Just Dance
Students enjoy a dance class hosted by the LSU Dance Ambassadors on Nov. 17 in the LSU Music and Dramatic Arts Building.
LSU student stretches.
LSU student dances.
students
Photos by Chandler Trotter
Design by Riley White
LSU student poses.
ENTERTAINMENT
Spider-Man swings into Free Speech Alley to promote latest production
BY LAURA ALLEN Staff Writer
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is here at LSU with a side-splitting comedy about childhood crushes, parasocial relationships and the dangers of meeting your heroes.
“I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire” is the third show in the LSU School of Theatre’s 2025-26 Lab Season. Written by Samantha Hurley and directed by senior theater performance major Ricardo Mendoza, this play tells the story of 14-year-old Shelby Hinkley, who kidnaps movie star Tobey Maguire during the height of his career in 2004 and forces him to marry her.
What sets this play apart from previous productions at LSU, aside from its outlandish concept, is its marketing. Though many shows will advertise themselves with posters and social media posts, “Tobey Maguire” is taking it to the next level, trying to reach as many people as possible through tabling events in Free Speech Alley and daily Instagram posts.
“Nobody’s really out there begging to come to a play,” Mendoza said. “Since nobody’s actively really seeking it out, or at least on campus, you have to get in their face about it.”
Every few days, Mendoza and other members of the cast and crew have been tabling in Free Speech Alley to advertise “Tobey Maguire,” handing out pins and flyers and asking students to follow the show’s Instagram page.
The pins alone have been enough to get students talking. Some designs keep it simple, with images of Maguire from the “Spider-Man” movies. Another design draws on school spirit, with Maguire’s face on former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow’s body and a caption that reads “LSU loves Tobey.”
But the most memorable part of these tabling events was see -
ing Spider-Man himself (well, more like Mendoza in a SpiderMan suit and blue plaid shorts, but the resemblance was uncan ny). A clip of Mendoza jumping and dancing while in costume was posted to Fizz, a social me dia app where students can post anonymously about their univer sities. The clip gained traction, but rather than feeling embar rassed, Mendoza said that the video proves that his extrovert ed marketing strategy is work ing.
“Something that I tell people when they come up to the booth, I’m like, ‘look at the fool I’m making of myself right now,’” he said. “‘That should show you how badly I want you to come see the show. Nobody has ever wanted you to come see a show this bad.’”
The show’s Instagram page is another one of Mendoza’s marketing tactics. The account is actually Mendoza’s personal profile, which he changes to advertise whatever show he is a part of at the time. The new profile debuted on Nov. 4 with 12 posts in a single day. Since then, the team has posted memes, fake Maguire-themed headlines from the Reveille and edits of the movie star himself (as well as some posts not quite appropriate to discuss in a newspaper).
“We started reserving an hour and a half at the beginning of every rehearsal to work on song parodies or make different TikTok-length videos,” said Eric Rhode, a senior theater performance major playing the titular “Spider-Man” star himself, Tobey Maguire.
If the marketing of this production is any indication, “Tobey Maguire” is sure to be a comedy like no other. However, beneath the show’s irreverence
is an emotional undertone audiences may not expect, said Sophie Rollins, a senior anthropology major playing the role of Shelby Hinkley.
As president of the Tobey Maguire Fan Club, Shelby is so obsessed with Tobey Maguire that she kidnaps him and forces him to marry her. The teenager’s parasocial infatuation with the celebrity is taken to extremes, but she is ultimately just a child searching for emotional connection in a world where she does not fit in. Rollins believes that her character is the most relatable in the script, as many of us have struggled at one point or another to belong.
“You either were a Shelby or you knew a Shelby in school,” Rollins said.
“I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire” opened at the Studio Theatre in the Music and Dramatic Arts Building on Tuesday, Nov. 18, and will have more showings Nov. 19-21 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the LSU Theatre website.
PUZZLES
COURTESY OF RICARDO MENDOZA
Pins created as promotion for LSU Theatre’s production of “I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire.”
COURTESY OF RICARDO MENDOZA
The promotional poster for “I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire.”
COURTESY OF RICARDO MENDOZA
Shelby Hinkley, played by Sophie Rollins, looks away during a production of “I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire.”
Rev Rank: ‘The Running Man’ is a white guy’s
‘Hunger
Games,’ but your dad will adore it
If there is one thing America loves, it’s a dystopian novel adaptation. The continued exploration and success of the “Hunger Games” franchise is proof enough.
At the moment, it seems as if there is a resurgence in Stephen King adaptations. In just the last year alone, there have been four movies based on King’s work, including “The Long Walk,” which received mild success. TV is also ripe with King adaptations, such as HBO’s “It” prequel series “Welcome to Derry,” MGM’s “The In-
BY PAUL TIBBETS Staff Writer
I will not bury the lede here: I did not like this movie. It is easily the weakest of Wright’s filmography and the other King adaptations released this year.
This film plays more like a generic action flick with a faint whiff of Wright’s unique style. You can somewhat remember that he directed this in a handful of moments during a few action scenes. The veteran’s hostel fight shows this the best. It has a lot of fun camera work, and the editing shows a hint of Wright’s usual personality.
Unfortunately, this movie has a massive tone and pacing problem. Wright has been known to be able to combine melodrama and serious moments with his signature, fast-paced humor before. Yet, this time around, it mixes like oil and water.
I don’t fully buy Powell as the angry, down-on-his-luck, working-class man. Ben Richards should be someone who looks like he smells and every word out of his mouth sounds like venom. Powell gives off vibes of a mildly annoyed frat guy. He has his moments in the finale, but throughout the movie, people just tell you he is an angry guy rather than effectively showing it.
The best casting choice was obviously Colman Domingo. He unsurprisingly steals the show and delivers his lines with an energy unmatched by the larger cast. Josh Brolin and Lee Pace are the only other somewhat standouts here merely because of how cool they can be. Everyone else is running on autopilot or just isn’t doing great with the material given.
This leads into my biggest problem besides the lack of style and mostly bad cinematography. This film commits a bookto-movie adaptation sin that is consistent in Hollywood: sanitizing the tone and characters. The narrative feels like it is afraid of people being too unlikeable or the tone being too bleak. Richards in the book is not a
stitute” and the upcoming Mike Flanagan “Carrie” remake. Adapting the 1982 novel and remaking the 1987 film, “The Running Man” (2025) has a lot of people to please. Will it cross the finish line or fall flat on its face?
The book “The Running Man” was written in under a week and essentially published as a first draft back in 1982. King decided to put this out under the pen name Richard Bachman. It is generally regarded as a more mid-tier novel for him, as readers believe
role model or action hero. He is a desperate and weak man who will do anything to help his family. He will be a jerk and regret it, but ultimately justify it to himself. He still shows care for his loved ones and others, but in smaller ways.
In this film, though, he is
it does not reach the highs of what King can do.
Not long after this release, the 1987 film was put into production. It went through a number of directors before landing on Paul Michael Glaser, with Arnold Schwarzenegger starring as Ben Richards. Both King and Schwarzenegger believe a lot of the creative choices were a mistake. The darker tone of the novel was traded for ‘80s action schlock and corny one-liners. Paul will take a small moment to review this adaptation: it sucks.
BY SARAH WALTON Staff Writer
I walked in pretty much blind to the movie, not knowing anything but the basic premise. “The Running Man” may not be a revolutionary movie, but it was a good watch.
lauded as the coolest guy ever who starts a revolution just by being cool. God forbid we have someone who is morally questionable and says things the audience might not like.
It is not all bad though. There are somewhat fun parts of what they did with the ending.
Incorporating misinformation and AI augmentation throughout the story is cool and relevant. Obviously, this is a big state-run media allegory, but it is still a fairly sanitized, hopeful, millennial way of looking at it. This movie lives in a fairytale where this one special guy will unite everybody once they see the truth, and a revolution will begin with only a little pushback.
Overall, this is probably my most disappointing movie of the year. I hope Edgar Wright can put another ace in the hole with his next one.
Paul: 4/10
Director Edgar Wright tweeted all the way back in 2017 that if he could make any remake of any movie, it would be “The Running Man”. It was finally announced four years later that he would helm a new film adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Glen Powell was cast in the lead role in April of 2024 and approved by King himself. After wrapping shooting in March of this year, the film was released on Nov. 14. Needless to say, these Reveille reporters have strong opinions on it.
LANA’S LUNCHBOX
Chicken
BY LANA LAWSON Staff Writer
The opening of the film introduces us to Ben Richards, his wife Sheila, their daughter and a (notso-distant) future America. In this America, the government is controlled by multi-billion-dollar companies that exploit labor, and who have created a system of hypervigilance and disenfranchisement. Sound familiar? As a struggling low-income family, the Richards’ lack of funds becomes dangerous when their daughter becomes sick. Because of circumstances, Ben Richards is pushed to join the Running Man: a reality TV show where contestants are hunted for 30 days. If they survive, they win $1 billion. Though the competition is extremely dangerous and never ends in a winner, Richards risks everything playing this game for the chance at changing his family’s life.
From the start, the world building may have been minimal, but what we got was solid. The set design, the surveillance state and the divide between the rich and poor
were all presented in an interesting way, and I wished we saw more of it.
Outside of the world of the movie, I thought the story was good. A lower-class man trying to push against a fascist capitalist system isn’t something we see very often. To see characters actively criticize and try to dismantle the impending doom we all face was refreshing.
The only problem is that the story, in all the ways that mattered, lacks depth and complexity.
I walked out of the theatre saying it felt like a white guy’s “Hunger Games” due to its subject matter of controlling governments and America’s love to sensationalize suffering. The horrendous product placement didn’t help, either.
Revolution is made easy to Richards, and the world magically sees his struggle. As he wades through the trials that come with the game, Richards, in his righteous anger, begins pushing back against the showrunner and the government. And somehow, as if by magic, many of the American people hear and see that plight and finally decide to raise up and join him.
The movie treats revolution as if it is just a little hack that people forgot about in their everyday life. Revolution has never been and never will be easy, and misunderstanding that is one of the film’s greatest flaws. The film stands as a millennial fantasy of America’s final revolt against the capitalist system that this country holds so dearly.
In the way of dystopia, the movie kind of falls flat, but in the way of action, it was great. There were some really great fight scenes and a solid performance from Glen Powell.
If you’re looking for a revolutionary piece of film, this one isn’t it — but if you’re looking for something fun and interesting, “The Running Man” could be for you. This is honestly the perfect dad movie, so if you need something to see with the old man this Thanksgiving, he’ll probably enjoy this
Sarah: 7/10
With chicken tenders being a classic food obsession, new competitors often introduce themselves into the market to fight for the title of the best tenders in town. Blazin’ Hot Chicken has recently made a name for itself in Baton Rouge, but is it the best chicken tender spot?
This location opened in March. Located at 4075 Nicholson Dr., and is directly across from Tigerland. This spot has become very familiar in Baton Rouge.
From the restaurant’s vibrant interior to the food itself, this place instantly reminded me of Dave’s Hot Chicken, which I was not a fan of. Still, first impressions can be deceiving, and I hoped that was the case here.
I decided to ordering the Blazin’ #2, which came with 3 chicken tenders, waffle fries, toasted bread, a side of pickles and two sauces. Similarly to Dave’s Hot Chicken, I was able to choose my own spice level, so I picked Hot this time to get a little spice without going overboard. The service was really quick, and I received my food in under five minutes.
From the first bite, I just knew that I would enjoy the plate a lot more than Dave’s. The tenders were nice, soft and didn’t have heavy breading or paprika on it. The balanced seasoning allowed the flavor of the chicken to shine through.
I loved that the tenders came with two different sauces, as both of them added an extra touch to the chicken. The sauces included their signature Blazin’ sauce and honey mustard. I think the Blazin’ Sauce was my favorite of the two.
Now, onto the sides. I thought the fries were seasoned well but were a little too crispy for my liking. I would’ve enjoyed them more if they had been a little softer. Still, they have a nice flavor and paired amazingly with the sauce. I also liked the buttered toast and the side of pickles that came with the meal.
Overall, I thought the food from Blazin’ Hot Chicken wasn’t bad, and I would rate it a 6.5/10. It was fairly good, but I do think there is still some room for improvement.
While Blazin’ Hot Chicken isn’t the hottest pick in town just yet, I do think it has potential to heat up the competition.
COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES
A promotional poster for the 2025 remake of “The Running Man.”
SPORTS
Preview: LSU earns 11 seed in SEC Volleyball Tournament
BY MARISSA REISS Staff Writer
A 20-year hiatus can leave a lot of unanswered questions for the new generation of volleyball fans about how the SEC Tournament will go down.
For young fans in purple and gold, hopes of another championship title on LSU’s record is something to look forward to, despite those questions.
Here’s a quick overview about the tournament history and how it will work:
All 16 SEC teams will be competing in the tournament with the top four seeds being No. 1 Kentucky, No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3
Texas and No. 4 Tennessee. The Tigers lost to all of these teams during its regular season conference play.
The 2025 tournament will stretch over five days beginning Nov. 21, with the championship round falling on Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. There will be 15 matches in the tournament overall.
Out of every team, Florida currently holds the record for the most tournament championship wins at 13. Following behind, Kentucky claims five wins and both LSU and Tennessee have won four titles. Arkansas and Georgia have both claimed one as well.
In terms of the tournament this year, LSU earned the 11 seed,
which means it will play the final match of the day in the first round.
In SEC Tournament history, LSU has a 27-29 overall match record with four championship titles before the hiatus began in 2005. Those championship titles were in 1986, 1989, 1990 and 1991.
LSU’s first title was won against Georgia. The next three were against Kentucky, Georgia once more and Florida. In history, LSU has made eight appearances in the tournament’s final round. The last time the Tigers reached the finale was in 2000.
The first match for the Tigers in the tournament will be against No. 14 Ole Miss at 6 p.m. on Nov. 21. If LSU wins, the Tigers would
FULL OF FAITH
then move on to face No. 6 Missouri and possibly No. 3 Texas afterward if things go the right way for the team.
Looking at LSU’s history versus the Rebels, the Tigers previously defeated Ole Miss in the regular season with a 3-2 victory for the team’s senior night in Baton Rouge.
Prior to the hiatus, the Tigers took a 4-0 advantage in every match against Ole Miss in the tournament.
LSU’s outside hitter Nia Washington will get to face her former team one more time before her collegiate career officially ends. In the Tigers’ previous matchup against the Rebels, Washington
BY MARISSA REISS Staff Writer
Two years ago, she stepped away from the court with a heart heavy of doubt and uncertainty. Now, every practice and match illustrates a story of her faith.
Laurel Cassidy, a freshman libero for LSU volleyball, currently thrives under the purple and gold lights at the PMAC.
However, she never envisioned herself ending up with the Tigers or playing indoor volleyball at all after high school.
Prior to beginning her volleyball career, Cassidy was a competitive cheerleader growing up. She originally decided to give volleyball a try when she turned 9 because her sister played, she said. Cassidy eventually fell in love with the sport. At a particular moment during her 12U nationals match, she noticed that she played
more than usual and significantly better. When the match was over, Cassidy’s dad gave her words of encouragement that sparked a newfound passion for volleyball.
“I remember walking in the parking lot with my dad after and he was like, ‘You did good,’” Cassidy said. “It was definitely a realization where I thought, ‘I can keep doing this.’”
A Baton Rouge native, Cassidy attended Parkview Baptist High School and played both indoor and beach volleyball during her time there.
In a surprising move even to herself, Cassidy stepped away from indoor volleyball to pursue only beach volleyball. The aspect of only two people behind the net — and the sand in general — were factors that drew Cassidy in.
That sudden transition wasn’t an easy one for 16-year-old Cassidy in the moment, especially
when it was time to pick a school to continue her collegiate career at.
“I stopped playing indoor for two years, between 16 to 18 years [old], which is the heaviest recruitment time,” Cassidy said. “I wasn’t thinking [about] indoor. I wasn’t even going to play high school volleyball at all my senior year, I just wanted to be done completely.”
Along with Cassidy only looking to be recruited for beach volleyball, she didn’t want to stay in her hometown either. Her list of potential schools to commit to were at least two or three hours from Baton Rouge, she said.
Despite all of these odds being against the Fighting Tigers, LSU had its sights on her.
Tigers’ head coach Tonya Johnson and associate head coach Jill Wilson reached out to Cassidy and offered her an opportunity
landed the final kill to secure the victory for LSU.
LSU’s offense has been a firepower for the team this season. Outside hitter Jurnee Robinson and Washington have been a power-duo from the start of the season and continue to lead the Tigers’ offense match after match.
From a defensive perspective, middle blocker Jessica Jones has proven herself in her sophomore season. Fellow middle blocker Angelina Lee has also stepped up as of late to carry out career-best performances.
If one thing is for certain, it will be an exciting time for volleyball in what will be the SEC’s biggest week for the sport.
Men’s basketball extends win streak
BY RAMI BURKS Staff Writer
Mike Nwoko led LSU men’s basketball to a fourth straight win after an electric game vs. Alcorn State University.
Nwoko has excelled so far in the young 2025-26 season, but especially on Tuesday night, acting as the glue to help LSU take down the Braves 107-81. He was a leader on both sides of the ball and demonstrated strong communication skills to help clean up some of the mental errors the Tigers made in the previous games.
to play for the team. This offer was extended even with the two coaches’ knowledge of her not playing indoor for two years, she said.
Cassidy had grown up always attending LSU games with her family and was very familiar with the school culture from a fan and Louisiana resident perspective.
When Cassidy finally toured the university as a potential incoming student, her whole vision for her future changed.
“I walked in and I couldn’t imagine myself not there,” Cassidy said. “When I went to other schools, I would just compare it back to LSU and I was like, ‘There’s nothing that’s going to top this.’”
For Cassidy, the outcome of her nerve-racking recruiting process all relied on her ability to
“Mike’s been fantastic on the offensive end,” head coach Matt McMahon said post-game. “Six offensive rebounds tonight really stood out, as we’ve talked in here in the last couple of months, been really pleased with his skill level, more skill down in the post than we had anticipated coming in.”
The Tigers acted with little energy throughout the beginning of the game, despite high-energy moments from Nwoko. He did all of the little things right, including hyping up the fans in the PMAC when he got the ball.
In the first minute alone, he secured two dunks, and he came up with two more throughout the game. In the preseason press conference, McMahon said Nwoko was one of the better players he’s coached and has all the tools to make him outstanding.
“He’s more skilled than I expected, quite frankly,” McMahon said. “He finishes well around the
COLE TAMPLET / The Reveille
LSU volleyball freshman libero Laurel Cassidy (0) sets the ball during LSU’s 3-0 win against Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 14, at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.