Jackson is a stand-up comedian, rapper, actor and writer best known for his roles in several major motion pictures including “Tropic Thunder,” “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” and “Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son.”

“We wanted to have something for Black History Month and then something more kid-friendly (during Siblings Weekend.)” said Steve Lewis, Allegan Senior and student assistant for the Office of Student Life.

Jackson’s stand-up ranged from topics such as family life to relationships and not having money.

“I liked how (Jackson) talked about being broke,” said Jackson freshman Queen Mack, “’cause, well, I am.”

Kasey Mcfarland, comedy chairperson for CMU Program Board, said the event was family-friendly.

“Anyone who attends the show is in for a truly spectacular evening,” she said.

Afterward, Jackson opened up the floor to answer questions anyone in the audience had about working in the entertainment industry.

Jones made light of the media’s portrayal of overweight people and food in his stand-up routine.

“I enjoyed that he was more forward with being bigger and food in general.” said Bay City freshman Jaylyn Kerridge.

Josh Vietti, an opening act along with Dave Jones, started the show with a compilation of different songs ranging from classical to hip-hop and pop, nearly soliciting an encore from the audience that threated to delay the event.

Vietti started playing the violin as a street performer six years ago and has performed with the Los Angeles Ballet Academy and has recorded a track for Cee Lo Green since.

“I really enjoyed it,” Mack said. “I really loved the violinist and how he was more modern and not just classical.”

Vietti invited an audience member on stage with him to beat-box and join him in compiling an original freestyle piece. He also invited students on stage with him to dance as he performed covers of Michael Jackson and Beyonce on his violin.

Kerridge said she really enjoyed the entire show and felt the three performers complemented each other very well.

“I enjoyed how different it was.” Kerridge said.

Jane Goodall in 1999. (Akira Suwa/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT)

This past semester Central Michigan University was visited by big name artists and celebrities like LMFAO, the Cool Kids, Chiddy Bang, and the cast of “The Buried Life.”

This spring, students should expect to see a continued variety of entertainment and concerts.

Dayglow will be invading Mount Pleasant for the second time this academic year on Feb. 24 at Finch Fieldhouse. The Facebook event page describes Dayglow as “the largest college paint party and electronic music concert in the world.”

Though the headliner has yet to be released, Anthony Lazzaro, a Hope junior who helped bring Dayglow to CMU, said, “students should expect a big headliner for Dayglow. It’s someone who is very popular with the college crowd.”

Lazzaro is the Red Bull Student Manager for CMU and also the event manager at Wayside Central, 2000 S. Mission St.

Preglow, the pre-party for Dayglow, will be held on Feb. 4 at Wayside Central.

Students should also be on the lookout for information for big concerts in the middle of April and something big at the end of March, Lazzaro said.

But this spring semester will not just be filled by paint parties and concerts.

As the Red Bull Student Manager, Lazzaro is putting on Red Bull Paperwings, a paper airplane-flying contest. Red Bull will pay for a qualifying team from each region to go to the world finals in the famous Red Bull Hanger 7 in Salzburg, Austria.

On campus, CMU Program Board is planning a variety of events this spring.

“Though we are still in the planning phase, students can check our Facebook page for the latest updates,” said Program Board President Paul Sullivan.

This is Sullivan’s second semester as Program Board president and he said he has a positive outlook for entertainment this spring.

“My goal is to accomplish providing good entertainment, but also provide a variety, so that there’s an ability for every student to have an event they want to go to,” the Allen Park senior said.

Students can submit ideas for events to Program Board by either posting on their Facebook page or emailing them at cmu_pb@cmich.edu.

“We are always open to new ideas and will take student ideas into consideration,” said Sullivan.

Program Board isn’t just about entertainment though

“Part of our job is entertaining, but also part of it is getting students to see a different perspective,” said Mark Fairbrother, a Shelby Township junior and Program Board secretary.

Program Board meets on the third floor of the Bovee University Center at 8 p.m. every Wednesday.

“Everyone and anyone is welcome; no fees,” Fairbrother said. “Come when you want and you get to help plan and work events.”

The badger scenario was one of many created by hypnotist DeLuca in a two-hour performance in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium, sponsored by Central Michigan University’s Program Board. About 250 were in attendance and the Orlando, Florida hypnotist selected 20 audience members to be part of the show.

DeLuca, a former therapeutic hypnotist, snapped at, patted and talked to hypnotized volunteers to create humorous moments on stage. DeLuca said a few students were not in a trance state and removed them from the stage after the show began.

One volunteer was under the impression he was a karate master and gave his best impression of a foreign language while another victim of hypnosis was convinced he was “a friend of all fruit” and protected apples and a banana on stage. Near the end, a dance party consisting of six or seven volunteers ensued as they popped out of their chairs to DeLuca’s key word, “Chicago.”

DeLuca has practiced his craft for over two decades and often gives demonstrations at universities and corporations, including multiple performances at CMU in years past. He said he thought the show was very entertaining and was pleased with how imaginative the volunteers were in their hypnotic state.

“I like it when they have really good imaginations because that’s what makes the show,” DeLuca said. “Sometimes you get a group up there where the imaginations aren’t as keen, and you can make it okay, but you can’t make it really good.”

Ithica resident Tyler Gibson was hypnotized during the show and said he vaguely remembered some of DeLuca’s first words before memory of his actions completely faded. While on stage, Gibson was convinced he was America’s number one spy who needed to spray himself in the face with a squirt gun to affect DeLuca.

Dewitt freshman Anisa Kopulos and Walled Lake sophomore Carol Koval laugh while watching hypnotist Tom Deluca as he hypnotizes his volunteers on stage Wednesday night at Plachta Auditorium. "His acts are hilarious," said Kopulos. "It was funny when he made them pretend to be models and strike a pose in front of everyone." (Charlotte Bodak/Staff Photographer)

When asked for his spy name by DeLuca, Gibson replied with confidence, “003.”

“He was talking about the ocean and he said something about deep sleep and that’s all I can remember,” Gibson said. “I guess I just fell asleep then.

Luzerne freshman Angel Lacey was in the audience and said that the show was funny from start to finish. Lacey spoke to a participant she knew after the show and said she believed the individuals on stage weren’t conscious of their actions.

“I actually thought that a lot of the people were truthfully hypnotized,” Lacey said. “I don’t know about them all, but it definitely seemed like some were hypnotized and they were very entertaining.”

The hypnotist from Florida will perform at 8 p.m. today in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium. DeLuca’s Program Board-sponsored event isn’t his first Central Michigan University performance, having demonstrated his hypnotic abilities to students many times before.

DeLuca began learning hypnosis when a psychology professor taught him at the University of Illinois for therapeutic reasons, including helping others lose weight or quit smoking. He began hypnotizing audiences for performances in graduate school, where he found his niche combining hypnosis and entertainment.

Today, DeLuca has earned many awards for his act, including four College Entertainer of the Year awards. DeLuca said he primarily performs for universities and corporations.

In his past performances at CMU, DeLuca said the crowd is usually very excited to participate and entertaining to work with, citing a particular student who was under the impression he was Nicki Minaj in 2010.

“Primarily, when we come to a school like CMU, it’s volunteers from the audience who I’ll hypnotize and try to make them do something fun and interesting,” DeLuca said. “I want it to be silly, but also creative and memorable for the audience.”

DeLuca said he knows many people have their doubts about his talents and said students can come see or be a part of the show to see for themselves. However, DeLuca said not all individuals are susceptible to hypnosis and sometimes he has to remove unaffected participants.

“I try not to let people get up there and just act and play along, because the audience will be riveted to that person,” DeLuca said. “When you see that it is real for many participants and it’s not a bunch of people faking it and going along with this stuff, it’s a special moment.”

New Baltimore junior Miranda Endres, Program Board vice president, helped bring DeLuca back to CMU to perform. Endres said she has missed DeLuca’s performances in years past, but is excited to see if his hypnosis capabilities can silence her doubts.

“We’ve invited him every year and I’ve never had a chance to go see him perform. The people I work with keep telling me I have to go,” Endres said. “I’m (a) skeptic about hypnotism, but hopefully he can prove me wrong.”

The Central Michigan University alumni who works as a health educator at Southern Oregon University will be presenting from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Bovee University Center Auditorium.

“I try to be very pragmatic. I don’t believe in a lot of the preaching and finger-wagging that we’ve done to college kids about substance abuse,” Vogel said. “I try to be really honest about it, talk about it openly, have frank discussions and give honest information. That allows students to have conversations they don’t normally have.”

Vogel said most conversations students have with authority figures about substance use are one-sided and are focused wanting students to not use at all.

“Regarding substance use, when we’re overly condoning and/or overly condemning, it leaves young people at risk,” Vogel said.

Program Board Vice President Miranda Endres said Vogel’s presentation will not be the prohibition-centered talk students are used to. She said he talks more about how and why substances are used.

“People might get turned off at the fact that they think the lecture is about drugs and alcohol, but that’s not what his program is about,” the New Baltimore junior said. “We’re trying to spin the part of it that it’s more like awareness and not prohibition.”

Endres said Vogel being a CMU alumni was helpful because he is knowledgeable about the area and culture of Mount Pleasant.

“He’s all about how you use and why you use,” Endres said. “He’s not going to teach you how to do heroin, but he wants people to be more responsible.”

Vogel said he would love to see a full house on Tuesday because students have good things to say about his lectures.

“I definitely feel that I consistently get positive feedback from students,” Vogel said. “I feel that in a lot of ways they’re craving this kind of discussion. I try to keep it pretty light and fun and use humor and other things. I don’t come in heavy handed.”

The Grosse Pointe junior said he was worried for a while that the group wasn’t going to come out at 9:30 p.m., two and a half hours after attendees were admitted.

“I kind of got worried that they weren’t going to come out for a second before they went on stage,” Kloka said. “It was great. They absolutely rocked.”

Opening act Chet Haze and multiple DJs kept the crowd entertained before SkyBlu and Redfoo of LMFAO came on stage just after 9:30 p.m.

Central Michigan University Program Board, Hottest College Parties and Celebrity Events sponsored the event, which went from 7 to 11 p.m. Wednesday at the CMU Events Center.

Allen Park senior and Program Board President Paul Sullivan estimated the attendance at slightly less than 3,000. Attendees packed the bleachers and filled half of the floor space of the Events Center.

Sullivan said Program Board contributed $16,000 toward the cost of the event, while the undisclosed remaining costs were paid by Hottest College Parties and Celebrity Events.

LMFAO immediately made their stage presence known as crew members began tossing glowsticks and a blow-up zebra into the crowd. The antics didn’t stop after their entrance however, as the duo sprayed champagne on the audience and continuously changed outfits throughout the show.

The group performed alongside the Party Rock Crew, partially composed of members of Quest Crew, the dancing group that won the third season of MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew.” Members of the Party Rock Crew livened the atmosphere, coordinated dances with SkyBlu and Redfoo, and lifted each other off the ground periodically.

Party Rock Crew member Furr, also known as Shuffle Bot, danced while wearing a cardboard box with a robot face drawn on it for the majority of the show.

The opening act, Chester “Chet Haze” Hanks, the son of actor Tom Hanks and actress Rita Wilson, said he was excited to be at CMU again after performing at Wayside Central, 2000 S. Mission St., last year.

“Opening up for LMFAO in this stadium was the best show I’ve had yet,” Haze said. “It was very exciting.”

Fremont resident Danielle Bugbee arrived to the show early and was standing in the front row along the rail.

Lake Orion freshman Megan Malloy was excited to see LMFAO for the first time as she prepared for their performance in the front row. The group’s late arrival to the stage left audience members impatient as many  fans, including Malloy, were waiting as early as 6 p.m.

“This is my first LMFAO concert and I’m very excited,” Malloy said. “I just wish they would come out already.”

Bugbee said being so close was a great experience as LMFAO poured champagne all over the crowd, and said the most ridiculous part was during “Sexy and I Know It,” when LMFAO and the Quest Crew danced wearing almost nothing.

“‘Sexy and I Know It’ was pretty ridiculous with the thongs and what not,” Bugbee said. “They were absolutely crazy and it was a great show.”

Central Michigan University has an advocacy policy regarding picketing and sidewalk chalking, but sometimes there are no consequences for breaking them.

According to the CMU advocacy policy, demonstrations may not take place within 25 feet of any window of any classroom or office, within 25 feet of any door of any classroom building or office building, or within 40 feet of any window of any residence hall or university apartment.

During CMU and You Day, the FA picketed in front of the gates of Kelly/Shorts Stadium before the football game.

The policy states demonstrations may not take place within 50 feet of the gates of the stadium or other athletic venues during the times audiences are arriving at or leaving an event at those locations.

Tom Trionfi, director of Contracting, Purchasing and Health Services, said although he was not at the game, he presumes the FA followed the policy.

“I’m going to presume that if they weren’t causing a problem, no one was going to quibble over a foot or two,” Trionfi said. “If (the FA) were less than 50 feet, but not doing that, that’s why nobody said anything.”

Mary Roy, assistant general counsel, said demonstrators who violate the policy will be asked to disperse. If they do not do so, CMU Police will be asked to assist in breaking it up.

“CMU faculty and staff are also bound to obey the advocacy policy,” Roy said. “If they were to demonstrate in violation of the advocacy policy, discipline could be meted out as appropriate for whatever employee group they belong to.”

Tom Idema, assistant director of Student Life, said the main purpose of the policy is to support demonstrations but keep them from blocking the way to classes and buildings.

Chalking

There are also rules in the policy about sidewalk chalking — spray paint and spray chalk are not allowed.

Miranda Endres, vice president of Program Board, said she believed the rule was that all chalking had to be 25 feet from a building.

The New Baltimore junior said she thinks the policy is more of a guideline and many do not follow it.

“I still see ‘Do you know Brenda?’ by buildings,” she said. “I’ve seen (spray chalk) on the library and on the pillar between Dow and Brooks (halls).”

Idema said anyone can chalk as long as they do it in a way that will be removable by nature. The idea of the 25-foot rule comes from the fact that the chalking needs to be able to wash away, he said.

“So obviously you can’t chalk under awnings or on buildings,” Idema said. “It’s called sidewalk chalk, not side-of-the-building chalk.”

There are no rules about what words can be written on the sidewalks. In the past, Idema said they have had insensitive language and sometimes even personal attacks chalked. When that happens, he said usually others combat it by chalking positive messages over it.

“Obviously people should be in good taste, but that’s freedom of speech,” he said. “People can write their opinion and that’s their right.”

Idema said typically people are not fined for breaking the policy. A repeated warning might put the chalker on some form of probation, he said, but usually this does not happen. The police are only called if the violation is serious.

Allegan senior Steve Lewis, former president and current member of Program Board, said they mainly chalk by residence halls. They also chalk by Anspach and Pearce halls where there is the most foot traffic.

Lewis said he could only remember one time where they ever got in trouble for chalking, but even that, he said, was not a big deal.

“Two years ago we chalked under the library awning,” Lewis said. “And they called us and just said we couldn’t chalk there.”

CMU Program Board and Hottest College Parties are co-sponsoring the event and bringing the hip-hop/electronic group to campus. Doors are set to open at 7 p.m. and the show will begin at 8 p.m.

LMFAO has earned significant notoriety since the group formed in 2006, and currently has two songs on the Billboard Top 10 with “Sexy and I Know It” at No. 4 and “Party Rock Anthem” at No. 6. The group will also bring the Quest Crew, winners of the third season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, to dance throughout the performance.

Floor seats for the show have sold out, but bleacher and bowl seats are still available for $20 and $30 respectively. Tickets will still be available up until the show and can be purchased at the door for no additional price.

The opening act has been announced to be Chet Haze, a rapper from Northwestern University and the son of actor Tom Hanks and actress Rita Wilson. Haze, born Chester Hanks, performed at Wayside Central, 2000 S. Mission St., last spring as part of the Pre-Glow Electronic Dance Party.

“I had a great time, met a bunch of cool kids, and partied with CMU students,” Haze said. “I’m looking forward to coming back.”

Haze said he considers his music to be “pop rap,” and hopes his performance will be able to get concert-goers dancing.

“It’s just kind of the development of my lane, making music for the girls, music that people can dance to,” Haze said. “I just want to make music that’s ‘feel good,’ that people can play at parties and have good energy.”

Zach Sampson, president of Hottest College Parties, said LMFAO’s set will be between 75 and 90 minutes long.

“I’ve been to LMFAO before and they put on one of the best shows you’ll ever see,” Sampson said.

Hope sophomore Anthony Lazzaro is helping to promote the concert with Hottest College Parties, and said he has been looking forward to the show since the day it was announced. Lazzaro hopes efforts to bus students to the show from other Michigan universities will help sell some of the remaining tickets.

“If you look at (LMFAO’s) tour, they’re performing in places like Las Vegas and New Zealand and then they come to Mount Pleasant, Michigan,” Lazzaro said. “It’s going to be something really special coming to this campus.”

- Senior Reporter Mike Nichols contributed to this report.

Actor, author and cult movie icon Bruce Campbell answers questions from students during his visit to Central Michigan University Monday night at Warriner Hall's Plachta Auditorium. (Charlotte Bodak/Staff Photographer)

Bruce Campbell walked onto Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium stage to the sound of applause Monday night as cult horror film fanatics awaited in excitement.

Campbell, a Royal Oak native, kept the audience entertained with jokes about the state, Mount Pleasant and an interactive question and answer period. The Program Board-sponsored event began at 7 p.m. with about 500 Central Michigan University students, film connoisseurs and Bruce Campbell fans, filling the main floor.

Campbell is best known for his role as Ash in the cult horror films “The Evil Dead,” “Evil Dead 2″ and “Army of Darkness,” and also plays Sam Axe in the USA series “Burn Notice.” He has also played roles in other Sam Raimi films including the “Spiderman” series, and will appear in Raimi’s upcoming film, “Oz: The Great and Powerful.”

Campbell answered questions about his career, movies and personal life from the audience. He even read part of an audience member’s screenplay she wrote and gave to him titled “Disrupted Normalcy,” showing no mercy with his interpretation of the roles.

One member of the audience, Fairgrove senior Alyssa Jeffers, asked Campbell to speak to her sister on the phone before receiving his unexpected approval. Campbell asked Jeffers to bring him the phone before calling her home.

“I have Alyssa’s phone and you’ll never see Alyssa again,” Campbell joked before he quickly hung up the phone.

Jeffers was surprised Campbell actually made three phone calls to her sister.

“I honestly didn’t think he would do it,” Jeffers said. “I just got off the phone with (my sister) and she was so excited.”

Campbell spoke about the plans to remake “The Evil Dead” in New Zealand with an entire new cast and modern effects, and he said if the first remake was successful, the rest of the series would follow.

“It’ll have the same impact, we hope, as the first ‘Evil Dead,’ meaning it won’t be funny,” Campbell said. “The first one really wasn’t that funny. It was funny for the wrong reasons, sometimes, if the acting was bad or writing was bad, but it’s a straightforward horror movie.”

Campbell also talked about his relationship with Raimi, a fellow Royal Oak native, and his role in the upcoming “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” starring James Franco and Mila Kunis.

“Sam understands that if I’m gonna be in his, you know, big shot movies, then just give me something decent. Give me a fun little scene with the star,” Campbell said. “So in ‘Oz,’ I get to torment James Franco.”

Houghton Lake senior Travis Rodgers said he is a big fan of Campbell and “The Evil Dead” series, and wasn’t sure what to expect at the performance.

“He was really funny,” Rodgers said. “He definitely has a big cult fan base from the movies and I think that’s what brought everybody out.”

Goodall in 1999. (Akira Suwa/Philadelphia Inquirer)

Editor’s note: This article was revised for clarity.

World-renowned primatologist, anthropologist and conservationist Jane Goodall will speak at Central Michigan University in March.

Central Michigan University will pay $60,000 to the Jane Goodall Institute.

Goodall, 77, is best known for her work studying the chimpanzees of Gombe National Park in Tanzania. She will deliver a speech, “Making a Difference Everyday with Jane Goodall,” on March 28, 2012 in the Events Center.

Liz Morris, secretary of the speaker series committee, said funding for Goodall’s visit came from a $60,000, one-time gift from the college deans and the provost, along with smaller contributions from other departments on campus.

“She’s one of the top researchers or scientists in the world,” said Eric Buschlen, assistant professor of recreation, parks and leisure services, who is on the Academic Senate’s speaker series committee.

The speech will focus on changes in the world Goodall has witnessed personally and professionally over that last 50 years, how those changes affect humans, animals and the environment and how humans should proceed over the next 50 years.

The committee contacted Goodall this summer and invited her to CMU.

“We knew we had received the funding at the beginning of (the) last (academic) year, and we booked her over the summer,” Morris said. “We said we’d like to have her come in the spring of 2012 and it worked out well, because she was already going to be in the U.S. in March.”

Morris said the committee plans to work with groups like Program Board to show documentaries on campus about Goodall’s work and life in the weeks leading up to her speech.

“It’s so people can get some information about her before she arrives,” Morris said.

The committee also plans to reach out to area K-12 schools, public libraries and other colleges and universities in Michigan about the event.

“We’re really excited for the opportunity to bring a lot of people to campus and get the name of CMU out there,” Morris said.