THE CURRENT Your weekly dose of arts and entertainment • Thursday, January 16, 2014
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With polar vorN texes and A LEO chilling winds, D N it can A IR be difficult to deal with the frigid BY M and desolate days of January in Chicago. One method for overcoming winter’s oppression is to celebrate light and its encouraging connotations amid this dark time. The work of internationally-acclaimed Italian artist Marco Rotelli does just this. Now, Rotelli is bringing his artistic talent to Northwest-
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@thecurrentnu
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ern’s campus. All week, Rotelli has been projecting light against the facade of Deering Library from 5 to 9 p.m. in a show named after a Dylan Thomas quote, “Rage, Rage Against the Dying of the Light.” Rotelli is no stranger to NU. About a year ago, while fulfilling a residency at NU’s Kaplan Institute for the Humanities, Rotelli became inspired by the campus. “When I was at Northwestern University, I felt the messages of the light from the lake,” Rotelli said. “The light, the change in every moment — this is my inspiration.” In March, Rotelli shared his talent with the NU community for the first time. He created a project called
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“WORDS” to illuminate Deering Library because he said he enjoys, “buildings with a message.” “It was a wonderful, wonderful event, and everybody who saw it was excited and inspired and moved,” said Jeffrey Garrett, associate university librarian and director of special collections and archives. “We decided that since only a very lucky few were able to participate, we would do a new illumination for an entire week. We would do it not in March, when things are starting to get light and hopeful again, but in the darkest part of winter, which is now.” Garrett, along with faculty from University Library, the French and Italian departments, the Kaplan Institute and the Block Museum of Art all worked together to bring Rotelli back to » See DEERING, page 2 Deering.
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INSIDE: Odds & Ends 2 | Columns 3 | Reviews 4
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Thursday, January 16, 2014
Odds & Ends
Linda Gates, head of voice From page 1 in NU’s theater department, praised Rotelli’s unconventional approach of intertwining the art of light paintings with the art of poetry and its performance. “Marco’s passion for illuminating physical spaces with light partners with his passion for poetry. The two seem to work beautifully together,” Gates said. Born in Italy in 1955, Rotelli draws much of his inspiration from his hometown of Venice, known as the “City of Lights.” “Everywhere you walk in Venice, there is the light,” Rotelli said. “This is why I think it is important to bring the idea of the light
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at every site and every place.” Graduating with a degree in architecture in 1982, Rotelli emerged into the art scene with a diverse and rather modern vision. “I think that today, it is a contemporary time,” Rotelli said. “You can work in different styles, in different media and in different materials. I work in painting, I work with technology, I work with paper and I work with marble.” Rotelli’s artistic expertise primarily involves projecting light onto well-known landmarks in cities like Paris, Milan, New York and Dubai. This past June, Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History showcased Rotelli’s “Divina Natura” to honor Italian culture’s influence on Chicago. The
light installation was inspired by Dante Alighieri’s classic epic poem, “The Divine Comedy.” In addition to the light, poetry from seven Chicagoan poets and the music of Thomas Masters, Karolina Dvorakova and Adrian Leverkuhn accompanied the exhibition. In fact, all of Rotelli’s contributions incorporate art and poetry, displaying lines from famous poems onto buildings. Rotelli said he is motivated to combine both illuminated images and words because “amusement is very important” to him. “For me it’s not important that you read all of the poems on the walls. The height of my work is amusement — that you can see what you see every day in different points
of view,” Rotelli said. Inside the library Monday, members of NU’s acting faculty and theater students celebrated Rotelli’s installation and performed passages from famous poems in an open reception. Gates selected the poems, many of them Shakespearean sonnets. “The poems all have to do with winter because the whole idea is to take back this cold bleak time and sort of brighten the dark,” Gates said. An encore performance will be held Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Due to limited space, the audience will be capped at 150 people. mirandaleon2017@u.northwestern.edu
WINTER PREVIEW BY DEVAN COGGAN
With an influx of new TV shows in the fall and an abundance of blockbuster movies each summer, winter can feel like a boring time to be a pop culture fan. Fortunately, this Winter Quarter promises plenty of new releases to look forward to. (I mean, what else are you going to do except watch TV and movies when there’s a foot of snow on the ground?)
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Fresh faces on the late-night scene The stale lineup of late-night shows is getting a bit of a shake up as beloved NU alum Seth Meyers (Communication ‘96) will take over Jimmy Fallon’s desk Feb. 24 as the new host of “Late Night,” while Fallon will move up to “The Tonight Show.” In addition to his house band The Roots and his inability to keep a straight face, Fallon will hopefully bring a new energy to the show, an energy Jay Leno has lacked for the past, oh, 20 years or so.
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Ensemble comedies Nobody does an ensemble comedy better than Wes Anderson, and in typical Anderson style, the upcoming “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (March 7) is stacked with talented actors. With Ralph Fiennes, Adrien Brody, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson and Tilda Swinton, the cast reads like the guest list at the coolest party ever. Murray will also appear in another comedy with a killer cast: George Clooney’s “The Monuments Men” (Feb. 7), which follows a group of art historians who set out to save priceless works of art from Nazi destruction. It doesn’t sound like Oscar material, but with Clooney and Murray cracking jokes and fighting Nazis with Matt Damon, John Goodman and Cate Blanchett, it’ll definitely be fun.
The polar vortex, otherwise known as the arctic blast of air that affected most of the United States, is finally over – for now. The frigid temperatures paralyzed air travel and caused major delays for many, especially college students returning from winter break. Now another cold front is apparently in the works. In honor of polar vortex part two, Northwestern students and Daily staffers give five words for their experience with the exceedingly freezing temperatures. —Compiled by Kendall Siewert
Netflix binge-watching Unfortunately, Netflix kicked off 2014 by purging some awesome shows and movies. (I guess if I still want to be able to watch “Troll II” whenever I want, I’ll have to buy it on DVD). The good news is that exciting things are coming to the streaming service this winter, including the final season of “Breaking Bad” and the second season of the service’s original series “House of Cards.” All episodes of “House of Cards” will be available Feb. 14, which means yes, I am considering Kevin Spacey my valentine this year.
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“Thanks to Diane Keaton for bringing the awkwardness level to ‘the staff at Applebee’s is singing me Happy Birthday.’ #GoldenGlobes”— Damien Fahey on Twitter.
WORTH THE HYPE?
Tickets for this year’s Coachella went on sale Wednesday and, to nobody’s surprise, sold out in record time. It took just two hours and 37 minutes for the festival to sell approximately 160,000 tickets for both mid-April weekends. Those seeking an explanation need look no further than the three headliners anchoring each day of the event. Coachella is perfectly capitalizing on the newly released albums of Muse and Arcade Fire. Muse just released its latest album, “Live at Rome Olympic Stadium,” on Dec. 2. Featured on the album alongside the band is a raucous Roman crowd of more than 60,000 people who simply do not stop screaming. I wonder if they even heard any of the music that was playing, but one thing’s for sure, they were having a damn good time. Arcade Fire last headlined Coachella in 2011 after its last album, “The Suburbs,” won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. With its newest collection, “Reflektor,” drawing rave reviews, it’s no wonder fans are jumping at the chance to see the band perform in a festival setting. And then there is the small fact of what might be the most anticipated Coachella act of all time — the OutKast reunion. The group has not released any studio work since “Idlewild” in 2006, and the prospect of seeing Big Boi reunite with Andre 3000 has
me binging their music on Spotify, checking tour dates and looking for Polaroid pictures to shake. Honestly, Coachella’s lineup poster could just have “OutKast” in size 48 Comic Sans font in the middle with the names of other acts placed in the shape of arrows facing inwards. That’s how big of a deal it is. The rest of the lineup is also littered with musicians who could easily be headliners for any other festival. Opening for OutKast on Friday is Grouplove, Bastille, The Cult, Ellie
“I was going to come in and push you down the stairs.” — Jennifer Lawrence to Taylor Swift at the Golden Globes.
—Compiled by Erica Witte
Writers Mollie Cahillane David Lee Miranda Leon Chelsea Sherlock Kendall Siewert Erica Witte
davidlee2017@u.northwestern.edu
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Pillow Talk: Lessons for the artistically challenged Source: Creative Commons
Welcome to my Bedroom Laken Howard
SEX columnist @lakenisahorcrux
“Up next: the antarctic cyclone.” — Steven Montero
Design Editor Jessica Fang
Top to bottom, this might be the most stacked lineup I have ever seen. Although, Northwestern’s schedule makes it extremely difficult to actually attend the event (I applaud any who are doing so anyway), I will definitely be glued to my computer for the festival’s live stream.
Goulding, Girl Talk (the best live performance I have ever been to) and Zedd, among others. Saturday features Kid Cudi, Nas, Empire of the Sun, MGMT, Foster the People, Lorde, Skrillex, Pharrell Williams, Queens of the Stone Age and headliner Muse. Chance the Rapper, Big Gigantic, Duck Sauce, Motorhead, Calvin Harris, Beck and many others help Arcade Fire close the weekend on a strong note.
“Newest Pokemon attack: Polar Vortex!” — Scott Brown
Assistant Editors Laken Howard Hayley Glatter
The Current | Page 3
Columns
“Almost scalded throwing boiling water.” — Brian Lee
Editor in Chief Devan Coggan
“I feel like I’m not on earth just to shake it and shake it endlessly, you know?” — Shakira, on her life’s purpose, to Glamour magazine.
music columnist @davidylee95
“Stayed inside and didn’t die.” — Chelsea Sherlock
KITTENS!!! If you’re like me, the best part of Superbowl Sunday is the snacks, the halftime show and Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl,” which showcases two hours of small, fluffy dogs playing (aka the best thing ever). This year, however, the Hallmark Channel (wait, there’s a Hallmark Channel?) is upping the cuteness and airing the first-ever “Kitten Bowl” on Feb. 2. Please, please, please let this be the start of a trend replacing all television programs with hours of small, cute animals playing. Next year I’m hoping we’ll get the “Slow Loris Bowl.”
“In light of the recent attacks against my artistic integrity, I am retiring from all public life.” — Shia LaBeouf to his Twitter followers, after a series of plagiarism accusations and bizarre apologies.
DAVID LEE
“No no no no no.” — Ashley Peterson
THE CURRENT
“‘Masters of Sex is the degree I got from Boston College.” — Amy Poehler at the Golden Globes.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Hayley Glatter/The Current
HAyLEY GLATTER
At age seven, I received the pinterest greatest piece columnist of mail I could @heyhay94 possibly have imagined. No, it wasn’t my premature acceptance letter to Hogwarts (although, I did apply early decision because, like Northwestern, Hogwarts loves those ED wizards), and no, it wasn’t a response from Hilary Duff on my desire to serve a guest spot on an upcoming “Lizzie McGuire” episode. It was better. I was going to be in the art fair. The annual district art fair featured the best art produced by students from kindergarten to eighth grade, and second-grade me was megapumped to be in the showcase. I wasn’t exactly shocked my work was selected; after all, I had made a snowman out of paper snowflakes and pipe cleaners. It’s pretty tough to top that kind of artistic vision. On the day of the fair, I proudly showed my adoring fans (see: parents) around the gym to my artwork. They responded accordingly as I beamed with pride. This moment was the pinnacle of my artistic career. I was in second grade, and my art has been going all downhill ever since. With that in mind, I turned to Pinterest to try to salvage some of the artistic magic I was able to capture 12 long years ago. I found a seemingly simple tutorial on how to draw a cat, and the pin was even described as “elementary
drawing lessons.” I assumed I would be able to keep up. Of all the things I have attempted to recreate from Pinterest, this was, perhaps, the venture into which I entered with the lowest expectations. Outside of my exceptional snowflake snowman and a few painted ceramics courtesy of The Painted Penguin, my artistic ventures have resulted in vastly subpar work. Nonetheless, this cat drawing looked so easy that even I could create something that at least partially resembled a feline. I began with step one by drawing the three concentric circles outlined in the pin. I erased and redid this step multiple times until I felt my circles would result in a correctly sized cat. Step two was more difficult, as I needed to draw the cat’s paws and tail. I floundered. My drawing suffered. My cat was now lopsided with creepy looking feet. I shook my head and moved on to step three. I adorned my feline friend with a face and erased some of the guiding lines I had drawn in earlier in the process. After step three, Muffin, the name I decided best fit my cat’s essence, was finished. Did my final product look like a fat cat, as I had desired? To some extent. Muffin beamed back at me, and I realized that the Pinterest instructions were quite helpful. Though they did not have words, the visual step-by-step definitely aided in my lukewarm success. hayleyglatter2016@u.northwestern.edu
Welcome back, Current readers! It’s a new quarter and a new year, so it’s only fitting that a new blog is born. I’ve decided to depart from the days of blogging about my escapades with online dating. Instead, I’ll be blogging about a much more important (albeit related) topic: sex! I must admit, I got a little burnt out rehashing the details of past dates and ex-lovers. From here on out, I’ll spare you the boring emotional details and focus on one positive thing that came out of many failed relationships: lots and lots of new sexual experiences. First and foremost, I am not claiming to be an expert concerning all things sexual. The point of this blog is to promote the open discussion of sex and sexual health. I’m one of those people who firmly believes that sex is totally natural, and people of all genders and sexual orientations should talk about it honestly and openly. If you read my other Current blogs, you’re already aware that I’m a classic over-sharer. As I’ve said before and will surely say again, my pain is your gain. My embarrassing sex stories can hopefully help you or at the very least make you laugh. All I want is to offer my take on things such as nipple clamps, sexting, lingerie, oral sex and more, while hopefully entertaining or engaging you in the process. 2013 was a notably sex-filled year for me. If I were to make a graph of my sexual partners, let’s just say last year was undoubtedly the climax (I crack myself up).
All the way through freshman year I was a mostly-virginal-nottechnically-virgin who dreaded having sex because I’d only done it once. Then 2013 happened, and well... I’m a totally different sexual creature than I was. I’m not condoning promiscuity or damning those who choose to remain chaste; all I’m saying is that I’ve learned a lot and want to share it with the world. I hope you’ll trust that my heart (and vagina) is in the right place here. I love having sex, and I love talking about sex. (Disclaimer: As I discuss various topics, please note they are from the point of view of a promiscuous heterosexual female, and it is not my intention to exclude, overlook or demean any other viewpoints, gender identities or orientations, but can only speak from my own experiences). To maintain some mystery, I won’t tell you exactly how many guys I’ve slept with or how many d---- I’ve had in my mouth (two totally different numbers, FYI). What I will tell you is anything and everything I know about all aspects of sex and hope I can be somewhat informative. If you’re bored in class, feel free to email or tweet me questions to answer in future blogs. I’d love to talk about what you want to hear! No question is too personal, so don’t be shy. I can’t wait to delve into all things sexy for you, Current readers. Until next week, be safe and be sexual! lakenhoward2015@u.northwestern.edu
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Reviews
Thursday, January 16, 2014
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New Disney thrills, but remember the underrated CHELSEA SHERLOCK
When “Frozen” first premiered, my Facebook feed started to fill with rave reviews of the movie. Several friends deemed it the best movie Disney has ever made. It’s so popular that it is already being turned into a Broadway musical. One thing that makes the movie stand out from other classic Disney animated films is that it breaks the mold of stories of a girl and a boy falling in love. Instead, it focuses on the power of the bond between sisters. This seems to be a growing trend in modern Disney movies. Recent Disney movies
movie columnist @musovogr
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The
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Justin Bieber investigated for egging neighbor’s house J-Biebs’ neighbor called the police Thursday night after Bieber allegedly pegged his house with eggs. The owner of the house has reported over $20,000 in damages, and the incident is classified as a felony. This is just the latest in a string of bad Bieber behavior. Looks like he’s headed toward Britney circa 2007 — but maybe not quite as bad as Amanda circa 2013 (yet).
Ke$ha’s mom checks into rehab with her daughter The singer checked in to a rehab center Jan. 3 for an eating disorder. On Saturday, her mother Pebe Sebert entered the Chicago-area Timberline Knolls due to post-traumatic stress disorder. Seems like Ke$sha’s fame has become too much of a burden for Mommie dearest. Alex Rodriguez suspended for season Three strikes, and you’re out! The majority of A-Rod’s 211-game suspension from Major League Baseball was upheld Saturday. His suspension was due to his links with a clinic accused of dealing out banned performanceenhancing drugs. This latest mistake will cost A-Rod $25 million in salary. A-Rod filed a lawsuit Monday in an attempt to overturn the ban. Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins an award On Sunday, Leonardo DiCaprio won the Golden Globe for his role in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” It looks like the curse has been lifted. Maybe now our golden boy won’t have to name his son Oscar, just to say he has one. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see until February. — Mollie Cahillane
like “The Princess and the Frog” and “Brave” feature strong female characters, rather than damsels in distress. They have also branched away from the typical “princess-finding-herprince” plot. While classic princess movies like “Cinderella” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” are what typically come to mind when thinking of Disney movies, there are many other animated features that are unique yet underappreciated. Here are my top five: 1) “Robin Hood” (1973) This movie, like most Disney movies, has a lot of jokes that are easily missed the first time watching it as a child. There are a variety of sassy characters, and the style of music stands out from other classic Disney films with its folksy style. The plot centers on the classic tale of the foxy Robin Hood. Just try not to fall in love with the adorable group of children that help Robin save the day, especially the loveable Skippy and Toby Turtle.
2) “Hercules” (1997) What is better than a Disney prince? A Greek god. Hercules is one of Disney’s most attractive characters. For anyone who grew up as a scrawny high schooler, it’s an inspiration tale to watch Herc go from awkward to awesome. The movie also features Danny DeVito as the voice of Phil, and there are some great references to other movies, such as “Midnight Cowboy” and Greek myths: “Wow. What a day. First that restaurant by the bay. And then that, that play, that, that, that Oedipus thing. Man, I thought *I* had problems.” There is also a good lesson about sacrificing yourself to help others. 3) “Oliver and Company” (1988) A snobby poodle with a slew of ex-boyfriends, a kitten rescued from the mean streets of a big city and the gangster who kidnaps a little girl make up this movie. It’s a heartwarming tale of the bond between a girl and her pets.
4) “The Sword in the Stone” (1963) Before Camelot, there was a boy named Arthur, some crazy villagers and the legendary sword in the stone. GIFs from the movie pop on my Tumblr randomly, reminding me of all the random stuff that happens in this movie. It’s one of the lesser known animated movies — and also one of the quirkiest. There is a solid scene in which Merlin accidentally transforms himself and Arthur into fish. 5) “The Aristocats” (1970) First off, this movie gets points for the pun. The essential plot is that when the wealthy owner of a family of cats gives them her inheritance in her will, her butler decides to get rid of them, and a team of animals works to rescue the kittens. This movie reveals a world in which kittens take music and art lessons, and dogs learn to drive. chelseasherlock2017@u.northwestern.edu
Globes bring the insanity, hint at Oscar noms
mollie cahillane tv columnist @molliecahillane
On Sunday, the Golden Globes kicked off the start of the 2014 awards season, or as I like to call it, the time when I get angry because my favorites never win. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler once again kicked ass and proved the Globes are clearly the craziest of the shows. I love the Globes not only for the insanity that can happen (like Emma Thompson downing a martini and throwing her shoes on stage) but also for the Oscar indications. In terms of television, “Breaking Bad” finally got the recognition it deserves. The show had never won a Golden Globe before, but Bryan Cranston won “Best Actor in a Television Drama Series,” and the show won “Best Television Drama.” However, the highlight had to be Aaron Paul yelling, “Yeah bitch!” to end the acceptance speech. He’s got limited time left when it’s socially acceptable to do so, so he better take advantage of it. Amy Poehler, in her sixth season of “Parks and Recreation,” earned a Golden Globe for her role as the zealous government employee Leslie Knope. And Emilia Clarke presented the award to Amy, so the fangirl in me naturally died. “Parks and Rec” did not take home the trophy for best TV musical or comedy, but newcomer “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” beat out veterans “The Big Bang Theory” and “Modern Family” (finally!!!!). No love for “Modern Family” this year — probably because the show has turned into the offensive stereotypes it used to parody. Also, the curse has been broken. Leonardo DiCaprio won an award for something, much to the Internet’s delight. Our boy Leo took home the Globe for “Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy” for his role in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” However, I’d argue that Leo is now desperately seeking an Oscar before his glory days expire. David O. Russell’s film, “American Hustle,” is clearly gunning for the Oscars, as he brought back much of the same cast as in his
award-winning film “Silver Linings Playbook.” The Academy loved “Silver Linings,” especially America’s sweetheart Jennifer Lawrence. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association gave her the award for “Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” prompting indignation among many who believed the award should have gone to Lupita Nyong’o for her role in “12 Years a Slave.” I’m predicting Lawrence will win an Oscar again this year; the Academy adores her. It seems that our beloved J-Law can do no wrong, even when she’s wearing a dress that looks like the Little Mermaid’s sail outfit. Her “American Hustle” co-star Amy Adams also took home a definitely deserved award for “Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy” and will be nominated for
Source: Facebook an Oscar for sure. The Golden Globes split their film awards into two categories, which makes it a little more difficult to predict the Oscar nominations. “12 Years a Slave” won “Best Motion Picture - Drama” and “American Hustle” won “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” will come down to these two. However, we can’t ignore other Oscar-bait movies like “Gravity” and “Philomena.” Also, Spike Jonze’s film “Her” earned a lot of praise late in the season and even took home the Globe for “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture.” Honestly, I’m pulling for “American Hustle.” What can I say, I love me some J-Law.
molliecahillane2017@u.northwestern.edu