 80 years. This legacy, also known as El Legado, is heavily influenced by traditional Mexican routes and is now seated at the top of Tejano music.

According to the Ruben Ramos Web site, the Ramos musical legacy began in post-World War I Texas. Ruben’s uncles began performing in 1919 as Juan Manuel Perez and the Serenaders. Between 1919 and 1941, the Serenaders, also known as Los Serenateros, included all nine of Ruben’s uncles during various years. When World War II began, five of the Perez brothers entered the military. Ruben’s grandmother proudly displayed a small banner with five stars, each one representing one of her sons that served during the war. This is when the Serenaders took a break.

During this time, Ruben’s father, Alfonso Ramos Sr., worked the cotton fields and the railroads. At family gatherings, he played the fiddle while his mother, Elvira Perez, played the guitar. At the end of World War II, Ruben’s uncles returned and continued the family legacy. Uncle Justin reformed the band as Justin Perez and His Ex-GIs. After only a few years, the band had established themselves as top-notch; they had sit-down horns, dark suits and a sound that fit well with the times. This was the end of any regular day-job for Ruben and his five siblings.

When Inez, Elijio, Alfonso, Ruben, Joe and Roy came along, picking cotton was how the bills got paid. However, the talent that this group possessed led them to a career in music.

In 1947, Ruben’s sister Inez became the band’s singer. In his early teens, Ruben’s older brother Alfonso Ramos Jr. became the next sibling to join the group. The band became known as the Alfonso Ramos Orchestra in the mid-1950s. Ruben continued to sing with the band on weekends, even after he landed a “good job” at an insurance company in the state of Texas.

In 1969, Ruben’s brother Roy made the effort to spread the family’s legacy. Soon after, Ruben joined him as the new band’s lead singer. According to the Web site, Alfonso’s orchestra was at the height of its success, and Ruben had the ability to make the most out of the talent of the Ramos brothers. He formed what would later be known as the Mexican Revolution. It was at this point when he began to realize that he had to either quit music or go into it full-time.

“He jumped into it all the way and never looked back because music was and is his life,” Emilio Hernandez, a long-time friend of Ruben’s and a previous singer in the band, said. “Music was what he grew up loving, and this greatly influenced his decision.”

In a previous interview, Ruben picked the name Mexican Revolution “because, among other reasons, the ’70s saw the emergence of the Chicano and civil rights movements.” During this time, the band played the Chicano circuit that ran from Dallas-Fort Worth to the Rio Grande Valley and recorded many albums under independent record labels. By 1981, the term “Tejano” had become the new name for the music, and Ruben changed the band’s name to the Texas Revolution because, according to the Web site, “he felt Tejanos were getting an identity in Texas.”

According to Hernandez, the name was changed back to the Mexican Revolution in 2004.

“He did this to remind himself of the beginning,” Hernandez said.

Ruben and his band have been the recipients of many awards. In 1998, Ruben was inducted into the Tejano Music Awards Hall of Fame. That same year, he was the winner of the Best Male Performance award at the Tejano Music Awards. He was given the Video of the Year in 1999 for “Como un Suspiro.”

-Rachel

As Media Studies majors, we all have taken an interest in all that is media related—specifically entertainment media in this case. We each have our forte when it comes to the topic of entertainment, so we are using our specific expertise in order to break the very broad topic of entertainment down into sub-genres within the industry.

Rachel will start the week of posting news pertaining to music on Mondays. Justin, our fashion-guru, will be posting on Tuesdays about all that is fashion and style. Mackenzie will be posting about art on Wednesdays. Katie, the bookworm, will be posting about different books and issues that come up within these books on Thursdays. Lindsay will be finishing the week off on Fridays with the topic of television.

Our hope is to collect first hand information by using our own contacts that we have established throughout our various internships and reporting on any other leads we may uncover. We want to attempt to report news that has not previously been reported on by various newspapers and websites.

-Katie

Is blogging a form of journalism? Does it have the right characteristics and qualities? As a part of our media studies senior seminar class, Issues and Investigations, the five of us are going to try to answer this question by attempting to maintain a “journalistic” blog. We will each post on issues that regard and are affecting students, faculty and staff members academically and socially at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa.

To give you a glimpse into our lives, and why this particular subject interests us, here is a brief biography on each of us:

- I’m Mackenzie, a senior Media Studies major and English minor. I have been involved in the campus radio station as well as a section editor for our campus newspaper, The Tack. I have also completed an editorial internship with Moment Magazine in Washington, DC.

- I’m Justin and I am a senior media studies major and English minor. I have been active on the campus paper The Tack where I write a column entitled Life in Plastic. I have also participated in editorial and fashion internships at Jane and W magazines.

- I’m Katie and I am a senior journalism and media studies major with a minor in English. I have been involved with the school paper, The Tack, as an editor for a couple years and I have worked for The Cabinet Press in Milford, NH.

- I am Rachel, and I am a junior media studies major and an English minor. I have been the News Editor for my campus newspaper for two years. I have also completed an internship at the Nebraska City News-Press.

- I’m Lindsay, a senior media studies major and English minor. I have been involved with the campus newspaper, The Tack for three years, and currently serve as Co-Editor-in-Chief. I am also the Assistant News Editor of the campus radio station, KBVU “The Edge”. I have completed editorial internships at Cityview, Des Moines, Iowa’s alternative weekly, and The Storm Lake Times.