Oliver Stone to speak at U.

Did Wall Street make you aspire to a Wharton education? Ever wonder why Natural Born Killers includes black and white, color, home video and animation? Well, you and the rest the University will soon hear from the man responsible for both of those movies, as well as Platoon, JFK and Born on the Fourth of July. Filmmaker Oliver Stone will be speaking on campus October 5, Connaissance Vice Chair and Wharton junior Richard Archer confirmed yesterday. Archer said that at the end of last semester, Connaissance -- the group mainly responsible for bringing speakers to campus -- brainstormed to decide which "big speaker" they wanted to bring to campus this year. Last year's prominent speakers included husband-and-wife political consultants Mary Matalin and James Carville, as well as Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerry's ice cream fame. The group was considering author Maya Angelou, Miami Heat coach Pat Riley, various other sports celebrities and Stone. After the organization's chairperson Amy Balonek looked into the prices and availability of the different speakers, the group decided on Stone. Stone's fee is $20,000, according to Balonek. "It's definitely in our range," she said. "We think he's fairly well priced for the entertainment we'll get." Matalin and Carville cost $25,000, Balonek, a Wharton junior, said. She noted that the price depends on the speaker and the agent, and the other speakers considered had fees ranging from $8,000 to $25,000. Archer said the major reason Stone was chosen to speak was his leadership in his field, and added that Connaissance is going to ask Stone to bring a clip of his new movie Nixon to the engagement. "He is very opinionated," Archer said, "And [he] has been on the forefront of the movie industry for a long time." College and Wharton sophomore and Connaissance member Sean Steinmarc said that Stone is a great choice because of his unique style of filmmaking. "He is a very interesting and controversial aspect of the cinematic community," he said. "He challenges the bounds of what cinematography can show." Archer said one other factor that might have influenced the group's decision is a more personal one. He said that the 10-to-15 most active Connaissance members eat dinner with the speakers that the organization brings to the University. "We have found that when we pick speakers who we like, the students usually seem to like them as well," he said. Archer said the lecture is currently scheduled for 8 pm. and will take place in Irvine Auditorium. Free tickets will most likely be available prior to the show on Locust Walk and other campus locations.

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