USC Film School, Julliard, East Carolina University. You laugh? Well, ECU has been responsible for some amazing cinematic achievements over the last decade or so. Sandra Bullock … yeah, she went there when I did. Kevin Williamson, creator of Dawson’s Creek and Scream — Pirate. And the list of insane talents goes on — Emily Proctor, from The West Wing and now CSI: Miami, Michelle Brewer/Nina Repeta, Bessie from the Creek. It’s a wonder people go anywhere else for artisitic education.

Another famous person that went to ECU is my former roomate from my junior and (first) senior years, Chris Glatis. We saw his film, Callback (www.callbackthefilm.com), last night at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival. It is a dark and intense tale of a man looking for validation but only finding humiliation and rejection. Leave it to those ECU people to go deep, real deep … East Cackalackey — go Pirates.