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“The biggest model for us was actually not another television show—it was Stephen King’s book The Stand, which is exactly this in spades.”Carlton Cuse, Executive Producer for Lost, in a recent GQ interview. I discovered The Stand in between watching the first five seasons and the show and the publication of this interview, and noted the similarities. For those of you who love Lost and can’t wait until Season 6’s premiere, I highly recommend King’s book. It’s all of the awe-inspiring storytelling and incredible characterization of ABC’s drama with a completely different premise, set of characters, and storyline.
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Onward State: A Year In Retrospect
It blows me away that Onward State has been around for a year. I have had some of my most memorable experiences (with two of them highlighted in this list) at Penn State thanks to my involvement with the blog. Thank goodness they weren’t scared off by the fact that I showed up to my first meeting unshaven and reeking of chlorine. I generally don’t swim laps right before meeting people now.
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A Boston-themed show name to go along with this weekend’s trip. Concept by the (fictional) firm of McNamara, Burton, & Scrabis.
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My Halloween costume this year - Everyone’s Dad During the 90s.
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Sometimes we’ll improvise a scene in rehearsal that I wish we hadn’t. Not because it’s bad - actually, quite the opposite. The ethereal nature of improv comedy makes sure that scenes disappear as quickly as they’re concocted - that’s a rule that applies to both genius scenes and the god-awful ones that leave you scratching your head.
Last night in rehearsal, Brendan, Victoria, and DJ were in a scene about a prisoner that was up for parole. For some reason, when asked for his name, Brendan replied “Marvis Bickford.” And there was the scene. We couldn’t get over the ridiculousness of the name. So when it came to naming this week’s show, I assumed this mangled moniker was some bizarre offshoot of Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle. Whether that’s what led Brendan to name himself ‘Marvis’ or not, now he has an antihero alter-ego.
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Reporting From The Press Box: An Onward State Diary
I usually don’t post things I write for Onward State, mostly because I write for the blog so often. But this piece is different. This past Saturday, I got to go into the Press Box for the game - an opportunity I honestly did not think I would get during my time here. It was a really cool experience, and I think I wrote about it in a way that is at least somewhat entertaining.
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Full Ammo shows can be fun to name because there’s really nothing to consider in the process. Ryan always discouraged using a low-brow name because he felt might send the message that our comedy was nothing but dick and poop jokes. For this one, I photoshopped a Lionshead beer bottle cap as sort of a loophole to that rule.
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My brother and a friend of his at University of Pittsburgh took it upon themselves to dedicate a wall of their dorm hallway to the lovely Kristen Bell. I had no problem admitting that this was cooler than anything I had done during my freshman year. Now if only I could teach him not to pose that way in pictures.
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This one was all Johnna. She found the picture, emailed it to all of us, and the poster was pretty much a done deal.
West Halls Tonight at 9 - a new venue to go along with the new scenes, new jokes, and new anecdotes.
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Lion In Wait: Penn State Versus Iowa
New football column for Onward State. Hell, it’s about time.
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My name is Mark. I'm a rising Senior at Penn State University. I enjoy writing. When I played recreational sports as a child, I'd consistently get the "Mr. Hustle" award - a distinction that went to the player that always comes to practice and tries his best. It was not until I was older that I realized I kept getting this award because I sucked, and the coaches needed to give me SOMETHING come awards time at the end of the season barbecue. I now embrace the title because it sounds like a cool Hip-Hop alias. Also, I'm still a terrible athlete.
