The last couple of weeks leading up to spring break are a set of the most frustrating and stressful days of the second semester.
Arts
The Illusionist’ Casts A Winning Spell
By: Brennan Carley
Though not as flashy as Toy Story 3 or How To Train Your Dragon, the third Best Animated Picture nominee, The Illusionist, charms and sparkles with melancholy. Largely dialogue-free and wonderfully drawn, the film explores the life of a disenchanted French magician who wanders to Scotland. In a tiny village in the highlands of the country, he stumbles upon an enthralling girl who changes his life forever.
Arts
An Independent Frame of Mind
By: Brennan Carley
I long for the days when Nicholas Cage had his head on straight, that time when Lindsay Lohan took the world by storm in Mean Girls, and when John Travolta wasn’t constantly battling rumors about his private life rather than making quality movies (I mean come on, Road Hogs, John? You were in Grease, for God’s sake). The days of when actors’ private lives didn’t actually overshadow the reasons for which they had their fame to thank (namely their acting) are long gone. Who can honestly say that they’ve seen a Tom Cruise flick more recently than they’ve read an article about his wacky antics on Perez Hilton’s website?
Arts
Who’s Going for Gold?
By: Darren Ranck, Brennan Carley, Charlotte Parish
For this week’s very special Oscars issue, we decided to host a mock vote among our staffers, Joe Allen, Katie Lee, and Dan Siering, and editors, Arts & Review editors Darren Ranck, Brennan Carley, and Charlotte Parish, and Editor-in-Chief Mike Caprio.
Arts
Adele Flawlessly Crafts A Perfect ’21’
By: Brennan Carley
Taking a look at yesterday’s top 10 most downloaded songs on iTunes, one finds the list littered with predictable hits by Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, the cast of Glee, and Justin Bieber. Glancing further down the page, the far superior but vastly underappreciated British soul singer Adele dominates the albums chart with her pitch-perfect new album 21.
News
Pirates Hijack Touring Yacht
By: Michela Gacioch
Reports surfaced Tuesday morning that all four Americans aboard a yacht hijacked by Somali pirates had been killed off the coast of Oman. Rally organizers told reporters Sunday that the crew had been traveling with yachts participating in the Blue Water Rally, a group cruising expedition, since its departure from Phuket, Thailand. On Feb. 15, the yacht, S/V Quest, which was owned by Jean and Scott Adams and worked on by Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, decided to take an alternate route than the group after leaving Mumbai, India. A statement from United States Central Command revealed that gunfire erupted aboard the pirated vessel as negotiations for the captives’ release were underway.
“As they responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest, the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors. Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds,” said the statement.
News
Rahm Emanuel
By: David Cote
Rahm Emanuel was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1959. His father was born in Jerusalem and worked as a pediatrician. His mother worked in the Civil Rights Movement and owned a local rock ‘n’ roll club. Both of his parents were Jewish. Growing up, Emanuel attended summer camp with his brothers in Israel. While working at an Arby’s restaurant during his high school years, Emanul cut his right middle finger, which became infected and had to be partially amputated. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1981 with a B.A. in Liberal Arts and then an M.A. in Speech and Communication from Northwestern University in 1985.
Arts
Grammy’s Best And Brightest
By: Brennan Carley
Performing their least-television friendly song, the Canadian-bred band members tore their way through an edgily wonderful “Month of May.” Moments later, Win Butler accepted the Album of the Year Grammy for The Suburbs, the first time in years that the award has truly gone to the best album of the year.
Arts
Best of Lady Gaga Performances
By: Brennan Carley
Assoc. Arts & Review Editor Brennan Carley recounts the best Lady Gaga performances.
News
Mubarak’s 30-Year Regime Falls
By: David Cote
On Feb. 10, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned from his nearly 30 years in office, a change precipitated by widespread protests throughout Egypt, which began Jan. 25.
“President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down from his post as president of the republic and has empowered the supreme council of the armed forces to manage the affairs of the government,” said Omar Suleiman, Egyptian vice president, in a television broadcast last Friday.
The announcement was met with massive celebrations across Egypt as citizens took to the streets in high spirits for the first time in several weeks. Popular opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, called the moment the “greatest day of my life. The country has been liberated after decades of repression,” he told the reporters.
