I have no idea why in the world Sean Penn decided to act in the new movie “I Am Sam.” It can’t be quality, because the movie is so sugary-sweet and manipulative you can smell it from the opening scenes.It could possibly be money.
It’s a familiar tradition - music icons making the transition from the recording studio to the big screen.
’N Sync mingle on the set of the “Mickey Mouse Club” in ’95. The Backstreet Boys release their self-titled debut in 1996. The world also met Spice Girls that year with their hit single “Wannabe.” And who can forget those three MMMboppin’ Hanson brothers? A blond-haired beauty named Britney Spears hit the scene in a schoolgirl outfit, and the deal is sealed. Bam.
Friday • The University Activities Board presents “MSU Coffeehouse 2002” at 9 p.m.
After spending years singing and dancing, or at least lip-synching and dancing, there seems to be one thing that no pop star can resist: movies. They flock to them in the hopes of leaving their oh-so-hard lives of learning dance moves and rehearsing the songs that people have worked so diligently on to get the kids moving and buying records. And then, the movies really, really stink. I can already picture dozens of teeny-boppers running to the nearest computer to write up some letter telling me I’m an idiot and that I should just stop criticizing pop stars, or that I’m just jealous. But the issue here is not the music.
Reflective and bittersweet - this is Neil Halstead’s songwriting. The frontman of Mojave 3, Halstead illuminates perfection in every song with his long-awaited debut solo effort. Halstead plays these songs in an intimate manner, inviting the listener along on his personal journey. The beat is always minimal, but strong enough to keep things steady and calm.
Clarence Greenwood (aka Citizen Cope) shows promise with this record. Singing about everything from political conflict to love themes to emotional ballads, he crafts an amazing album that will earn him national acclaim. “If There’s Love” skids into Lenny Kravitz or Nelly Furtado territory, while “200,000 (in counterfeit 50 dollar bills)” fits the repetitive criteria of the rest of the record, but is saved by the relaxing lyrics and a sleepy breakdown. It’s incredible how Greenwood can use sometimes cheesy lyrics and make them sound amazing, such as with this verse from “If There’s Love”: “You give me strength to beat the odds and overcome my fears/You make me feel like I belong under the sun/You never grow old because you’re forever young.” Original?
Since I was 12, one show has been the center of my entire life. OK, so it’s not that dramatic, but I have seen nearly every single episode of “Friends” in the past eight years. And my life doesn’t get much more exciting than being able to lounge on the couch for three hours of “Friends,” “Will & Grace” and the increasingly far-fetched story lines happening on “ER.” But unlike “ER” becoming more and more of a ridiculously over-dramatic show every year, my love of “Friends” only increases with age. And with possible negotiations between NBC and Warner Bros.
Movie fans have a chance to catch Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new movie “Collateral Damage” a few days early on MSU’s campus. The movie will be shown 7 p.m.
In a tribute to Vietnam veterans and the Michigan Vietnam Monument, BoarsHead Theater continues its Dark Night Series in a tribute called “Touch the Wall” tonight.
The other morning I woke up hungover after I drank nearly an entire box of wine. How that happened is a long story; it’s not worth the time.
A “guy guy,” as described in Mike Magnuson’s third book, “Lummox: The Evolution of a Man,” is someone who is easily identifiable, especially in today’s society. This memoir follows Magnuson, a red-blooded Wisconsin-born cheese-head, who partakes in some interesting situations during Ronald Reagan’s reign, including living in a hollowed-out elementary school music room in his teens.
Just as studio art senior Erika Martinez loaded her car with ceramics, graphic designs and screen printings she’ll exhibit this week with two other studio art seniors, all of her frames broke.She knows getting ready for an exhibit can be timely and costly if things don’t go as planned.
Greeting cards adorned with the typical sentimental sayings are being written by a more eloquent author - but it’s not a move everyone agrees with.
The MSU Gospel Chorale presents “Didn’t You Know?,” a play about holding onto your morals, at 7:30 p.m.
For many people who gather every year to watch the Super Bowl, the advertisements will always be more important than the game itself.
Some authors have the gift to write books and know they will be successful. Carl Hiaasen is of that category.His eighth novel, “Basket Case,” is another quality piece of fiction from his already incredible résume of novels, including 1994’s “Striptease,” which was made into a movie starring Demi Moore.“Basket Case” keys around Jack Tagger, an obituary writer at a less-than-successful newspaper that is under constant pressure to be sold to new ownership.
Tahmineh Gueramy describes her band, Pub Domain, as an easily accessible, traditional Irish band - with a twist. “We include some American stuff like bluegrass, Cajun and old time Celtic too,” the fiddler said. Pub Domain will perform a CD release party Saturday at the Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner Road in Lansing. Mandolin player and guitarist Mike Cutler said the self-titled new album is the dead opposite of the band’s first. “On the first one, of 17 tracks, 11 were instrumental,” he said.
Given Nicole Kidman’s track record as of late (”Moulin Rouge,” “The Others”), with any luck her new movie “Birthday Girl” will follow right in line as quality entertainment. Kidman plays Nadia, a Russian girl who travels to England after Brit guy John, played by Ben Chaplin, orders himself a bride.
It wasn’t always like this. I honestly used to eat a lot healthier. When I was running cross country and playing softball and soccer throughout high school, I had to think a lot more about what I was eating. And that meant eating a good breakfast, a balanced lunch and, of course, a home-cooked meal by my mom at the end of the day. I got a lot more sleep, a lot more exercise and was not surrounded by the temptations of alcohol 24 hours a day. How so much changes in not even three years. Now I struggle to make time for coffee in the morning, and I think I may have eaten breakfast four times this entire year.