Black Student Union Comedy

By Andrea DiScipio
Collegian Correspondent

Deon Cole and Cocoa Brown are coming to the University of Massachusetts tonight to present their comedic styles.
“BSU has been organizing a comedy show every year, and it has been a success every year so we want to continue the tradition.” said Casimir Maziarz, event coordinator for the Black Student Union.
Tonight at the Campus Center auditorium, the two talented comedians from the Black Comedy Tour will perform, hoping to bring big laughs from the student body. The comedians will share their wit and talent with the UMass community. A couple of local acts will also be performing at the show.
Deon Cole is one of the most requested comedians in the nationwide club and college circuit. Not only is he a successful comedian, but also a successful actor who has appeared on MTV’s “Short Circuitz” and “Wild N’ Out.” He can also be found in the 2002 film “Barbershop,” as well as the sequel “Barbershop 2: Back in Business” (2004).
As for his comedic career, he has done stand-up on Comedy Central’s “Laffapalooza,” HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam,” BET’s “Comic View,” NBC’s “Showtime at the Apollo,” “BBC’s “The World Stands Up” and STARZ’s “First Amendment.”
Deon also attended the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and the CanWest Comedy Fest in Vancouver. He was a featured comic at both events.
In addition to being a finalist in NBC’s “Stand-Up for Diversity Showcase,” Deon won BET’s Robin Harris Award for “most original comic” as well. He has participated in several tours such as the “Cole-Cola World European Tour for the Troops,” the BET “Comedy Tour,” “The Def Jam Tour,” “The Budweiser Superfest R. Kelly Tour” and the “Mary J. Blige Tour.”
Deon Cole can be recognized for the charisma he brings with him every time he steps onto the stage.
Along with Deon Cole, Cocoa Brown is another immensely talented individual who has developed a fulfilling career as a stand-up comedian.
Her energetic facial expressions that accompany her enthusiasm are just some of her trademark qualities. She has the ability to relate well with her audience, because whether she’s telling a story about herself, a family member or if she’s talking about real life experiences in general, Cocoa will produce a humorous moment.
Brown has performed at the “Kennedy Center Honors Richard Pryor,” as well as the “Def Comedy Jam Tour.” She’s a member of the Washington, D.C. sketch comedy group, “Comedy Sportz,” and after just seven months in the comedy business, she won the “Washington Comedian of the Year” award.
Cocoa Brown was a fan favorite on the “Who’s Got Jokes” competition on TVOne, in addition to establishing nine consecutive seasons on BET’s “Comic View.” On BET’s “Comic View” she was voted “funniest female” twice. She appeared as a featured comedian on the STARZ in Black comedy series “The First Amendment,” produced by Martin Lawrence, and Comedy Central’s “Comic Groove” with Tracy Morgan.
She recently filmed a new BET comedy show, “One Mic Stand,” hosted by Kevin Hart and will also be appearing on the 2008 season of HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam.”
Cocoa Brown has acquired a group of loyal and adoring fans who not only respect her comedic talent, but also love her vivacious spirit.
The Black Student Union Comedy Show Presents Deon Cole and Cocoa Brown. They will be showcasing their comedic talents tonight in the Campus Center Auditorium at 8 p.m.Tickets are $5 for college students, and $8 for the general public.
Andrea DiScipio can be reached at adiscipi@student.umass.edu.

Slacklining: A Tutorial

Walking around campus these days, you may have come across a particularly odd sight that features ordinary college students trying to balance themselves on a thin rope that resembles an elastic band, resting between two trees.

No, these people are not crazy. This odd sort of balancing act is in fact a new sport that has begun to catch on in the area known as Slacklining. These "slackers" as they like to be called spend time "slacking" in an effort to improve their rock climbing skills, which is not unusual as this is from where the sport was originally derived.

Slacklining is defined as a balance sport which utilizes nylon webbing stretched tight between two points, often trees. Slacklining is distinct from tightrope walking, or other forms of rope walking in that the line is not held rigid; it is instead loose like large rubber band, giving walkers the ability to bounce, walk or for the more adventurous enough slack to do tricks.

The sport is rumoured to have originated in its current form in California in the early 1980's. From there the sport has blossomed and as far as one can tell when looking at the hills and trees of Central and Orchard Hill, the sport is gaining a sizable cult following.

Now you know, and will no longer be troubled with such questions as "why are those people wasting their time walking between trees?" or other such confusing questions when gazing in the direction of these dedicated "slackers."

Shark In a Pink Suit Jacket

I would like to share with you, pictures from a particularly interesting day on campus. The Sketch 22 group was promoting their "Promedy" show, meanwhile Tibet and China were duking it out. The day was April 8th, I believe, right outside of the Student Union.



The Promedy squad before they began their dance party.
This made my week, and most likely everyone else who witnessed the shark, in a pink suit jacket, dancing to Rick Astley.
Real drama.
Nobody wanted any of her baby mama drama.

I felt sorry for all of the campus tours while this was going down. I bet we lost a lot of prospective students that day.



And lastly, Tommy Devine captured some of the chaos that day.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

2008 Spring Concert Lineup:

UPC's Battle of the Bands is over with hip-hop act Static & Messiah beating heavy metallers Exit Reason for the slot to open up this years spring concert.
The band will open for:

FAT JOE
TREY SONGZ
PARAMORE
JIMMY EAT WORLD

Daily Collegian on perezhilton.com!

The Daily Collegian website is now linked on infamous gossip website perezhilton.com

Why you ask? Check out the story for yourself here:
http://perezhilton.com/2008-04-03-the-public-masturbation-crisis#respond

As first reported by the Daily Collegian on April 2, http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper874/news/2008/04/03/News/Umass.Student.Arrested.For.Lewd.Behavior-3296320.shtml UMass junior and football player Spencer Sinclair Ridenhour is accused of "open and gross lewdness" following an incident near Smith college that occured last week in which a female jogger reported to police that she saw a man masturbating in his vehicle. He is also accused in a similar occurence happening earlier the same day.

According to a representative of the UMass athletic department, Ridenhour has been suspended from the team.

Go see "Walking with Dinosaurs"

The show "Walking with Dinosaurs: The Live Experience," premièred tonight at the Mullins Center to a rather impressive crowd for a Thursday Night. I have Never seen anything this before. I encourage everyone who can afford the some what price tickets ($30-70) to attend at least one showing.

I went in excited and was utterly blown away. I like to think I am an intelligent, rational human being but in the presence of a life-size, fully animatronic, wireless T-Rex I will admit I became a 12-boy again. Regardless of your age or how much cooler you think you are then people who want to see this, take a couple hours out of your weekend and take this show in.

Remaining Show times:
Friday, March 28 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 29 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Sunday, March 30 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Ryan McAskill/Arts and Living Editor, Massachusetts Daily Collegian