79th Annual Academy Awards

Val Schweisberger
Staff Writer

In what was possibly the most predictable Academy Awards ceremony in recent history, Martin Scorsese took home the coveted “Best Picture” prize for The Departed and managed to snag “Best Director” as well.

Unlike last year’s ceremony (you remember when Brokeback Mountain was expected to win everything and then, well, didn’t?), the hype surrounding the Oscars this year was dead on. Scorsese was predicted by many to win “Best Director” (and, really, it’s about time) and The Departed pretty much had “Best Picture” in the bag from the night of its premier. 

Other winners included “Best Actor” Forest Whitaker for his turn as The Last King of Scotland, “Best Supporting Actor” Alan Arkin for his quirky performance in the irresistible Little Miss Sunshine, “Best Actress” Helen Mirren for her impeccable depiction of The Queen, and “Best Supporting Actress” Jennifer Hudson (most know her only as the loveable American Idol castoff) in the lauded Dreamgirls. 

None of this really came as a surprise to anyone with a pulse and a television.

In a night filled with predictability, first-time host Ellen Degeneres kept things whimsical. Audiences were in for much of the same infectious, Ellen-esque behavior that keeps fans watching her Emmy-winning talk show, including her trademark fleet-footedness. 

All in all, it was a nice night. No big upsets, no heartbreaks, and some nice vindication for an ex-Idol. Of course, ceremony had some less-than-entertaining moments (as most multiple-hour broadcasts do), but generally Degeneres kept things fun. For a full list of winners, visit oscars.org. 

The Top Five Albums That Changed My Life

Scott Schroeder
Staff Writer

Growing up, music was a big interest of mine at an early age. As I got older, my tastes jumped back and forth between punk and grunge, and everything in between. So here is a list of five albums that have had an impact on me.

Minor Threat – Complete Discography
I think I might have been about 13 when I first heard some songs off this album. All of the songs were very fast and just full of all this angst, and when it ended I was stunned. The songs tended to promote thinking or a positive attitude, getting the message across with this raw and aggressive power.

Green Day – Dookie
Though I don’t like this album as much as Insomniac and Kerplunk!, it was one of the first CDs I ever bought, so it definitely had an impact on me. This CD has a lot of great songs on it as well, which helped make it the huge album that it was.

Rancid – Let’s Go!
This was the first Rancid album that featured Lars Frederickson on second guitar and vocals. This is album is full of a lot of catchy songs that just got stuck in my head. The addition of Lars gave the band the fuller, more polished and melodic sound.

Nirvana – Bleach
This is an album that has a very raw and somewhat abrasive sound to it, unlike its follow-up, Nevermind. The songs tend to vary, too; you’ll have somewhat of a poppy song like “About a Girl” to something aggressive like “Negative Creep.”

Misfits – Walk Among Us
Growing up, I was always a fan of old horror movies. The Misfits sang about old horror movies and other cult things very similar. I was already into punk music at the time and the lyrics just seemed to click with me. Catchy, too. I’d say this is one of their best recordings.

Preface Interview:Umphrey’s McGee’s Cummins

Andy Hostetter
Entertainment Editor

This past week, Umphrey’s McGee keyboardist/vocalist Joel Cummins took time out of his busy touring schedule to talk to the Preface about his South Bend roots, life on the road, and returning to the Morris.

Preface: Did the people of South Bend think Umphrey’s McGee would ever get to where they are today?

Cummins: I think only after six or seven drinks did they see our potential. No, we were definitely hard-working, I’ll say that much; it certainly took us a while to get the ball rolling. We never had any big honors like winning Battle of the Bands or anything.

Preface: Are you proud of coming from a small town in Indiana or do people think you’re all a bunch of hicks?

Cummins: We would never let that happen; we’re pretty tough about our heritage. We’re very proud of Michiana.

Preface: Is South Bend a good place to start a band?

Cummins: That’s interesting; I think it’s a good place to start. We had to move, but it was good for us in the sense that there weren’t any distractions once we got going. It was a place where you could really work and practice. We went to Notre Dame so we spent a couple years waiting for our drummer to graduate. It forced us to buckle down a little bit and work on stuff. By the time we moved to Chicago, I think we were a lot more ready than if we would have moved there in 1998.

Preface: Does your album title Local Band Does Ok give direct tribute to South Bend?

Cummins: One of the guys (in the band) was in a bar in South Bend, and I think he mentioned that he was in the band, and somebody in the bar said something like, “oh, what is that local band does good.” We’re always a little self-deprecating, so we thought it would be a little bit humorous to make us just “ok.” We try to entertain people with our humor, but we definitely try to take the music serious but not take ourselves too serious.

Preface: Was the Morris ever a venue that during the beginning of the group you dreamed of playing?

Cummins: It’s a great venue. We’ve done two shows there in 2001; it took us a while to get back. We were just always waiting for the right time to get back to such a tremendous place, and we’re thrilled to be going back there. I saw that we’ve already sold like half the tickets for it, and it’s still a month away so it’s going to be really cool to come back a play a full house at the Morris.

Preface: Do you see Umphrey’s live show podcast series as the bootleg of the future?

Cummins: Yeah, the more music we can get out the more music we want to put out. Every single show of ours is available as a download, or you can buy hardcopies. These podcasts are like a greatest hits from our live moments that happen each month. I think they’re a really cool way to reach out to fans and to give them something for free.

The band will be playing at the Morris Civic March 17. Adrian Belew, former member of King Crimson, will be opening the show for the band.