Tagged: Beyonce
Beyoncé world tour bans press photographers
By Devon Delfino, Staff Writer
@devondelfino
Beyoncé’s fierceness seems to have backfired in these press photos/ PHOTO VIA BuzzFeed.com
According to an article on Poynter.org, Beyoncé’s Mrs. Carter Show world tour has banned all press photographers from the show and has provided a list of pre-approved images to be used for coverage instead.
I might be the only one— aside from the press photographers— but I am kind of disappointed with this decision.
Apparently this move has to do with some particularly unflattering photos published on BuzzFeed.com from the Superbowl Half-time show; with the numerous less-than-flattering memes that resulted, it’s understandable that the press would get the cold shoulder.
It’s no secret that the star is insanely gorgeous, and with a culture obsessed with beauty, she’s done pretty well in branding her image. Needless to say, the meme incident was a P.R. nightmare, but the popularity of the photos only increased.
But why do we love these really unattractive memes? Maybe it’s because of the cult of the celebrity: we (well, some of us) are so obsessed with fame that we will do anything to feel closer to it. Maybe it’s because we are jealous of her. Maybe it’s just because photos like the ones on BuzzFeed are such a rarity in celebrity culture. There’s a reason that there is an entire career field dedicated to crafting celebrity’s public images; but there’s also a reason that things like BuzzFeed and TMZ still exist.
I like to think that it’s because they remind us that even the prettiest among us can look bad from time to time, it’s only human.
The ban won’t solve the problem, though, because of a little thing called the camera phone. Over the years, there has been a dramatic increase in the involvement of amateur photographers who use their camera phones to capture anything from concerts to news. For better or worse, this trend shows no signs of stopping any time soon.
The Great Gatsby Soundtrack
By Maya Devereaux, Staff Writer
@MayaDevereaux
While hailing from the town that inspired West Egg in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby certainly adds to my excitement for Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation out next week. A long list of other factors account for my increasing enthusiasm— the soundtrack and Leonardo DiCaprio, just to name a few.
The star-studded cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton and Isla Fisher, seems to be going head to head with the also star-studded soundtrack that has been recently revealed to the public. Jack White’s rendition of U2’s “Love is Blindness,” can be heard in the film’s first official trailer. The rendition is enough to send chills down your spine as you watch Leo’s character Jay Gatsby toss his abundance of silky shirts at Daisy Buchanan in the novel’s famous scene.
To name-drop a few artists in the fabulous line-up: Gotye, Sia, Fergie, Will.i.am, the xx, Lana Del Rey, Florence and the Machine, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z. An article on MTV describes Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful,” the film’s original song, as somber-sounding, which seems only fitting for the mood of the film.
In case you haven’t yet seen the trailer or any of Luhrmann’s other films for that matter, they are over the top. So who better to include in the soundtrack than Beyonce? Combined with Andre 3000, she has produced a cover to Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black.” Though many are thrilled by the sultry and dark cover, Winehouse’s family is certainly not, especially Winehouse’s father.
According to an article by the Huffington Post, Mitch Winehouse, father of the late singer, has taken to Twitter to voice his discontent with the portrayal. He says the cover “doesn’t bring anything to his daughter’s 2006 original.” Winehouse also states in a tweet from April 2 that he had no idea his daughter’s song was going to be covered by Beyoncé. In response to multiple tweets from the disgruntled father, fans from both parties have taken to the Internet to defend both sides.
One thing for sure is that Baz Luhrmann’s take on the 1920s novel and his overall filmmaking style demand something unique from its predecessor— the 1974 adaptation with Robert Redford— both musically and stylistically.
Check out the trailer below:
FreepOUT: Novembeards in the office
By Lauren Dezenski, Online Editor
Girls run the world at the FreeP this semester (to steal the phrase from Beyoncé). With an e-board made up of all ladies except for Kevin the sports editor, No Shave November doesn’t quite meet its original meaning. But thank goodness for the associates: Tyler, Chris and Jasper (plus assistant Greg) are all in some state of facial hairiness.
Thus, I’m honored to present the Novembeards of the FreeP.
Exhibit A:
Kevin Dillon, sports editor and our reigning Novembeard champion. Well, that doesn’t actually exist because I just made it up, but Kevin *IS* sporting the sickest beard at 648 Beacon St.
When asked to describe his beard, Kevin said, “It got real itchy, so I have had to shave the neck part of the beard.”
Neck beard grows in three times as fast as the regular beard, Kevin said, and had he not taken preventative measures, he would “look like Gandalf with a neard.” Neard is a portmanteau of “neck” and “beard.” That Kevin, always combining words.
Exhibit B:
Chris Lisinski, current campus associate and next semester’s campus editor. This weekend was the interview process for postion selection (congrats to all chosen), and because of this, Chris was forced to shave off his beginnings of a Novembeard. As of Monday night, Chris is steadfast in his pursuit of the truest Novembeard, despite this weekend’s razor action.
I’m thinking that shaving process looked a little something like this:
Fear not, Chris. Beards grow back.
Exhibit C:
Resident cherub and City Associate Jasper Craven. Baby boi is next semester’s city editor and with his clean shaven face, boasts the face of a baby angel.
I see you with those Beats headphones, Jaspy.
Don’t be fooled by his cherubic visage ladies and gents. During last week’s snowstorm, Jasper was riding his bike to cover an event for the FreeP, fell and scraped up his knee, thus BLEEDING FOR THE FREEP. That’s dedication if I know any.
Exhibit D and E:
Tyler Lay and Gregory Davis. Tyler is next semester’s managing editor and has no care for maintaining his Novembeard. What a party pooper. However Greg, next semester’s sports editor, is keeping the enthusiasm alive and is a true gem.
Let us heed the words of Kanye West in light of these Novembeards: “No one man should have all that power.”
Stay tuned for updates on the beards’ progress as November elapses.
Twitter’s best reactions to Blue Ivy Carter
By Lauren Dezenski, Features Associate-Blog
As seen by those who managed to log on to Twitter over winter break (along with those who never logged off), reactions to the name of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s baby have been blowing up news feeds since little Blue Ivy Carter was born on Jan. 7. Not that we’re complaining.
Here’s a collection of the best ones we’ve found. Continue reading
