Game Show Night @ DePaul

Calling all 90’s pop culture experts! You missed out on a great chance to win cash prizes and a trip down memory lane last night.

DAB hosted its quarterly Game Show Night in the Student Center MPR room…aka Student Center 120. The name of the game was “Do you remember being a 5th grader?” and contestants had the opportunity to win up to $100!!! Even more incredible was that audience members had the chance to win money as well even if they were not chosen as contestants or to be on the panel of “5th graders.”

Here’s how the game was played…It followed the same rules as the FOX show “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” but there were a few extra rules and twists. Contestants were chosen by asking them to do bizarre tasks ranging from who could find five rings to put on every finger to a “rock paper scissors” showdown. Once the contestant was chosen they had a few cheats available to help them out on tough questions. Like the TV show, contestants had the option of peeking at the answers chosen by the entire 5th grader panel or they could cheat of one of the 5th graders. Unlike the TV show, contestants had the opportunity to use a “Note from Mom,” which excuses them from one wrong answer.

To get the audience involved, cash prizes were offered to them as well. For every contestant that answered a question wrong, an audience member was allowed to steal the question and win $5. Questions focused on 90’s pop culture but ranged all over the board. There were questions ranged all over from Nickelodeon Cartoons, Sitcom shows, Sports, Space, Music Artists, and even NASCAR Racing to name a few.

It really was a fun night! I had the opportunity to talk to a few students before the show started and two of them ended up on the show! One was on the panel and the other was the first contestant of the night. Check it out under “Inside Game Show Night @ DePaul.”

Get ready for next week when DAB will host a bunch of events! Monday, there will be a double feature in the MPR room. They are showing “Dark Night” and “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” And for those of you, who are in the Loop on Tuesday, stop by the cafeteria for a Lunch Break with “The Office.” These events are a lot of fun and hopefully I’ll see you at a few of them next week!

Inside Game Show Night @ DePaul

Freshmen Nick Hawley (left), Emily King (center), and Nick Pinto (right) were some of the many students who showed up in the Student Center last night hoping to be contestants on the show. None of them knew what they were in for but they were very excited about the possibility of winning $100.

Nick Hawley made it onto the panel of “5th graders” selected from the audience to help contestants when they needed it. The rest of the panel included audience members (from left to right) Charles, Travis, Nick, and Caitlyn. All of them received $10 for being on the panel at the end of the show.

Nick Pinto made it as the first contestant of the night. As shown here, he made it all the way up to the $50 question! Unfortunately, Pinto had run out of cheats and had to choose whether to take the $40 he had earned or risk answering the next question. If he answered wrong he would only go home with $20.

Nick (shown with friend Emily King) decided to take the $40 and call it a night. To be fair, the MC showed the next question to see if Pinto knew the answer. As it turned out, Pinto did not know the answer and made the right call stopping when he did. As you can see, he is very happy with his prize.

Lucky contestant #4, Will (shown above with MC, Gus), was the big winner of the night. He made it all the way up to the $85 question by wisely using his cheats. As shown here, he has to decide between taking the $65 he has already won or risk it all to answer the $85 question. While he only needed to answer 2 more questions to get the $100 prize, Will decided to take the $65. Like Nick Pinto, he ended up not knowing the answer to the next question.

GET READY FOR HOMECOMING!

DAB hosted a big even tonight in the Student Center to announce the theme and location for Homecoming this year. The homecoming chair, Caitlin Menconi (pictured), has been planning this event since September. It's tradition for the theme and the location to be kept a secret until a month before. This year was no exception. Music was played to hype up the crowd and refreshments were offered to lure students into the festivities. Talking with Menconi, she smiled when asked if she could give any details about the event before the announcement. She told me I could wait like everyone else and she was good at keeping secrets.

So what is the theme and location this year? The theme is “All aboard the Demon Express,” and the location will be at Chicago Union Station. The best part is that tickets will only be $15 a person and free transportation will be provided to and from Union Station. So mark those calendars for February 28.

Personally, I am very excited about the event. I have been to the homecoming in the previous years and can say that DAB knows how to put on a wonderful evening for students. No word on when tickets will actually go on sale, but you'll be able to purchase them on both campuses when they become available. I'll continue to bring you more information on when tickets go on sale, where to buy your tickets, and what you can expect. I definitely plan to "get on board" and hopefully you will too. Click on the link to see pictures and get more information on this year's location.

http://www.chicagounionstation.com/photo_gallery.html

Analysis of Chicagobreakingnews.com

Chicagobreakingnews.com is a very straight forward news website. Like its web address states, the site has all the breaking news across Chicago. The articles are listed chronologically with the most recent at the top. Multimedia of some sort is included in each article such as a news feed or a location map.

I really liked how the front page opened up to a map of the city of Chicago with pin points to where all the breaking stories were happening. In addition, maps are added to different stories as well so the reader knows the area where the event occurred. I thought that it was a very unique approach and really added to the articles. I am not native to Chicago so those maps really added to the story and helped me figure out where events were taking place.

I also really liked the format as well. It reminded me a lot of the format that TMZ and AOL use for their news stories. This particular format works really well when looking for up to date information pertaining to on-going stories. For example, this is a great news website to go to for up-to-date coverage on the Blagojevich impeachment trial which will begin soon. However, this would not be the best website to go to for your main source of news. It only covers stories in Chicago and I personally like national and international stories mixed in with my news.

However, it should be mentioned that Chicagobreakingnews.com does redeem itself in that it offers tons of links to other news websites that can provide a broader range of news stories. By clicking on “Local News Source” you are taken to a page with not only all the news sources available in Chicago (i.e. NBC, Chicago Herald, etc.), but it lists the top three stories from each news source. I found this to be incredibly helpful. I also really liked the links to the “Breaking News Video” and the “WGN Radio.” I like that they had these additional media options on top of the media offered with each article.

With the upcoming impeachment trial that Blagojevich has turned into a circus, I will definitely be visiting this site more often to stay up-to-date with the proceeding.

Where's the Audience?

Comedians from The Edge Comedy Club came out to perform their best (and worst) jokes for a shockingly empty auditorium. DAB, also known as the DePaul Activities Board, hosted a Comedy Showcase with a brave face despite the poor turn out. Only about 15 students actually showed up. The four comedians who performed capitalized on the situation and managed to work it into their routines in a way that had everyone laughing. You definitely had to applaud their ability to make lemons out of lemonade!

While I could go on about how funny these four men were, I feel that the real story revolves around the lack of an audience. I’ll admit that other than DAB’s website, I did not see much advertising for the event. It was a shame too because not only was the event free and entertaining… but complimentary refreshments were offered as well. The comedians were funny and it was a great break from studying. Interestingly enough, DAB also had Open Mic Night on the other side of the Student Center immediately following the showcase that was packed with students. More to come on that event tomorrow.

Next Tuesday DAB will be hosting a Game Show Night with prizes at 6PM in the Student Center. In addition to that event, DAB will also be announcing the theme and location for Homecoming. That’s what I’m looking forward to next week and maybe I’ll get a chance to see a few of you there.

Students Show Off Their Talent!

After I went to the comedy show last night I headed across the Student Center for DAB’s Open Mic Night. Once again food and drinks were provided. Although this time it was coffee, vegetable patters, and an assortment of pastries. Unlike the Comedy Showcase, which was almost empty, Open Mic Night was packed with students waiting to perform.

Open Mic Night is pretty much self-explanatory. It’s an open forum with a microphone for any one who wants to perform. Students get there early to sign up first and then perform in that order. What kind of students perform you might ask? Literally, all kinds. Students with guitars showed up to played their favorite songs and some played songs they had written themselves. While most of the talent that showed was of the musical variety I was told that it is opened to pretty much any thing. Sometimes people read poems they have written or perform a monologue. It changes every time DAB holds the event. I think it’s a great way for students who like to perform get practice they need in front of an audience of their peers.

I will keep you posted on when the next Open Mic Night will be and strongly urge you at least show up to support your fellow students. Those that perform are very talented. The crowd is welcoming and friendly. Once again, I will stress that free food is provided. If any of you are cheap college students looking to save a buck or two, these events are definitely for you. You get entertainment, food, and the opportunity to meet cool people. Not to mention a fun break from homework. There is no Open Mic next week, but there is a Game Show Night planned for next Tuesday in the Student Center at 6pm. Prizes will be given out and knowing DAB, I am sure food and drinks will be provided. I’ll be there covering the event and I hope to see you there.