Dueling Tees

DT exclusive: 7 Counterparts, 1 staircase and a Winter Wonderland

2011-12-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

Over the years on DT, we've had awesome holiday serenading from the Glee Club, a swingin' Penny Loafers alum and this soulful alum.

Now, a big thank you goes out to the Counterparts for rallying together during finals to create a special video treat for my DT readers that you'll find after the jump!

As we wrap up 2011, and approach DT's 5 year anniversary I wish all of my readers a happy holiday season and a healthy and happy 2012! Thank you for your contributions and support through the years!

A special thank you for the video above to Jackson Foster ('14), Maggie Grabmeier ('14), Sheetal Rajagopal ('12), Swaroop Rao ('15), Sam Hernan ('15), Chris Whitney ('14), Laura Bowes ('12) and Kelly Diamond ('13).

Check out these Christmas and Chanukkah DT favorites from Penn alumni and undergrads!

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Raise your glass to Penn alum's "New Year's Eve"

2011-12-07T22:43:00.001-08:00

If you've been seeing the New Year's Eve trailers all over TV, then you should know that a Penn alum is behind the film!

After the jump, find out which alum and watch an interview with him about the film!

Producer Mike Karz (C'89, W'89) has quite the franchise going on with developing films around key days of the year. If you recall, he last did Valentine's Day (and even had a small cameo in the film!)

Here's the New Year's Eve shpiel: "Celebrating love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, in the intertwining stories told amidst the pulse of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year."

Lots of star power in this one including Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Ludacris, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Katherin Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank and Sofia Vergara.

Below, listen to Mike talk about the film's main concept of "new beginnings":

More DT stories about Penn alum film producers here

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Help these Penn alumni who help others!

2011-12-05T23:20:00.001-08:00

We've got another story of Penn alumni working together ....for a good cause!

After the jump find out more about their great idea and how we Penn alumni can vote them into becoming a "fan favorite"!

Generation Enterprise, or GEN, is a dynamic, all-volunteer, young team of social entrepreneurs who have come together to help unemployed youth start sustainable businesses in slum communities in the developing world through intensive training and microfinance.

Founded in 2009 by a Penn grad, Clara Chow (C'07), GEN is comprised of young professionals (Penn alumni including Corey Stout (C'09) and Samantha Sher (C'09)) and students on four continents dedicated to helping the world's street youth become socially responsible business owners and community leaders.

Samantha tells me:

"We are supported and endorsed by the World Bank and have won competitions hosted by Seventh Generation and Oxford University. We are currently working in Lagos, Nigeria and continue to receive invitations to implement the GEN model across the developing world. We are even in the preliminary stages of entering Delhi and Mumbai by the end of 2012."

GEN entered the McKinsey Society video contest with this 60 second pitch below which they made on zero budget on a flip cam.

In order to vote them as "fan favorite", tweet the following (click link to tweet):

"I voted for 'Generation Enterprise' for Fan Favorite in the @McKinseySociety video contest! #McKInnovate http://bit.ly/w33xtl"

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A 1986 Wedding Proposal on Franklin Field you'll want to check out

2011-12-04T22:51:00.001-08:00

Some of my favorite stories on DT have to do with Penn love.

I've covered Penn alumni getting married on campus and have even covered some great Penn proposals.

Well, I just discovered another Penn proposal from 1986 that was accomplished during the halftime show on Franklin Field with the help of the Penn Band.

After the jump, check out the video from the Penn vs. Lafayette football game and be sure to also get a blast from the past with these highlights:

Part 1
2:02 - Inspector gadget reference

Part 2
6:35 - The proposal

Part 3
0:55 - The band plays "Just a gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody". A true sign of the times!

5:38 - the 1986 version of our creepy quaker dude!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

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She's singing the theme song for ANOTHER TV show!

2011-12-02T07:52:00.000-08:00

Over the past year, I've done stories on our very own "21st Century Girl" rocker, aka Carly Greenberg (C'05) and all the TV shows she's been singing the theme songs for.

After the jump, listen to a new theme song single she just launched for yet another new tv series!

Carly's song, "Here We Go Again" is featured as the theme song on the brand new WE tv series "I Do Over". (the song also features Lil Zane)

Listen to "Here We Go Again" below:

And listen to the song in this promo video:

Get the song on Itunes here

Go Carly!

More Carly here

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Listen to this Penn alum ask Taylor Swift out on a date

2011-11-30T20:42:00.001-08:00

The last time we checked in with Penn alum Hollywood actor Alex Weber (C'09, Lacrosse), he had a cameo on "The Young and the Restless".

Recently, Alex has starred in a commercial that needs your vote ...and he made a music video for Taylor Swift that you'll want to check out after the jump!

Alex tells me re: his tribute to Taylor above, "Who knows? Maybe she'll call." : )

Remember this Penn alum who also did a fantastic musical tribute ...to his childhood idol?

Besides this video, Alex produced and acted in a "Crash the Superbowl" commercial with Blake Clarke and Peter Dante from The Waterboy and 50 First Dates ...and he needs your vote.
Watch the video and vote here!

...Remember these Penn alumni who also produced "Crash the Superbowl" commercials?

More DT Original Entertainment Career paths and advice in:

Plus the best paid internship in entertainment you don't know about!

More of my Tuesday Tips HERE

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Listen to the Penn a capella song Liz Banks calls "amazing"

2011-11-28T23:40:00.001-08:00

Recently, Liz Banks (C'96) has stepped behind the camera to produce a new film called "Pitch Perfect" (based off of this book) with her Penn alum producer husband Max Handleman (C'95, AEPi), all about competitive collegiate a cappella groups.

After the jump, find out which a capella group Liz references from her time at Penn in an interview she just did with Entertainment Weekly...and listen to the great song this group did that she said was "the most amazing version" she's ever heard in her life.

From her EW article interview:

"Did you have a magical a cappella experience in college? I mean, some people are horrified the first time they see 12 dudes making music without instruments.
Quite the opposite. The big group on our campus then was the Penn Six-5000 [Banks attended the University of Pennsylvania]. I went to one of their shows and I remember watching this guy sing “Rocket Man” better than Elton John, and thinking, This is the most amazing version of “Rocket Man” I’ve ever heard in my life."

Now listen to Penn Six's 1993 version of "RocketMan" from their album "Jacket Off" (featuring Dan Cromie C'93, arranged by Eddie Matz W'93). Thank you to Penn-Sixer Scott Harris C'96 for providing the music!

Sounds great! What do you think?

And if you recall, this isn't the first time Liz has spoken about Penn in an interview.

Speaking of famous people and Penn Six, be sure to catch up on THIS famous Penn Sixer.

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Not Tonightie: a revolutionary nightgown you'll want to check out

2011-11-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

Over the past few years on DT, David Chalfin (C'96) has produced some great DT videos including THIS and THESE. Also, if you recall he also contributed THIS touching story to "Chicken Soup for the Soul".

Now, after the jump watch the latest very funny video he produced on the front page of funnyordie today ....all about a "revolutionary nightgown that lets your man know when tonight is just NOT right."

Check out more of Dave's work on his website HERE

More Penn alumni film editors HERE

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Why his muppet got cut from his own movie

2011-11-22T07:41:00.001-08:00

Since the summer we've seen some great Muppet promos, but today Todd Lieberman's (C'95, AEPi, Mask and Wig) 98% Rotten Tomatoes rated Muppet Movie finally hits theaters!

After the jump find out what Todd shared with the NY Post about how he became a stand-in puppeteer for one scene in the film ...and what caused his muppet to be cut from his own film!

Per the NY Post,

"During a scene in the film — in which every Muppet gathers in a lobby to hear a heartfelt speech from Kermit the Frog — the producer was asked to pitch in because the puppets outnumbered the puppeteers. “I learned how difficult it really is,” Lieberman said. “You’re sweating, your arm hurts. Then, in post-production, the visual effects supervisor noticed there was one Muppet in the scene that looked totally wrong. It was angled weird. It had no reaction. It was totally off. Guess what? It was my Muppet. And it got cut out.”

I spoke to Todd this morning and he's been on an exciting whirlwind media tour that included being backstage at "SNL" (with host Jason Segel) and going to the White House for a special screening for military families.

On a Muppets related note, if you recall, Todd filmed this exclusive video for us while he was on the Muppet set. (This was the day they were filming a scene with Foo Fighters' very own Dave Grohl.)

Check out this firstshowing.net interview with Todd and his producing partner David Hoberman:

And finally, read Todd's responses to "5 Things You need to know about the new Muppet movie" HERE

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He's a bitter lawyer and stand-up ...and he's telling all!

2011-11-20T13:33:00.001-08:00

I've covered stand-up Matt Ritter (L'02) on DT before and all the great viral videos he's created (my favorite one being THIS one).

If you recall, like many Penn alumni making career changes, Matt has transitioned careers from being a lawyer to a standup.

After the jump check out "Bottom Rung", his new web series based on his experiences working in "document review" at a big LA firm ....and find about his other Penn alumni co-stars and some of his unbelievably(!) true working experiences that will be feeding into this series.

In Matt's new series "Bottom Rung", Matt plays Dave, a doc review “dreamer” who thinks he’s passing through on his way to comedy greatness. He gets a rude awakening as he learns the rules of the workplace from his draconian boss, Nicole, played by Hailey Boyle. But he also meets his new crush, Paige.

So what are the juicy real life experiences that fed into developing this series?

Per Matt,

"Until I moved out to LA in 2010, I worked as a big firm corporate associate in New York and had never heard of document review. A former lawyer and TV writer told me that if I was short on cash, document review was an easy way to earn a stress-free paycheck, allowing me to focus on my comedy work. The reality? Some document reviews can be pleasant and a good fit for someone trying to focus on an alternative career. Other document reviews can be as bad as anything I’ve experienced as an adult.

When you get stuck on a project with a nightmare for a boss, it can ruin your life. I was on one project where the project manager—or warden— tried to make us sign in and out of the room every time we went to the bathroom. I was on another one where we were specifically taught the difference between a two and a five minute break. I’ve been on doc reviews with strict no talking, no internet, no phone policies. In others, the working conditions can be abhorrent—no windows, no ventilation, no personal space, sick people everywhere, no running water. Basically your standard third-world hospital waiting room. So, in this episode and during the entire season I am highlighting the doc review characters and the world of some of these darker document review projects. It’s all loosely based on the places I’ve been assigned and the people that I’ve met on some of the more hellish projects."

In the episode above, you may also recognize some other Penn alumni and DT favorites including :

Roy Vongtama (C'96, another Penn alum who juggles 2 careers)
our "Starter Actress" Jess Garvey (C'09) Jess is also co-producer of this series with Matt.

And check out a closer look at one of the characters below. Meet Tim. He's that guy who always has a get-rich quick scheme and makes a pitch that he'll be doing "something bigger" within six months. Yeah, we know this guy.

More fun stories of Penn alumni working together here

More from Matt Ritter here:
www.mattrittercomedy.com
www.facebook.com/mattrittercomedy
www.twitter.com/mattritter1

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Penn's $46M playground's got you covered

2011-11-20T11:19:00.001-08:00

Back in September, our DT correspondent Kelly Diamond (C'13), showed us exactly where Penn Park was on campus.

Recently she was walking down the Walnut Street Bridge in the rain and noticed a new athletic bubble that was built right over the park!

After the jump check out Kelly's 15 second clip of Penn's new indoor practice area!

Per Kelly, "it's supposed to be some sort of substitute for a new indoor practice area that will be up permanently for the winter."

More of DT's "15 second clips":

Catch up on Kelly's vlogs from her experiences from her summer internships in Hollywood

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Penn muggles running around with brooms in between their legs

2011-11-15T07:37:00.001-08:00

I had heard that a group of students at Penn formed a Quidditch Team at Penn -based on the Harry Potter Series but I thought it was a joke.

But the jokes on me because it's real and we now have video!

After the jump watch these Penn muggles in action and learn how the game is played.

Learn about how the roles of "Chasers", "Keepers", "Beaters", the "Seeker" and the "Golden Snitch" are incorporated into the game. Kudos to these students for keeping things fun!

DT Catch-up: Another popular game brought to life on Locust Walk here (must-see!)

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His exceptional cover of Paramore's "The Only Exception"

2011-11-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

Remember recently when I had you listen to Malik Smith's (C'10) awesome cover of "Someone Like You"?

Well, he also recently released another cover of Paramore's "The Only Exception" and it's really great!

After the jump, listen to it!

Malik's cover of "The Only Exception":

Get the latest from Malik here

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We have a winner!

2011-11-10T07:35:00.001-08:00

Over the past couple of weeks, we've been promoting our DT "retweet" contest where you could win entrepreneur Kyle Schroeder's (W'01) new Cremo moisturizer, shave cream and wash. (GQ loves them ...as do I!)

After the jump find out who the winner of our contest is!

Congratulations to Ben Koch (C'02)!

You've won a gift basket of Kyle's

new Cremo moisturizer,
Cremo Shave Cream
Cremo Wash
and Fog Free shave mirror!

The Astonishingly Superior Cremo Cream Shave Cream

* Dramatically reduces cuts, nicks, scrapes and razor irritation.
* Gives you the closest, most comfortable. longest lasting shave.
* Leaves your skin astonishingly soft and smooth.

Try It Once to Believe it. Enjoy It For Life. It's Really That Good.

Most shave "creams" and "gels" are actually foam -- which is primarily air. Visualize a sharp blade scarping across your delicate skin with air as the main "lubricant." It tears your skin, creates little cuts and nicks that bleed, and leaves your skin looking and feeling rough.

Cremo has no air: It's an extremely rich cream (even more so than other similar/non-foam luxury shave creams). It contains unique, super-lubricating, highly-slippery molecules that have been compounded with powerful skin conditioners. Together, they make your blade glide smoothly over your skin astonishingly soft and smooth. I think you will find this is better than anything else you have ever used. Try it once to believe it. Enjoy it for life.

Cremo Moisturizer The Astonishly Super Face Moisturizer

Cremo Wash Superior Face Cleanser

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Classic: "Classless" Undergrad TV show Impresses

2011-11-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

I've seen my fair share of student films over the years and am happy to report that these films have now also evolved into the first ever TV sitcom created by current Penn students.

In the first episode of "Classless", Steve, a student who has been shunned by the school newspaper goes on a mission to create a second student newspaper. In doing so it looks likehe'll be getting second-rate journalists as well. Laughter of course ensues.

So here's the deal.

This show is well written, well cast and well edited (in a sort of a similar manner as "The Office"). There's some great dialogue and characters (check out the "business card guy") and the show moves rather quickly.

After the jump enjoy the first episode of "Classless"!

"Classless" is created and Executive Produced by our DT correspondent Kelly Diamond (C'13), Head Writer Sean Kelly (C'12), Head of Production Tony Xie (C'12). The writing staff also includes Jordan Michelson (C'14) and Laura Bowes (C'12).

"Like" Classless on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Classless-TV/129646403772978

Penn alumni working in TV HERE

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A 4th(!) Penn alum covers Adele

2011-11-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

There's no stopping Penn alumni musicians who want to sing Adele's "Someone Like You".

After the jump, listen to another Penn alum who puts his great spin on it!

I've covered Malik Smith (C'10) on DT before (loved his "I'll be Home for Christmas" cover!)

Below, listen to his cover of "Someone Like You".

I've been loving all of these covers!

Get the latest from Malik here

Contest ends this Friday!:
To win one of the gift baskets you see above (plus a fog free shave mirror not in the picture), all you need to do is retweet the following:
(click link below)

Win this Penn alum's Cremo Shave Cream, Moisturizer, Wash and Mirror. (Retweet to enter contest!) http://goo.gl/o2jpT #upenn

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Their creative anti-twitter song

2011-11-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

12 DT vlogs and 2 years later, it's official.

Ben Naecker (C'09, Water Polo) and Blake West (W'09, Jazz Combos), the Penn alumni friends who moved to Austin to pursue music and swore that "real jobs were not my forte" have split up because of "real jobs".

After the jump watch their final episode where:

Ben and Blake talk about the wisdom they've gained
Listen to and download the 3 of their new songs
and find out what their individual future plans are

On behalf of all Penn alumni musicians and Penn alumni daring to live out a dream, thank you Blake and Ben for letting us follow you on your journey over these past 2 years and best of luck in the future!

Per Blake,

"This final episode brings practical knowledge of the costs and process behind making a physical album. But we also bring some wisdom gained after 2 years of trying to just make music. We found that until you stumble upon a huge pile of money, it's always going to be pretty much impossible to spend all your time creating music. Your either going to be spending hours and hours marketing your band, getting gigs, planning tours, updating websites, etc. or your going to have to get a job of some kind to support yourself (and likely you'll have to do both). Even those at the very top will have to do interviews, photo shoots, and publicity. But it's not all gloom... because we've also found that as long as you're willing to work at it, even the tough challenges of life can't stop you from being creatively productive. Ben and I recorded and wrote for 3 original EP's in 2 years, plus writing for a movie and a commercial. We leave you with our future plans, a link to our band's EP "Speak Up", a video of one of our live shows, and 3 free song download (listen below!).

What's going on with Ben and Blake now?

Blake's plans now are to focus on building his lessons company and already has 9 active students. Despite the split up, Ben is still writing and producing via email with Blake and his bandmate Marshall. They plan to release new material sometime next year.
Ben is now at Stanford studying Neuroscience while Blake continues his music pursuit.

For 10 Feet Wide:
"Lyrically, this song is about moving on, in different ways. Dealing with making our physical move to Austin, leaving behind our friends/family, and also moving on from other people, and getting left behind. The singer and I always co-wrote lyrics, so we generally took scenes from both of our lives that fit the theme of the song."
10 Feet Wide by bwest87

For the Seed:
"Musically, it came out of one of the last jams Ben and I had at Penn with our old drummer. But it wasn't until our lead singer came along that we finally pieced it all together to make a full song."
The Seed by bwest87

#140charactergospel:
"This one sprang out of conversations we all had as a band about our distaste for Twitter. And specifically, we try to talk about the limitations of having so few words to try and say something interesting and/or accurate. Obviously brevity is the soul of wit, and this is not to say twitter has no purpose (it has a lot of good ones), but we wanted to talk about where Twitter comes up short, and the challenges of electronic communication in general." (check out the lyrics below)
#140charactergospel by bwest87

140 Character Gospel
Words create clarity for the ideas in your mind
With only a few sentences, your heart remains blind.

The grid, feels like a fence, holds back what I think
So package it up for these wires and chains, so I can fit between the links

I didn’t want to hear their lines
‘cause it creeps up in your life
Till you’re on the line
On the line tangled and tied
We’re fighting through this net
Only the surface gets by

If you reduce enough, every shape is a line
140 symbols can’t show the contours
Of how this pattern is defined

I need to see your face,
To understand what you meant,
Cause I’m just a dog, and I can’t get through
Always plugged into this fence.

I didn’t want to hear their lines
‘cause it creeps up in your life
Till you’re on the line
On the line tangled and tied
We’re fighting through this net
Only the surface gets through

We can’t hear you, could you speak up?

Links mentioned in vlog: www.box.net; www.groovehouse.com ; www.grahambradley.com

Ben and Blake's website HERE

DT Catch Up:

More Penn musicians HERE

More Original DT Series:

Contest ends this Friday!
To win one of the gift baskets you see above (plus a fog free shave mirror not in the picture), all you need to do is retweet the following:
(click link below)

Win this Penn alum's Cremo Shave Cream, Moisturizer, Wash and Mirror. (Retweet to enter contest!) http://goo.gl/o2jpT #upenn

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Check out these Penn Pumpkins!

2011-10-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

To cap off our 2011 Halloween series, I've got a final treat from one of our alumni.

Take a look at this great pumpkin carving handiwork from Penn alum Dennie Zastrow!

Be sure to check out this Penn carved pumpkin too!

Happy Halloween everyone!

More random stuff with Penn logos you've got to see HERE

Don't forget about our DT Contest (ends, Friday, Nov. 4!):

To win one of the gift baskets you see above (plus a fog free shave mirror not in the picture), all you need to do is retweet the following:
(click link below)

Win this Penn alum's Cremo Shave Cream, Moisturizer, Wash and Mirror. (Retweet to enter contest!) http://goo.gl/o2jpT #upenn

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The touching reason why she's not afraid of ghosts

2011-10-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

I've covered singer-songwriter Jill Goldberg (C'04, Dischord A Cappella, Penn Choir, Wind Ensemble) on DT before and have been saving this great music video of hers for Halloween because I really like this song and there were some cool animated ghosts floating around in the video.

However, what I didn't know until yesterday was the moving backstory behind this song.

After the jump, watch the video and learn about the touching reason why her perspective about ghosts has changed over the years.

Jill tells me,

"My mom passed away in 2009 and I guess my instinct is to think that she is still around somewhere nearby. As a child, whenever I was home alone, I'd get scared of every creek in the house thinking it was some sort of ghost, but now if that happens I like to believe that it's just my mom. How can I be scared of that? :) Happy Halloween!"

More chilling videos from Penn alumni HERE

More DT Halloween posts HERE

Don't forget about our DT Contest (ends this Friday, Nov. 4!):

To win one of the gift baskets you see above (plus a fog free shave mirror not in the picture), all you need to do is retweet the following:
(click link below)

Win this Penn alum's Cremo Shave Cream, Moisturizer, Wash and Mirror. (Retweet to enter contest!) http://goo.gl/o2jpT #upenn

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The only thing worse than zombies is racist zombies

2011-10-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

One more day 'til Halloween and as part of our Halloween series, I've got a somewhat wrong, yet very funny treat for you all.

After the jump, watch a short about "racist zombies" from Carlin Adelson (C'09, West Philly Tutoring, Sigma Kappa) and her Upright Citizens Brigade trained sketch comedy group "The Charlies".

Watch until the end!

More NSFW videos from Penn alumni

Don't forget about our DT Contest (ends, Friday, Nov. 4!):

To win one of the gift baskets you see above (plus a fog free shave mirror not in the picture), all you need to do is retweet the following:
(click link below)

Win this Penn alum's Cremo Shave Cream, Moisturizer, Wash and Mirror. (Retweet to enter contest!) http://goo.gl/o2jpT #upenn

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Elizabeth Banks shows us her "Hunger Games" costume!

2011-10-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

So far on DT, you've seen a Penn alum professionally modeling some great Halloween costumes.

I now have another Penn alum wearing what will eventually be a great Halloween costume!

After the jump, check out Elizabeth Banks (C'96) in a new movie poster as the flamboyant "Effie Trinket" in the upcoming Hunger Games film!

More about Liz playing the role of Effie from Entertainment Weekly here

As for what Liz is up to lately, she is in producing mode:

Check out a picture with her and Ana Kendrick here on the set of a new a capella group she's producing called "Pitch Perfect".
She and her husband Max Handelman (C'95, AEPi) is producing a new tv comedy for Fox called "Dave's Dead" and is being described as Shaun of the Dead meets "My Name is Earl".

Don't forget about our DT Contest (ends, Friday, Nov. 4!):

To win one of the gift baskets you see above (plus a fog free shave mirror not in the picture), all you need to do is retweet the following:
(click link below)

Win this Penn alum's Cremo Shave Cream, Moisturizer, Wash and Mirror. (Retweet to enter contest!) http://goo.gl/o2jpT #upenn

The secret life of this 10th grade Penn alum English teacher

2011-10-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

Another story in this week's DT Halloween series for you...

Matt Blackstone (C'03) is not only a 10th grade English teacher, but he is the author of a new young adult novel, A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE (FSG/Macmillan), which released this summer and Seventeen magazine put it on it's Summer Beach Read list! Yep, this is another story about a Penn alum who is an educator and an author!

One liner is "It's about Rene, a male teen with OCD, and his lingo-inventing friend who tutors him in the art of playing it cool."

And if you're at Penn, you can meet him at the Bookstore at 2 pm tomorrow (this Saturday (10/29)).

After the jump, learn more about the book, Matt's perseverant path from Penn to becoming an author, and a great website for aspiring authors looking for agents!

Here's the shpiel about Matt's book:

"Rene, an obsessive-compulsive high school student hell-bent on becoming a superhero, smells his hands and wears a Batman cape when he’s nervous, which is six to eight hours per day, depending on whether it’s a weekend or weekday. On a weekday, he witnesses his English teacher smash his head into the blackboard. Rene is convinced that he is responsible for this and all other tragedies. If he picks up a face-down coin, moves a muscle during a time of thirteen (7:42 is bad luck because 7+4+2=13), or washes himself in the wrong order, Rene or someone close to him will get left back in school, break a bone, fall into a coma, contract a deadly virus, and/or die a slow and painful death like someone in a scary scene in scary movie. Or worse.

Rene’s new and only friend tutors him in the art of playing it cool, but it’s not as easy as he makes it sound. Can Rene ever be safe—he doesn’t like to talk when not surrounded by security details like locks or walls or people he trusts—when the scariest place is in his head?"

Matt's story is another alumni story of dedication and perseverance.

What was Matt's path from Penn to now?
Matt tells me,

"It started with the writing classes at Penn, especially the writers' workshop classes. After graduating, I joined Teach for America in Baltimore and quickly began working at a 10th grade English teacher. After my two years were up, I moved to New York City to continue teaching and get back into writing. (Teaching may be an underpaid profession, but for those interested in writing about or for teens, it's a great opportunity to observe how they interact and what interests them most.)  

The first draft of my book took six weeks. I couldn't write fast enough. I started it a few days before a family vacation to Mexico. I wrote on the plane, on the local buses, at the hotel, at the pool, on my bed, on the plane ride home, and I couldn't stop until I was done.

And then I learned that editing looks much different than that, and takes much longer."

How did Matt get published? 

"I wrote a one-page pitch, listing everything great about the book and everything splendid about me, and looked for representation. I wish I could say I queried one agent and a day later I was golden. But that's not the case.

You see, as a NYC public school teacher, I have a week off in February to celebrate the birthday of our forefathers. And in Februrary, 2009, I spend that week at my computer. Occasionally I ate a meal, but for the most part, I queried agents.

All of them.  

Well, about 80% of them. And definitely every single one who at some point their life expressed even the slightest bit of interest in Young Adult literature. If they did an interview and mentioned the word "Harry" or "Potter" . . . I emailed them. If they liked a move about superheroes . . . or plain old heroes . . . or the supernatural . . . or super and/or natural things . . . I emailed them too.

AgentQuery.com helps to narrow the madness and the stalker feel, but the point is the persistent emailing. And the waiting. Always the waiting. The endless Great Wait.

Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents is very helpful, providing a comprehensive list. But I prefer AgentQuery.com. It's quick, you can focus your search by genre; for instance, type in "Young Adult" and it'll list all the agents accepted Young Adult. It'll also tell you what specifically they're interested in and how best to reach them. I've found emailing to be the best (and most cost efficient) way to reach agents. You can email dozens in a day and hear some type of response, whereas waiting for the mailman every day can really drag you down.

Once I finally found an agent that seemed normal and helpful and excited about my work, I signed with her. So began step #2 of the Great Wait: waiting on an editor."

What books should an aspiring author read?

"On Writing by Stephen King. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Both books are funny and empathetic, anecdotal and instructional."

Finally, Matt tells me about some great events for writer networking:

"The yearly Book Expo is fantastic, but expensive. There are a number of conferences through SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) that can also help a great deal. They also help writers form editing groups."

More advice from other Penn alumni authors HERE

...and don't forget about our DT Contest (ends, Friday, Nov. 4!):

To win the gift basket you see above (plus a fog free shave mirror not in the picture), all you need to do is retweet the following (click link below):
Win this Penn alum's Cremo Shave Cream, Moisturizer, Wash and Mirror. (Retweet to enter contest!) http://goo.gl/o2jpT #upenn

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How to Make a Monster Halloween Mask

2011-10-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

If you've got kids, you're going to love this story.

I've covered entrepreneur Brian Yanish (C'95, Mask and Wig) and his Scrap Kins children's property on DT in the past.

After the jump, in honor of Halloween, Brian is sharing a great "How To" video (and free printable downloads) that show you how to turn a paper plate and carboard into a monster mask!

Plus download Brian's new free app!

In the video above, that 4-eyed guy is named "Itcher". The project comes from Brian's ScrapKins Build-It Book, Volume 1.

Like the video above? Get the FREE download of the Mask Plans below!

Get Scrap Kins Build-it Book Volume 1

Visit Scrap Kins on Facebook

Get the free "Scrap Collector" recycling game app for iPhone and Ipod touch

Don't forget about our DT Contest (ends, Friday, Nov. 4!):

To win the gift basket you see above (plus a fog free shave mirror not in the picture), all you need to do is retweet the following (click link below):
Win this Penn alum's Cremo Shave Cream, Moisturizer, Wash and Mirror. (Retweet to enter contest!) http://goo.gl/o2jpT #upenn

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Win his moisturizer that GQ says is "the best on the planet"

2011-10-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Halloween's right around the corner which always reminds me of our shaving cream business entrepreneur, model, and Halloween costume model (my favorite DT post!) Kyle Schroeder (W'01).

After the jump, learn how you can be entered to win a gift basket of Kyle's:

new Cremo moisturizer,
Cremo Shave Cream
Cremo Wash
and Fog Free shave mirror!

In the past on DT, I've covered stories about Kyle's shaving cream and the great video he produced which gives his backstory.

Recently, Kyle added a fantastic new Cremo moisturizer to his product line which was mentioned by GQ as "the best moisturizer on the planet" (see article below in post).

To win one of the gift baskets you see above (plus a fog free shave mirror not in the picture), all you need to do is retweet the following (click link below):
Win this Penn alum's Cremo Shave Cream, Moisturizer, Wash and Mirror. (Retweet to enter contest!) http://goo.gl/o2jpT #upenn

Get the contest details here...+/-

*Contest Details:

Only Penn undergrads, alumni, staff and prospects can participate
1 winner will be chosen at random from eligible applicants retweets to receive a gift basket (via mail) of 1 tube of Cremo Cream, 1 tube of Cremo wash, 1 tube of moisturizer and 1 Fogless Shower Mirrors .
Contest ends on Friday, November 4, 2011 11:59 pm
How the winners will be chosen:
To decide the winners of this competition, I will place each entry into a numbered list in the order the entrants comment was received. Using Research Randomizer, I will first select one random entry according to their number who will win. I will contact the winner about his/her prize as soon as the draw is completed and will announce the winner on this blog soon after.
Winner will be notified via the twitter account they retweeted their entry from no later than Monday, November 5, 2011.

For other Penn folks who want to donate a prize for a future DT contest, email me at

Can't wait to try this product out? More about Kyle's product line HERE...+/-