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Under Construction to play acoustic set tonight

Dan Julian
January 8, 2002

Under Construction was hard at work during winter break, closing down its operation to bang a new bolt into its machine. After switching guitar players, bass player Ryan Ruiz said the band spent much of the past couple of weeks breaking in its new guitarist. The band will perform an acoustic set tonight at Rick’s American Cafe, 224 Abbott Road. “We’ve been trying to make the transition as smooth as possible,” Ruiz said.

FEATURES

Novel loses steam after strong start

Dan Julian
January 8, 2002

It’s a familiar tale.A band releases an album which spawns a radio hit, and the remainder of the record is filled with lame songs that were conceived solely to fill the record.This happens with authors of books, too, and is the unfortunate downfall of Nick Hornby’s latest work of fiction, “How To Be Good.”Hornby’s other novels, “High Fidelity” and “About A Boy” are definitely among the “No.

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Veteran reporter details harsh truth behind media bias in book

Dan Julian
January 7, 2002

It was bound to happen.The myth of the media’s slant on its news coverage has been talked about and argued about since news coverage was conceived, but nothing has been as “in your face” as the recent book by former CBS correspondent Bernard Goldberg.In his investigation of CBS distorting the news in his 28-year career with the station, Goldberg manages to shock the reader various times with tales of misrepresentation and censorship.In the introduction, Goldberg showed he wasn’t as heartless as he appeared, admitting it was tough to write about people whom he considered his friends during the years.“It’s not easy telling you that Dan Rather, whom I have worked with and genuinely liked for most of my adult life, really is two very different people; and while one Dan is funny and generous, the other is ruthless and unforgiving.

FEATURES

Critic hungry for local acts

I can’t be everywhere at once. As much as I’d like to, I just don’t have the ability. But if it isn’t obvious enough, I’m a music junkie, and I’d like to do my best to represent the local music community as best as I can. I received a bit of flak in the past for not covering some of the lesser-known bands in the area, but this is my attempt to do something about it. I’ve received numerous complaints of giving recognition to a choice of delicatessen of the same bands over and over again such as Mason’s Case, Under Construction or The Flow. What many don’t realize is I’m a student too, and don’t have the time to go out and ask around for the talent I know many students have.

FEATURES

Jim Carrey is cheesy yet satisfying in The Majestic

Leslie Escobar
January 7, 2002

Everyone’s mom has seen that movie, after which she says, “Oh, it was so good. You have to see it.” If other moms are like mine, those comments have been heard and ignored by me after films like “The Horse Whisperer” or “Bounce.” But “The Majestic” is something every mother, grandmother, and generally any person older than 40 will love. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad, though.

FEATURES

This break, do something worthwhile

Finally, the semester is almost over. You’ve toiled for months, and now all that hard work has led to a nice long vacation. Of course, for many students, that vacation means heading back to mom and dad’s.

FEATURES

Lord of the Rings real jewel

Drew Harmon
December 7, 2001

Oh my dear lord. For my last review of the semester, I don’t just like a movie. I love it. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” is handsdown the best movie I have seen this year.

FEATURES

Flick resonates sky High in the clouds

Drew Harmon
December 6, 2001

We’re coming to the end, folks. The only movies left to review are ones that haven’t hit theaters yet, and with only a few days until break, there aren’t many available. Of course, lucky me gets to see “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” on Thursday, so ha ha.

FEATURES

Chairs to open this weekend

It’s not often when an opportunity arises to see a play with more than 40 chairs, but this weekend is an exception. “The Chairs,” by Eugene Ionesco, opens at the MSU Auditorium’s Arena Theatre on Friday. Actor Matthew Alfano, a theater senior, knows most students will be studying this weekend, but hopes they’ll come see the play anyway. “It’d be a perfect play to take a break,” he said. It may not be a break from thinking though.

FEATURES

Howie Day performs to packed crowd Monday

Dan Austin
December 5, 2001

Howie Day was tired.He left Rhode Island Sunday night at 11:30, drove until 8 a.m. where he stopped in DuBois, Pa., for a four-hour nap before finishing the drive to East Lansing.Despite the sleep deprivation and a late night behind the wheel, Day rocked a sold-out crowd of more than 450 at the Union Ballroom on Monday night.

FEATURES

Nikka Costa to play at St. Andrews Hall tonight

Dan Austin
December 5, 2001

She was a long way from the sunny confines of the Los Angeles city limits, but you didn’t hear Nikka Costa complaining as her caravan maneuvered its way from Seattle through the frigid confines of North Dakota. “There’s a little snow and a lot of openness,” she said as she admitted to struggling to stay warm.

FEATURES

Great band releases sub-par album

Dan Austin
December 5, 2001

Let me start off by saying, for the record, I love Belle & Sebastian. Everything, up to this point, that it has done has been incredible and holds up to any and every band England has produced in the last five years or so.

FEATURES

Lansing Civic Players present Nuncracker this weekend

Tanee Elston
December 4, 2001

The “Nuncrackers: The Nunsense Christmas Musical,” presented by The Lansing Civic Players over the weekend, left half the audience standing, a nod to the positive energy the musical created. Held at Lansing Catholic Central High School, 501 Marshall St., the show received an energetic response when the show ended Sunday night. The light religious comedy was based on the Little Sisters of Hoboken giving their first Christmas TV special.