www.pacepress.org
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ARTS
March 20, 2013
“Switched at Birth” breaks record with ASL epiosde
Slate.com
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PATRICK DEHANN Staff Writer
BC Family’s hit television show Switched at Birth created and aired a historic episode done nearly entirely in American Sign Language. The only heard dialogue was in the very beginning and end of the show. Before the episode started, two of the main characters introduced it by addressing viewers there is “nothing wrong with their television sets” and to enjoy the show. The rest of the episode worked around the plot with its characters using ASL and subtitles for non-ASL users. There would sometimes be music to add to the essence of the scenes. The plot also hinted at some history of deaf culture, resembling an almost identical uprising the all-deaf Gallaudet University experienced when students protested against their administration. The Pace Press had the opportunity to speak Lizzy Weiss, the executive producer of the show, over email. The Pace Press (TPP): What is your role or connection to the show, ‘Switched at Birth?’ Lizzy Weiss (LW): Creator and Executive Producer of the show -- I wrote the pilot (created the characters, the set-up, and the world) and run the show with my partner, Paul Stupin. That means we make all the everyday decisions, approving stories, costumes, props, locations, and the final cuts of the episodes. TPP: What was the process in approaching, writing and completing the all-
ASL episode of SAB? LW: We thought about the episode more visually, and we only did one “A” story (the story of Carlton closing), instead of cutting away to other stories. Every scene had to have a deaf character in it, to give us our point of view. Though it was more complicated than other episodes, we have of course done ASL scenes many times, so it was mostly a matter of scope and quantity of these scenes -- more deaf actors, more interpreters, more care and thought about how the captions would appear onscreen, etc. TPP: How difficult was it to get an episode to be entirely done in American Sign Language, if it was at all difficult? Was there hesitancy? LW: No hesitancy from the network, but we as writers worried if we could pull it off. We were scared and excited. But it was our 39th episode, so it was a good time to do something that challenged us and kept us on our toes. TPP: How do you feel about the episode now that it is completed and has aired? LW: We are very proud of it and the response from our fans -- both deaf and hearing -- has been tremendous. I loved in particular the enthusiasm from Gallaudet and the deaf community as they remembered their 1988 victory. Overall, it exceeded our expectations. TPP: Do you want, or does the show plan to have more of these episodes? Why? LW: Who knows? If there’s a compelling reason to tell the story that way, we would certainly do it again.
News Teams throughout the globe assemble for “Anchorman 2”
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CHRISTIAN GOMEZ Arts Assistant
t has almost been a decade since the comedy classic Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy had audiences falling over with laughter. The long awaited sequel is in production with the original cast, along with the addition of Harrison Ford, who is set to play a legendary reporter along the lines of Tom Brokaw. Little is actually known about the film beyond the change of setting, relocating from the former 1904 German colony San Diego to New York. Director Adam McKay has jokingly let slip that there may be a custody battle and bowling in the long awaited sequel, but little of the actual plot is known for sure. Plot aside, the question that moviegoers seeing the teaser trailers for the first time is: does Will Ferrell still matter and resonate with audiences? “Will Ferrell basically fell off the face of the world until the Anchorman 2 announcement. This film will be the deciding factor if he still has a career as a comedic actor or has become just another Eddie Murphy or Adam Sandler,” said University freshman, Dexter Scott.
In the past few years, Will Ferrell hasn’t had the most success, with a string of films that have done less than spectacular at the box office. From Everything Must Go to Casa De Mi Padre, films where Will Ferrell is the leading actor, have not stood up to the quality of his earlier films. 2012’s The Campaign was the last big film for Will Ferrell where he starred in alongside Zach Galifianakis, and while commercially it did well, critically it received very mixed reviews stating it lacked the smart wit known of Ferrell and Adam McKay films. The last few years have seen Will Ferrell tackle fewer films and increase his producing credit with the HBO show Eastbound & Down, Funny or Die shorts and even the recent action fantasy movie Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters that was torn apart by critics. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is not the only film Will Ferrell is working on. The Internship staring another duo with a less than stellar track record of late, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, has credited Will Ferrell as a character in this bland and uninteresting looking film. Aside from the previously mentioned there is one other film currently in post-production for Ferrell where he will star alongside Adam Sandler in Three Mississippi.
There is no information beyond title and the identity of the lead cast members, but hearing Will Ferrell acting alongside Adam Sandler is scarier for most fans than exciting. Adam Sandler as of late has seen disappointment from films like Jack and Jill to Bed Time Stories. This once notoriously funny actor/comedian has burned out amongst fans. “Will has to decide now if he is going to go down the road of Adam Sandler and choose bad movie after bad movie or move on to something other than comedy,” Scott continued. “I’m excited for Anchorman 2 but I know it will either be amazing or awful. He is trying too hard lately, but if Anchorman 2 does turn out to be good, he needs to have his next film be something other than comedy and explore more serious roles to keep a good reputation.” Anchorman 2 is meant to be bigger and better than the original with a larger budget and a cast filled with big name stars, but this increase in cast size does not give hope to everyone. “The addition of Harrison Ford seems unnecessary. And the way they are approaching the film to include more musical numbers doesn’t appeal to me, “ said freshman Kevin Montes . Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues has no confirmed release date but will be in theaters later this year.