3
A&E
Tuesday February 11, 2014
CONTACT US 304-293-5092 ext. 3 | DAA&E@mail.wvu.edu
Choir to sing music of South Africa BY LACEY PALMER A&E EDITOR @laceyPAlmer
After sharing a stage with U2, Aretha Franklin and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and performing for former South African President Nelson Mandela and former United States President Bill Clinton, the Soweto Gospel Choir has decided to bring their newest show to the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center in Morgantown. The group – which sings in six of South Africa’s official languages, including English, Xhosa, Zulu
and Sotho – shares the music of Soweto, South Africa, creating a world music experience. “Our concerts are very lively with lots of singing, dancing and drumming,” said Shimmy Jiyane, member and choreographer for the group. “The concerts also reflect our modern, South African culture, so audiences can expect to hear both traditional and contemporary music. We incorporate a large range of musical influences into our shows, but we give each song a distinct feel that is recognizably our own.” With 24 choir members
total – 10 women and 14 men, the group’s most recent tour, “Divine,” will showcase the cultural music of their area while touching on a multitude of musical styles, such as upbeat tunes and harmonizing vocals. “Audiences can expect uplifting music, colorful costumes and dancing,” Jiyane said. “For us, the highlight of this tour is being able to dedicate aspects of our performance to the late Nelson Mandela. We feel very honored to be able to perform songs such as Johnny Clegg’s ‘Asimbonanga’ in his honor.”
After Mandela’s passing earlier in the year, the Soweto Gospel Choir has taken the opportunity to pay tribute to their country’s former leader, who changed the entire course of the country. “It brings us so much happiness and fulfillment to show people the joyful aspects of our culture,” Jiyane said. “I believe the choir has played a very important role in showing the world South Africa’s rich heritage and tradition of music. South Africa is a vibrant nation, and this is best expressed through our rich history of music and dance.”
Jiyane joined the choir in 2002 when auditions were held in Soweto. He said prior to joining this choir, almost every member was a member of some other musical group. “For us, performing has always been a part of our lives,” Jiyane said. “In South Africa, we sing when we are happy and when we are sad. South Africans have a great connection with music, and singing has always been a big part of our lives.” Tickets for tonight’s show can be purchased at the Mountainlair or Creative Arts Center box offices or by calling 304-293-SHOW.
Tickets range from $46-$66 and are $28 for students. The show is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre as part of the Unviersity Art Series. “It is always our mission to bring joy, peace and happiness to our fans,” Jiyane said. “Audiences can expect to hear music that they can connect with and music that has a strong message. We like songs that are uplifting, and we hope they go away from our concerts feeling inspired by our performance.” lacey.palmer@mail.wvu.edu
Jay Leno leaves ‘The Tonight Show’ in Jimmy Fallon’s hands CARLY SMITH A&E WRITER @dailyathenaeum
Jay Leno, host of “The Tonight Show,” said a tearful goodbye to his show Friday night after more than two decades of hosting. “The Tonight Show” will be taken over by comedian Jimmy Fallon, the previous host of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Jimmy Fallon also bid farewell to his show of the last five years Friday. “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” premieres Feb. 17. Seth Meyers will take over “Late Night” beginning Feb. 24. Leno first left “The Tonight Show” in 2009 and was briefly replaced by Conan O’Brien. Ratings sank after Leno’s first departure, and he returned to the show. This time, Leno departs with plans to focus on comedy clubs and his personal hobbies. Leno was sent off with
well wishes from many celebrities, such as Billy Crystal, Jack Black, Garth Brooks and President Barack Obama. Leno explained during his last show that the crew became his family after his mother, father and brother had passed away. He tearfully explained his run on the show was the “greatest 22 years of my life.” Leno’s 22-year run on “The Tonight Show” was the second longest, compared to Johnny Carson’s 30 years hosting the show. Jimmy Fallon also said an emotional goodbye to his show. Fallon’s guests included fellow “Saturday Night Live” cast member Andy Samberg and The Muppets. Fallon opened the show with an upbeat performance of “On A Night Like This” with The Roots and Buckwheat Zydeco. Fallon said he was amazed that “Late Night” did not exist five years ago
and that he has told 10,000 monologue jokes in his time hosting. “I want to thank the fans. I can’t believe it,” Fallon said. “This didn’t exist five years ago. There was no such thing as this show five years ago. Isn’t that crazy to even believe that? “It means the world to me. You make me so happy. Thank you so much.” Fallon included his famous “Thank You” notes sketch in his last show. Fallon and his announcer Steve Higgins shared memories of the show before Fallon performed “The Weight” by The Band with The Muppets. Fallon chose to perform with The Muppets because in his studio, he found exposed pipes in a dressing room that were painted by Jim Henson while he waited to be a guest on one of the late night shows hosted in the studio. Fallon enclosed the pipes in glass for everyone to see.
Jay Leno hosted his last episode of “The Tonight Show” with Billy Crystal and Barack Obama. At the end of the show, Fallon exited his stage and walked across the hall to the doors of “The Tonight Show” and entered to all of his new crew there to greet him.
“The Tonight Show” will definitely receive a facelift with Fallon hosting. Leno was a legendary late night host, but some of his jokes fell flat, and he was not scoring the ratings he used
glamour.com
to. Fallon will bring a fresh perspective to the 11:35 p.m. slot and will prove he is worthy of hosting “The Tonight Show.” daa&e@mail.wvu.edu
AP Buzzfeed quizzes spark conversation on social media Olympic ratings top Beatles CARLY SMITH A&E WRITER @dailyathenaeum
Ever wondered which country star you are most like? How about which underdog nation you should be rooting for in the Olympics? Buzzfeed’s quiz section has sparked conversation on social media and talk shows recently, and your friends’ results are probably flooding your news feed as you read this. Buzzfeed is a popular website that posts articles on news, entertainment, life and other subjects that are all tailored to the specific author’s point of view. Many of these articles are humorous and bring up interesting topics to the target reader. Some of these articles include corgis going extinct and their favorite products from the ’90s. Buzzfeed also offers a
We’re hiring
“community posting” section, allowing anyone to blog and be a Buzzfeed author on the board. These posts vary widely in topic and let the typical reader speak their mind. Buzzfeed has a “quizzes” section, which has gone unnoticed to some for quite some time. However, recently, many have discovered these unusual quizzes. Facebook and Twitter timelines and news feeds have been covered in posts about these quizzes, and when you find your result, you can share it on these sites with all of your friends or followers. These quizzes have gone viral and have allowed quiz takers to question, “Should I really live in London?” or “Which circle of Hell will I go to?” (based on Dante’s Inferno, of course.) Many of the questions on these quizzes are com-
pletely irrelevant, which makes them fun to take. For example, on the quiz to find out which Disney couple is actually your ideal relationship, Buzzfeed dips into the subconscious and determines the answer based on questions like “Who would you want on your side in a fight?” and asks you to pick your favorite cake from a variety of pictures of nine cakes. One of the more interesting and unusual quizzes that ignited conversation on NBC’s Today Show was “Which Al Roker Are You?” noting “We’ve all got a little piece of the Internet’s favorite weather forecaster inside of our hearts.” After answering questions regarding where you’d like to live after retirement and who is your favorite detective, you are given that Al Roker you are most like. Answers vary from “Al Roker vs. The
Wind” to “The Rokering Al Roker,” which is Al Roker standing eeriliy by a lamp. Thes e quizzes on Buzzfeed allow any reader to take a few minutes and laugh at what decade they actually belong in or which character they are most like in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The share-ability of these quizzes is high due to the uncommon topics and hilarious results. “The Buzzfeed quizzes are a pick-me-up while I’m on a break at work and are too funny to not share with my friends,” said Stephani Smith, a WVU graduate student. These quizzes will probably not subside from your timeline anytime soon, but instead of hastily logging off Facebook, take a minute to resolve some of your most pressing questions.
Tatt-uesday
daa&e@mail.wvu.edu
special, ‘Walking Dead’ NEW YORK (AP) — Clearly, there’s room for Beatles, zombies and Olympic athletes on the same night of television. NBC’s Sunday night Olympics c ov e ra g e reached 26.3 million viewers, essentially even with the 26.4 million who watched the first Sunday in Vancouver four years ago. A CBS special about the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ performance on the “Ed Sullivan Show”
with performances by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr was seen by about 14 million people. The 15.8 million that watched “The Walking Dead” was its second biggest audience ever while “Downton Abbey” held up with 6.7 million. One clear cultural difference: Nielsen says “The Walking Dead” was mentioned in 1.2 million tweets, while the Beatles special hit 260,000 tweets.
Fred Armisen to lead band on Meyer’s ‘Late Night’ NEW YORK (AP) — Seth Meyers says former comedy colleague Fred Armisen will lead the band when he takes over NBC’s “Late Night.” Meyers tweeted Monday that his former “Saturday Night Live” castmate will “curate and lead” the band and run it even while shooting his IFC comedy series “Portlandia.” NBC confirms the news. Armisen is best known as a comic performer from “Portlandia” and his decade at “SNL.” But
he began show business as a drummer, principally for the punk-rock band Trenchmouth in the 1990s. He will handle vocals and guitar for “Late Night’s” 8G Band. Other players include Seth Jabour on guitar, Syd Butler on bass, Eli Janney on keyboards and Kimberly Thompson on drums. “Late Night with Seth Meyers” premieres Feb. 24. “Portlandia” returns for its fourth season three days later.
Follow us on Twitter.
@dailyathenaeum
For more information, contact one of our editors at danewsroom@mail.wvu. edu or pick up an application at the DA office at 284 Prospect St.
Shannon McKenna/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Kyle ‘Billy’ Bertsch, a business management student, has his family crest on the back of his shoulder because of the meaning that comes with it. “I wanted to get a tattoo that actually had meaning to me – not just something random,” Bertsch said.