Outline for Final Paper

    Improvisation has been a big part of the world. It is used in theater, music, film, dance, and almost every art form. However, this has been a part of my life. Having seen and worked with many great improvisers, improv is a form of therapy. There is excitement about doing something without thinking and just pushing it forward. In a way, it is pretty relaxing. There are so many things to be explored in how it can help people overcome things in their lives.
    I will be able to explore the ideas of how improv is used in theater. It can help people come out of their shyness and get more connected to people. It would also be noted to attend a show starring Chicago’s very own TJ & Dave, both of whom are alumni of The Second City and iO. There is something about their two man improv show that shows a lot about how people improvise together. It’s all about the trust and listening to each other. If you listen to someone while improvising, there is a great power in what it can do. Once that kicks in, that is when magic starts to happen.
    Improvisation in music is something that is very popular. Jazz is a very great example of free form exploration in music. Then, you have acts like the Grateful Dead, Phish, the Allman Brothers Band, Dave Matthews Band, and some others. These bands introduced jazz style improvisation into rock and roll and gave it a twist. They built off not only on how each other’s playing and listen to each other, but off the energy of the audience as well. I have seen Phish play live a couple of times and to see them jam for long periods of time was amazing to watch because it showed that there could be more things to explore and help them create more songs from a specific jam. There is something great about playing music and being free to enjoy a long sequence of exploration in improvising. That way, musicians can be more creative that way.
    Then, there would be improvisation in physical movement performances in things like mime. There would be a way to watch how people use improvisation to relieve stress even when they don’t speak. There is a way of being in tune even if your using props that aren’t really there. It’s a matter of making it real for you and how you want it to work for a group of people.
    Improvisation can be therapy. It something that can be worth exploring in how people do things in life. There is all of these backgrounds like theater and music where it is strong. It works differently for everyone so it is something that can be explored.

outline

1 introduction

2 improvisation in theater

-The Second City

-TJ & Dave

3 improvisation in music

-jazz music

-Phish

4 improvisation in film?

5 conclusion

Eleven City Diner, 1112 S Wabash Avenue

    Chicago is the home to some of the great eateries in the entire country. Deep dish pizza, hot dogs, the list goes on and on. The restaurant scene in Chicago is so big that it is almost hard to chose from just one thing. The easiest thing that came to mind was to go for something completely different. So I decided to go to Eleven City Diner.
    Very close to Columbia College Chicago’s Theater Building, Eleven City Diner is an old style deli where they serve everything from breakfast to dinner. The bonus is that they serve breakfast all day so if you want some waffles at 6 pm or something like that, then go ahead. When I went, I order buttermilk pancakes. I was wondering what was going to come out right in front of me so I waited until my plate came out. My jaw dropped. There were three staked buttermilk pancakes covered in chocolate chips.
    It was a great sight to see. I had looked at other people’s plates and it just made my mouth water with anticipation hoping that I would not be disappointed. I surely wasn’t. The first bite of my meal caused me to be seduced by chocolate ecstasy. The chocolate began to melt making the bites of the pancakes even more irresistible. The great taste of the pancakes were just as good. There was so much flavor by adding both ingredients together. There would be times where cutting through the pancakes would be difficult because of how fast the chocolate chips melted. You add a bowl of fruit on the side and then you have a great meal. Everything tasted amazingly delicious.
    Then, there was desert. I wasn’t going to order desert, but I decided to anyway for the heck of it. I ordered a chocolate cake. I saw one on a plate as I was walking in and I felt tempted to order it so I did. The servers brought out was a huge piece of cake. This cake tasted so good that I almost fell out of my chair. It was absolutely incredible. There was a point where the cake was unable to be finished, but I finished the whole thing and I was done. It was so good that I wanted to more. There was so much chocolatey taste that it felt like I was going to transform into a piece of chocolate.
    Eleven City Diner also servers great burgers and sandwiches. They serve everything at all times of the day. They are very busy around lunchtime, but it dies down around 5 or 6 pm. If you are in the Chicago area and looking for some great deli food, this is the place to be. I hope to be returning to Eleven City Diner soon because I keep wanting more.

“The Big Bang Theory” (directed by Mark Cendrowski, 2007-present)

    For many years, people have been fascinated by nerd culture. Why do they enjoy all of these video games, comic books, science fiction movies, and science? The truth is they are all special. That may sound funny, but they really are. f you are a fan of nerd culture, then “The Big Bang Theory” is definitely for you.
    Created by Chuck Lorre (“Two & A Half Men,” “Rosanne”) and Bill Prady (“Dharma & Greg”), “The Big Bang Theory” is centered around five people. First, there is Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), a theoretical physicist, and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), an experimental physicist, who are both roommates and tech at the California Institute of Technology. Then, there is Penny (Kaley Cuoco), Sheldon and Leonard’s neighbor who lives across the hall, an aspiring actress who works at the Cheesecake Factory, and Leonard’s love interest. Then, there are Sheldon and Leonard’s friends, PhD-less aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Indian astrophysicist Raj Koothrapali (Kunal Nayyar). There is also microbiologist Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), who is Howard’s love interest, and neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), who is Sheldon’s love interest. The characters go through a ton of different issues from relationships to issues at CalTech.
    The cast of the show is very entertaining and they all give something special to the show. The easiest one to talk about is Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon is a genius with a masters and two PhD’s, but is terrible when it comes to social interactions. Parsons pulls this off perfectly and steals the show most of the time. Everyone in the cast has great chemistry. The relationship between Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco is really strong when it comes to Leonard and Penny scenes. Simon Helberg as the Ringo Starr-looking Howard Wolowitz is really funy that there are points as if he ad-libs his dialogue in the show which brings a great touch to the show. Kunal Nayyar as Raj is very funny as well because his character has selective mutism and has a difficult time talking to women unless he is drinking, which become even more funny as he gets even more drunk. Melissa Rauch as Bernadette and Mayim Bialik as Amy are especially funny and they too have great chemistry in their scenes with Helberg and Parson.
    The way the show is written is great because there are constant physics and cultural geek references. The references add up to the humor of the show. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s funny or not, but at the same time you could learn something on physics. That is if you didn’t pay attention in physics class in school. The references to “Star Trek,” “Star Wars,” and all of the comic book series also add to it that it shows the things that nerds love. Also, there is a very catchy theme song by Barenaked Ladies and it is probably the only song known to man that uses the word “Australopithecus.”
    People who consider themselves nerds would definitely identify with these characters who were bullied growing up and are extremely smart because these people do exist. Even if you don’t consider yourself a nerd, you will still enjoy the show. Besides, there is a little bit of nerd in side of all of us. Therefore, “The Big Bang Theory” is funny, entertaining, and educational at the exact same time.

“Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte”

    The Art Institute of Chicago is home to some of the finest pieces of art the world has ever known. It is always surprising to see how much the museum has for people to see. There are multiple exhibits that are always moving in and out all the time so that they could vary up what could be seen by the public. However, some of the Art Institute’s most loved and well-known works of art are never taken out. One of the pieces that always seen to amaze somebody is “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges-Pierre Seurat.
    You know that scene in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” where Ferris, Sloane, and Cameron are in the Art Institute and there is the montage of different pieces of art from the museum. Then, there is the scene where Cameron is staring at the little girl in this painting. Well, that is how I feel every time I look at this painting. While it took Seurat two years to paint this work, it shows that it really did take a lot of work to make this look as beautiful as it is. The portrait shows us a summer day of all of these people are out to enjoy the summer day. There is a person fishing, there are boats in the water, people are just enjoying the beautiful day.
    It’s an amazing painting to look at because if you look really closely, there are all of these little dots of color. And you start thinking, “This guy did all of this with all of these little dots of color?” Well, amazingly, yes. There are so many dots of color in the painting that it is almost makes you dizzy. Even when you look into the face of the little girl in the portrait like Cameron did in “Ferris Bueller,” there is definitely all of those dots of color in the faces of the people.
    The portrait shows a good example of capturing the time period, which is the 1880’s. The painting sends you back to the 1880’s and everything almost looks realistic. The painting shows the way people dressed and what people did for entertainment back in those days. Remember, there were no cell phones or computers back then so instead people went fishing or took a little walk in the park. Sadly, you don’t see much of this kind of this stuff anymore. It’s important to say this is a time period where people could go out and have their own ways of enjoying themselves such as enjoying a beautiful day.
    “Sunday Afternoon” is truly a work of art. There are many stories that can be told throughout this painting. However, it’s almost like going to the symphony. You don’t have to get involved in the story of it all, but enjoy it as a work of art.

“Almost Famous” (directed by Cameron Crowe, 2000)

    The critic is an individual who is able to say things based on their own opinions. Many people won’t always agree with what one writes, but some people can agree with what you say about something. The criticism can either help a person or make things worse for them. “Almost Famous” is a perfect example of this.
    “Almost Famous” takes place in 1973 in California where 16-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is aspiring to be a rock journalist. He is shown the ropes of rock journalism by Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and goes out to begin some reviewing. While reviewing a Black Sabbath concert, he meets rock band, Stillwater. There, the band invites him to more of their shows and begins traveling on the road with them. At the same time, William gets a call from Rolling Stone offering him a job to interview Stillwater for the issue. At the same time, he falls in love with a “Band-Aid” groupie named Penny Lane (Kate Hudson). The film takes us on a roller coater of experiences in the rock and roll life style as William attempts to get his interview with the band.
    The film is based on actual events that happened in director Cameron Crowe’s life. Crowe had been writing music reviews for an underground magazine out in California when he was a teenager. Then, he met Lester Bangs who sort of showed him the ropes about writing and interviewing rock and roll bands. Crowe eventually was hired a job at Rolling Stone when he was 16 years old. The film is based mainly on the experiences that he had going on the road with Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Allman Brothers Band.
    The entire cast is very great in this film. Patrick Fugit shows a great sense of youth while playing William Miller, which shows that anyone can have a love for anything and be able to write about it. Frances McDormand (“Fargo”), who plays William’s mother, shows us a character so strict that you don’t want to like her, but at the same time you know that she wants to make sure her son is safe. Kate Hudson shows a performance that she is vulnerable and heartbroken even though she is a fan of the band because she is unable to escape the rock star life style. The rest of the cast features Jason Lee, Zooey Deschanel, Noah Taylor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, a young Jimmy Fallon, as well as cameos from Rainn Wilson and Mitch Hedberg, all add something special to painting a picture of rock and roll in 1973.
    The importance of the critic in this film shows something special. It shows that critics can write about whatever they want, but have to be honest at the same time. If you’re not being honest in your writing, then it would not make you look good at all. If you’re honest, then everyone will believe that what they are reading is real. That is what criticism is all about. It is about being honest and true in your writing.
    In the end, “Almost Famous” paints a picture of what the critic can do to help an artist succeed. The critic can help get the artist more attention and it can lead to them doing amazing things. We can learn from the critic that honesty is the most important thing in your writing is your honesty and that affects the way you write and how your share your own voice.