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The University Daily Kansan: University Busts A Move
The University Daily Kansan: University Busts A Move
The University Daily Kansan: University Busts A Move
poLiCe reports
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A
fter a week of losses
devastating to any loyal
Kansas basketball fan,
the teams impressive finish last
Monday night became a win
for the record books with the
Jayhawks out-rebounding the
Wildcats 41-23. But even outside
the walls of Allen Fieldhouse,
every year students all across
campus experience a little
rebounding for themselves as
well.
A rebound relationship (or
sex, etc.) is characterized by
entering one relationship shortly
after breaking one off with the
partner before. Traditionally
rebound relationships are con-
sidered unhealthy and constructs
in which people use one another,
but despite their criticisms,
research from the University of
Toronto has found that rebounds
can actually do a person good.
I met the guy I would later
secretly consider my go-to
rebound just weeks after moving
to Lawrence for my freshman
year in 2008. Chris (name has
been changed) was the perfect
guy for the job too: tall, dark,
handsome and perpetually sin-
gle. We started seeing each other
after I unapologetically severed
ties with a sub-par fling, and
with that, the dynamic between
us shifted from platonic to flirty.
We saw each other briefly, but
I extinguished our bond only a
few weeks in then started seeing
a new guy the next month, which
promptly became serious. My
rebound and I kept in touch and
hung out occasionally, and when
my boyfriend became overbear-
ing and controlling toward the
end of our relationship forbid-
ding me from even going to a
party my rebound invited me to
Chris was the first guy I went
out with following my impend-
ing breakup. And the rebound
date and my newfound freedom
were awesome.
Shortly after, Chris and I
fizzled again, only to go out on
another rebound date approxi-
mately a year later after another
split with a guy I had been see-
ing for most of my sophomore
year. Then, as you may be able to
guess by now, we cut ties again,
and Ive only seen him once
since.
Rebound opponents say that
jumping into one kind of rela-
tionship shortly after another
without first getting over ones ex
is a recipe for disaster and is ulti-
mately unfair to the new partner.
However, according to
Stephanie Spielmann of the
University of Toronto, people
who are anxiously attached, or
those who often seek self-worth
in relationships (including those
with romantic partners, friends
and family), often benefit from
rebounds because they help them
finally detach from their former
romances.
In fact, in a 2009 study she
conducted, Spielmann con-
cluded that rebound relation-
ships enabled anxiously attached
people to disrupt their longing
for their ex-lovers when they
believed that they could eas-
ily find a new partner. And
while most of the population is
not characterized as anxiously
attached, a rebound relationship
could be beneficial for many
people anyway if they are so
inclined because a rebound is a
great opportunity to turn over a
new leaf.
Finally, whether we tend to
immediately put ourselves back
out in the dating world or main-
tain a low profile for some time
post-breakup, at least exploring
the benefits of a rebound is a
worthwhile cause, regardless of
how much we as individuals rely
on relationships to feel worthy.
We may determine that a
rebound is indeed not the best
course of action after nixing a
previous relationship due to our
personalities and how we choose
to cope. But at least knowing
that can help us deal with future
breakups when they arise.
And in the end, knowing
when to rebound and when to
just take the bench can ulti-
mately keep us playing the dating
game as best as we can.
Keith is a graduate student in educa-
tion from Wichita. Follow her on
Twitter @Rachel_UDKeith.
S
urvival of the fittest is a
well-known phrase, but to
be honest, I never thought
it would apply to getting on a
bus.
There I was, standing outside
Lippincott hall, shivering like
wheat in a blizzard, waiting for
the most cutthroat bus on cam-
pus: 43 Red.
Kansas was having one of its
temper tantrums, below zero
days of intense cold and fero-
cious wind, and my hands and
face were entirely exposed to the
weather. More than anything I
wanted to put my hands in my
pocket, but as they were holding
two large bins full of cookies, this
was not possible.
The bus was right on time,
and for just a moment I was
excited. Then I saw it: the fresh-
men swarm. Coming from GSP
and Corbin, the bus was entirely
packed with students, and the
looks I was getting from the rid-
ers were much colder than the
weather outside. Before I even
tried to board the bus I could tell
they wanted me to understand
that none of them were going to
move for me.
But I tried anyway, because
it was either that or walk to
Nunemaker for my class. It took
nearly five minutes for the bus
driver to coax the hardened stu-
dents into shuffling back a few
steps to allow me and two other
passengers to enter, and even
then we were given only a tiny
patch of floor on which to stand.
Somehow, I made it to
Nunemaker without dropping
my cookies. It was certainly no
thanks to the bus riders, who
made a mass exodus at the next
stop a building away from the
stop where I had entered. Sure,
they could have gotten off one
stop sooner so that the other
cold, would-be passengers at my
stop could have boarded, but
instead they rode the extra thirty
feet simply because no one could
make them walk.
This enlightening incident got
me to thinking that while I got
on the bus that day, there really
ought to be a system for deciding
which people get to ride the bus
in days of bad weather. I mean,
sure, its possible people could
be polite and exit a stop sooner
if they see the bus is full. Its also
conceivable that students could
pack the bus more quickly and
without complaint, but if that
day was any indication, change
isnt going to happen on its own.
Changing a habitual behavior
like this takes extreme measures,
and I think I have just the right
solution. It is because of this that
I propose the first-ever, 43 Red
Bus lottery.
Now this lottery wouldnt
be the kind of game where the
selected student receives money.
Instead, the lottery winner would
be subjected to a modern day,
Shirley Jackson style lottery (for
those who dont know, Shirley
Jackson is the author of The
Lottery, which features a towns
deadly adherence to tradition).
The method would be simple.
Whenever students boarded or
exited the bus they would scan
their KU ID card where they
normally would have as a paying
rider. Rather than record pay-
ment, this system would keep
track of which KU students were
on the bus so that when the time
for the lottery came, all would be
prepared.
When the bus is not crowded
all would work as normal from
here, but in those cases where
there is simply not enough room
for all of the passenger-hopefuls,
the lottery would determine who
would be allowed to ride. For
however many students are at
the next stop, that many students
would be kicked off of the bus
lottery style. So for instance,
if there were three students at
Lippincott Hall waiting for the
bus, but the bus is full when it
pulls up, the computer would
randomly select three current
riders to be kicked off so the
new riders could enter. This way
students are not forced to make a
selfless choice by giving up their
spot for another rider. They are
simply forced to get off.
And if a student refuses to
leave the bus? This is the mod-
ern world, so naturally we arent
going to use The Lottery tradi-
tion of stoning them to death. Its
rude, and last I checked, highly
illegal. Instead, we shall take
crumpled up issues of Kansan
and toss them at the chosen
student until they exit the bus.
The student will naturally pick
up the mess as they leave by
then theyll have learned to be
considerate towards their fellow
students. Most important, by
then they will realize that anyone
could be that person stuck at
Lippincott Hall with their hands
full of cookie bins.
Wenner is a sophomore majoring in
English and history from Topeka.
I
m not going to be the guy
who convinces you that
homosexuality is perfectly
natural. I still sometimes use the
words gay and lame inter-
changeably. I wince when I see
two men kiss. I hate that I still
have some homophobic tenden-
cies, but it still just seems so
weird to me.
And then I get to thinking
about love and rights; I think
about my times in medical treat-
ment and how much it means to
me to have my girlfriend there
and then I simply cant imagine
how anyone would try to take
those rights away.
I told my girlfriend Liz about
my immune deficiency and my
blood infusion treatments the day
after our very first date. I dont
know why. I wasnt in the habit of
telling people back then. I didnt
tell my close friends, I didnt tell
my teammates and I sure as hell
didnt tell thousands of news-
paper readers every week. My
health was my business, and if I
couldnt fight it on my own, then
I didnt deserve to be OK. But
Liz had the most beautiful, warm
smile and she held my hand like
I was someone to be cared for.
After just one date, I told her the
truth; that the only thing keeping
me out of the hospital again was
a weekly dose of someone elses
immunoglobulins. I wanted her
to know up-front what a pathetic,
disease-addled misfit I was, and
give her the chance to run off.
She didnt.
Instead, she visited me for
my very next treatment. I had
never let anyone see me so vul-
nerable. Hooked up to IVs with
baseball-sized welts on my back
and stomach, I felt like something
less than human. But Liz brought
me candy and watched TV with
me until my two-hour treatment
came to a close. With her by my
side, I knew no pain.
Shes been by my side for over
a year now; a year where Ive had
over 200 needles go into my body
and spent over 100 hours in infu-
sion therapy. Liz was there when
my two-hour treatments turned
into five-hour treatments. And
in spite of it all, I wouldnt trade
a single one of those hours to be
anywhere else, because with Liz
by my side, even the eerily sterile,
fluorescent-lit clinic seemed like
the right place to be.
We all deserve to have some-
one like her in our lives, regard-
less of gender. Someone who
still calls you handsome when
your eyes get puffy and theres
a bloodstain on your forearm.
Someone who doesnt believe
you when you say youre feel-
ing fine. Someone who treats
you like a human, not a patient.
We all deserve to be treated like
humans, regardless of sexual
orientation, race or gender, and
especially when we are at our
most vulnerable.
It was a sign of progress for
humanity when President Obama
mandated equal visitation rights
back in 2010. But those rights
continue to come under attack
every day. Even during the 2012
election, Governor Romney
claimed that the ability to be
there for your loved one in a time
of dire need is a privilege, not
a right. These battles for basic
human needs will not be met
until we have equality across the
board, from the operating room
to the chapel.
I complain a lot, but I know
how lucky I am. My five-hour
infusion treatments could just as
easily be five-hour chemotherapy
treatments. I have the full support
of my family and I have a girl
who makes me happy in my low-
est times. I simply cant imagine
being separated from my loved
ones in a life-or-death situation
because they arent considered a
traditional family. Because death
doesnt discriminate. And neither
does love. So why should we?
Why should I still be homopho-
bic? I can relate so easily to oth-
ers pain, others struggles. I can
write about them for days, but I
cant find the words to describe
how much I care about my loved
one. If I ever did, I wouldnt write
another sentence. Love cant be
boiled down to words on a page,
or on a marriage license or a leg-
islative bill. Its for everyone.
Webber is a freshman majoring in
journalism and political science from
Prairie Village. Follow him on Twitter
@wmwebber.
PAGE 4 MondAy, fEbruAry 18, 2013
O
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Human rigHTS
Visitation rights are not a privilege
KuiD lottery for bus rides
would solve crowding issue
Students beneft
from rebounds
campuS relaTionSHip
By Anna Wenner
awenner@kansan.com
By Rachel Keith
rkeith@kansan.com
By Will Webber
wwebber@kansan.com
@JasonKingESPn
@udK_opinion 2014: Keith
langford; 2015: Brandon rush;
2016: Sherron collins
UDK
cHirps
bAck
c
A
m
p
u
s
Whose jersey do you want
Ku basketball to retire
next?
Follow us on Twitter @uDK_opinion. Tweet us your
opinions, and we just might publish them.
@therealjbecker
@udK_opinion @SHerroncollinS4
the man was a consensus all-
american - he was our clutch go to
man for 4 years in any game-ending
situation.
@alexandriaka
@udK_opinion Keith langford!!!
Hannah wise, editor-in-chief
editor@kansan.com
sarah mccabe, managing editor
smccabe@kansan.com
nikki wentling, managing editor
nwentling@kansan.com
dylan Lysen, opinion editor
dlysen@kansan.com
elise farrington, business manager
efarrington@kansan.com
Jacob snider, sales manager
jsnider@kansan.com
malcolm Gibson, general manager and news
adviser
mgibson@kansan.com
Jon schlitt, sales and marketing adviser
jschlitt@kansan.com
tHe editOriAL bOArd
members of The Kansan editorial Board are Hannah Wise,
Sarah mccabe, nikki Wentling, Dylan lysen, elise Farrington
and Jacob Snider.
ill miss the winter Spandex pants.
i need to make a video resume. How
do i get in touch with the aV crew that
makes the Ku Basketall videos?!
Valentines day is like beating K-State:
happens every year but still gives me an
excuse to get drunk.
perhaps some girls look nice at lottery
because they have to go to work im-
mediately after.
if she thinks jean jackets never were
cool shes too young for you, bro.
i just saw a squirrel climb up a tree
with a Kansan.
everyone is looking for love, im just
looking for my ochem notes.
BreaKing neWS: Frat guy breaks
away from Frat pack to help non-sorority
girl.
excuse me, jean jackets are dope.
always have been, always will be.
i cant take freshmen wearing suits
seriously. its like looking at babies in
suits.
a person told me today that it is good
luck to get pooped on by a bird... Well
let it be known that i disagree with said
person.
i want to sincerely thank the Kansan
writers for putting together the chalm-
ers jersey retirement section. i seriously
choked up reading it.
Defnitely ran into every guy in the
School of engineering that ive ever
had a crush on at the career fair... on
Valentines Day.
Trust me, i love chalmers as much as
anyone, but when i reminisce on marios
miracle i think Sherron collins deserves
just as much credit.
can camping be a legitimate reason
for skipping class?
a 65 percent three weeks in is not as
bad as a 65 percent three months in.
Just sayin.
pick one: a wand, a sonic screwdriver,
or a lightsaber.
What are sleds but boats that work on
solid water?
if the Kansan could talk, i wonder if
it would ask us to stop ripping it into
confetti on game day. Editors note: Nah,
we dig it.
ladies and gentlemen, you dont come
to allen Fieldhouse drunk. respect the
phog.
please tell me papa Self took baby
Self out for ice cream after he scored.
Sometimes i stare at people and think
to myself their never going to get laid.
i hope that guy outside of pay less
Furniture never changes.
rece Davis tried to kill the woo... even
he failed.
Whenever i come home i always clean
out my familys pantry. Yumm! Foooood!
NEWPORT, R.I. If the Craw-
ley family of Downton Abbey
were American, theyd summer at
Newport.
Te wild stateside success of the
British period drama about post-
Edwardian aristocrats and their
live-in help has piqued interest in
the life of servants in the Gilded
Age mansions of the seaside city.
Te nations wealthiest families
built Newport cottages in the
19th and early 20th centuries and
would move their households here
servants, silver and all from
New York and elsewhere in the
summer to enjoy the ocean breezes
and society scene.
Just as the Downton servants de-
velop relationships downstairs
think the frustrated love triangle of
kitchen maids Daisy and Ivy with
footman Alfred servants in New-
port carried on a lively social scene
of their own. Many of their stories
have begun to emerge afer dig-
ging by researchers at the Newport
Preservation Society, which owns
several mansions. Newly discov-
ered photographs, documents and
family histories have inspired the
creation of a tour about servants in
one of Newports most picturesque
houses, Te Elms, becoming one of
the societys most popular tours.
Many mansions have been open
to the public for decades, but with a
focus on the wealthy families who
lived there. Newports grandest
mansion, Te Breakers, in recent
years incorporated some informa-
tion about servant life in its audio
tour. But the new guided tour at
Te Elms centers squarely on ser-
vants and allows visitors into rarely
seen parts of the mansion, includ-
ing servants quarters, the kitchen
and the massive boiler room, where
coal would be brought in through a
tunnel that goes under the garden
wall.
Meg A. Watt, a Downton fan
from Stroudsburg, Pa., took the
tour last spring, not long afer it be-
gan. Te owners side of the house is
opulent with marble and gold. Just
steps away, hidden behind doors,
are plain hallways and rooms for
use by the servants, she said.
It gives you a completely difer-
ent perspective, Watt said.
Te Crawleys own American
grandmama, played by Shirley
MacLaine, owns homes in New
York and Newport. Te city is even
mentioned on the show from time
to time, including by Lady Mary
Crawley, who considers feeing to
America to wait out a scandal in-
volving the death of a Turkish dip-
lomat in her bed.
Itll be dull but not uncomfort-
able, she remarks to her ladys
maid, Anna, who asks to come
with her.
Tey end up staying at Down-
ton Abbey. But if they had gone to
Newport, they might have found a
house much like Te Elms.
Census records from 1895 show
that around 10 percent of the pop-
ulation in Newport was domestic
servants. Director of museum af-
fairs at the mansions John Tsch-
irch said staf would have kitchen
ratchets, parties in the kitchens of
the diferent mansions, with food
galore.
Tats where all the gossip was,
he said. You think of a social sum-
mer resort, the stories the servants
could tell about each other, the
people in town, the fashion.
Much of the information has
come from servants relatives who
heard the Preservation Society
wanted to hear from anyone who
had lived or visited there, not just
the owners. Tschirch said all kinds
of family lore has surfaced, includ-
ing a story about the cook, Mrs.
Birch, whose fnger was clawed by
a lobster and had to be removed.
Te descendants, Tschirch
said, are beginning to feel that
these houses are part of their fam-
ily histories, too.
Monday, February 18, 2013 Page 5
HOROSCOPES
Because the stars
know things we dont.
Crossword
sudoku
Cryptoquip
television
check out
the answers
http://bit.ly/Xf2bPn
E
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
entertainment
aries (March 21-april 19)
today is a 9
when others succeed, you
succeed. work together and
make magic. you enter a
one-month review period.
return to basics. Add humor
to reduce stress.
taurus (april 20-May 20)
today is an 8
For the next four weeks, focus
on your special bond with
friends. Creative projects
undergo revision while saturn
is in retrograde. Add love.
gemini (May 21-June 20)
today is a 9
you're hot and only get-
ting hotter; resistance is
futile. you're going to have
to accomplish the wonderful
things you've been wanting,
even in the face of cynicism.
Just do it.
cancer (June 21-July 22)
today is a 7
now is not the time to over-
extend. slow and steady wins
the race, but you don't even
have to enter the competition.
take it easy and meditate.
watch out for travel sur-
prises.
Leo (July 23-aug. 22)
today is a 7
stay home instead of going
out. you don't have to explain
it yet. For the next month,
your partner can be a great
leader. support and follow.
Virgo (aug. 23-sept. 22)
today is a 7
you'll be most effective work-
ing with and through others.
start finishing up old busi-
ness, one piece at a time, and
invent something new.
Libra (sept. 23-oct. 22)
today is an 8
you may want to back up
your data, as Mercury goes
retrograde soon (on Feb. 23).
during this next phase, you're
extremely creative. spend
time with a loved one.
scorpio (oct. 23-nov. 21)
today is a 6
there's not quite enough for
something you want. Make
the best with what you have
for now, which is plenty.
you're lucky in love.
sagittarius (nov. 22-dec. 21)
today is a 9
use your common sense and
gain respect. Focus on home
and family. Going back to
basics brings some freedom
and relaxation, even more
than imagined.
capricorn (dec. 22-Jan. 19)
today is an 8
take the time to study and
practice. Avoid the tempta-
tion to spend; rely on your
imagination instead. review
your budget. no gambling.
Build a marketing plan.
aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
today is a 9
Clear up misunderstand-
ings as they happen to avoid
making a mountain out of a
dirt clod. For the next month,
you'll do well financially, if
you can keep from spending
it all.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
today is an 8
Confront old fears to make
them disappear. your natural
genius flourishes. it's not a
good time to travel, though. A
fabulous opportunity appears.
Bask in it.
history
associated Press
associated Press
Downton Abbey sparks interest
in servants of US mansions
victim appears on show
two days after death
associated Press
newly discovered photographs, documents and family histories have inspired the creation of a tour about servants at the
elms, a mansion in newport, r.i., which echoes themes of the British drama program, downton Abbey.
JOHANNESBURG Reeva
Steenkamps last wish for her fam-
ily before she was shot dead at boy-
friend Oscar Pistorius home was
for them to watch her in a reality
TV show that went on air in South
Africa on Saturday night, two days
afer her killing.
Sharon Steenkamp, Reevas
cousin, told Te Associated Press
that the model and law graduate
was proud of being in the show
and reminded them in their last
conversation to make sure that
they watched it.
Te South African Broadcasting
Corp. aired the Tropika Island of
Treasure program, showing the
late Steenkamp the victim of
a Valentines Day shooting at the
home of Pistorius, the Olympic
star and double-amputee athlete.
She is laughing and smiling, and
blowing a kiss toward the camera
in Jamaica when it was flmed last
year.
South Africans also saw her
swimming in the ocean and watch-
ing people jump of a clif and into
the sea, shaking her head as they
leaped.
SABC said it was dedicated
to Steenkamp and displayed the
words Reeva Steenkamp 19 Au-
gust 1983 - 14 February 2013
between images of a rose and a
candle in a short tribute before
the show aired. She was also seen
blowing the kiss as she sat on a Ja-
maican beach and her name again
appeared on screen with the years
of her birth and death.
Te country was rocked Turs-
day when news broke of Steen-
kamps shooting death at the
upscale house of the star athlete.
Pistorius was arrested and charged
with her murder and remains in
custody in a police station. His
family has strongly denied pros-
ecutors claims that he murdered
her.
Steenkamps family said earlier
Saturday that it had not been con-
tacted by either the SABC South
Africas national broadcaster or
the shows producers for permis-
sion to air it, but were not opposed
to it because Reeva wanted every-
one to see it.
Her last words to us personally
were that she wants us to watch it,
Sharon Steenkamp said, hours be-
fore the program was shown.
SABC aired the reality show on
its main channel, which promi-
nently featured Steenkamp.
Te shows executive producer,
Samantha Moon, said going ahead
with the show is what she would
have wanted.
Steenkamp, a 29-year-old
blonde model who graduated from
law school, died afer sufering
four gunshot wounds, police said.
Ofcers recovered a 9-mm pistol
from Pistorius house and quickly
charged the Olympian with mur-
der for Steenkamps killing.
Pistorius will appear in court
Tuesday for a bail hearing, some-
thing police have said they oppose.
Prosecutors also say they will pur-
sue upgraded charges of premedi-
tated murder against him, which
means the disabled icon and dou-
ble-amputee runner could face a
life sentence.
Portions released earlier Satur-
day of the reality show, sponsored
by a milk fruit drink, feature Steen-
kamp laughing and smiling on the
beaches of Jamaica. Another por-
tion shows her swimming with
two dolphins, which tap her on the
cheek with their snouts.
I think the way that you go
out, not just your journey in life,
but the way that you go out and
the way you make your exit is so
important, Steenkamp says in the
video. You either made an impact
in a positive or a negative way, but
just maintain integrity and main-
tain class and just remain true to
yourself.
Im going to miss you all so
much and I love you very, very
much.
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Monday, February 18, 2013 PaGe 6 the unIVerSIty daILy KanSan
entertainment
entertainment
Charlie Sheen donates money
for strangers therapy dog
miss america making return
to atlantic City this year
S
ince her hilarious supporting
turn in 2011s Bridesmaids,
Melissa McCarthy has
become nearly inescapable.
The first time this fact real-
ly hit home for me was last
December, during a screening of
Judd Apatows This is 40, when
the comedienne appeared as
Catherine, a short-tempered par-
ent who complains to the school
principal after Debbie (Leslie
Mann) makes an unfavorable
comparison between Catherines
towheaded, buck-toothed son and
musician Tom Petty. Its a throw-
away part, with perhaps eight
minutes of total screen time, but
McCarthy uses those eight min-
utes to practically walk away with
the movie, calling the attractive,
affluent Debbie and her husband,
Pete (Paul Rudd), a bullshit bank
commercial couple andthreaten-
ing to kick them both in the throat
for being ineffectual parents.
My enjoyment of that scene, and
the even funnier mid-credits gag
reel, was only diminished by the
fact that Id already seen McCarthy
twice that same evening, in trail-
ers for the now-released Identity
Thief, where McCarthy plays a
chipper, foulmouthed criminal
who steals Jason Batemans credit
card information, and director
Paul Feigs Bridesmaids follow-
up, The Heat, where she plays
a chipper, foulmouthed police-
woman who teams up with Sandra
Bullock, who plays a frazzled
FBI agent. I understand shes
also slated for a chipper, foul-
mouthed part in this Mays The
Hangover: Part III. Having suc-
cessfully defied expectations for a
heavyset woman in a thin-centric
industry, McCarthy must now
confront another Hollywood pit-
fall: the double threat of becom-
ing simultaneously typecast and
overexposed.
If this happens, shell be in good
company. Actors like Ben Stiller,
Julia Roberts, Adam Sandler,
Bruce Willis and Owen Wilson
have all been accused of playing
too many similar roles. Quick,
how many movies can you name
where Seth Rogen plays a love-
able stoner or Denzel Washington
calmly asserts himself as a profes-
sional badass? Some, like Mike
Myers, wallow in their gravy train
and gradually slide into irrele-
vance. Others, like Jude Law and
post-Lincoln Lawyer Matthew
McConaughey, break free of weak
material and obvious casting and
go on to explore richer veins of
character acting.
In the last few years, two dra-
matic actors have paved the way for
avoiding viewer fatigue by turning
in a wide array of diverse and
compelling performances. After
breaking into the mainstream
with a small role in Inglourious
Basterds and an incendiary turn
as young Magneto in X-Men:
First Class, Michael Fassbender
showcased his range as psycho-
analyst Carl Jung in A Dangerous
Method, a tortured sex addict in
Shame and a curious replicant
in last summers Prometheus.
Current Oscar nominee Jessica
Chastain also believes in never
repeating herself, having embod-
ied idealized motherhood in Tree
of Life only months before diving
into Zero Dark Thirty and the
mind of a CIA agent obsessed with
killing Osama bin Laden.
So, can McCarthy avoid falling
into the exposure trap? Her com-
edy bona fides are impressive, and
its not as if she materialized out
of nowhere. Before the success of
Bridesmaids, shed been quietly
paying her dues for the better part
of a decade on TV sitcoms like
Gilmore Girls and the still-run-
ning Mike & Molly. But it was
her wacky, winsome performance
as bridesmaid Megan that cata-
pulted her into the national spot-
light, earning her scores of ador-
ing (and incredibly protective)
fans. When New York Observer
film critic Rex Reed published a
review of Identity Thief describ-
ing McCarthy as a female hippo
and tractor-sized, McCarthys
online following descended to col-
lectively tear him a well-deserved
new one.
Reeds cruel and unprofessional
comments aside, Identity Thief
is a lazy, obnoxious belch of a
movie that represents the exact
sort of project McCarthy would
do well to avoid, although it does
allow her one scene where her
character Diana opens up to Sandy
(Bateman), explaining where she
comes from and why she has cho-
sen a life of crime.
In context, her tearful confes-
sion is completely out of sync with
the rest of the film and contributes
to its borderline nonsensical third
act. The same scene works beauti-
fully, however, when viewed as a
standalone piece, mostly because
of McCarthys worn-down vulner-
ability and her undeniable gift for
improvisation. Thats the Melissa
McCarthy I paid to see, and Id
love to see more of her in the
future.
Edited by Morgan Said
review
aSSocIated PreSS
melissa mcCarthy plays an unlikely career criminal in identity thief.
Melissa McCarthy falls
into typecasting trap
By Landon Mcdonald
lmcdonald@kansan.com
aSSocIated PreSS
aSSocIated PreSS
MILWAUKEE Charlie Sheen
wired $10,000 to 15-year-old
Teagan Marti and her family on
Thursday for a therapy dog to help
in her rehabilitation from injuries
sustained when she plummeted
100 feet from a Wisconsin amuse-
ment park ride in 2010.
I think hes a very kind person
for helping me and my family
and very generous, Marti said by
phone from her home in Parkland,
Fla.
Marti suffered brain, spine, pel-
vis and internal injuries in July
2010 when nets and air bags that
catch riders on a free-fall ride
failed to rise. She convinced her
family to make the trip to Extreme
World in Wisconsin Dells after
seeing the ride, Terminal Velocity,
on the Travel Channel.
She was hospitalized in
Wisconsin and Florida for three
months. She initially had no use
of her arms or legs, but through
physical therapy can walk again
with the help of a walker.
Teagan Martis mother, Julie
Marti, said they are financially in
trouble from the medical bills and
insurance isnt covering physical
therapy anymore. She had no idea
how to pay for the English Golden
Retriever puppy.
Im in such disbelief, her
mother said. I was crying. ...
What a guy. What a guy.
The dog is trained to turn on
lights, pick up objects and be the
teens constant companion.
Lucia Wilgus, of Eau Claire,
Wisc., became friends with the
Martis after hearing of the acci-
dent. She has spearheaded fund-
raising and helped find the dog.
She sent a letter to Sheen
through Sheens godfather, who is
a Wilgus family friend. She esti-
mated the training and related
costs would be around $6,000.
Sheen said he decided to give
more for extra costs. The request
had a personal vibe since it
came through his godfather, and
if theres a need for more, I told
them to call me, he said.
I like to pay it forward, Sheen
said in a phone interview from
Los Angeles.
He said he doesnt like to pub-
licize most of his donations, but
wanted to talk about this one to
inspire others to donate.
Marti gets the dog on her birth-
day in September but hasnt made
up her mind on a name.
I think they should name the
dog Charlie, Sheen joked.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. Miss
America, Atlantic Citys prodigal
pageant, is coming home after a
six-year fling in Las Vegas.
The pageant returns to where
it started 93 years ago and where
it was a fixture until 2006, when
organizers moved to Nevada in
hopes of attracting a younger TV
audience.
It was always my dream that
this would return here, said Art
McMaster, president and CEO of
the Miss America organization.
We are back to the city where
the Miss America pageant began,
where the Miss America pageant
was raised, and where the Miss
America pageant belongs.
Atlantic County Executive
Dennis Levinson, said having Miss
America anywhere but Atlantic
City just felt wrong.
Can anyone separate
the Mummers Parade from
Philadelphia, or the Rose Bowl
from Pasadena? he asked. Miss
America is Atlantic City, and shes
coming home.
New Jerseys lieutenant gov-
ernor, Kim Guadagno, made the
official announcement Thursday
morning inside Boardwalk Hall,
the historic arena in which the
pageant will take place during yet-
undetermined dates in September.
Guadagno said no taxpayer
money was part of the incentives
offered to lure Miss America back
to New Jersey. Liza Cartmell, presi-
dent of the Atlantic City Alliance,
said her casino-funded group is
among those providing financial
incentives, but would not say how
much it might contribute.
Guadagno and Cartmell said the
return of the pageant is expected
to generate at least $30 million
in economic activity for Atlantic
City and the surrounding region.
Cartmell said 6,000 to 7,000 people
associated with the pageant will
need hotel rooms, meals and other
expenditures during their time in
Atlantic City.
aSSocIated PreSS
an english golden retriever puppy sits with her litter in Fond du Lac, wis. She will be trained to become a therapy dog for a
teenager who was severely injured in a fall from a wisconsin amusement park ride in 2010. actor Charlie Sheen said hes
donating $10,000 for the dogs training and other expenses.
ReservOWes31s.co