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The bartender
Hooray for beer. Novice guzzlers to snobby sippers enjoy the local watering hole, Crunchy's, 254 W.
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Happenings
Friday "Measure for Measure" performed by Sunsets with Shakespeare tonight through Sunday at the Lou Adado Riverfront Park Sun Bowl, between the Lansing City Market and Lansing Center in Lansing.
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Tom Petty album upbeat, another classic
Fire up the barbecue, throw on your bathing suit and grab the trusty boom box from the basement — but of course remain wary of the good times. Especially if you're spinning Tom Petty's latest album "Highway Companion," because like anything: caution is a must.
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Columnist examines quandary of being critic
We've been complainy at the MS&U desk this summer, but when temperatures top out in the high 90s, it's easier to get miffed.
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Lansing gets jazzy
The organizers of the Lansing JazzFest have an unofficial slogan for this year's festival, running Friday and Saturday: The bridge is out, but the party's on. With JazzFest situated in Lansing's Old Town at the corner of Grand River Avenue and Turner Street, ongoing construction on the Grand River bridge could make for some difficult festival-going. "We're encouraging people to park along the river walk anywhere, because you can walk the river walk and get to Old Town, so that will help with some of the traffic congestion," said Old Town Business and Art Development Association President Terry Terry.
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Shakespeare play applies today
William Shakespeare wrote plays in the 16th century, but the character devices and archetypes he used to define and portray human emotion and conflict are just as relevant now as they were then. His work continues to reflect aspects of humanity through the sets and stages of modern companies and the minds of the modern viewer.
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'Scoop' another genius Allen film
Woody Allen acts like the biggest chicken around, but the eggs he lays are still healthy, hard-boiled entertainment.
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Ingham county fair kicks off
Mason — The pigs napped on the cool concrete and the sheep waited to be hosed down, while the humans weaved between hot dog stands and merry-go-rounds looking for the closest ice cream stand. Shade didn't cost a quarter or require a ticket, but it was hard to come by in the withering field, deep in the heart of the Ingham County Fair, 700 E.
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Last shows make mark
Lansing — Steve Lambert and Hood Booking bid farewell to Lansing this weekend, but not before throwing one heck of a going away party. Spread across two nights, two venues and eight bands, the final Lansing-based Hood shows were a testament to the diverse swath of artists Lambert brought to town and to the fact that people will show up for a concert in Lansing, given the right prompting. Night One: Calliope, The Hard Lessons, NOMO, Tight Phantomz and Vega at Mac's Bar Thursday night's bill at Mac's Bar, 2700 E.
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'Vice' entertaining, original crime thriller
Michael Mann just may be one of the last great auteurs left in film today. Audience members know they won't be let down when they walk into the theater because this is a man who puts real effort into every shot of his film. From "Heat" to "Collateral," Mann has never been the type of director who really cares about how much money his film makes, and this might be why so many people respect his work. At least this is why, when I heard he was planning on doing a film version of the popular TV show "Miami Vice," I was both excited and nervous about the idea. I was excited because no director makes a crime thriller better than Mann, but worried because this film had a little more box-office appeal than Mann is used to. The film begins in a nightclub scene — which is quite reminiscent to the one seen in "Collateral" — and introduces Miami undercover cops Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx). These two actors do not come together to create the regular cliché buddy-cop pairing, where the two would seem more like a comedic duo than actual police. In "Miami Vice," Mann decides to portray these two as officers who are strictly business and 100 percent serious.
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Metal made into art
Lansing — Douglas Thayer is a blacksmith. Not metaphorically or figuratively, not "in a sense," not as a nickname or a title he earned for being a hard worker in some white-collar profession, no.
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City missing artistic venues
From the recommendation of a good buddy, I finally watched Eli Roth's "Hostel." I believe her exact endorsement words were, "It's a porn for the first half and a bloodbath for the rest of the flick.
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Happenings
Friday Ted Leo and The Pharmacists The Jai-Alai Savant and Thunderbirds Are Now!
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The bartender
When not professing his inability to drive at posted speed limits — usually 55 mph — pop-metal wailer and erstwhile Van Halen front man Sammy Hagar is quite a fan of the sauce.
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'Scanner Darkly' makes impact
How does Keanu Reeves end up in so many interesting flicks? Ever since "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey," he has pretty much played the same dopey, heroic, straight man, and he doesn't mix it up with any new acting ability in "A Scanner Darkly." Although, it doesn't matter that Reeves is competing with Ben Affleck as the worst actor ever because Reeves surrounds himself with highly innovative filmmakers — Francis Ford Coppola ("Dracula"), Andy and Larry Wachowski ("The Matrix") and Mike Mills ("Thumbsucker"). Most recently, Reeves made the intelligent decision, or perhaps one of his assistants helped him out, to work with director Richard Linklater ("Waking Life," "SubUrbia"). The rotoscoped film — done in live action, then traced over to become animated — "A Scanner Darkly" relies more heavily on a thrilling futuristic plotline and creative visual setting, than Reeves' acting talents —thank goodness. Adapted from Philip K.
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Exhibit showcases anger
Anger gets a bad rep. Sure, when displaced, it can be both self-destructive in its inward presence and hurtful when turned outward.
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Lansing's major booking agent ready for last show
If you've ever been to Mac's Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, you know him. You've exchanged currencies while he checked your ID, giving you a monstrous ink "X" or a paper wristband before you head off to enjoy the show. You may think of him as the guy who put Lansing on the musical map.
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Album dark, but still enjoyable
The album is dead as an art form. We're all to blame for its demise, with our iPods and our satellite radios and whatnot.
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"Monster House" not engaging
It was difficult to guess what "Monster House" would bring to the big screen. Could it skate the line between childish humor and enjoyable for adults, like the old animated "Scooby-Doo" episodes? Should it feed off some of the same innocent charm from "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"? Would it be too scary for kindergartners? Unfortunately, the answer is "no" to all of these questions.
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'Who killed my wife?'
Is the murder of Bernita White going to remain an unsolved crime in the Lansing community or is the case close to being solved? On June 23, 2001, White was shot and killed in Lansing at Potter Park Zoo, 1301 S.