Thursday, November 13, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“Watch out, boy, she’ll chew you up.”—From “Maneater” by Daryl Hall, John Oates, and Sara Allen

Hall and Oates are suing Warner/Chappell Music for allegedly letting other artists rip off their song “Maneater.” They’re accusing the company of a conflict of interest because it “publishes and/or administers the copyright interests of two of the infringers.” Ken Sanney, adjunct recording industry professor and licensed attorney, says the suit might have a lot of merit. “As a music publisher, Warner/Chappell has a fiduciary duty to protect the copyright in the song ‘Maneater,’” Sanney says. “Songwriters such as Hall and Oates often grant the ownership in their copyrighted songs to a music publisher like Warner/Chappell. In consideration for such grants, the music publisher will collect royalties, issue licenses, and protect the copyright. Hall and Oates may be able to recover damages, which could include lost licensing fees and also their copyright to the song, which may have been granted to Warner/Chappell.”

Contact Sanney at 615-456-6502.
ksanney@mtsu.edu

Still country after all these years

Country music star Stonewall Jackson recently settled a federal age discrimination lawsuit against the Grand Ole Opry. Jackson claimed the Opry kept him off the stage because of his age (He’s 75 now.). He also accused the Opry of breach of contract. Dr. Geoff Hull, professor emeritus in recording industry, says Jackson’s lawsuit might be unprecedented. “I’m not aware of a performer suing for age discrimination before,” says Hull, who holds a law degree from the University of Virginia. “Originally, a promoter could hire someone to put on a show based on how many tickets they thought they could sell. If their decision was that if a particular older performer could/would not sell as many tickets that would be the end of the discussion. I think here the key was the agreement with the Opry that the members sign.”

Contact Hull at 615-890-1278.
ghull@mtsu.edu

God bless us, everyone.

MTSU alumnus Allan Barlow will bring Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” to life in a one-man tour de force at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 18, at Tucker Theatre in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building. Barlow says, “Although memorizing an hour and a half of dialogue was a big challenge, the hardest thing for me was visualizing the settings and blocking for over 20 different characters. I had to pay extra attention to each character's point of focus so the audience would always know which character was speaking.” In addition, Barlow will hold workshops with MTSU theatre students the week of Nov. 17-20. Gina Logue will interview this Seattle-based working actor, whose credits include repertory, commercials, television, and movies, at 7 a.m. this Sunday, Nov. 16, on “MTSU on the Record” on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).

For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

TR EXTRA

ALL WE ARE SAYING IS GIVE PEAS A CHANCE--All donations raised from purchasing lunch on the Keathley University Center knoll from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, Nov. 13, will be donated to Pennies for Peace. Sigma Nu fraternity, pre-dental and pre-prescription major students, and a team of EXL service learning students will prepare food donated from local businesses and grocery stores. For more information, contact Hillary Robson at 615-494-8970 or hrobson@mtsu.edu.

BLACK AND WHITE AT NIGHT--The Scholars Academy at MTSU will celebrate the inaugural Black & White Gala by honoring three Tennesseans who have made significant contributions to the areas of education, leadership, diversity and human rights. “Educating for Extraordinary Excellence: Celebrating our Past, Present and Future” is the theme of the event, which will take place tonight, Nov. 13, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. The reception will start at 6 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. dinner and ceremony. The honorees are Camille McMullen, the first African-American woman to be appointed to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals; MTSU alumnus Darrell S. Freeman Sr., chairman and CEO of Zycron, Inc.; and Dr. Kevin Churchwell, CEO/executive director of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Proceeds will benefit scholarship and endowment funds. Contact Dr. Sharon Shaw-McEwen at 615-898-5975 or sshaw@mtsu.edu.

OVERCOMING CAREER FEAR--This week is Career Development Week at MTSU. Topics to be discussed include “Resumania! Make Your Resume Crazy Good!,” “What Is Your Worth? Negotiating Salary and Benefits,” and “Managing Change: Transitioning from College to Career.” The Majors Fair is slated for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, Nov. 13, on the second floor of the KUC. For more information, go to www.mtsu.edu/~career or call 615-898-5732.

A WORD IS WORTH A THOUSAND PICTURES--“4 Women 4 Views with Text,” a new art exhibition in MTSU’s James E. Walker Library, features the creativity of three MTSU professors and an MTSU graduate in combining visual and verbal elements, treating visitors to an experience that is at once visceral and intellectual. The works of Assistant Professors Noel Lorson and Kim Dummons, Professor Janet Higgins and alumna Nance Cooley will remain on display through today, Nov. 13, in the Special Collections area on the fourth floor of the library. Viewing is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Susan Hanson, a specialist with the library, says the works on display are individual entities that emerged from the creative spark of the collaborative experience. “It starts with a word, and it begins to take on a life of its own,” Hanson says. Contact Hanson at 615-904-8503 or shanson@mtsu.edu.

GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66.--Noted photographer Tom Mallonee’s exhibit, “Evidence of Passing: Vanishing Points along an American Road,” opened recently and will be displayed until Dec. 4 in the Baldwin Photographic Gallery in MTSU’s McWherter Learning Resources Center. Tom Jimison, electronic media communication professor and gallery director, says Mallonee “has pursued large-format black-and-white work since 1979 and often has chosen subjects which stray from conventional notions of western landscape, yet still embrace decisive composition and meticulous printing techniques such as this 14-year project of bypassed sections of Route 66.” Exhibitions are free and open to the public. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and from 6 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. on Sundays. The gallery will be closed Nov. 27-29. For information, call 615-898-2085.

SIGN, SIGN, EVERYWHERE A SIGN--Don’t put those political yard signs in the trash! Donate them to the Albert Gore Research Center at MTSU. The center collects political signs for exhibits and educational purposes. If you have regular-sized signs (two-feet square) for a candidate or election issue from this or previous elections and would like to make contributions, please drop them off at the Gore Center in Room 128 of the Todd Building on the MTSU campus. Signs should be in good condition. The center does not need the support posts. Unfortunately, the center does not have the staff to retrieve signs from your home or office. The center also collects bumper stickers, buttons, fans and other political memorabilia. Samples are on display in the hall outside the center. For more information, contact Dr. Jim Williams, director of the Gore Center, at 615-898-2633 or jhwillia@mtsu.edu.

PASS THE PEPPER, PLEASE--The MTSU Police Department will offer a free pepper spray class for women. The class is part of the Rape Aggression Defense system and will teach basic self-defense techniques to supplement women’s ability to survive dangerous confrontations. The class will be available to MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as the general public and will take place tonight, Nov. 13, and on Nov. 20 and Dec. 4 from 6-8 p.m. in the MTSU Police Department training room, 1412 East Main Street in Murfreesboro. Topics to be covered include product selection, psychological and physical effects of the “fight or flight” syndrome, legal issues and retention and deployment techniques. For more information or to enroll, contact Officer David Smith at 615-692-2424 or 615-494-8855.

MOVE YOUR FEET TO THE BEAT—MTSU Dance Theatre will present its 2008 Fall Dance Concert at 7:30 p.m. tonight through Saturday night, Nov. 13-15, in Tucker Theatre in Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building. The audience will be treated to an exceptional evening of grace and athleticism featuring the choreography of international guest artists and premieres by faculty and students. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 for MTSU faculty and staff and K-12 students, and free for MTSU students with a valid ID. No tickets will go on sale prior to one hour before the performance. Seating begins 30 minutes prior to the performance. For more information, e-mail Jeff Gibson at jsgibson@mtsu.edu or visit www.mtsu.edu/theatre.

DON’T LET YOUR SCHOLARSHIP SAIL AWAY--Prospective and returning students seeking merit scholarships and awards for the 2009-10 academic year must submit all their information by the priority deadline of Monday, Dec. 1. Each student should submit an admission application, official ACT or SAT test scores and an official transcript to the admissions office. Information mailed with a Dec. 1 postmark will meet the deadline. Students who apply between Dec. 2, 2008, and Feb. 15, 2009, may be considered if funding is available. Merit scholarships and awards include National Merit and National Achievement Finalist, Valedictorians and Salutatorians, and Chancellor, Presidential, Buchanan Fellowship, Academic Service, Provost and Raider scholarships. Transfer applicants must submit official college transcripts. The scholarship deadline for transfer applicants is Feb. 1. For more information, contact David Hutton at 615-898-2422 or dhutton@mtsu.edu.