1. 6 A&E
The latest leaders of Hollywood’s pack
G
December 10, 2009 Mount Holyoke News
BY MADELINE HARRINGTON ’13 the Frat Pack, often appearing in their films. Teetering on the
CONTRIBUTING WRITER edge of the inner circle are Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), Paul Rudd
Hollywood has a tradition of grouping its biggest stars into (I Love You, Man) and John C. Reilly (Talladega Nights).
a sort of gang or club that beats back all competition and rises I know what you’re thinking, ladies. Where are all the
to the top in tandem. It began in the 50s and 60s with the Rat women? But fear not—several actresses are frequent costars of
Pack, composed of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Mar- the Frat Pack, including Jennifer Aniston, Leslie Mann and
tin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. The Rat Christine Taylor. Together, these women are
Pack ruled Hollywood as the apex of stardom. proving that chicks can be funny, too. Amy
The phenomenon continued again in the 80s, Poehler is also admirably holding her own
with the creation of the Brat Pack. Emilio Es- amongst the boys, with several appearances in
ZAYDEN TETHONG ’12
tevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, An- Frat Pack films, including Blades of Glory with
drew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ferrell. In fact, Poehler is considered closer to
Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy were the the Pack than her husband, Will Arnett, who
biggest stars of the decade thanks to films seems to have some catching up to do.
Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio like The Breakfast Club, St Elmo’s Fire, Pretty Stiller is the acknowledged leader of the
in Pink and Sixteen Candles. Following in the Pack (pun intended), having written, directed,
footsteps of the Rat Pack, these young stars produced and starred in the first true Frat Pack
Artist: Black Eyed Peas became the epitome of celebrity in the 80s film, the wildly bizarre and hilarious Zoolander.
and are still known for their collective work. From there the Pack has been built up around
Now, two decades after the Brat Pack, an- friends and family, with Stiller hiring the others
Memorable moment: Obama other gang of actors has established them- as well as cameo-ing in many of their films (note
winning the election selves as the dominant force in film. Don’t the fight scene in Anchorman). The gang has
worry; they aren’t the perky High School Mu- only evolved from there, with different members
sical kids or the angsty Twilight cast mem- appearing in many films together, each time ini-
bers. Instead, it’s a group of rather average tiating even more actors into the brotherhood.
middle-aged men, dubbed “the Frat Pack.” Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Frat Pack is
If you saw The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Dodgeball, Wedding that finally we have been present during and conscious of a sig-
Crashers or Tropic Thunder, you’ll know who the Frat Pack guys nificant revolution in entertainment. We have watched today’s
are. The group is made up of six core members: Ben Stiller, Luke biggest stars rise to where they are and. in doing so, we have
and Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Vince Vaughn and, of course, Will witnessed the face of comedy morph into the distinct mugs of
Ferrell. Steve Carell hangs on the edges with his frequent ap- Stiller, Ferrell, Vaughn, the Wilsons, Black and their cohorts. We
pearances in the Frat Pack films, as do many others. In fact, may not be able to say that we saw The Breakfast Club when it
GREETINGS FROM
many of today’s popular actors orbit around the six members of first came out, but we vividly remember when Zoolander graced
first the silver screen and the Frat Pack was born.
KELSEY BENTHAM ’13 THE WHEDONVERSE
From A.I. to The Hills
Movie: V for Vendetta BY KIM BOYD ’10
STAFF WRITER
As we come to the end of
the 2000s, we close the book
on what has been one of the
Memorable moment: more interesting decades of television and online
A craving for “reality”
Heath Ledger’s death media. As television shifts with increasing frequency
to online content, one man has pioneered in that arena.
Most people know Joss Whedon (at least in name only)
from some of the decade’s biggest cult TV shows. Not
only is Whedon the brain behind Buffy, Angel, Firefly,
and the recently cancelled Dollhouse, but he’s also be-
hind the web phenomenon, “Doctor Horrible’s Sing exactly, has the genre met with
Along Blog”. Let's take a look at the Whedon decade. BY RACHEL KRUEGER ’13
this degree of success? In theory,
2000 — Season four of Buffy and season two of
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
the actors, writers, set designers
If you spent the earlier years and other expensive employees
Angel air. The Buffy episode “Hush”, which takes place of your life laboring in obscurity, ought to have been contributing
mostly in silence, is nominated for an Emmy award for hoping for at least twelve or thir- something entertaining to tradi-
2001 — Two of the most important and respected
best writing. teen minutes of fame, the 00’s tional television.
abounded with opportunities for I’m inclined to credit the pop-
episodes of Buffy air. In the spring, “The Body,” about you to secure the proverbial fif- ularity of reality television to the
Buffy's mother's death airs, and in the fall, the Buffy
ELIANA RUBALCABA ‘13
teen. Unfortunately, all fifteen dual forces of competitiveness and
2002 — Whedon's Firefly, starring Nathan Fillion,
musical, “Once More With Feeling,” airs. likely involved you singing off-key, schadenfreude. A number of real-
scheming fecklessly against your ity programs feature contests as a
premieres on Fox. The show, a “space western” about compatriots, or battling intestinal main component, allowing view-
a rag-tail ensemble crew who travel the edges of the parasites. The past decade has ers to cheer on their favorite com-
Movie: Adapter “verse,” is cancelled after airing only 11 out of 14 seen an explosion of reality televi- petitors, who hold a certain
episodes. Fans of the show cry foul as Fox executives sion shows, that genre of televi- relatable appeal. This phenome-
2003 — Buffy leaves the airwaves with a bang, and
had aired the episodes out of order.
Actor: Johnny Depp sion that has endlessly non manifested itself when my
entertained columnists, cultural hometown, a suburb of Seattle, en-
2004 — The WB cancels Angel in its fifth season.
Firefly leaves with a whimper. critics, and even television view- gaged in American Idol euphoria
2005 — Thanks to DVD sales and the persistence
ers. as one of its native sons, Sanjaya
Although game shows have Malakar of the outlandish hair-
2006 —Whedon announces he will write and di-
of fans, Firefly finds some closure in the film Serenity. experienced popularity since the styles, advanced through the com-
early days of programming, so the petition. Just like us, Malakar
rect a film adaption of the 70s TV show, Wonder idea of filming ordinary people in usually couldn’t sing in tune, but
2007 — Whedon announces he will NOT be writ-
Woman. odd situations and airing the re- that hardly mattered. Ordinary
sults is nothing new. America has people aided by strange setups, re-
ing and directing Wonder Woman. He instead directs played host to a veritable low-bud- ality show participants embarrass
two episodes of The Office: "Business School" and get renaissance, ranging from themselves in a multitude of ways,
2008 — During the writers’ strike, Whedon teams
DANA RUBIN ‘12
"Branch Wars." competition shows to celeb-reality showcasing their lack of talent and
shows to an odd hybrid of these their insecurities to the world. We
up with his brothers Zak and Jed to write “Dr. Horri- categories. Clearly, audiences watch them fall off runways and
ble’s Sing Along Blog”. The short is released exclu- have proven receptive. Producers have their monumentally ugly
2009 — Whedon develops the stylistic Dollhouse
sively online, and becomes a web phenomenon. have enjoyed the holiday from noses restructured, enjoying a
Movie/TV: Pixar, Castaway
paying writers and professional conscious or subconscious glows
and reality tv for Fox. In Dollhouse, Whedon alum Eliza Dushku actors, and the chance to engage of superiority. It’s been a bad
plays an “active,” a human whose brain can be im- in product placement for anything decade for personal dignity, if an
printed so that she can become whatever the client pay visible to the naked eye. But why, entertaining one.
Book: Harry Potter series for. After a surprise second season pick up for, Doll-
house premiered to low ratings and Fox cancelled a
Whedon show. Again.
2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0
Infamous Britney Spears-Madonna kiss Beyonce wins five Grammys for debut album “Danger- Mr and Mrs Smith released and Oprah Winfrey annihilates author James
0 0 0
at the VMAs; The DaVinci Code pub- ously in Love”; Facebook founded; Lord of the Rings: Brangelina mania begins; Twilight Frey for falsifying information in mem-
0
lished; Wordpress begins hosting blogs; Return of the King wins a record 13 Academy Awards; published; Perez Hilton launches oir; Twitter founded; Tom Cruise slams
3 4 5 6
Arnold Schwarzenegger elected gover- “Nipplegate” gives new name to wardrobe malfunctions celebrity gossip Web site; YouTube Brooke Shields for using anti-depres-
nor of California; The Simple Life and television censorship; Martha Stewart imprisoned; created; Lance Armstong wins sev- sants; Nintendo launches the Wii video
makes socialite Paris Hilton a star Lost premieres; Boston Red Sox win World Series; enth consecutive Tour de France game console; The Hills premieres on
Friends series finale is most watched episode of the MTV
2000s

2. A&E 7
Welcome to The O.C. Fashion trends of the decade
G
December 10, 2009 Mount Holyoke News
BY ISABEL HALE ’13 legs are not the size of a Poland Spring
STAFF WRITER water bottle ( the .9 fluid ounce bottle,
not the 7.7 one).
Thank you Olsen twins, truckers,
ballerinas and eskimos. Without you, BALLET FLATS
the fashion of this decade would have As if wearing their pants was not
been awfully boring. Though the styles enough, as of 2007 we had to wear their
of this decade range far and wide, here shoes too! The ballet flat movement lit-
are some that hopefully hit close to erally began when women started
home, a reminder of the fashion faux flocking to their nearest dance-apparel
pas and ingenious purchases you have store in search of the comfy ballet slip-
made in the last ten years. pers they wore when they were five.
Good memory, ladies; unfortunately,
TRUCKER HATS they make your feet look bound and
Thanks to Ashton Kutcher and lumpy. Designers like Manolo Blahnik
Pharrell, aspiring to resemble a trucker and Prada helped us out on the aes-
Teen angst never looked this good
was “hip” at one point during the thetic front by designer versions of the
decade. With designers like Von Dutch ballet flat (for a meager sum of three to
and Ed Hardy selling over-priced ver- five hundred dollars).
sions of what America’s truckers wear
to cover their greasy hair and bald UGGS
spots, we too could resemble Sarah They are the quintessential winter
Palin’s core constituency. must-have, despite their ability to make
BY SCHUYLER MARQUEZ ’11 in Season 1. Seth was the uncoolest kid at
ASSISSTANT A&E EDITOR
even the daintiest foot look like that of
Harbor, but to us viewers, he was our guide HOODIES the Abominable Snowman. Unfortu-
hrismukkah is coming up! If you to all the cultural references necessary in the Once most likely worn by drug
C
nately, people were not willing to put
didn’t understand the last sen- new nerdy-chic. dealers and movie stars attempting their Ugg boots away at the end of win-
tence I feel bad for you. The years The writing was terrific, a mix of comedy anonymity, hoodies made their way ter and as such, Ugg boots became a
2003-2007 must have been a complete bore if and good ol’ fashioned melodrama. Lines like onto the scene when companies like year round fashion trend. Tank top and
you weren’t engaged in the inner workings “Welcome to the O.C, bitch” and “what hap- American Apparel started producing mini skirt with Ugg boots? Can you say
of the upper class community of Newport pens in Tijuana stays in Tijuana” were them in friendly colors. Despite the Eski-ho?
Beach as featured on Fox’s The O.C. You adopted into daily language. The O.C. was so shades of rose and baby blue available,
missed out on the entertaining lives of Har- awesome that the characters made fun of people still wear hoodies to make them- OVERSIZED SWEATERS
bor’s most popular kids, and never got to see themselves, as they watched The Valley and selves look mysterious, when in reality Came onto the scene just as grand-
what happened when Ryan, the well inten- mocked its fictional reality TV counterpart, they really just look shady. parents were starting to get seriously
tioned-but-always-getting-into-trouble kid Sherman Oaks: The Real Valley obviously a pissed that they never saw you wearing
from Chino, was brought by the do-gooder reference to Laguna Beach: The Real Orange OVERSIZED SUNGLASSES the lumpy creations they have been
public defender Sandy Cohen into their pic- County and its ridiculous front as real. Pioneered by Paris Hilton, Nicole making you every Christmas since you
ture-perfect lives. Unfortunately The O.C. saw significant Richie and the Olsen twins, oversized were born. Oversized sweaters, for
At first I was not a fan of adding “the” in drops in its ratings as the series progressed. sunglasses became the must-wear item women, are the hybrid between wear-
front of place names, and abbreviating Or- In my opinion the show jumped the shark during the “walk of shame” and Sun- ing “boyfriend clothes” and hand-me-
ange County to O.C. seemed pretty lame, but when they decided to kill Marissa off in the day brunches with a hangover. No won- downs. They make you look casual and
after the pilot I was quickly swept up in the deadly chase with Volchuk. It’s also a der these women wore them with such a bit frumpy, in a way that suggests you
fantasy of the seemingly glamorous but trou- tragedy that the show’s stars are now all left frequency. know you look a bit disheveled, and
bled lives of elite California teens. Marissa scattered with little prospects. Earlier this you love it, so everyone loves it, so
Cooper’s recurring alcohol problems, Ryan’s year Mischa Barton went through rehabili- SKINNY JEANS everyone else wears them, so they be-
temper tantrums and Anna, the coolest al- tation followed by the quick to be cancelled Originally sported by emo-rockers, come a fashion phenomenon. Enough
ternative blonde bobbed with her advice, CW flop The Beautiful Life. Rachel Bilson then by anorexic models, skinny jeans said.
“Confidence Cohen” will forever live in my hasn’t worked in a while and is long split gave women (and some daring men)
heart and mind. For better or for worse, the from co-star Adam Brody, engaged now to the opportunity to show off their stems The list of fashion trends for the
show guided the trends of our high school Jumper co-star Hayden Christiansen. Ben without actually revealing any skin. 2000’s is endless—crocs, tracksuits,
days. I knew when producers decided it was Mackenzie may be the luckiest of the bunch; One may argue that skinny jeans were boots, visible lingerie—it goes on for-
time for Marissa to go through her lesbian his show Southland, which aired on NBC for the precursor to leggings. As if the re- ever. Thank goodness the decade is al-
phase in Season 2 that her liplock with Alex a few episodes, has been picked up by TNT vealing-ness of skinny jeans was not most over. What to take away from this
would invite girls at school to do the same. and will begin airing in January. enough, leggings became the must article is that one should never throw
Sure enough, there were four more lesbians The O.C. was great because every have item sometime during 2004. There away clothing. Eventually, whether it is
at my high school after the episode’s airing. episode made you feel at home, the music is a reason why ballerinas were the two or five decades from now, your leg-
The show also had an enormous effect was fantastic and the characters were like- only ones to previously inhabit such gings or beloved Von Dutch hat will
on all of our music choices. Embedded in my able. Watching it was like coming home to tight pants—they have no fat! Props to reemerge, and you’ll be in the spotlight
mind are the sea blue walls of Seth Cohen’s the caring parenting of Kirsten and Sandy the people who dare to wear leggings in bringing back that fashion.
room plastered with posters of his fave Cohen. O.C. fans nowadays are left with teen while being perfectly aware that their
bands like the Ramones and Death Cab for dramas like 90210 and Gossip Girl, whose
Cutie. The show also innovatively brought character don’t posses the same lovable ban-
guest artists like Modest Mouse, the Killers, ter and oddities that The O.C. did. Serena
the Thrills and Rachael Yamagata to the Bait Van der Woodsen is no Marissa Cooper. I’m
Shop, Seth’s happening place of work. The ef- glad we live in an age of DVDs. (Winter
fect was seen in the sales generated by the break, yes!)
show. Rooney, who was the first band to May the show of our teenage years rest
TEEN
guest appear on the show, experienced a in peace.
DR
200% increase in sales after their appearance
T
ES
A AM A HE
00S
S OF T
B
AZRA KARABEGOVIC ’13
JEANNIE PETERSON ’12
DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION (2001- ONE TREE HILL (2003-PRESENT)
PRESENT) Actor: George Clooney
VERONICA MARS (2004-2007) Singer: Beyoncé
GILMORE GIRLS (2001-2007)
Singer: Lady Gaga
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (2004-2005) Actor: Brad Pitt
EVERWOOD (2002-2006)
GOSSIP GIRL (2007-PRESENT) Moment: Britney Spears and
Moment: Jamie Lynn
JOAN OF ARCADIA (2003-2004) her craziness
SKINS (2007-PRESENT) Spears getting pregnant
THE O.C. (2003-2007)
90210 (2008-PRESENT)
2 2 2
0 0 0
Martin Scorsese wins Oscar for The Departed; final Sex and the City movie brings Carrie and company Michael Jackson dies in June, reigniting interest in his life and ca-
0 0
book in the Harry Potter series is published; The to the big screen;The Dark Knight becomes the top- reer; Comcast buys NBC; Jon and Kate Gosselin announce divorce,
0
Sopranos ends its HBO reign; Britney Spears grossing film of the decade; Hulu.com launched; exposing the dangers of reality television; Gossip blogger Perez
7 8 9
shaves her head; former Playboy model Anna Michael Phelps wins eight gold medals at the Sum- Hilton assaulted by member of Black Eyed Peas entourage for ma-
Nicole Smith dies under strange circumstances; mer Olympics; Mickey Rourke stages a comeback licious content on Web site; Oprah Winfrey announces her talk show
2007-2008 Writers Guild strike begins; 30 Rock with The Wrestler; Sean Penn wins second Oscar will end in 2010; 2009 is the all-time highest grossing year at the
premieres on NBC for Milk box office

3. December 10, 2009 G
Mount Holyoke News A&E 5
Looking back at the 2000s
The three entertainers who defined an era
BY JOANNA ARCIERI ’10 2001, we were introduced to the magical world of Hog- looked better) that have cemented her iconic style. Roles
A&E EDITOR warts, visualized by Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, in movies such as Dreamgirls (2006) and Cadillac Records
In a recent Time Magazine article, the 2000s were Mike Newell and David Yates in the eight-feature films (2008) have let her prove her acting chops as well. The
labled “The Decade from Hell.” Ouch. While perhaps true adaptations. The casting of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint thing about Beyonce to remember—she is only 28.
in terms of politics and economics, this distinguishing title and Emma Watson as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and
does not say anything about the greatest pop culture mo- Hermione Granger, respectively, is the single best casting J O N ST EWA RT
ments of the decade. Britney Spears, Johnny Depp, Tina decision of recent years—perhaps ever. As the decade
Fey, Oprah Winfrey, U2, Lord of the Rings, Pixar, Stephen winds down, the final two Harry Potter films will be re- Comedian Jon Stewart took over The Daily Show an-
Colbert, Grey's Anatomy, YouTube, Survivor, American leased but the impact of Rowling’s ingenious franchise chor desk in 1999. Three presidential elections later and
Idol, Jon and Kate—the list of people, movies, music, per- will live on long past the ’00s. two Peabody for his election coverage in 2000 and 2004,
formers who influenced and changed the decade is end- Stewart has become the most trustworthy “journalist” on
less. Picking one entertainer is an impossible task; that’s B EYO N C E KN OW L E S television. His biting and sarcastic commentary on Amer-
why I’ve chosen three. ican politics made the eight years of the Bush adminis-
Remember Destiny’s Child? In 2005, the most suc- tration bearable and have kept the overwhelming
J . K. R OW L I N G A N D H A R RY P O T T E R cessful female group of all time officially disbanded. By hopefulness of Obama administration in perspective. He
this time, Beyonce Knowles had already released her published America (The Book), a parody of high school
By the time the decade began, J.K. Rowling’s Harry debut album “Dangerously in Love” (2003). The album textbooks, in 2005. Two stints hosting the Academy
Potter franchise was already an international sensation. won five Grammys, tying the record for most won by a fe- Awards (2006 and 2008), Hollywood’s biggest night of self-
But the 2000s saw the publication of the four final books male artist in single night. She hasn’t looked back since. congratulatory hoopla, showed that Stewart has garnered
and the mass hysteria surrounding them. Chances are you Two more albums, “B’Day” (2006) and “I am... Sasha the respect of not only viewer but also his fellow enter-
stood in line at midnight just waiting in gleeful anticipa- Fierece” (2008) cemented Beyonce’s place as the R&B diva tainers. His tenure at The Daily Show launched the ca-
tion for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to be re- of the decade. Her musical style has only evolved since her reers of Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell, two comedians
Beyond Twilight: Picking real literary gems
leased long before you ever uttered the word Twilight. In marriage to Jay-Z. More than anything it is her music who have equally impacted the decade. Fortunately for
videos, namely “Single Ladies” (leotards have never us, his contract with Comedy Central isn’t up yet.
BY LAUREL RHAME ’12
Granted, this list was compiled based on the votes
of the site’s members, but still, this hurts. H E Y, R E M E M B E R W H E N ?
BOOKS EDITOR
Yes, Stephanie Meyer has a best selling
Is it okay to admit that I am daunted by this— “saga,” and yes, she is getting paid the big bucks We asked students what they remembermost about the decade’s in-
the Best Books of the Decade? Let’s see: there are to pick up her pen, but is that what the best books famous pop culture moments.
more than 100,000 books published every year in of the decade are really about? Shouldn’t the best —Compiled by Alexandra and Zenya Molnar
the U.S alone, so if we exclude every other country books of the decade tackle something more than a
in the world that only leaves about one million creepy possessive love between a teenage girl and
books to consider in total. So where to start? her vampire boyfriend? Audrey Niffenegger’s
Goodreads.com has a nice list going—The debut novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife, is a love
Time Traveler's Wife, The Kite Runner, Extremely story, too. Its pages are overrun with gushy love
Loud and Incredibly Close, Twilight—wait—what? stuff, but there is more—temptation, longing, loss,
Stephanie Meyer is actually one of the names time travel—and it's beautifully written, to boot.
among such literary stars as Yann In 2002, Canadian writer Yann Martel pub-
Martel, Cormac McCarthy and lished a striking book called Life of Pi. This novel
Jeffrey Eugenides? went on to win the Man Booker Prize, awarded
each year for the finest works of fiction. Martel’s
novel is a story within a story within a story. A
young boy searches for faith in India and eventu-
ally finds himself trapped in a lifeboat crossing the
MUST- READS OF THE 00 S Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger as his only com-
SARAH HOWARD ’11 AND SARAH REUSCHE ‘10
pany. Martel dove into this novel head first and
Life of Pi — Yann Martel surfaced with a marvelous book, truly one of the
very best of the decade.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering I don’t mean to come across as a literary snob,
Genius — Dave Eggers though that term has been thrown at me before. I Movies: Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry
guess what I mean to say is that the written word Potter
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Jonathan Safran Foer has such a rich history already, and I would hope
that the compilation of the Best Books of the
The Shadow of the Wind — Carlos Ruiz Decade would honor that history while adding to Moments: Kanye interrupting Taylor Swift at
Zafon it. I hold great writers in the highest esteem. I have the VMAs, Britney and Madonna kissing, and
placed Yann Martel on a pedestal with the likes of
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food
Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer and Barbara
Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction.”
Life — Barbara Kingsolver
Kingsolver, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible! idly by while Stephanie Meyer tries to shove them Actors: Johnny Depp and Daniel Radcliffe
Jonathan Goldstein off and take their place.
Let the Great World Spin — Colum McCann
2 2 2
0 0 0
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire published; 24 premieres; actress Winona Ryder arrested for American Idol debuts and Kelly Clarkson wins first
0 0
shoplifting; Wikipedia.org launched; Apple season; Avril Lavigne releases debut album and
0
Survivor: Borneo changes face of reality televi-
sion forever; Metallica and Dr. Dre file lawsuits launches first version of the iPod; Monster’s Inc. prompts Sk8ter Boi angst; The Osbournes wins
0 1 2
against Napster; AOL and Time Warner merge; kicks off a decade of Pixar hits; first Harry Pot- Emmy award for Best Reality Televsion show; Spi-
Jon Stewart begins second year as The Daily ter film released der-Man is number one movie of the year
Show host