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Show WeekendDwersions Page 8 Friday, Nov. 2, 2007 Have some I -for tlie * • • • • : .•'' • ' $ . . . ' * • - • • • ! ' . . ' . i * . : j j . •: V ; \ , . - . is dead and someone simply must take their baby/child (under 10) to a movie (exception: Disney movies), here are a few rules. First babies, no matter how young, will not always sleep through a late movie. I know this is a favorite excuse of new parents. They think if they take their child to a 10 p.m. movie, it will just sleep the whole time. This is wrong. Children do not belong in movies after 7 p.m., period. Second, if someone's baby starts crying, . siderate people go to movies. People think .the theater is their own living room, or cannot they should please take it out. We all know comprehend there are actually other people they have learned how to "tune out" their kids, around them who would rather not listen to but we can hear them loud and clear. If I had my way, children wouldn't be allowed their baby cry. Theater etiquette offenders come in all in theaters, but because that's viewed as heartshapes and sizes, but here are a few to keep an less, please just understand there are other eye out for (and if you're one of them, please people in the theater, and a screaming child does not add to the atmosphere of the movie. see the light and change your ways). The late arrivers: Get to the movie on time. The obsessive phone person: The worst ones will just answer their phone and start talk- There's nothing more annoying than a group of *tjng without regard to anyone around them. The people trying to find their seats after a movie more discreet ones understand that answering nas started. They stand on the stairs chatting their phone outright is a sub-human act, but about where to sit, and then they have to climb texting is just fine. It surprises me how many over everyone to get to the empty seats. If the people think texting in a movie isn't a big deal. movie starts at 7 p.m., that doesn't mean arrive When you open up your little phone in a dark at 7. Get there early. theater, it lights up the entire place. It distracts The clappers: Tnis one is just a pet peeve. I people's attention, and it's annoying. So, if you don't understand clapping after a movie. There can't go two hours without communicating are no actors on stage. They can't hear you. So with the outside world, stay home. why do people do it? The loud eaters: People shouldn't shake The movie commenter: There are some people out there who feel the need to com- the ice in their cups into their mouths, move ment on every aspect of the movie. The worst their straw up and down, chomp their popcorn are the line repeaters who will just regurgitate loudly, and for heaven's sake, they shouldn't dialogue after it's been said and then follow it sneak in a giant bag of Cheetos and dig up with a hearty chuckle. Whatever someone through it the entire movie. has to say about the movie can be saved until The theater is a hallowed place to some. It after the show. And no one needs to repeat the should be treated as such. Next time you're lines, because the movie said it much better at the theater, please remember these rules, anyway. We all understand how hard it is for and when you feel that urge to text your friend a person to hold in their oh-so-funny sarcastic you'll be able, to fight it and make jhe movie remark, but don't worry, I have a remedy for more enjoyable for everyone. those people. They can wait until the DVD comes out, then play it in their own house Aaron Peck is the Statesman and let out all the comments they want while movie critic. Comments and holding a mirror in front of their face because questions can be sent to the/re the only one who wants to hear them. aaron.peck@aggiemaiiusu.edu The baby bringer: I know when someone has kids, their desire to see movies doesn't go down. But, if every babysitter on the planet Movie theaters are fantastic places. What's better than being submersed in a movie? Giant screen, Dolby surround sound, guy talking on , his phone. Wait! Guy talking on nis phone? • That's right, we've all been there. We've just spent $7 to see a movie. We've hunkered down in our seat ready to be entertained, and • the person next to us just opened up their cell phone and started talking. It astounds me how many rude and incon- Drivers wanted. Must be 18 with clean driving record. Have own car. Flexible hours. Perfect for student! To apply, meet with Ray, 874 So. Main, Smithfield, 563-6088. Hourly wage plus tips! Also, gas reimbursement. A Great Job! NOELLE &ERLAGE photo by Debra Hawkins Mascot: Some of the secrets behind Big Blue CI continued from page 5 classes and that person may have sat right next to that person." USU's furry mascot isn't allowed to talk to anyone while in character, Zimmerman said. So, this also helps to keep Big Blue's identity a secret. Big Blue's schedule is unbelievable, Zimmerman said, especially since Big Blue attends elementary schools for service opportunities in addition to attending USD sporting events. Big Blue attends volleyball, football, soccer, gymnastics, and men and women's basketball games. This position lasts the academic school year, and Zimmerman said students who have been Big Blue all seem to have a common personality. "None of them are scared of anything," she said. "They're fearless people. They just thrive on being in the suit and coming up with ideas for it." Megan Darrington, athletics vice president, said Big Blue has a key role in promoting Aggie pride. And Big Blue and the cheer squad share that team Attention Seniors: Leave a Legacy at Utah State Univestity Participate in Senior Gift 2008! We will be erecting a sign above the tunnel on 400 North to identify campus to visitors, parents and students, with a plaque stating It is a gift from the Class of 2008. All donations accepted, small or large ($20.08 is recommended!) Our Goal this year is $6,000! To donate, go online to www.usu.edu/advancement/sgiftlnfo.cfm or stop In Old Main Rm. 106. or stop bytheGrad Fair on Novembers In the TSC Ballroom, 8-4. effort to create a spirited atmosphere. "(Big Blue and cheer squad) take it by storm at every single event," she said. "Some of these students have families, a social life, so it's a very hard balancing effort, but they do it well and are so positive." Zimmerman said both male and female students have tried out for the position of Big Blue. Currently, this is USU's ninth Big Blue. Zimmerman said Big Blue started out with real bull horns on its head and the head mask has evolved through four different heads since then. Zimmerman, who was a USU student until 1979, said there used to be a white bull brought to home games that served as the Aggie's mascot. She said she would spray paint him, along with her fellow cheer peers, and they would take turns riding him during their performances. "He was the best-looking bull," she said. A local radio station also hired someone to come dressed as a chicken and entertain at games. But Zimmerman said both mascots eventually faded out. Big Blue finally entered in 1989, she said. "There was this kid from Ricks College that just kept bugging us about a mascot," she said. "We didn't have a mascot at the time, and he was bugging us so much we decided we would take him down to the basketball tournament and check him out just to get him off our backs." A royal blue suit was rounded up for the student to wear, and Zimmerman said nobody wanted to wear it because it looked so ridiculous. The suit, however, didn't hinder the performance. "(The student) was a hit," she said. "Unbelievable. We just fell in love with him and had to have him. Gary Chambers (Interim Vice President for Student Services) was there with me and we were like, 'we've got to find a scholarship for this kid.'" Throughout the next few years, Big Blue's outfit went from royal blue to navy blue. Zimmerman said one of the heads had a huge toothy smile that scared kids too much. Eventually, Zimmerman said USU had the final head trademarked so no one else could ever use the same mold. The head has been replaced three times since it becomes old, stiff and smelly, Zimmerman said. Big Blue's head mask, however, isn't the only part that needs to be taken care of. After games, Zimmerman said she has to wash Big Blue's suit since it holds sweat like a sponge. "I'm talking I could squeeze it," she said. "It's disgusting." The suit is washed on a delicate cycle and then hung to dry. Since the suit is soaked with so much sweat after a game, Zimmerman said the Big Blue student always prepares their body beforehand to make sure they don't lose too much water. This, she said, is one demanding part about being Big Blue. Another reason why being Big Blue is difficult is because of the training, she said. Not only does Big Blue have to be in good physical condition, but Zimmerman said Big Blue has to learn about the limited field of vision in the mask. Big Blue's vision is through the nostrils instead of the eyes, she said, so there is no side vision. "Big Blue spends a lot of time learning this," she said. "(Big Blue) is always having to turn its head to see everything so it needs to practice dancing, doing stunts, with the head on." Zimmerman also said because the suit is so heavily padded, nobody would know if Big Blue landed wrong or was hurt during a stunt or performance. "Big Blue can land softer because of the padding, but we've had our share of injures," she said. "Nobody would know though, because they rebound and then we take Big Blue up the tunnel." Some students who once donned the mask and suit of Big Blue went on to become professional mascots for different national teams, Zimmerman said. The first Big Blue student is currently the mascot for the Denver Nuggets and the second Big Blue, she said, went on to be the Golden Eagle mascot in Salt Lake City for awhile. The third Big Blue student became the mascot for the Cleveland Cavaliers, which, Zimmerman said, was the first mascot for the Cavaliers. 'bnttny.jo@aggiemaiLusu.edu Big Blue: USU mascot speaks up 9 continuedfrom page 5 US: When the time comes to end being Big Blue, what will you miss the most? BB: I will miss being a part of something bigger than myself. This is something that allows me to be involved. I'm a representative of USU, a contributor. I will miss making a difference in individual things like Big Blue does. You can make a kid smile on a down day, get a crowd excited, make a kid's day at a hospital. Sometimes we go do pep rallies or sign autographs for kids at Shriners Hospital at University of Utah. Some of these kids are terminally ill, have spinal disorders which put them out for years, so it is fun to see their faces light up. US: What can a game crowd do to help you out the most? BB: The bigger the crowd is, the easier it is. You feed off of that. It gives you the energy you need to do your job. US: What else would you like to tell the USU student body? BB: Live life every minute as if • everybody was watching and nobody knew who you wer^ Be confident. Don't care what people think about you. -briunyjo@aggiemail.usu.edu |