ArtsEtc. Presents
A Restaurant Week Special C1 Spring 2013 Registration Issue
ArtsEtc. Editors Colin Kellogg & Tim Hadick arts@badgherald.com
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Steenbock's on Orchard
43 North Contemporary American 108 King St. With its delectable menu and sleek interior, 43 North is sure to be a classy dining experience. If you’ve dined in Restaurant Muramoto or Sushi Muramoto, you’ve likely experienced the attention to detail and to flavor experimentation typical of owner Shinji Muramoto’s establishments. On 43 North’s Restaurant Week menu, you’ll find three succulent and interesting choices of main courses: salmon, veal breast and game hen, each expertly presented with carefully chosen culinary complements. Although it’s an American restaurant, 43 North’s Asian influences are apparent in the first course options of pork belly with celery kimchi and miso-gochujang, as well as in the farmhouse salad, which includes mizuna, a Japanese green. With an enticing array of desserts, including avocado cake garnished with rosemary caramel and strawberry tartar, guests are sure to walk away satisfied.
Capital ChopHouse Steak, Seafood
9 E. Wilson St.
Capitol ChopHouse offers lunch and dinner Restaurant Week pricing, with each menu offering a little something for everyone. While the menu is fairly standard as far as steakhouses go, many dishes have a creative twist, featuring locally sourced ingredients. Though Capital ChopHouse is part of a chain, you wouldn’t know it. Chef Craig Summers integrates ingredients from Madison and the rest of Wisconsin into the dishes. At lunch, try the portobello tart with wild mushroom, quinoa, cranberries and walnuts. Or if you crave something a bit more savory, try to the grilled chicken with sage accompanied by mixed grain rice and herb au jus. At dinner, consider ordering the roast duck breast with Swiss chard and plum sauce.
Farm-to-table 330 N. Orchard St.
The Blue Marlin Seafood
101 N. Hamilton St.
Seafood lovers will be in paradise at The Blue Marlin. Both the first and second course offerings are based solely on salmon, trout and various shellfish. The honeymarinated salmon main course is artfully accented with some of nature’s most healthy and wholesome ingredients, wild rice and Swiss chard. If you crave spicy food, try the curried crab soup followed by the diablo shrimp pasta, or start with steamed mussels with chorizo. The freshness of The Blue Marlin’s fish will make you feel like you’re seaside. Lose yourself in these maritime reveries and treat yourself to a fun, fruity dessert, like the Key Lime pie or raspberry sorbet. If fruit’s not your thing, try the toffee crème brulee.
Capital Tap Haus Wisconsin 107 State St.
Located in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery building, Steenbock’s on Orchard is a relatively new restaurant. Don’t let its rookie status fool you — Steenbock’s delivers full flavors complemented by seasonal, farm-to-table ingredients. At lunch, you’ll find these flavors featured in a soup selection made that same day. Another example of Chef Michael Pruett’s use of seasonal ingredients is the creamy risotto, a first course offering at dinner, made with mushroom, hazelnut and brown butter. Main course dinner highlights include pappardelle with enoki cream sauce and truffle and the Viking village scallop dish. For a high-end twist on steak and potatoes, try the grilled beef flat iron served with roasted pearl onion and pommes puree. At the end of the meal, indulge in carrot cake drizzled in carrot caramel or a smooth crème brulee.
Fresco Farm-to-table 227 State St.
Enjoy your meal in the Capital Tap Haus’ exquisitely decorated rustic interior, illuminated by the warm glow of lantern lights. Capital Tap Haus excels at Wisconsin favorites, and you’ll find Taste of Madison award-winning items, such as Reuben rolls and Capital Dark BBQ pulled pork on the menu. If Reuben rolls aren’t your thing, start off the meal with flavorful garlic parsley frites. At dinner, Capital Tap Haus offers cheese curd apple fritters as a starter option. Treat yourself to the grilled flank steak at dinner or its sandwich counterpart at lunch. Whether it is lunch or dinner, indulge in apple pie eggrolls or the apple turnover at the end of your meal.
Located on top of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Fresco touts itself as the most romantic restaurant in Madison. Fresco’s Restaurant Week menu offers selections appealing to both lighter and heavier palates, as well as those that utilize local staples. For example, the Wisconsin apple salad features Hook’s Blue Paradise cheese, from the award-winning Hook’s Cheese Company in Mineral Point, Wis. Menu highlights include carrot soup, seared mahi-mahi and ricotta cheese gnocchi with brown butter herb crème. The mahimahi features an interesting array of flavors — roasted cauliflower risotto, almond and raspberry vinaigrette. For a unique treat to finish off the dining experience, try the house-made Kit-Kat with peanut butter mousse.
Harvest
Lombardino's
Farm-to-table 21 N. Pinckney St.
Italian, farm-to-table 2500 University Ave.
From the very first glance at the menu, it is clear that Harvest lives up to its name. Vegetable lovers will enjoy this intimate restaurant that features locally sourced produce in every dish. The main vegetarian entrée, house-made potato cavatelli, comes with crimini mushroom confit, braised red onion and mushroom cream. A vegan option is also available. Don’t worry, carnivores, there’s something for you, too. Choose between roasted chicken and white bean stew or braised beef short ribs with leek-sour cream potato puree, grilled bacon and Worcestershire au jus. Harvest also offers an equally tempting group of desserts. Choose from brown butter panna cotta with poached pear, smoked apple pound cake with a buttermilk custard cream, house-made stout gelato with almond-chocolate biscotto or house-made blood orange-gin tea sorbet.
Lombardino’s Restaurant Week selections are an outstanding tribute to its Italian roots. For an appetizer, consider the uniquely Italian antipasta misti or the ribollita, a Tuscan white bean soup. For a unique twist on a restaurant staple, try Lombardino’s signature Caesar salad, featuring lemon-anchovy dressing garnished with anchovy, olive tapenade and hard-cooked egg. For a creamy flavorful entrée, you might enjoy the marsala mushrooms with linguine, featuring fresh ingredients like mushrooms, sage and shallot with a roasted garlic cream. Finally, feast your eyes — and your taste buds — on the olive oil orange cake with blood orange sorbet, the sour cream panna cotta — custard served with Door County cherry and oat crumble — or a classic tiramisu. Lombardino’s also offers an optional wine pairing for an additional $14.
Graze Farm-to-table, French-inspired 1 S. Pinckney St. Restaurant Week is a great time to try swanky L’Etoile’s less formal and less expensive counterpart, Graze. The food is all locally sourced and organic, and Graze’s rustic interior is a nod to the farmers the restaurant works with closely. The menu includes authentic French dishes, like Lyonnaise salad, shellfish bouillebasse and ragout. Each dish features tantalizingly fresh garnishes. You’ll also find a Southwesterninspired dish: chili-braised pork shoulder with sautéed spinach, cheddar grits and lime crème fraiche. For an adventurous dessert, try the strawberry panna cotta served with pistachio biscotti and citrus honey, or the apple almond tart drizzled in raspberry sauce. For a safer but still delectable option, Graze offers banana-chocolate chip pudding with caramel sauce
Porta Bella Italian 425 N. Frances St. If you’re in the mood to clog your arteries or want a meal that will tide you over for the week, Porta Bella is the spot. A majority of the menu items are “stuffed” — stuffed mushrooms, stuffed pork loin, stuffed shrimp, two kinds of stuffed steak and, to finish the meal off, two different kinds of stuffed cannoli. For dinner, choose between the steak braciola, the pork loin, the crab stuffed shrimp or the New York strip and you’re sure to get your money’s worth. Before you eat your way to carnivorous bliss, snack on a salad, the stuffed mushrooms or the spinach artichoke dip. If you saved room for dessert, and hopefully you will, Porta Bella offers a lemon dreamsicle gelato and a chocolate tartufo, in addition to the stuffed canoli options.
Sigrid Hubertz The Badger Herald Design
Nostrano European-inspired, farm-to-table 111 S. Hamilton St. A culinary treasure tucked away on Hamilton Street, Nostrano is not afraid to play with flavors. For example, the squash soup has cocoa, maple, sage and pumpkin-based ingredients. The bleu mont cheese salad, another delicious way to begin the meal, contrasts pickled pears with walnut sourdough. If you’re in the mood to try a new delicacy, a game bird terrine (similar to a pâté) is a first course offering for both lunch and dinner. A standout entrée selection is the orecchiette, a type of round pasta combined with chicken sausage, broccolini and pesto. One look at the menu is sure to arouse your taste buds, especially when your eyes reach the basque cake, baked ganache and affogato dessert options.
Brocach Irish, Pub 7 W. Main St. A downtown favorite, Brocach is one of few participating restaurants offering more than three options for the main course. Besides its delicious food, Brocach offers a unique dining experience — it’s fully furnished to look like an authentic Irish pub, except with much more seating to accommodate its solid popularity. Satisfy your appetite with Irish favorites like fish and chips, Shepherd’s Pie, including a vegetarian option, bangers and mash or corned beef and cabbage. Although it’s not included in the Restaurant Week menu, consider ordering a Guinness or a fine Irish whiskey to complement your meal. Finally, complete your culinary tour of the Emerald Isle with Bailey’s cheesecake, Guinness chocolate cream pie or classic bread pudding.
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The Badger Herald | Arts | Spring 2013 Registration Issue
ARTSETC. Presents: Hump Day
Make this year’s resolutions sexy Samantha Johnson Hump Day Columnist
Courtesy of Fueled by Ramen Records
Grammy nominee Fun. will bring their pop rock sound to a sold out show at The Sett.
Fun. to rock Union South Cliff Grefe ArtsEtc. Writer Who would have ever thought Googling such a widely used adjective would result in a band’s website? The moniker that came from a simple band name spitball session in New York is quickly becoming one of the world’s most recognizable rock groups. Get ready because fun. is coming to campus this Thursday for a huge syllabus week party at Union South. The band actually came together back in 2008 and debuted the album Aim and Ignite in the following year, but it was not until the release of Some Nights that it attracted national attention. By this point in time if you haven’t heard fun.’s pop-y, chart-topping power ballads, it’s safe to say that you need to get out more. “We Are Young” took the country by storm in 2012. It was nearly impossible to go a week without hearing the New York-based group, whether it was at a friend’s house, on the radio or out at the bars on the weekend. The wild success of “We Are Young” helped to draw major attention to the album, eventually helping it reach Gold status. The band has also received six Grammy nominations for this year’s awards, receiving one nomination for “We Are Young,” two for the album itself and one for Best New Artist. So, what is so special about this group? Well, nothing really. fun. employs an Adam Levine-sounding singer doctored by a lot of autotune and reverb. It repeats the same redundant, vague material throughout each record like it was written using fortune cookies. Detailed lyrics and real life experiences are few and far between, leaving the listener completely disconnected with the artists themselves. The titles of the latest album’s three singles “We Are Young,” “Some Nights” and “Carry On” are hardly original concepts either. As with many indie, alternative or pop rock groups, it is hard to point out what holds the sound and fan base together. Many would say its diversification, while others would call it confusion. What is all the hype about? Well, the lead singer has a nice high-pitched voice for the pop-rock sound everyone likes to empty out his or
her lungs to. It’s the kind of music that makes a person happy regardless of whether the lyrics are uplifting or depressing. The lyrics are also vague enough so the underlying theme of each record is up for interpretation by each individual listener. This allows for a sense of connectedness to the band even though there may or may not be one at all. Some Nights also features an array of different pop sounds and tempos, which helps to keep the listener interested and excited about what will come next. The drums are different on almost every record, and the use of playful synths throughout make for a very catchy, bright sophomore album. On Jan. 24, UW students will have the opportunity to catch this popular act at Union South. The fun. performance is going to be “really excellent,” according to WUD Music Advisor Courtney Byelich. The band is currently rehearsing for its 2013 tour and Madison is the second stop, so fans can expect an all new stage setup. “The performance itself in Varsity Hall is a smaller performance venue than most of the rest of the venues on their tour, so the UW students are getting a really personal and more intimate experience than they would be getting at other venues around the country,” Byelich said. “The venue has a large dance floor with plenty of room for dancing with a concession stand only a few steps away.” Andrew McMahon will also be performing Thursday. He is well known for his role as lead vocalist and pianist for Jack’s Mannequin, but in 2013 the rest of the band will be staying at home. This will be one of the first performances of McMahon’s solo career since his group disbanded in the fourth quarter of last year. The house will be packed full as McMahon and international sensation fun. take the stage for a memorable back-to-campus show. Tickets are sold out. If you already have a ticket make sure to pick it up at the Vilas box office ahead of time with your student ID. The hours are: Jan. 22 - May 10: 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (weekdays). Tickets will also be available at will call at the time of the show but long lines can be expected. Doors open at 9 p.m.
It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day and it’s a whole new sex life if you desire it deeply enough! January is all about New Year’s resolutions, so why not make sex a part of your own personal to-do list? Consider this: Do any of your vows include exercising more, losing a few pounds, reducing stress, or having more energy to live a happier year? Adding a sexy resolution can help you out with all of your wellness resolutions. Plus, I promise it will be much more fun than pounding away on the treadmill for hours or switching to a diet of carrot sticks and quinoa. This is not about fucking with more people or even more frequently. You don’t have to learn 6,969 new positions, buy sex toys or join a BDSM dungeon. A sex resolution just involves reflection about what you really want to get out of sex and losing a bit of inhibition. But sharing can be scary. So, I’ll go first!
Masturbate more
We already know we are supposed to eat healthy foods, move our bodies, act with kindness and not let the little things stress
could make it even more awesome for them. I haven’t even told my partner everything that gets me off, but maybe if I did, they’d let me in on a little of their deepest, darkest desires. Just remember: Most lovers, if they are good ones, want more than anything to know what your hot buttons and fantasies are, so no need to be bashful.
us out to take care of our minds, bodies and souls. The ultimate form of selfcare is diddling ourselves. So, if you don’t do it often enough already, consider putting rubbing one up on the priority list next to brushing your teeth. Masturbation, when it leads to orgasm, can help us sleep, relax, boost our mood, learn about how we get off to show our partners later and even has a lot of physical health benefits. The health benefits of orgasming for people with prostates have long been documented, but even female-bodied people can get in on the fun. Some studies show women who orgasm frequently have reduced risk of yeast infections, urinary tract infections, severe menstrual cramps and chronic back pain. Best part: It’s free and does not require a partner to do it.
Move outside of the bed
I’m not saying sex in bed is somehow boring or vanilla. One does not need to fornicate swinging from the chandeliers nightly in order to have great sex. If anything, fluffy pillows for propping, plump mattress to cushion limbs and soft sheets to graze skin makes for the best place on earth to grind around. But simply moving to the floor at the foot of the bed, the desk, the chair or pressed against the wall can incorporate all kinds of new textures and positions. Whether you’re sucking dick, eating pussy, jerking off, fingering or fisting, making out or full-on penetrating, try to start your lovin’ before you hit the sack.
Talk more
And ask more! If you have a sex partner, be it a fuck buddy, one-timer or long-time lover, you really don’t know what they are into until you ask. And often, even if you do ask, people need the space and time to be comfortable enough to come out and tell you the naughty, gritty things they fantasize about in their heads. You could be having a grand ol’ time giving great head and not even realize that pinching their nipples and humming the ABCs while you’re down there
Get off the pill
The birth control pill, that is. Let me be clear: The pill is amazing. It has revolutionized how generations of Americans have sex, and being able to screw my brains out without worrying about a baby sure helps me to focus on the task at
hand. But the pill has become ubiquitous as the go-to form of birth control, as if there aren’t a dozen other options out there. And, quite honestly, I am horrible at remembering to take it on time. I have been on it for so long, I don’t even know what my body would feel like without the extra hormones. Are you curious too? Take five minutes and take the “My Method” quiz on Planned Parenthood’s website to guide you to the birth control method that is best suited for your lifestyle.
Kiss more
Face it — once we have run the bases a few too many times to count, hooking up can turn into a b-line for home plate. And while getting caught up in the craving for more can be hot, so can slowing everything down. Think back to how it felt to have hour-long make out sessions; the excitement of wanting more makes our blood pump with horniness. Every graze and touch under clothes turns into electric jolts until we’re basically fucking with our tongues to express what our genitals want. I want that kind of kissing back! So this year, I vow to take more time to just make love with mouths. What about you? Thinking about adding a sexy resolution to your New Year’s goals? Chat us up about it at humpday@ badgerherald.com.
‘Zero Dark Thirty’ aims, hits its mark Tim Hadick ArtsEtc. Editor With Oscar gold under her belt after the success of “The Hurt Locker,” director Kathryn Bigelow set her sights on retelling the story of finding Osama bin Laden soon after his capture in May 2011. Many moviegoers anticipated “The Hurt Locker’s” intense focus on military action to carry over, making “Zero Dark Thirty” more of the same. But “Zero Dark Thirty” offers audiences anything but a typical military thriller. “Zero Dark Thirty” follows a CIA agent, referred to only as Maya (Jessica Chastain, “Lawless”), who nearly single-handedly heads the search for bin Laden. Beginning in 2003, Maya follows every lead she can to find the world’s most wanted man. First working as an agent at the US embassy in Islamabad, Maya tries to open up from her introverted work ethic and rely on her coworkers for help. Starting with an eerie audio compilation of the events of 9/11, “Zero Dark Thirty” haunts audiences with a stark and ever-
present mood of harsh reality. A heavy original soundtrack subtly maintains an atmosphere of brutality that adds to the film’s wide array of settings. Smooth editing and flow keep the film from lingering on any one aspect of the manhunt. The film is wracked with controversy over depictions of Maya gathering information with the help of CIA agent Dan (Jason Clarke, “Argo”). Dan uses various torture techniques, including waterboarding, to force information out of an alleged terrorist, who gives Maya the lead she needs to start following bin Laden properly. Real-life CIA Acting Director Michael Morell said in a statement that the film has many inaccuracies, emphasizing that “Zero Dark Thirty” is “not a realistic portrayal of the facts.” Chastain plays a raw and often unfiltered character, who, on one occasion, unleashes a verbal asswhooping on the CIA Islamabad station chief, played by Kyle Chandler (“Argo”). While her motives are obscure throughout the film, Maya is multilayered and mysterious without trying to be. Being the most-followed character in “Zero Dark Thirty” doesn’t necessarily make Maya the protagonist. The film likes to shift focus around to other agents, including Maya’s “friend”
Jessica (Jennifer Ehle, “Contagion”). Maya’s inability to trust anyone is tested as she must sometimes take help from others in order to make progress, but is often let down after things fall apart. She works best alone and thrives on her own. Chastain is brilliant. “Zero Dark Thirty’s” plot morphs as time progresses. The first part of the film follows post-9/11 terrorist attacks by al-Qaida, including recreations of the London bombings of 2005 and the 2008 Islamabad Marriott bombing. These scenes are used to keep the film going and to give the audience a timeline of events; they simultaneously contextualize Maya’s growing frustration over not finding bin Laden and add some needless sensationalization in the process. After more thorough evidence of bin Laden’s whereabouts arises, the film turns its focus to politics and bureaucracy. The U.S. government as a whole must agree to pursue Maya’s lead, and Maya must fight to keep herself heard and her lead relevant. The most prominent flaw in “Zero Dark Thirty” is its scattered representation of Maya’s journey. It covers so much ground that there’s only just enough room for depth that is completely attributed to the film’s amazing script. The writing
certainly keeps the film from slowing down, but it gives the sense that the film is running on its tiptoes to the finale. Knowing the ending of the story does not keep “Zero Dark Thirty” from being impressive. The raid on the compound in Pakistan is mesmerizing, keeping audiences on their feet as a U.S. Navy SEAL team makes its way to the room where bin Laden is eventually killed. The entire film could have been centered around the SEAL team and their mission to kill bin Laden, but “Zero Dark Thirty” is an allinclusive package wrapped in great production quality and acting. It is best to take all the “facts” in “Zero Dark Thirty” with a grain of salt, despite a disclaimer at the beginning of the film emphasizing its accuracy. The film is not a documentary and it is not trying to be one. “Zero Dark Thirty” is a thrilling drama about a CIA agent’s struggle to find the world’s most wanted man and the emotional toll it has on her. “Zero Dark Thirty” is a worthy contender this awards season and should be seen by all movie buffs, if only to stay in the loop.
½
‘ZERO DARK THIRTY’
A$AP Rocky’s Long.Live.A$AP full of ambiguity, personal reflection Erik Sateren ArtsEtc. Writer It’s easy to criticize A$AP Rocky. His oftentimes superficial lyrics, pretty boy image and rapid rise to fame — from unknown Harlem rapper to YouTube sensation to rap royalty with a $3 million deal with RCA Records — leads one to question his current stature: Is Rocky truly a great rapper? Or is he a novelty, so blinded by his meteoric ascent to riches that his talent is endangered by his own uncontrollable cockiness? Such criticisms perhaps reflect their purveyors’ ideologies (and jealousy?) more so than they denounce Rocky’s. His new album, Long.Live.A$AP, continues
where his highly-acclaimed 2011 mixtape, Live.Love. A$AP, left off. Still here are Rocky’s pretty motherfucker self-descriptions and excessive braggadocio, rapped atop hazy, ethereal beats. But to criticize Rocky for his superficial themes and persona is to ignore the extenuating circumstances that might be influencing his overall sound. Long.Live.A$AP finds Rocky in a comfortable position. In a few short years, the rapper has gone from a life of violence and unease to one of money and fame. On the phenomenal track “Suddenly,” Rocky describes his breakneck pace into a life of comfort: “Now the kids all look up to me, them bitches wanna fuck with me / My idols say
what’s up to me, from ugly to comfortably / Suddenly.” Rocky’s lyrics are primarily concerned with the themes he is criticized for — money, bitches, drugs — but what sets Rocky apart from other rappers is his unusual juxtaposition of music and lyrics. Any banger beat could turn Rocky’s lyrics into a solid Gucci Mane or Waka Flocka track; Rocky instead opts for brooding, ethereal beats — courtesy of Clams Casino, Hit-Boy and Rocky — which either accentuate the blissed-out comfort of Rocky’s newly acquired affluence or elucidate Rocky’s insecurity about his fame. “Fuckin’ Problems” features an uninspired, malicious chorus of “I love bad bitches, that’s my fucking problem,” but sports
a sinister, low-pitch synth backbone, which sonically equates loving bad bitches to some sort of crippling addiction. Similarly, on “LVL,” Rocky raps, “Fuck I’m ‘sposed to do with all this new cash / Thousand dollar drawers just to hold my balls / All I ever do is let my jewels sag.” Rocky loves his money, but it riddles his life with ambiguity. Rocky’s haunted past is a clear weight on his present psyche. On “Long Live A$AP,” Rocky reflects on life in Harlem over an ominous, paranoid beat: “Ain’t had no pot to piss in, now my kitchen full of dishes / Nose bloody from that sniffin’, your heroin addiction / Trigger finger itching, fuck parental supervision.” But he chooses to distance himself
from this past life and demands, “Don’t view me as no conscious cat, this ain’t no conscious rap.” Rocky instead prefers to dwell on his newfound comfort. As a result of this ambiguity — the duality between Rocky’s troubled past and instantaneous present comfort — Long. Live.A$AP is a fascinating character study. While the album lacks the sonic cohesiveness and epic intimacy of another recently-released character study — Kendrick Lamar’s fascinating good kid, m.A.A.d. city — its broad swath of musical influences (including the Skrillexproduced “Wild for the Night”) helps highlight Rocky’s conflicting thoughts on fame, money and life.
Though the album is sprawling and unfocused, its unevenness is compensated by its numerous moments of greatness. A$AP Rocky vehemently rejects conscious rap, yet sports a sound that never fully allows acceptance of his life of affluence. Rocky walks a fine line between intensely personal hip-hop and cocky bangers. The precariousness nature of this line is what makes him such a fascinating and important rapper. If he strays from it in the future, the novelty of A$AP Rocky could easily wear off.
LONG.LIVE.A$AP A$AP Rocky
The Badger Herald | Arts | Spring 2013 Registration Issue
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POINTCounterpoint
‘Girls:’ Voice of our generation? Who wants Lena Dunham speaking for us while portraying young adults as tragic whiners?
Chronicles of Hannah, Jessa, Marnie, Shoshana are earnest, relevant, generationally accurate
Katherine Krueger
Ryan Rainey
Managing Editor
Editor-in-Chief
When people call someone the “voice of a generation,” I cringe. The cringe factor increases 10fold when it’s used to talk about my generation. But because they’re using the trope to discuss “Girls,” an Important Cultural Force, I feel like I’m throwing myself in front of the wave of destruction that is popular opinion. Let me get a few things out of the way. I don’t give much credence to critics condemning the show as racist and classist or those calling it the “Sex and the City” for a new age. Are you a Jessa or a Shoshanna? Hint: you’re none of them. For me, it’s just about it being bad television. The online news and culture magazine Slate ran a piece in December that deemed 2012 the year of “hate-watching.” The writer defines hate-watching as drawing enjoyment from the sheer disdain that wells up when you watch a show. “Girls” is my ultimate hate-watch. This is the show that will make your kids hate you when they watch reruns years from now. They’ll believe that constant whining about how the world has left you fending for yourself in the adult world means you must have something important to say (a la “Girls” creator Lena Dunham’s character Hannah). But “Girls” will also likely be held up as some kind of cultural artifact for what is meant to be coming of age in the Millennial era. If Dunham’s purpose is to hold up a mirror to twenty-somethings trying to make it in the real world, I don’t like the reflection. Don’t get me wrong. I get the transition to “real” adulthood is rarely smooth — maybe it will involve contracting HPV, missing your own abortion appointment or accidently smoking crack at a Bushwick warehouse party. But because each of the characters is privileged and self-involved in their own special way, I’m left hating all of them. When Hannah fumbles at seducing her boss (at her first real job!) or Jessa marries the weird guy that tried to entice a three-way with her and Marnie, I’m left shouting at the TV. “WHY, WHY, WHY?!” Watching the show feels a bit like sitting in the room with Dunham and her therapist, going over her project of the week in a quest to confront insecurities in a never-ending quest for validation. “DO YOU LOVE ME NOW, DAD?” I like that “Girls” is honest. I also applaud Dunham for silencing her bodyshaming critics and the myth that the leading lady must be stick-thin by putting her tits and muffin top on premium cable. But she has also managed to crack the formula for cranking out HBO gold, which masquerades as something that’s bold, relevant and innovative. The characters are talking about hashtags and texting with Emojis? FINALLY, a show I can relate to!!! The cumulative effect is a product that reeks of manufactured authenticity and fake edginess — full of sound and fury, but, in the end, signifying nothing. I also find Dunham’s meteoric rise — browbeating us all with two Golden Globe wins and an absurd $3.7 million advance for an advice book — more than a little mind-boggling. “Girls” is honest and selfaware in a way that most television is not. But by creating a world that revolves around Hannah, the show becomes little more than Dunham’s artistic vehicle of choice for shouting, “I’m an individual!” It doesn’t feel like the voice of my generation. So, here’s to a second season of warmed over cultural references washed down with crappy beer. At least Donald Glover’s in it this time. I know I’ll be watching, but I won’t like it.
My animalistic instinct is to lash out and go for the jugular kicks every time I hear someone try to compare “Girls,” an honest and realistic show about New Yorkers and sex, to “Sex and the City.” The latter is a respected program that had a good run, but was limited to a very narrow target audience. The sex was glamorous and glitzy, as were the lives portrayed in the show. “Girls” creator Lena Dunham has cited “Sex and the City” as a minor influence, but she has made it clear that the program is not a clone, but instead a portrayal of a different group of people. “Girls” is a show about most of the same topics with one capstone that makes it superior: It talks about more than sex. Sex isn’t in the title of the show. Sex isn’t the singular plot device of the show. Sex is portrayed, as it rarely is in television or movies, as the raw, awkward and frustrating experience it often is. But there’s a level of generational significance to “Girls” that makes it such an important portrayal of its time in a way “Sex and the City” wasn’t. Its characters live in modest apartments in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; they’re self-impoverished twenty-somethings tired of the parents’ and older generations who never stop doubting their value. Hannah Horvath (Dunham) might be a pain in the ass, but she’s not the valueless, non-contributing zero some fans see. She’s as talented as you or me, and her story could be ours. Just like her, we’ve taken unpaid internships that should be paid, only to realize they do little on the path toward a “real job.” The best scene from “Girls,” which might be one of the best scenes filmed for television in this very fruitful last decade, has nothing to do with Lena Dunham nor her character. Instead, it features Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Marnie (Alison Williams) after they’ve ventured to the highrise apartment of a bearded venture capitalist whose sexual frustration is explosive and eventually unchanged by the end of the evening. The man (Chris O’Dowd) flips after Marnie spills a glass of wine on his $10,000 rug because he made an unwelcome pass at her breasts. And then the brilliance starts to show. “Do you even know what it’s like to work hard?” he asks, as Jessa scoffs. “I’ve been under a lot of pressure. My whole life. To succeed. Daddy didn’t buy me this rug. Or this apartment … and then you come over … and then spill [wine] all over my gorgeous rug. And laugh about it.” That’s all they can do: laugh. People like Hannah and Marnie — who just as easily could have lived in Logan Square, Chicago; Silver Lake, Los Angeles; or Madison’s own Willy Street — entered the world with privilege, but they entered the postcollegiate world to find that their talent and education meant nothing. And everyone older than them shoves it in their face in a sort of careerist schadenfreude that makes Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers feel superior to the children they birthed. “Girls” deserves much of the criticism it receives for portraying only over-privileged white girls. But the show isn’t mournful of each character’s loss of entitlement, it’s celebratory. Even though Jessa and Marnie are laughing now, their creator is on her way to proving that twenty-somethings have more to contribute than irony and eye-rolls.
Courtesy of Universal Studios
Jackman (left) and Hathaway (right) have received critical acclaim for their roles in ‘Les Miserables,’ both winning Golden Globes this year.
Unique directing sets ‘Les Miserables’ apart Bess Donoghue ArtsEtc. Staff Writer Since their surprise performance together during the 81st Academy Awards, when it was confirmed Hugh Jackman (“Butter”) and Anne Hathaway (“The Dark Knight Rises”) would sing together in the cinematic adaptation of “Les Miserables,” audiences anxiously awaited the release of the musical on Christmas Day. Released in theatres during a competitive film season, “Les Miserables” has done well for itself — a sole musical among historical biopics and other quality films all up for awards. The winner of three Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy, and nominated for eight Academy Awards, director Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech”) brings an innovative adaptation of “Les Miserables” to the screen. Unlike other musicals, Hooper, along with Jackman and other members of the cast and crew, insisted on performing the musical live in front of the cameras rather than recording the music prior to filming. The cast used earbuds to listen to a live piano in the distance to guide their singing, and the musical score was added following filming. This new form of production gave the cast freedom to bring depth and emotion to their performances not seen in other musicals. The monologues throughout the film are not restricted by the score, but rather are determined by the performances of the cast. The film, based on the musical of the same name and adapted from the novel by French writer Victor Hugo, takes place during the onset of the June Rebellion of France in 1832. Jackman plays ex-convict Jean Valjean, who, in an attempt to remake his life, breaks his parole and creates a new identity as the mayor of a town in France. In the process, he meets Fantine, a dying prostitute and single mother. Valjean respects her final wishes and seeks to
raise her only daughter, Cosette, while also on the run from police inspector Javert (Russell Crowe, “The Man with the Iron Fists”). The performances by Jackman and Hathaway are unforgettable. Jackman speaks to the audience with his emotions, struggling to make moral decisions during an era of poverty and great difficulty. Child actors Isabelle Allen, playing a younger Cosette, and Daniel Huttlestone, playing a young street boy, also hold their own in this dramatic film. Amanda Seyfried (“Gone”) and Eddie Redmayne (“My Week with Marilyn”) play an older Cosette and Marius, a leader of the rebellion, respectively. Although the two characters are meant to have the strongest surviving romantic relationship in the film, the chemistry seems to be lacking between Seyfried and Redmayne. Ironically, the comical relationship between Helena Bonham Carter (“Dark Shadows”) and Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Dictator”) as the Thenariders — innkeepers in the film — have a greater spark between them than Seyfried and Redmayne. Crowe, although ideal for the role as a strict police inspector, struggles to offer a musically sound presentation. In contrast, Samantha Barks, who plays Eponine, the daughter of the Thenariders and an activist in the rebellion, gives a fantastic debut performance in a supporting role. Barks played the part during the 25th anniversary production of the musical at the West End in London, and hopefully “Les
Miserables” won’t be her final film performance. Hooper also left his mark with this film. Although he offers an innovative form for adapting a musical to the silver screen, he uses familiar cinematography for Hathaway’s raw and soulful performance of “I Dreamed a Dream.” The setup is remenissiant of the camerawork used for Colin Firth’s Oscar-winning performance in “The King’s Speech.” Hooper’s films bring audiences into the time period of the story, not only depicting the factual events of the time, but also the emotions of those involved. The film runs long, at just more than two and a half hours, but it’s full of intense emotion, continuous singing and dramatic actions and performances. It is not a film for everyone, although its messages and storylines are appealing in many forms. For the year of film, “Les Miserables” is a beautiful work of cinematic art that compares to other awardwinning musicals, such as Academy Award for Best Picture winner “Chicago.” As many members of the cast come together to perform the final number, “Do You Hear the People Sing?”, there is a sense of unity and finality to the film that leaves audiences entertained. As the song suggests, “It is the music of a people,” and Hooper’s adaptation of “Les Miserables” is a moving and enriching film for enthusiastic film audiences.
‘LES MISERABLES’
To place an ad in Classifieds: Elise Watson ewatson@badgerherald.com 257.4712 ext. 311
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The Badger Herald | Classifieds | Spring 2013 Registration Issue
Classifieds SO to reading the employment listings on the UW Job Center website. Squid lab assistant anyone? ASO to the mouse I named Lulu who lived in my dorm room during finals week. I HOPE YOU’RE DEAD WHEN I GET BACK. ASO to roommates who refuse to turn off their room spaceheater when they’re not home and act like I’m a bitch for turning it off. It only takes 5 minutes to warm back up and I can’t afford these huge bills! ASO to guys; you are confusing as hell! H(hopeful) SO to there being a guy out there who knows what he wants and doesn’t play games! One can only wish... ASO to me feeling crazy that I still have my facebook profile for my old inflatable banana. What am I 4? ASO to getting the flu shot and still getting the flu. I’m going to keep complaining because that’s complete bullshit. ASO to skipping my period this past
month for unknown reasons and living in fear that I had made a major mistake with a guy who is so far from serious with me. SO to negative signs and periods, even late ones. I’M SO HAPPY!!! SO to my roommates new wine addiction. We’ve been best friends since third grade and she still surprises me. ASO to 4 out of my 5 classes not having their books listed yet. DASO to the only one that is listed being the one that I might drop. Shit, man. ASO to judgemental subletters giving me the stank eye for getting drunk by myself on these last few days of winter break. stop sucking and get yourself a beer to drink with me! ASO to other schools that think they party hard. Trust me, you were not blacked out if you just told me that story. SO to Madtown in general! ASO to pregnancy scares. DASO to said scares making me vow to never have sex again. SO to that phrase being just as
true as when I say “I’m NEVER getting drunk again” during a bad hangover. Cat owner ASO to the small tuft of cat hair that seems to collect on your butthole in the shower. How does that even happen?! ASO to being bored out of my freaking skull currently... Break has been great and relaxing, but ready to go back to Madison!! SO to pretending it’s bikini season by going to Water Park of America tomorrow! ASO to anyone who pees in the pool ASO to the rabid squirrel that broke into our house over break. Returning to find you chewed half of my desk to sawdust is not ideal. shoutout to the coastie that slipped on bascom. coastie lesson #1: uggs have no grip and tights do not offer much padding ASO to the handyman who found my stash of dildos...well that was awkward.
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The Badger Herald | Arts | Spring 2013 Registration Issue
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we are officially true champions.
SO TO KILLING IT AT MY FIRST GROWN UP JOB INTERVIEW. HMFSO TO UW-MADISON. THANKS FOR THE SUPERIOR EDUCATION!!! DSO TO CURRENT BADGERS, YOU GO TO THE BEST SCHOOL IN THE LAND. ASO to having to remember to constantly check your email on break. I don’t wanna go back to real life yet. That makes me a sad panda. ASO to forgetting so many things at home when i came back to Madison, including: phone charger, printer, and all of my socks...
SO to the young man on Blair who stopped and helped me when my grocery bag split in the middle of Johnson. I’m very grateful for your act of kindness and I will pay it forward. Thanks again!
SO to the 80 driver shouting “ I don’t remember inviting anyone to enter my back door”. it’s moments like that that make me wish people were still doing the whole “that’s what she said” thing.
ASO to Badger girls who look for country boys, 1. They go to UW Plattevile, not here, 2. They’re already dating their sisters.
To deciding to wear my retainer...7 years after I got my braces off.
Anti shout out to the idiots behind me on Library Mall for referring to the Piccolo Man as “The Orange Man.”
shout out to that car parked on lake st. with a huge buffalo resting on the roof. shoutout to finally winning rum and coke pong after 5 games.
Anti-shoutout to Goodnight Hall, the farthest building on campus, for making all of the Com Dis majors walk there in the cold. Why can’t the jocks have class there? They like to run. Anti-shout out the the glow in the dark star inside of my printer that caused a nasty paper jam. Where are you from and how did you get into my printer? shoutout to my boozehound of a friend for loosing her v-card on my bathroom counter. you knocked over our toothbrush holder.
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The Badger Herald | Classifieds | Spring 2013 Registration Issue
EMPLOYMENT
FOR RENT
FOR RENT
15 S. Charter: Save big money and put together a big group of friends to live with! Giant 14+++ brick house one block from campus, 4.5 baths, 2 kitchens, $Bartending$ $300/day poten- 2 living rooms, finished rec tial. No experience necessary. room, across from city park with Training available. 18+. 800-965- sand volleyball, basketball and 6520 ext. 120 skating, with 3 BONUS DENS! Includes parking for up to 8 cars, central air, thermo-paned windows, 2 dishwashers, and 2 microwaves. All large bedrooms wired for cable/ phone/ internet. tHe Tenants pay utilities. Free launbadGer dry. $7195/ mo. plus utilities. tallardapartments.com 250-0202 herald STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM. Paid Survey Takers Needed in Madison. 100% Free to Join. Click on Surveys.
PARKING A few parking spots left around campus. Beat the rush before the snow flies! Spots on sale for as little as $39/ mo in some locations! tallardapartments.com 250-0202
dig it.
ASO to thinking I might actually be an alcoholic. SO to being a college student and following up on this predicament May 20th, 2013
HSO to the guy who was trying to keep my dog from walking in front of oncoming traffic after she got off leash and ran into the middle of the street. I seriously almost had a heart attack! SO to having a first floor apartment where I can gaze at all the fine ass badger ladies running by. Also, SO to fitness because thatshit is dope. ASO to drunk me always hitting on bouncers. This has got to stop. SO to the kind professor who is emailing us our course materials instead of making us buy a hundred dollar textbook. You da best! SO to my trooper of a fish. You’re over a year old and on your death bed but
I freaking love you dude. I am more attached to this damn fish than I am to most of my friends. ASO to the last episode of Friends being the saddest thing in the friggin’ world. Gets me every time
YOUR EGGS. fuckin narsty. SO to Platonic cuddle buddies. I’m all for fuck buddies, but sometimes a girl just needs to snuggle. Without expectations or things getting weird.
ASO to having to listen to my GF’s parents banging over break. SO to the fact that she is a milf and now I can add actual sound to the fantasy! SO to One Direction. I don’t care if they’re like 12
or have 4 nipples, I love them. SO to a really good long ugly cry followed by a long nap actually making me feel better for the first time this week. ASO to being an emotional mess.
HOLYSHIT SO to the fact that I leave for study abroad on Tuesday!! Italy, you best be ready for this Badger girl!! ASO to my ex who’s now using craigslist to meet ‘casual encounters’ for sex. You’re classless. www.badgerherald. com/shoutouts
SO to cats. They’re the shit. RSO to dogs. I love you just as much! ASO to wishing I could take a plunger to my vagina and jumpstart my period. Pleeeeeeeaseee get here soon! SO to getting weird at work parties. Grind trains always seem like a good idea... ASO to somehow getting scabies. why, hello little parasites. how nice of you to BURROW IN MY SKIN AND LAY
SEE yourself in affordable fashion for your face SEE Eyewear has student-friendly frames, fashion for fresh, new semester Colin Kellogg ArtsEtc. Editor With the new semester starting up, it’s important to make a lasting impression on everyone you meet. Whether you’re trying to catch the eye of a new classmate or stand out to a potential employer, the perfect fashion piece can set you apart from the rest. Fashionable eyewear cannot only make you more memorable, it can enhance your confidence. With the right pair of glasses, you’ll find yourself sashaying down the street, signaling to the world that you’re smart and sexy. SEE Eyewear, located at 437 State St., embodies style from the moment you walk in. The entire store is furnished in black and white, allowing the colorful frames to speak for themselves. While the sophistication of the store may intimidate your wallet, it is relatively friendly to a student budget. SEE Eyewear has been featured in the magazines GQ, Glamour, Elle and InStyle. This past November, Madison became the most recent location for one of SEE Eyewear’s approximately 30 stores. SEE Eyewear puts out every frame they have on their shelves, and their ebony-clad associates encourage potential customers to experiment with new styles. Their job
is not to judge if you try on a thick, boxy frame clearly not meant for your face, or if you reach for the crazy, bedazzled cat eye pair sitting next to it. Trying on a pair of glasses isn’t a commitment — they allow you to pretend to be a fabulous 1960s era movie star or a snobby art critic for just a few moments. Sometimes, fashion is about playing with a new look. Whether you’re trying a new hairstyle or something less permanent, glasses are always interchangeable. If you’re someone who already owns one or more professional looking frames, SEE Eyewear is the perfect place to purchase a more hip, fashion-forward pair to round off your wardrobe. SEE Eyewear has a style for everyone, but discovering your personal fashion “dos” can be difficult. If you’re nearly incapable of making decisions like me, the staff has no qualms with helping you narrow down the vast array of options into a more manageable candidate pool of frames. They encourage you to take your time — after all, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to selecting the perfect pair of glasses. Though it may be tempting to buy those vivid orange glasses you could admire all day, the sky blue version you overlooked could be just the thing to brighten up your face and draw attention to your eyes, without leading to buyer’s regret later on. According to Vice President of Marketing Susan Berryman, SEE Eyewear loves locations like Madison because of its
Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald
Students have an excellent new resource for face fashion on State Street. SEE Eyewear’s quality, designer-inspired collection of frames offer affordable options for a student budget. proximity to the University of Wisconsin. Berryman said people were urging the company to open a store in Milwaukee instead, but SEE Eyewear saw the appeal of a large campus in the state’s capital city. Madison is already home to many other trendy stores, so SEE Eyewear fits right in. “Madison is vibrant, there’s a sophistication level that appealed to us,” Berryman said. Although chic and trendy, the most expensive frame you’ll find at SEE Eyewear only approaches $400. Unlike many optical stores, SEE Eyewear frame prices include the cost of lenses, which can be a couple hundred dollars
on their own. However, if you want any sort of coating on the lens, which is recommended, that’ll be at an additional cost. For those blessed with excellent eyesight, SEE Eyewear can sell you frames without prescription lenses. Or, you can protect your eyes from UV rays with any of their stylish $99 sunglasses. Another aspect of SEE Eyewear’s business model that sets them apart from other optical stores is that, while they work with top eyewear designers all over the world, they reduce costs by avoiding the middleman. Some of the designers that created the frames SEE Eyewear sells have worked with companies such as
Chanel and Prada. In the Madison store, you’ll find two different styles by an Israeli designer, each handpainted and available in three colors. Additionally, only 100 pairs of each color are ever made per style, decreasing the chances of spotting someone else on campus sporting the same pair of specs. “We want to stay exclusive,” Berryman said. “We handpick the collection and only order a few of each style.” For many college students, fashion is also limited by funds. If you have insurance, check to see if it can be used to reduce your out-of-pocket expense. Otherwise, be sure to ask
about their college discount — you can get 10 percent off with a current student ID. Though SEE Eyewear’s pieces are by no means cheap, they are significantly friendlier to the college student budget than many other options in the industry. When you consider the fashion, the value of frames from SEE Eyewear increases. If you venture into SEE Eyewear’s immaculate, expertly arranged store on State Street, you’ll love the quality of the pieces and the expertise of the staff. Whether you decide to go home with a pair of your own or not, SEE Eyewear will inspire you to make a style statement of your own.
The Badger Herald | Arts | Spring 2013 Registration Issue
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POINTCounterpoint
Judging achievement in film: audience or the Academy? Recognition by Academy better determines quality than box office success, allows indie films to enter spotlight
Bess Donoghue ArtsEtc. Staff Writer For film aficionados, the time has arrived when the previous year of cinema is celebrated with award show after award show. Out of the many awards, the Oscars seem to garner the most attention, often generating many questions. What is it about the Academy Awards that make them so prestigious? Additionally, what is the value or even importance of such a show? Do the awards truly commemorate the previous year in film? Unlike awards given out at the Golden Globes (chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press) or the Critic’s Choice Movie Awards (selected by premiere national film critics), the Oscar recipients are determined by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which consists of 6,000 members directly involved in the production of film. Members of the Academy vote for categories in their field of expertise--actors for actors, costume designers
for costume designers--and all members vote for Best Picture. Instead of the media or critics honoring films, the most renowned filmmakers from all sectors of production can honor the year in film. The recipients of an Academy Award understand their work is well-received by the best of their field, and that type of recognition cannot be underestimated. In the last couple of years, there has been greater awareness in the films recognized with Oscars. No longer does the Academy strictly honor Hollywood films. In the last five years, three independent films have won Best Picture, including “Slumdog Millionaire,” “The King’s Speech” and “The Artist.” One of this year’s most charming and celebrated films, “Silver Linings Playbook,” is also making a name for itself. For some of these indie movies, they might not receive much recognition if it were not for the award season. These films with low budgets can grow in popularity as their titles are spread by word of mouth and eventually garner award nominations. These films face a competitor where other mainstream Hollywood films have a complete advantage: box office success. If this past year of film was awarded in terms of box office
success, the top five films of 2012 would have consisted of the “Twilight Saga,” “Skyfall,” “The Hunger Games,” “The Dark Knight Rises” and, box office number one, Marvel’s “The Avengers.” While I’m a fan of most of these films, there is more to this past year of cinema than superheroes, 007 and vampires (sorry, Bella). Although these films are not recognized by the Academy Awards, these films speak for themselves with their success at the box office. Films from this past year without this type of popularity, including “Lincoln,” “Life of Pi” or “Argo,” have quality that deserve recognition. The Academy Awards looks beyond the box office and seeks to honor the films that are not only entertaining, but also aesthetically pleasing, well-written and — even more importantly — innovative. Throughout the year, there is a simple and quantitative way to acknowledge film achievement: the box office. However, when it comes to professional opinion in regards to the quality of that year’s cinema, the Academy Awards is a favorable outlet. The Academy is comprised of only the best within the film production field. If not for the Oscars, some of the best films of the year may not have received the recognition they deserve.
Opinions of industry professionals and critics irrelevant, audience enjoyment, experience much more important
Tim Hadick ArtsEtc. Editor Awards season is upon us. Movies that are just begging to be nominated have been selected, while others are just trying to hang in there at the box office. With the Golden Globes all handed out, we now have a good idea of who will win an Oscar gold or a Screen Actors Guild award. But what’s the point, really? Does winning an award really make a movie better than another? No, it doesn’t. One might say recognition is the most important aspect of these awards, that directors, actors and production members are all being rewarded for their hard work. But the system of these awards has a fundamental flaw in how they are awarded: they’re all determined by votes from people that have no business voting. Let’s take a look at how the three arguably most popular awards in the U.S. are voted on. The Academy
ks: Herald Ps ic of 2012
Awards and SAG awards are voted on and nominated by the people who made the movies being recognized as well as others in the film industry. Those voting that have friends up for awards are going to vote for their friends’ movies, and older actors and producers are going to vote based on older perceptions of film — for example, this explains why “The King’s Speech” won Best Picture in the 2010 Academy Awards over “The Social Network.” This is a circle jerk for deciding awards, yet we hold their opinions to such high standards. The Golden
This is a circle jerk for deciding awards, yet we hold their opinions to such high standards. Globes are unique in that they are awarded by asking foreign journalists to vote. But they aren’t voting solely to say what they think is the best movie or TV show in general. Their votes are motivated by picking movies that boost foreign relations with the U.S. Basically, all three voting pools have ulterior motives. Well, what about critics’ opinions? The Critics’ Choice Awards are only
voted on by broadcast members, meaning critics that work with TV or radio (along with a few essentially random bloggers). Where’s the representation from newspapers or well-known YouTube critics? Critics are evolving; newspaper critics are using more creative wording to appeal to readers and the Internet is allowing for more creative ways to gain popularity from viewers. We can’t be stuck assessing a movie’s value with old-style critiquing. There is no good way to determine which movie should be awarded for its quality. Everyone has their own opinion. But the essence of movies is not about being rewarded. Movies are about sending a message to their audiences and stirring conversation. Movies bring us together in a shared experience that can be analyzed, discussed and, most importantly, to entertain us. Don’t let the opinions of critics — myself included — or the people behind the Hollywood curtain keep you from enjoying what you enjoy. What do you think about the awards? Tweet at us your thoughts and predictions about this awards season to @bh_arts!
heav y and bass-frien dly beat, comparing his dream of “money and powe r” to that of Mart in Luth er King, Jr.’s, and bragg ing abou t his car — very out of of list h) ve(is ensi character from what we know of preh com a you to give The Badger Herald staff pitched in Lamar. our favorite albums of 2012. In the secon d song of the pair, “The Art of Peer Press ure,” Lamar explains how he tries to fit In her second full-length more than in with his friends from Compton anything in our album, Welsh singer-songwriter culture (note (see the previous song), rapping, : that track is on Marina Diamandis, a.k.a. Marina the U.S. editio “I got the blunt in my mout h / n, but not the UK and the Diamonds, refines her edition). But Usua lly I’m drug free / But shit, her most successful indie pop sensibilities for a combinatio I’m with the homies.” n of scrutiny and broader audience. Her concept pop songw good kid m.A.A.d city combines riting is “Valley of album, built around female the Dolls,” brilli ant story tellin g and truly an electronic ballad A.d. city rapping m.A. kid, good archetypes, such as the home heavily refere with equa lly super b ncing the ’60s wrecker, teen idol and prima novel and . Every track feels like ction produ its film adaptation of Kendrick Lamar donna, is influenced more by the same All of this, comb ined gs. belon it name, which depict mainstream pop and electronic women whos profi le appe aranc es d, highsecon r’s with The album , Lama e glamorous lives music and less by the New Wave slowly destro such as Dr. Dre and s as life artist his from of re pictu vivid a s paint y them. that typified her debut. s the album a musting make e, grow Drak kid” Examining the very pop a self-p rofes sed “good ne who enjoy s Underneath that pop facade culture she’s anyo cular for parti listen Of . Calif pton, Com in a part of with a up is an examination of today’s pop critical eye, ty rappi ng and quali in on high early truly Marina and the note are a pair of songs culture and its values concerning Diamond’s g. tyle,” tellin Frees story Electra Heart seat “Back In . album sophomore effort the women. Marina’s social criticism is a releva -Joe Timmerman Lama r lets his ego fly high over a nt, reflective, catchy, Marina and the Diamonds is most intense in “Sex Yeah,” a brood ing success. track lamenting how sex sells -Kelsey Sorenson
The best album
Shrines Purity Ring If you enjoy swirling synths, hard-hitting bass and chilling female vocals, Purity Ring’s debut album Shrines is one to check out. The Montreal-based duo’s album is two parts electro-pop, one part trap music and three parts strange in a good way. Listening to Shrines straight through is like peering into the pale memory of a creepy childhood. The lyrics are anything but “pure,” but the album does convey a feeling of innocence and youth. These themes contrast with disturbing images of bodies (presumably the “shrines”), including lines like “cut open my sternum and pull my little ribs around you.” The heavy bass throughout the record punctuates each track with an edge to balance the vocals and ebb and flow of the synth. Some tracks make you feel like you’re swimming in a chilly pool while others hit harder and almost beg to be rapped over — which rapper Danny Brown did last October to create a banger over “Belispeak.” Highlight tracks include “Obedear,” which combines high hats, clean bass and rich background vocals to form a more danceable sound, and “Lofticries,” a slower gem which could easily play during a profound montage toward the end of a film. Purity Ring’s first project is easy to listen to and stands out against other electronic music put out this year. Fans of artists such as Crystal Castles or Grimes should take a listen. -Katie Caron
Channel Orange Frank Ocean Forget for a second all of the chatter surrounding the release of Channel Orange. Forget about Odd Future. Forget about Tumblr. But remember how real the love on
Lonerism Tame Impala Drawing on the sound of 1960s psychedelic rock is nothing new. But Tame Impala managed to refine their sound to make Lonerism one of the most memorable and interesting albums of the year. This is an album about exclusion, alienation and introversion, set among
the album sounded. Frank Ocean gave us some of the most earnest love songs put on a streaming service’s servers since the dawn of the Spotify age. the express songs Few a of y beaut and t excitemen budding but unrequited love the way “Thinkin Bout You” does, and “Bad Religion” complements the hope with pure pessimism: “It’s nothing but a one-man cult / With cyanide in my styrofoam cup / I can never make him love me.” The pronouns were sufficient to keep bloggers and music writers occupied with Ocean’s sexuality and its cultural significance for the entire summer of 2012. But at the end of the year, after the buzz had faded, one thing remained: Ocean had written an extraordinary album, regardless of for whom it was written. -Ryan Rainey melodies that are driving and wrought with emotion, even if that emotion is fleeting. It’s clear that singer Kevin Parker is most comfortable in his own head and, while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it does create distance from other people. But the effect is not indie brand aloofness: Parker’s understated vocals and the pumping synth draw you in and feel inherently relatable. The band showcases a new awareness in “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards,” a song made for watching the world go by from your bedroom window or the second story of a double-decker bus. “Elephant” and “Why Won’t They Talk To Me?” are also standouts. Tame Impala’s latest album feels well worn and accessible in a way plenty of their peers have failed — all the while making a record that explores the nuance of very real fears and anxieties without feeling fragile. -Katherine Krueger
ARTSETC. PRESENTS
D8
SPRING 2013 Registration issue
DROP STICK & PICK UP A new semester means less time for sitting back, relaxing and watching a week’s worth of backlogged shows. With current shows starting back up and new shows sneaking in under
P O R D
major shows’ mid-season break, we sorted through the good and the bad to recommend what you should stop watching, keep watching and start watching.
AMERICAN IDOL Wednesdays/Thursdays 7 p.m. FOX While FOX’s “Glee” started out as something unique in a genre
dominated by stupid kids singing horrible renditions of pop songs reminiscent of the Kidz Bop CD series, the show has finally hit
GIRLS
Sundays at 8 p.m. HBO Lena Dunham’s surprise hit won two Golden Globes this year that it very much deserves for its first season. After Hannah and the gang broke up a bit in the “Girls” season one finale, it’s time to reunite the cast and continue their hijinks in Brooklyn and Manhattan. “Girls” has often been referred to as the realistic version of “Sex and the City,” but the show’s completely different feel and focus puts it in a genre on the opposite side of the spectrum. The story of “Girls” is about post-college life for women finding their place in the world, and it’s a scary look into the future for some of us. The Badger Herald staff is somewhat divided on
whether “Girls” is a good representation of our generation, but it’s still a damn good show. No matter what happens in Season Two, it’s safe to say we’ll see more shots of Lena Dunham’s boobs
the point of no return. It would honestly take a miracle to make the show interesting again. The original characters act like the pathetic high school graduates that can’t leave their hometown, yet stay relevant enough to overshadow newcomers that have some potential. Relationships have been off-and-on for the past half season and have become mind-numbingly stale. “Glee” is not worth the time or effort of bearing with the songs that now sound odd with the original cast divided into multiple story arcs. “Glee” was a fragile concept to begin with, and it hasn’t been handled with care.
GLEE Thursdays at 8 p.m. FOX While FOX’s “Glee” started out as something
STICK
It seems as if U.S.-based TV production companies
have continued with the streak of recreating more British shows. Shortlived BBC series “Jekyll” recreated the story of
Gus McNair The Badger Herald Design
the show has finally hit the point of no return. It would honestly take a miracle to make the show interesting again. The original characters act like the pathetic high school graduates that can’t leave their hometown, yet stay relevant enough to overshadow newcomers that have some potential. Relationships have been off-and-on for the past half season and have become mind-numbingly stale. “Glee” is not worth the time or effort of bearing with the songs that now sound odd with the original cast divided into multiple story arcs. “Glee” was a fragile concept to begin with, and it hasn’t been handled with care.
AMERICAN HORROR STORY
and raunchy, awkward sex. With new faces like Donald Glover joining the cast, “Girls” is going to keep mesmerizing audiences with its charm, raw nature and brilliant writing.
Wednesdays at 9 p.m. FX The first season of “American Horror Story” ended with a very complete tone. Everything was fine, the house would remain in the hands of the ghosts and the main family would live on together forever. Boring, but kind of satisfying. Thankfully, the producers decided to scrap everything and start over for the second season while retaining the same cast, and, holy shit, has it been a wild ride. “American Horror Story: Asylum” includes a Nazi doctor, an undercover journalist, a crazed killer, a possessed nun and a broken woman seeking redemption for past transgressions all thrown
Jekyll and Hyde back in 2006. Now that CBS has its spinoff of “Sherlock” and “Elementary,” it was only a matter of time before more shows from across the pond headed our way. Thankfully, “Do No Harm” is a fast-paced, multilayered drama that doesn’t like lingering on the usual bullshit that most shows set in hospitals have. The pilot episode, available now on NBC’s website, is impressive in just how much it sets up the series for later. Sexy hunk Steven Pasquale plays both parts of Dr. Jason Cole with style and ease. There’s more to come in this series, and you should be excited.
together in an insane asylum in the ‘60s. That’s an awesome premise right there, but how everyone interacts has kept the
show from getting too far out of focus. The promise of one helluva finale has fans of the show glued to their seats.
PIC
K U P
DECEPTION
DO NO HARM Thursdays at 9 p.m. NBC
unique in a genre dominated by stupid kids singing horrible renditions of pop songs reminiscent of the Kidz Bop CD series,
Mondays at 9 p.m. NBC With ABC’s “Revenge’s” popularity as a powerful
family drama, it only makes sense that NBC get in on some of the same kind of action. In their new show “Deception,”
a pharmaceutical giant CEO’s daughter is found dead in a hotel. Her best friend, cop Joanna Locasto (Megan Good, TV’s “Califonication”), is pushed to go undercover to determine if foul play had a part in the socialite’s death. “Deception” stands out from the throngs of similar storylines. For one, its script actually sounds fluid and real with dialogue that won’t bore audiences to sleep. Second, it has some solid recognizable characters, including Victor Garber (“Argo”) and Tate Donovan (“Argo”). Third, its plot is actually interesting with plenty of twists and turns. Catch up on the first two episodes on Hulu.