Friday, November 12, 2004 |L ommons 530 B. Crider Way, Slate CcJbg*, PA IHE PUCE TO RATES STARTING AT $290 GREAT DOWNTOWN LOCATION are Ml issue step fey aai referee yevs Mail Choir sin Saturday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m. the Ul timate Praise Gospel Choir will perform in McGarvey Commons. The concert is free and open to the public. The Ultimate Praise Gospel Choir is made up of 13 members. Of those, only three are men. They range in grade level stretching from First year to alumni. The club is extracurricu lar and is run completely by the members. They stress that tryouts are unnecessary and that anyone can join at anytime. Saturday’s concert will not be the first time the group has sung this year. Those who at tended the Open House were able to hear the choir’s talent. For the members of the en semble, performing means more then just sing ing. “We like to call this a ministry,” said member and treasurer Delmon Lindsay. Saturday’s theme, “Because of Who You Are,” is based on one of the songs the group is ministering. In deciding upon a theme, the choir recognized that it was the one idea that tied all five songs together. Nicole Carter, spiritual advisor and longest running member of the choral group, said, “It is very uplifting and encouraging. A lot of times students don’t get the opportunity to praise God and this gives them that chance.” There are four distinct positions among the members of the Gospel Choir. President Natasha Gayle, Secretary Crystal Chisholm, 'Desperate'has red hot ratings By Richard Huff New York Daily News (KRT) Viewers are falling hard for a group of "Desperate Housewives." An estimated 24.9 million of them tuned in Sunday night for ABCs red-hot drama, giving the new series its largest audience yet. It was also the biggest au dience for any scripted show on ABC since the May 2000 farewell episode of Michael J. Fox on "Spin City." No wonder. During the course of an hour, viewers got to see: - Felicity Huffman's, Lynette Scavo tangle, with a fel low parent at her sons' upscale school. - Eva Longoria's, Gabrielle Solis, ditch her mother-in law at a casino to be with her boytoy. - And Marcia Cross' Bree Van De Kamp drop a fur coat to reveal her wearing red lingerie. "I honestly think 'Desperate Housewives' is one of those shows that taps into the sentiment ordinary Ameri cans feel," said Stacey Lynn Koemer, who analyzes view ing patterns for ad-buyer Initiative Media. "It's slightly over the edge of what the normal person would do, but it's certainly plausible." Indeed, "Desperate Housewives" has connected with viewers in a way no ABC drama has in a decade and in a way few scripted shows have since reality TV hit big. To that end, the upward viewing trend for "Desperate Housewives" mirrors that of early "Survivor" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Each generated extensive watercooler chatter as folks discussed the previous night's show. "The best television shows have always had those TH i FURNISHED RTMENTS Rates ted Downtown lous Apartments ss from campus Cable TV is Center on site idly Management Lounge >F THIS FOUND LOCATION STUDINT Lift By Teresa Nicoila staff writer s Lord's praise The Ultimate Praise Gospel Choir performs Saturday at 6:30 p.m Treasurer Delmon Lindsay and Spiritual Ad visor Nicole Carter. Carter encourages the members to be spiritual, pray and read the bible. Any struggling member can turn to her for guidance. The choir’s mission statement reads: “United lead by the spirit”. The original idea for a gospel choir on cam pus came from two young women who wanted to spread the good news of God. Since then, the choir has enjoyed ministering for seven water-cooler moments," said executive producer Michael Edelstein, citing "Seinfeld," "ER" and "Sex and the City." "With reality TV, it's here, you got to know about it now," Koemer said. "With scripted TV, you usually don't fear that." But viewers are following along in a big way. Fan Web sites are flooded each night after the show ends with thoughts on plotlines, the characters and the future. "You start to feel like you have a relationship and a responsibility with the audience," Edelstein said. He's also quick to note that "Extreme Makeover Home Edition," which airs before "Desperate Housewives," had a huge audience Sunday, too, helping drive viewers to Car Accidents Drunk Driving Defense Criminal Defense Grant C. Travis, Esquire www.paautoinjury.com www .duilawyerpa. com The Behrend Beacon | 9 years at Penn State Behrend. Carter said, “We are very diverse because we have some of everybody here.” Shalanda Butts said, “It is not us, but the God in us.” The Ultimate Praise Gospel Choir encour ages all people to “Come get your praise on.” “We would appreciate your presence at our concert,” said Gayle. the drama. Rival networks are also surprised with the show's per formance. Before the season started, executives at ABCs com petitors believed the show would do well, grabbing much of the female audience on Sunday night, recalled an ex ecutive at another network. What they hadn't figured on was how many men were watching as well. It should be noted, CBS' "CSI" remains the most watched show this season and had more than 30 million viewers last week. But "Desperate Housewives" is rapidly climbing in the rankings. 100 State Street Suite 210 Erie, PA 16507 455-3839