Spike's Lip Sync Battle; road trip shenanigans turns into TV revelation

Ann Hathaway came in like a wrecking ball on Spike’s new hit TV series Lip Sync Battle. She took the ball by the chain and soared to her victory as she won the crowd over with her performance of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.”

This new series consists of two chosen celebrities that will go head to head in a lip syncing competition with our favorite hits. The winner of the competition gets to walk away with a massive belt and the title of Lip Sync Battle Champion, which is presented by the host, LL Cool J.

When the hand picked celebrities take the stage for the first round of the battle, they choose one song as their debut song, to get the crowd prepared for their knock out round. 

In the knock out round the celebrities are allowed to do anything that they desire when it comes to their performance. The contestants can use bedazzled costumes, background dancers, or flashing lights to grab the audience's attention. 

This round is what makes or breaks the contestant's chance at winning the title. 

The most talked about performance so far has been Ann Hathaway's of "Wrecking Ball"

She had the white jumper, the slicked back pixie, all the way down to the sledge hammer licking. She rocked that stage, wowed the crowd when she leaped onto the wrecking ball that emerged from the ceiling and straddled her victory.

The show has already scored some well-known celebrities to perform including producers John Krasinski and Jimmy Fallon. Other performers have been Ann Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Mike Tyson, Terry Crews, along with many others on a list of future contestants.

This whole journey began on John Krasinski’s road trip down Route 101 to Los Angeles. Krasinski, known for his role in “The Office,” was driving along when the song “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie came on the radio. He pulled out his imaginary microphone and lip synced his heart out.

This magical moment sparked the idea of a TV show.

Krasinski pitched the idea to Late Night’s TV host Jimmy Fallon, who was game for the idea.  They performed a bit on the show to check out the audience's reaction, and the crowd was hooked. Writer, Stephen Merchant, John Krasinski, and Fallon had a hit in the palm of their hands.

Fallon used his talk show, The Tonight Show, to talk up the new upcoming series that premiered Thursday April 2 with Fallon, himself, and competitor Dwayne Johnson going head to head in their own sync-off.

According to Spike, LL Cool J was “thrilled to be working with Krasisnki, Merchant and Fallon,” and was excited for the premiere to give the viewers at home a chance to join the party.

After watching the first few episodes, it looks as if John Krasinski’s road trip formed a revolution.

At a glance:

When: Thursday nights at 10 p.m.

Where: Spike Network

Host: LL Cool J

Linn Benton Community College Bookstore Policies

Strolling through the Linn Benton Community College campus on a rainy morning, first time students might take a while to find the campus bookstore. When they approach the big glass doors, they might want to think twice before walking through them.

 A woman approaches students to inform them that they need to, “Check their bags before entering the store.” She gets  quite a few puzzled looks as she points her finger towards a sign in desk where students have to check their bags into a locker.

She hands them a quarter, and says once they checked in their bag, they may enter the store. Doing as they are told, they march over and place their backpacks into the locker they are assigned.

Many students are shocked that they are not trusted to walk into a store with their backpacks in their own possession.

There are several reasons as to why this baggage organization might exist. I sought out the manager of the bookstore, Lawrence LaJoie, to figure out the main the policies' purpose. Many students' very first impression may be that the administration are not trusted to enter a store without stealing items, but after speaking with Lawrence, this is not the case.

LaJoie said the main purpose of the policy is to provide a safe environment within the bookstore. Backpacks are not necessarily the smallest accessory to be carrying through a cluttered book store with a crowd of students flowing in and out on a daily basis. Someone could knock over a shelf of breakable items, or have a collision with another student.

In the past, students were asked to leave their backpacks outside the door until one of those bags was taken by the wrong owner. There has been a large theft issue in the past here in LB’s bookstore with students backpacks and merchandise being taken. “Students get desperate, and all it takes is one out of 3,000 to make a mistake,” says LaJoie. That is why within the last year, the locker policy was enforced.

To some students, this can be misconstrued. Students may feel as if they are not trusted or they are being stereotyped. LaJoie compared the way they run the bookstore to Costco. The way that Costco asked to see the consumer’s receipt is much like asking students to place their belonging in lockers.

“We want to provide the students with good service in a way that it does not seem like we are accusing,” says Lawrence. 





At a glance:

• LBCC Booksotre has a policy that prevents students to take backpacks into the store.
• Policy has been enforced within the last year. 
• For more information: LBCC Bookstore Website
• Source: Lawrence LaJoie:  lajoiel@linnbenton.edu