Broad stripes and bright stars

You loved Andrea Davis' (C'92, Penny Loafers) and her 1940s/1950s Andrew Sisters-esque harmonizing girl trio Christmas performance on DT, and now they're back!

In honor of July 4, after the jump, listen to the Swing Dolls get all star spangled bannery for you!

Penn alum sinks his acting fangs into "True Blood"

Not since we saw this "classy pimp", have we seen a Penn alum in front of the camera on any of HBO's hottest shows.

Now let's add one more to this "Penn alumni on HBO" list.

If you saw the first episode of "True Blood" this past week, and then had to go to your HBO GO app to watch the second episode ("You Smell Like Dinner"), you would have seen Penn alum Marcus McGee (C'01) make a cameo as "James".

After the jump, check out where in the episode he appeared (plus a screen grab of his appearance!) and find out about Marcus' day on the "True Blood" set!

Her 10 year-old Jewish ballerina-figure skater basketball obsession

I've talked about my obsession with the talented and passionate Penn undergrads and alumni who specialize in spoken word.  Specifically, over the years, Caroline Rothstein (C'06, The Excelano Project) continues to wow.

Earlier this month, Caroline performed another fierce piece about her love for the 1993 Chicago Bulls you've got to see.

After the jump, even if you're not a basketball fan, I encourage you to watch the entire 7 minute video to enjoy her enthusiasm, hear her Penn basketball references, and most importantly, learn about why she holds onto the memories of the Chicago Bulls and the deeper, chilling meaning she reveals at minute 6:09.

Hangover's Ed Helms to star in this Penn Oscar-nominated Writer's Film

Rob

After Rob Pearlstein (C'95, DP) and Loren Mendell's (C'95, Friars) short film was nominated for an Oscar in 2006, they went on to create a funny web series about a unique sort of adoption.

Rob had also gone on to create a short film dedicated to all the pregnant ladies out there, while Loren was focused more in the world of documentaries.

After the jump, find out about the pitch Warner Brothers just bought from Rob ...and what TV show Loren directed which airs tonight!