THIS DATE IN HISTORY
BORN ON THIS DATE
1700 English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other.
Rainbow Center gives screening of transgender activism film www.dailycampus.com
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
1973 - Rachel Maddow 1980 - Randy Orton 1986 - Kid Ink 1997 - Asa Butterfield
The Daily Campus, Page 5
By Katie McWilliams Senior Staff Writer
Activism and human rights was the focus of Monday afternoon’s screening of “Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria” at the Rainbow Center. The film, narrated and researched by Susan Stryker, a transwoman, told the story of transgender activism prior to the “Stonewall Riots,” a movement generally accepted as the first instance of LGBTQIA activism. The screening was the last event in the Transgender Day of Celebration at the Rainbow Center and showcased the little known history behind transgender activism. The Compton riots occurred in 1966 when police forcibly assaulted the corner diner, where transwomen were known to gather in large numbers late into the night. The documentary described the brutality the women faced on that night as they rose up in defense of their rights, but it also focused on the larger issues the riot was indicative of. “We had to fight that night, not for our rights as gay people, but our rights as human beings,” said Amanda St. Jaymes, one of the women involved in the riot. The 1960s, the documentary said, was a great time to be out and about. San Francisco was filled with clubs and people indulged in dancing and parties
A good vampire romance for all
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The Rainbow Center Library offers a great deal of literature and other resources on transgender and other LGBTQ topics.
as a lifestyle. Still, transgender individuals were not recognized as valuable members of society and were discriminated against in everyday life. Tamara Ching, another transwoman who Stryker interviewed, said she remembered being singled out by the police force based on wearing buttons on the wrong side of her shirt or wearing makeup.
“I remembered when the cops would come into the bar and point and say, ‘you and you and you come with us,’” Ching said. Ching recalled how transgender people were repeatedly jailed and were often kept in solitary lock up. The hatred and discrimination was not just institutionalized in the actions of the police, but others would also taunt the community. One survi-
vor of the riots remembered sitting in Compton’s Cafeteria and having locals pull crosses to the front windows of the establishment, yelling that the women were going to hell. Alongside exploring the discrimination transwomen faced during the ‘60s (and continue to face today) the film highlighted how, within the LGBTQIA movement transgen-
der people are often excluded from the history of the movements. According to Stryker, as a recently changed woman, she found solace and comfort in researching her demographic’s history. “Researching transgender history helped me find my identity,” Stryker said.
Kathleen.McWilliams@UConn.edu
Summer movie preview: ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ By Alex Sferrazza Staff Writer
The biggest man in modern comedy is at it again. Seth MacFarlane, creator of the hit animated FOX sitcom “Family Guy,” will soon release his second feature film to theatres everywhere. “A Million Ways to Die in the West” is directed by and stars MacFarlane, while his “Family Guy” co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild return to assist the comic with the screenplay, as they have previously done with “Ted.” Speaking of the 2012 blockbuster, “Ted,” MacFarlane’s debut feature, stands as one of the highest grossing original R-rated comedies of all time, racking up just under $550 million at the worldwide box office. A sequel is currently planned. Suffice it to say, the pressure is on for MacFarlane and Co. to live up to their prior success. “A Million Ways to Die in the West” is a comedy western and will inevitably be compared to the greatest film ever to take place in both of those genres: Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles.” Set in the old west, the film follows the exploits of a cowardly sheep farmer (MacFarlane) who loses his girlfriend after he backs out of a duel. He gains some courage after meeting a mysterious new woman, and his bravery is put to the test when the woman’s outlaw husband comes to town.
Image courtesy of screencrush.com
Neil Patrick Harris, left, stars as Foy alongside Amanda Seyfried, right, who stars as Louise in this scene from Seth MacFarlane’s upcoming film, “A Million Ways to Die in the West.”
In addition to MacFarlane himself, the film is composed of an all-star cast featuring some of the biggest A-List stars in Hollywood today: Neil Patrick Harris, Liam Neeson, Sarah Silverman, Bill Maher, Amanda Seyfried, Gilbert Gottfried and Charlize Theron are all in the cast along with Giovanni Ribisi, best known as the antagonist of “Ted.” Rumor has it, a certain char-
acter from one of MacFarlane’s favorite films, played by Christopher Lloyd, might just have a cameo appearance. The film won’t be shying away from a hard R-rating either. In a brilliant marketing move, the film’s Super Bowl pre-game ad simply featured a conversation between MacFarlane and the ever-popular Ted the bear that directed fans to check out the film’s
(fairly graphic) trailer online. If its trailers are any indication, “A Million Ways” looks to be as brutal as it is bitingly funny. A series of random violent deaths – crushed by an ice block, shootouts, engulfed by flames – are interspersed with moments of MacFarlane’s traditionally edgy humor. Silverman (who plays a prostitute) trades lines with Ribisi that highlight these bits.
Additionally, to help promote the film, MacFarlane released a companion book in early March: “Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Ways to Die in the West: A Novel” based on the film script. “A Million Ways to Die in the West” hits theaters nationwide on May 30.
Riders wowed by view from big Vegas Ferris wheel LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tourists began taking in the view Monday from a skyline-changing observation wheel that offers a unique overview of sparkling Las Vegas Strip resorts, wide skies and craggy brown mountains in the distance. Van Kim, an airline call center employee from Phoenix, declared the experience “unanimously awesome.” Kim stood in line for six hours to be in the first gondola to complete the 30-minute ride on the 550-foot High Roller. Its height eclipses the 541-foot Singapore Flyer and the nearly 443-foot London Eye, and is expected to be the tallest in the world until planned Ferris-style wheels are completed in coming years in New York and Dubai. “It’s probably the best view of the Strip,” said Kim, who made mental images on a sunny and blustery day of the iconic Bellagio fountain across Las Vegas Boulevard and the stunningly green Wynn Golf Club a short distance away. Kim compared what he saw from his spherical pod with the panorama from an observation deck at the 1,148-foot Stratosphere tower, just 2 miles away. He
said he liked the view better at the heart of the Strip. “We didn’t feel the wind at all,” he added. The Las Vegas wheel is part of $550 million restaurant, bar, retail and entertainment development built by casino giant Caesars Entertainment Corp. between its Flamingo, Harrah’s and renamed Quad hotel-casinos. The Quad used to be the Imperial Palace. The outdoor pedestrian mall — dubbed LINQ — is across the Strip from the company’s flagship Caesars Palace resort. The walkway features beer bars, shops and a trendy “Cupcake ATM” at a Sprinkles sweets store, anchored by a Brooklyn Bowl venue offering concert, nightclub, bar, bowling alley and restaurant experiences. It leads to the High Roller, resembling a big white bicycle wheel with spoke-like cables. It sits between two stations of the nearly decade-old Las Vegas monorail line, which runs 3.9 miles and connects several hotels and the Las Vegas Convention Center. From a distance, the motion of the wheel is nearly imperceptible. Its profile is unmistakable. At night, it changes hues from blue to red to green to purple. Each of its 28 glass-enclosed and air-condi-
Alex.Sferrazza@UConn.edu
tioned gondolas can hold up to 40 people. Tickets are $24.95 during the day and $34.95 at night, with frontof-the-line VIP passes selling for $59.95. About 10,000 people, mostly Caesars employees, took preview rides in recent days before project chief David Codiga and a Caesars executive, Tariq Shaukat, broke champagne bottles Monday at a midday ceremony surrounded by elected officials and dignitaries who then rode the wheel. Steve Sisolak, chairman of the seven-member Clark County Commission that governs the Strip, emerged afterward calling the view spectacular and the jobs boost provided by the two years of construction important. “You can see the entire valley,” Sisolak said. “This is going to be one of those things everyone who comes to Las Vegas is going to want to do.” Another developer’s effort to build a 500-foot wheel called SkyVue near McCarran International Airport has proceeded slowly, leaving twin support spires marking the site across the Strip from the Mandalay Bay resort. Officials with that company, Compass Investments, say it could open next year.
Sometimes we all need to read a book strictly for the purpose of being entertained; a book where the plot seems silly but is enticing nonetheless. That is how I found myself buying “A Discovery of Witches” by Deborah Harkness. The back cover described a tale about vampires and witches in Oxford, England. The vampire and witch part sounded a bit cheesy and reminiscent of the “Twilight” series. However, I have been to Oxford and love fantasy novels so I decided to give this book a chance. I didn’t expect to become as engrossed in the plot as I did. The general premise of “A Discovery of Witches” is the same as “Twilight”: a trilogy in which a girl falls in love with a vampire. Diana and Matthew, the adult main characters in “A Discovery of Witches” have the maturity that teenage Bella and Edward in “Twilight” completely lacked. Diana is a much more likable woman. She has an established career as a historian. When she isn’t in the library researching, she is outside exercising. She has a life before meeting Matthew and when she does meet him, she doesn’t drop everything to follow him around like a puppy. In “Twilight” we never really learn what Bella does with her life besides spend time with Edward. Did she ever have any aspirations? Her personality was very static. The only thing I can think of that she was passionate about (besides Edward) was becoming a vampire. Matthew and Edward share some characteristics. They are both extremely overprotective but Edward still wins the prize for being protective to the extent of creepily obsessive. Matthew has a legitimate reason for being protective. The plot in “A Discovery of Witches” centers around Diana finding a book in Oxford’s Bodleian Library called Ashmole 782. This book contains all the secrets vampires, witches, and daemons, the third type of magical creature in the novel, have been hunting for centuries. Not realizing what she found, Diana returns the book to the library with ensuing negative consequences. Discovering Ashmole 782 causes magical creatures from around the world to antagonize Diana. They are willing to do whatever it takes to get the book. Matthew’s protection and vampire powers are therefore needed to ensure her safety. Besides the greater depth given to the characters in “A Discovery of Witches,” I felt that Harkness is a much better writer than Stephanie Meyer. Harkness is extremely creative, implementing history and science into her work. Unlike Edward, who spends his long life attending high school over and over again, Matthew studies hard to become famous geneticist. Harkness’ scientific explanations of Matthew’s work seem so real and plausible that sometimes I had to remind myself that the book is fictional. “Twilight” was often far-fetched, sometimes to the point of being absurd. Meyers has a fluffier, casual approach to her novels compared to Harkness. While vampire novels aren’t my typical go-to read, “A Discovery of Witches” has the elements I greatly enjoy in books: adventure, suspense, romance, and intelligence. I hope these positive qualities found in Harkness’ writing continue throughout the sequels. In my opinion, this is the vampire novel that should have received the popularity “Twilight” did.
Alyssa.McDonagh@UConn.edu