Breaking News: Minnesota Timberwolves Players Collapse From Shock After Winning Game

Minneapolis, MN-Moments after beating the Utah Jazz 122-101, every single member of the Timberwolves franchise has been rushed to the hospital after collapsing in the middle of post-game celebrations. A team spokesman who has since recovered said that the collapse was caused by the realization that the team had actually won a game, which was too much for everyone to handle. TV cameras were able to capture the whole moment, including players shuffling with their heads down towards the lockerroom before cheerleader/star player Kevin Love informed them that they had, in fact, won the game. At this time, the status of many players is unknown, although point guard Johnny Flynn was able to offer a thumbs-up to the media moments before he was loaded into an ambulance. However, once he glanced at the scoreboard, he was stricken by a deadly heart attack & remains in critical condition.

1st Blog (4-15-11).

       As a young boy, all that young Derrick wanted to do was play basketball. It's all he knew, growing up on Chicago's South Side. Everywhere he turned, he saw desolate corners & project buildings that seemed never-ending. Having a ball in his hand was his own sanctuary, & he didn't hesitate to take full advantage of the talent that he had been given. He started out as a very small player, only about 5'0 tall, but that ended up working to his advantage. While playing in a league designed for players 5'1 & shorter, he was able to develop his trademark explosiveness & breakaway speed, which has become a frequent sight on highlight reels seen worldwide. After dominating the high school scene as a point guard for Simeon High, where he won two state championships, he received a full scholarship to play basketball for the University of Memphis. His hard work was finally paying off, & it would become even more clear in years to come that his desire was unmatched. He led Memphis to the NCAA national championship game as a freshman in 2008, & soon after declared for the NBA draft. After winning the first draft pick, his hometown Chicago Bulls made him the first pick of the 2008 draft, hoping that the athletic point guard would live up to his potential & become a star. They had no idea what was in store for them.
       Despite a very strong rookie season, which included being named Rookie of the Year, Derrick was not satisfied. The now 6'3 point guard was driven by his determination to win, & although he is known as one of the league's most quiet & humble players, he provided a very fitting sound-byte at a press conference soon after the season had ended: "Why can't I be MVP? Why can't I be the best player in the league?' Fast forward to April of 2011, where Derrick has just led the Bulls to their first 60-win season since a certain guy named Michael was still in town. As the MVP ballot is looming, he is the front-runner in a league filled with superstars. However, he seems uninterested in all of the hype. He only cares about his team & the game itself, always quick to give praise to his teammates & coaching staff instead of talking about himself. He has repeatedly carved up the best teams in the league, the same ones he'll be facing when the NBA playoffs start on Saturday. Everyone knows he'll be ready, & play with the same passion that he's shown since his high school days. but will Derrick Rose lead his team to their first NBA Finals appearance since Michael Jordan was the man in Chicago? Only time will tell, but someday Rose will be able to look back & say 'That was sure some adventure, huh?".

Final Blog. (3-11-11)

As we near the end of our project, the hours in MTN are starting to add up. Every group is scrambling to make sure they have the best film come Monday, & our group is no different. Although we lack quality footage, we're piecing together what we have to hopefully still manage to win over the audience at the Riverview. We've had bumps along the road, such as having to switch all of our footage onto another computer at MTN or having scheduling conflicts with people we were trying to interview. I'm confident that we can finish strong though, because we've pu in many hours these past few weeks, & they will pay off.

4th Blog Post (1-28-11)

Another week gone by, filled with more intriguing speakers. As we continue to soak in all the knowledge provided by these various public figures, I think that deep down inside we all long for the chance to someday be in their position, to be asked to speak in front of a room full of the next generation, sharing our life experiences to anyone eager enough to listen. Each speaker brings something different to the table, whether it's the Fraser's with their vast political knowledge, or Julie Anderson, a veteran newsroom producer who provided many tips that will be useful. We're still in the process of piecing together our documentary idea, because our topic was switched to Project Success. This will be an interesting topic though, because we're all familiar with them & they've helped me out a lot personally. The reading definitely provided some good tips for interviewing, not only tips for what to ask & how to act, but also the more subtle things as well, such as drawing the line between discovery & exploitation. The article focused on things that the interviewer might not normally pick up on, such as the problems with interviewing a couple or conducting it in a public place. Overall, it was a very good read & was very useful.

2nd Blog (1-14-11)

As another week goes by, I find myself being increasingly surprised with the number of speakers that we have had in our VOICES class. Most of them have been some type of film-maker, & to have the opportunity to learn from someone who does what we do recreationally as a full-time job, that's pretty big. They've all taught us something different, such as to always try & have some sort of conflict shown in your film to just sitting down with your interviewees to get to know them better before they go on camera. We haven't really done a whole lot of hands-on things this week, so we haven't accomplised much, per se.

Blog #1 1/7/11

So far, we've accomplished a lot in our VOICES class, from learning how to edit film we shot to how to conduct an interview. All of the students are collaborating really well to give each other feedback, advice, & help with producing their films. Every person has different connections, & we all make sure to take advantage of that. I can't think of anything that needs to change at this point. I was actually pretty interested in the latest article we read about directing documentaries. It provided numerous viewpoints on the reasons behind producing a documentary, such as wanting to persuade an audience while still presenting an integrated point of view. I had always wanted a better definition of a documentary, & although this isn't a complete definition, this passage really hit home with me: "...each documentary examines the actual through the lens of a human temperament."