College Admission. Simplified.

Mac Istook '98 recently launched http://www.universitydrive.com/, a service designed to guide teens through the process of selecting a college.

Istook is now a Los Angeles-based TV producer and host (He's on weeknights on the TV Guide Channel's "411 Hollywood"). But he branched out with partners to start the business, University Drive.

He's just finished production on six DVD episodes called College Admission. Simplified. The episodes, available through the website, guide teens through the process of choosing colleges, as well as applying, preparing and succeeding once they arrive.

Playing in the shadow of the alma mater

Green River Ordinance, with a TCU alum on the drums, plans a CD release party Friday, March 27, at the Aardvark, 2905 W. Berry St., Fort Worth.

Drummer Denton Hunker '08, as well as former TCU students Jamey Ice on guitar and Geoff Ice on bass are part of the band that released the CD Out of My Hands last month on the prestigious Virgin Records label. The band cites Radiohead, Cold Play, Tom Petty and U2 as among its major influences.

Upbeat update on Horned Frog drummer

It's not such a long way from the TCU jazz band to the big time, at least not for drummer Jordan Richardson '03.

Jordan joined rock guitarist Ben Harper's new band, Relentless 7, and is set to take the stage at Radio City Music Hall in April when the band plays with Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney.

Relentless 7's debut album, White Lies for Dark Times, is to be released in stores and on iTunes May 5. Jordan and the band are scheduled for an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman on May 6.

That's quite a gig for a Horned Frog who played in the jazz band from 1999-2003.

Check out the video of Jordan on the drums at http://www.relentless7.com/

Frogs Go the Distance

Meghana Mathew '08 and Carlo Capua '00 finished the 31-mile Cowtown Ultramarathon in February.

The pair ran to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and blood-related cancer research.

"We finished in about the time it would take you to watch the Back to the Future trilogy," Carlo joked.

Nonetheless, they made it to the finish line, where they paused to remember their alma mater.

A White House welcome

Air Force Capt. Joshua B. Hawkins ’03, serving as a White House military aide, met Janet Aston Norwood '73 and her husband, Bill, who were the guests of President George W. Bush at a dinner reception on the evening of his farewell address to the nation.

The Norwood's son, Sgt. Byron W. Norwood, was killed in action in Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004, and he was honored by President Bush in his 2005 State of the Union address.

Horned Frogs create Karma

Look for the artistry of Horned Frogs in the movie Karma Police, released on DVD Feb. 10.
Red Sanders ’04 and Brandon Jones ’00 are two of the producers of the drama shot in Fort Worth and Dallas using an almost entirely local cast and crew.
The full-length film tells the story of Charles West, played by Chamblee Ferguson, a long-time Dallas stage actor. The character Charles West is responsible for judging others’ behavior when he should have been judging his own.
Karma Police began filming in February 2007 and made its premier at the AFI-Dallas International Film Festival last year. The movie also has been screened at the Marbella International Film Festival in Spain and the Lone Star International Film Festival in Fort Worth. It is being distributed on DVD only by Westlake Entertainment.

Green River Rising

He just graduated in December and already Denton Hunker '08 and his band Green River Ordinance is releasing another CD, this one through mega-producer Virgin Records.

The CD Out of My Hands is set for release Feb. 24. A single from the album Come On is already available from iTunes.

Band members, including former students Jamey Ice on guitar and Geoff Ice on bass, cite Radiohead, Cold Play, Tom Petty and U2 among their major influences.

The group signed a five-album contract with Capitol/Virgin Records in 2005.

Green River Ordinance is now on tour with a stop in Big D at the Palladium Ballroom on March 27.

Check out the band's website for more info.