Pulse - February 2013 by CVPulse

FEBRUARY 2013 DANCE FRENZY

BIG SCREEN RUNDOWN

OSCARS & RAZZIES

HOUSE PARTY

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PULSE

contents Bringing the Noise

Budding Cedar Falls promoters are bringing some big-name talent to the Cedar Valley. Alan Jackson and Larry the Cable Guy performances are set, and plans are in the works for more.

Come on dowwwwnNN!

Drawing the Town

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02 13

in this ISSUE

Big Oscar buzz

Digital delights We’re excited about the new Fire Emblem, Rayman and Metal Gear games, so catch the buzz on those along with reviews of Adventure Time, XCOM and a trio of Vita titles.

MAGAZINE

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cedar rapids

Is Daniel-Day Lewis a shooin? Is Lincoln a lock for best picture? Pulse peep Alan reveals his Oscar picks, as well as his hatred for a certain movie logo’s font.

Marcia Milner-Brage has drawn more than 200 scenes in Cedar Falls and Waterloo over the past two years. Thirty-six of those works are featured in an exhibit at the Hearst Center.

An award-winning product of Courier Communications, P.O. Box 540, 100 E. Fourth St., Waterloo, IA 50703.

cedar falls

Freaker by the Speaker One-man band Keller Williams is known for his eclectic mix of bluegrass, classic and progressive rock, go-go funk and punk. He’s bringing his bag of tricks to Iowa City.

Head over to the Adler Theatre Feb. 19 for the chance to be a contestant on The Price is Right. Fave games like Plinko and Cliff Hangers will be played, not to mention the Showcase Showdown.

waterloo

February 2013

Issue No. 101

dubuque

THAT'S

WHAT'S UP The near-foot of snow in Northeast Iowa began to melt around the same time it was announced that Ana Popovic would be performing at the Blues Blowout in Waterloo. Coincidence? I think not. Seriously. Look at this month’s cover photo. It’s so hot we had to get permission from our publisher to use it. He gave the go-ahead, and now we’re issuing a directive for you to see the smokin’ Ms. Popovic in person this month at the Electric Park Ballroom.

Can’t make it? Your loss. Lucky for you, though, there’s plenty else to do. Sevendust will roar into Waterloo on Feb. 23, and you could be the next contestant on The Price Is Right at Davenport’s Adler Theatre on Feb. 19. Too cold and you’d rather stay in, pansy? Cozy up and stay warm with Pulse magazine as you compare your Oscar picks with ours. Then tune in to the Oscars, and don’t forget about the Grammys, both of which will be broadcast live this month.

Stone cold or smoking hot, we’ve got you covered.

Editor

PEEPS

ADVERTISING

EDITOR

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Sheila Kerns 319.291.1448 sheila.kerns@wcfcourier.com

Meta Hemenway-Forbes 319.291.1483 meta.hemenway-forbes@wcfcourier.com

Alan Simmer 319.291.1487 alan.simmer@wcfcourier.com

CREATIVE CREW

Angie Dark

WEB GURU

David Hemenway

Chris Koop

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feb 9

Blowout

Featuring: Ana Popovic, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials

Unconditional (2011) Blind for Love (2009) Still Making History (2007) Comfort to the Soul (2003) Hush! (2000) Hometown (1998)

Saturday, Feb. 9 @ 8 PM Electric Park Ballroom, Waterloo

Widely regarded as one of world’s best female guitar players, Ana Popovic’s career has been meteoric and shows no signs of slowing down. Her blend of smoking electric funk slide guitar, jazzy instrumentals, tight blues groove, soulful feminine vocals and incredible stage presence makes her an irresistible force in the music world. Ana and her phenomenal four-piece band are booked all over the globe, playing major blues/jazz and rock festivals in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. — anapopovic.com

Jump Start (2012) Full Tilt (2008) Rattleshake (2006) Heads Up (2002) Get Wild (1999) What You See is What You Get (1992) Roughhousin’ (1986)

Tickets: $25 in advance at Bob’s Guitars in Cedar Falls or Luke’s Music Stop in Waterloo; $30 at the door

Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials were among the premiere party bands to come out of Chicago during the 1970s and ’80s. Often compared to Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor, fiery, flamboyant slide guitarist Lil’ Ed Williams and his group have continued to play dedicated, rough-edged and hard-rocking dance music, establishing an international reputation that has lasted into the new millennium. — allmusic.com

SEVENDUST PULSE

Radioactive

MATTHEW PUTNEY / Pulse Photographer Bill Bradford and Brent Dahlstrom

Perhaps you’ve heard Decay, the single from Sevendust but there’s still plenty of melody. It fits right in with Anithat’s so fresh there’s still steam coming off it. It’s the lead mosity, Alpha and our self-titled album. Lots of heavy stuff salvo off the group’s ninth album, Black Out the Sun, which and some more mellow, moody songs as well.” drops March 26. Until then, Sevendust will be touring with Lacuna Coil to promote the upcoming release. Saturday, Feb. 23 @ 7 PM In a recent interview with Revolver, guitarist John Con- McElroy Auditorium, Waterloo nolly described the new music as having “a darker vibe … $22 | sevendust.com

EMILY CHRISTENSEN | Pulse Writer

ill Bradford and Brent Dahlstrom are anything but bored. Between the two of them they own or operate more than a half-dozen businesses in the Cedar Valley. But that hasn’t stopped them from adding one more to the list. The duo recently started B&D Entertainment, an entertainment promotion company dedicated to bringing shows of all sizes and genres to the Cedar Valley — and someday beyond. Bradford, who has a background in radio and marketing, and Dahlstrom, who owns a ticketing company, joined forces about 18 months ago. “We saw a need for live entertainment in this area. So we approached the University of Northern Iowa and asked them if there was an opportunity for us there to start this new corporation,” Bradford said. Dahlstrom remembers when acts like country superstar Kenny Chesney used to fill the UNI-Dome. Now, it’s tough to get an artist of that caliber to Cedar Falls, despite the great venues, he said. “The only way to get those big stars is to start off

with some of the smaller shows and have people come out and support them,” Dahlstrom said. The company’s first show was Rodney Atkins on Oct. 18 in the McLeod Center. “That was a long haul for us until we got our first act,” Bradford said. “But they were just in awe of how well the show went. They didn’t know that was our very first show. We didn’t want to allude to that at all. We talked to him prior to him going on stage and they were like ‘This is awesome because we are only used to playing to around 2,000 people.’” They had sold more than 3,000 tickets. “We couldn’t have asked for it to go any better than it did,” Bradford said, adding that they couldn’t have done it without the support of their staff at each of their businesses. As of now, Bradford and Dahlstrom are the only official B&D Entertainment employees. The duo has, with the help of their St. Louis-based talent buyer, put out offers to several other acts they think could find support in the Cedar Valley. Until someone else accepts the men are working on selling tickets to the Alan Jackson show in February and Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall in April.

Though the market traditionally supports country shows, Bradford said they have offers out for all genres including a “rock and roll legend we would want to put in the Dome.” They wouldn’t disclose who they currently have invited to play in the area, but said they would love to start bringing acts like The Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, Sugarland and Blake Shelton. Bradford said they do have plans for expansion, but want to “understand and perfect” the business before showing their hand. “Our goal right now is if we can have a show a quarter we are as excited as heck,” he said.

Alan Jackson Saturday, Feb. 9 @ 7 PM McLeod Center, Cedar Falls $37.50 - $52.50 | unitix.uni.edu Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall Thursday, April 25 @ 7:30 PM McLeod Center, Cedar Falls $35 - $72.50 | unitix.uni.edu

PULSE

showcase

showdown

COURTESY PHOTO

It’s time to COME ON DOWN! to the Adler Theatre for But don’t let that get in the way of a shot at spinning the a chance at being a contestant on The Price Is Right Live! The big wheel. And guests who aren’t picked to play those classic classic game show has hit the road, bringing along favorite games still have a chance to win great door prizes all night. games like Plinko and Cliff Hangers as well as those fabulous prizes, including vacations, appliances and A NEW CAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!! Tuesday, Feb. 19 @ 7:30 PM No, Bob Barker isn’t coming out of retirement to host, and Adler Theatre, Davenport Drew Carey’s sort of busy doing the TV version in California. $37.50 - $47.50 | adlertheatre.com PULSE

MUG NIGHT SPECIALS WEDNESDAYS $3 MICRO & CRAFT BREW / MUG REFILLS *HIGH ABV=$5 REFILLS

THURSDAYS $2 MACRO (DOMESTIC) / MUG REFILLS $2 BEEF TACOS $2.50 CHICKEN OR FISH TACOS

SPECIALTY PIZZAS THE ORIGINAL - $10, $16

THE MULLIGAN - $11, $17

BBQ CHICKEN - $10, $16

PESTO PROSCIUTTO - $11, $17

Olive oil, basil pesto, Italian sausage, pepperoni and Mozzarella. BBQ sauce, Mozzarella, BBQ chicken, red onion and fresh cilantro.

CHEESY MEATBALL - $10, $16

CHICKEN ALFREDO - $11, $17

CHICKEN ARTICHOKE TOMATO - $10, $16

BUFFALO CHICKEN - $10, $16

THREE CHEESE, TOMATO & BASIL - $9, $15

The point is, find movies, music and more at CVPulse.com.

Grilled chicken, buffalo sauce, mozzarella, onion and fresh Blue cheese crumbles.

PIZZA MARGHERITA - $9, $15

The classic Italian pizza. Our original white crust brushed with olive oil and topped with Roma tomatoes, Mozzarella, fresh basil and Parmesan.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN - $10, $16 Caramelized onions, grilled lime

ROASTED GARLIC POTATO AND PROSCIUTTO - $10, $16

TOSTADA - $10, $16

Okay, that last ‘p’ is silent. Sue me.

Garlic Oregano Chicken, alfredo sauce, roasted red pepper, Mozzarella, Parmesan and fresh basil leaves.

Tomato sauce, Mozzarella, smoked Provolone, Parmesan, sliced Roma tomato, and fresh basil.

chicken, Mozzarella, fresh tomato salsa and cilantro. Served with lime, sour cream and guacamole.

Pick up a Pulse or perhaps pop over to cvpulse.com and pass as pretty popular with your pals. Perchance you’re positively penniless? Don’t panic, Pulse is pleasingly pfree.

Olive oil, Basil Pesto, Roma Tomato, Prosciutto, and melted FRESH Mozzarella. Finished with fresh Basil and Oregano Leaves.

Red Sauce, our Homemade Meatballs, Mozzarella, Smoked Provolone, Parmesan & Romano. Finished with fresh Basil and Oregano leaves. Olive oil, Garlic Oregano chicken breast, Roma tomato, artichoke heart, FRESH Mozzarella and grated Romano.

Painfully plain as a poor penguin?

Tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onion, green pepper and Mozzarella.

Seasoned ground beef, taco sauce, Cheddar and Monterey Jack topped with chilled chopped lettuce, fresh tomato salsa, green onions and crushed white corn tortilla chips. • Also available with grilled cilantro-lime chicken.

THAI CHICKEN -$10, $16

Thai peanut sauce, marinated chicken, Mozzarella, green onion, chopped roasted peanuts, shredded carrot, and fresh cilantro.

CARNE ASADA - $11, $17

Grilled Cilantro-Lime steak, onion, cilantro pesto, Monterey Jack, and Mozzarella cheese. Taken from the oven and topped with fresh tomato salsa, sour cream,

guacamole and a lime wedge.

Roasted Garlic & Oregano Butter brushed crust, topped with a layer of twice baked potatoes, thinly sliced prosciutto, green onion and chopped Roma tomato.

KONA COAST - $10, $16

Prosciutto, pineapple and Mozzarella.

THE 18TH STREET PIE - $11, $17

This Classic starts with our Ricotta-RomanoHerb cheese blend. It is then layered with Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Prosciutto, and Mozzarella and finished with our traditional tomato sauce. Garnished with freshly chopped basil and oregano.

WHAT THE FAROK? - $10, $16

At first look this pizza may look like a bad decision. Give it a shot and and you will see it is well worth every one of the sweet $16 it costs for the Regular. Spicy garlic sauce, Mozzarella, Italian sausage, green pepper and red onion.

205 East 18th St. • Cedar Falls • 319-277-3671 • 11am–2am • 7 days a week www.mulligansbrickoven.com PULSE

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Sketch master Melody Parker | Pulse Writer

arcia Milner-Brage shares a vivid recollection of her 5-year-old self struggling to draw a picture of her mother and father. “I felt compelled to put on paper what I had in my head. I wanted to draw what my parents looked like. When I did it, I felt so accomplished,” she recalled, smiling. She cherishes the memory because it gave her an inkling of her talent at a young age and set her feet on the artistic path that winds through her entire life. It has taken her into alleyways, under bridges, along rivers, city streets and country roads — on foot or pedaling her bike — with her portable studio: folding stool, shoulder bag filled with soft pencils, wax pastels and pens and spiral-bound or moleskin sketchbooks. In the past few years, she’s drawn more than 200 scenes in Cedar Falls and Waterloo. Approximately 36 framed pieces will be featured in Drawing the Town: Works by Marcia Milner-Brage through March 31 at the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls. There also will be a case filled with her favorite sketchbooks. “Each drawing captures a location during a slice of time. These places become mine when I’ve drawn them. I hope the community enjoys seeing these locations through fresh eyes and in a different way. Each viewer will have their own associations,” Milner-Brage said. There will be a map pinpointing where and when each specific scene was drawn, along with a larger map in an exhibit brochure. A suggestion box will be set up with the exhibit so viewers can offer Milner-Brage new ideas on where to sketch. All but two pieces of artwork are for sale, and a collection of postcards featuring various sketches will be sold in the Hearst gift shop. Milner-Brage rarely changes her sketches after leaving a location. She works outdoors through all four seasons, although if the weather is too cold to venture outdoors, she sits sketching from the window of her home or sitting in her car — a row of rooftops and cars stuck in snowdrifts, for example. “When I see something, I’m compelled to sketch it and through my eyes and other senses channel it onto the page. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m getting in a sketch until it’s done,” the artist explained. COURTESY PHOTO And, she confesses, it’s hard to find a stopping place. “I sketched graffiti sprayed on a bridge support near the Cedar River, and I sat down for 20 minutes. And two hours later, what I captured beyond the graffiti, across the river, was beautiful.” Milner-Brage earned her bachelor’s degree in art at Simmons College in Boston and her master’s degree from the University of Minnesota-St. Paul. Her work, including essays, has been featured in solo exhibits, juried exhibitions, national anthologies and broadcast on Iowa Public Radio. In 2010, she joined the international online group Urban Sketchers, sharing her work and getting feedback from other artists and traveling to symposiums in Portugal, the Dominican Republic and Portland, Ore. “We’re showing our parts of the world, our neighborhoods and communities one drawing at a time,” Milner-Brage noted.

‘Each drawing captures a location during a slice of time.’

Drawing the Town: Works by Marcia Milner-Brage Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls hearstartscenter.com

Dawn J. Sagert | Pulse photographer PULSE 11

t u o k a e r F One-man band Keller Williams has been defining independent artist since the early ’90s. Williams’ legacy began with organic experimentation in live performances, creating rich atmospheres simulating a full-band sound with only a guitar and Gibson Echoplex delay system. No two performances are quite alike, and Williams’ knack for improvisation has elevated him to legend status, combining a timeless bluegrass sound with mesmerizing elements of classic and progressive rock, as well as prominent influences from go-go funk and punk. 12 PULSE

He got his big break with 1994’s Freak, and since then has released 17 albums, including critically lauded collaborations with the String Cheese Incident, Bob Weir, Michael Franti, and Bela Fleck. Williams’ latest release, Bass, is the first to be recorded with his reggae-funk band Kdubalicious and features the hit single Freaker by the Speaker.

Thursday, Feb. 7 @ 8 PM The Englert Theatre, Iowa City $20 advance | $22 door | englert.org

N ROU

DS & G DS

Sunday, Feb. 3 @ 7 PM CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids $12 advance, $15 door | legionarts.org

RO &G

Singer-Songwriter Album of the year. Hutchinson’s songs are characterized by a weathered but unself-conscious optimism and a love of language and of the natural world. Having grown up in a town of 5,000 people, her songs possess all the charm of Lake Wobegon, tempered by a sweet and timeless voice.

CUP OF JOE 1 0 2 M A I N S T . C E D A R F A L L S | 3 19 . 2 7 7.15 9 6 WO-030212008

THE NEW BLACK 7

FRI, FEB 08TH

In spring 2000, 22-year-old Meg Hutchinson completed her bachelor’s degree in creative writing, quit her job on an organic lettuce farm in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts, abandoned her room above a chicken coop and hit the road. She went on to win a New Folk Award at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, as well as awards at the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, the Telluride Troubadour Songwriter’s Showcase in Colorado and The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest in North Carolina, all in the course of a year. In April 2001, Against the Grey was nominated for a Boston Music Award best Debut

RICK VANDERWALL KARLA RUTH OPEN MIC NIGHT JORDAN BERGREN UNCLE CHUCK

&S OUN

& SOUNDS

FRI, FEB 01ST

Meg Hutchinson

FEB 2: FEB 9: FEB 15: FEB 16: FEB 23:

LIVE JAZZ BY “HANDS OF TIME” EVERY THURSDAY FROM 8-9:30 PM

state of excitability and restlessness that can only be overcome by frenzied dancing. With 16 records its, the members of Canzoniere exults in tradition while at the same time stretching it, creating a hypnotic 21st-century groove. Monday, Feb. 11 @ 7 PM CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids $17 advance, $21 door | legionarts.org

NDS

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino last mesmerized Iowa audiences at Landfall 2011, on the group’s first U.S. tour. The six-piece multi-generational ensemble also includes a dancer and brings to life the music of southern Italy’s wild and remote Adriatic coast. Their atmospheric concerts range from tender love songs to a frenzied dance music called pizzica tarantata. Played on guitar, drums, accordion, violin, harmonica, tamburello and bagpipes, the music is believed to have been inspired by the bite of the taranta spider, inducing a

GROUNDS & SO

Dance frenzy

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino

8PM-10PM OU N

FEB

SAT, FEB 09TH FRI, FEB 15TH

SAT, FEB 16TH FRI, FEB 22ND SAT, FEB 23RD

PARTY PARTY THE ULTIMATE KARAOKE BAND 8PM NO COVER CEDAR RIVER FESTIVAL BENEFIT WITH BROTHER TRUCKER, RALDO SCHNEIDER AND FRIENDS TBA TBA ANCHONDO 9PM $5 DORO WITH SISTER SIN, UNITY, LYIN HEART 8PM $10 ADV LOCAL H 9PM $10 ADV SIDESHOW BOB 8PM NO COVER ACOUSTA ROCK SHOW WITH TWINS 9PM $5

3555 University Ave Waterloo 287-5747

WWW.THEREVERB.NET

PULSE 13

Summit, Warner Bros, Universal, EPK, Weinstein photos

BULLET TO THE HEAD FEBRUARY 1

STARRING: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater, Sarah Shahi After watching their respective partners die, a cop and a hitman form an alliance to bring down their common enemy. At 60-something, Sylvester Stallone is admittedly fit. But not action-heroshirt-off fit. The film’s title is a good indication of how we’ll feel when the movie’s over.

FEBRUARY 8

FEBRUARY 15

SIDE EFFECTS

ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH

STARRING: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones A woman turns to prescription medication as a way of handling her anxiety over her husband’s upcoming prison release. Unless this all-star cast delivers something stellar, this sounds like a Xanax-induced yawn.

STARRING: Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, James Gandolfini, Jessica Alba Adventure seekers, this one’s for you. In this animated tale, astronaut Scorch Supernova finds himself caught in a trap when he responds to an SOS from a notoriously dangerous alien planet.

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STARRING: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Dave Franco After a zombie becomes involved with the girlfriend of one of his victims, their romance sets in motion a sequence of events that might transform the entire lifeless world. Zombies? We’re in! Zombies coming back to life? Even better.

FEBRUARY 1

FEBRUARY 15

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD STARRING: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney In this fifth Die Hard installment, John McClane travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist. Not gonna lie. Feelin’ yippie ki-yay about this one.

FEBRUARY 22

DARK SKIES

FEBRUARY 15

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES STARRING: Alice Englert, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum Based on the book series of the same name, Beautiful Creatures features Ethan, who longs to escape his small Southern town. He meets a mysterious new girl, Lena. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town.

STARRING: Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo, J.K. Simmons As the Barret family’s peaceful suburban life is rocked by an escalating series of disturbing events, they come to learn that a terrifying and deadly force is after them. IMDB buzz hopes that director Scott Charles Stewart “will hopefully ease off the visualeffects indulgences that turned his first two movies, Legion and Priest, into unintended spectacles.”

FEBRUARY 15

SAFE HAVEN STARRING: Cobie Smulders, Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, David Lyons A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, N.C., where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her. It has all the sap of a Nicholas Sparks novel. Because it is.

FEBRUARY 22

SNITCH STARRING: Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal, Rafi Gavron A father goes undercover for the DEA to free his son, who was imprisoned after being set up in a drug deal. Blazing guns and big explosions. A few touching father-son moments. It probably won’t be a box-office smash, but it will be decent enough entertainment for a Saturday afternoon matinee.

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Well, I do have some opinions. Twist my arm. But if you’re looking for locks, you’re better off sniffing around a canal. Most of this year’s races are tight or wide open, with one notable exception. Here’s where the big races stand, and who I think will take the prize.

best picture

It’s a three-way race between Argo, Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook. Lincoln’s got prestige behind it, with a weighty topic and past multiple winners Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis; Hollywood loves to talk about Hollywood, which bodes well for Argo; and SLP has Harvey Weinstein, who famously bested Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan with Shakespeare in Love. I have to believe, naive though it may be, that the gravitas of Lincoln will trump the narcissistic urge to reward Argo, but supposedly lots of people voted for Crash just because it was set in L.A. I don’t know. Flip three coins or something. If I could vote, I wouldn’t pick SLP. Look at that font on that logo. Hideous.

LEAD ACTOR

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables Joaquin Phoenix, The Master Denzel Washington, Flight

LEAD ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook Emmanuelle Riva, Amour Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild Naomi Watts, Impossible

supporting ACToR Alan Arkin, Argo Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

supporting ACTRess Amy Adams, The Master Sally Field, Lincoln Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables Helen Hunt, The Sessions Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

director

Michael Haneke, Amour Behn Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild Ang Lee, Life of Pi Steven Spielberg, Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell

OSCAR TELECAST

SUNDAY, FEB. 24 @ 6 PM ABC

I’m a share-the-love kind of guy, so DDL picking up his third Oscar rankles a little bit, but it’s the closest thing to a sure bet there is this year. Frankly, I’m amazed Denzel is nominated, after Flight’s poor reviews. Jackman, the winner of a Golden Globe, may be the best shot at an upset. Also: Wolverine + Oscar = Awesomesauce.

Oldest and youngest nominees ever Riva and Wallis (Kwah-VEN-zhah-nay, if you’re wondering) are in the “it’s nice to be nominated” category. The showdown is between past nominees Chastain and Lawrence. The academy could go either way, for Chastain’s super-serious government agent or Lawrence’s kookier role; I predict Chastain by a nose.

All five of these guys have Oscars, so … yeah. Everyone else has won since the last time De Niro was nominated (’91), so beware a “you’re still working!” vote. If Lincoln starts to pull ahead in the best picture race, that rising tide could lift TLJ’s boat; the same is true for Argo and Arkin. Yet Waltz won the Globe over a nearly identical field. *facepalm headdesk*

The pixie-haired Hathaway has the momentum in this race for her doubleduty acting and singing. (Hey, it worked for Catherine Zeta-Jones.) Her biggest threat: the woman the academy really likes, Sally Field. Don’t count out the talented Adams, either; this is her fourth nomination in this category in the last eight years. It’s only a matter of time before she takes Oscar home.

This one’s the biggest crapshoot of them all. Major snubs for Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow and Tom Hooper would indicate that their replacements, Haneke, Zeitlin and Lee, are also-rans. But Lee filmed the unfilmable in Life of Pi, and he’s well-liked, so don’t count him out. Of course, Spielberg is Spielberg, in case that escaped your notice. He’s sort of a big deal.

animated feature This one is the biggest heartbreaker for me. Do you bet against perennial winner Pixar by counting out Brave? Do you ignore the hilarious, joyous Wreck-It Ralph? Wouldn’t it be nice to see Tim Burton take home an Oscar for the meaningful, relatable Frankenweenie? I’m tempted to break that tie by going with Pirates!, but sometimes we have to make the hard choices.

Meryl Streep!! Thank you x.” — Adele, nominated for the SKyfall theme, on Twitter. ”It was totally unforeseen. No European producer, no European director can seriously hope to get five nominations in the competition of the Oscar.” — Amour producer Margaret Menegoz.

ALAN SIMMER | Pulse Writer

AMPAS IMAGES

Need a little help filling out your Oscar picks? Well, don’t look at me.

— Anne Hathaway on her early-morning celebration for her supporting-actress nod in Les MisÉrables. “I’ve got pants on, so it must be real.” — Musician Mychael Danna wrapping his mind around his two Oscar nominations for original song and score for Life of Pi.

REACTIONS FROM THE NOMINEES: “I’m completely freaking out.” — First-time filmmaker Behn Zeitlin, nominated for directing and co-writing Beasts of the Southern Wild. “I’ve already had two mimosas today.”

“This is our first day of filming. It’s not a bad way to start.” — Best actor nominee Hugh Jackman, in Atlanta shooting Prisoners. “Oh my god I feel like

Wartburg War artburg tburg College College

he Twilight finale had better reviews than the franchise’s previous four movies, but you’d never know it from the Razzie nominations singling out Hollywood’s worst of the year.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 led the Razzies lineup with 11 nominations, including worst picture, leadacting slots for Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, and supporting-acting nominations for Taylor Lautner and Ashley Greene. Other worst-picture nominees are the naval action tale Battleship, the family flick The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure, Adam Sandler’s raunchy dud That’s My Boy and Eddie Murphy’s comedy flop A Thousand Words. A spoof of the Academy Awards, the Razzies announcement came a little more than a day before the Oscar nominations. Winners for the 33rd annual Razzies will be announced Feb. 23, the night before the Oscar show. The final installment in the supernatural romance involving vampires, werewolves and a moody schoolgirl, Breaking Dawn — Part 2 also had nominations for worst director for Bill Condon, plus worst sequel, screenplay and screen ensemble. It picked up two nominations for worst screen couple — for Stewart and Pattinson and for Lautner and child co-star Mackenzie Foy.

Tuesday, Jan. 29 Wartburg Artist Series presents

Stewart’s worst-actress nomination came for two performances in 2012, her Bella Swan of Twilight and the title role in Snow White and the Huntsman.

Ain’t Misbehavin’

Earlier Twilight movies have been regular nominees for the Razzies but have not come away with any key worst-of awards. But the finale seems to be the one Razzies voters have been waiting for, the way Oscar voters were waiting for the last Lord of the Rings film, the one that finally won the big prize.

Neumann Auditorium, Waverly, 7:30 p.m.

$35, $32, $30, $27, $24

“That’s the analogy we’re making, that this is the Razzies’ flipside,” said Razzies founder John Wilson. “This is our equivalent to The Lord of the Rings. It’s our members’ last chance to razz Twilight.”

Encompassing 30 show-stopping numbers from the Fats Waller songbook, this musical review portrays the Harlem Renaissance in its heyday, complete with snazzy costumes that recreate the era of bowlers and spats, ermine and pearls. The dynamic five-member cast and a six-piece band turn the theater into a rollicking evening of song and dance.

Here’s how Razzies organizers describe the Twilight finale in the nominations announcement: “The ultimate installment of the inexplicably successful series focuses on Shirtless Werewolf Jacob and his creepy relationship with the daughter of Sparkly Vampire Edward and Gloomy Goth Gal Bella. Together, the four face a final showdown that will determine the fate of Romantic-But-Boring Monsters everywhere.” Sandler — whose Jack and Jill made Razzies history last season by winning a record 10 awards, sweeping every category — remains a Razzies favorite this time. That’s My Boy ran second with eight Razzie nominations, among them worst actor for Sandler and supporting actor for both Nick Swardson and Vanilla Ice. Tyler Perry was nominated for both worst actor (Alex Cross and Good Deeds) and actress (Madea’s Witness Protection, in which he reprised his cross-dressing title character). Along with Sandler, Pattinson and Perry, worst-actor contenders are Nicolas Cage for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and Seeking Justice; and Murphy for A Thousand Words. Joining Stewart and Perry in the worst-actress lineup are Katherine Heigl for One for the Money; Milla Jovovich for Resident Evil: Retribution; and Barbra Streisand for The Guilt Trip.

”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SUMMIT IMAGES

“This is our equivalent to The Lord of the Rings. It’s our members’ last chance to razz Twilight.”

“The two hours flew with music and bawdy laughter.” —Centerstage, Florence, Oregon Due to the sometimes suggestive humor intrinsic to the Harlem nightclub atmosphere of the 1920s and ’30s, this show may not be appropriate for young children.

THREE EASY WAYS TO ORDER TICKETS

1. CALL US AT 319-352-8691 2. VISIT OUR TICKET OFFICE in Saemann Student Center 3. VISIT OUR WEBSITE, www.wartburg.edu/artist

PULSE 17

jared Molstead | Pulse Writer

I Koi No Yokan by Deftones Genre: alternative metal Sounds like: Tool, A Perfect Circle

thebottomline: A

wanted to allow myself a period of digestion with alt-metal savants the Deftones and their seventh studio album Koi No Yokan before offering analysis. Like a larva maturing into a pupa, their work has a way of undergoing metamorphosis right before your eyes. Koi No Yokan is no exception. It is vicious and tender in equally hypnotic doses. It thrashes, it seduces, and right when you think you have it pinpointed, it emerges from its shell to be reborn again. If you’ve been waiting for the band to put out a record capable of going toe to toe with 2000’s White Pony, you’ve found it. Koi No Yokan is a Japanese proverb that literally translates to the knowledge that one has that he/she will fall in love with another person, and it is certainly a fitting moniker for this record. The Deftones’ greatest asset has always been the dueling nature of singer Chino

definitelydownload 4 Rosemary 4 Tempest

Moreno’s candid vocals and Stephen Carpenter’s liquid guitar attack, and the band employs it even more effectively here than they did on 2010’s unexpectedly great Diamond Eyes. Swerve City opens the record, and for good reason. The song has a vein of immediacy running throughout, with its pulsating guitar simultaneously throwing down the gauntlet and informing listeners to strap in for the mesmeric things to come. Poltergeist opens with clap-happy cheer before careening off road into an aggressive blast of sonic power. Like the band’s 2010 track Rocket Skates, you can’t help but

4 Poltergeist 4 Romantic Dreams

continually return for those primal guitar riffs and the bouncing beats on Abe Cunningham’s skins. Entombed takes things in a different direction, proving the band’s rhythmic dexterity and emerging as the prettiest work on the record. With shimmering vocals and a romantic swell engulfing the track, it isn’t hard to get lost in the beauty. Tempest, the album’s lead single, has a way of channeling both the nightmarish and the erotic much like the band’s staple track Change (In the House of Flies). Listen to it in the dark, with the shades drawn, and with a good pair of headphones. You will love every minute of it.

Koi No Yokan is an infinitely rewarding album, possibly the best since 2000’s White Pony. The more time you spend with it, the better it gets.

FADE YO LA TENGO

LYSANDRE CHRISTOPHER OWENS

LONG LIVE A$AP A$AP ROCKY

DEVOTION JESSIE WARE

Yo La Tengo’s continued relevance 27 years into their career is remarkable. The Hoboken trio of Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew have yet to release a bad album, and they’ve made a handful of great ones. Fade is one of them. With producer John McEntire of post-rock experimenters Tortoise, they’ve created an album that is intimate and thoughtful, urgent and fun. The band hasn’t reinvented itself. No need, since Yo La Tengo’s expertise in catchy, jangly rock, gentle acoustic folk-pop, and noisy feedback excursions allows endless room for triangulation. But they have added new colorations over the years. Credit McEntire for helping with the swelling strings in It’s Not Enough and Before We Run, and the precise, giddy funk of Well You Better. And while the album eschews epic guitar solos, it has room for electric rave-ups such as Ohm. Yo La Tengo is still looking to build on what they’ve perfected, to shine and not fade away. — Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer

Last summer, Christopher Owens announced that he was breaking up Girls, with whom he and chief collaborator J.R. White released two terrific records, Album (1999) and Father, Son, Holy Ghost (2011). Owens’ first solo outing is a concept album he has described as “a coming-of-age story, a road trip story, a love story.” In short, it’s an autobiographical tale about falling in love with a French girl in San Francisco, following her home across the Atlantic, and — quelle surprise! — ending up with a broken heart. At many points, Lysandre, named after the paramour in question, is too precious by half, and its delicately baroque, bordering-on-easy-listening arrangements lack the muscle that put the power in Girls’ pop. Owens is a classic-rock craftsman at heart, and there are plenty of pleasures to be had in sticky tunes such as the freewheeling Here We Go Again, but Lysandre gets the year in indie off to a mildly disappointing start. — Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer

A$AP Rocky sums up the last few of his 24 years on the plush and lovely Suddenly when he intones, with wonder, the phrase “from ugly to comfortably.” Just-out-of-the-gate rappers rarely espouse happy bewilderment so nakedly, busy as they are with hard heartlessness. Rocky shows gentle shock and awe while remaining raw and true to rap’s street code throughout this debut album. What’s audacious about Long Live is how eagerly A$AP jumps before sonic booms provided by producer/electronic music-makers Skrillex and Danger Mouse. The former provides A$AP with a juiced-up mix of weird reggae and screeching noise. The latter offers him billowing rain clouds through which to dance and loll. Vocal guests such as Santigold, Drake and Kendrick Lamar are ample duet partners. But Rocky is his own best friend, especially on Suddenly, on which he co-produces the watery house track and its character-filled storyline. — A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer

“Need your devotion,” repeats Jessie Ware on her debut’s opener and title tune, crawling like Tracy Thorn about to gauze over a Massive Attack beat. Single-note synth and guitar braids wobble around it like a toddler’s mobile. Indie-rockers think this is pop, which is fine; so was Sade. But that should tell you everything about how much the music asserts itself until the caveman drums of Wildest Moments boom in. Never again does Devotion unspool such a classic melody or forceful chorus like “Baby in our wildest moments/ We could be the worst of all.” That’s because with Running we settle back to pawn-shop synths, fake-or-real horns, and cheesy guitar solos. But Ware’s 11 songs do bob and weave with shrewd seduction. She keeps you running. — Dan Weiss, Philadelphia Inquirer

PULSE HIT LIST

YOUR CLICKS

Home by Dierks Bentley Dierks Bentley ballads are always at the top of my Hit List. — Emily C., writer

Wanted by Hunter Hayes He may be a baby, but he’s got a great voice and he co-wrote a song on a Rascal Flatts album. That gives even the youngest artist a little street cred in country music. — Emily C., writer

I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You by Tom Waits This sad, lonely song from Waits’ debut album lets you know you’re not alone, no matter how bad it seems. — David H., designer

I Go Blind by Hootie and the Blowfish I can’t help but sing along with Darius Rucker on this catchy tune. “Hold me, hold me ’cause I want to get higher and higher.” — David H., designer

As heard on “The Bob and Tom Show”

february

Ill Mind of Hopsin 5 by Hopsin Hopsin goes HAM on those who want success without the work. “Your lazy ass don’t commit to labor, ... now whoever tries to call you on your bullsh*t’s a hater.” — Meta H., editor

february

16 2013

Brother Trucker brotrucker.com No cover charge.

All wel co to me events!

Ki m ds Simmon y vo a S D AN Brown

Independent Women Part 1 by Destiny’s Child Girl I didn’t know you could get down like that. Yeah, I can get down like that. — Meta H., editor

It Gets Dark by Holy Ghost! This beat is way too catchy for its own good.

2 2013

Americana Roots Rock band, with a unique Iowa sound.

Madness by Muse This glorious bit of electronica features some thrilling lyrics infused with pulsating music. — James F., writer

Good Intentions by Toad the Wet Sprocket This song sucks me in every time. The lyrics are relatable and it highlights the group’s melodic talents. — Holly H., writer

Tickets $15 Iowa’s Own

OUR PICKS

Playing all your favorites, ‘Tell Mama’, ‘Street Corner Talking’, & ‘Savoy Brown Boogie’. Tickets $20

savoybrown.com

Since 1894 - Waterloo Elks Lodge #290 — Chris E., online

Another Winter by Anamanaguchi This song by the chip-tune impresarios helps make the winter doldrums a little less gray and a lot more bearable. — Alan S., associate editor

CATCH US ON SPOTIFY Don’t worry, we’ve done the work for you. Look for our playlists on our Facebook page, facebook.com/PulseMag, or hit up CVPulse.com.

Elks Club 407 E Park Ave, Waterloo IA For ticket information please call

(319) 234-7568 waterlooelks.com

All Events are member sponsored PULSE 19

7 PM | LIVE ON CBS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Mumford & Sons

LIVE P E R F O R MA N CE S F R O M G R AM M Y N O M I N E E S THE BLACK KE YS, FUN., MUMFORD & SONS, RIHANNA, TAYLOR SWIFT & MORE Miranda Lambert

Bruno Mars

Zac Brown Band

THE 55TH ANNUAL GRAMMY

Alan Jackson

AWARDS

Taylor Swift

Kanye West

Maroon 5

Hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner LL Cool J

the nominees RECORD OF THE YEAR Lonely Boy, The Black Keys Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You), Kelly Clarkson We Are Young, Fun. feat. Janelle Monae Somebody That I Used To Know, Gotye feat. Kimbra Thinkin Bout You, Frank Ocean We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Taylor Swift ALBUM OF THE YEAR El Camino, The Black Keys Some Nights, Fun. Babel, Mumford & Sons Channel Orange, Frank Ocean Blunderbuss, Jack White SONG OF THE YEAR The A Team, Ed Sheeran Adorn, Miguel Call Me Maybe, Carly Rae Jepsen Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You), Kelly Clarkson We Are Young, Fun. feat. Janelle Monáe BEST NEW ARTIST Alabama Shakes Fun. Hunter Hayes The Lumineers Frank Ocean BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM Stronger, Kelly Clarkson Ceremonials, Florence & The Machine Some Nights, Fun. Overexposed, Maroon 5 The Truth About Love, Pink

AY TICKET GIVEAW REGISTER TO WIN AT: WWW.CVPULSE.COM BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM Fortune, Chris Brown Kaleidoscope Dream, Miguel Channel Orange, Frank Ocean BEST RAP / SUNG COLLABORATION Wild Ones, Flo Rida feat. Sia No Church In The Wild, Jay-Z & Kanye West feat. Frank Ocean & The-Dream Tonight (Best You Ever Had), John Legend feat. Ludacris Cherry Wine, Nas feat. Amy Winehouse Talk That Talk, Rihanna feat. Jay-Z BEST RAP SONG Daughters, Nas Lotus Flower Bomb, Wale feat. Miguel Mercy, Kanye West feat. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz The Motto, Drake feat. Lil’ Wayne N****s In Paris, Jay-Z & Kanye West Young, Wild & Free, Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa feat. Bruno Mars Track from: Mac And Devin Go To High School: Music From And Inspired By The Movie

BEST ROCK SONG Freedom At 21, Jack White I Will Wait, Mumford & Sons Lonely Boy, The Black Keys Madness, Muse We Take Care Of Our Own, Bruce Springsteen

BEST RAP ALBUM Take Care, Drake Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1, Lupe Fiasco Life Is Good, Nas Undun, The Roots God Forgives, I Don’t, Rick Ross Based On A T.R.U. Story, 2 Chainz

BEST ROCK ALBUM El Camino, The Black Keys Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay The 2nd Law, Muse Wrecking Ball, Bruce Springsteen Blunderbuss, Jack White

BEST COUNTRY SONG Blown Away, Carrie Underwood Cost Of Livin’, Ronnie Dunn Even If It Breaks Your Heart, Eli Young Band So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore, Alan Jackson Springsteen, Eric Church

BEST R&B SONG Adorn, Miguel Beautiful Surprise, Tamia Heart Attack, Trey Songz Pray For Me, Anthony Hamilton Refill, Elle Varner

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM Uncaged, Zac Brown Band Hunter Hayes, Hunter Hayes Living For A Song, Jamey Johnson Four The Record, Miranda Lambert The Time Jumpers, The Time Jumpers SHUTTERSTOCK, AP PHOTOS

10 PAIRS OF ! IN TICKETS TO W Duke tumatoe

Saturday February 2, 2013 @ 7:00 pm, Elks Club, Waterloo Deadline to enter: monday January 28

Winners will be selected the day following the deadline to enter and contacted by e-mail and phone. No purchase necessary to play. Must be 18 years or older to participate.

PULSE 21

The iconic strategy RPG series Fire Emblem is back in a big way. Awakening features Chrom, the prince of Ylisse, who faces an undead army that could destroy his homeland — and he also has to deal with a mysterious masked man who claims to be the legendary Marth.

ALAN SIMMER | Pulse Writer

Dead Space 3 Isaac Clarke teams with John Carver in drop-in co-op to fight the Necromorphs on the ice world of Tau Volantis. Make sure you bring along a parka that has room for a spare blaster or two.

If the idea of the series’ hallmark permadeath scares you, Awakening also features a casual play mode where the defeated don’t turn into the dearly departed. Grab the demo off the eShop and check out the new ability to pair characters when attacking.

Feb 4 For: 3DS

PC, PS3, X360; Feb 5.

Concentration Training The Brain Age team is back with a new entry designed to help increase your concentration. I don’t know who would need something like — hey, a GIF of a cat doing something cute!

Feb 19 For: PS3, X360

3DS; Feb 10.

Sly Cooper Thieves in Time features more of the stealth action Sly’s renowned for, and this title features PS3/Vita cross-save functionality. Play on one, continue on the other. PS3, Vita; Feb. 5.

BIT.TRIP’s Runner2 The trip-trip-trippy series returns with a direct sequel to Runner. Jump, slide, kick and soar as you hurtle inexorably forward to what can only be another killer soundtrack. PC; Feb. 26. PSN, Wii U, XBLA; eventually.

Etrian Odyssey IV Travel and battle amid the clouds on skyships in Legends of the Titan. I’m betting a giant comes into play at some point here. 3DS; Feb. 26.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance: Because getting vengeance once just isn’t enough! (That one’s free, Konami.) This spinoff of the Metal Gear Solid series focuses on cyborg Raiden and his attempts to bring down a paramilitary organization up to no good. I mean, look at that wolf thing! It has a chain saw on its back!

I apparently missed the Rayman bandwagon back in 1995. He kind of creeps me out, frankly. He has no arms, but his hands work just fine for smashing things. Weird. This Wii U exclusive is the sequel to the well-received Rayman Origins. Up to four players can control characters on the TV while a fifth assists via the Wii U GamePad. A demo is available on the eShop now.

Feb 26

For: Wii U

Flavor lacking in Adventure Time Alan Simmer | Pulse Writer

he developers behind the first retail game based on Pendleton Ward’s quirky Adventure Time cartoon series have said they were greatly influenced by the second Zelda game, The Adventure of Link. That NES title is notable for its sidescrolling levels and monster-infested world map, the only time either setup is used in the long-running series. Those elements are liberally borrowed in Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?!! Teen hero Finn, with shapeshifting dog Jake firmly ensconced in his backpack, dodge enemy encounters as they wander around the Land of Ooo. The action then shifts to platforming in towns, dungeons and other natural formations. I wish the developers had also

For: DS, 3DS | Price: $29.99 Rated: Everyone 10+ PROS: Solid hack-n-slash play; wide range of items to use. CONS: Aggravating bottlenecks; uninspiring dungeon design.

matched the difficulty level of Zelda II. Hey Ice King! can be tricky in the early stages, with few hearts and little attack power, but once Finn begins leveling up, the challenge is soon lost. The dungeons are also fairly straightforward to a depressing degree. The game could also better leverage the numerous characters and mythology of the TV show. (Side note: If you’re not watching Adventure Time, you should be.) The ones that do show up — Tree

Trunks, Princess Bubbleg u m , Lemongrab — are largely the endpoints of mostly mandatory fetch quests. You’ll spend the most time running through a few bottlenecks getting back and forth between the various regions of Ooo. There’s so much promise in this game. Jake unlocks shape-shifting abilities to access new areas, and the basic mechanics of how he and Finn function as a team are solid. But Hey Ice King! is too short by half and lacks the humor and joie de vivre of the show on which it’s based. This series deserves a great game, but this isn’t it. I’m not mad; I’m just disappointed. Now go to your room.

james frazier | Pulse writer

Streamlining is the key for the reboot, as Firaxis has taken the complex gameplay of the original series and simplified certain elements that allow the game to retain depth while removing management details that slow down the pacing. The changes work extraordinarily well, making XCOM one of the best strategy games in years, an exciting, intelligent work that balances action, nerve-rattling suspense and careful decision-making. The player controls XCOM’s home base, hiring and training agents, building facilities, conducting research, handling diplomacy and scrambling fighter jets. This is paired with boots-on-the-ground responses to alien attacks, where you control individual agents as they attempt to capture or kill various extraterrestrials.

Three games to put that Vita to use Alan simmer | Pulse writer

XCOM leaps into the 21st century hose old enough will remember X-COM: UFO Defense as one of the indispensable strategy titles of the ’90s, a multi-layered game where players repelled an alien invasion of Earth. Some 20 years later, Firaxis has reimagined the title as XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

Dust it off

The fighting unfolds in turns, with each character receiving a certain number of actions they can commit to. A soldier might be able to sprint from a park bench to a car and take a shot with her rifle before having to wait for the next turn. It all hits that gaming sweet spot that’s easy to learn but hard to master. There’s not much variety in terms of objectives, but new settings and enemy types keep the game fresh and exciting into the later missions, where things can become mundane if the player doesn’t advance quickly enough. Perhaps the game’s greatest success is in re-creating the original’s sense of tension and anxiety. Missions often occur at night, with ominous music setting the tone as aliens lurk through areas stocked with dark hiding places. Players will find victory is unattainable without careful movements on the field and precise preparation of agents beforehand. One important element that has survived from original to remake is difficulty. Even on the easiest setting,

Nintendo, Ubisoft, Konami, CArtoon Network, 2K Games, Shutterstock images

For: PC, PS3, X360 | Price: $59.99 Rated: Mature

he Vita’s a nice handheld — a great looking screen, two joysticks, that touchpad thing on the back that scares me a little — but when I went to download the new Earth Defense Force, the charge on it had fallen so low I had to reset the date and time on the system. Not to mention wipe off a thick layer of dust, which may say more about my housekeeping skills than the dearth of good games for Sony’s baby. At any rate, here are three games worth considering to turn that expensive paperweight back into a fun machine.

If you like strategy RPGs, you should probably check out the whole Disgaea series. It’s a humorously dark saga with tons of customizable options, including leveling up individual weapons and taking units back to square one to learn new skills. The Vita version adds a new level of spells and some additional scenarios on top of all the content and DLC from the PS3 original. It’s easy to pick up, play a bit and put back down if you don’t have a big chunk of time.

I have fond memories of the NES version of this classic arcade game, though I always wanted there to be an endgame instead of more road. My wish has been granted with this reboot, featuring a series of missions. There’s a horde of new weapons to take out those pesky enemy drivers as well as optional objectives in each missions. The car still turns into a boat, but stay off those train tracks unless you want to end up smooshed.

PROS: Complex but accessible gameplay; tension-filled combat. CONS: Insane difficulty tests patience; later missions can feel repetitive. players will find that aliens attack at the most inconvenient times, your best agent can miss an easy shot and powerful enemies will shrug off your attacks while effortlessly smashing your own defenses. It’s also that seemingly insurmountable difficulty that makes XCOM a truly rewarding gaming experience for those willing to swallow their frustration. If you have a longing for deep gameplay and the persistence to see it through, you won’t find a better title to pick up any time soon.

More big ants, giant UFOs and holy-cowkeep-them-away-from-me spiders are on the attack in this entry in the EDF franchise. The game is a port of a 2007 Xbox 360 game, and it feels a bit like it. After the different class options of EDF: Insect Armageddon, the comparatively slim 2017 seems like a step backwards. That being said, it still has the simple fun/horror combo of letting the player kill all the bugs! It’s a good momentary diversion, though if you want to collect all the weapons, it’ll keep you busy for a long time.

PULSE 23

SEEING BELIEVING S E E I N G IIS S B ELIEVING

YOU YOU HAVE HAVE TO TO SEE SEE THE THE NEW NEW UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY TO BELIEVE IT!

And we’ll help pay your way to campus for a visit!

We’ll pay for one night in the hotel for you and your parent/guardian. We’ll send you a gas card based on your mileage to campus. And we’ll customize your visit to give you a sense of what life would really be like for you as an Upper Iowa University student.

Schedule your customized campus visit online or call 800-553-4150.

WWW.UIU.EDU/THENEWUIU 24 PULSE

PBS PHOTO

Join us in celebrating our 155th anniversary, and UIU will treat you to a great visit experience.

The romance.

The intrigue.

The big, beautiful country house. BECKY KRYSTAL | The Washington Post

e can analyze the recipe for success of Downton Abbey, the British television import whose Season 3 made its breathlessly anticipated debut on PBS recently until our cups of tea go cold. But one element that can’t be overlooked, especially for those of a culinary bent, is the food. Rather than letting it serve as mere eye candy, creator and writer Julian Fellowes has worked crepes, puddings, roast chicken and other edible props into some of the series’ most memorable plots. The lavish spreads enjoyed by the aristocratic Crawley family in early-20thcentury England are enough to inspire envy in those who might be watching with a microwave dinner in their laps. The show has revived an interest in British food, particularly that of the 1910s and 1920s, that could easily fall prey to stereotypes: Aspic! Haggis! Puddings! Instead, viewers have embraced the comestibles they’ve seen on the small screen, with spinoffs including Pinterest boards, blogs and a recently released unofficial cookbook. “Because they love the show, it makes them more interested in the history of the food that was on the show,” says Pamela Foster, a Toronto marketing professional who has put her history degree to good use on her Downton Abbey Cooks blog.

‘Monday Mornings’ aren’t so bad meta hemenway-forbes | Pulse editor

udgment Day comes once a week. Woe to the doctor who’s called to the podium on Monday Mornings to be verbally sliced and diced by steelyeyed Chief of Surgery Dr. Harding Hooten. Set at the fictional Chelsea General Hospital, Monday Mornings follows the lives of doctors as they push the limits of their abilities and confront their personal and professional failings. The title refers to the hospital’s weekly morbidity and mortality conference, when doctors gather with their peers for a confidential review of complications and errors in patient care. Alfred Molina plays a brilliant Dr. Hooten in this David E. Kelley-pro-

duced hospital drama. His calm, Hannibal Lecter-style trashing of the doctors’ performance is perfectly calculated. Think Dr. Greg House minus the Vicodin addiction. In the pilot and first two episodes, the show confronts some serious ethical dilemmas and paints the hot-shot neurosurgeons as flawed and human. This is good TV. Monday Mornings has all the right elements to become the next House or ER.

Monday Mornings Premieres Monday, Feb. 4 @ 9 PM TNT

TNT PHOTOS

, l .

PULSE 25

Wartburg War artburg tburg College College

Saturday, Feb. 9 Wartburg Community Symphony presents

Diamond in the Rough Neumann Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Tickets $15 at the door This concert reunites teachers and pupils across three generations. Meet Alexander Ambartsumian, a talented young violinist faceting his career and his father, Levon, an already polished gem, who is teacher and mentor to WCS Conductor Dr. Daniel Kaplunas. For more information, call 319-352-8200 or online at www.wartburg.edu/symphony

Celebrating 60 years 2012-13 Wartburg Community Symphony 26 PULSE

Girls tops expectations greg evans | bloomberg news

hen Hannah, the heartbeat of Lena Dunham’s extraordinary Girls on HBO, finally hears the words “you’re my main hang” from her moody maybe-boyfriend, it may prove to be too little, too late. Hannah, like Girls itself, has moved on. The second season of Dunham’s comic drama, which chronicles four young women negotiating adulthood, love and Brooklyn, arrives with considerable expectations. Season One was a critical favorite that made instant celebrities of its young cast, especially Dunham, the show’s creator, chief writer and director, not to mention star. Based on the four half-hour episodes available for review, she’s done it again. Despite a misstep or two — a third-episode storyline about a cocaine adventure rings false — Girls builds on its success without skipping a beat. Picking up where last season ended, Hannah is tending homebound boyfriend Adam (Adam Driver), his right leg busted after the cab accident in last year’s finale. Feeling smothered, she’s also dating Sandy (Donald Glover), a black Republican (and likely retort to early critics who complained of the series’ homogeneity).

2.0

HBO PHOTO

Hannah’s best friend Marnie (Allison Williams), meanwhile, is out of a job and lonely for her gushy ex-boyfriend Charlie (Chris Abbott), who rebounded quicker than anyone expected. Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), the nerdy girl who seems so out of place in the trendy Williamsburg-Bushwick milieu, has found love with grumpy hipster Ray (Alex Karpovsky), while the bohemian Jessa (Jemima Kirke) returns from her honeymoon with doofus venture capitalist Thomas-John (Chris O’Dowd). Kirke’s absence from the Williamsburg fold is felt in the first couple of episodes. Guest star Andrew Rannells ( The New Normal ) as Hannah’s gay roommate, fills some of the void, even if his quippy role seems a bit too sitcom-sassy for this show. No matter, though. Kirke returns full force soon enough, and a fourth-episode prodigal friend scene with Dunham’s Hannah is pure Girls — as crude and funny as it is tender. Girls Sundays @ 8 PM | HBO

PULSE 27

OVED

House party pair Har-di-Har, a multi-instrumentalist, transgenre acoustic duo, consists of life-long performers and partners Julie and Andrew Thoreen. Midwesterners each, these Iowa natives are poised at a crossroads of American sound. Their love of dance music combines to create a sum that has been called â&#x20AC;&#x153;D&V,â&#x20AC;? as the sound is largely driven by drums and vocal harmonies, and reverses the groove as impetus for tonal painting. They accomplish this feat with only two performers and without the need of loops, samples or programming. Functioning each as rhythm players (guitar, bass keyboard and drums), the pair doubles on both lead and harmonic vocals and supplements the sound with a variety of tastefully peculiar orchestrations. Andrew handles bass drum, trombone and guitar/bass, while Julie covers snare, toms, cymbals and keyboards. Word(s) of Whim, their first EP, was released in July, followed by Feudal Kind in December. A third EP will drop early this year.

Cedar Valley House Concerts Friday, Feb. 1 @ 7:30 PM 122 W 10th St., Cedar Falls $10 | RSVP to daricemangin@gmail.com

Funny business at Dubuque’s Diamond Jo Casino Mike Armstrong

Brian Haner

Tom Arnold

Mike Armstrong is the ex-cop from The Bob and Tom Show and has appeared on Comedy Central. Mike would warn speeding drivers about the speed traps up ahead.

Brian Haner stepped on stage at The Improv Comedy Club in Los Angeles for the first time as a standup comedian in the summer of 2006. Most recently, he has been touring with comedian Jeff Dunham.

Wednesday, Feb. 6 @ 8 PM $10-$15 | diamondjo.com

Wednesday, Feb. 13 @ 8 PM $10-$15 | diamondjo.com

Tom Arnold began his career in comedy at the University of Iowa before moving to Minneapolis, where he won the Minneapolis Comedy Competition in 1988. He then moved to Los Angeles to write on the highly successful television series Roseanne, before eventually serving as executive producer for the sitcom. Friday, Feb. 15 @ 8 PM $25-$35 | diamondjo.com

in good CEDAR FALLS

WATERLOO

Ginger Thai Cuisine |  Authentic Thai Food 111 W. 2nd Street, Cedar Falls 319-266-2150 Hours: Monday-Saturday 11am - 3 pm, 5 - 9 pm; Sunday 10 am - 4 pm facebook.com/ginger-thai-cuisine Authentic thai cuisine offering lunch and dinner options. Appetizers, Entrees, Desserts and express menu for a quick lunch. A variety of flavors from coconut, fresh lemongrass, ginger, tofu and vegetables. Take-out and delivery available.

Ferrari’s Ristorante |  American and Italian 1521 Technology Pkwy. Cedar Falls 319-277-1385 Hours: Monday-Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday 4pm-10pm www.barmuda.com Ferrari's features only the finest steaks, freshest seafood and authentic Italian fare. Offering light, quick lunch options along with an extensive dinner menu and wine list.

Beck’s Sports Grill |  American, Sports bar 2210 College Hill Cedar Falls 319-277-2646 Hours: Open daily at 11am www.barmuda.com

Soho Sushi Bar & Deli The Stuffed Olive |  Deli, Sushi, Tapas, Martinis 119 Main St. Cedar Falls 319-266-9995 Hours: Monday-Saturday at 11am www.barmuda.com

Featuring Beck's homemade microbrews, voted best burger, locally owned restaurant, sports bar and place to play pool in the Cedar Valley.

Fresh made sushi and deli sandwiches, salads and paninis combined with globally inspired tapas dishes and over 100 different martinis. Homemade cookies made from scratch daily!

Bourbon Street |  American, Cajun and Creole 119 Main St. Cedar Falls 319-266-5285 Hours: Monday-Saturday 4pm-10pm www.barmuda.com

One of the areas only microbreweries! Voted best burger, locally owned restaurant and sports bar in the Cedar Valley. Featuring steaks, pastas, seafood, sandwiches and our famous chicken tortilla soup. Guerilla Brewing/Lava Lounge |  Microbrewery and Bar 2401 Falls Ave. Waterloo 319-234-5686 Hours: Monday-Saturday 11am–9pm A double brown ale and an imperial American pale ale were the first two to debut, other varieties will follow depending on the season. None of the brews will be less than 7% alcohol. The Lone Wolf |  Bar, Restaurant 7777 Isle of Capri Blvd. Waterloo 319-833-2241 Hours: Open daily 11am – 2am, Kitchen open all hours. www.waterloo.isleofcapricasinos.com Whether you feel like getting food to-go or plan to stay a while, The Lone Wolf is sure to please. We have mouth-watering food, thirstquenching drinks with an atmosphere unlike any other.

Bourbon Street is a step off of Main Street into the French Quarter featuring Certified Black Angus steaks and delicious seafood complimented by an extensive wine list.

PRICING GUIDE (per entrée)

Beck’s Sports Brewery |  American, Microbrewery 7777 Isle of Capri Blvd. Waterloo 319-833-2241 Hours: Open daily at 11am www.barmuda.com

$10 

$20 

Otis and Henry’s® Bar and Grill |  Bar and Grill 7777 Isle of Capri Blvd. Waterloo 319-833-2241 Hours: Sun – Thurs 5pm – 10pm Fri – Sat 5pm – 11pm www.waterloo.isleofcapricasinos.com Combines the comfort of a neighborhood bar and grill with the favorites of a steakhouse. Choose from the delicious pastas, sandwiches, salads, steaks, fish and more. Rudy’s Tacos |  Mexican 2401 Falls Ave. Waterloo 319-234-5686 Hours: Monday-Saturday 11am–9pm www.rudystacos.com Rudy’s uses local ingredients through the Northern Iowa Food and Farm Partnership’s Buy Fresh/Buy Local program. Southtown Bar & Restaurant |  American 2026 Bopp St. Waterloo 319-236-9112 Hours: 7am–10:30pm, bar open later www.southtownwaterloo.com Located next to Witham Ford behind Golf Headquarters. Stop in for the great broasted chicken or fresh made pork tenderloin.

$30  $40+  PULSE 29

Upcoming shows at

The HuB

25 JAN

6PM: CHECKER & THE BLUETONES 9:30PM: GOOD COP / RAD COP

26 JAN

7PM: WICKED ANDERSONS 10PM: PORK TORNADOES

27 JAN

7PM: SEXTET (JAZZ) 9PM: OPEN JAM

28 JAN

9PM: GRATEFUL DEAD NIGHT

29 JAN

9PM: FREE KEG & KARAOKE W/ULTIMATE ENTERTAINMENT

31 JAN

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF UNI FUNDRAISER

1 FEB

6PM: SIDESHOW BOB 10PM: TBA

2 FEB

S K O O L ’D

3 FEB

OPEN JAM NIGHT

5 FEB

9PM: FREE KEG & KARAOKE

7 FEB

UNI JAZZ BANDS I, II, III

8 FEB

6PM: BOB DORR & THE BLUE BAND 9:30PM: PORK TORNADOES

9 FEB

7PM: BEAKER BROTHERS 10PM: TBA

10 FEB

7PM: EQUILATERAL (JAZZ) 9PM: OPEN JAM NIGHT

12 FEB

9PM: FREE KEG & KARAOKE

15 FEB

6PM: CHECKER & THE BLUETONES

16 FEB 22 FEB 23 FEB

word the

The Miniature Wife and Other Stories | Manuel Gonzales Manuel Gonzales has an imagination that’s as expansive and open as a Texas prairie. The Austin-based writer creates fantastic worlds, often from the raw material of life in very ordinary corners of the Lone Star State — a mall in suburban Houston, for example, or the skies over Dallas. His first short-story collection is an entertaining romp through all sorts of implausible situations rendered with meticulous pseudo-realism. He tells stories of people with everyday desires caught up in freakishly strange conundrums that involve zombies, werewolves or an animal that might or might not be a unicorn. All the stories in this collection are written with wonderful precision and understatement. Manuel Gonzales is a writer who can’t wait for the next magical thing to surprise him — so he makes them happen in the big Texas sky of his abundant imagination. — Hector Tobar, Los Angeles Times

PULSE

PICK

Shadow Woman | Linda Howard Linda Howard just doesn’t write books like she used to. Some may appreciate her new edgier, out-of-a-comfort-zone style displayed once again in her latest story, Shadow Woman. But many miss the incredible way Howard blended humor with intriguing suspense in books like Mr. Perfect and Open Season. Shadow Woman is well-written with an intriguing plot and captivating characters, but it drags like a really long car chase scene in an action movie. Lizzy wakes up one morning and realizes she doesn’t recognize her reflection in the mirror. She realizes she can’t remember two years of her life. For the last 80 pages or so, there’s romance. But first you have to get through that 244-page “chase” scene. — Lezlie Patterson, McClatchy Newspapers

The Uninvited | Liz Jensen In The Uninvited, British writer Liz Jensen brings us Hesketh Lock, an elite, handsome corporate investigator with Asperger’s syndrome who must confront a world sliding into chaos. A strange condition in which children behave like savages has spread across the globe. Little children, pre-adolescents, are murdering their parents. This puzzle has all the aspects of a page-turning thriller. However, it takes a while to get going. There is something exciting about being a step ahead of the protagonist in a story, but get too far ahead and the tension goes slack. Ultimately, Lock’s limitations come off as more gimmick than essential, and this promising story fails to unfold in surprising ways. — Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times

9:30PM: TBA

The Wrath of Angels | John Connolly

7PM: THE HOODADS JOURNEY/REO/STYX BY ARCH ALLIES 7PM: THE SNOZZBERRIES

VIC FERRARI WILL BE RETURNING IN MARCH!

* = ADVANCE TIX AVAILABLE

30 PULSE

On the list of qualities that make a horror novel worth reading, stylish prose is near the bottom. Still, the presence of the right word can make all the difference to a good scare, as proven again and again in The Wrath of Angels, the latest from John Connolly, a writer who has the advantage of a stylist’s ear to go with an eye for the absolute nastiest gory detail, and uses both to great effect in his novels about a tortured detective named Charlie “Bird” Parker. The Wrath of Angels isn’t quite the height of the series — the first, Every Dead Thing, is still the best. But between the detailed character sketches and the intricate puzzles, it’s the best kind of book for long winter nights. — Sam Thielman, Newsday

Supernatural | Ian F. Svenonius Rock ’n’ roll is not a joke, a pastime or a hobby. Nor is it a mystical “calling” that only a chosen few can pull off. Rather, as Ian F. Svenonius argues in his treatise on the makings of a great musical group, it is a set of skills and rules that can be mastered with practice and the proper instruction. He then goes on to prove this, first by holding imaginary seances with dead rock stars, then by addressing, chapter by chapter, the building blocks of making a band. When Svenonius tackles the makings of a rock band, he’s spot-on. His academic, furrow-browed tone is brash, presumptuous and filled with a self-seriousness that’s tough to gauge. But there is an alternate means: Learn three chords. Start a band. No seances necessary. — Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times

FUN&GAMES

TAKE A BREATHER

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EVEN MORE EXCITEMENT Need a distraction at your desk? Head to CVPulse.com!

CHUCK SHEPHERD q The Jiangdu District kindergarten recognizes that providing a quality education requires supporting the child emotionally as well as helping develop reading and other skills, and toward that end, it now requires teachers to hug each pupil twice a day — provided that the parent has paid the monthly “hugging fee” of the equivalent of about $12.80. q Demarco Thomas, 30, was arrested in Tucson, Ariz., in November, as a drug courier for what the Arizona Daily Star called a “local cartel,” after Thomas himself had called police the day before. Thomas feared being whacked by the cartel because he had come up $20,000 short in the latest delivery. A police search of Thomas revealed almost exactly $20,000 on his person, and Thomas, about to be arrested, allegedly asked officers if they would please write a note to the cartel informing them that police had merely seized the $20,000, and not that Thomas had tried to steal it. They declined.

Look Your Best For Valentine’s Day!

Butler & Sons

Walk-ins Welcome!

330 LaPorte Rd., Waterloo, IA

232-1881

ANSWERS NO PEEKING!

PULSE 31

GALLAGHER-BLUEDORN

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER University of Northern Iowa

March 27 & 28, 7:30 P.M. The New York Times calls AMERICAN IDIOT “thrilling and emotionally charged, as moving as anything on Broadway!” Based on Green Day’s groundbreaking rock opera of the same name, this daring new musical tells the story of three lifelong friends, forced to choose between their dreams and the safety of suburbia, and features the smash hits “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Holiday” and “21 Guns.”

the groundbreaking BROADWAY musical www.gbpac.org