New beginnings

Now that my Journalism 258 class is over, i need to find something to do with my blog. I don't want it to be wasted space. I want it to be meaningful (if at all) or atleast something i would want to keep up with. I have no idea what i want to do yet, but i'll figure it out soon. But at any rate. I'm on Twitter, so if anything, FOLLOW ME SabrinaL. i might change it soon. woot!! i wonder what i'm going to change it to.

Senator Theater Continues Classic Screenings . . .

I found this story on the Baltimore Sun website yesterday about the Senator movie theater on York Road. In short this story focuses on the screenings of classic movies before the Senator is to be auctioned off on April 20th. The movie shown over the weekend was "a rarely seen animated favorite of Baltimore's own Barry Levinson and one of the liveliest, most inventive concert films of the rock era." The movie stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.


"It's just absolutely charming and beautifully done," says Senator owner Tom Kiefaber, who continues to mark the coming end of his family's 70-year run as owners and operators of the North Baltimore landmark with screenings of vintage movies, many of which doubtlessly played the theater at one time. "It's from the Fleischer Studios. ... They really rivaled, and some think surpassed, what Disney was doing in the period. It's just classic."

The classic movie screenings doesn't end there. This Thursday "Charade is slated to run at the Senator through Thursday, with showtimes at 3 p.m., 5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m." Also included are Takin' Heads, Stop Making Sense, and The Grateful Dead. The tickets are $5 and worth every penny.

In addition to the screenings, the Senator will be selling memorabilia. Staff dig deep to find strange keepsakes to be sold to loyal fans of the Senator. With it's history, there's plenty of valuables to sell.


"We're doing our best to deal with the harsh reality that we must let go," he says, "with the hope that this extraordinary jewel of a theater will continue to evolve for another 70-year run under new ownership."


***that's my summary of the story***

I think the story could've been better if the reporter interviewed some of the people attending the screenings. I wanted to know how they felt about the closing of the Senator and also about the movies played.

Upcoming story idea :: slideshow project

Well, after a long deliberation (two weeks to be exact) I finally found an idea for my next multimedia project. It follows my beat with the entertain yourself mentality. I'm gonna focus my story on a gamer. I'll ask questions about it and take pictures of him actually playing the game. It's interesting to me, so I know I will like the story in the end. He doesn't necessarily go to Towson though, but i want to interview him anyway. Sure, I have to go a little out of my way. It's okay. Just as long as I get this story done.

iPod Addiction

I was on the bus this morning with another Towson Student and we talked mostly about our iPods and the music that we listen to. That's when it hit me. I should do a story on students addictions to iPods. Plenty of students have them, plenty of them can not go without them. I think it's perfect. It follows my beat with Entertainment and things to do when you're bored, and it adds personal insight on the love people have with iPods.

Broadcast Leads . . .

Print Lead: MARYVILLE, Ill. - A pastor shot and killed during his Sunday sermon deflected the first of the gunman's four rounds with a Bible, sending a confetti-like spray of paper into the air in a horrifying scene that congregants initially thought was a skit, police said.

Broadcast Lead: Authorities say a shooter gunned down a pastor in the middle of a Sunday sermon.


Print Lead: The vice president of Baltimore's NAACP chapter said yesterday during a rally for taxicab drivers that his reputation has been damaged after police arrested him, claiming to have found drugs in his car.

Broadcast Lead: The vice president of Baltimore’s NAACP says he was targeted when heroin and marijuana was recovered in a search of his car.

Print Lead: A former Baltimore County teacher sentenced to a year and a half in jail for a sex offense against a 13-year-old student now faces federal child pornography charges, according to U.S. District Court documents.

Broadcast Lead: According to U.S. District Court documents, a former Baltimore County teacher faces new federal child pornography charges following a year and a half jail sentence.

The Watchmen Watch

The Watchmen Watch


“Watchmen arrives in theaters Friday, riding a wave of pop anticipation as fierce in its own way as the return of Star Wars,” writes Michael Sragow of The Baltimore Sun. On the contrary some movie goers are a little hesitant about its release. Some would rather the graphic novel remain a graphic novel rather than become a movie. There has been a long history of movies being produced based off of superhero comic books. Some of which did not live up to the comic books’ standards. Does anyone remember The Incredible Hulk? The Spirit? The Punisher?

True comic book fans fear that this movie would stray away from its basics, what made it phenomena that it is.

"We don't need no steeeenking Watchmen movie!" Graphic novel artist Steven Parke cautions that this blanket disdain may sum up the cult reaction. "I'd like to hope Watchmen the movie will become the touchstone that the novel became," says Parke, who is based in Baltimore, "just because it is a cool story. Unfortunately, the crowd that might think that way is already sold on the book."

“Now, director Zack Snyder has gotten it to the screen in an adaptation that's reportedly as faithful to Moore's work as Snyder's smash adaptation of 300 was to Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. But after a series of superhero movies that have run the gamut from the adolescent romanticism of Spider-Man to the doomsday visions of The Dark Knight, can Watchmen hope to achieve the impact on celluloid that it did on slick paper? And will general audiences feel that when it comes to wised-up, broken-down superheroes, they've simply had enough?” Sragow writes.

Maybe the audience won’t know until they go to the movie theater on March 6th and see for themselves.


** I really liked Sragow's article. He gave some incite into the movie, the characters, and what the audience might expect when they go see it. He interviewed two comic book store owners who know a lot about the movie and the pitfalls the movie could have. The opinions in the article were a little negative. I wished that he quoted someone who was in favor of the movie, or quoted from someone who didn't really know about the movie other than what they seen in previews. Other than that I liked the article.

Upcoming Story . . .

I found a focus for my feature story. I'll be focusing on how students at Towson spend their free time on campus outside of studying. It will also be a how-to type of story for those who don't know what to do on campus. I will interview three students to see how they spend their free time to overcome boredom. It's a simple concept, but it happens all around campus. Everyone deals with it in their own ways.
I will also try to find some type of person affiliated with campus activities and interview them about what they have been doing to keep students busy on campus and if there are any upcoming events.

The Wall Street Journal Formula

I found an article in the Baltimore Sun online that fit the Wall Street Journal formula as defined in the text. The article is titled Suburban Federal’s short, sharp fall. It starts with an anecdotal lead. “Getting a mortgage from Suburban Federal Savings Bank couldn’t have been much easier for Samuel Burrow Jr.” The next paragraph continued his story about his problem. The nut graph begins two paragraphs later to tell the larger story. Suburban Federal has been lending money to customers with no questions asked leading to bad debts, and it was seized by the government. Burrow’s problem with the bank wasn’t the first, generally speaking. The rest of the story provides supporting information and quotes. It ends with an anecdote that kind of speculates the future by saying that “the entire U.S. is caught up in it.”

A NIGHT IN TV STYLE

(IMAGE COURTESY OF GOOGLE)

It’s Thursday night, a week of hard work, tedious note taking and stressful tasks surrounding school has finally come to an end. It passed in a blur without notice. The night is growing long. You sit there with nothing to do wondering how to spend your night.

That’s an easy solution; watch that screen that idles before you, your TV. What’s on you may ask? Plenty.

Thursday’s prime-time starts of strong on NBC. Starting at 8 p.m. is a show called My Name Is Earl. It’s a show following the life of Earl, of course, and his infamous karma list. Immediately after, at 8:30 on the same channel, is Kath & Kim. It’s an adaptation of a successful Australian show about a quirky, dysfunctional mother and daughter pair played by Molly Shannon and Selma Blair. On at 9 p.m. is The Office. And rounding up the comedic prime-time time slot is 30 Rock.


If you’re a fan of forensic investigation, you may want to tune into Fox to watch Bones at 8 o’clock and CBS to watch CSI: Crime Scene Investigation at 9 o’clock also.

Once all of these shows end, what else is left? What about 10 o’clock? The News? Maybe for those who need their nightly fix on current events. For others, it may not be what they are interested in at that moment. They still want to be entertained. Well how about a these choices to get you through the rest of the night.

Spies, explosions, and guns, oh my! Now in its third season is Burn Notice on USA. It’s an action filled series about a black listed CIA agent, Michael, and his quest to find out what happened to his life and how to get it back. The action is there, you just have to turn it on to witness it.

Forty-nine channels away on MTV is Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew. Don’t let his name steer you away from this exciting program. With five crews left, the votes could go either way. It’s never too late to get involved.

Don't let your time and these good shows go to waste. There's always something on TV to watch. There's never a time you should be bored. Make use of what you have to entertain yourself.

Feature Leads vs. Summary Leads

Summary leads summarizes in one sentence what the story is about. It includes some of the w's (what, where, when, who, why) but not all. Feature leads add description to set the scene and get readers to read the story. It also gives a quick preview of what's coming, or it displays the major point of the story.

I found an example of each lead courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.


Gang members turn themselves around

In this story, a narrative type of feature lead is being used. It set the stage for a story and describes an individual and his or her surroundings. This story did exactly that. "They know him as "Black," a convicted felon and longtime member of the Bloods street gang. He is leaning far back in a chair, under the only working light in a nondescript rowhouse in East Baltimore. He is talking about street life and hustling. And this group of more than 25 gang members and young men recently sprung from prison are hanging on his every word." The story focuses on Tony Wilson, aka Black, and his mission to change young people's lives.

Salmonella outbreak eases way for food safety reforms

A normal summary lead is used in this story. "The salmonella outbreak that has killed as many as nine people and sickened hundreds nationwide has created what advocates say is an unprecedented opportunity to reform the way America safeguards its food supply." It answered the what, where, and who, but not the why and when.

"Brotherhood uses Open Mic Night for a Cause"

Assistant Art Director, Lauren Slavin, wrote a article about Brotherhood's charity inspired One Mic Night. It focuses on the reason behind the even and the importance of it. Brotherhood wanted to raise awareness about "how to stop depression in their communities." They called their event "Entertainment with a cause" sponsoring Visions of E.Y.E.
When i first read the article's headline "Brotherhood uses Open Mic Night for a cause," I thought that it would be about the event also. Slavin neglected to talk about the event. The only bit of information she included was that it took place on Friday. The article was about the reason. I wanted to know how the event went. I would've liked to see quotes from the people who attended. She could've interviewed a few members from Brotherhood and their involvement with the cause. It would be a complete story if those elements were added.

Student Life

For a beat I will be following student life. Yes it's pretty broad, but it's fitting for me. It's also convenient. It will focus on commuting issues, dealing with stress, lack of sleep, dinning issues, TV and Entertainment, campus involvement, and money savers.

Edit**
"Jobless and Bored in 09"
For my beat I will be following Events/Entertainment. It will be focused on those who are not working and need something to occupy their time. The main idea of it is to keep students busy on and off campus. It's not necessary to always be bored. There's always something going on campus. If the student doesn't live on campus, there's things he or she could do at home. The possibilities are endless. Not everyone has a busy schedule, but I can help them deal with their boredom.

About Me . . . again

Hey, my name is Sabrina. I'm officially a junior now. I'm also officially a Mass Comm major. How do I know? A mysterious $200 fee had been added to my account. After fifteen minutes of waiting on the phone for someone at Towson to pick up, I found out that it's a classification fee. How will I pay that? Magic hopefully :) Or maybe I can wish for it. Click my heels together and it disappears. But anyway, I'm pursuing a career in writing. I basically don't care what I write; I just want to write. It's what I'm good at. It's all I know. If I could get into magazine writing that would be great. If I could get into news writing, that would be great also. The only thing that matters is that I get the benefit . . . I guess that's the word I'm looking for . . . of writing. That benefit is proving everyone wrong. I can have a career in this field and not regret it. That's the only thing I hope for. I don't want to be the one wasting my father's money, and working in a field I did not go to college for. That is my only worry. Other than that I'm happy where I am learning new things to help me become a better journalist.