In-Kredible Justin Kredible did many appearing and disappearing tricks in his show last Monday night, Aug. 27. Here, Kredible switched between ketchup and mustard in a bag before showing an empty paper bag. Photo By Megan Tower, A&E Editor

Kredible has earned a reputation of being “like a magician…only cooler” through multiple shows and performances on programs such as MTV’s “Room 401” and “The Rachael Ray Show.” He also won the “Entertainer of the Year” of 2007 from Campus Activities Magazine.

Kredible opened the show with a sketch pad on which he drew a bowling ball. With a quick shake, he miraculously made a real bowling ball fall from the sketch pad and roll across the floor.

Kredible blended his quick wit and clever humor to keep students laughing and interested. He also had numerous students help him with his tricks and take part in the show.

“The fact that he was really funny made his tricks more enjoyable,” said Ferris student Hope Kwapiszewski. Christina Cook, College of Arts and Sciences, agreed with Kwapiszewski, saying, “He really had a lot of crude humor in there that kept the attention of college students who tend to have a somewhat twisted mind.”

There was one member of the audience that Kredible seemed especially fond of, a nine year old girl named Emily. He had her help him with a few tricks and asked for her input more than once. Kredible’s ability to tie the audience in with his performance seemed to make his show more personal and interactive. Kredible didn’t focus solely on the college-age audience, but catered to the multiple ages and interests of the variety of people in attendance.

The trick most students seemed impressed with and stupefied by was the “ring trick.” Kredible asked an engaged couple to come on stage. He handed the man a wallet with an empty envelope in it, which the man put into his pocket. He then had the young woman give him her engagement ring, but entrusted her with the key to his car in case anything happened to her ring during the trick.

The woman placed the key in her pocket, and Kredible put the ring inside of a handkerchief, which he had the gentleman hold. When he shook out the handkerchief, the ring was gone. Much to the disbelief of the audience, the key was inside the envelope in the man’s pocket, and the ring was attached to the keychain inside the woman’s pocket.

College of Business Student Demetrius Wallace, as well as the rest of the crowd, was impressed with this trick. “That trick was amazing,” he said. “I couldn’t figure out how he did it.”

Between his humor and his energetic personality, he captivated the audience and held their attention in between his unique tricks. The attendance was outstanding for an event at the beginning of the year, especially since this was the first time Ferris has had an event on the first day of classes. “There were a lot more people there than I thought there would be,” said Dan Johnson, sophomore in the College of Business.

Williams was near capacity, and students from all class standings were there.

“Deal or No Deal” is a game show on NBC that features people playing for 1 million dollars. In front of the contestant there are models holding suitcases containing different amounts of money from one cent to 1 million dollars.

Players begin the game by choosing one suitcase. This suitcase is removed from the board and kept by the player. The player then chooses suitcases to be removed from play and discover what amount they held. These amounts are then removed from a board and the player knows that they do not have that dollar amount in his or her case.

After a certain number of suitcases have been removed, the player is called by the bank and is offered an amount of money to stop playing and walk away based on the chance that 1 million dollars is still on the board. The point is to increase the amount of money the bank offers to an acceptable amount or take the chance that you already picked the right case.

“We will be offering the chance to win $1000,” EU’s Programming Coordinator Courtney Brock explained.

There is no entrance fee to compete. Aspiring contestants will simply have to put their name on a piece of paper and slip it into the raffle box. Contestant will be picked at random and there will be three contestants trying to win the grand prize.

The ladies involved with the Panhellenic Council will be the case holders for the event.

The show will begin at 7 p.m. in the Rankin Center’s Dome Room on Sep. 11, but for those that hope to participate in this event, try to be there at least 15 minutes early to submit your name.

This event will be the first installment of the game show series.

“We will also be featuring The Price is Right and the Family Feud,” Devana Marshall added. These other shows will be Sept. 26 and Oct. 4 respectively, as well as another show on Oct. 23 that has yet to be announced.

Art Works Gallery There are many pictures on display and for sale in the lobby of Art Works to go along with magnificent sculptures. Photo By Ben Kramer, Photo Editor

Artworks was created in 2000 by four Big Rapids citizens. These four, according to the Artworks website (artworksinbigrapids.com), were “forward-thinking, civic-minded citizens” who wanted to promote the arts in Big Rapids.

Nancy Kitchen, the executive director, said that the organization stemmed off from two separate organizations. The West Central Michigan Humanities Council and the Mecosta County Council for the Arts (MCCA) were the inspiration for Artworks. In 2000, Kathy VanderMark, Carrie Weis Taylor, Jill Fonor, and a forth colleague went to the MCCA to ask for help to acquire a building for their idea. The MCCA approved, and they rented out a building in downtown Big Rapids.

In 2002 they decided they wanted a bigger, more centrally located building, so the four found a building on the corner of Maple St. and Michigan Ave. They rented the building until May of 2006, when it eventually was put on the market, and bought it. Since then, Artworks has been expanding to include new dance floors, workshops, and offices.

“We have an exhibit of collectible art by fine artists that have a higher quality of art,” Kitchen said.

Two of the major supporters of Artworks are its art gallery and gift shop. In the gift shop, artists’ items are sold by consignment to the general public. Prices range from a dollar or two to more then $500. There is also a fine arts gallery that includes only the highest quality pieces. This part of Artworks is aimed more towards collectors with the average item sold costing $45, and many pieces costing in the hundreds of dollars. For those who see something they like in the art gallery but can’t afford an original, there are prints for sale also.

Anyone who thinks they have what it takes can submit their work to Artworks. It is looked at by a panel of judges who consider the originality and quality of the piece.

“They have to show a proficiency in what they do,” Kitchen said in regards to whom can sell their art.

Artists who sell at Artworks must pay a commission on the sale to Artworks.

Aside from the gallery and gift shop, Artworks also provides classes and workshops to the community. They offer classes in pottery, dance, stained glass, basket making, oil painting, drawing, Tai Chi, and many others. All of the dance classes will take place on either the brand new 600 sq. ft., sprung dance floor, or the 1200 sq. ft. ball room floor. All pottery classes utilize Artworks five clay throwers and a kiln.

All the information for classes can be acquired by going to ArtworksinBigRapids.com or by calling the Artworks at 796-6595.

FSU students can also receive a discounted price of 25% off regular prices. Certain restrictions apply. The average price for classes is about $40 a month.

The Artworks also offers various other events throughout the year, including a foreign film night. This takes place every Friday night at 7 p.m. in the Community Library.

Kitchen expressed dismay because she noticed many people are intimidated by Artworks.

“They’ll peer in and see all this fine art, and be like, ‘I’m not supposed to be here.’” Kitchen said.

Ted Evans, the gallery director, wants anyone who walks by to, “Take a risk and come to Artworks. Everyone is welcome.”

Sculpture Walk In February, students toured an exhibit by sculpurist William Allen. This was one of many exhibits held by the Rankin Center Art Gallery last year. Torch File Photo

The first exhibit of the year is currently open. The exhibit for Bruce B. Winslow opened on Tuesday, Sept. 4 and will close Sept. 26. The reception for this event will be held on Sept. 6 from 7-8:30 p.m. Live jazz music will be performed and there will be refreshments, according to the Rankin Art Gallery website (ferris.edu/gallery/current.html).

Winslow paints abstract pieces based on mythology and religious paintings made throughout history. He mixes organic shapes with geometric shapes while using various colors.

“It isn’t often we host an exhibition based on pure abstraction,” said Carrie Weis, coordinator of the Rankin Center Art Gallery. “I think it is fascinating to find out what the artist was thinking, who has influenced him and what visual references he is referring to in his work.”

Winslow is the director of the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art, located in Midland, Mich. He recieved his Bachelors of Fine Arts from Central Michigan University.

The second exhibit is the art of Marian Bingham. Her paintings of horses are said to be calming and soft, which Weis thinks comes from her color selection and composition.

“She is interested in representing the horse as something besides a powerful and perhaps ominous natural force. Instead, she focuses on the animal as graceful and harmonious,” Weis said.

Bingham is from Connecticut and has a Masters in Liberal Studies.

This year, the gallery is hosting the FSU/Kendall Faculty exhibit. This event is switched between Ferris and Kendall each year. The gallery has works by various faculty of both schools. Participants in the annual show are allowed to show two pieces made within the past year.

A new art professor has one of the exhibits in this year’s gallery. Jill Jepson, from Grand Haven, Mich., works in mixed media or collage. These non-representational works include textiles, stitching techniques, paper and other various materials.

“This will be an interesting exhibit exploring nontraditional art materials, hopefully challenging our constituents to embrace the beauty of contemporary work,” Weis said.

A recent graduate of Kendall has the next exhibit. Susan Mulder, a 2006 graduate, is an abstract painter that specializes in oils and encaustic painting, which is painting with hot wax (usually colored beeswax).

“Her focus is an exploration of pervasive bar code technologies as well as DNA and genetics,” Weis said. This started when Mulder researched bar codes, hoping to use it as a visual component. She then did research on the language that bar codes use and how information is encrypted.

The second to last exhibit of the year is collaborative effort between Tim Norris and Patricia Opel. They created a few works called “Through a Crack in the Lake,” which are large paintings based on stories about the Great Lakes and shipwrecks. Norris and Opel use a contemporary form of an old European style in their works. Europeans used to paint out epic dramas on large scale to show the philosophical commentaries on human condition during these times.

The Schindler Exhibit is the final exhibit of the year. This is a traveling exhibit from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It is an exhibit about the story of Oscar Schindler, a German industrialist. He rescued Jews during the Holocaust and is the man talked about in the movie “Schindler’s List.” There will be information and photographs on display about Schindler’s life, including concentration camps and his factory.

Weis is confident that visitors to the gallery will be “culturally stimulated” by this year’s choices.

“I tried to select varying medium and artistic styles so that our visitors have something new and diverse to view,” Weis said.

There are a couple items that make this year different than those in the past. One of them was the two traveling exhibits (Bingham’s is a traveling exhibit from New York). Also, the collaborative efforts between Morris and Opel is something that has not been done before.

“That is definitely different,” Weis said.

The Rankin Center Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. It is located in the atrium, which is next to the coffee shop.

For more information, contact the gallery at rankingallery@ferris.edu or x2536.

The story follows the three youths as they attempt to get alcohol, go to a party, have sex with the girls they’ve been pining for their entire high school career, and come to terms with the fact that they will be going separate ways after high school.

Fogel makes the attempt to buy booze, under-age, with his fake-ID, but gets punched in the face by a robber. The police come to the store to investigate, and end up offering Fogel a ride to his party. He accepts, but through a series of hilarious situations, only barely makes it to the party.

Seth and Evan run when they see the police show up at the liquor store, and find themselves at a random party, where they almost get killed. The duo runs from this party with a laundry-soap container-full of stolen beer, and find Fogel hanging out with the police he befriended.

The three end up at the high school party much later than expected, and all of them get the girls that they wanted. They also learn a little about life in the process; they find that the women they want aren’t only interested in getting drunk and having sex (a bad idea), but they are genuinely interested in the guys as people.

The day after all the outrageous mayhem, Seth and Evan run into the girls at the mall and they all hit it off in a very sober and normal sense.

Aside from the subject matter that is not appropriate for kids, this movie was very funny from start to finish, with only a few dull spots. Get out of your apartment and go see it. ?

Editors note: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/superbad/site/home.html was used for this article.


Paul Jarema (4 out of 5*)
I had high hopes for this movie since all of the previews were hilarious and my friends had the opinions to back that up.

The movie follows two high-school seniors, Seth and Evan, whose main goal is to get alcohol for a party and therefore win the hearts of their crushes. Along with them to help achieve their goal is the infamous McLovin who actually obtains the fake ID which starts the whole fiasco.

First things first, this movie is funny and it grows on you with each time you see it. The humor is injected into each scene. There was rarely a span longer than three minutes when I wasn’t laughing. I think the funniest aspect of it is that the movie is actually feasible in real life. Something like it could easily happen and this makes it really easy for people in the 18 and up demographic to relate to.

The movie is not all humor though; there is some conflict between the main characters about going to different colleges. It may seem that this conflict is merely the source of further humor, which it is, but without it the movie would lack any taste at all.

But don’t let that spoil you, the conflict is addressed and resolved, be it in a drunken matter, only moments later. Top it all off with a classic “What happened?” moment in the morning and it makes for a laugh-til-you-almost-cry classic.

This movie also teaches us a few lessons like: cops like to have fun too, don’t assume things to o quickly, and watch out for ambiguous stains.

In comparison to other movies, I wouldn’t say it’s quite as funny as “Old School” or “Wedding Crashers” but it’s a competitor.

Bottom line: this movie was so good, I saw it two days in a row. If you have the chance, see it.