Courthouse Story

            Over the weekend, I was given the opportunity to go to court with my friend’s father who is a lawyer in Providence, Rhode Island. The lawyer, Milan T. Azar, took me to the Rhode Island Family Court in Downtown Providence. Azar is defending a juvenile who was charged with having a knife in school. Aside from Azar and myself, there were only five other people present in the courtroom. The juvenile who was being charged, and his father were both present in court. Also the Attorney General, a stenographer, and the judge were present. Azar explained to me that the stenographer was the person who would be taking notes on the case. Patrick C. Lynch is the Attorney General of Providence. Judge Jeremiah would be presiding over the case. Azar also explained that the public is not allowed in juvenile cases, but I was allowed to go in because I was with him. The only way someone is allowed to attend the case is if they are with the family or with the lawyer. Also, there was no jury involved in the case. We were only in the room for about forty-five minutes, when the judge came up with a verdict. Since the juvenile did possess a deadly weapon on a school campus, he would be suspended for two weeks. During that time, he would have to do 150 hours of community service. This punishment would have been severely increased if the juvenile has used the weapon to hurt anyone, but he did not. Overall, it was a pretty interesting day in court. 

Broadcast

2003 American Idol winner, Ruben Studdard will be headlining the musical "Ain't Misbehavin'" at the Strand Theatre. This is the first big show for the theatre, which recently underwent $6 million renovations. When questioned, Studdard said "I never thought at this point in my career, I'd be doing a Broadway musical."

Story #1

Matt Landsman may be a freshman broadcast journalism major at Emerson College, but he is also more than that. This Jacksonville, Florida native may also be the next Roger Ebert. An avid movie buff, he would love to write entertainment news, and film reviews. He is also interested in filmmaking and screenwriting. He and some of his friends have started up a production company at Emerson called “Access of Action.” They are working on a half-hour long movie about paranoid employees who steal from their manager, because they think that he is embezzling. Landsman is the producer of this project.

            Landsman was born on December 19, 1990 in Jacksonville, Florida, one of the largest cities in the state. Landsman says that all there is to do there is go to the one big shopping mall in the city. Matt has two siblings, a brother and a sister. His brother, Adam, is a medial researcher at Harvard, and lives in Brookline. Adam helped influence Landsman in his decision to come to Emerson. Landsman visits Adam on a regular basis. His sister, Barb, lives in Charleston, South Carolina. Landsman doesn’t see her too much, only about once a year. Landsman also has an English bulldog named Bonzo. In addition to his production work, Landsman practices tae-kwon-do. Unfortunately, his studio is located back home, and Emerson doesn’t offer any classes. An interesting fact about Landsman is that he knows how to drive, but never got a car or license, because he knew he wasn’t going to need it in Boston. Though Landsman misses home, because he is so far away, he has adjusted to Boston. Emerson was the first college that Landsman visited, and he likes Boston very much. He says despite the cold, there is plenty to do here.

            Landsman lives in a two-person room on the eleventh floor on the Little Building. All of the kids on his floor are very close. On most nights, they don’t go to bed before four in the morning. It helps that his earliest class this semester isn’t until noon. In addition to Newsgathering, Landsman is also taking Film History, Research Writing, and Oral Presentation of Literature. He claims that the literature class is not very interesting.  When speaking of his favorite things, Landsman notes that in addition to his love of movies, he’s also interested in comic books, “Star Wars”, and “80s stuff.” A couple of his favorite movies are “Pulp Fiction” and “Sin City”.

             “Matt is a good fellow. He is also a very caring person,” said Kevin Semagin, Landsman’s roommate. He also said that people enjoy having conversations with Landsman because of all of the funny anecdotes he makes. For instance, one time Landsman took a picture of one of their floors R.A.’s and turned it into an inspirational poster for the bulletin board on the floor. According to Semagin, “Matt (Landsman) is a hard worker, a family man, and an all around good guy.”

Scene Setting

The Suite Life of Emerson College Students

Gorgeous couches and chairs are just part of the lavish décor that fills the lobby. Luxurious chandeliers and light fixtures hang from the ceiling. The large, beautiful plants add to the splendor of the already magnificent room. Amidst ionic columns, I take a seat on a Victorian style plush couch. Across from me is the Encore Lounge Piano Bar. While I sit on the couch, I notice all of the people that enter the room.
A man walks in with a duffle bag and a suitcase and heads over to the front desk “Checking in, room 1522,” he says. The fifteenth floor is the “business floor.” He must be a businessman who is traveling for his work. Two more men walk in wearing suits. Presumably, they are also businessmen. They are followed by a bellhop dressed in full uniform. He wheels a large gold cart full of expensive looking luggage. Another man saunters in and enters The Roxy nightclub through the back entrance. Perhaps he works for one of the bands that will be playing in the club. Perhaps he is even someone famous. This guess isn’t too far off, considering that just a couple of months ago, Jason Mraz stayed on the sixth floor. After that, a couple more employees walk by. Then, it gets a little strange.
Two teenagers walk by carrying large backpacks. They talk about their classes. They’re not heading to class, but to their temporary dorm room at The Courtyard Marriott on Tremont Street. If you are wondering why these students are staying in the hotel, there is a perfectly good answer. When Emerson College ran out of room in their two dormitory buildings, they were forced to place 150 students in two area hotels. Some people may consider this an inconvenience, but the hotels are only a couple of blocks away from the buildings on campus. In many respects, the 50 students living in the Marriott are very lucky. Imagine going away to college and living in a hotel. This includes a full-sized bed and maid service. Life is pretty sweet for the Courtyard kids, or the “Yardies,” as they like to be called.