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Mickey Rapkin Biography & Facts

Pitch Perfect is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon. It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Kelley Jakle, Shelley Regner, Wanetah Walmsley, Ben Platt, Utkarsh Ambudkar, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks. The film's plot follows an all-girl a cappella group who compete against another group from their own college to win the Nationals. The film is loosely adapted from Cornell University alum Mickey Rapkin's non-fiction book, titled Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory and director Moore's own experiences at his alma mater, Northwestern University. Filming concluded in December 2011, in Rogers, Arkansas. The film premiered in Los Angeles on September 24, 2012 and was released on October 5, 2012 in the United States. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and became a sleeper hit, earning $115.4 million worldwide. It is the first film in the trilogy and was followed by two sequels, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017). Plot During the 2011 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Finals at the Lincoln Center, Barden University's all-female a cappella group, the Barden Bellas, loses to their all-male rival group, the Barden Treblemakers, due to junior member Aubrey Posen vomiting onstage in the middle of her solo. This incident loses the Bellas' prestige and respect within both the a cappella community and on campus. Four months later, aspiring music producer Beca Mitchell enrolls as a freshman at Barden University at the insistence of her father (a professor at the university), despite having no desire to attend college. To her father's chagrin, Beca spends her time making mash-up mixes of songs and gets an internship at the school radio station, where she meets and befriends fellow freshman Jesse Swanson. At the university's activities fair, now-seniors Aubrey and Chloe Beale are attempting to recruit new members for the Bellas, but find that interest in their group has decreased significantly after last year's on-stage incident. Beca walks by their booth and is invited to join the Bellas, but she declines and claims she can't sing. Later, Chloe corners Beca after hearing her sing in the shower and convinces her to audition. At auditions, Beca sings a rendition of "Cups (When I'm Gone)", earning herself a place in the Bellas alongside fellow newcomers: the tough Cynthia Rose Adams, the promiscuous Stacie Conrad, the eccentric Lilly Onakuramara, the humorous Patricia "Fat Amy" Hobart, as well as Jessica Smith, Ashley Jones, and Denise. Meanwhile, Jesse joins the Treblemakers. Following some sorority antics and extensive training, the Bellas participate in the 2012 ICCA Regionals, where, at Aubrey's insistence, they perform the same medley that helped the Bellas advance to the Finals the previous year. The Treblemakers place first, and despite their stale setlist, the Bellas manage to place second, advancing them to the Semi-Finals. After the competition, the Bellas try to break up a fight between the Treblemakers and the Tonehangers, a male alumni a cappella group. Beca and Fat Amy accidentally smash a window with the Treblemakers' trophy, leading to Beca's arrest by the police. Jesse contacts her father to bail her out, and Beca's frustration causes a rift in her relationship with both. Aubrey insists on performing the same medley a second time, despite Beca urging them to be more daring. In the midst of their next on-stage performance, Beca inserts an impromptu layering of "Bulletproof" into the set, hoping to reinvigorate the uninterested audience. Although the audience seems to like Beca's improvisation, Aubrey furiously berates Beca after the performance and accuses her of hooking up with Jesse, a Treblemaker— a rule violation punishable by ejection from the Bellas. Jesse overhears and attempts to deny it, causing Beca to snap at them both and quit the Bellas. Despite positive reception towards their performance, the Bellas do not advance to the Finals, landing in third-place behind the Treblemakers and the Footnotes. However, Jesse's roommate Benji Applebaum learns that the Footnotes' leader is a high school student, leading to their disqualification and allowing the Bellas to advance to the Finals. After spring break, Beca tries to reconcile with Jesse, but he rejects her, saying she pushes away everyone who cares about her. During a Bellas rehearsal, growing tensions push the Bellas to stand up to Aubrey, sparking an all-out fight over the pitch pipe. Beca arrives, breaks up the fight, and apologizes to the Bellas for changing the set before asking Aubrey for a second chance. After a heartfelt conversation with all the Bellas, Beca rejoins the group, and Aubrey relinquishes her half of the Bellas' leadership to Beca. Chloe discovers that she is able to sing bass notes after her node removal surgery. Meanwhile, Treblemakers leader, Bumper Allen, quits the group after being offered a job as a back-up singer for John Mayer. With Bumper gone, Jesse convinces the Trebles to open a spot for Benji, which had been previously denied to him despite his impressive audition. At the Finals, the Bellas perform a more modern medley arranged by Beca, which includes "Don't You (Forget About Me)", featured in The Breakfast Club, one of Jesse's favorite movies. This acts as a more effective apology, and after the performance, she and Jesse kiss. The Bellas emerge victorious over the Treblemakers and win the national championship. Six months later, auditions are held to recruit new members. Cast Anna Kendrick as Beca Mitchell, an introverted and rebellious mash-up producer who joins the Barden Bellas after persuasion from Chloe. Skylar Astin as Jesse Swanson, an outgoing Barden freshman who hopes to become a film score composer. Rebel Wilson as Patricia "Fat Amy" Hobart, a confident, comical singer from Tasmania. Adam DeVine as Bumper Allen, the egotistical leader of the Barden Treblemakers. Anna Camp as Aubrey Posen, the uptight and traditionalist co-leader of the Bellas. Brittany Snow as Chloe Beale, the friendlier and more civil co-leader of the Bellas. Alexis Knapp as Stacie Conrad, a singer and dancer with a high sex drive. Ester Dean as Cynthia Rose Adams, a tough, forthright soul singer and rapper. Hana Mae Lee as Lilly Onakuramara, an eccentric, soft-spoken, and talented beatboxer. Ben Platt as Benji Applebaum, Jesse's roommate, an skilled illusionist who wishes to become a Treblemaker. Utkarsh Ambudkar as Donald, Bumper's right-hand man, a vocalist, beatboxer, and rapper. Michael Viruet as Unicycle, a beatboxer. John Michael Higgins as John Smith, a commentator for the ICCAs. Elizabeth Banks as Gail Abernathy-McKadden, a commentator for the ICCAs. Additionally, Kelley Alice Jakle, Wanetah Walmsley, Shelley Regner, Car.... Discover the Mickey Rapkin popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Mickey Rapkin books.