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TNT’s ‘Last Ship’ wins fans aboard a Navy ship

By WTOP Staff

FRAZIER MOORE
AP Television Writer

ABOARD THE USS OAK HILL (AP) — To help kick off his new TNT thriller, “The Last Ship,” actor Adam Baldwin took an overnight sea cruise.

On Tuesday afternoon, Baldwin was flown by helicopter to the deck of the USS Oak Hill off New York City, where, with the Navy, TNT was hosting a sneak preview of his series’ first episode for the nearly 400-strong crew and several hundred more servicemen and women along for the ride.

The Oak Hill was one of five military vessels that would dock in New York on Wednesday for the start of Fleet Week that celebrates the Navy, Coast Guard and Marines.

But before the Oak Hill’s proud arrival in New York harbor, Baldwin kept busy posing for photos with his shipmates, chatting them up and thanking them for their service, and inspecting their brawny LSD (dock landing ship) as it held position some 4 miles out, in waiting mode for Fleet Week to begin.

If Baldwin took no time getting his sea legs, no wonder.

On “The Last Ship,” he plays Navy officer Mike Slattery, the second-in-command to Capt. Tom Chandler (Eric Dane) on a Navy destroyer that, by chance, evades a pandemic that kills much of the world’s population. The only hope of saving what’s left of humanity rests on Slattery and Chandler, the crew of the USS Nathan James, and especially Rachel Scott (played by Rhona Mitra), a crack paleomicrobiologist who, fortunately, is assigned to the ship.

The 10-episode season (which starts June 22) was mostly filmed in Los Angeles, but several days’ location shooting put Baldwin and his castmates on a pair of Navy destroyers off San Diego.

Along with his other credits (including “Chuck,” ”Firefly” and “The X-Files”), Baldwin was also a star of the dry-land Vietnam War classic “Full Metal Jacket.”

This 1987 Stanley Kubrick epic (with Baldwin unforgettable as the pugilistic Marine sergeant Animal Mother) just happened to be playing on the Oak Hill’s shipboard video system when Baldwin paid a call on his real-life Navy equivalent, Cmdr. Scott Bowman, the Oak Hill’s XO.

As the film streamed silently on the TV in Bowman’s stateroom (that’s “office” for civilians), both men smiled at the screen appreciatively.

Baldwin recalled how the film had taken nine long months to shoot. And what did he do during all the downtime? “Smoked cigarettes and played cards.”

“Just like a real Marine,” Bowman joked.

One site for that evening’s “Last Ship” screening was the Crew Mess, where Baldwin paid tribute to the gathered by declaring, “Without you all doing what you do, we couldn’t be free to do what we do.”

An approving matinee-audience kind of buzz accompanied the episode, but, just a few minutes in, the room erupted with a whoop at the sight of a delicious military no-no: a serviceman and woman (played by Travis Van Winkle and Marissa Neitling) display their secret affair with a passionate smooch.

The audience stayed glued through the hour, but never more audibly than in the final moments as Capt. Chandler snaps an emotional salute — bareheaded. In the Navy, you don’t salute without a “cover.”

As the episode ended, Baldwin greeted his fans’ “gotcha” roar with a grin and a knowing shrug.

“We’ll fix that later in the season,” he said over the applause of these viewers, clearly onboard. “Our show gets even better!”

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EDITOR’S NOTE — Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore@ap.org and at http://www.twitter.com/tvfrazier. Past stories available at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/frazier-moore

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Online:

http://www.tntdrama.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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