THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013
PAGE 7
HOLIDAY FUN
Drinking games can add to classic Christmas movies
DANI BRADY
dbrady@kansan.com
"Tis the season to get drunk. No, that doesn't sound right. The holidays are about enjoying the company of your family and friends. The first snowfall of the season, listening to 'Jingle Bells' on the radio and buying gifts for loved ones make us giddy for the best time of year.
Spending this much time with our relatives is not something we are used to since we are away at school all semester, so why not make this time a little more interesting by adding booze into the mix? After all, what brings families closer together than drinking games and holiday films? Sit down with family and friends, wip out the bourbon-spiked eggnog or bottle of Peppermint Schnapps and enjoy these Christmas movie drinking games;
"Elf"
Take a shot of beer whenever you hear these words: elf, Christmas spirit or Santa.
"Home Alone"
Whenever Kevin screams, drink for the duration of his scream. Whenever a character gets hurt, feel their pain and take a shot of the most disgusting alcohol in your liquor cabinet.
"The Grinch"
Split into two teams - The Whos and The Grinch - and whenever your team name is said in the movie, drink up!
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys"
Drink whenever Rudolph's nose glows or a reindeer flies.
Finish your drink during the "Island of Misfit Toys" song, because it's sad and you could use a refill.
"A Charlie Brown Christmas"
Every time Charlie Brown and his friend sing, "Christmastime Is Here," or someone says "good grief," take a swig! The youngest person in the group has to drink every time Linus is seen sucking his thumb. Take a drink whenever Charlie Brown complains about his life — unlike Charlie, we're thankful we're getting wasted.
"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
Drink with your neighbors (the two people you are sitting next to) each time Clark messes with the neighbors by accident or on purpose. Take a drink every time someone says Christmas, Griswold or a swear word.
— Edited by Duncan McHenry
TELEVISION
ASSOCIATED PRESS
This file image released by NBC shows, from left, Tracy Spiridakos as Charlie Matheson, Billy Burke as Miles Matheson, Daniella Alonso as Nora and Paras Patel as Albert, in a scene from "Revolution."
Study finds network TV just as violent, racy as cable
I ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — Violent dramas on the broadcast networks carry milder parental cautions than cable shows like "The Walking Dead" but can equal them in graphic gore, a failure of the TV ratings system, a new study found.
"There are zero-point-zero series rated TV-MA on broadcast," said the media watchdog council President Tim Winter, despite programs that are awash in violent scenes.
ratings system, a new study found Scenes of stabbings, shootings, rape, decapitation and mutilation invariably received a TV-14 "parents strongly cautioned" rating on network TV, according to the Parents Television Council study released Monday.
But similar fare on cable typically was given the most stringent label, TV-MA for mature audiences only, researchers for the media watchdog group found.
It is vital to examine the media's effect on children and real-world violence, Winter said, adding that he hopes his nonpartisan group's findings are part of a wide-ranging search for solutions.
The study of 14 series during a four-week period found a 6 percent difference in the overall incidence of violence of all types on cable versus broadcast, with 1,482 violent acts on the cable programs and 1,392 on the network series.
Federally regulated broadcasters face sanctions if they cross the line on indecency or expletives but
Episode ratings are decided by networks and cable channels, similar to how the movie studios' Motion Picture Association of America self-governs by issuing its own movie ratings. The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board, which is composed of TV industry members and public interest advocates, checks for ratings uniformity and responds to public complaints. It received 38 complaints in the past year.
not violence. With competition from unregulated cable and its various daring series such as "Breaking Bad" and "Masters of Sex," networks have resorted to more mayhem.
The ratings system "serves as a valuable resource for parents and helps them make responsible viewing decisions based on what is appropriate for their own families. The industry regularly reviews the TV ratings to ensure they continue to be useful to parents," Missi Tessier, spokeswoman for the board's executive secretariat, said in response to the PTC study.
NBC, CBS, Fox and CW did not comment on the study, which did not include any ABC shows.
Under political and social pressure in the mid-1990s, the voluntary system was established by the TV industry to be used with the so-called V-chip that can block shows electronically.
Networks find it financially vital to avoid applying TV-MA ratings. Winters said, which scare off advertisers.
To assess how the ratings are used, the PTC said it analyzed the seven shows each on cable and broadcast TV that had the highest levels of violence. Each show's first four episodes of the 2012-13 season were analyzed.
MOVIES
VOLTAGE PICTURES
'Dallas Buyers Club' casts McConaughey in new light
We've seen Matthew McConaughey in many forms. We've seen him as a stripper, a treasure hunter and a seedy lawyer, just to name a few. Last Friday's "Dallas Buyers Club" casts McConaughey in a new light.
"Dallas Buyers Club" centers on Ron Woodruff, a Texas electrician living in the late '80s. Woodruff's favorite hobbies include drugs, alcohol and sex. That all changes when he's diagnosed with AIDS and given only 30 days to live. From that moment on Woodruff has to struggle with everyone from pharmaceutical companies to the IRS. Along the way, he must face the prejudice against AIDS victims that was all too present during the '80s.
In this film, McConaughey is barely recognizable — he dropped a considerable amount of weight in preparation for the role. Besides that, McConaughey steps perfectly
By Maddy Mikinski mmikinski@kansan.com
into the character. Woodruff offers a complex role and McConaughey rises to the challenge. He plays the character believable and seems to become Ron Woodruff. It's a seamless, emotional performance that has the ability to blow anyone away.
Credit should also be given to 30 Secondes to Mars frontman Jared Leto. Leto's character, Rayon, is a drag queen also diagnosed with AIDS. He and Woodruff form an unlikely bond as they begin their crusade to supply safe drugs to others who are sick. Arguably, his part is the film's most heartbreaking story. Leto's performance has an intensity about it that rivals McConaughey's. Leto grabs you by the cowboy boots and never lets go.
The film has an undeniable truth about it. It teaches us that there is a wrong and a right way to treat people. Through Ron's interactions with Rayon and his co-workers, we can see the clear mark between right and wrong. For those of us who weren't around in the '80s, it gives us an idea of the suffering that went on and all the horrible misconceptions surrounding the AIDS virus.
"Dallas Buyers Club" has everything it needs to take home an Oscar. It has heart, soul and phenomenal performances. It tells a story not often told, a story that needs to be heard. It drives in a point that everyone needs to hear in a way that's so gripping it needs to be seen to be believed.
—Edited by James Ogden
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