March 15, 2002 The Lion's Eye Page 7 ®ooIntertainmente® ¢ ¢ Rocket Man and Piano Man face off in the Philadephia finale By MEREDITH BECKER Staff Writer In the concert event of the year, Piano Man Billy Joel sat down once more with Rocket Man Elton John. “ For 4 tickets in the lower, front view level it cost my father $766 (Thanks Dad!). While the ticket cost was rather outrageous, the show made up for it. With almost 4 hours of the two entertaining the ¢rowd it was a night to remember. It began with Elton and Billy's pianos being raised up onto the stage on platforms. With the spotlights shining down on their mirrored black lids, the crowd erupted into screams and claps of enthusiasm. Then the lights split from center stage to each side where they caught onto Joel and John who hopped up onto the stage with eager grins on their faces (which could be seen on the screens courtesy of the camaras practically shoved up their noses.) They took their bows and gave each other a hug then separated to their respective pianos: Joel stage right, John stage left. They began to play an assortment of their songs ranging from Elton's “I'm Still Standing” to Billy's “Only the Good Die Young” and in honor of their friend, George Harrison, “Here Comes the Sun.” They went back and forth for about 6 songs together then Joel split and left John to do his own part. Elton John's time on stage, while colorful, (as John usually is) was not all that much to scream about. I decided to save my. precious vocal chords for the now anticipated time when Joel would come back to the stage. John sang a few too many of the songs from his newer album, “That Train Don't Stop Here Anymore.” Then of course my most loathed song by Elton, “I Want Love” - the video with Robert Downey Jr. walking around in a stu- por after being released from his detox program Pecilly for Elton. Black history celebrated i in By SARAH GALLATIG Staff Writer During common hour Feb. 18, students and fac- ulty gathered together in the classroom building to listen to Christopher Ridenhour's lecture, "The Skin I'm In!" The seminar was meant to educate others on what it is like to: be black. Ridenhour told a story of a boy, little Theodore, who asked his mother what life would be like without blacks. He learned that many of the luxuries that people take for granted today would not exist if not for the contributions of blacks. Some of those inventions include irons, dryers, pencil sharpeners, elevators, refrigerators, combs, brushes, buses, and light. Many people know that Thomas ~ Edison invented the light bulb, but without Lewis Latimer light would not be possible. Many people have stereotypes of what a black person is supposed to be like. A stereotype is an exaggerated belief, for example believing that "...if a black person gets wet they smell like chocolate." Ridenhour poured water over his hand and made people smell his hand to prove his point. My neighbor laughed at the sight of this, telling me he would probably eat himself if he smelled like chocolate, Ridenhour included the audience in every aspect of his presentation, which made it interesting and a lot of fun. He has a sense of humor. He even had a member of the audience hold up signs signaling when to applaud, boo, or even "aww" in case he talked about his kids. Ridenhour also talked about the "black vibe." This means that black people secretly have psychic pow- ers and can read each other's minds. Pulling a member of the audience and secluding him in another room Christopher Ridenhour visited on Feb. 18 as part of the cele- bration of Black History Month at Penn State Delaware County Campus. Billy Joel and Elton John, “Face to Face,” rocked the First Union Center for 6 nights in February. Finally John breathed some life back into the act by playing “Philadelphia Freedom” to which everyone in the entire First Union Center proceeded to sing along with. We found out later that Billy Jean King, for whom the song was written, was actually there at the concert that night. A few less know songs were sung, and then the crowing glory, for which I was of course stuck in line for the ladies room for, “Crocodile Rock.” I made it back just in time to miss it, of course, but thanks to the power of acoustics I was able to jive to the song the whole time I was waiting (men need to wise “Skin.I'm In” presentation Ridenhour tested this. He took Canadian coins and placed them in my hand. The experiment was to see if the guest could figure out what Ridenhour had changed. When he came out of the room Ridenhour walked him around the room and pointed out different objects to see if that was what he had changed. The man said "no" to everything except the coins. I'm not really sure how he knew the coins were different. During the hour he added in tidbits of history, including Brown v. The Board of Education and the Arkansas Nine. For those of you who don't know what either of those are, Brown v. The Board of Education is a lawsuit in 1954 that Brown brought against the schools. It says that separate schools were not equal, and the only way that all children could have an equal education was to be taught at the same schools in the same classrooms. The Arkansas Nine refers to the nine African American students in Little Rock Arkansas who were to integrate a local high school. The governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, sent the state's National Guard to the school to prevent the African American students from entering the school. President Eisenhower finally settled the matter by sending troops in to maintain order, and let the students in. This was a very valuable decision because the students were permitted in the school so everyone was getting the same education. Ridenhour used a game to teach black history. Four students teamed up and tried to answer questions. All the questions were basic knowledge, but still one had peo- ple stumped. The question that was the most confusing was what is a turkey butt used for? The answer was collard greens. Collard greens are considered soul food for African Americans. All four coritestants received a recipe for southern greens and a fake one million dollar bill. Ridenhour closed the ceremony by having stu- dents read index cards written with slang phrases. The lan- guage used is referred to as "black" English. Everyone laughed and joked as one card was read after another. Ridenhour concluded with saying that "people have differences because of traditions and conditions in which they are brought up in." "The number one goal is to be successful in col- lege and to educate the rest of the world on diversity," said Ridenhour. up when building those types of places, key words: more bathrooms). Finally getting way too fed up with the other women [ just hauled butt into the men's room. After receiving a couple gasps, one hearty laugh, and a round of applause from the kindly men I got back to my seat to enjoy Billy. He went full throttle into his per- formance, letting the audience vote yea or nay for songs twice. He began with “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” then to “Captain Jack,” which let me tell you, is a little uncomfortable with your dad sitting next to you when the word "masturbation" comes up. Joel broke off for a while talking to the audience, then all of the sudden he brings up the terrorist threat on the Liberty Bell, he pauses then, "Who the f*** do they think we are?" The crowd erupts into cheers and claps, stomps and yowls of support. Joel chose this time to sing “New York State of Mind,” in between songs he tickles out some of his piano compositions, then he slid right into “Lullabye.” “River of Dreams,” “Allentown,” “I Go to Extremes,” “The Entertainer,” “Movin' Out,” and a couple more then Sir Elton joined Joel on stage once more. ‘They go on for almost another hour with, “Great Balls of Fire,” “The Bitch is Back,” “My life” (from “Bosom Buddies”), “Benny and the Jets,” “Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” Both their bands, which had per- formed with them individually came out together for the closing sequence and did the back ups. After they left the first time they let us clap fora good five minutes in the dark until they were ready to do the encore, which was of course “Piano Man.” The audi- ence sang the chorus and changed it to “Piano Men" Elton actually got a little teary at the end of the song then they left for good, the crew lowered the piano's and raised the lights. All in all a great night, even if we did have to park half a mile away and wind up the night with a parking ticket. M ovie Reviex WS By Jennifer Rufo Say Writer The Mothman Prophecies * * out of 4 stars , Ifyou believe in the supernatural, then this movie might be interesting to you. Based on true ~ events, the story begins with a journalist (Richard Gere) for The Washington Post who suffers a tragic loss. | While driving late one sight he unknowing- ly winds up in West Virginia where people have claimed to see a Mothman. The Mothman predicts uncanny events, which leads to the climax at the end of the movie. The Mothman gets annoying towards the end (of the movie and the romance seems a bit dry. If you want to see for yourself some of the crazy things that have gone on involving this character, visit www.themothmanlives.com. It's not as far- fetched as you might think. A Walk to Remember * % % out of 4 stars Based onghe novel by Nicholas Sparks, this movie is a guaranteed tearjerker. The story is about a - bad boy (Shane West) who falls in love with the clas- sic good girl, Jamie (Mandy Moore), the minister's daughter. Jamie is a quiet, deeply religious girl who doesn't care what other people think of her piety. Landon was the guy who would do anything to fit in with the cool crowd. The romance unexpectedly starts with a staged kiss and continues with a gentle relationship that will leave every girl in the theater swooning. No relationship is complete without problems, however, whether it be Jamie's overprotective father, or the jealous girls at school, or a tragedy that will leave both young lovers at a loss for words. This chick flick is perfect to see with a best friend over a tub of popcorn, but don't forget the tis- sues! Mandy's new hair color takes some getting used to though. For more information, visit www2.warnerbros.com/walktoremember.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers