In the upcoming film “Get Him to the Greek” starring Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, and Rose Bryne (just to name a few), a Hollywood producer is forced to get a rock legend out to L.A. for a comeback show. The movie is produced by Judd Apatow, the man behind “40 Year Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up,” meaning the movie will be hilarious. Jonah Hill’s character is given the mission of escorting the uncooperative rock star (Brand) to L.A., while Brand is mostly focused on re-earning the love of Rose Byrne’s character. Ultimately though, Hill must get Brand to the infamous Greek Theater in L.A. and has to go through as many outrageous obstacles as you can imagine.

If you go here and vote you can not only get in on a free screening of the movie but get the CAST TO COME TO HARVARD! The Voice and Universal Pictures are spearheading this movement and we would love nothing more to have these amazingly talented actors and actresses in our midst. The screening will take place on 4/18/10, and with enough votes you can expect to have a bunch of super famous/awesome people walking around campus. So go on and vote people! This is bound to be the funniest movie of 2010 coming from Apatow–why not make sure they come here to show off?

Check out the Wall Street Journal’s super in-depth reading of how much Harvard students love to use their phones…but not for calling in the article “The Unused Cellphone App: ‘Calling’” Basically we are deciding the future of technology. Go team! If you have an iPhone we also have an app, did you know that? From the article:

‘”The Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard” had been published by the Harvard Student Agencies for since the 1970s, but students didn’t want to carry a book when they wanted to find out where to get Chinese food, Mr. Yan says.

Last year, Mr. Yan and Mr. Bick released their first version of their iPhone application. The free guidebook has been downloaded about 2,500 times. Users can read about 900 different restaurants, cafes and other businesses in Cambridge and find deals offered by local merchants.

They won a $10,000 prize from an AT&T-sponsored competition and $2,500 from a Harvard competition. The Harvard Student Agencies, a student-run, non-profit that helped sponsor the Harvard competition, continues to provide aid and funding to the Rover group. Last summer, the team added Joy Ding, Cameron Spickert and Mr. Robb to work on improving the application and new projects.’

Power to the smart-phone y’all. And us. WSJ thinks we’re pretty cool?

Erich Segal, who wrote the 1970 screenplay and novel that all Harvard students come to love or hate (but mostly mock, thanks to Crimson Key’s traditional freshman week weekend showing), has passed away at the age of 72. Love Story was the first (and last) movie to be filmed on Harvard’s campus. May generations of frosh continue to enjoy the delight (and tragedy?) that is Jenny Whatsherface and Oliver Barrett IV.

A fun little snippet from the Washington Post--

“In 1997, he disputed a rumor that “Love Story” was based on the college romance between Al and Tipper Gore. He did acknowledge that he had known Al Gore and his Harvard roommate, actor Tommy Lee Jones, in 1968 and drew on their lives for the central male character of “Love Story,” Oliver Barrett IV.”

REALLY?!

For the first time in Harvard history, the number of applicants has exceeded 30,000. This is a 5% increase from last year alone. This increase comes in light of an admissions staff that is 10% smaller than the 2008-2009 school year. To deal with the increase, greater reliance has been placed on technology. The Harvard Gazette reports that, “Documents — such as applications and counselor and teacher reports — are scanned electronically with an imaging system, ensuring easy recovery and making them instantly available to application readers and to admissions committee selection meetings. Improved Web site services for alumni and alumnae enable applicant-interview reports to be submitted electronically and made available immediately as well.”

30,000 is a huge number indeed–but among them there is the future class of 2014. Notification letters are to be mailed on April 1, 2010 with e-mails sent a day later to those who chose that additional form of notification.

Leverett House courtyard

So. Much. Snow.

Flights cancelled.

SNOW.

Recently there has been much hubbub on the sightings of major stars filming in the Square. These soon to be films will be joining in a long line of films set at our famous institution. In case your ego doesn’t feel bloated enough, here is a list of some of the most well known movies that use Harvard as a plot subject and some fun facts about them!

Legally Blonde (2001) – Everyone’s favorite Harvard-centered movie (or just mine). We are all well versed in the story of Elle Woods and her unlikely acceptance to Harvard Law School through which she plans to win back her ex, Waner Huntington III.

Fun Fact 1: Reese Witherspoon spent two weeks spending time with and studying actual sorority girls for the project. She also attended law school for a day. Now that’s what I call dedication to a role.

Fun Fact 2: The final graduation scene was shot in the Great Hall of Dulwich College in London because it was not included in the original script. When it was added to the movie, Witherspoon was already filming “The Importance of Being Earnest” in England.

Fun Fact 3: Witherspoon got to keep every piece of clothing from the movie, as per her contract. That’s a whole lot of pink.

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Yes, we can: Barack advocates for better library etiquette.

Loud roommates and claustrophobic Dunster walk-through coffins usually drive people to settle for a long night at Lamont instead. But certain peers, like those who play Miley Cyrus at full volume through their earbuds, can sometimes make us wish we hadn’t trekked all the way to the yard in the first place. Noice sympathizes with those who can’t even find sanctuary at the library. Beware of some of these types of people who may transform what should be a studious environment an experience from hell.

The Widener Walker. Some like to take a break from reading room by browsing the books, but beware of these leisurely strollers. It’s not unusual to see a random person hovering in between the expansive stacks. What’s weird is when they inadvertently end up playing hide and seek with you as you look for that elusive copy of a circa-1960s porn manual for your Lit & Sex paper. Peek-a-boo at its creepiest.
The Cabot Concentrator. Those isolated study rooms in Harvard’s dingiest library look like prison cells for a reason. Aesthetic appeal doesn’t even make the list–people come here to get some serious shit done. Those coffee stains crusted over on virtually every desk would shock us, if not for the fact that there’s probably a guy right now sprawled over his problem set, drooling. Noice advises bringing your own Clorox wipes to get rid of all the mystery bodily fluids.
The Lamont Lurker. Please extrapolate those assumptions you’ve held all along–that kid never ever EVER leaves. Ever. An anonymous source who works a late night shift at access services confirms the fact that these Lamonters will leave their stuff on the table at around 5 in the morning to head back to their house for a quick shower, and promptly plop back at their third floor desk to stick their noses back in the books at around 7am. This urban legend appears more than likely, given…

Today’s public service announcement continues after the jump.
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Guys, gals, tourists, and Dins alike were greeted with a pleasant pelvic-thrusting, slicked-hair sporting, and tight-pants wearing surprise this Thursday afternoon.

GREASE the Harvard student musical gave a teaser performance this afternoon featuring the entire GREASE cast. They serenaded and scintillated the massive crowd with favorites “Summer Nights” and “Grease Lightning.”

Senior Tali Friedman (“Sandy”) and freshman Ben Moss (“Danny”) embodied the sweet and innocent good girl and suave softie-inside tough guy that made this a classic story of boy re-meets girl for the ages.

And if this preview was any indication, this musical’s gearing to be one hell of a good time.

Enjoy!

PS -- You know the saying “lightning never strikes twice?” False. You’ll be able to catch the performance again today on the Science Center lawn @ 12 pm.

Halloween will be upon us in only two weeks, and if you’re anything like 95% of the people I’ve talked to in the last week, midterms and papers have frazzled you far beyond the point of thinking about things like costumes (or sleep, or joy and happiness…). To help you out, we’ve come up with a few ideas to help you out with costume design:

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When deciding where to apply to college, millions of students from around the world read countless brochures, meet with guidance counselors, and attend college fairs to help them narrow down the decision. Thousands, lured by a historic campus and vast academic offerings—or perhaps by the lore of Primal Scream—apply to Harvard. But many of these students (maybe even you!) still don’t know some of the finer points of the university. Which is why we bring to you yet another Noice Original:

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n some semi-cloudy, pleasant day in freshman fall, my future blockmates and I made plans to take a weekend to explore the world beyond Harvard. We were hoping to find a beautiful, not-too-crowded park nearby where we could relax and pass an afternoon or two with leisurely reading. The closest we’ve come has been working on problem sets in the Boston Common.

Oh, lovely autumn. It is rather easy to miss the natural beauty on Harvard’s campus and in the area nearby when you have a constant stream of assignments and extracurricular meetings. But as I was walking back to the Quad from an ill-fated venture to study in Lamont Café—never be deceived that you will accomplish anything significant in Lamont Café—I noticed clumps of crushed berries on my path. They had fallen from the trees lining the walkway. I had never noticed these trees before, and I wondered how many other students had passed that way without noticing them either.

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