I heart Mo Rocca.

Ever since his time on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, I’ve watched his career progress to the plethora of VH1 pop-culture-through-the-decades shows, and now he’s coming to campus March 7 to promote MTV’s latest so-trashy-it’s-good “reality” show, The Gamekillers. Its premise revolves around crashing the date of an unknowing participant, thus ruining his or her “game,” with characters such as “Drama Queen,” played by Northwestern’s own Bridget Moloney, Communication ’05.

Considering I’ve missed all the celebrities’ visits over my four years here – David Schwimmer, Ana Gasteyer and Zach Braff, to name a few – I’m thoroughly intrigued about the dating advice Mo “Media Gadfly” Rocca can give the NU student body – just in time for their Spring Break trips full of debauchery and skimpy swim suits.

I’m just going home to good ol’ Virginia for break – no tropical climes for me. But I’m still looking forward to hearing Rocca’s endearingly witty lisp. I once swore I saw him outside a Starbucks in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and I almost had a heart attack at the sight of “his” shaggy hair and emo eyeglasses.

There’s just something about popular culture and the arts that draws some journalists to write about them. PLAY’s former editor, Medill junior Ryan Wenzel, made a solid argument last quarter as to why entertainment journalism is important and shouldn’t be cast aside as fluff. I think we can all agree on the vital importance of hard news, but entertainment journalism both influences and reflects huge social and cultural shifts. PLAY has strived to take this approach and apply it to the microcosm that is NU – be it in student theater, campus behavioral trends or local bands.

Sure, any informed student should know about who won the big game or what went down at the most recent ASG meeting – but it’s also important to acknowledge how fashion trends reflect socio-economic clashes and that the art of storytelling isn’t just a pastime, but an art that can actually save lives. You won’t find those kinds of stories on the front page, and rightfully so, but turn to the inside pages and you’ll find writing that you can relate with.

And now that my senioritis symptoms are coming to fruition, I am leaving the PLAY staff for a final quarter of lounging by the Lakefill, exploring downtown Chicago and finally going to all those senior bar nights and to DM trivia. Oh, and looking for a job. Medill sophomores Dan Macsai, the new PLAY editor, and Steve Aquino, assistant editor, will combine forces to continue coming up with alliterative headlines and creative teasers, respectively. And, if you’re lucky, the occasional brilliant arts and culture story.

Like how Mo Rocca’s career is now relegated to VH1 nostalgia shows – and he’s not even attributed as “media gadfly” anymore.

Medill senior Kim Jeffries is the PLAY editor. She can be reached at [email protected].