We were brushing our teeth together, toothpaste dripping down our mouths and eyes glued on the bathroom mirror, when it hit me: I will probably never again brush my teeth with so many friends.

I came to love the evenings when residents of the third floor of Mead would flock into the bathroom to get ready for bed or merely try to refresh for another session of studying. These moments of teeth-brushing and face-washing had shaped a fun social experience: we talked about how our days went, how many papers we had yet to craft and how nurturing the new Garnier Fructis shampoo was. But after May 23, I will have to part with this precious tradition of casual bathroom conversations.

The funny thing is, until now, I had been looking forward to having my own private bathroom. Now that my studies at Mount Holyoke will be over, I am not that sure anymore. I learned that I just don’t want to brush my teeth by myself.

Lesson 3: I never stop learning
by Samantha Silver

It’s weird realizing that I won’t be in school anymore after the next couple of weeks. I can’t remember a time when my life wasn’t consummed by papers, exams, and an endless supply of scholarly articles. While many of my friends are headed on to grad school programs and fellowships, I’m not entirely sure where I’ll be in the next year, or what I’ll be doing. It’s ironically scary knowing that whatever comes next in my life, it won’t be graded, checked or covered in red pen. Whatever I choose to reach for or accomplish is entirely up to me, and (thankfully) it won’t affect my GPA.

I’ve realized that I might actually fall behind in avant-garde film or the latest hubub in feminist theory. Living in a world where I don’t need to write a thesis statement or fill in a little blue booklet sounds so upsurd, and yet, I’m quite fond of the idea. While whatever I take on may not be in any syllabus or course catalog, it’s all part of learning process. Just because school is over for me right now, doesn’t me I’ll stop learning.

Nobel prize winning physicist Rosalyn Yallow once said: “The excitement of learning separates youth from old age. As long as you’re learning, you’re not old.” And when I come back to MHC for my second-year or fiftieth reunion, there are still plenty of stories that I’ll have to share with my friends here. Stories about the places of places I’ve seen, things I’ve done. But while I know that I’m learning something new all the time, being in a classroom with familiar faces (whether grief-stricken or enticed) makes learning those lessons all the more worth having.

Lesson 4: My Life is (Kind of) like The Hills
by Joanna Arcieri

Given that I have been the Arts and Entertainment editor for two years, you should not be surprised that I often compare my life to The Hills. Not necessarily this season of The Hills, because that means I am either Kristen or Heidi, and I neither want to be in an “it’s complicated” relationship with Brody Jenner nor have had so much plastic surgery that my face resembles someone on a TLC special. My life is oddly like Lauren Conrad’s circa seasons three, four and five (I think; there is so much pointless action in this show I frequently get confused by the non-existent plot lines.) After countless episodes of Speidi making Lauren’s life miserable as she tried to make it in Los Angeles, Lauren finally moved on to something better. In her case, she became a best-selling author of a series about a girl who ends up on a reality show, whose best friend goes bonkers and her life is changed. (Yes, it’s deep.)

In my case, I went from having a miserable high school experience that left me too afraid to participate in class to having a panic attack in the Admissions Office when I was 17 because the thought of college was too much for me to handle to attending Mount Holyoke, joining the newspaper, writing a thesis, graduating, and, well, who knows.

I actually have no idea how my life resembles The Hills. I’ve never been on a reality show (although I foresee an episode of Jersey Shore in my future). I’ve never even been to California. But what I like about The Hills is that this show is a spinoff of Laguna Beach when Lauren Conrad was just in high school. Then she went off into the big real(ity) world and survived. And in her final appearance on The Hills, five years later, she left us with some (surprisingly) wise words of wisdom about her future, “For the first time, in a long time, I really don’t know.” For some reason, I think this applies to my life, and for once I’m looking forward to not knowing what is ahead.

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Gosselin and Suleman are two women who had a lot of kids (eight and 14 respectively), gained notoriety for their reality show (Gosselin), questionable parenting choices (Suleman), and became tabloid fodder. With everything they do, their media presence is everywhere.

Worst of all, they make a complete mockery of the notion of celebrity. These are women who have done nothing worth celebrating. Yes, motherhood is a wonderful thing, but Gosselin and Suleman use their children for a profit.  That is just sickening.

What is perhaps most frustrating is that our instant gratification culture enables this. We reward people like Gosselin, Suleman, and even celebrity mistresses (as a more extreme example) with our attention. In the case of Kate Gosselin, she most likely will continue to publish books and appear on reality shows because she no longer has any other means to support her family. But, we accept Kate Gosselin’s presence because we know she has a family to support, whereas equally pseudo-celebrities like Heidi and Spencer Pratt can be banned by a major celebrity news channel.

This is a messy, messy web and I don’t see it ending anytime soon.

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“The good news: I will be doing a show on TBS starting in November! The bad news: I’ll be playing Rudy on the all new Cosby Show.” – Conan O’Brien (via Twitter)

The Late Night War between Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno was a bitter battle. Ultimately no one won though, when Conan and NBC parted ways in January and Leno reclaimed The Tonight Show seat as his own. Conan, except for the occasional tweet, has been essentially unheard from since then. It was expected that O’Brien would headline a late night show on FOX beginning in the fall. Well, this is entertainment; you should always expect the unexpected.

On Monday it was announced Conan O’Brien would join George Lopez (Lopez Tonight) on TBS surprised fans and the entertainment industry alike. No one had thought of Conan joining a cable network. But I can’t think of a more brilliant move.

Cable networks are the one place where comedians can actually be funny and edgy. See Chelsea Handler on the E! network as an example. The move to TBS allows for Conan to start fresh and be entertaining. The Tonight Show frankly carries too much history and the execs at NBC want  maintain a certain image with the show, regardless of the host.

TBS is clearly amped for this move. Just watch their brief promo for Conan’s yet-to-be-named late night show:

I know I will be watching Conan on TBS come November. How about you? Are you with Coco?

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April 11 marks the one year anniversary of Susan Boyle’s larger-than-life arrival onto the music scene. In case you missed this pop culture moment that defined 2009, here’s a recap. A middle-aged, dowdy Scottish woman who has never been kissed walked onto a stage in front of, among others, the always judgmental Simon Cowell. The audience laughed at her, Simon sneered, and then she sang a song from Les Miserables. Millions watched the moment and a singing sensation was born. Her performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” still gives me chills.

But Susan might have some competition in the “YouTube sensation singer” category. Meet Lin Yu Chun, a contestant on “Super Star Avenue” (Taiwan’s American Idol). In the video below he delivers an astounding rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. The performance begins at the 1:10 mark.

Is Lin Yu Chun destined for Susan Boyle territory? Sound off below.

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An accomplished journalist, Collins was the first female appointed editor of the Times’ editorial page. She recently published When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present. Collins has spoken at Mount Holyoke twice in the last four years. “I think she will be very impressive and wonderful to have,” said President Joanne Creighton of Collins.

Dr. Victoria Hale and Sheila Barshay Goldbloom ’47 have been named honorary degree recipients. Hale founded the nonprofit company the Institute for OneWorld Health in 2000. Her latest enterprise is Medicines360, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company that develops medicines for women and children. Goldbloom, an activist, social worker and professor, has worked to bridge social and ethnic differences between peoples. Goldbloom was a professor at McGill University for 28 years; she retired in 1992. At 81, she has been made a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Quebec for her distinguished career in public service.

President Creighton will also receive an honorary degree, a tradition bestowed upon exiting college presidents by the Board of Trustees. “I finally completed my requirements. I’m really delighted to join the class of 2010,” said President Creighton. The degree is a way for the College to honor Creighton’s contributions of the last 14 years to Mount Holyoke.

“I was really impressed with her,” said Lauren Darby ’09. “I think she’s an amazing writer, and feel like she would be a very good speaker as well.”

“It’s necessary for us, as a high ranking college, to have someone who is noticeable and who the student body knows,” said Lor Palulis ’11. “A lot of students don’t know who she is, and I think it would be interesting if we voted or got to choose [our commencement speaker].”

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Dr. Victoria Hale and Sheila Barshay Goldbloom ’47 have been named honorary degree recipients. Hale founded the nonprofit company the Institute for OneWorld Health in 2000. Her latest enterprise is Medicines360, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company that develops medicines for women and children. Goldbloom, an activist, social worker and professor, has worked to bridge social and ethnic differences between peoples. Goldbloom was a professor at McGill University for 28 years; she retired in 1992. At 81, she has been made a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Quebec for her distinguished career in public service.

President Creighton will also receive an honorary degree, a tradition bestowed upon exiting college presidents by the Board of Trustees. “I finally completed my requirements. I’m really delighted to join the class of 2010,” said President Creighton. The degree is a way for the College to honor Creighton’s contributions of the last 14 years to Mount Holyoke.

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MTV announced on March 24 that the sixth season of the mega-hit reality show The Hills would be its last. The Hills finale marks the end of an era, so to speak, for reality television. What began with a show about California high schoolers (Laguna Beach) and spawned two successful spin-offs about young women trying to make it in Los Angeles (The Hills) and New York City (The City), became something more. These three shows defined a generation of reality television for its viewers, when the very idea of reality stopped existing. Yes there were ill-fated romances, fights between friends, trips to Paris, and even a wedding but the reality of The Hills (and there isn’t much) is its lessons on the dangers of people becoming famous for absolutely nothing.

Watch the trailer for season six. You’ll first see clips from the beginning journey of the four main characters – Lauren, Heidi, Whitney and Audrina – followed by clips from the upcoming season and what has become of them. Hint: It isn’t that pretty.

<a href=”http://www.mtv.com/news/” mce_href=”http://www.mtv.com/news/” target=”_blank”>The Hills Season 6 Trailer</a>

The final 12 episodes of The Hills premiere on April 27. Will you be watching? Personally I am glad the era of Speidi is finally coming to an end.

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The third season of AMC’s Breaking Bad premiered on Sunday night scored 2 million viewers, making it the show’s highest rated episode to date, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Since its debut in 2008, Breaking Bad has received endless critical praise, including two Emmys for actor Bryan Cranston.  So what makes this show worthy of all the hype? For one the acting is superb and the characters are fresh. Cranston, Anne Gunn, and Aaron Paul lead this undeniably dark and twisted drama through a potentially alienating story line and make it riveting television.

Cranston plays Walt White, an Albuquerque high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Determined to leave his wife and two children (his son has cerebral palsy) with a substantial inheritance after his death, he joins the drug trade with a former student, Jesse (Aaron Paul). Chemistry teachers make great crystal meth dealers. As Walt and Jesse dive further into the drug trade, everything only becomes more complicated.  To protect his family, Walt has to keep his life hidden from his wife Skyler (Anne Gunn).

If the first two seasons of Breaking Bad were about setting up this scenario, the third season is about the consequences of Walt’s and Jesse’s action. Jesse is in rehab which may, no doubt, affect his dealing life. Walt tells Skyler, “I’m a manufacturer, not a dealer,” as their divorce becomes imminent. But not as imminent as the Mexican drug lords who want Walt dead.

Here is an excellent recap of Sunday’s episode. Watch Breaking Bad from the beginning (there are only 21 episodes thus far); you won’t be disappointed.

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It must be good to be Betty White right now. At 88 years old, the television icon is enjoying a career resurgence and shows no sign of slowing down.

It was announced yesterday that White will co-star in a new TV Land series called “Hot in Cleveland.” The show also stars Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves as three Los Angeles women who end up in Cleveland; White plays the caretaker of their house. This announcement comes just a week after White was named the host of upcoming episode of “Saturday Night Live”, a month after she appeared in a hit Super Bowl commercial, a month after White received the Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild and months after she starred in The Proposal.

Hollywood is an industry that ditches its female stars once they reach a certain age (typically 40) for the next pretty young thing (Hello Miley). Whether you catch her in a “Golden Girls” rerun or appearing on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”, Betty White is reminder that talent is talent is no matter an actresses age, and we should embrace Betty while we still can.

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5. Watch a Kathy Griffin special – This self-proclaimed fallen Irish-Catholic comedian isn’t afraid to let Hollywood have it. Her uproarious Bravo specials, most recently “Balls of Steel” and “She’ll Cut Bitch”, dish on everyone from Barbara Walters to Whitney Housten to her alcoholic Irish-Catholic mother, Maggie (Tip it!). The sixth season of Griffin’s Emmy Award winning reality show My Life on D-list premieres this summer and mark your Tivo, Cher is guest-starring.

4. Attend a Riverdance performance – Irish step dancing is addicting. I have spent countless hours on YouTube watching “Lord of the Dance” Michael Flately and other Irish step dancers perform. It’s even better and more impressive live. But if you are susceptible to headaches, this might not be for you.

3. Check out Finian’s Rainbow – Recently revived on Broadway, this musical follows recent Irish immigrant Finian McLonergan and his daughter Sharon when they settle in Rainbow Valley in the fictional state of Missitucky. Finian buries a stolen pot of gold that he believes will multiply. Complications arise when Og the leprechaun demands his pot of gold back and a bigoted senator gets involved. Unfortunately, the last Broadway performance of Finian’s Rainbow was on January 17. The only way to be enticed by the magic of this musical and its most famous tune, “How Are Things in Glocca Morra” is in the 1968 film adaptation, which stars Fred Astaire.

2. Host a movie fest – Turner Classic Movies is celebrating the best of the Irish by broadcasting classic films such as The Flying Irishman, My Wild Irish Rose and Young Cassidy. Another fabulous movie to check out during your St. Paddy’s day movie celebration is The Quiet Man, a rare John Wayne-John Ford pairing that is not a Western. Wayne plays Sean Thornton, an Irish-American from Pittsburgh who travels Ireland to reclaim his family property. In the process he (naturally) falls in the love with local Mary Kate Danaher, played by the always magnificent Maureen O’Hara. Thornton knows nothing about Irish customs so their pairing becomes a comedy of errors and misunderstandings. Do they end up together? You’ll have to watch to find out.

But if you’re looking for a more recent Irish fix than look no further than Ken Loach’s The Wind that Shakes the Barley. The winner of the Palmes D’Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, Loach’s film is the powerful story about two brothers (Cillian Murphy and Padraic Delaney) who join the Irish Republic Army and lives are destroyed by the war.

1. Attend a parade – Boston, New York, Chicago…these big cities have notorious Irish-American populations and St Patrick’s Day festivities. But did you know that Holyoke hosts the second largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the US? This year the parade is being held on Sunday, March 21. The parade is one part of a weekend of festivities, including a 10 K road race and honoring the recipient of the John F Kennedy National Award, Daniel Rooney, the US ambassador to Ireland. If you’re in the area, the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day parade is one event that should not be missed.

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