Wellesley College Crew Tackles The Harlem Shake Meme

Crew team creates their own take on the "Harlem Shake" internet meme.

  The Harlem Shake meme, which has been sweeping the web is getting a little closer to home. The Swellesley Report regrets to inform us that "The Harlem Shake" has struck Wellesley--as the Wellesley College Crew team has put together their own take on the meme sweeping the internet. This style of meme take its name from the artist Baauer’s song “Harlem Shake,” which is played in the background. The videos feature a lone person dancing, usually in a crowd, and then a smash cut to the entire group dancing--not always together. Funny costumes are common additions.  The New York neighborhood for which the meme is named is not impressed by the viral videos sweeping the web, however. The term "meme" refers to a style or behavior that gets …

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Two From Wellesley in "The Mousetrap," Snaps in Natick in March

The Center for Arts in Natick presents their take on an Agatha Christie play which has run in London since 1952.

  Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" has been running continuously in London's West End since 1952, and now comes to Natick--with a couple of Wellesley players in the cast.  The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) hosts the play, a story of a group of strangers staying in a boarding house get stranded in a snow storm (a feeling some Wellesley residents may recognize), they learn the hard way that one of them is a murderer. But who could have done it? Is it the young newlyweds who run the place, the spinster with a mysterious past, the retired Army major, or the man whose car broke down in the snow? Or, could it be the policeman who arrived on skis just before the murder? The TCAN performance features Wellesley residents Cathy Merlo, a regular …

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On the 50th Anniversary of Sylvia Plath's Death

Sylvia Plath, who grew up in Wellesley and wrote "The Bell Jar," took her life in February 1953.

On the 50th Anniversary of Sylvia Plath's Death

Sylvia Plath, who grew up in Wellesley and wrote "The Bell Jar," took her life in February 1963. Wellesley College is celebrating with an art installation.

  Fifty years ago, a Wellesley resident and artist took her life in a small London flat, and soon after became a feminist icon.  Sylvia Plath, poet and author of "The Bell Jar," died on Feb. 11, 1963. Plath sealed the door to her childrens' room, left a note for her neighbor to call her doctor, placed her head on a towel in the oven, and let gas fill the room.  You can read "Edge," thought to be Plath's final poem, on the Guardian. Before her death, she published the 1960 collection of poems "Colossus and Other Poems," and published 1963's "The Bell Jar" under the pseudonym, Victoria Lucas, in January of that year. Plath's name did not appear on the book until the 1967 edition. While living in Wellesley in 1953, Plath attempted suicide by …

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Five from Wellesley playing Rigoletto, One Night Only

Upcoming performance by the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra features five players from Wellesley.

  A group of five performers from Wellesley will be playing Verdi with the rest of Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO) at the end of the month.  The five kids, between 15 and 17 years old, are joining a full orchestra of kids from around the Commonwealth, playing music from Verdi's Rigoletto, a tale of love and deception following a hunchbacked court jester and the Count of Mantua, according to a press release from BYSO.  The five performers are Kenyon Alexander, 16, on Violin; Yuto Hirano, 16, Cello; Jackie Lunger, 17, playing Violin; Timothy Maines, 16, with his Trombone; and Rhea Teng, 15, on Cello.  Tickets are $30, and there is one performance only, Jan 20, 3 p.m. in Sanders Theatre at Harvard University.  See the full roster under…

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The Oscars: Did Your Favorite Film, Actor Get Nominated for an Academy Award?

Seth McFarlane and Emma Stone announced the list of nominees for The Oscars awards today, see the list here.

  Steven Spielberg's film "Lincoln" led The Oscar hopefuls with 17 nominations, but Cambridge's own Ben Affleck was left off the list of hopeful for best director today when the list of nominees was announced. The Huffington Post reports that the media was abuzz when neither Affleck, Tom Hooper ("Les Miserables") nor Katherine Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty") made the list for Best Director.   The trio's films did make the list of movies up for Best Picture, along with a host of others, including Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" and Ang Lee's "Life of Pi." Best Actor nominees include former winners Daniel Day-Lewis ("Lincoln") and Denzel Washington ("Flight"). Jessica Chastain received a nod for her role in "Zero Dark Thirty," and will …

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Hanukkah Recipes: Easy Latkes, Squash Gelt and Dreidel Treats

Hanukkah begins at sunset tomorrow night, Saturday December 8, and ends at sunset on Sunday December 16. Here are some recipes to help make your holiday sweet – and savory!

 (Makes 12 large latkes) I shared my ‘basic’ version of this recipe two years ago, but I have come to realize that not everyone needs quite so many latkes. So here is a scaled-down version of the recipe – but you can always go back to the original if you like! Ingredients: Directions: Note: If you like grating your own potatoes (and, unlike me, can do so without grating your knuckles), substitute 3 medium baking potatoes for the Simply Potatoes pre-shredded ones. Make sure to grate the potatoes on the larger-holed attachment of your food processor or grater, and squeeze out all moisture in a dishtowel or with your hands. Also, add a tablespoon of water to your beaten eggs to make sure the mixture is moist enough.   (Serves 4) Two years ago…

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The Sartorialist Shares Picture Perfection With Wellesley College

Scott Schuman, Founder and Photographer of The Sartorialist, Comes to Wellesley College to Discuss his Photographic Practice

  A snapshot of high fashion is coming to the Wellesley main streets. The Davis Museum hosts the founder and photographer from The Sartorialist blog. Interested fashionistas can swing by Wellesley College's Alumnae Hall Auditorium (106 Central Street) at 7 p.m. on Dec. 10. The Sartorialist, a fashion blog focusing on street fashion photos and advice founded by Scott Schuman. Schuman has published two books, "The Sartorialist" and "Closer." The Wellesley stop is part of a book signing tour." From his biography page, Schuman’s work has been featured in GQ, Vogue Italia, Vogue Paris, and Interview, and he has appeared in national ad campaigns for The Gap and Verizon. The word "sartorial" comes from a Latin word meaning "Of or relating to …

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Holiday Season is Meteor Shower Season

Look to the skies for some stunning light displays this November and December.

  As you do your Christmas shopping and plan feasts for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, cast your eyes upon the universe's natural fireworks.  Astronomers anticipate three meteor showers this November and December.  Nov. 12: Taurid Meteor Shower Nov. 17: Leonid Meteor Shower Dec. 13: Geminid Meteor Shower Be sure to schedule a night this season to bundle up, lay out some blankets (if it's dry) and enjoy the light show in the sky.  Share your tips for photographing the showers. Tell us your favorite places to sneak off to view the skies in Wellesley. 

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