University of Pittsburgh - Owl Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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ui Friday... The Day Of well as the new look, otherwise known as MTV. made it a year of welcome musical revision. In the humor department. Eddie Murphy and Joan Rivers reigned supreme. Eddie s break into the big screen with both ‘.'48 Hours and Trading Places as well as his HBO special Delirious brought back the kind of hard hitting, biting humor you're almost, but not quite, afraid to laugh at. And Joan Rivers' can we talk? sums her up for the lady who hits everyone and everything in her routines. If perchance our spare time led us into the theater, we were indeed well-rewarded. Staying Alive. The Right Stuff , Footloose and Terms of Endearment were some of the biggest hits of the year. It seems the big difference in the cinema this year was the move back to actual people rather than alien creatures and machines. On the smaller screen. T.V. brought us a monumental work. The Day After dramatized a nuclear attack in a mythical American city. The fact that prime time television made a 2 hour movie out of this topic emphasized the imminent nuclear threat felt. Introduction Nation II

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NATION Entertainment was a major force this year, with the word superstar really being put to use. Two people in particular come to mind with the mention of that word. Michael Jackson and the Cabbage Patch Kid. Much as Pac-Man fever swept the country last year, this creation was every child's vision at Christmastime. It was something not even Phil Donahue could not ignore, as he devoted half a show to the craze. Reports of Cabbage Patch Kids be ing held for ransom and riots in stores were not uncommon. Parents told stories of waiting in line for hours on end only to find the store sold out before they even opened. And what was so special about these dolls? Could it be that each came with its own unique adoption papers? Or was it their cute, scrunched up faces? Who knows. But someone isn't wondering, all the way to the bank. Michael megabucks Jackson certainly cemented his place in music history this year. His album Thriller sold over 27 million copies; five singles hitting number one and one receiving a Grammy for Song of the Year. The million dollar video mini-movie to the title song was a cinematic triumph and a destined trendsetter and classic. The Michael Jackson look. the one sequined glove and white socks and loafers became the style. And his teaming up with fellow superstar Paul McCartney for another chart- topping single was not to be forgotten. And speaking of forgetting, let's not forget Mr. Jack-son's affair with Pepsi and Brooke. One set his hair on fire, the other . .. well. A record indeed. Michael Jackson withstanding, 1984 was the year music came out of the slumps. Newcomers like Duran Duran. Culture Club and Cyndi Lauper and old standbys such as the Rolling Stones. Van Halen and the Pre tenders pulled music out of the doldrums. The new sound as 10 Introduction Natlon

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CITY The University of Pittsburgh is lucky to have such a big, industrial city located so near. Cam puses across the United States are scattered everywhere. Most universities are the center of attraction in the particular location of their town. Pittsburgh's closeness is a big asset to our University. Town can also be a nice place to escape after a rough week of exams or just when you need to get away Some of the new buildings in-from the books. eluded: One OxfordCentre. PPG Place, Mellon Bank, and the Na-Pittsburgh is a city that is mov- tional Steel Plaza. These struc-ing with the times. Even though tures took on a new look and steel is not on the rise, the city form. The usual style of red-is prospering. It is the center of brick, rectangular buildings a network of varied businesses, was modified into a unique. Many people from the suburbs classy, modern look. The PPG commute daily to the towering building looks more like a high-office buildings that dominate tech castle than an office build-the city’s landscape. Pittsburgh ing in the bustling city. Build-has an atmosphere about it that ings in the city are not consider-attracts people, even if it might ed to be sleek and stylish but. only be an occasional splurge of the new additions to Pittsburgh shopping. are disproving this idea. The dull, red bricks are being re-Page 12: above: the city of Pittsburgh, placed by the luster of shimmer-left: the crosshatch of escalators in One ing silver plates. Oxford Centre, lower left; the exquisite interior of One Oxford Centre, Page 13: upper left; the towering One Oxford Centre, upper right: the plaque outside of the future midtown subway station, lower left: a construction site seen throughout town, lower right; construe tion of the subway. Many new buildings popped up in the now unfamiliar horizon of Pittsburgh. The city's renaissance stretched from one end to the other. This year marked the beginning of the construction of a subway, routed to the South Hills area. The old was torn down to make way for the new. Take the time to really look at Pittsburgh. You might be surprised at some of the changes you have overlooked in the past. Watch the city grow! 12 Introduction City