Michigan Odyssey 3.24.2011

March 24, 2011 • www.TheOdysseyOnline.com • Ann Arbor, MI

Japan: A Slow-Ticking Bomb?

page 7The Practice of

Yogapage 11

How Young is Too Young?

page 3

Alpha Phi's Practice for St. Patty's Day

Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Endres

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2 • www.TheOdysseyOnline.com

I’m sure at the time this is published; many of you are probably still recovering from your St. Patrick’s Day festivities. And no, if you’re experiencing these symptoms it’s not abnormal to have a weeklong hangover. I’m fairly certain said symptoms are the medical defi nition of college.

Aside from tangential rant about last week, I’m sure many of you are asking yourselves the same question I am, “where did the time go?” I can’t believe we only have a few weeks left of school. Not like I have any right to be sentimental due to my class standing, but it seems like I arrived on campus a few months ago, and now I’m a quarter way through my college career. As many of you are getting more and more depressed, I fi gured I should bring up a few events we have to look forward to before leaving Ann Arbor:

Lupe Fiasco- personally one of my favorite artists, Lupe is gracing Ann Arbor with his presence on Friday, April 1st. With the drop of his latest masterpiece, “Lasers” he’s sure to not disappoint.

Hash Bash- weather you’re into partaking in the allure of 1960’s free will and love, or you just want to check out the sea of tie-dye and a cloud of “taboo” smoke; the events are sure to please everyone involved. This year, the events take place on the Diag on Saturday, April 2nd. If you plan on joining in on the civil disobedience, just remember there’s a major discrepancy between Ann Arbor law and the University’s policy. Be smart; take your fun off university property.

Wiz Khalifa- quite frankly I’m pretty surprised that Mr. Khalifa isn’t speaking at Hash-Bash, but

I’m sure he’s sad he hadn’t scheduled his concert earlier in the week. The prince of Pittsburgh will be gracing Eastern Michigan University on April 4th. With his upcoming album “Rolling Papers” slated for release late this month, I’m sure he’ll be on top of his game.

In the upcoming weeks, many of us will be locked inside the confi nes of the University library system. Take advantage of the many escapes of Ann Arbor.

Eaghan is a freshman studying pre-business and pre-law. You may contact him at [email protected].

Vol. 1, No. 26

LEADERSHIP TEAM Ben Boyce, Pi Kappa Alpha

Andrew McCoy, Phi Kappa Psi

PUBLISHER Eaghan Davis, Phi Kappa Psi

To apply for a writing or sales position please email [email protected]

The Slate for April

CONTRIBUTING EDITORLindsey Mandich, Delta Delta Delta

© 2011 Olympia Media Group, LLC All Rights Reserved.

EAGHANDAVIS

Phi Kappa PsiPublisher

UofM Campus Events

this Week

Thursday, March 24th Swim & Dive NCAA Championships @12pm

Thursday, March 24thW Track Florida State Relays @12pm

Friday, March 25th Baseball v. MSU @5pm

Friday, March 25th Men's Tennis v. Purdue @3pm

Friday, March 25th Men's Lacrosse v. Boston College @7pm

Saturday, March 26thWomen's Tennis v. IU @11pm

www.TheOdysseyOnline.com • 3

How Young is too Young?I remember when

people generally believed you had to be in college to have a Facebook. When contemplating making the infamous switch from MySpace to Facebook sometime around my sophomore year in high school, a few of my friends informed me that it was “just for college kids.” These days, however, that attitude doesn’t really exist. Now we can find our grandmothers, GSI ’s and f r iends’ moms using Facebook. While I appreciate the convenience of this widespread usage (keeping up with long lost family members has never been easier), sometimes I’m a little alarmed by who is actually using it.

Recently, one of my younger cousins got a Facebook account and added me as her friend. First, I was surprised that she was actually interested in getting one – she’s only 10 years old! Second, I was worried about how she would use Facebook and if she would possibly get herself into any trouble. I’m happy to say, though, that her dad does a great job of monitoring her account, and she is only allowed to add family members and friends from school. He gets her updates on his phone every day, that way he can see if any creepy older predators are “poking” around.

Last but not least, I realized that the age difference between us could really create an uncomfortable internet relationship. I

mean, I really do not want her (or her parents) to see my pictures from parties and the bars…that would make for some awkward dinner conversations. To help combat this problem right away, I put her on limited view so that she couldn’t see any of my tagged pictures or wall posts from friends. However, she still can see my status, and a few times I have found myself having to censor what I post so that it doesn’t contain any inappropriate language or topics…Annoying, I know, but how could I avoid adding her as a friend?

It’s not that I don’t love keeping up with her on Facebook chat, it’s just that Facebook has become so socially widespread that it’s reaching out towards audiences that might not be ready for the types of internet interactions that Facebook makes possible. I mean, if a ten year old has a Facebook this week, who’s to say that an eight year old won’t have one next week, and so on and so forth? I just hope that Facebook’s younger audience has a good parent looking over their shoulder to make sure that everyone is safe and smart about their Facebook usage.

Olivia is a sophomore studying English and economics. You may contact her at [email protected].

OLIVIA QUINNDelta Delta Delta

St. Pa� icks Day

D� ty


Studying abroad has shifted my lifestyle from grounded student to weekly traveler. I have had the fortune of spending lengthy periods of time in an airport every weekend, which, surprisingly, gets boring quickly. I have spent time looking around and have made some interesting observations about fl ying, that only hours of nothing and anticipation of trips to come could leave me with. The following include three things I've noticed about planes and airports.

1. Do you have any interest in Fergie’s crystal meth rehab experience? I hope not. I don’t, but for some reason when I go to the airport I have to buy four more magazines than I’d normally purchase to read about

things like that, and what bikini style will make my thighs look slimmer… and that’s not happening whether I’m in a bathing suit or a paratrooper uniform.

2. Do I normally drink V8 in a cup with ice in it? No, but on a plane I feel compelled. It seems to be a creepy fl ight choice of a lot of people, and I am not afraid to admit that I am one of them. My fl ying experience would not be complete without my awkward fruit juice- yes it’s a fruit.

3. Did you ever notice that everyone is uncomfortably nice to the stewardesses? I am pretty sure we have all got it in our heads that if we are really nice to the in fl ight crew,

that we will land safely at our destination, as if they have some godly control over the plane's destiny. That is totally logical by the way, because if we did choose to be mean they’d crash the plane out of spite.

Erica is a junior studying economics and environmental studies. You may contact her at [email protected].

Frequent Flier

ERICA SALMIRSChi Omega

It’s hard to believe that we’re close to being finished with yet another year of school. Although many of you will be just starting your experience of living in your sorority or fraternity house next semester, many others will be moving into apartments or off-campus houses for the very fi rst time. While there may be an air of reluctance in regards to abandoning the general ease of living what fraternity or sorority houses can provide, there are also plenty of things to look forward to about living on your own.

Perhaps most obviously, living away from dorms and Greek housing is going to force you to learn how to cook – at least a little. Even for those of you who absolutely detest putting forth any effort in the kitchen, there will come a time when you will undoubtedly learn how to boil water, not explode microwaveable meals, and maybe even master place-and-bake cookies.

Although you’ll have to put a little more effort into meals than in years past, cooking for yourself gives you a great opportunity to make sure that you’re eating the way you want – all the time. It’s truly freeing to be able to decide exactly what you want to eat every single day…even if that means Easy Mac four times a week.

Another major difference between fraternity/sorority living and independent living is the change in atmosphere. Now that you’ll be living with probably close to a tenth of the people you’re used to sharing a home with, things are bound to get a little different. Although there are plenty of positive aspects to a smaller group of housemates, it’s possible that you’ll miss having twenty people around to borrow clothes, paper, staples, or anything else. Having said that, the extra privacy is nothing to sneeze at, and will likely be an extremely pleasant change of pace.

Finally, living outside of your respective Greek house gives you the opportunity to truly make your new living space your own. While it might be sad to no longer have the luxury of pretty furniture, nice artwork, and matching draperies (among many other things that make Greek houses appealing), having creative license as to how your home looks is both freeing and a lot of fun. While you might not be cramming your new living room with antiques and fi ne art, it’s great to be able to choose the posters for the walls at the very least.

Kylie is a sophomore studying communications. You may contact her at [email protected].

Life after Greek Life Housing

KYLIE KAGENAlpha Delta Pi


Regardless of which news source you prefer, it is practically impossible to click onto any news website or turn on any news channel without another terrifying update about the current traumatic situation in Japan caused by the aftermath of the horrifying earthquake and its following tsunami. In an attempt to keep our country informed all the way across the world, US news stations are trying to provide constant up-to-date information. On March 11, the massive earthquake hit the Pacifi c Ocean near Northeastern Japan, ranking a 8.9/9 on the Richter Scale and causing power blackouts and fires. But, most tragically, triggering a tsunami that has been the cause of over 10,000 known deaths and seemingly endless amounts of injuries.

Despite the desolate Japanese cities and the desperation caused by both the earthquake and the following tsunami, the most pressing concern now is Japans Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant and the fi res and leaks of poisonous radiations caused by the quake and tsunami. It appears, at this time, that the nuclear plant is basically a slow-ticking time bomb. Urgent suggestions for mass evacuation from anywhere near the vicinity of the nuclear plant have been sent out. Due to previous large-scale earthquakes, Japan has implemented advanced technology to ensure the country is

always aware when one may occur. Also, many precautionary tactics have been implemented to deal with crisis situations. But, there was no way to be prepared for

anything of this nature. It is easy to take safety precautions for common or likely situations, but it is much more diffi cult to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. This seems to be the current case in Japan, and no one could have imagined this situation being a reality.

An aspect of the entire trauma that struck me as extremely interesting was the use of social media as the primary form of communication in Japan due to the fact that the mobile networks have been jammed. Such a situation left only Twitter, Facebook and other social networks as the only form of communication to keep in touch with relatives and other loved ones. At times, it seems that technology is a large contributor to the downfall of society, which makes it all the more intriguing that it has played such a crucial role throughout this natural crisis.

It is not diffi cult to remain push to the back of your mind a crisis happening on the other side of the world, even with the bombardment of news on our computers and TVs. But, while we are sitting in the comfort of our own intact homes and going about our day-to-day lives, the people of Japan are

suffering a tragedy. It is important to keep our lives in perspective. If the news articles and daunting updates are not enough to make you feel the severity of the situation, just check out a few of the tear jerking photos and heart wrenching videos. There are many ways that an individual can help even from the United States. Organizations such as World Vision, UNICEF and Mercy Corps all are doing what they can to help the relief effort in Japan. Their corresponding websites have places where people can make donations. These are all legitimate organizations and it is important to remember that every dollar counts.

Dana is a sophomore s tudying communications and English. You may contact her at [email protected].

Japan: A Slow-Ticking Time Bomb?

DANA NARENS

Delta Delta Delta

G.D.I - A god damn independent or a non-Greek Life individual. By now, probably everyone on campus knows what a “GDI” is. Even those second semester transfer students. I have to admit, it took me a semester or two before I understood the meaning of it and then another couple weeks before I felt comfortable enough to use the phrase in public.

This past year, freshmen have come up to me and asked me what it was all about and why, when they heard it being used, it sounded so negative. I believe that being independent is a good thing. Something that we all must aspire to during our college years or else we are doomed in one way or another. From another perspective, is calling certain people GDIs saying that everyone who is not a GDI is not independent. Never thought about it that way, did you?

Well, the part that really irks me is the tone people use when talking about GDIs. First of all, the vast majority of non-Greek Life students at the University of Michigan chose not to be in frats or sororities. So they’re not cool? They have parties do, drink like brothers and sisters and have as much fun. I’m sure of it. We all go to the same school, take the same classes, walk the same streets, eat the same food, listen to the same music. It doesn’t taste or sound better if you are in Greek Life, even though it may seem this way. Never thought you had so much in common with a GDI, huh. They were like another species.

When you look at it, there is a good amount of segregation between Greek Lifers and non- because we socialize in different circles, go to the bars different nights. Greek Life, in a way, desensitizes us to the classic college experience that our parents lived through.

Whether this applies to you or it does not, there really is no reason to put other people down, especially those you don’t know. And if you are going to say GDI, show some compassion to your fellow student, freshman roommate, and say it like Jim Carrey would say it. No disrespect.

Ben is a sophomore studying undecidedology. You may contact him at [email protected].

A Common Greek Misconception

BENJAMINSEIDMAN

Alpha Epsilon Pi


This season for our Michigan Men’s Basketball team has been an exciting one, especially due to our recent performance in the Big 10 Tournament. Although I regret not being able to have made it to as many games as I would have liked, I always found myself in front of the T.V. when the Wolverines were playing, as did many of you die-hard fans out there. After our win against Illinois on Friday, March 11th, we scooped up the number 4 seed taking our record to 20-12 and improving our Big Ten record to 11-12. To me, this was one of the most exciting comebacks because Michigan’s defense only allowed 1 fi eld goal and 2 free throws after the 1st half. After fi ghting back from a 12-point second half defi cit we were now left to face Ohio State in the semi-fi nals, a fi rst for our team since 2004.

Another noteworthy game that deserves to be re-capped was that against the Spartans on March 5th. Never trailing throughout the entire game

we swept the season over MSU for the fi rst time since the 1996-97 season with Tim Hardaway Jr. as our leading scorer with 20 points. Despite this 70-63 victory as well as the win over Ilinois, we unfortunately came up short on Saturday, March 12th against OSU preventing us from making it to the Big Ten Championship game. Our largest lead throughout the entire game was two points while Ohio State had the advantage, 31-27 at halftime. Even though in the last few minutes the Wolverines put up a fi ght reducing OSU’s lead from 18 points to 4, we ran out of time. Our loss can probably be most attributed to our poor shooting and inability to defend against OSU’s three big players: Sullinger, Diebler, and Buford.

Although this was a tough break for how hard our basketball team has been working, I still have faith that they can go far in the NCAA tournament. Overall, we kicked butt this season and I can honestly say a lot of deteriorating

Michigan spirit was restored within all of us as a result. Seeing as we have an extremely young team and having lost our top two scorers from the 2009-10 season the team has come a long way. I know we will all be watching anxiously during March Madness to see where this next tournament takes us!

Kendall is a sophomore studying pre-medicine and Spanish. You may contact her at [email protected].

Big Ten Madness

KENDALL SZCZERBA

Delta Delta Delta


The practice of Yoga has been around for 5,000 years and is currently practiced by over 10 million Americans on a regular basis. With hundreds of different variations that have been practiced over the years and around the world, Yoga has something to offer everyone (not just the hipster, vegan group like I originally thought when I refused to do it, at fi rst). Some popular types in the States are Bikram Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Vinysa Yoga and Svaroopa Yoga.

Confusing, right? My point is that if people all around the world have reaped the benefi ts from such a practice for so many years, Yoga must be doing something right.

I can speak from personal experience: I originally started practicing Vinyasa Yoga (which is in a heated room) when I was a sophomore in high school, in an effort to cross-train for the sports I participated in. Though I’m done with all of those sports, I have stuck with Vinyasa Yoga and continue to practice it almost daily. The main

reason I do it is because I am a pretty high-strung person, and practicing Yoga helps me keep my stress in check.

Now that the “fad” phase of Yoga has passed, I keep seeing headlines that discuss the benefi ts of the practice. So, I thought I’d outline some of them here for people considering trying Yoga (or for those who often fi nd themselves wondering why the heck so many people do Yoga.) Yoga helps increase one’s fl exibility, strength, and better their posture (sorry to state the obvious). It also helps cap stress, and control anxiety or attention problems— many therapists suggest Yoga to their patients struggling with ADHD, Depression, or Anxiety. Other doctors suggest Yoga to treat chronic problems like arthritis or asthma.

Like any other exercise, Yoga decreases your chances of getting several diseases (especially Cardiovascular diseases), and boosts your mood and energy level. Yoga is also thought to have

“a positive effect” on learning and memory. Personally, my favorite thing that I have gained from Yoga is that I can do head stands and walk on my hands; these valuable skills make all my friends jealous. Just kidding.

There are a bunch of different places to do Yoga in Ann Arbor. RussaYog, Center for Yoga, and Sun-Moon Yoga Studio are a few places right on campus. Most of them offer some type of student package or discount; so if you’ve ever considered trying out Yoga, it is defi nitely worth looking into.

Lindsey is a sophomore studying political science and English. You may contact her at [email protected].

The Practice of Yoga

LINDSEYMANDICH

Delta Delta DeltaContributing Editor

asthma.

Like any other exercise, Yoga decreases your chances of getting several diseases (especially Cardiovascular diseases), and boosts your mood and energy level. Yoga is also thought to have

and English. You may contact her at [email protected].


“There’s nothing really to tell about that record, to be honest. I didn’t have nothing to do with that record. That was the label’s record. That wasn’t like I knew the producer or knew the writer or anything like that. That was one of those records the record company gave me, [they even gave me] stuff they wanted me to rap about.” – Lupe Fiasco as told to Insanul Ahmed for Complex.com

I listened to Lasers because I like Lupe Fiasco. Not because I like Atlantic Records. After hearing the album, any Lupe fan will realize that despite the familiar, buzzing, rhythmic sound of his words, Lupe’s voice was silenced on "Lasers." Because of his lack of infl uence on the album, Lupe Fiasco’s third studio album is an extremely complicated album to review. Unlike his previous two albums, "Food and Liquor" and "The Cool," Lupe’s latest effort has no coherent form, style or theme. But before I start in on a tirade about how he sold out or dropped out or walked out, I would be remiss if I didn’t examine the context in which the album was created. Because "Lasers" is a complete product of environment.

Make no mistake, Lupe did sell out to Atlantic Records. The reason that I would not yet call him a sellout is that he is not okay with it. He abandoned what he intended to be his last album, "LupE.N.D.," because it would not fulfill his contract with the label and he discarded a few more of his ideas before deciding with Atlantic to produce "Lasers." Fiasco’s concessions didn’t end there.

The strong, coherent concepts, complex characters and intricate plots that defi ned his previous two albums and his status as a progressive, philosophical hip-hop artist are non-existent on "Lasers."

He did get close on a few songs, so I guess I’ll start with the positives.

“What U Want” is the closest we get to the classic Lupe character development on this album. He paints the picture of a dark night and a mysterious girl sucked in by the city over a fl oating, pleasantly haunting rhythm, accentuated by a chilly chorus. On this track he reverts back to the strikingly poetic images that characterize past songs like “Cool.” Lines like, “Tight clothing/Blowing cigarette smoke in slow motion/All full of love potion but its frozen/Thinks the world´s so insincere,” allow true Lupe fans the consolation that,

while Atlantic may have taken away his input on "Lasers," they couldn’t take his intellect.

“Letting Go,” my personal favorite of the album, articulates the mental battles Fiasco fought during the album’s production. It is apparent on this track that the balance between success and artistic integrity was tearing at his psyche during the creation of "Lasers," “My self-portrait/Shows a man that the wealth tortured/Self absorbed with his own self/Forfeit a shelf full of awards.” The circular, pulsating beat and crescendos and decrescendos are impeccably timed, building and falling in such a way that the powerful lyrics of the chorus and verses are not overshadowed.

He continues the theme of art versus success in between the hodgepodge of disconnected ideas. “Beautiful Lasers,” the third and, perhaps the fi nal, song on the album that holds any of Fiasco’s true talent, further illuminates the depths of his motivations. The music stays true to the power and magnitude of previous tracks like “Emperor’s Soundtrack” and “Daydreamin.” More telling than the music, however, is the lyrics. “Sometimes living in a world like this/Its pretty hard not to go insane/Not pretty if you don't comply/Pretty easy if you don't complain.” It may be better that Fiasco knew he put his name on an album that wasn’t his own. This begs the question, however, if Fiasco knew he was selling out and didn’t like it, why’d he do it? In “Till I Get There” Lupe continues to vent about the confl ict between

his love of the craft and the pressure he felt from Atlantic Records, “Doctor, doctor, please/ the fame ain’t painless enough/that’s cause you ain’t famous enough/you got a little game but your name ain’t rangin enough.”

This confl ict, which could have, and maybe should have been, the theme of the album, is utterly contradicted by songs like “The Show Goes On,” and “Out of My Head,” the latter of which features Trey Songz. Trey Songz? On a Lupe Fiasco album? On this track, it is apparent that the record plugged Fiasco’s fl awless fl ows into the current breadwinning formula: a tame, autotuned, mindless hook about a girl and an upbeat poppy tune.

Merit can be found in every song, but only after sifting through what sounds like Lupe Fiasco and what sounds like Bruno Mars. Lasers is an impressive album in terms of the music industry today, brushing on far more subjects of social worth than the typical record, but this album is a defi nite let down after his fi rst two studio efforts. Am I blaming the man? For sure. But that’s because I can’t blame Lupe. You get one more shot, buddy. Hopefully he will be able to offer an explanation on April 1st when he plays at Hill Auditorium. I know I’ll be waiting.

Jenny is a freshman studying English. You may contact her at [email protected].

Lupe Fiasco's "Lasers" Much Dimmer Light than Expected

JENNY HINKLESigma Kappa


Scorekeepers. Loved by many. Hated by some. Others, are just plain bored of the place. I don’t have enough fi ngers and toes to count all the times that people told me they were “on a break” from “Skeeps." But then they somehow magically end up there that night. Maybe it’s the allure of the good music, or the cheap pitchers. Or perhaps there’s just nowhere else you like have fun. Whatever your poison, you’ve probably been to Scorekeepers more than once and plan to visit again. That is unless; you have “the ban."

Mind you, I didn’t know that a “ban” really existed. Obviously, you do anything too crazy anywhere and they can deny you service. But in all seriousness, Scorekeepers is your typical college bar. How would they even keep track of who they’ve banned? That would be a job in and of itself. Perhaps there is a ban enforcer? Probably not. Suffi ce to say, the ban defi nitely exists. Can’t say I’ve been banned myself. But I’ve seen it.

Funny thing about the ban is that you may not even know it’s happened to you. Somebody I saw was waiting in line, about to be let passed that notorious, saggy red rope and then bam, denied entry. And I don’t mean the kind of denial all the freshmen go through when trying to use fake IDs. They don’t even let you get to the ramp. Further, Scorekeepers is no democracy. There’s no trial. You can’t plead your case. You don’t get a phone call. It’s a dictatorship there. Whatever their ruling is, it’s fi nal.

So you may be asking yourself, what are the criteria for getting into such an annoying situation? Personally, I couldn’t really tell you. But you can use your imagination. Frequent fi ghting or drinking to the point where you tell people your name is Charlie and that you’ve lost your baby is probably on the top of the list of things not to do. On top of this, however, you should try not to stand out. Like I said, Scorekeepers caters to a large group of people every night. If you even “look” like the guy who

started trouble last weekend, you could have an issue. So try to dress as plainly and unassuming as possible. While this may affect your dating life, at least you’ll get in!

In the end, the cost of getting temporarily (or permanently) banned from Scorekeepers would at the very least, be great for your wallet. Then again, you are probably just going to end up going to Rick’s to drink away your sorrows anyways. But at least now you know. Watch out for the ban.

Sean is a junior studying communications. You may contact him at [email protected].

The "Skeeps" Ban

SEANGORDON

Psi Upsilon

I absolutely love ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" for the glittery, campy, dancing disaster that it is. And by the end, it's really not (usually) a disaster anymore - but people watch the beginning of the show for the "American Idol-esque" parade of failure that it is. Kirstie Alley doing a sexy tango? Not even her partner, he of the steel buns Maksim Chmerkovskiy (what, it's The Odyssey, right? He can have an epithet) can make that look better. My soul just curled up in the fetal position from that mental image.

Here's the list of DWTS Season 12 contestants!

1. Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy

2. Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff

3. Sugar Ray Leonard and Anna Trebunskaya

4. Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke

5. Kendra Wilkinson and Louis Van Amstel

6. Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani

7. Lil Romeo and Chelsea Hightower

8. Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas

9. Hines Ward and Kym Johnson

10. Mike Catherwood and Lacey Schwimmer

11. Petra Nemcova and Dmitry Chaplin

You all know what I have to say about couple numero uno. As for Karina and the Karate Kid? Hopefully Ralph Macchio proves likable enough to root for, but anything would be better than creepy Uncle Situation and his mesh shirts. Maybe he'll break out some extra-

high karate kicks? Karina has some super sexy moves, but she practically has her own brand of Haterade, Sugar Ray Leonard is already athletic, and he was lucky enough to be paired with the amazing Anna Trebunskaya, so they defi nitely have potential to do some damage. The thing is, there is no immediate front-runner in the pack, as most of the contestants are reasonably young and/or pretty athletic/in good shape.

I'd put Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke on the same level as Sugar Ray Leonard and Anna Trebunskaya. Since Kendra's public

life has revolved around "getting her body back" after she had her fi rst baby with Hank Baskett, I get the impression that Kendra decided to do DWTS more for the fi tness benefi ts than the shameless fame-mongering (although probably that too). Bringing in Wendy Williams was a great marketing ploy for the show - as one of this season's more popular contestants, she brings her own fan club to the show. And as many people think she's a crazy man wearing a wig, there are enough others who like her enough to watch her talk show, which has been renewed through 2012.

All I can say for Lil Romeo is that at age 12 I totally loved his "I Want You Back" cover, "My Baby," and I hope he's entertaining. Chelsea Kane, who probably experienced the highest increase in Google search queries during the cast announcement, is another Disney darling being pimped to the public via ABC. Hines Ward, another NFL star making the most (money?) of his off-season, should also be reasonably athletic. But elegance and grace, darlings, does not come standard with athleticism. Or, as crazy-favorite and quotable judge Bruno Tonioli would say, "You look like a crazy bear lost in a swamp!" Thanks for clearing that up, Tony.

Second most-Googled of the current cast, Mike Catherwood (a.k.a. "Psycho Mike") of LA's KROQ-FM radio station and co-host of nationally syndicated radio show "Loveline"

with Dr. Drew, surprisingly does actually weigh less than Kirstie Alley, despite a career in radio. Out of the entire cast, he is the only contestant not regularly on TV or in movies. Apparently he knows a guy. And last but certainly not least, the gorgeous supermodel-turned-charity head Petra Nemcova, who is SURE to be a favorite with the judges. After fawning over Audrina Partridge's "dancer's body," (despite her constant glassy-eyed smile of emptiness) I can only imagine what they'll have to say about Petra and the newly returned dancer Dmitry Chaplin.

But what about you, readers? Can this group stir up more shakes than a cocktail bar? (Sorry guys, apparently Bruno has crawled inside my computer and is spouting insane-isms.) Leave your comments below, and don't forget to put those extra batteries in your pants.

Elyse is a junior studying English and screen arts and cultures. You may contact her at [email protected].

"Dancing With the Stars" Couples

ELYSE CANTOR

Delta Phi Epsilon

Michigan Odyssey 3.24.2011

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