Monday, May 6, 2024

Entertainment

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Murders keeps audience puzzled, hysterical

In the spirit of the classic whodunit, “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” uses a zany cast and cleverly contrived plot that leaves you wondering until the last scene. Although similar to “Clue,” and “Murder By Death,” this farce, the first MSU student production of the year, is just as funny, if not funnier, than the two. The play, directed by English senior Michael Scott Hunter, takes place in an old mansion in Chappaqua, N.Y.

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Sequel ruins legacy of 'Blair Witch'

To put it in a plain and simple statement, “Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2,” the follow-up to one of the most profitable films ever made, is a disappointment that overshadows even the worst of film sequels. The movie - despite the innovation of its predecessor - is not scary, even though it tried to be; is not funny, even though it wanted to be; and definitely is not a good enough film to live up to all the hype surrounding it, even though many have waited for the witch to come back. This so-called return of the Blair Witch is more than a disappointment; it’s a travesty that unfortunately brings up the question “Why?” Why did the executive producers, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, the two men behind the curtain of the first film, allow this movie to be made?

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Greenhouse provides relaxing haven for horticulture student

Campus is peppered with leaves, sweaters, fleeces and jackets. Students and professors complain about the cold but admire the brightly colored maples, oaks and flowers that make up MSU’s fall environment.Meanwhile, Wesley Richards is sweating in a light blue T-shirt and jeans while watering a monochromatic habitat of dark green plants and trees.But the horticulture freshman is in the middle of campus.Richards is working Thursday in the Rainforest room of the Botany Greenhouse behind Marshall Hall.“The first thing we do when we come in the morning is open the vents,” he says.

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Weekend Guide

Friday Jazz pianist Billy Taylor and trio plays at the Wharton Center. The group will dedicate a piece commissioned by the Wharton Center in honor of Clifton Wharton III, the late son of former MSU President Clifton Wharton and his wife Dolores.

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Halloween Heaven

Don’t let the eerie music, dimmed lights, dripping candles and Halloween statuettes scare you too much. Lansing resident Robert “Rock” Hudson isn’t trying to scare anyone; he’s just having fun. Hudson’s apartment houses more than 1,200 miniature Halloween statues that he has been collecting for seven years.

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Shop rents costumes for parties

Dressing up for Halloween may seem a little immature, but no matter who you are, the Lansing Civic Players Costume Shop will bring out the kid in you. Carrying nearly 10,000 authentic-looking costumes, the costume shop, located above the Lansing Civic Players Guild, 2300 E.

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Satans son, angels entice film audiences

Today marks the culmination of a year of anxious waiting for many movie fans, as today is the official coast-to-coast release of “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.” Although the film may hog the spotlight this weekend, it’s not the only one out there showing promise. For the next three weeks, an entire brigade of potentially great films will hit theaters, including a few long, and not so long, awaited returns and some new, fresh movies fit for the silver screen. Today “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” Well, what can be said about this film?

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Michael Wilder has visited at least four haunted houses every year since he was 10. A decade later, the pre-law and finance sophomore still gets scared while going through “haunted” buildings. “They get you all the time,” Wilder said.

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Exhibit celebrates Mich., U.S. fairs

There was a time when more than 90 percent of U.S. industry revolved around agriculture. Today only 2 percent of industry involves agriculture.But fairs showcasing the creativity and education related to agriculture have remained popular despite this industry shift.“It’s Fairtime!: Today’s Fairs,” an exhibition celebrating fairs and how they’ve affected the United States, opens Sunday at the MSU Museum.“Fairs have historically been a place where people can learn about new things,” said exhibit co-curator Julie Avery.The exhibit will display aspects of contemporary fairs, including sections about youth education and leadership, volunteerism, technology and recreation.

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E.L.s Eight Ball Grifter to perform in Gothabilly Web cast

In a new twist on rockabilly and Goth, bands such as East Lansing’s Eight Ball Grifter are combining ghoulish and dark lyrics with traditional rockabilly sounds and punk rock to create a new genre touted as Gothabilly.Traditional rockabilly music includes fast tempos that are still danceable, with lyrics about the darker side of life.

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Drums set tone for American Don

Don Caballero American Don (Touch and Go Records) Experimental science-rock trio Don Caballero outdoes itself on “American Don,” its fourth studio album off Touch and Go Records.

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Panel discusses feminism and art

Surrounded by the work of feminist artist Miriam Schapiro, a panel of four discussed the role of feminism in art Tuesday at Kresge Art Museum.The Women’s Studies Program and the Department of Art held a symposium, “Feminism and Art: Differing Perspectives Over 30 Years,” concerning women’s roles in art in the past and present.“I can’t take anything for granted,” said studio art graduate student April Liu, who was one of the panelists.

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Organization accepts entries for film festival

After an outstanding spring film festival exhibited more than 100 films from around the world, the East Lansing Film Festival has begun taking entries for eligible films for its 2001 festival.“We have already received some submissions,” said Jennifer White, the festival’s director.