The Current Online

by Eric Frizell

Heart, talent, stamina—three star-making ingredients are explored in director Kevin Tancharoen’s “Fame”.

Based on the original 1980 film of the same title, “Fame” follows a spirited group of teens in their pursuit of a propitious career in the arts. Their journey to stardom unfolds through a strenuous four-year study at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. It is here where some dreams are met with sacrifice, and where other aspirations face a stark reality. [...]

by Eric Frizell

To coincide with the November 22 Warner Home Video release of the beloved children’s tale The Polar Express, more than 60 IMAX theaters in the U.S. – including AMC Olathe Studio 30 – have begun showing The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience. With a gross surpassing $45 million since its original theatrical debut, Chris Van Allsburg’s Christmas story has been re-released to the IMAX screen as a three-dimensional feature that will allow moviegoers to look through a special pair of eyeglasses and be entertained by elements seemingly within reaching distance.

The 3D conversion gives way to plenty of fun moments in this animated adaptation by producer Robert Zemeckis, such as when the film’s star, Hero Boy (Daryl Sabara), loses his grip on a train boarding pass that drifts and dances in a windy sky. Another exciting time occurs with a musical number during which the young passengers aboard The Polar Express are served hot chocolate with cups and saucers that leap far from the screen. Spiraled toy chutes and roller coaster rides provide some of the other thrills in this well crafted tale about the joy of believing.

According to a May BizJournals report, Studio 30 was granted a smallscale version of the “The IMAX Experience” this past summer, as it is one of the nation’s top performing AMC theaters. The Polar Express is the first full-length feature film to show in 3D at the Olathe IMAX.

by Eric Frizell

It’s not often that a young, two-year Longview student establishes his or her own clothing company, but for Mike Dunkle, it’s been an exciting and slowly rewarding venture.

Founded in August, his online t-shirt company, Lashen Outfitters, has provided the personal outlet that Mike Dunkle has long desired for his interests in graphic design and photography.

Dunkle said he has learned from his everyday environment to shape and illustrate original abstractions: “I just sit down and design and eventually it gets put on a t-shirt.”

Before one of his sketches can become a form suitable for pressing onto a clothing piece, Dunkle goes through several steps of mild difficulty. First phases include simplifying the design and choosing complementing solid colors. Next, the sketch is modified in Photoshop and saved as a file that Dunkle sends either to a large pressing company in Eudora, KS, or to a smaller business if his intention is to run a trial on a limited number of t-shirts.

Since September, Dunkle has seen a decent sale of his shirts “all over the nation,” he said, but his goal remains the same: Place Lashen clothing in retail stores and on the backs of band members whose word of mouth would travel well in the local music scene. One past wearer of Lashen t-shirts is the popular rock group Coalesce. As Dunkle continues to monitor trends “in the big design world,” he said he will “keep things small” with Lashen Outfitters and maintain the business as an avenue to interact with other clothing designers. A few draftsmen from different areas have already begun working with Dunkle to produce sketches that may see their way onto pants, long-sleeved shirts and jackets. Once he’s completed the Associate in Arts degree at Longview, the University of Kansas is the likely place Dunkle will continue to work toward designing for big companies and releasing his artwork “out into the world.”

For more information on Lashen Outfitters and how to become a much needed model for the company, visit www.LashenOutfitters.com.