The News Record 1.30.14

VOL. CXXXVIII ISSUE XVVVI • FREE-ADDITIONAL COPIES $1

THE NEWS RECORD THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI’S INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN NEWS ORGANIZATION / THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2014

JACKSON’S RAKE’S END INJURY

DAAP STUDENT DRAWS LIFE INSPIRATION FROM ART

DASHING DESIGN

PUNK CULTURE CELEBRATED AT HOLE-IN-THE-WALL JOINT

PAGE 6

PAGE 5

PAGE 4

GRAMMY’S FASHION PAGE 4

UC officials, AAUP heading to mediation in contract negotiations Both parties hope to resolve differences on employee health care benefits, salary increase KATIE COBURN STAFF REPORTER

FILE ART AAUP members gathered at the December Board of Trustees meeting holding sides calling for better health care benefits and salary increases.

UC to demolish deteriorating, empty building

After nearly a year of negotiations, a contractual agreement between the University of Cincinnati and its largest faculty union could be in sight.

At the university’s request, top administrators and representatives from the UC chapter of American Association of United Professors will spend two full days in informal mediations Feb. 10 and 11.

John Gray, an external mediator with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, will visit to help resolve the dispute that has mostly revolved around differing demands regarding faculty healthcare, investment in faculty development and salary increases.

“The administration basically outsourced this entire bargaining process and then did not pay much attention to it until a lot of damage was done,” said Greg Loving, president of UC’s AAUP chapter.“They give an offer; we give a counter.

That just hasn’t happened much because they have not been very timely in giving offers on the table that we could even talk about.”

AAUP and UC are hopeful that the talks will result in a contract that satisfies both parties.

“It is the nature of negotiations to involve difficult issues and hard choices by both sides,” said Greg Hand,

UC spokesperson.“Everyone involved in negotiations this year is committed to the best interests of the University of Cincinnati. We will eventually achieve a resolution that is mutually acceptable, just as we have in the past.”

March 2014 marks one year since negotiations started, making it the longest negotiation since the first bargained contract in 1975, Loving said.

With most of the non-economic issues settled, Loving said, AAUP is focused on settling the economic issues, the most prominent being health care.

Loving argues that the current health care benefit plan is cost stable and wouldn’t increase as highly as administration projects.

“The administrations plans do dramatically increase what faculty will contribute for their health care, in some cases even tripling what our contribution is, which would frankly wipe out any salary gains at all, whatever they gave us,” Loving said.

While recognizing there are limited funds, Loving said the administration needs to make education the top priority and that starts with a salary increase.

“When an institution will not support its faculty in any meaningful way, that’s a bad sign for education,” Loving said.

With the contract expiring at the end of June, there is a heightened sense of urgency, Loving said.

“It is my hope that the president and the trustees recognize the importance of the faculty of this institution to our main mission of learning and discovery of new knowledge,” Loving said.

STATUS REPORT

THE NEWS RECORD

The University of Cincinnati is in the beginning stages of demolishing the Campus Services Building in Avondale near the proposed Interstate 71 exchange at Martin Luther King Drive.

UC purchased the former Sears department store, located at 2900 Reading Road, in 1980 and renovated it for office spaces that have housed numerous departments over the years.

Planning, Design and Construction was originally located in the building before it was converted to a services building, said Mary Beth McGrew, university architect and associate vice president of Planning, Design and Construction.

Safety concerns prompted the university to make the demolition decision a few years ago.

“The building façade is in failing; the floor plate does not accommodate current functions well,” McGrew said. “The building was originally a store and the SEE BUILDING PG 2

Income equality focus of Obama’s annual address THE NEWS RECORD

In his fifth State of the Union Address, U.S. President Barack Obama urged Congress to cooperate with him on issues including economic equality and affordable education.

Obama stressed to Congress that he would move forward with or without their support, and will act unilaterally if need be.

“The question for everyone in this chamber, running through every decision we make this year, is whether we are going to help or hinder this progress,” Obama said. “For several years now, this town has been consumed by a rancorous argument over the proper size of the federal government.”

Obama said America is boasting its lowest unemployment rate in more than five years and our domestic deficit has SEE SOTU PG 2

PHIL DIDION PHOTO EDITOR University of Cincinnati student body president Joe Blizzard and vice president Jaclyn Hyde reflected on their successes and failures so far during their tenure.

Safety, student engagement top on priority list for Blizzard, Hyde RYAN HOFFMAN NEWS EDITOR

February will mark one year since University of Cincinnati student body president Joe Blizzard and vice president Jaclyn Hyde won in a landslide election and started mapping out their tenure at the helm of student government.

In that year, the two have experienced victories and defeats.

The duo ran on a campaign of accessibility and being transparent and open. In short, they wanted student government to engage with as many students and student groups as possible.

To that extent the two say they’ve been successful.

“I’ve had a lot of students email me or reach out, come into the office, stop and talk and say I want to get involved with x, y or z or I think this is something student government should look at,” Blizzard said.

“It’s been very encouraging, even just to get an email from someone saying, ‘Hey this [shuttle] route isn’t running the way it should.’”

They see the increased involvement as a complete university-wide transition to a campus that’s increasingly more proud of its identity.

“I think as a whole we’ve seen a lot more engagement from the student body, and that’s been encouraging because the more engagement there is from the student body,

the better student government can serve the student body. I definitely don’t think student government can take credit for that. It’s just the collective direction of the university.”

Both agree that the crowning achievement for student government is the role it has played in helping improve safety on campus.

Student government played a crucial role refining the NightRide program at UC, which recently increased the size of its fleet and added a handicap-assessable van.

They also aided in the creation of the Be Smart Campaign, which is designed to educate students on staying safe on and around campus. President Santa Ono has supported the program since it was created.

“Our advocacy has been pretty strong when it comes to students,” Blizzard said.

However, everything has not gone as smooth as they would have liked.

After assuming their positions, the two quickly found out that running for office was different than being in office.

“A lot of things we do on a day to day basis are learning experiences,” Hyde said.

One of the top initiatives of their campaign was a landlord accreditation program, which has floundered since getting off the ground during the summer.

The website that list the landlords who have actively volunteered to have their apartment inspected by the fire department hasn’t had a new entry since October.

“I think it’s turned into a bigger project

than maybe what we thought it was going to be,” Blizzard said. “We kind of took a step back once we got the website up.”

Both are hopeful that the program could be useful, but for now it’s on the backburner.

Another defeat came in the middle of Fall semester, when a bill strongly backed

by Blizzard and Hyde failed in an 11-13 vote.

The bill would have allocated $1,630 to create a module that would be integrated into the existing University of Cincinnati Information Technology mobile app, to enhance student engagement with SG. “It was definitely a learning experience,” Blizzard said.

Despite the failures, both are eager to finish their term strong, with several big projects in the pipeline, including a strategic plan designed to help the work of previous administrations transition to the new ones.

“In the past transitions have just been person to person talking about the projects they’re working on and often times those projects can be lost, forgotten … so this way it’s a full document that says these are the things we’ve been working on,” Hyde said.

Elections are slated for mid-February.

Both are eager to impart their knowledge and work with the next administration.

“You can’t do everything on your own,” Hyde said. “The more students who are engaged in a project the more effective it will be in the long run.”

Funding to bring sexual assault awareness project to UC campus Efforts to address sexual violence continue; SG appropriates funds BECKY BUTTS ONLINE EDITOR

MADISON SCHMIDT CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Kathleen Hurley, SG speaker of senate, said she supports funding Project Unbreakable at UC.

Student Government voted to fund the speaking and travelling fees to bring Project Unbreakable founder to campus for a sexual assault awareness event Feb. 10.

“We as an organization need to be promoting and identifying issues that we think are important,” said Kathleen Hurley, speaker of senate.

Student government voted to supply $3,300 toward speaking fees, a decision that was contested by few.

Some members proposed that there are less expensive alternatives to Project Unbreakable.

Hannah Randolph, a third-year international affairs and economics student, said the project is unique from other sexual assault awareness initiatives.

“Her project focuses on not victim blaming, but promoting healing,” Randolph said.

Randolph said many sexual assault awareness initiatives promote trends of victim blaming by focusing on what potential victims can do to avoid sexual assault, such as dressing conservatively or drinking responsibly.

Project Unbreakable places the blame where it belongs, on the attacker.

Project Unbreakable’s founder Grace Brown was just a photography student living in New York. After hearing a friend’s depiction of an experience with sexual assault in October 2011,

CHIEF.NEWSRECORD@GMAIL.COM / 513.556.5908

Brown began brainstorming for Project Unbreakable.

Soon the project evolved from a sexual assault awareness initiative into a healing project for survivors.

Grace Brown, 21, photographs victims of sexual assault as they hold posters depicting quotes from their attackers.

The project also accepts photo submissions and now includes more than 1,500 photos of sexual assault survivors.

Now Brown travels to college campuses and universities around the country to speak about her project.

“I see sexual assault as a big problem that affects college students in general, women and men,” said Hannah Kenny, student government senator.

The, which is and open to the public, will take place at 6 p.m. in Zimmer Auditorium Feb. 10.

2 / NEWS

THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2014 / NEWSRECORD.ORG

Syria talks stall over Homs aid, evacuation proposals Government denies aid convoy entrance into war-stricken city MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

GENEVA — Peace talks between the warring parties in Syria’s civil war hit an impasse Monday after the government failed to allow a 12-truck aid convoy into the besieged old city of Homs and the opposition rejected a government statement on the aims of the conference.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations special representative on Syria, said “there is no decision yet” from the government on the convoy, which the political opposition has called a top humanitarian priority. Brahimi said the government’s proposal to evacuate women and children from the besieged old town also was on hold, due to a discussion of “all sorts of” security problems.

The veteran Algerian negotiator did not mask his disappointment. “The humanitarian discussions haven’t produced much, unfortunately,” he said.

“I am still begging, asking that something be done” about Homs and a half-dozen other towns under siege, including at least two beset by armed opposition forces, he said. But he summed up: “You know, we never expected miracles.”

The formal talks, which opened Friday at the U.N.’s European headquarters, moved into the political realm Monday and immediately hit a wall, with the opposition rejecting the government’s proposed set of principles to guide the discussions.

Brahimi said most of the principles in the government statement were already in the Geneva declaration, the 2012 document that formed the basis for the current round of negotiations.

One important principle was missing, however: the communique’s call for appointing a “transitional governing

FROM BUILDING PG 1

body” with “full executive powers” whose membership either side could veto.

The United States and the opposition claim that the provision would exclude Syrian President Bashar Assad from participation in the transitional authority, because the opposition would never agree to his involvement.

Opposition spokesman Louay Safi called omission of the transitional authority a “tactic to divert us from the real purpose” of the talks: discussion of an executive power that would replace Assad.

The Syrian government said the opposition’s response revealed its lack of experience and its reliance on others outside the meeting room to make its decisions.

Omran al Zoubi, the Syrian information minister, said Syria’s statement of principles contained no reference, positive or negative, to Assad or the office of the presidency and only called for respect for Syrian sovereignty, territorial integrity, national unity and fighting terrorism.

“What’s amazing is that they rejected this communique in less than two minutes,” he said. “One of them made a phone call, then came back to whisper in the ear” of chief negotiator Hadi al Bahra “to say that they reject this statement, part and parcel.”

The initial skirmishing may turn into a footnote when the bigger issues come up Tuesday: the actual content of the June 2012 “action plan.” Brahimi was asked how he’d get around the contradiction between the opposition’s demand that Assad go and the government’s insistence that he stay.

“If you have any ideas, I’ll take them with pleasure,” Brahimi quipped.

Western diplomats said an aid convoy to Homs, which has been under siege for 18 months, was still possible. They noted that the plan to provide aid to an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people trapped in the old city quarter had been discussed

PROVIDED Talks at the United Nations in Geneva aimed at peacefully ending the war in Syria came to an impasse after the Syrian government prevented a team of aid workers from entering the embattled city of Homs.

in detail with Russia, Assad’s principal foreign backer, during the week before the conference opened.

But the standoff over the convoy and the proposed evacuation of women and children from the besieged quarter underscored the different objectives of the two sides.

The Syrian government objects to any possibility that aid would go to the rebels who occupy the quarter, while the opposition fears that removing the women and children would give the government free rein to crush the rebels there.

Safi called government policy in Homs a “crime against humanity” and said removing women, children — or anyone — from Homs would change the demographics of the city.

“The regime has not delivered the food and medicines to people who are starving.

The regime is using starvation tactics to force people to submit to its will,” he said.

There was an element of confusion over exactly what had been agreed to Sunday.

Brahimi said the Syrian government had agreed to the evacuation of women and children, and he appealed to the government to let the convoy through.

A short time later, Syria’s deputy foreign minister, Faisal Maqdad, said his government was ready for a shipment of food and aid into Homs, though he emphasized that the evacuation was, in the government’s view, more important.

The United States said Monday that the Assad government “must approve the convoys” because “the situation is desperate and the people are starving.”

State Department spokesman Edgar Vasquez called an evacuation of women and children from the old city “not sufficient.” Civilians, he said, “must not be forced to leave their homes and split up their families before receiving muchneeded food and other aid.”

He spoke about the importance of raising the minimum wage of those working on new federal contracts to $10.10. Higher minimum wage can help curb poverty, boost productivity and increase profits.

Obama also underlined the importance of an affordable higher education. Since taking office, he has increased the maximum Pell Grant award for working and middle class families by more than $900 and attempted to make college more affordable by enacting effective student loan reforms by eliminating bank subsidies.

The underlying theme of the address was that he would move forward without Congress’s support if they refuse to join him in the next election year.

According to a snap CNN/ORC International poll, 44 percent of respondents had a “very positive”

response to Obama’s speech, while 32 percent described it as “somewhat positive” response and 22 percent didn’t like it at all. In 2013, 53 percent of respondents in a similar poll rated their response to the 2013 address as “very positive.”

In regards to foreign policy, Obama said he would veto any bill that would derail talks on preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, claiming, “We must give diplomacy a chance to succeed.”

FROM SOTU PG 1

university used it for offices for a while.”

Chicken wire prevents brick from falling at a parapet and a temporary walkway has been installed to ensure people can enter and exit the building safely.

Since concern arose, UC has been systematically moving people off of the property. Currently, the departments of Asset Utilization, parts of UCIT, Printing Services and Storage are still in the building.

Once the remaining departments are relocated, demolition plans will be able to move forward.

“The university is currently obtaining estimates [and] demolition drawings and specifications are in the works,” McGrew said.

While UC does not plan to build on the site after demolition, there have been discussions with developers about the future of the site, McGrew said.

been cut in half.

“For the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that China is no longer the world’s number one place to invest: America is,” Obama said.

After commending the audience members on their collective accomplishments, Obama turned toward what he said needs to be done in the future. He said that despite rising stock prices and corporate profits, average wages haven’t shown an increase, which has resulted in a larger gap in equality.

“Today, federal law prohibits employment discrimination based on race, sex, religion and disability,” Obama said. “It’s time to add sexual orientation and gender identity to that list, so that no American worker can lose his or her job simply because of who they are or who they love.”

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

@NEWSRECORD_UC

CLASSIFIEDS POLICY

RATES

1 All ads must be prepaid.

2 Out-of-town advertisers must send check with copy.

3 NIU’s must be signed and filled out before acceptance of ads.

4 All ad changes are due two days prior to publication.

5 No refunds unless a mistake by The News Record’s staff occurs in the advertisement.

Refunds are not granted for ads placed, then cancelled. Adjustments are limited to the portion of the ad which is incorrect. Under no circumstances will an adjustment be issued greater than the cost of the ad.

7 days: $25.00 1,2, or 3 issues $0.60 per word +$10 for 7 days online

14 days: $40.00

6 To receive student discount, current verification must be shown.

7 Students or student groups may not use display or classified discounts for non-university, for profit businesses.

8 Advertisers should check their ads the first day of printing. The News Record is not responsible for more than one incorrect insertion.

9 The News Record reserves the right to reject any ads at its discretion, with or without notification to the advertiser.

10 These policies are not negotiable.

Hookahs Shisha facebook.com/pages/Elite-Smoke-Shop-of-cincinnati/583516198368467

233 West McMillan St Cincinnati, Ohio 45219

tel: 513-381-1613

ONLILNE CLASSIFIED AD RATES monthly: $75.00 semesterly: $150.00

4,5, or 6 issues $0.50 per word +$20 for 14 days online

DEADLINES Deadline for classified ads is 4 p.m., two days prior to publication.

Display ad deadline is 4 p.m., three days prior to publication. Deadline for Monday issues is 4 p.m. Thursday for display ads.

For classified and display advertising information, please call 513-556-5900.

FOR RENT

Large Studios/1Bedroom/3-Bedrooms in HYDE PARK

Large Studio (450 sq. ft.), Rent $620/month.

1-BR, (700 sq. ft.)

Hardwood floors, Rent $735/month.

3-BR (1,200 sq. ft.) with 2 bathrooms, balcony, hardwood floors. Rent $1,350/month.

HEAT & WATER PAID. Call us at (513) 477-2920 or pspropertiesincincinnati@ gmail.com.

7, 8, or 9 issues $0.40 per word +$30 for 21 days online

10+ issues $0.30 per word +$35 for 30 days online

FOR RENT

Now Renting for August 2014!

E-cigss Water Pipes Smoking Accessories

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All apartment rental/sublet advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap or familial status, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for apartment rentals or sublets which is in violation of the law.

Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Vape Pens

Hookah Accessories FOR RENT

Looking for an apartment? www.ucapartments.com

See a video tour at UC4RENT.COM. 513-621-7032 CHIEF.NEWSRECORD@GMAIL.COM / 513.556.5908

CLASSES OFFERED

Concealed Carry Classes Our one day certification course is taught by active duty Police Officers.

Call 513-2379423 or email anamericanlawman@ yahoo.com for more info.

3 / ADVERTISEMENT

THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2014 / NEWSRECORD.ORG

WE TAKE THE

THRILL

OUT OF INVESTING. At TIAA-CREF, we believe the less excitement you find in your portfolio the better. When we invest, we do it for the long term, steadily.

Our approach works so well it earned us the 2013 Lipper Award for Best Overall Large Fund Company. We deliver Outcomes That Matter.

Intelligent, informed investing.

Award-winning performance.

Get started at TIAA.org/award.

The Lipper award is given to the group with the lowest average decile ranking of three years’ Consistent Return for eligible funds over the three-year period ended 11/30/12. TIAA-CREF was ranked against 36 fund companies with at least five equity, five bond, or three mixed-asset portfolios.

TIAA-CREF mutual funds have achieved high rankings over various asset classes and market cycles.

The 2012 Lipper/Barron’s overall ranking was determined by weighting five fund categories in proportion to their overall importance within Lipper’s fund universe. TIAA-CREF’s overall ranking was 10th out of 62 mutual fund families for one-year performance, and 29th out of 53 mutual fund families for five-year performance. TIAA-CREF did not qualify for the 10-year ranking. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

BEST OVERALL LARGE FUND COMPANY The Lipper Award is based on a review of 36 companies’ 2012 risk-adjusted performance.

Consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. Go to tiaa-cref.org for product and fund prospectuses that contain this and other information.

Read carefully before investing.

TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, and Teachers Personal Investors Services Inc. ©2013 Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association – College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF), 730 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10017. C11806B

4 / ARTS Punks gather at Rake’s End; cover System of a Down

THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2014 / NEWSRECORD.ORG

Maura Weaver, Parasol, The Caulfield Kids put on true punk show; Mohawks fill local bar JAKE SCOTT CONTRIBUTOR

A Tuesday show proved that Cincinnati’s underground punk scene is still doing what it does best: actually staying underground. While Rake’s End could use a better location, it warmly welcomes those who have something to shout.

Underground doesn’t do this concert justice, however.

The drive to the show was an assortment of left turns that eventually led to an area of downtown Cincinnati that one would find straight out of an old gangster flick — the kind where someone sees something they shouldn’t and that someone finds themselves in a situation.

Without a noticeable sign on the door, Rake’s End is almost impossible to find until a cloud of smoke from the cigarettes of a huddled group of people rises directly in front of the entrance.

There’s plenty of space to sit, a bar stocked with signature and craft beers as well as a plethora of liquors and music you can bob your head to while holding a conversation at the same time.

The three bands — well two bands, Parasol and The

Caulfield Kids, and Maura Weaver of the Cincinnatifamous band Mixtapes who decided to go solo — proved that a stage is nothing but a big cliché of concerts and a floor is a perfectly acceptable substitute.

Unlike most punk shows, there were no mosh pits, no fights, and no tomfoolery; just a bunch of friends that wanted to gather around a mic and sing their hearts out.

There were Mohawks — a lot of Mohawks.

The inside is another dimension. A dimly lit art gallery/bar, the walls covered in strange paintings, sculptures, and miniature landscapes. Anyone who has seen the “Twilight Zone” should begin to understand the picture, yet the place is almost cozy.

The venue, while unusual, served its purpose. The small space allowed the instruments and the vocalists to blast past their volume limit and force the audience to become part of the fast-paced acts.

Each band took the stage for about five of their own original songs — and one gripping cover of System of a Down’s “Chop Suey,” which was oddly enough the slowest song of the night.

It’s important to note that the bands were able to play their sets and not lose any concentration as the audience walked through the middle of their act. Why? Because the bathrooms are located directly behind where the bands play. Sticking to the essence of punk: unorthodox.

DAN SULLIVAN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Rake’s End only had bands that were all led by females last night. Maura Weaver performed a new song she wrote about not conforming to gender.

As Tommy Ramone, drummer for the legendary punk rock band The Ramones, once put it, “We play short songs and short sets for people who don’t have a lot of spare time.”

And Tuesday punk bands pay homage to their predecessors by keeping the genre what it is: fast-pace for those who want to live hard and die young.

Forced character chemistry in ‘Philomena’ MONROE TROMBLY STAFF REPORTER

“Philomena” tells the story of a woman who decides to go on a journey to find her long lost son, who was taken from her 50 years earlier. Enlisting the help of embattled and cynical journalist, Martin Sixsmith, Philomena and Martin work together and form a partnership, consequently causing each other to look over their individual lives and question their choices, motives and decisions that have brought them to the present juncture.

The work is an adaptation, written by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope from Martin Sixsmiths’ book,“The Lost Child of Philomena Lee.” Philomena, played by Judi Dench, is a simple, kind-hearted woman whose niceness and unsophisticated nature contrast directly with Martin, played by screenwriter Steve Coogan.

Martin falls on hard luck when he’s fired from his position as a Labour government advisor, and he comes across Philomena’s story one night, a secret she’s decided to divulge after 50 years to her daughter on a whim.

Philomena reveals she gave birth to a son outside of marriage when she was a teenager. It’s not entirely clear how she ended up at a convent in Ireland, but it was there she was forced to work essentially in slave-like conditions to “pay back” the nuns and sisters who took her and her child in.

In the eyes of the Irish faith in the ’40s, girls who committed sexual acts like Philomena were the ultimate example of sin.

The nuns, in order to bring themselves closer to God, believed that self-denial and mortification was key to establishing true and undying faith. One day an American family stops by the convent, and Philomena’s child, Anthony, is given away, and it’s later revealed that he was sold for 1,000 pounds. Philomena, then 17, is forced to sign a document that forbids her from ever inquiring about Anthony’s whereabouts and doings.

From the start it’s clear that the secret has taken a toll on Philomena both emotionally and existentially, as she’s grappled with the emotions of questioning her own morality, what sin is and if her pain and suffering really is penance for her act. Surprisingly, Philomena has continued to believe in God from the day she was brought to the convent.

Martin and Philomena occupy ample time on the screen discussing their various feelings towards faith. The film at times steers away from a sad condemnation of Church misdoings, instead opting for a study of the friendship that is born between Martin and Phil.

They are complete opposites in almost every way, but their joint pursuit of the truth behind Anthony’s life forces them to accept one another, eventually. Steve Coogan plays Sixsmith as a worldly man, trying to be relatively unattached and emotionless to Philomena’s story, regarding it as simply a human-interest piece. Philomena, even with all the time and energy spent withholding the secret of Anthony, is surprisingly eager to talk Martin’s ear off.

This chemistry between Martin and Philomena at times comes off as too contrived. The screenplay relies heavily on Philomena’s gullibleness and unsophistication for laughs, even if Coogan was writing her to be a sweet, good-humored old lady.

There is a constant reliance in the dialogue on Philomena’s one-liners for humor, that is, humor of her ignorance or small-timeness.“Philomena” is also a bit uneven at times, and the film has trouble staying a cohesive with regards to the emotions that the filmmakers want audiences to feel. One moment Philomena and Martin are cracking jokes all over the place, and the next thing you know they’ve hit rock bottom with no subtlety or hint at all at how they got there.

The imparting of these emotions periodically feels manufactured whereas feelings and thoughts gleaned from a film should flow naturally and without effort.

“Philomena” is a film that focuses on the friendship formed whilst uncovering, investigating and questioning life’s biggest matters, but the light-hearted banter seems out of place with the gritty subject matter and real-world issues that isn’t fully explored or addressed by the time the credits roll.

Who wore what at Grammy’s Some looked great, some could look better at biggest music awards ALLISH MASTERSON CONTRIBUTOR

By the time 6 p.m. rolled around Sunday, anticipation for the 56th Grammy Awards was through the roof. Millions of Americans made their way to the TV to watch the red carpet, envisioning what statement Lady Gaga would make this year, who Beyoncé would be wearing and how incredible Justin Timberlake would look. Unfortunately, none of those people were even at the Grammy’s, except for Beyoncé.

Those who did walk the carpet embraced their individual styles, some working better

than others. To start, the E! red carpet hosts, Kelly Osbourne and Giuliana Rancic wowed in floor length dresses. Osbourne wore a black, long sleeved Badgley Mischka dress with jeweled detailing on the shoulders and accessorized with one of her father’s crucifix necklaces hanging down her back.

Rancic went in a different direction, wearing a halter dress with lace overlay

by Australian designer Alex Perry in the perfect shade of orange for her skin tone.

The metallic trend was very prominent as many opted to shine just like a Grammy.

Ciara went for the floor-length route as well and wore a beautiful, custom, Emilio Pucci dress with gold brocade detailing that fit her pregnant belly perfectly.

The chain mail Gucci dress Taylor Swift wore looked as if she were dripping in diamonds and fit her to a T. John Legend’s wife, Chrissy Teigen, radiated in a plunging, gold Johanna Johnson dress with a high slit.

Rita Ora stayed with the metallic trend, but kept her mint Lanvin dress short.

Others kept their dresses short, too, to celebrate the biggest night in music. Sarah Hyland looked cute and elegant in her simple, black and white Emilio Pucci dress and Ariana Grande wore a floral, tea length Dolce & Gabbana number. While Grande looked cute, it seems like we’re seeing her in the same dress in a different color every time she hits the carpet.

One of the more risky looks of the night was Katy Perry in Valentino that was straight off the runway. The music-themed dress was perfect for the night and Perry looked ethereal as she posed for pictures. Beyoncé slipped into a revealing white, lace dress by

PROVIDED

former “Project Runway” designer Michael Costello and Madonna also mixed things up by wearing a wonderfully tailored, Ralph Lauren suit with her son in one to match.

The real scene-stealers of the night though, had to be the men. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis stood out in teal velour and houndstooth suits, respectively. Blue seemed to be the color of the night for the men with Ryan Seacrest in navy, Kendrick Lamar in a vibrant blue and Robin Thicke in a navy, velvet Armani suit.

Some men ditched the suits and kept things casual, like 30 Seconds to Mars who wore jeans, tees, and blazers and Pharrell in jeans and a front zip jacket. Pharrell also added a Vivienne Westwood hat that resembled that of Smokey the Bear to complete his Grammy look.

Sadly, not everyone looked as great as those mentioned. Paris Hilton took things too far in a white dress by Haus of Milani.

Even though the heiress looked gorgeous, she looked like she was trying too hard to make a statement.

Sara Bareilles looked like she was wearing a wedding dress gone wrong in her high-low dress with flower appliqués by Blumarine and Skylar Grey was washed out in a nude leather dress by Michael Costello.

Some artists had some fit issues too, like Ed Sheeran in a suit jacket that was so small he could hardly button it and Colbie Caillat who just seemed uncomfortable in her Ezra Santos dress.

While the artists took chances with music this year, they surely didn’t take any fashion risks.

PROVIDED

New perspective on writer Charles Dickens Inside look at famous writer’s home life through eyes of secret mistress MONROE TROMBLY STAFF REPORTER

Stories of muses and forbidden love are ubiquitous throughout history, but “The Invisible Woman” presents lust and passion through a Victorian lens, where the woman was more often rebuked and shunned by society than the man.

Thus, the title is apt in that the film recounts the mistress and lover of Charles Dickens, Nelly Ternan’s gradual descent into impassioned love as she speedily retreats into the shadows to protect her reputation as a lady.

The film chronicles several time periods, from when Dickens first meets Ternan at a tender age of 18, all the way to when Ternan has outlived Dickens. During this time Tere struggling to cast off the past from her thoughts and feelings.

“The Invisible Woman” opens with Ternan clothed in black fervently striding

along the beach. It is known that she has had a famous acquaintance from the past, and characters implore her to share her memories of Dickens.

Her downcast gaze and disappearances from the house suggest unresolved emotions and instability.

The memories are triggered and they start to flow in slow, powerfully wrought scenes. Directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes as Dickens.

Fiennes brings Victorian standards to the forefront of scrutiny and examination, questioning the morality and ethics of shunned love.

We see Dickens as the charismatic life of parties, but behind closed doors, his desires and impulses are not so often in line with the public eye as his mannerisms may be.

Because this is first and foremost Ternan’s story, it focuses on Dickens and how his public life and desire for the limelight often had a negative effect on Ternan’s life.

The passion that could have been much more is cut short by Dickens’ ambition to further his position in the public spotlight as a literary genius; ironically it is precisely his intellect that attracts Ternan in the first place.

The commentary on Victorian prejudices and opinions is incredibly stimulating, as is the emphasis on humans and what drives us to essentially live how we see fit, the choices being rejected by conscious or subconscious compulsions.

The story is deliberately vague and slow throughout the entirety of the film, imparting a wonderful amount of tension and pathos that helps to connect with the dynamic emotions of the characters.

Audiences are forced to dwell on Ternan and Dickens’ choices, forcing them to think long and hard about what was deemed taboo then, and more importantly how far or little we’ve come now.

5 / COLLEGE LIFE Poignant novel demands reading before film release

THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2014 / NEWSRECORD.ORG

“The Fault in Our Stars” captures vivid emotions, enticing characters EMILY BEGLEY COLLEGE LIFE EDITOR

The word OK envelops so much more than satisfaction on the lips of Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace Lancaster, the main characters of “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green.

OK is their always — a promise, an ambition and an encouragement — in a relationship brought together by a cross in the stars.

Waters and Lancaster meet in a support group gathered in the Literal Heart of Jesus, the center of a cross-shaped church where Jesus’s heart would have been located, Lancaster observes.

Quite a bit of lingering eye contact transforms into a flourishing affair between Waters and Lancaster, who bond over one common factor, cancer; she, stage four thyroid cancer; he, a survivor of osteosarcoma.

Although Lancaster worries she is a metaphorical grenade, her relationship with Waters is inevitable.

“The nobleman Cassius says to Brutus, ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings,’” Shakespeare writes in “Julius Ceasar,” referenced by Green in the novel.

This statement sets up a powerful intonation throughout the piece, which, despite my initial beliefs, was a thoroughly engaging and emotional novel in its entirety.

With love blossoming between Waters and Lancaster nearly as soon as the book begins, my initial worry was that the plot would take a borderline sappy, Nicholas Sparks-esque path that would dampen the overwhelming potential of the novel. “‘Really? [Waters] asked. ‘Pixie-haired gorgeous girl dislikes authority and can’t help but fall for a boy she knows is trouble. It’s your autobiography, so far as I can tell,’” Green writes.

My worries of overwhelmingly frequent flirtatious dialogue were dampened in the span of a few more pages, however, when readers were given a deeper insight into the personalities and daily lives of the characters.

Lancaster’s parents become nearly as important and prevalent as the book’s central figures, giving a different and moving perspective on battling cancer.

Lancaster’s attitude is vehement and humorous. She is a refreshing character that I haven’t encountered in a novel in quite a while. She is a realist, never sugarcoating her experiences but maintaining an uplifting outlook.

Waters is engaging as well, adding more humor to the

plot that any other individual (especially with some horrific driving skills).

By the middle of the novel, all qualms of sappiness were completely eliminated. Lancaster’s and Waters’ bond becomes stronger over a book titled “An Imperial Affliction,” which depicts a young girl similarly battling with cancer.

Lancaster has reread the book dozens of times and discusses several sizeable questions about the book that continue to nag her, a dilemma that introduces yet another provocative character to the book.

It’s impossible not to become attached to these characters.

“It’s impossible not to become attached to these characters; the more time I spent with the book, the easier it became to visualize Lancaster and Waters and their individual struggles.”

The more time I spent with the book, the easier it became to visualize Lancaster and Waters and their individual struggles.

The ending literally had me in tears (which is substantially difficult for a book to accomplish).

An adaptation of “The Fault in Our Stars” premieres in theaters in June, starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as the two main characters.

The poignant emotions weaved throughout the novel, however, will be difficult to match on the big screen.

PROVIDED

Actress Shailene Woodley is slated to portray Hazel Grace Lancaster in the upcoming film adaptation of John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars.”

Organizations Sketching artistic passion through time encourage involvement AMANDA ADKINS STAFF REPORTER

Students looking to expand their involvement at the University of Cincinnati took shelter from the cold in TUC Atrium Wednesday during the thirdannual Winter Student Organizations Fair hosted by the Student Activities Board.

Many organizations were stationed at tables presenting information about their groups in hopes of encouraging students

“There are so many things going on, and every tuition-paying student should take advantage of that.”

- Tyler Harris, fourth-year electronic media student

to become aware of their goals, activities and benefits. “[The SAB] is working towards getting the names of student organizations out there, as well as help students who may not be involved yet find something to get involved with,” said Katie Berling, Student Activity Board external vice president and fourth-year communications and journalism student.

“That’s a big part of this, is bringing the UC Community closer together.”

SAB hosted this meeting to provide students who may not otherwise be aware of UC’s many student organizations a chance to meet with groups and their executive officers in person.

Participating organizations included the American Marketing Association, Black Arts Collaborative, College Republicans, UC Democrats, Cross Fitness Club, Fraternity and Sorority Life, UC Racial Awareness Program and UC Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club.

“I’m proud to belong to a university with such a wide variety of groups,” said Tyler Harris, a fourth-year electronic media student. “There are so many things going on, and every tuition-paying student should take advantage of that.”

PROVIDED

Third-year graphic communication design student Shem Nyachieo has pursued his passion for art from a young age.

Shem Nyachieo describes pursuit of drawing, design at, beyond UC

all the animals, so I started to draw it.

After that, with some practice, I started drawing portraits.”

Portraits, such as Rapunzel from Disney’s “Tangled” and life drawings including Jennifer Aniston, comprise the many works in Nyachieo’s portfolio.

“With practice, portraits have become one of my best parts in design work. I am passionate about good and detailed drawings,” Nyachieo said.

Hard work is not new to Nyachieo; after graduating from the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash in spring 2013, Nyachieo was accepted into the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, where he works in a co-op program with a focus on typography.

“Right now I am working for a UC renovation department at the medical campus. Nyachieo said. “We have a lot of projects for UC such as renovations and improving the campus.”

Nyachieo’s current project is in conjunction with the African American Cultural Resource Center, which requires him to incorporate important elements of the AACRC into his designs. His final design will be printed in February.

“I am planning a sign that incorporates graphic design elements that speaks to the whole brand for the resource center,” Nyachieo said. “The design I came up with is really colorful and bright.”

While Nyachieo has excelled in the field

MARK EILERS CONTRIBUTOR

Third-year graphic communication design student Shem Nyachieo’s life-long passion for art stemmed from a simple incident: a desire to draw a fish.

“I got my start in art when I was really young. In third grade, I began by drawing something like a fish,” Nyachieo said.

“Then I saw another student drawing another fish. I noticed that their drawing was better than mine, so I worked on my drawings over and over so that I could improve my skills.”

Nyachieo continued to progress in the field with determination and desire, driving him to become a better artist.

Self-critiques and willpower stuck with him growing up and continued to fuel his passion.

Two years later, Nyachieo’s fish grew into something bigger.

“Around the 5th grade, my favorite animal was a lion,” Nyachieo said.

“Rumor has it that the lion is the king of

PROVIDED

PROVIDED

Nyachieo’s portrait of Rapunzel from Disney’s “Tangled” is one of many detailed drawings in his portfolio.

of art, he has also participated in other activities around UC. He emphasized the influence of working as a peer mentor at UCBA over the summer, a job that required him to connect with incoming students and assist them in their academic decisions.

“Becoming a peer mentor has really impacted my life,” Nyachieo said.

“Starting off, I was really nervous about understanding what it means to be a leader. However, I learned that incoming freshmen are mostly terrified about the transition into college. I was able to help those students to calm down and spark excitement for that change.”

Working as a peer mentor helped Nyachieo develop important social skills that have changed who he is as a person.

“Every year I learn something new. By asking for help from my professors, I can always teach myself something new and interesting,” Nyachieo said. “Knowledge and growth will always be an important to me.”

The job additionally established Nyachieo as a prevalent face of UC; chances are he will be smiling up at you through photos around campus and online.

Nyachieo is passionate about adding detail into his art, such as in this portrait of Jennifer Aniston.

Author to ignite next installation of Visiting Writers Series Rachel Kushner comes to campus Monday to discuss most recent novel EMILY BEGLEY COLLEGE LIFE EDITOR

In Rachel Kushner’s “The Flamethrowers,” the protagonist’s vision is consumed by her adoration of motorcycles and speed — a passion she illustrates alongside dreaming, conventionalizing artists in New York City’s 1975 SoHo, Manhattan.

Reno’s love quite literally takes her on the ride of her life, ferrying her between an affair with an artist connected to an Italian motorcycle empire and encounters with members of an overtaking radical movement.

Themes of betrayal, terrorism and mystique are all underlying principles in Kushner’s most recent novel.

“Valera had fallen back from his squadron and was cutting the wires of another rider’s lamp,” the novel begins in a chapter titled He Killed Him With a Motorbike Headlamp (What He Had in his Hand).

“The rider, Copertini, was dead. Valera felt no sadness, strangely, even though Copertini had been a comrade in arms, someone Valera had sped along with under the Via del Corso’s white neon, long before they both volunteered for the cycle battalion in 1917.”

The zealous, fast-paced novel will be the focus of the next installment of the Visiting Writers Series, which will bring Kushner to the University of Cincinnati Monday.

The event will be at 7 p.m. in McMicken Hall, Room 127.

Kushner is the author of two novels of fiction, her first being “Telex from Cuba” in 2009. “Telex from Cuba” delves into the years nearing Fidel Castro’s revolution in the country, following the story of Americans forced to leave

Cuba in 1958.

Both works have been nominated for various awards, including the National Book Award in both 2008 and 2013.

Kushner is the only author to be nominated for this award for a first and second book, according to Kushner’s official biography.

She has also had fiction pieces and essays printed in The New York Times, The Paris Review and other significant publications.

The Visiting Writers event scheduled to take place Friday with C.K. Williams has been cancelled; Williams will return to campus for a poetry lecture 4 p.m. March 28.

6 / SPORTS Everything to gain for winner of UC vs Louisville THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2014 / NEWSRECORD.ORG

University of Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin cheers on his team.

FILE ART

Top spot in American Athletic Conference up for grabs as Bearcats battle Cardinals JOSHUA MILLER SPORTS EDITOR

The stakes are high anytime the University of Cincinnati and the University of Louisville square off in men’s basketball, but — for both sides — there’s a lot more than bragging rights up for grabs.

Thursday’s game is the one everyone circled on their calendars at the beginning of the year, one of two final meetings between the two rivals in the foreseeable future. It’s Mick Cronin versus his mentor, Rick Pitino.

It’s a battle for first place in the American Athletic Conference.

For UC, Thursday represents the toughest challenge of the season to date. It’s also a chance for the Bearcats to take a two game lead in conference play.

“I want our guys to embrace it,” Cronin said. “These are college kids and they’ve earned the right to have a big game and a big night. But at the same time, execution is going to decide who wins. For us it’s about being mentally tough in a tough environment against a really good team that’s going to present a lot of

AAC honors Good as top weekly field athlete THE NEWS RECORD

University of Cincinnati senior track and field athlete Caitlyn Good was named the American Athletic Conference’s female field athlete of the week Tuesday.

Good took home first place in the pentathlon at the Rod McCravy Invitational Saturday in Lexington, Ky., posting the second best overall performance of her career with a final tally of 3,799.

Good seized control of the competition with individual victories in the high jump and the shot put and she ensured her victory with a second-place finish in the 800-meter run. Her mark of 41 feet and 5.25 inches was a career-best throw in the shot put.

Currently ranked first in the conference, Good’s point total is the 12th best mark in the country at this point in the season.

If she can return to her career-best form, 3,907 points, Good will be a serious threat at the NCAA Championships.

adversity for us.”

UC enters Thursday’s game on a 12-game win streak after back-to-back losses in December. Louisville, on the other hand, is playing its best basketball of the season in the five games since its loss to Memphis Jan. 9.

Despite being exploited in early-season losses to North Carolina and Kentucky, Louisville’s defense, which is very much a carbon copy of the pressure and schemes Cronin utilizes at UC, will be the best the Bearcats have seen this season. “[Our guys] need to understand that Louisville’s defense, especially their deflections and their pressure, is something that we have not seen this year yet,” Cronin said. “We haven’t had anybody come after us defensively. We’ve had good defensive teams that we’ve played against, but nobody that plays their style.”

As expected — after UC’s NCAA record of 27 straight games without allowing more than 70 points per game — the Cardinals are second to the Bearcats in defensive efficiency in the AAC. UC, which ranks fifth in the country in points allowed per game (56.9), could very well be without its most important defensive player, Justin Jackson.

Jackson, who injured his right ankle in the first half of UC’s 80-76 victory against Temple Sunday, didn’t practice Tuesday during UC’s media availability and is listed as day-to-day.

“Well he’s still got the mean face, but he’s got a bad ankle,” Cronin said. “We’ll see, he’s not practicing today. If he walks in here, he’ll tell you he’s playing.

If he’s at a point where he can’t play I may not bring him to the game or I may have to put him in the stands or he’ll try to put himself in the game. That’s the kind of guy he is; he was begging to play at halftime of the Temple game.”

Cronin referred to Jackson as the “anchor” of UC’s defense. And while it helps the Bearcats that former UC recruit Chane Behanan has been dismissed from Louisville, there’s still the question of how to combat the Cardinals’ star forward Montrezl Harrell.

With Jackson and Jermaine Sanders both injured and Jamaree Strickland not cleared by the NCAA to play, David Nyarsuk could be UC’s only true big man.

And, as Cronin pointed out, Nyarsuk is most useful in shorter stints of time.

Should UC have to go without Jackson, they’d be doing so against the top offensive team in the AAC, as Louisville ranks 13th in the nation in points per game (83.2).

Russ Smith, who trails UC’s Sean Kilpatrick at the top of the AAC scoring list, is among the 25 players still in consideration for the John Wooden award, the highest individual honor in college basketball.

Smith has been on fire since the Memphis game, shooting better than 60 percent from 3-point range in the five games since.

Sean Kilpatrick, who is very similar in play style and team role to Smith, has been on a similar tear for UC, after dropping a season-high 29 points against Temple.

“I think they’re very similar, obviously [Kilpatrick] is bigger and Russ is faster,” Cronin said. “I think when both of them are at their best their shot selection is

FILE ART

University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino reacts on the sidelines.

great. At their worst, they take too many shots and too many hard shots.”

But for the Bearcats as a whole, who gave up 21 turnovers against Louisville last year, the key to the game offensively will be the poise of their young guards.

“Our offense is completely different than it was last year, but we’ve got a lot of guys that haven’t played major minutes at the guard position against them, being Ge’Lawn [Guyn], Troy [Caupain] and Kevin [Johnson],” Cronin said. “Those guys are my biggest concerns in this game because they have not seen the pressure that Louisville brings constantly.”

Key’s to the Game for UC: Turnovers: The Bearcats committed 21 turnovers that last time they played Louisville, a 67-51 loss.

Justin Jackson’s Ankle: Even if he does play, Jackson won’t be his usual explosive self. He’s been UC’s best player all season, and his status going into the game is a serious challenge for the Bearcats whether he plays or not.

Titus Rubles: Rubles had one of the worst games of his career at Louisville last year. With Jackson hobbled and likely not playing at all, Rubles has to rebound and he has to get to the free throw line.

UC women fall to Southern Methodist Bearcats struggle to score with Hollins out for rest of season PATRICK LAAKE STAFF REPORTER

The University of Cincinnati women’s basketball team has now lost seven of its past nine games and is slipping further and further away from a chance at the NCAA tournament.

UC had a tough night Tuesday, losing to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs for the second time this season, 66-47.

Early on it looked like the Bearcats were going to be a tough out, as they took a 12-6 lead at the four-and-half-minute mark.

Then the SMU defense stepped it up and the Bearcats didn’t score a field goal for the next seven minutes. By the eight-minute mark, the Bearcats were down by 10.

SMU guard and leading scorer Keena Mays lead the charge for the Mustangs as she scored 10 straight points in a two-anda-half-minute span to push the lead to 13.

Mays finished with 24 points, six steals and a season high eight assists. Mays only had 15 points when the two teams last met in Cincinnati, Tuesday she had 15 at half time. “[I got] in my rhythm early,” Mays said. “I didn’t really force shots early.”

Starting forward Alyesha Lovett had one of her worst games of the UC season. Lovett couldn’t find a rhythm and struggled to make any positive impact. She finished 0-7 from the field and 0-4 from 3-point. She also committed 4 turnovers.

Turnovers quickly became a serious deficit for the Bearcats. SMU scored 18 points out of UC’s 22 committed turnovers, eight of which came from freshman guard Bianca Quisenberry.

Quisenberry seemed to try to do a little too much for the majority of the game.

She took 11 shots, the most on the team, yet only made three, finishing as the only Bearcat in double figures with 11 points.

The Bearcats fell off the map late in the first half. They scored 12 points in the first five minutes and only managed 10 points in the last 15, as SMU ran into the locker room up 39-22.

UC scored the first basket of the second half just 20 seconds in, but then, once again the Bearcats went almost five minutes without scoring.

SMU forward Akil Simpson had a big day as she went for 17 points and seven rebounds. Simpson dominated the paint and held UC forward Jeanise Randolph in check for most of the game. Randolph was able to snag a game-high 14 rebounds but

only managed to score eight points.

Neither team did much scoring in the second half. SMU knew the win was in the bag half way through the half and put their game on cruise control to coast to the 66-47 victory. The Mustangs lead never dipped below 14 in the second half, although SMU head coach Rhonda Rompola was not pleased at all by how her team finished the game.

“I don’t like the [way] we played them even in the second half,” she said. “You don’t want to relax. We weren’t as energized as we were in the first half.”

The Bearcats played their first game since losing leading scorer and senior leader Dayeesha Hollins for the remainder of the season, and it showed.

Hollins had been dealing with a chronic knee injury dating back to last year. She is ranked No. 17 on UC’s all-time scoring list. The two-time all conference second team selectee will be hard to replace as the Bearcats try to move on and focus on the remainder of the season.

Next up for the Bearcats is the University of Connecticut (22-0, 9-0), Feb. 1 at Fifth Third Arena. The Huskies are No.1 in every poll in the country and the consensus No. 1 player in the country, Briana Stewart, leads them.

Who wins Super Bowl XLVIII: Broncos or Seahawks?

Denver: Peyton Manning drops mic, rides off in to sunset with Lombardi Trophy

Seahawks: Audibles doom Broncos as Richard Sherman walks the walk once again

JOSHUA MILLER SPORTS EDITOR

RYAN HOFFMAN NEWS EDITOR

For the first time in quite a while, the two right teams are playing for the Lombardi Trophy in the Super Bowl.

Throughout the season there was very little question that the Denver Broncos were the best top-to-bottom team in the AFC; likewise for the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC. The storylines are endless: It’s the best offense in the NFL (Denver) versus the best defense (Seattle).

Richard Sherman’s semi-calculated rants of madness are on every talk show in America; fans are outraged about the game’s location. But at its core there is only one thing that matters about this game: Peyton Manning’s legacy.

Manning is the greatest football player ever to play the game and he knows that. He also knows that unless he wins a second Super Bowl, there will always be an argument against his greatness.

Eleven other quarterbacks have won multiple Super Bowls, including Manning’s unquestionably lesser brother Eli Manning. Despite spending much of his early career with horrendous defenses in Indianapolis, his legacy hinges on Sunday’s game. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl and, well, if he can do it, literally anyone can.

Sunday also gives Manning the opportunity to become the first man ever to win two Super Bowls with two different teams, a feat that only Kurt Warner has even attempted. He fell a few inches short against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009.

Manning, who missed all of 2011 after a very dangerous neck surgery, has stated publicly that he will retire at season’s end if doctors feel his neck is still at high risk for another injury. Sunday, I believe he’ll write the final chapter of his legacy.

The Peyton Manning bandwagon spent the entire 2013-14 season gaining steam, but Sunday night is the end of the line for Manning and all the new, self-discovered Broncos “fans.”

The Seattle Seahawks, otherwise known as the sharks of the sky, are taking home the Lombardi Trophy and I promise to try to make the case while mentioning Richard Sherman’s name as little as possible — dammit, already said it once.

After winning the toss at Met Life Stadium — for some reason they’re playing a football game in February in New Jersey — the Broncos elect to receive the kickoff, a gutsy move in what will be a brutal, three hour-grudge match. But the Broncos game plan all season has been pretty simple; get the ball in Manning’s hands.

The Broncos will march down the field and score a quick seven. The Sea Hawks will follow with an even quicker four and out.

The next three quarters of football will be some of the ugliest in the history of the NFL — several impressive drives by both teams resulting in zero points.

Enter the fourth quarter.

The offensive struggles continue. Around the seven-minute mark the Broncos start driving. Manning connects with Wes Welker on short routes in the middle of the field, where a tired Seahawks line backing core starts giving ground.

Manning — desperately wanting another Super Bowl so he doesn’t have to listen to Eli Manning brag at Thanksgiving dinner — wants to seal the deal with another touch down.

But after Red Bryant brutally drops Manning at the Seahawks 30-yard line, he’s slow to get up. After wobbling to the line of scrimmage, Peyton mistakes the audible for his scripted lines in the most recent Buick commercial.

Confusion ensues and who does Manning throw the ball to? Richard Sherman. Sherman runs it back; the Seahawks go for two; ballgame. Dammit, said it again.

PROVIDED

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning fields questions at a media event in the lead up to the Super Bowl.

What better way for the greatest player of all time to go out, winning the Super Bowl after breaking the NFL records for passing yards (5,477) and touchdowns (55) in the regular season.

Hopefully, he walks off the stage with the MVP trophy and publicly embarrasses league commissioner Roger Goodell in the process.