"Mamma Mia," I CAN Resist You

Unlike popular musicals such as “Hairspray” and “Chicago,” which were a hit on the big screen and onstage, “Mama Mia!” should have stayed in its original form, only to be seen on Broadway. “Mama Mia!” first appeared on the stage in 1999 in London. The ABBA-based soundtrack shapes the whole movie. Therefore the plot is quite ridiculous and scattered because the members of the hit 1970s Swedish pop group didn’t intend for their songs to be put together to create a story line. The music is infectious but not enough to make me want to watch it again when I can just listen to the soundtrack.

Leading lady, Meryl Streep almost saves this movie; almost. Streep plays Donna, a mother who runs an old hotel on a Greek island with her daughter, Sophie. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is 20-years-old and about to get married. Sophie doesn’t know her father and without her mother’s knowledge, has mailed invites to the three men in Donna's past whom Sophie suspects of being her father after she reads Donna’s scandalous journal entries.

When the men arrive on the island (played by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård) they are all still interested in Donna, 20 years later, and have no idea that Sophie is searching for her father in one of them. Sophie thinks that by knowing her father, she will finally be able to get to know herself. Sophie spends time with each of the possible fathers while Donna tries to avoid them. After all, even Donna doesn’t know who the father is or that Sophie knows who these men could possibly be. Throughout the movie Donna struggles with letting her past go and also letting Sophie go.

To begin with what went wrong in this movie the director, Phyllida Lloy is not a movie director. “Mamma Mia!” is Lloyd’s first feature film and hopefully her last. She is a leading British theatre director who is praised for her work in opera. Lloyd included this style into “Mamma Mia” with short, dramatic scenes which were slightly overwhelming to watch because you didn’t have time to recover from one emotion to the other.

Mamma Mia!” is a mixture of a soap opera and an episode of “Hannah Montana.” Even though the movie is bad in many ways, it is still hard to hate. Okay, so “Mama Mia!” isn’t good movie material, but it is still entertaining. Like they lyrics in the songs, after you “see that girl,” Seyfried give an amateur performance and “watch that scene,” with Streep being overly dramatic while singing and dancing on a rooftop, you can help but laugh. It’s hilarious to see Oscar and Golden Globe winner, Streep step away from her usual sophisticated characters to knowingly making a fool of herself as she jumps on beds and slides down banisters. Seyfried was applauded for her role in “Mean Girls” as the ditsy sidekick named Karen; however, after her performance in “Mamma Mia!” I’m beginning to wondering if the blonde bimbo is the only character Seyfried can portray.

Seyfried must have been cast for her voice which at first seems to be tiny, but as the movie continues so does Seyfried’s vocal range and powerful lungs. On the other hand, Pierce Brosnan (who plays Sam, one of the three possible fathers) should never attempt to sing again. Brosnan whose known for his role as James Bond 007, has too much testosterone to be singing ABBA soundtracks. Steeps voice was surprisingly quite pleasant and she delivered her songs with much enthusiasm. Throughout the movie the chorus is catchy and the music has a good dancing beat. Some of the ABBA songs included on the soundtrack are “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Take A Chance On Me,” and “Super Trouper.”

The choreography throughout the movie is basically non-existent. Instead it looks like the director asked the actors to dance how the music made them feel. The outcome looks like three middle-aged women dancing drunk and then towards then end of the movie the audience sees what appears to be the men’s ballet in flippers on a dock; which is slightly amusing.

Anyone who enjoys melodramatic theatrical performances will enjoy this movie. Movie buffs, critics and audiences looking for the next Oscar nominations should not watch “Mamma Mia!” because it will be a waste of time; unless they can find humor in 1 hour and 48 minuets of bad choreography, some poor acting and an unrealistic plot.

A Life of Loyalty to the Flag

In 1997 Alvin Lewis came to the University of the Cumberlands with the American dream of becoming a star football player and the hope of one day becoming a lawyer. While in college and after, Lewis’s passion for his country fueled his remarkable career choices and helped him to surpass dreams of being a lawyer. Today he is a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“In God I trust to help me make decisions,” Lewis’s deep, authoritative voice pledged while talking about his career.

One of Lewis’s first life-altering decisions was to leave his large family in Titusville, Fla to attend UC in Williamsburg, Kentucky on a football scholarship. Lewis’s large frame covered in muscle was created for football. Lewis majored in communication and also studied psychology.
In addition to football Alvin became a member of the National Guard which had a unit in Williamsburg.

“I just felt the need to somehow be a part of protecting out country,” Lewis said.

According to the National Guard homepage the National Guard is part of the United States Army, comprising approximately one half of its available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. Traditionally, most National Guard personnel serve one weekend a month, two weeks a year.

“I chose the National Guard because it worked so well with my school schedule,” Lewis explained.

Lewis was introduced to Dr. Mike Colegrove, a retired Army colonel and the Vice President of Student Service at UC.

“Alvin was a little rambunctious, but I liked him. He had spirit,” Colegrove said.

Colegrove informed Lewis of the benefits of Simultaneous Membership Program. The program offers assistance to those who are enrolment in both a reserve component and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).

“It was a hard decision; I didn’t have the time to play football and be involved with ROTC. I chose my country,” Lewis stated proudly.

After playing football for two years Lewis made the sacrifice and joined the ROTC. Lewis took a semester off in the fall of 1999 to attend basic training for the National Guard.

Lewis returned to UC for the spring semester in 2000. During basic training Lewis had almost no contact with the opposite sex.

“I liked to flirt and thought I was a lady’s man,” Lewis said with a chuckle.

Back at Cumberland, Lewis broke a school rule, no women in the dorms after hours. Lewis used his new skills acquired at basic training to sneak a girl into his dorm room; however, they got caught.

“Cumberland was pretty strict and I made a violation. They asked me to leave,” Lewis reasoned.

Lewis respected the school’s decision and went home for a semester; he took classes over the summer. He was allowed to return to Cumberland in the fall of 2000. For the next two years Lewis focused on his studies, ROTC, and the National Guard. Upon graduation in 2002 Lewis earned his commission and signed up for active duty to the Army. He was no longer a part of the National Guard.

“After college and my experiences with ROTC and the National Guard I was good at problem-solving, team-building, and quick decision-making. I had the self assurance of knowing I could push myself to the limit and beyond,” Lewis said.

As a college and ROTC graduate Lewis immediately served as a second lieutenant at Fort Stewart in Georgia. He was deployed to Iraq in 2005 for one year. Lewis was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, which is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Army of the United States, distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service. It is also awarded for acts of heroism.

There was no one incident that resulted in Lewis being awarded the Bronze Star.

“My commander felt that on numerous occasions I showed qualities deserving of the star,” Lewis stated modestly and wouldn’t go into details.

Lewis was also awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded during combat. Lewis suffered from head, shoulder, and leg wounds when his platoon was hit by a roadside bomb, an explosive device placed at the side of a road and exploded when the target passes.

Lewis returned to the US in January and resigned from the Army in April, 2006.

During a job fair Lewis spoke with an FBI recruiter. The recruiter was enthusiastic about Lewis and encouraged him to apply. Not really intending to hear back, but still hopeful, Lewis applied.
Lewis’s life took a new turn when he became the regional sales manager in one of the divisions of Alcoa. According to their homepage Alcoa is the world leader in the production and management of primary and fabricated aluminum.

“There was a void in my life. Throughout college and over the last few years I had been serving my country on a daily basis,” Lewis stated.

Lewis’s new job was missing something; something red, white and blue. He realized that the only way he would be happy was to be working for his country.

While still working for Alcoa, Lewis started studying for the LSAT.

“As an undergraduate I’d planned on attending law school, but it kept being placed on the back burner,” Lewis remembered.

Lewis passed the LSAT and began applying for law schools. During this time he was also taking the steps towards the FBI.

“It was crazy. One week I’d get a call from the FBI who wanted another interview or exam, the next week I’d hear from a law school who wanted more recommendations,” Lewis said.

For months Lewis continued the process toward both the FBI and law school.

“I wish I could have done both but I know I would have been happy with either one. Both have to do with law enforcement and criminal justice,” Lewis stated.

In April, 2006 Lewis was accepted to a law school in Florida which was close to his home and family.

“I was excited to go back home. I really missed my family over the years,” Lewis said with enthusiasm.

However two weeks later he got a call from the FBI who wanted him to become an agent. Lewis weighed his options and prayed for a few days. He was finally led by God to accept the position with the FBI as an agent.

“I really liked the mission statement of the FBI which is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners” Lewis recited.

Lewis is currently a special agent with the terrorism unit and deals with criminal matters and investigation. He gets to travel across the country but also has desk work.

“As long as God permits I plan to stay with the FBI until I retire,” Lewis announced.

Lewis is also currently pursing a masters degree in intelligence and national security studies through online courses.

“I’ve always loved my country and so often we fail to recognize the good fortune we have here,” Lewis said.