Wednesday, December 18, 2024

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Features

FEATURES

Red Cedar ducks hold potential for hours of entertainment

They’re fat and looking for a handout, semi-domestic and can’t fly all that well. But you just have to love them, our campus ducks. If you don’t know what ducks I’m referring to, look behind the Administration building over by the bridge near Wells Hall.

FEATURES

Naess strives for perfection

Leona Naess I Tried to Rock You But You Only Roll (MCA) Every cookie cutter, token female solo vocalist falls into one of two categories. She either gets lumped with the plethora of come-and-go artists that have made blips on the music radar over the last few years: Natalie Imbruglia, Aimee Mann and more recently Shea Seger and Emiliana Torrini. Or she could, possibly, get compared to those few vocalists who manage to become queens of the music industry: Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Fiona Apple and Bjsrk come to mind. Group Leona Naess into the latter category. Stylistically Naess reminds one of a Liz Phair, specifically from the “Whitechocolatespaceegg” era.

FEATURES

Songwriter to perform tonight

Meegan Holland said songwriter Don Conoscenti has been all over the place in his career. “He’s been a hard-rocker and an ice-cream scooper in Vermont for Ben and Jerry’s before they became famous,” she said. Conoscenti will perform his trademark songwriting talent at 7:30 tonight at the Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St., in Lansing. Mike Cutler, special events coordinator at Elderly Instruments, 1100 N.

FEATURES

Episode I hours of fun

Right at the beginning of the commentary track of the just-released DVD “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” writer/director George Lucas comments that “It’s all meant to be part of one 12-hour story.” That comment is something that Star Wars fans have probably been telling themselves ever since they patiently waited in line after 20 years of waiting and were quickly disappointed by “Episode I.” Why were they disappointed?

FEATURES

Church presents benefit concert

By Chris Mackinder The State News There is one thing that feels better than giving food to the needy; getting to listen to a free concert for doing so. That is just what the St.

FEATURES

GROOVES: WEB ONLY

Long Beach Dub Allstars Wonders of the World (Dreamworks) The Long Beach Dub Allstars have succeeded in creating one of the most eclectic and thoroughly enjoyable albums of the year in “Wonders of the World.” Featuring an incredible mix of punk/ska/reggae jams, the album also delves into areas previously unexplored by the band.

FEATURES

For colored girls to run this week

It’s called “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf” and it’s anything but conventional. “It’s an odd mixture of poetry, dance, theater, music,” Director Stan Jensen said.

FEATURES

Monkey a solid effort

Ever since “The Matrix” came out a few years ago, movie audiences have been treated to numerous kung-fu parodies (”Scary Movie”) and horrible replicas (“The Musketeer”). In fact, only one other film has really managed to mystify audiences the same way - “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” But moviemakers are still scrambling to find a way to fit that same amazing action into all sorts of movies. Well, “The Matrix” and “Crouching Tiger” have one thing in common - action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping.

FEATURES

Lansing Area Potters Guild holds annual Empty Bowls

Generous folk in the Lansing area can enjoy a bowl of soup and help the needy today. Empty Bowls, a program put on by the Lansing Area Potter’s Guild, Clayworks, independent local potters and the American Red Cross Regional Food Distribution Center raises money for local shelters, soup kitchens and food pantries. For $15, guests get soup in a bowl crafted by area potters, which they can keep, a piece of bread and a bottle of water. It will take place at the Center For The Arts, 425 Grand Ave.

FEATURES

Lack of plot drowns Corky

We all know the standard perception of a film critic: a jaded, hateful and spiteful person who hates everything but obscure subtitled foreign films. But despite this perception, I find it hard to believe that anyone actually needs to hear that the new affront to humanity, “Corky Romano,” is bad.

FEATURES

Emmys should remain canceled

Well, yet again the Emmys have been canceled. And once again, the people behind the annual pat-ourselves-on-the-back event are scrambling to figure out when to try again. I’ve got an idea - how’s never? Not only does the viewing public not need an awards show in the wake of recent disastrous events, but the show stands as yet another meaningless time waster that does nothing but give the entertainment industry another chance to congratulate itself. I think just about everyone would love to work in a field where not only do you do your job, but then you get to throw a party, on live television, just to talk about how great you did your job.

FEATURES

Parading around

“Originally we wanted to build Sparty in the place of Atlas, but we used the football player instead,” explained SAF co-director and anthropology junior Shannon Skibinski.

FEATURES

Rocky Horror cast prepares for weekend shows

It’s not quite Halloween, but if you need to dress up anyway, think about heading over to Club Paradise, to see a shadow cast of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”Much like the student production on campus last week, this shadow cast will involve actors playing along with the movie, as it shows in the background.The difference is that this version has been in the works a little longer and has a bigger budget.

FEATURES

Weekend Guide

Friday “The Big Lebowski” starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Julianne Moore will be playing in W-449 in the Main Library at 7 p.m.