The Fray at Ball State

The Fray performing at Emens Auditorium at Ball State. 

On Wednesday September 10, rock band The Fray stopped by Ball State as part of their "Helios Tour". They performed songs off their new album as well as their biggest hits such as "You Found Me", "How to Save a Life" and "Love Don't Die" to name a few. The band had such amazing energy on the stage and I really enjoyed the concert!

Lead singer Isaac Slade. 

My friends and I had floor seats with a nice view of the stage. You could feel the energy from the crowd as everyone sang along to some of their songs. Check out some of the raw videos I shot from the concert.

Morton Salt Girl Celebration at Wrigley Field

Morton Salt girls pose in front of Wrigley Field.

My father works for Morton Salt and on Saturday the company celebrated the 100th birthday of the the Morton Salt Girl which is the company's logo. There was a huge celebration held at Wrigley Field which is also celebrating 100 years. The day began with an appearance of 30 girls dressed as the Morton Salt Girls that caused quite the sight especially if you are driving or walking by and have no idea what's going.

Employees and Morton Salt Girls getting ready for photos.

Afterward Morton Salt employees and their families were invited inside the stadium before the gates opened to the public. This time the employees took a company photo under the iconic scoreboard.

My Dad getting ready for the photo, he is the one in the black cap. 

 Meanwhile the Cubs were having their batting practice before the game in the afternoon.

Cubs players practicing.

President Gora's celebration in Chicago

On Thursday night, I had a great opportunity to attend Ball State President Jo Ann Gora's retirement reception at the University Club of Chicago. I covered the reception for "The Ball State Daily News". In October 2013, Gora announced she would retire at the end of June of this year after serving 10 years as president. She is the first female to serve as president of a public university in Indiana.

Gora told me her and her husband love visiting Chicago, she thinks it's a vibrant and exciting city. She loves going to the museums including the Art Institute and walking down Michigan Avenue. She talked to all the alumni in the room and spoke about all the changes that have occurred during her tenure.

The reception proved to be an excellent networking event with alumni in the Chicago metropolitan area. Within the first few minutes of my arrival Julie Stroh, associate vice president of alumni programs, quickly introduced me to President Gora. After a few minutes of conversation, Gora then introduced me to Mike Smith who spoke to me about his career after graduating from the Department of Journalism. I also met Shawn Malayter who works with the Ball State alumni chapter in Chicago.

I saw a few familiar faces at the event as well. I talked to the former editor-in-chief of "The Ball State Daily News" Benjamin Dashley who I worked with the first semester of my freshmen year . He now works for the Associated Press in Chicago. I also ran into Joe Pavilonis, a friend from the Ball State Runners' Association who graduated from the College of Architecture and Planning earlier this month.

Check out more pictures!

Joe Pavilonis and I at the reception. 

The attendees during the presentation. 

Veterans in Need Dinner

On Friday night May 9, My Mom and I attended the 3rd Annual Catholic Charities  Veterans in Need Dinner at The Union League Club of Chicago. The event raises funds and awareness for veterans who are facing poverty, homelessness, and addiction.

The program was emceed by CBS 2 News Anchor Rob Johnson.

Johnson opening the program.

The keynote speaker of the night was Admiral Michael G. Mullen who was the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served as principal military advisor to the president, Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council.

Admiral Mullen speaking to the attendees. 

I thought the whole event was very eye opening, I was aware of the hardships veterans faced but it was a superficial understanding. This event helped me understand more especially throughout the program which included speakers, photos, and a video.

In the lobby of the Union League Club of Chicago.

Visiting the Colts Facility

For those that don't know I am a part of the Ingelhart Scholars Program at Ball State. It is a leadership program in the journalism department. As part of the program, I had the opportunity to tour the Indiana Farm Bureau where the Indianapolis Colts train. We were privileged enough to be given a tour by the Colts Chief Operating Officer Pete Ward.

The afternoon started with a visit to the media room where the press gathers. Here we had a fortunate opportunity to speak with the head of Public Relations. We learned a little about the ins and outs of doing PR for an NFL team. He also shared with us some career and internship advice. He tells the interns that by the end of their experience, it will be clear for them if they want to continue working on this career path or not, because it will be an eye opener for them.

Inside the locker room. 

Next we had a chance to go into the team's locker room, where many of us took pictures of Andrew Luck's locker.

 We also went into the workout facility where there was a lot of weights and machinery. 

Our next stop was the banquet hall this is where luncheons and other events take place. This is also where larger press conferences are held when the media room can't hold everyone. 

Next on the tour was the indoor field.

Standing on the indoor field. 

We then walked through the halls of some of the offices. We saw their radio studio andtelevision studio as well.

Professor Adam Kuban and I at the news desk. PHOTO: EMILY CONRAD

The final stop on the tour was the Colts memorabilia room. They don't really have a formal museum, so they turned this room into a shrine you could say. The owner of the Colts from time to time donates some of his artifacts from over the years. Take a look...  

Inside the Colts Memorabilia Room.

Handwritten note by Bob Dylan. 

Overall I had such a great afternoon exploring the facility and I am extremely grateful for this opportunity with the Ingelhart Scholars Program! 

Grammy Awards Favorite Moments

This year the Grammys were filled with great performances and collaborations. Some of the performances were filled with high energy while other performances slowed down the pace of the show, which made the Grammys feel really long. But anyway here are my favorite moments from the show.

During the first hour, Robin Thicke and Chicago performed a medley. I love the Grammys especially when different generations of artists take the stage together and perform.  Take a look at the video.

My next favorite collaboration was with Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar. Imagine Dragons are such great performers, I mentioned them in my American Music Awards post as well. This performance heightened the energy, Taylor Swift was the first one out of her seat dancing. Well she was dancing most of the night anyway. Check out their performance below. 

My next favorite moment is when Giuliana Rancic interviewed Kevin Hart on the red carpet. Such a hilarious interview, which made up for the awkward height difference between them.

Lastly, I loved Daft Punk, Pharrell, and Stevie Wonder all on stage performing "Get Lucky." The camera panned to the audience and every celebrity was dancing and having a great time.

Thanks for reading! Next up The Oscars! 

SAG Awards Favorite Moments

The 20th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards took on place on Saturday January 18. Here are some of my favorite moments from the telecast.

Over all I thought all the acceptance speeches were funny, smart, and well thought. My favorite speech of the night had to have been from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. Check out the video.

My next favorite moment of the night was when Bryan Cranston brought up Anna Gunn's bag, which was embroidered with the periodic table logo from "Breaking Bad, to accept his speech for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. Check out the video below too.

Anna Gunn's Bag by Edie Parker. PHOTO: CAROL MCCOLGIN 

Golden Globes Favorite Moments

There were so many memorable moments from The Golden Globes last night. From the red carpet to the ceremony here are my favorite moments:

Ryan Seacrest's Instagram 

Jennifer Lawrence is just so real and loves to have fun, which is why everyone loves her. Her interview with Ryan Seacrest was all over the place but in a good way. First she was awkwardly and creepily walking up the stairs during Taylor Swift's interview. Then she comes up behind her saying she was going to push her down the stairs! Like what is going on?! Then a piece of her jewelry comes flying off. Please continue to be yourself J. Law. 

Paul Drinkwater/NBC

My next moment is Leonardo Dicaprio winning for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. I think this could be the year he finally wins an Oscar. We'll see when the nominations are announced this Thursday and the when the Oscars air March 2.

I started watching Breaking Bad a few months ago and its such a great show, so I was happy that the show won for Best TV Series Drama. But my favorite moment was when Aaron Paul went to the mic after the creator of the show Vince Gilligan spoke, and all he said was "yeah b*tch!" That was it. 

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @raymondagarcia as I live tweet during these events. 

People's Choice Awards Favorite Moments

Award show season is pretty much in full swing now! The People's Choice Awards were held on Wednesday January 8 and if you follow me on Twitter, you probably saw your timeline flooded with PCA votes back in November and a part of December. This show is nice because it's one of the very few award shows where the people get to choose who gets nominated and who wins. Here are some of my favorite moments from the show.

Kevin Winter/ Getty Images 

Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder accepting their award for Favorite On-Screen Chemistry was great. It started off a little awkward then went to not so awkward to funny, you know what mean?

Another funny moment was when Ellen DeGeneres tried accepting Justin Timberlake's award with him.

An excellent moment was when actress, singer, and fellow Chicagoan Jennifer Hudson won for Favorite Humanitarian. She has been doing incredible work with the Julian D. King Gift Foundation she co-founded with her sister Julia Hudson. I thought her speech was very emotional and compelling. For more about the foundation check out their Facebook  page.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Overall I thought that Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs did an great job hosting. I have only watched maybe one episode of their show "2 Broke Girls" I knew they were quite hilarious but was not sure how it was going to go. I loved the jokes they made every time they introduced a presenter, that was probably my favorite.

Next up Golden Globes!