Friday, 3/1/13

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The State News resumes regular production March 11. Until then, check statenews.com for updates. Stay safe and enjoy spring break!

weekend

Junior center Adreian Payne goes to lay the ball up against Michigan. MSU defeated U-M, 75-52, on Feb. 12, 2013, at Breslin Center. JUSTIN WAN/THE STATE NEWS

Michigan State University’s independent voice | statenews.com | East Lansing, Mich. | Friday, March 1, 2013

Check out our guide to spring break events and safety tips

(SCENE) Metrospace features E.L. Art Festival posters

Men’s hoops ops team prepping for U-M

CAMPUS+CITY, PAGE 3

FEATURES, PAGE 5

SPORTS, PAGE 6

BIG SCREEN DREAMS

Work of MSU alumnus nears culmination as post-production continues on independent film By Katie Abdilla abdillak@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■

T

homas Reilly-King has waited years for this moment. Since his teens, he has awaited the chance to make a name for himself as an independent filmmaker. Enduring everything from busy cast members to a low budget, he has waited patiently. Four years after the start of his project, a feature film called “Enduring Destiny,” Reilly-King, now 26, finally is getting his wish. Often known on campus as “TRK,” the MSU alumnus concluded shooting for the film last July, and once he’s finished with the post-production process, he plans to host a premiere in the early summer. “‘Enduring Destiny’ is almost symbolic for my life,” ReillyKing said. “You see the completed film in your head — it was already done to begin with, it’s just planting those seeds. At the end of the day, you can only go forward. That theater saying is, ‘The show must go on,’ and I’ve always kind of kept that mentality.” “Enduring Destiny” tells the story of Max Kenner, a college student affected by a tragedy that leaves him in a wheelchair. Kenner’s aspiration in the film is to become a CIA agent. Reilly-King, who plays the role as himself in the film, said it depicts the challenge of overcoming adversity and accepting help from others. “This tragedy happens to him, so we see a transformation of his persona on screen,” he said. “He’s living in a fraternity house amongst his brothers, and it’s embarrassing because he has to live with a caretaker. … It’s about dealing with that crutch and overcoming that crutch and enduring destiny.”

CAMPUS

CULTURE, SOUL FOOD CONNECTS STUDENTS By Christine LaRouere larouer4@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■

The savory smell of creamy macaroni and cheese and crispy fried chicken mixed with the sounds of saxophones and booming music from DJ speakers drew students to the Hubbard Hall cafeteria for the Soul Food Extravaganza as a final farewell to 2013’s Black History Month. Outside the cafeteria Thursday night, a line of students wrapped around the staircase to the main floor. Inside, the cafeteria was overflowing anxious students by the event’s end. Red and green tablecloths covered some of the cafeteria tables, where students sat talking and taking in black culture through entertainment and dining.

JUSTIN WAN/THE STATE NEWS

East Lansing resident Thomas Reilly-King sits for a portrait in front of his film poster at his apartment Wednesday.

More online … To watch a video of Reilly-King at one of his minimumwage jobs, visit statenews.com/multimedia.

An eye for success From the very beginning, Reilly-King has had a clear view of the film, down to every last detail. “I sit down and storyboard every single shot in the film,” he said. “I have a vision of what I want it to look like, the characters and how they look, and I go and make that into a reality.” But his path has not been easy. He juggles four minimum-wage jobs to finance

the film, which has cost him more than $12,000 since 2009. The budget constraints limited Reilly-King’s abilities and kept the film a work in progress for more than four years. He also has struggled to manage a cast, with many members graduating before he concluded filming. “We had different people for a stretch of time,” he said. “One of the characters gradSee FILM on page 2 X

K ATIE STIEFEL/THE STATE NEWS

MSU alumnus Thomas Reilly-King collects cups from dirty trays on Thursday at Brody Square Dining Hall.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Spartans take down Boilermakers on road, 68-61 By Stephen Brooks brook198@msu.edu THE STATE NEWS ■■

DANYELLE MORROW/THE STATE NEWS

Senior forward Courtney Schiffauer tries to score around Purdue forward Sam Ostarello during the game Thursday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. The Spartans beat the Boilermakers, 68-61.

West Lafayette, Ind. – Defense and pottery. That’s what the MSU women’s basketball MSU 68 team does for fun. PUR 61 In preparation for a rematch with No. 25 Purdue on Thursday night, head coach Suzy Merchant called for a day of rest and relaxation earlier this week that included music, pizza and painting pottery. It didn’t include any stops at Breslin Center, cell phones or talk about basketball. “(Merchant) watched a lot of film and she thought that what we were missing was just our will, basically,” junior guard Klarissa Bell said. “Ever ybody seemed like they were physically tired or mentally tired and that was corresponding to our games, and so she basically just took a day off for us and we went and made pottery, which was awesome.” The Spartans parlayed that day off into a 68-61 win over the Boilermakers at Mackey

“I said, ‘Well, let’s just go down there and play ... Let’s relax a little bit and enjoy the journey and go down there with a freed up mind.” Suzy Merchant, women’s basketball head coach

Arena for MSU’s fi rst win over a ranked opponent this season. Perhaps more importantly, although Merchant insists the topic doesn’t cross her mind, the win keeps MSU (21-7 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) alive for a topfour fi nish in the Big Ten and subsequent fi rst-round bye in the conference tournament. Merchant’s idea for a creative escape from the hardwood resulted in one of the most tenacious defensive efforts of the season for MSU – which says a lot considering the Spartans are in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense. MSU showed its muscle toward the conclusion of each half to claim the critical road win, holding Purdue (20-8, 9-6) scoreless for the fi nal 3:20 of the fi rst half and the last 4:09 of the second. The Spartans forced 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes and turned them into 16 points. “I said ‘Well, let’s just go

down there and play,’” Merchant said. “You know, play our game, let’s get our defense back, and if our defense comes back, anything can happen. Let’s relax a little bit and enjoy the journey, and go down there with a freed up mind and a big heart.” Junior forward Annalise Pickrel had a game-high 18 points — including 4-for-7 from behind the arc — while guards Jasmine Thomas, a senior, and junior Klarissa Bell each chipped in 17 points. The trio accounted for more than 76 percent of MSU’s points. “Our team, what’s fun to us is defense — it has to be,” Pickrel said with a laugh as she turned to Merchant. “It is fun, so this game especially when our emphasis was just on defense and what we had to do, when we were getting steals and stuff in the first See SPARTANS on page 2 X

The event featured singing, dancing, poetry and trivia in the Hubbard Hall cafeteria “Because it is Black History Month, we wanted to show the history of soul food and everything the black culture has to offer,” said Joshua Gillespie, assistant director of Resident Education and Housing Services, who helped plan the event. “This is one way to be globally minded at MSU, and we want students to learn, engage and express themselves.” With the lights dimmed and a stage decorated with red and green balloons and shiny streamers, singing, dancing, poetry and black history trivia entertained the crowd in the cafeteria during the celebration. The event was sponsored by LiveOn and planned by East Neighborhood Intercultural Aides. Event attendee and marketing freshman Miles Felton, said events such as these can help change the current view of black culture. “Sometimes people can have a negative idea about African American culture because of the rap that is now played,” Felton said. “(An) event like this brings a positive outlook on African American community, it’s not just about rap music and tattoos” Gillespie also said while planning the Soul Food Extravaganza, he wanted to combine all aspects of black culture to show students what the community has to offer. “Culture has many facets, such as music, singing, dance and stepping, so for this event, we wanted to represent the black culture,” Gillespie said. “Gospel music is a major part of black culture so we thought having the MSU Gospel Choir was important.” Humanities senior Gerald Dixon II, a member of the MSU Gospel Choir, said he was excited to perform. “We wanted to come and perform because we want to spread the love of God and See FOOD on page 2 X

More online … To watch a video from the event, visit statenews.com/multimedia.


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