Photo by Mike Discenza

Watching Jersey Shore can make you feel like a sociologist studying a foreign world of super tan “juiced” fist-pumpers. Professor Diane Vaughn’s Mistake, Misconduct and Disaster class got to observe the subject up close when one of the show’s stars, Vinny, stopped by earlier today (better or worse than Natalie Portman?). Unfortunately he didn’t talk about GTL (Gym Tan Laundry, obvs!!) or “T-shirt time” (choice Vinny quote: ”My V-neck is so fresh that it defied the rules of T-shirt time.”) Instead, the celeb guest told the class about his work with an anti-bullying group called Do Something. Back in the pre-Jersey days, he got teased by hot girls.

Believe it or not, UChicago just hosted a conference on Jersey Shore studies, and NYTimes wrote about it for the cover of the Arts section. One speaker titled a slide in her presentation “Bodily Discipline: Foucault + Snooki = BFF.” Another was “The Jersey Saga: Honor Culture in Medieval Iceland and Modern Seaside.” And apparently there’s this thing called “the branded hybrid person- character.”

He tweets:
Just spoke to a class at Columbia University on behalf of @dosomething about #antibullying. Shocked?

Update: A tipster has informed us that the student who invited Vinny was Shoshana Bar-David (BC 12), an intern for Do Something.

Photo by Rebecca Eis

Two weeks ago, SJP—that is, Sarah Jessica Parker, not the student group—was purportedly prowling the Barnard grounds. Rumors circulated that she had enrolled her small child in Barnard’s daycare program. Thanks to paparazza-in-training Danielle Arje, we can confirm this to be true. And now we’ll leave her alone! And hope for a third celeb derriere sighting.

SJP+

Superior genetic pooling

First SJP, then Rob Lowe, and now the Gyllenhaals. Multiple tipsters spotted a scruffier than usual Jake, and his ever-chic sis, Maggie, roaming around campus earlier today. Fun fact: Mags graduated CC in ’98, and Jake dropped out a few years later. Come back to us, Jake!

 Pretty People via Movie Conversations

And the celebrity spottings continue. Multiple tipsters saw Rob Lowe, better known to West Wing fans as Sam Seaborn, roaming around campus yesterday. He was apparently “followed by a really handsome and well dressed teenage boy, with an equally impressive jawline.” Another tipster managed to snap a picture from behind. Rob’s in the pale blue dress shirt, but we recognized that backside instantly. Note how everyone else in the picture is blurry except Rob Lowe. Rob Lowe stops time.

Got tots at 'nard.

According to several tipsters, Sarah Jessica Parker was seen outside Milbank this morning among a flock of parents and toddlers. This isn’t the first time she’s been spotted strolling about campus with her little ones. Rumor has it that her children are enrolled in Barnard Toddler Center.

Photo via wikimedia.

On Monday“>

No Labels even provides confusing animal-symbolism to further disorient their now label-less followers!

On Monday No Labels took over Roone Arledge Auditorium, and Alex Jones was there to check out all of the super-exciting bipartisan action.

The event started at the ungodly hour of 8 a.m., and began with an address by the four “founding leaders.” What followed can only be described as uncomfortable. No Labels commissioned Akon to write a song about bipartisanship‚—because Akon is the post-partisan hip-hop equivalent of Henry Clay, apparently. The crowd (mostly middle-aged to elderly) swayed back and forth to such inspiring lines as, “see a man with a blue tie, see a man with a red tie, so how about we tie ourselves together and get it done.” It was an auto-tuned, bipartisan sight to see.

In case you haven’t picked up on it by now, No Labels is an organization that would like to inspire bipartisan politics. So Democrats and Republicans take off their “labels,” forget which team they play for, and everything works much better. This event was the kick-off for the 2012 election cycle, and No Labels gathered a dozen or so prominent Republicans and Democrats to give short speeches in support of the No Labels ideology.

The speakers, however, didn’t have much substance per se, but instead stayed in the abstract realm of political no-nothings. In fact, it kind of sounded to Bwog like these politicians came here to whine about how hard things are now a-days. So things are difficult now, sure, but does bipartisanship really help at all? Don’t we just want good-hearted partisanship? How about passing around Oreos and milk during every roll call vote? The No Labels event just doesn’t seem like a profitable exercise if they are only complaining about things going wrong and not proposing a solution.

Talking about what each speaker said doesn’t seem necessary because everyone just repeated permutations of the same basic argument:

1. Hyper-partisanship is worse than ever
2. The people need good government more than ever
3. We’re basically fucked

If you write those statements twice each on a die, and you roll that die three times, you have just drafted a speech with as much coherency and importance as was given by each speaker. So sleep well knowing that something out there is wrong, and some people are concerned about it, but it’s anyone’s guess how to fix it. Sounds a bit familiar.

“>

C, B and D on 116th and Riverside

Paparazzi on Claremont! Nate, Blair and Chuck were talking to each other off-set, just like regular friends do!

Update: Leighton Meester spotted from behind the bushes

Hannah Goldstein watched 2010 graduate and saw Meryl Streep. Delights!

How do you make students forget about a change in Class Day location and the threat of cooties? Distract them! The Barnard class of 2010′s new claim to bragging rights seems to have done the trick, and all senior faces were happy faces on this sunny day at Ancel Plaza.

The ceremony began with the procession of the senior class. The ceremony began with the first Meryl Streep sighting (through a window). Within seconds, audience and press alike were in a frenzy. “Meryl just wants to hang out with the students!” said Media Relations Director Sun Min as she guided the press towards the corner where students and Meryl were to intersect according to the planned graduation route. Intersect they did, and lots of schmoozing ensued. Then, after ten minutes of processing and seat-locating, all students were finally seated. First to speak was Anna Quindlen, Barnard’s celebrity-in-residence. “Like you, I am a member of the graduating class of 2010,” she said. OK, Anna. The next few of speeches were delivered by senior class president Chelsea Zimmerman, Provost Elizabeth Boylan, and student body president Katie Palillo, who went so far as to coin the term “foremothers” and made admirable use of alliteration, most notably in referring to the choice reading of Barnard women: “manuscripts, manifestos, and the Mystique.” Valedictorian Elected speaker Alicia Mountain also spoke on behalf of the graduating class.

The Senior Fund co-chairs took the stage to present the senior class gift: the Class of 2010 Contingency Fund, which will help ease the financial burden of living in “one of the most expensive cities in the world” by buying bedding and other college necessities for first-years on financial aid. Then the presentation of Medals of Distinction began: Thelma Golden (curator), Olympia Snowe (senator), and Shirley Tilghman (president of Princeton) all received awkward second-person citations. (“You were born in Queens…” began one.) So that no one forgot that Meryl Streep was in attendance, DSpar had been making a point to periodically express her starstruck-ness: while fumbling to open the envelope that held the name of the senior prize winner, DSpar said, “Meryl Streep should be doing this!” When Streep got up before her citation and stood in what was apparently the wrong place, DSpar murmured something to her and then quipped, “I’m directing Meryl Streep!” before going on to list every single award Meryl Streep has ever received.

And then the big moment arrived and Meryl Streep began her own speech, which was artful, surprisingly self-effacing and platitude-free. She told stories about being the Virgin Mary in her mother’s Nativity scene, trying to be one of the populars in high school, finding herself in college, and running into success and unwanted celebrity later in life; though all initially seemed unconnected, it soon became clear that she was choosing to leave the connecting job to the audience. Though much of her speech focused on female empowerment, her larger message seemed to be that success is an intrinsic experience, separate from Oscars, fame, SAG Awards, and invitations to speak at college commencements (!) “You don’t have to be famous; you just have to make your mother and father proud. And you already have,” concluded Streep warmly, and the crowd broke into wild applause. It was a perfect transition back to the students—the real stars of the day. And to the voice of Dean Denburg, the degree-awarding began and ended, DSpar gave her speech, and the Barnard College Class of 2010 were awarded their diplomas. A hearty congratulations!

Columbia Film has snagged another star — Bwog tipster Margaret Herman spotted Kirsten Dunst lounging on one of leather benches outside 511 Dodge.  According to Film Dept TA Chanelle Elaine, Dunst is set to star in a film directed by a Columbia faculty member.  Now that he’s got some competition, maybe James Franco won’t hide quite so conspicuously behind that Giants cap.

Two pieces of good news came in over the official Bwog wire this afternoon.  First, the first Mac Gray trucks have been spotted about campus after the Great Laundry Flex outage of 2009.

Flex readers in laundry rooms all over campus have been out since just before the start of the semester, but as of this afternoon, the readers in Watt, at least, appear to be working.  The out-of-order sign originally promised upgrades but the readers look just as 1980′s as before.

If by upgrade they mean “it works”…

Second, Bwog received a tip saying that Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame was speaking in the Journalism lounge.  Bwog rushed over and saw, peering through the dusty window of the cafe, saw not the rugged, charming face of the Discovery Channel host but that of Harvey Levin, the current managing editor of TMZ.com, made famous recently for breaking the story of Michael Jackson’s death.

Spying through the window.

At least Journalism students now know that there’s a future for them – in following Beyonce around.

Photos by AB

We know that almost all of us had to overcome something to get to Columbia, but let’s be honest: some had to overcome more than others.

As the first example of this, the New York Times presents Carrie Montgomery, a new member of the class of 2013, and one of twelve Times scholars this year. Despite growing up in the South Bronxwith 9 siblings and an ailing single mom, Montgomery maintained a 95.6 average in four years at the Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice, and now joins a group of 12 that will recieve $30,000, a laptop, and (perhaps just as precious in this economy) a guaranteed internship at the Times.

The Times reports that Carrie wants to be a lawyer, and hopes to write an autobiography some day to encourage young people like herself to work hard and succeed despite their backgrounds. We’d say she’s off to a good start. (photo via the Times)

Bwog editor Anish Bramhandkar notes that Union Theological Seminary is hosting one of TV’s most popular sex crime shows: “There’s a food van/cart there with a sign saying something about serving food to film productions on location, and a bunch of people eating food.  A few of them have nametags that say Law & Order SVU.”

UTS seems very popular with NBC these days — last week, the new NBC show Kings was shooting there. But hey, the main campus will always have Peter Parker.

Bwog Hollywood Bureau Chief James Downie has the scoop on the trailers currently parked around Union Theological Seminary.

The trailers are for a new NBC pilot called Kings, which stars Ian McShane of Deadwood fame. The show’s story is based around that of King David — maybe the producers are brushing up on their theology in the UTS library?

Spotted heading toward Uris earlier this evening: Jim Cramer, the excitable host of CNBC’s Mad Money. He was alone and talking on his cell phone. “He sounded, well, mad,” reported an eyewitness.

The reasons for his campus visit are of course a mystery, though Bwog would like to point out that he has a 17 year old daughter, who could be looking to join Blake Lively and the other as-yet-unknown castmembers of the class of 2013. Or perhaps he’s off to scream some investment advice towards B-Schoolers, who are presumably huddled together in their exclusive luxury study rooms.

Several tipsters have sent in sightings of a film crew that’s been causing quite the stir outside the Bon French Cleaners. Bwog Daily Editor Justin Vlasits was on the scene earlier today, and he believes it to be a “low budget action movie.” (Note the old-timey green police car after the jump.) Vlasits also reports that a panhandler was wandering around set and no one seemed to care. Anyway, pictures of the disorganized action film below. 

UPDATE 10:46 PM: Commenters have noted that it’s apparently a television program called Life on Mars, starring Christopher from the Sopranos and Harvey Keitel. We stand corrected.

One more after the jump.

Read more…