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Crouching Tigergives audience kung fu fun
Every few years, a foreign language film comes along with enough hype to make a splash on these shores.
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Boy band wants respect
By NEKESA MUMBI WOODY AP Music Writer NEW YORK - O-Town, the latest boy band to make teen-age girls swoon, has a message for its critics: Don’t hate us just because we’re beautiful. “We’re going to be the best band out there, and we’re not even going to let the fact that we’re five good-looking guys in the teen market affect us musically and let it lower the bar,”group member Jacob Underwood said. Credibility is what O-Town is seeking since their gimmicky formation on ABC’s “Making the Band” reality show last May.
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Tradition should be kept at Univ. of Iowa
Nobody can describe it in more eloquent terms than Homer Simpson - “Mmmm, Beer.”But not everyone is a fan of the cure-all temporary solution to life’s problems.Prime example: the residents of Iowa City, Iowa, and the administration of the University of Iowa, which calls the city home.According to an Associated Press story, school officials instructed the Hawkeye pep band to quit singing the words to the polka song, “In Heaven There Is No Beer,” three weeks ago after residents questioned the appropriateness of the song, given the university’s and city’s efforts to put underage and binge drinking in check.The song’s lyrics include the chorus, “In heaven, there is no beer/That’s why we drink it here/And when we’re gone from here/All our friends will be drinkin’ all the beer.”The band has performed the song to celebrate Hawkeye basketball victories for more than 20 years.
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Local artist debuts with mellow sound
Sean Madigan Hoen The Atavan Tapes CTW Records A singing voice that is completely natural, and not changed with voice-altering machines, usually makes for a more sincere and true sound. Detroit native Sean Madigan Hoen’s debut album “The Atavan Tapes” is refreshing in this way.
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Fresh faces grace stage at Wharton this spring
With spanking-new theatrical Spartan blood and lots of enthusiasm, two freshmen will put their talent to work and lead the MSU Department of Theater’s spring productions, “Sylvia” and “The Diary of Anne Frank.”“We give the roles to the talent,” said Frank Rutledge, MSU professor of theater, of his decision to cast no-preference freshman Megan Milota as Anne in “The Diary of Anne Frank.” “It’s how professional theater works, and university theater should echo pro theater as much as possible.”Anne is a character who possesses an unbridled amount of spirited girlish charm, which develops to a somber maturity beyond her years, and the play covers serious and accurate areas of history.
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Band doesnt have it made yet
Brassy Got It Made Wiiija Records “Nothing, can compete, with the B-R-A-Double S-Y Beat!” At least, that’s what Brassy chants in the opening track of their debut effort entitled, appropriately enough, “No Competition.” The boggle is, they have a lot of competition.
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Detroit-based rocker brings back musical variety
Wayne Kramer isn’t a fan of the “ghettoizing” of music tastes.“I don’t think it’s necessary to push everyone who likes one type of music in one corner and everyone else in another corner,” he said.
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Playboy guru advises U
Have you ever wondered if astronauts have had sex in space? If so, Playboy magazine adviser Chip Rowe will be at MSU on Friday with the answer to that and other strange, sexy or hilarious questions running through your brain. Rowe is coming to Spartan country through efforts of the Campus Center, a student organization that provides weekend entertainment at the International Center and Wells Hall.
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Music sellouts diminish craft
The world needs another Jim Morrison. This thought dawned on me as I was driving back to MSU on Sunday morning.
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Cruise, Kidman call it quits after 11 year marriage
LOS ANGELES - After 11 years of marriage, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman said Monday that they are separating because their work is keeping them apart.Pat Kingsley, a spokeswoman for the actors, said the decision was made regretfully.“Citing the difficulties inherent in divergent careers, which constantly keep them apart, they concluded that an amicable separation seems best for both of them at this time,” Kingsley said.The couple have two adopted children, Connor and Isabella.
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Love and Lopez a big hit at box office
LOS ANGELES - Traditional Valentine’s romance won out over the slasher variety at the box office. Jennifer Lopez’s “The Wedding Planner” remained the No.
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London theater pays tribute to Shakespeare
LONDON - Shakespeare’s Globe is preparing a summer devoted entirely to its namesake, with “King Lear” kicking off a three-play repertory in May at London’s newest - and oldest - playhouse. This summer’s lineup starts May 12 with Julian Glover as Lear, Shakespeare’s most fearsome monarch. Joining “Lear” in repertory May 27 is “Macbeth” and then “Cymbeline” follows June 30. The 20-week season finishes Sept.
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Horror film gives nothing new to U
Just in time for the holiday comes “Valentine.” It’s a slasher film not unlike other seasonal horror favorites, namely “Halloween,” “Jack Frost” and “Uncle Sam.” And in the grand tradition, a killer dresses up as a beloved holiday icon and cuts women’s throats. Granted, the Cupid-masked slasher in “Valentine” doesn’t sport the cherub’s wings or a pot belly.
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Critic longs for TV of her past
Television shows easily become part of our lives. I remember racing off the bus when I was in elementary school to see the latest “Punky Brewster” episode - she was my hero.
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Art exhibit encourages patrons to steal the show
By TINA MOOREThe Associated Press PHILADELPHIA - Slip it under your raincoat, throw it in your purse.
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Dreams are like movies
John Versical always has ideas floating around his head that would make good stories. And although he does entertain more serious fare, those ideas usually involve various household items violently attacking people. “I was originally going to do a cable access show about a guy who gets killed by inanimate objects, so we did one about a walkie-talkie,” the humanities senior said. Sitting alone in the empty offices of Our Small Planet Productions, 201-1/2 E.
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Weekend Guide
Friday: First World Fridays will occur at Ramon’s Restaurant and Lounge, 1146 S.
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Fox refuses to promote female contraceptives
By DAVID BAUDERThe Associated Press NEW YORK - The Fox television network turned down a commercial for a female contraceptive product that its makers wanted to run during the racy hit reality series, “Temptation Island.” The show - which drew its biggest audience ever during its fourth airing Wednesday night - features four unmarried couples brought to a tropical island to test their relationships by dating attractive singles. One couple was removed from “Temptation Island” during Wednesday’s episode when it was revealed they had a child. A bargain-hunting advertising representative for the spermicide Encare said he made his request for ad time Monday, the same day The New York Times ran a story saying prices were being driven down because advertisers were reluctant to be on the show. The request was rejected, said Al Kestnbaum, president of Chestnut Communications in Greenwich, Conn. “I can’t believe that they have a show that glorifies promiscuity but won’t accept an ad for a female contraceptive product,” Kestnbaum said Thursday. Fox will accept contraceptive ads only if the product’s main stated purpose is disease protection, spokeswoman Julie Rothman said.
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Artists attempt separation from bad rap
Dark shadows have been cast on the hip-hop community as the fusion of rap music and courtroom drama have once again exposed its ugly face and is dominating the media.
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Michigan college life displayed in new book
Imagine that you are a senior in college, about to graduate with a degree in engineering, with the support of your family, friends and girlfriend.Then, you meet someone who convinces you to completely change everything about your life, right when all your work is about to pay off.This is Alex Kim’s dilemma in “Apple Pie,” a novel by David Mazzotta.Born in Grosse Pointe, Alex is the youngest son of Korean immigrants.