Monday, January 28, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Lingerie lives!

MTSU Theatre & Dance will present Underwear: The Musical, book, music and lyrics by Heidi Ervin and Brandon Gwinn, at 7:30 p.m. from Thursday, Jan. 31 through Saturday, Feb. 2 in the Studio Theatre of the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building. This tender, hilariously irreverent and original musical reveals a unique plan to control men and rule the world through the ingenious design of their underwear. Though lighthearted and endearing, Underwear: The Musical features scantily clad performers (no nudity) and mature themes. Therefore, it might not be appropriate for teenagers and younger children. General admission tickets are $3 each. The show will be performed in two acts with a 15-minute intermission.

More information is available at http://www.underwearthemusical.com/.

Can Hyundai cover the spread?

Hyundai was slated to air two 30-second commercials during Super Bowl LXII on Fox this Sunday. Officials with the automaker considered pulling out of those commitments due to concerns that spending nearly $6 million that way would not necessarily spur consumers to go to their local Hyundai dealers during an economic recession. However, they decided ultimately to let the spots run. Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says, “While I give them credit for the careful consideration of whether the Super Bowl ad buy was the best use of marketing dollars, the company’s uncertainty about whether it belongs in the Super Bowl is troubling. If it was a good idea in October when the spots were bought, it should still be a good idea today!”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

Bye-bye, buying!

Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, says consumer satisfaction with the economy has reached a 15-year low, according to Pew polling. Dr. Tim Graeff, director of MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research, says, “The slowdown in the housing market, the credit crunch, recent downturns in the stock market—all play a part in influencing consumers’ perceptions of the economy. If consumers truly believe that the economy is headed for a recession, their own behaviors might actually hasten the downturn. When consumers feel pessimistic about the economy and, in particular, about their own personal financial situation, they tend to hang onto their money in an effort to save for the future. When they do this, they spend less.”

Contact Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

SHE’S A MAINIAC--MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of an exhibit titled “MAINE WOMEN living on the land” featuring the works of Lauren Shaw. She photographed, recorded and videotaped 20 women whose livelihoods come either from producing a product or building a community. Shaw’s work is in the collections of the Getty Museum; the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; the Art Institute of Chicago; and the Library of Congress, among other venues. Shaw will present a lecture, documentary screening and book signing at 7 p.m. tonight, Jan. 28, in Room 221 of the McWherter Learning Resources Center. A reception will follow in the gallery. The exhibit and the lecture are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

FIT FOR LIFE--The MTSU Faculty-Staff Health and Wellness Program for the spring semester will begin today, Jan. 28, and run through April 11. For a $25 fee, each registrant will get blood testing before and after the 10-week program, fitness testing, nutritional coaching by a registered dietician and an optional session with a “life skills coach.” Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says, “The main focus of the program is to replace negative habits related to lack of exercise, poor nutrition and other lifestyle choices that compromise your health and quality of life. … Our exercise coaches are either graduate students in the MTSU exercise science program or have extensive experience as a personal trainer.” Contact Anshel at 615-898-2812 or manshel@mtsu.edu.

DIALING FOR DELEGATES--Dr. Michael Nelson, the Fulmer Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College, will present “MTSU’s Super Tuesday Lecture” at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Jan. 29, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. A member of Rhodes’ political science faculty since 1991, Nelson is the author of more than 200 articles published in scholarly journals such as the Journal of Politics and Political Science Quarterly and in periodicals such as Newsweek and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Dr. John Vile, chairman of MTSU’s political science department, says Nelson is considered “the gold standard” when it comes to presidential discourse. “He’s one of the leading presidential scholars in the country,” Vile says. For more information, call 615-898-2534 or 615-898-2351.

THE SEVENTIES’ SCREEN--In the 1970s, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and other filmmakers responded in passionate but diverse ways to the defining events of a highly charged political era, including Watergate, Vietnam, the emergence of global corporatism and the continued threat of nuclear holocaust. It was a period when the American film industry eagerly absorbed the values of the counterculture, which, in turn, had deeply questioned the seemingly sacred foundations of American society. This semester, Dr. Will Brantley, English, is teaching “American Film in the 70s,” a University Honors College class which explores some of the ways in which the creative community made sense of the so-called “Me Decade.” Screenings include Cabaret, Carrie, The Conversation, The Deer Hunter, Five Easy Pieces, The Last Picture Show, Nashville, and Taxi Driver. Contact the University Honors College at 615-898-2152.