VOLUME X ISSUE 10 WWW.THEMEDIAPLEX.COM FEBRUARY 23, 2015

CONVERGED CITIZENTHE

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NEWS ENTERTAINMENT

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Symphony schedules ‘innovative’ programSean Frame

Managing Editor

The Windsor Symphony

Orchestra has announced their

next season with some new

ideas for the 2015-16 concert

season. According to Robert

Franz, the WSO’s music direc-

tor, next season will feature

ideas from previous years as

well as innovative ideas. Some

of these were demonstrated in

the WSO’s current season in

which the orchestra has

branched out into more multi-

media.

On Feb. 7 at the Capitol

Theatre WSO presented Wright

Flight, an original piece featur-

ing music written by American

composer Lawrence Dillon in

collaboration with Franz and

accompanied by three actors

telling the story of Orville and

Wilbur Wright. According to

Franz, this is just a taste of what

will come next season wheny

they will showcase American

violinist Rachel Barton Pine,

Broads on Broadway and much

more.

“The orchestra really is a part

of how the city feels about

itself,” said Franz, explaining

why the orchestra is important to

Windsor. “This is a place where

people can come and escape the

world they’re in. They can be

engaged, they can be enter-

tained, they can be thrilled, they

can be brought to tears, they can

be made to laugh. There is just

so much music can provide in a

person’s life when heard

through a live performance.”

During the next season there

will be numerous genres and

performances on stage. In their

current season they began with

astronaut Chris Hadfield and

Franz said he promises the

future of the WSO will only get

better.

In late 2015 and early 2016,

the Capitol Theatre will be host-

ing two new festivals. The first

will be late 2015 and will be

Photo by Sean Frame

Robert Franz discusses the upcoming Windsor Symphony Orchestra season on Feb. 5 at theCapitol Theatre.

called Operafest and the second

will be in spring 2016 titled

Mozartfest which will present

two concerts featuring the music

of Mozart.

“The work that Robert is doing

is to break down that precon-

ceived idea of what an orchestra

concert experience can be and

make it something new and

SEE PAGE 3

University students address income inequalityJohnathan Hutton

Citizen Staff Reporter

Students from the

University of Windsor par-

ticipated in a model United

Nations council at the uni-

versity in Windsor on Feb.

9.

The debate, which fea-

tured three University of

Windsor professors and

more than 100 students,

aimed to raise interest in

income inequality among

students, and address social

and economic issues in the

region.

“Income inequality is a

big concern for younger

Photo by Johnathan Hutton

Left to right University of Windsor professors Jamey Essex, Andrew Richter and Jeff Noonandebate income inequality at the University of Windsor’s Ed Lumley Centre for EngineeringInnovation on Feb 9.

generations,” said Jamey

Essex.“ In Windsor and

Essex County it’s pretty

bad, but it’s a problem any-

where.”

According to a report

called “The Rich and The

Rest of Us” published by

Pathway to Potential, there

has been a significant

increase in income inequal-

ity in Windsor since 2010.

The wealthiest one per cent

of Windsorites has seen a

21 per cent increase in

income, while the average

resident has seen a

decrease of three per cent.

SEE PAGE 2

2CONVERGED CITIZENNEWS FEBRUARY 23, 2015

MEDIAPLEX CONVERGED TEAM

Managing Editors

Shelbey Hernandez

Bobby-Jo Keats

Associate

Managing EditorsSean Frame

Dan Gray

Production

Manager

Production

Team Justin Thompson Tecumseh MacGuigan

Casandra Malynowskyj

Sean Frame

Sports EditorsEvan MathiasMike Hugall

Chelsea LeflerRyan Turczyniak

Copy EditorJohnathan Martin

Katherine Sokolowski

Taylor Busch

Ashley Ann Mentley

Photo EditorTecumseh MacGuigan

Ryan Brough Shelbey Hernandez

WWW.THEMEDIAPLEX.COMEMAIL: MEDIA.CONVERGED@THEMEDIAPLEX.COM

PHONE: (519) 972-2727 EXT. 4963

Entertainment

Editor

Josh Teixeira

Kristine Klein

Production

Team

‘Boyhood’ and ‘Imitation

Game’ vie for Oscar

OPINION

Mark Brown

Citizen Staff Reporter

The Academy Awards have

had a long history of recogniz-

ing period pieces, as well as

those films with highly origi-

nal concepts. Two of those

films are up for the prestigious

Best Picture honour – the

ambitious family drama

Boyhood and the period

thriller The Imitation Game.

A labour of love for writer

and director Richard Linklater,

Boyhood (IFC Films, USA)

follows the trials and tribula-

tions of a Texas family over a

12-year period. The film was

shot by the same actors

between 2002 and 2014, so the

viewer can see the actors

mature naturally. The focus of

the story is Mason Jr. (Eller

Coltrane), and the viewer

watches him mature from a

six-year-old to an artistic, self-

assured young adult. Mason is

being moved all over Texas so

his mother can complete her

education and find a job, living

with a stepfather who spirals

downward into abuse and

alcoholism and experimenting

with alcohol and drugs himself

as he struggles to find his place

in society.

The two constants in

Mason’s life are his father

Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) and

sister Samantha (Lorelei

Linklater). Though Mason Sr.

has demons of his own and

eventually starts a family with

another woman, he is very

much in tune to the lives of his

children. Samantha is also

there to endure the growing

pains Mason Jr. is feeling.

Going through many changes

herself is the mother Olivia

(Patricia Arquette) who has

endured the pain of failed rela-

tionships, financial worry

and spousal abuse.

Because the actors were

allowed to age on their own

and the film was shot period-

ically over 12 years, it makes

the actors’ performances as

believable as you can get. As

a consequence, the film’s

running time is a cramp-

inducing two hours, 45 min-

utes. Arquette (a Best

Supporting Actress nominee)

steals the show as Olivia and

the audience can’t help but

feel the pain she has to

endure with every setback.

Hawke (up for Best

Supporting Actor) is also

strong as Mason Sr., a man

with his own problems, yet

someone with an enduring

soft spot for his children. The

natural progression of the

actors is the main story

behind this film and if I had

a vote for Best Picture,

Boyhood would certainly get

it.

While Boyhood celebrates

the progression of a boy into

a young man, The ImitationGame celebrates the eventu-

al victory of democracy

through science.

Game (Black Bear Pictures

and Weinstein Company,

UK) chronicles the extraor-

dinary story of British math-

ematician Alan Turing (Best

Actor nominee Benedict

Cumberbatch) and his devel-

opment of a system that

broke the so-called Enigma

Code used by Nazi Germany

during World War II. The

film follows Turing as he

forges through his own

social awkwardness to

develop the computer that

would eventually break the

Nazi codes. Nevertheless,

the film easily points out that

the work Turing and his team

did may have saved thou-

sands of lives and probably

shortened the war by at least

two years, and despite his per-

sonal flaws, Turing and his

work are being hailed.

The viewer sees the brilliant

scientist butting heads with his

superiors and alienating his

colleagues with his often

bizarre behaviour. The film

portrays Turing as having

some form of autism. There is

little or no evidence that

Turing was autistic, though he

did portray some eccentrici-

ties.

The film also shows Turing

struggling with his homosexu-

ality during a time when it was

illegal in Britain. A subplot of

the film involves Turing’s pro-

fessional and personal rela-

tionship with Joan Clarke

(Best Supporting Actress

nominee Kiera Knightley), the

only female to pass an

entrance exam to get on

Turing’s team. Turing helps

Clarke get settled on the team

and find a place to live. The

two are even engaged to marry

at one point, but that ends

once Turing tells her he’s gay.

Years later, when Turing is

convicted of indecency

charges, the two resume their

friendship.

The Imitation Game, directed

by Morten Tyldum, painstak-

ingly recreates the process of

developing the system that

broke the Enigma Code, while

delving into the personal hell

being experienced by Turing.

The film, like Boyhood, is a

moving testament of the

human spirit – a triumph over

evil and an example of perse-

verance and passion over

everything that seems to be

wrong with the world.

The motion picture academy

loves period pieces and the

film could likely get some

Academy love when the

Oscars are handed out in Los

Angeles on Feb 22.

The organization also

published a report called

“Reality Check” that says

one in 10 Windsorites cur-

rently live in poverty.

“Income inequality is not

simply a difference in the

amount of money people

have access to, it’s a prob-

lem in terms of complete

access to resources and

opportunities that make life

worth living,” said profes-

sor of political sciences

Andrew Richter.

“Currently, one small group

of people control extreme

amounts of wealth and

resources while the majori-

ty of people are struggling

just to get by.”

Since 2010, the wealthy

one per cent of Windsorites

has seen an average income

of nearly $300,000 while

90 per cent of Windsorites

live off close to $29,000.

Eric Hubberstey is the

director of marketing of the

Model UN and is also a stu-

dent at the university. He

said the growing gap in

income between the upper

and lower classes has had a

huge impact on students

financially and psychologi-

cally.

“Here at the university, a

lot of people are in the

lower to middle class range

of society,” said

Hubberstey. “Students are

more worried about whether

they can pay for their

tuition than what their

grades are. Many students

have to apply for grants and

OSAP just to attend

school.”

Richter ended the debate

with a message to students.

“Income inequality is the

contradiction of the very

nature of a free society, and

our city is ground zero for

the widening equalities of

the world,” he said.

The Model UN holds weekly

meetings on Monday and

Thursdays to address current

global issues. It is open to

Windsor residents and stu-

dents who are interested in

learning more about the UN

and the issues it faces. For

more information visit the

Model UN’s website

www.winmun.ca

FROM PAGE 1

3CONVERGED CITIZENNEWS FEBRUARY 23, 2015

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Energy distributed via

healing circlesJosh Teixeira

Production Team

Many Windsorites are treat-

ing stress with the help of the

holistic arts. One ritual

involves the sharing, creating

and sending of healing energy

through drumming.

Drumming is a powerful

form of energy creation,

prayer, meditation and creativ-

ity. It activates healing and

raises vibration. Any kind of

drums can be used, including

hand and rattle drums.

In accordance with the lunar

days that fall each year, White

Feather Holistic Arts is one

Windsor location that creates

drum circles, including heal-

ing circles.

“It’s a drum circle that’s

done at the time of the full

moon and the full moon is a

time when energies are high,”

said Tracey Rogers, owner of

White Feather. “When it’s a

new moon it’s about planting

new things, and when the

moon is full it’s when things

have been planted and they’ve

come to fruition and it’s time

to celebrate incomplete proj-

ects.”

White Feather Holistic Arts

is located on Ottawa St. in

Windsor. The store offers a

wide variety of healing crys-

tals, jewelry, spiritual items,

books, CDs, incense and

more.

According to Rogers, drum-

ming circles involve prayerful

healing and sending out posi-

tive vibrations to people.

“We’re not really focusing in

on grief as much as we’re

focusing in on how to heal and

get over things and to move

past things, and so to energeti-

cally move to higher vibra-

tions,” said Rogers.

Participants of the drum cir-

cle find the ritual to be reliev-

ing, leaving them feeling posi-

tive and eager to share their

experiences.

“All my cares sort of go

away, everything disappears,”

said Sue Fischer who partici-

pated in her first drum circle in

early February. “I’m just

drawn in.”

Drumming circles can be

participated in for free.

Anybody can take part and no

previous drumming experi-

ence is required. All age

groups are welcome and

drums are provided but can

also be brought to the circle.

Caitlyn Lloyd, another

drumming circle participant, is

more experienced with them

and says she visits several

times a year.

“It boosts your system, you

don’t feel down. It’s like a

kaleidoscope,” said Lloyd.

“It’s easier I find if you have a

constant sound like a drum

beat. I have drum beats on my

phone on my music list that I

use just to relax.”

Lloyd explained that drum-

ming circles had a role in the

discovery of a new hobby of

hers in the form of paranormal

activity.

“We go to businesses and

private homes to do investiga-

tions, and we don’t charge

anything,” said Lloyd.”

She says the spiritual side of

drumming circles had her

interested in paranormal activ-

ity when her friends suggested

it.

The next drumming cir-

cle at White Feather will

be held on March 20 fol-

lowing the Spring Equinox.

Drumming circles are also

offered at The Bloomfield

House.

exciting,” said WSO

Communications Manager

Shelley Sharpe. “I think with

this next season and with this

season too, it is a great oppor-

tunity for people to try some-

thing new out no matter what

you like. If you want to see

opera, there is a great opportu-

nity to come out and see a cou-

ple of different operas. If you

want to see hunky firemen

(Burning Love) on stage, you

can come out and do that as

well, and everything in

between. It sounds cliché to

say there is something for

everybody, but there really is

something for everybody.”

The orchestra’s next show

will be on Feb. 15, where

Tony Award-winning

American actress Debbie

Gravitte will join the WSO

and sing some romantic love

songs.

FROM PAGE 1

Polar plunge winners recognizedKameron Chausse

Citizen Staff Reporter

The enthusiasm of St.

Clair College’s students

made the school’s first

Polar Plunge a success.

The event, held this year

on Feb. 5, raised money

for provincial Special

Olympics programs. While

the event itself is for char-

ity, the College’s Student

Representative Council

encouraged participation

by awarding prizes to out-

standing participants and

teams.

The Student Athletics

Association’s team won

Most Creative Splash,

which included dunking a

basketball into a net dur-

ing their pool entry. The

Dueling Chefs, Mike

Jimmerfield and Steve

Meehan, jointly won Best

Costume. The staff and

students of the

International Department

had excellent costumes

and energy, winning the

award for Best School

Photo by Taylor BuschParticipants take the Polar Plunge at St. Clair College on Feb.5.

SEE PAGE 4

4CONVERGED CITIZENENTERTAINMENT FEBRUARY 23, 2015

The 57th Annual Grammy

Awards was a star-filled

evening that featured more

performances than there were

trophies handed out.

English singer Sam Smith

dominated the night with four

wins including Song of the

Year for Stay With Me.

Beyoncé, who became the

Grammys’ most nominated

woman this year, won her 20th

award for the sultry R&B hit

Drunk in Love.

The theme of social issues

has been prevalent at many of

this year’s award shows and

the Grammys were no excep-

tion. While presenting Album

of the Year in a bold orange

suit, Prince took a moment to

recognize black lives.

“Albums still matter. Like

books and black lives, albums

still matter,” Prince told the

audience.

Katy Perry put the spotlight

on another issue: domestic

violence.

Her ballad By the Grace of

God was introduced with a

public service announcement

by U.S. President Barack

Obama, who encouraged

artists to take a stand against

violence towards women.

The biggest shock of the

night did not just come from

Beck winning album of the

year, but from Kanye West’s

reaction to it.

West briefly jumped on stage

during Beck’s acceptance

speech, reminiscent of his

infamous moment in 2009

when he interrupted Taylor

Swift’s speech at the MTV

Awards.

West quickly left the stage,

but did not hold back when

talking to reporters after the

show.

“Beck needs to respect

artistry and he should have

given his award to Beyoncé,”

West said.

Although it proved to be a

controversial one, the com-

plete list of winners can be

found at

www.grammy.com/nominees.

Photo courtesy of Grammy’s Facebook

Allanah Wills

Citizen Staff Reporter

2015 Grammy recap

Oscar predictions for 2015

Film’s biggest night is just

around the corner.

Amherstburg-born filmmaker

Gavin Michael Booth’s latest

film The Scarehouse was

filmed in Windsor and won

“Best Feature” at the New

York City Horror Film

Festival. Booth breaks down

his picks for who he thinks

should take home the gold on

Oscar night.

Best Picture

Nominees:Birdman, Boyhood,

American Sniper, Whiplash,

The Grand Budapest Hotel,

Selma, The Imitation Game,

The Theory of Everything.

Gavin’s pick: Boyhood I saw

the film and really enjoyed it.

I’m excited that a small indie

film is nominated. Sure it is

simple in its storytelling but it

is a really effective slice of

life. Obviously there is a mas-

sive focus on the marvel of

how it was shot over 12 years.

I definitely think that plays

into the accolades the film and

the filmmakers are receiving.

I can’t imagine how compli-

cated and daring that would

be.

Possible Contender: Birdman

A great technical marvel with

the incredible one single-shot

scenes that make the film feel

as if it is a single-shot through-

out. Michael Keaton was fan-

tastic. It is the rare film where

I walked out of it truly excited

because I hadn’t seen anything

quite like it before and the

story kept me guessing the

entire time instead of being

able to predict what comes

next.

Best Director Nominees:

Richard Linklater for Boyhood,

Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher,

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for

Birdman, Morten Tyldum for The

Imitation Game, Wes Anderson

for The Grand Budapest Hote.

Gavin’s pick: Richard Linklater –

Boyhood. How can he not?

Twelve years of patience, creativi-

ty and driving the train on that

project for over 12 years. That

means the cast and crew trusted

him fully for over a decade. That

is an important bond for cast, crew

and director to have. He was able

to throw a wild idea out there and

have these people follow his lead.

That alone deserves the statue this

year.

Best Actor Nominees: Benedict

Cumberbatch in The Imitation

Game, Bradley Cooper in

American Sniper, Michael Keaton

in Birdman, Steve Carrell in

Foxcatcher, Eddie Redmayne in

The Theory of Everything

Gavin’s pick: Michael Keaton –

Birdman or (The Unexpected

Virtue of Ignorance) as Riggan

Thomson. This role is perfectly

timed in his career. In many ways

he IS Birdman; a film actor who

walked away from a major fran-

chise and never truly had another

hit after that. He’s sad, lonely and

slightly crazed after years of being

beaten up by the press. He was

spot on perfect for the character.

The long-take technical achieve-

ment for Birdman also applies

here. The actors have to hit their

marks with little to no forgiveness

shooting in this style and there is

such a range of intensity and phys-

icality happening inside these

shots.

Best Actress Nominees:

Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl,

Felicity Jones in The Theory of

Everything, Julianne Moore in

Still Alice, Reese Witherspoon

Wild, Marion Cotillard in Two

Days, One Night.

Gavin’s pick: Felicity Jones –

The Theory of Everything as Jane

Wilde Hawking. Jones is already

the favourite to win and I do love

her work. Admittedly I haven’t

seen all of “The Theory of

Everything” yet but what I have

watched so far I think she is great

in.

Possible Contender: Reese

Witherspoon – Wild as Cheryl

Strayed. Now, here I think Reese

could take home her second

Oscar. Carrying a movie largely

on your shoulders, many times

being alone on screen in the story

is an impressive undertaking. The

based on the true story angle never

Actor Chris Pine and Academy president Cheryl Booneannounce the Best Picture nominees on Jan. 15. in BeverlyHills, California.

Photo courtesy of The Academy Instagram

Allanah Wills

Citizen Staff Reporter

hurts in helping an audience to

have their heart strings yanked out

during this film.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: J.K. Simmons in

Whiplash, Ethan Hawke in

Boyhood, Edward Norton in

Birdman, Robert Duvall in the

Judge, Mark Ruffalo in

Foxcatcher.

Gavin’s pick: J. K. Simmons –

Whiplash as Terence Fletcher. The

greatest this year. Such a macho

man with such deep regrets that

brim up over the film. I truly

enjoyed Simmons in this film

from start to finish. His comedic,

abrupt deliveries were at their best

but the heart of his performance is

the vulnerable moments and he

nails it.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Patricia Arquette in

Boyhood, Meryl Streep in Into the

Woods, Keira Knightley in The

Imitation Game, Emma Stone in

Birdman, Laura Dern in Wild

Gavin’s pick: Patricia Arquette –

Boyhood as Olivia Evans. Next to

“boy” in Boyhood, Patricia is the

character with the largest commit-

ment over the 12 year shooting

schedule. I think there is such

added realism as she ages and

brings the additional age and wis-

dom life brings you in regards to

building her character. I’m so

curious to know her approach

on this role. I completely

bought into this woman who

started with a raw deal and no

matter what was always strug-

gling just to hold it together

and still be a good mother on

top of it all.

The Academy Awards will air

Feb. 22 on CTV at 7 p.m., just

five days after The

Scarehouse will be made

available on DVD.

Spirit.

The Honourable Mention

goes to Darryl Danelon,

who had a great deal of

support from the engineer-

ing department. However,

the Top Fundraiser award

went to Margaret Rice,

captain of the Plunging

Nurses, who brought in

$2,260 and won a trip to

Toronto to see a hockey

game.

The money raised by the

Polar Plunge will go to

support Ontario Law

Enforcement’s Torch Run

for Special Olympics

Ontario, contributing to

assistance given to over

18,000 special needs ath-

letes across the province.

More than $24,000 was

raised during this year’s

Plunge at the school’s

south campus, more than

their initial $10,000 goal.

FROM PAGE 3