DePaul Men’s Basketball Tips Off Tuesday

Cheer on the DePaul men’s basketball team as it opens its regular season Tuesday night against the Columbia Lions. The game, which is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m., begins the team’s 30th season at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.

Get tickets through the DePaul Blue Demons ticket information center. And while you’re at the game, donate non-perishable items to the food drive organized by the DePaul Captains’ Council in support the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.

For a peek at the action, check out a video of DePaul’s Eric Wallace jumping over a defender on an alley-oop that turned into a three-point play at last Friday’s game (video courtesy of DePaul Athletics Communications):

If you want to feel the excitement of Blue Demons basketball but can’t make it to the Allstate, you can watch the action in Chicago on Lakeshore Public Television (LPTV) or listen to the play-by-play on radio station WSCR (670 AM). In New York, the game will be shown on SportsNet New York (SNY), ESPN Full Court and ESPN360.com.

Need more options for DePaul basketball? Live audio and live stats are available at www.depaulbluedemons.com. You also can follow the game via @DePaulSID on Twitter.

The women’s basketball team is already two games into its season, winning against both Central Michigan and North Dakota State.

Rolling Stones Sax Man Teams with DePaul University Jazz Ensemble

This particular member of the Demon Tracks staff is definitely more of a Beatles fan than a Stones fan, but whereever you happen to fall in the classic Beatles/Stones divide, you’ll likely find this to be cool:

Starting next week, Rolling Stones saxophonist Tim Ries will join with the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble, performing interpretations of classic Stones’ tunes. This seven-show engagement goes from November 19 to 22 at Joe and Wayne Segal’s Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Court, Chicago.

Here’s more about Ries and the event from the DePaul Newsroom:

Over the past 10 years, Ries has performed with the Rolling Stones as part of their three blockbuster world tours. During his downtime on the road, Ries took many of the Stones’ greatest hits and radically reinterpreted them in traditional jazz and world genres. His collaborators included some of the biggest names in music, including Stones members, as well as Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow and others.

Ries’ arrangements of these and other Stones songs have been captured in two compact disc collections. “The Rolling Stones Project” features intimate jazz arrangements with Ries providing melody on saxophone, accompanied by small groups of musicians, including Stones members Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood as well as Bill Frisell, Jones and Crow, among others. “Stones World: The Rolling Stones Project II,” is an eclectic blend of world music sounds featuring 72 musicians on 11 tracks, capturing styles from South America, Africa, Europe, India and the Middle East. The Rolling Stones themselves also are featured on the recordings.

Show times for the performances are 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Alums! Plan to check out any of the shows? Please share any reviews you have on Facebook or the Demon Tracks blog.

Four DePaul Alumni Make New Film

No you’re not seeing double! There is another new DePaul-associated film out. 

Frontwards, the first movie of four recent DePaul alumni, will premiere at Chicago’s Portage Theater, Nov. 19 at 8 pm.  William Grant (LAS’ 09), Eric Marsh (CDM ’07), Charlie Hoosier Panian (CDM ’07), Brett Young-Fountain (CDM ’07), and Alex Foucre-Stimes (CDM ’07) made the 123-minute wry comedy about  the travails of a newly homeless, jobless and loveless young man over a two-year period.

Shot on a shoestring budget on nights and weekends in the winter and spring of 2008, the drama starts in Chicago and unfolds across four states. The cast includes DePaul film professor Matt Irvine, some of the new filmmakers, and their friends.

For more information about the movie, click here.

 

More DePaul Bloggy Goodness: Welcome DeBlogs!

We here at Demon Tracks welcome our bouncing new addition to  the DePaul blog family – DeBlogs!

You can check out DeBlogs for regular insight on DePaul life from students, faculty (including College of Communication dean Jacqueline Taylor) and staff (Jordan Myers from the office of undergraduate admission). We’re excited to see what these guys have cooking.

Check out a video welcome to DeBlogs from Jordan Myers.

New DePaul Magazine – Success Stories from 14 Alumni Under 40

Alums! Check your mailboxes, it’s DePaul Magazine time again! This latest issue is the 4th Annual 14 Alumni Under 40 issue highlighting the diverse achievements of our alumni community including Chicago White Sox VP Brooks Boyer (COM ‘01), Secretary of Defense Office Policy DirectorLuis O. Sanchez (LAS ‘02), and musician/composer Frank Catalano (MUS ‘99). Check out more great stories in the full print issue or read the PDF at the DePaul alumni and friends website.

Theater Alum wins Broadway’s Next Sensation Competition

from cassiewooley.com

Huge congrats to Theatre School alum Cassie Wooley (THE ‘03) The acting graduate competed with other rising talents to win the New York Musical Theatre Festival’s “Next Broadway Sensation” contest at New World Stages in NYC, on  October 4th.

Wooley will have an opportunity to put on her own special solo concert, co-presented by NYMF and Sh-K-Boom Records, and will have a featured track on an upcoming album, Stage Stars. Check out her winning performance, and then take a look at her new website, designed by another DePaul alum, Josh Levine (‘02)

Author of “Black, White and Jewish” to speak at DePaul

Rebecca Walker, an author, activist and leading voice on biracial identity is coming to DePaul University for a talk titled, “What Multiracial Women Bring to the Table and Why Does It Matter.”

Quick Facts

• Daughter of Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Color Purple,” and prominent civil rights attorney Mel Leventhal
• Named one of the most influential future leaders by Time magazine and the co-founder of Third Wave Foundation
• Debut memoir, “Black, White and Jewish,” detailed her search for identity as a biracial girl
• Columnist for the Huffington Post, has written for The New York Times Magazine, Salon and Vibe; latest book is “One Big Happy Family”
• Has appeared as a guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Charlie Rose Show”

Interested? Come out and hear her speak on Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. at Cortelyou Commons, 2324 N. Fremont St., Chicago. The event is free and open to the public.

To RSVP or for more information, contact the DePaul Cultural Center at (773) 325-7759 or culturalcenter@depaul.edu.

Reunion Weekend 2009

Reunion Weekend 2009 was a hit! More than 700 DePaul alumni and their guests descended on the Loop and Lincoln Park campuses on Oct. 16-18 to reunite with one another and reignite their passion for DePaul!

Flipping through a DePaul yearbook at Reunion Luncheon

One of the coolest things to happen?  Alumni from 50 or more years ago were inducted into the new DePaul Fifty Year Club at an inauguration ceremony held during the Reunion Luncheon. Nearly 150 alumni were recognized and received a membership certificate and pin. Their smiles said it all!

Sharing food and friendship at Hub 51

On Friday night, Oct. 16, another generation of alumni (most of them from the classes of 2004-2009) gathered at local hotspot Hub 51 and mingled downstairs at Sub 51 for hors d’oeurves and drinks with fellow grads. For just $20-25, it was a pretty sweet deal!

Saturday night, about 350 alumni and guests came together for the Reunion Dinner and Celebration at The Drake Hotel. Members of the reunion classes enjoyed a cocktail reception downstairs, while alumni from The DePaulia and from DePaul’s Study Abroad programs gathered at two similar receptions upstairs. Following the receptions, everyone met in the ballroom for dinner. Fr. Dennis, president of DePaul, shared news about the university and thanked everyone for coming back to show their school spirit.

Check out photos from the various Reunion Weekend activities by visiting the DePaul Spirit Flickr page or the DePaul Alumni Association page on Facebook.

All in all,  Oct. 16-18 was a terrific weekend of visiting with old friends and meeting new ones. And the Office of Alumni Relations is already busy planning for next year — Hope to see you in October 2010!

But wait — before you start planning for Reunion Weekend 2010 — take a moment to reflect on your years at DePaul and leave a comment to share a DePaul memory, shout out to a favorite professor, or let us know what you thought of this year’s Reunion Weekend. Thanks!

Another Blue Demon Movie!

The gods must be smiling upon us! No sooner did our first story, “DePaul Alumni in the Movies” hit the clouds this morning than we received another piece of good news about Blue Demons and the movies.

The first feature-length documentary film by DePaul alumnus Jim Distasio (CMN ’03) is debuting on PBS station WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago this Sunday, Oct. 25, at 6 pm.

Titled “5,000 Miles From Home,” the film tells the story of a generation of Italian kids from the rough-and-tumble streets of Chicago who proudly answered the call to serve their country during World War II.

Double Demon Nello P. Gamberdino (EDu ‘50, JD ‘59) is featured in the film. He discusses his personal experience as a soldier in the war. Through in-depth interviews with more than 20 veterans, historical film footage and rare archival photographs, the movie examines the lives of these brave men—from their humble beginnings in working-class Chicago to their experiences at the front to the very different lives they would lead when they returned home.

The film is narrated by Emmy Award-winner and all-around good guy Bob Sirott. You can check out clips and more information on the movie’s Web site. Then, spread the word. And tune in.

DePaul Alumni in the Movies

As you make your weekend plans, check out two major movies opening this weekend featuring actors with a DePaul connection.

“Amelia,” the story of the American pilot Amelia Earhart, stars Hillary Swank and Richard Gere. Theatre School graduate Aaron Abrams (THE ’01) plays Slim Gordon, Amelia Earhart’s co-pilot.

From flickr user D'Arcy Norman

“Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” stars John C. Reilly, who also trained at The Theatre School.

According to The Theatre School, alumni worked on more than 100 films between August 2008 and June 2009, including “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Fast and the Furious 4,” “Funny People,” “High School Musical 3,” “I Love You Man,” “Milk,” “Nine,” “Public Enemies,” “The Curious Cast of Benjamin Button” and “The Dark Knight.”

So, grab your popcorn and enjoy the big screen work of Theatre School alumni!