Liz Culley ’03, a creative producer for Myspace, has premiered a new show called “Getting Nailed.” The show features interviews with celebrities as they (and Ms. Culley) get manicures. In an email, Ms. Culley described the show as a “combination of my love of nail art and interviewing celebs (and turning them in to friends) this show is all me. I have produced, directed, oversaw edits, hosted- you name it on this show with every ounce of my being. ” According to her online bio, Ms. Culley has worked with such clients as Budlight, Levis, Nissan, and ICECREAM Creative and previously hosted ‘The Chairlift Interviews’ at ESPN’s Winter X Games. The first episode in her new series features singer Bonnie McKee.

Bonnie McKee: Getting Nailed from Myspace on Myspace.

Charles Evans Jr. ’80 has received a national media award from the College on Problems of Drug Dependence/National Institute on Drug Abuse (CPDD/NIDA). According to a press release by the organization, the award is presented annually to an individual who “has made major contributions through the media to enhance the public’s understanding of scientific issues concerning drug use disorders.”

Mr. Evan’s is the director of “Addiction Incorporated,” which CPDD/NIDA described as telling “the true story of how a research scientist, Dr. Victor DeNoble, made the unexpected discovery of an addictive ingredient in tobacco that led to more addictive cigarettes. It documents DeNoble’s journey along with his congressional testimony, which would ultimately change how tobacco is sold and marketed, forever.”

CPDD/NIDA noted that the film has been used as an educational tool by numerous organizations including CDC, NIH, Medical University of South Carolina, Health Education Council, Johns Hopkins Institute Global Tobacco Control Leadership, Delaware County Public Health, and the World Health Organization.

Ahmed Kouddous ‘09 has joined the cast of “The Mysteries” at the Flea Theatre in New York, New York. According to a review by the online publication Theater Pizzazz!, the production, which centers on the Bible and was created and directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, “sweeps away the mustiness and hype and makes the Bible not only exciting, but sensual and contemporary. These 54 actors and 48 playwrights have fashioned an epic in the same league as the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Nicholas Nickleby and the Steppenwolf’s Grapes of Wrath. The wisdom of the playwrights and the vivacity and dedication of this huge cast of very hardworking actors take the audience on this totally involving magic carpet ride. This panoply of well-worn, cliché-ridden mythology becomes a totally involving drama in the hands of this troupe.”

Read more from the Theater Pizzazz review.

Megan McDonough ’99 wrote recently with the exciting news that she had accepted the position of Executive Director at Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity.  In a press release about the appointment, the organization noted that “Ms. McDonough has been working for Habitat for over a year and has demonstrated skilled leadership and vision since the previous director left in April.”

In an email, Ms. McDonough noted that the Williston Northampton School has a long history of working with Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity.

” Volunteers under the leadership of Stan Samuelson have been coming to the site regularly for years,”  she wrote.  “We are also starting construction this summer at a site in Easthampton.  We are sad that Mr. Samuelson is retiring – but look forward to partnering with the school and other teachers.”

According to the organization, Ms. McDonough holds a Master’s degree in Regional Planning from UMass Amherst and has previous experience at Center for EcoTechnology and the Franklin County affordable housing non-profit the Valley Community Land Trust.

Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity serves Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The organization builds homes with volunteer labor and donations of material, supplies, land, and services in order to eliminate homelessness and substandard housing by making decent affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action for all people. After the home is built, PVHH sells each home with a no-interest mortgage to a low-income family.  Since 1989, nearly three dozen families have become homeowners in the valley through Habitat’s work.