Buzz Magazine: Nov. 30, 2006

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HORROR DIRECTOR JAMES GUNN TALKS WITH BUZZ

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BOND, JAMES BOND RETURNS TO THE BIG SCREEN

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A MAN WRAPPED UP IN HIMSELF MAKES A VERY SMALL PACKAGE.

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UNDER THE COVER

BUZZ STAFF volume

Nov e m be r 30

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INTRO

Cover Design • Hank Patton Editor in chief • Erin Scottberg Art Director • Brittany Bindrim Copy Chief • Meghan Whalen Listen, Hear • Anna Statham Stage, Screen & in Between • Elyse Russo Around Town • Tatyana Safronova CU Calendar • Annette Gonzalez Photography Editor • Austin Happel Designers • Hank Patton, Monica Betel, Renee Okumura Calendar Coordinator • Brian McGovern Photography • Austin Happel Copy Editors • LIsa Fisherkeller, Emily Ciaglia, Ilana Katz, Whitney Harris Staff Writers • Brian McGovern, Carlye Wisel, Amy Meyer Contributing Writers • Michael Coulter, Seth Fein, Mike Ingram, Kim Rice, Kate Ruin Sales Manager • Mark Nattier Marketing/Distribution • Brandi Wills Publisher • Mary Cory

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CU CALENDAR

TALK TO BUZZ

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STAGE, SCREEN & IN BETWEEN

e-mail: buzz@readbuzz.com write: 57 E. Green St. Champaign, IL 61820 call: 217.337.3801 We reserve the right to edit submissions. Buzz will not publish a letter without the verbal consent of the writer prior to publication date.

Buzz magazine is a student-run publication of Illini Media Company and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the University of Illinois administration, faculty or students.

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This Modern World • Tom Tomorrow Life in Hell • Matt Groening First Things First • Michael Coulter

AROUND TOWN Homegrown Activism • Laura Sullivan Community Spotlight with Lindsey Morrison • Janice McDuffee The Local Sniff • Seth Fein

LISTEN, HEAR Cutting Edge Show Choir • Andy Glaysher Pete Yorn at the Canopy • Caitlin Cremer CU Sound Revue • Mike Ingram Spin it/Flip it/Reverse it • Carlye & Brian Album reviews

Horror Director James Gunn • Jeff Gross Bond, James Bond • Jenny McCarthy Artist’s Corner with Cindy Garcia • Elyse Russo Movie reviews

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CLASSIFIEDS

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THE STINGER

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Doin’ it Well • Kim Rice & Kate Ruin Jonesin’ Crosswords • Matt Gaffney Free Will Astrology Likes and Gripes

erin scottberg EDITOR’S NOTE

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his year, I experienced Black Friday for the first time ever. I’ve spent many a day-after-Thanksgiving working retail, but until last Friday, I’d never been on the purchasing side of the craziness. After a good Scottberg family Thanksgiving dinner, an attempt at ’80s Trivial Pursuit — don’t try it, it’s impossible — and a good debate on whether America is more racist or sexist in regard to Hillary versus Obama, a few of us cousins and one uncle headed out for a round of early-morning electronics shopping. And let me tell you, while the Black Friday rush was fun to experience — especially after a few glasses of wine — the Scottbergs will definitely not be making it a family tradition.

Same goes for ’80s Trivial Pursuit.

The original plan was to hit up Best Buy to pick up a $250 Toshiba Satellite laptop early-bird special.

When we arrived at the Rockford, Ill., store at 3 a.m. we found a line halfway around the building. Desperate to get our hands on a laptop, we drove 45 minutes to the DeKalb store. We’d all caught laptop fever.

We arrived at about 4:20 a.m. to find a line just as long, but luckily, there’s a 24-hour Wal-Mart right next sore, where we took shelter with the falling prices and friendly smiles until Best Buy’s doors opened at 5 a.m.

Until then, the only time I’d been to Wal-Mart at this hour was August of my junior year, when my four roommates and I tried to move out of our home of the past two years in just 24 hours — while also INTRO | A ROUND TOWN | L ISTEN, HEAR | CU CALENDAR | STAGE, S CREEN &

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trying to fix things up enough to get our security deposit back. Not only had we accumulated a lot of crap during our residence on Elm and Coler, but we’d also done a decent amount of damage. That night, we made frequent trips to Wal-Mart to pick up things like Mr. Clean Magic Erasers (they work miracles) and dry wall putty. And just like Black Friday, tempers were running hot and patience was running thin.

But even the chaos of that frantic move-out weekend doesn’t hold a candle to the insanity of big-box stores in rural Illinois when people are fi lled with turkey and the sun is still shining over China. At the 24-hour Wal-Mart, the Black Friday deals didn’t kick in until 5 a.m., but women in leggings and Christmas sweaters and men in camouflaged hunting coats were guarding their portable DVD players and 12-cup automatic coffee makers like pit bulls guarding a junk yard.

In the middle of the store were two displays piled high with 20-inch flat screen TVs. At about 4:52 a.m., one very tall man jumped the gun, reached to the top and put one in his cart. Mass bargain-shopping ensued. Within seconds, 10-foot-high displays of Bratz dolls and Disney DVDs were gone and the register lines were backed-up for aisles.

At 5:01 a.m., we left. We’d seen enough. It was time to try our luck at Best Buy, but it turns out they’d given out vouchers for the laptops when people started lining up 12 hours earlier. I was this close to getting a voucher from someone who was wavering between the laptop and desktop deals, but at the last minute, she opted for the laptop. That’s life. sounds from the scene

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A RELIGIOUS WAR IS LIKE CHILDREN FIGHTING OVER WHO HAS THE STRONGEST IMAGINARY FRIEND.

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michael coulter FIRST THINGS FIRST

Celebrity wedding gossip Tom and Katie tie the knot; vapid stars come out in droves.

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ast week was a time of reflection, a time when America remembers what it’s all about in the first place. It’s a time to take stock of where we are as a culture and where we are as human beings. I’m not talking about Thanksgiving, or time with family, or anything else just as trivial. I’m talking about, of course, the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. God love that happy couple ... I mean, seriously, God may be the last entity to give two shits about them either way, so if he doesn’t love them, they’re pretty much out of luck.

I know, I know, I can say it’s ridiculous and all, but either way, I was sort of aware of it and I’m writing a column about it, so I’m just as guilty as everyone who actually enjoyed the event. That’s the problem with being a smart ass about something, you have to care just enough to generally get your facts straight, yet not enough to care much if any of the people you’re discussing meet their immediate demise.

I guess I really just didn’t get all the hoopla.

It’s not the first time a couple has gotten married after they’ve already had a child. It’s not the first time a seemingly gay, A-List actor/Scientologist has wed a seemingly vacant, C-List actress/sortof-hot girl. It’s not even the first time a crapload of celebrities have converged to celebrate what virtually every normal thinking person in the world believes is pretty much a fake marriage. At least they did it in Rome, so our homeland didn’t have to suffer through any of it. I wonder if they could hear Nero fiddling as intelligent society burnt around them?

Seriously, I’d flip through some TV channels and it was all they were talking about. Did anyone really care all that much that there had to be 24 hour a day coverage? I suppose it’s sort of an event just having all those famous folks together in the same place, but still. If we’d have been smart, we would have skipped bombing Iraq and focused a couple of thousand smart bombs on that big ass castle where they were all at. We might have really been better off in the long run. I’d be happy to pay a couple of extra dollars at the gas pumps if I never had to see Tom Cruise jump up and down on a couch or never had to see Brooke Shields attempt to act again.

The guest list was pretty impressive though.

It was sort of a wonderful representation of Hollywood mediocrity at its finest. Jim Carrey

was there. I wonder if he entertained the guests by making all kinds of crazy faces. Really not much of a legacy is it, Jim Boy. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony showed up. Um, why does she think she’s special again? I can see them going down the list of possible attendees. “Okay, first let’s cross off anyone who’s talented. Wow, I guess that means Jenna Elfman can come after all.”

Of course, Posh Spice was there, but she goes by the name of Victoria Beckham now, probably because “sickly skinny gutter trash” was already taken by Paris Hilton. Man, does that Spice Girl study to look like such a bitch all the time? Um, also, did the invitations encourage all of the guests to sort of dress like a whore? Brook Shields even showed up. See, I was under the impression that her and Tom weren’t getting along so much anymore. Well, who could let a little thing like a disagreement about medication get in the way of a chance to frolic with a bunch of idiots ...

I know I couldn’t.

I wasn’t upset about all of it though. The wedding picture did sort of make me laugh. The bride was all hunched over in a pathetic attempt to make the groom seem like he wasn’t shorter than most of the jockeys in the Preakness. Suck it up, Tom. Unless you marry a four-year-old girl, most anyone you stand next to is going to seem like a giant. Accept it and move on. Otherwise, you end up with a wedding picture that makes it appear as if your lovely new wife is humping your leg. May I suggest a pair of stilts? Whatever, just trying to help.

Sadly, I didn’t really get to see much about the reception, but I’m fairly sure nobody parties like a Scientologist. “Is it open bar?” “No, but feel free to hook yourself up to all of the crazy machines we have set up to get rid of negative energy! Also, don’t be afraid to rub the nose of the L. Ron Hubbard statue for good luck!”

Look, I’m not say ing it a l l isn’t sor t of fascinating. I’m just saying no one should really care all that much about it. Most of the country doesn’t know this couple, and when it comes right down to it, I bet most of the country really wouldn’t care for them if they did know them. In fact, I would wager that if they lived across the street from most of us, we would simply refer to them as “crazy little Tom and stupid little Katie.” It’s weird — they are about as abnormal as human beings come, yet they still manage to make regular folks feel like they’re missing something. That’s the magic of Hollywood.

OOPS! WE MADE A MISTAKE • Although buzz strives for accuracy, we sometimes make mistakes. If you catch something we didn’t,

please let use know at buzz@readbuzz.com. When a correction is needed, it will be listed here.

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around town

HOMEGROWN ACTIVISM

AMELIA MOORE • PHOTO

Dietkus was the brainchild of this operation. The Danville native and University of Illinois graduate is now Program Director of the University YMCA. She’s an idea person with a “get off your ass” determination that gets things done.

Dietkus recently went global with her grassroots approach to human rights issues when she attended the newly formed United Nations Humans Rights Council. She has tackled some colossal issues in her 31 years, but remains hip to the indie music scene and plays violin for Chicago-based duo The City on Film.

Claire Szoke, a colleague of Dietkus’s who is on the Board of Governors at the University YMCA, said, “She is an engaged young woman for someone her age.” Others seem to think it is natural for young people to be “at the center of social change,” like Doug Jones, a chairman at the Channing-Murray Foundation.

Dietkus’s even, lucid speech is coupled with a soft, humanitarian approach. She pulled a turquoise Indian shawl around her, and carefully chose words. “I am much more of a bottom up than a top down operational person. I am ver y grassroots-oriented. I think that’s where the real change happens and that’s where mobilization really happens.”

Sometimes drive can be exhausting. Rachael sniff led as she remembered the night Clarke came, “I was as sick a s I a m now. I wa s r u n n i ng myself into the ground trying to get things done. I definitely had a fever the night of the event.”

She said that ultimately the success of events like Clarke’s speech is rewardRachael Dietkus, program director for the University YMCA, sits in front of her cluttered desk late Monday evening. Dietkus, who is also a violinist, will be performing in the “Mu- ing. “It’s pretty awesome, for lack of a sicians with a Mission” benefit concert Friday, December 1 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the better word. It’s exciting when you have an idea and you can actually put it into action.

Illini Media Building, 512 E. Green St., Champaign.

That was a pretty nice feather in my cap, I guess you could say.”

LAURA SULLIVAN • STAFF WRITER Dietkus found her talent for activism as the co-founder of the student branch of the American Civil Liberties Union on camoyes Lab was bursting at the seams. The doorways pus in 1997. It was hard for student ACLU activist Milind Shah were jammed and people overflowed from the main to sell Dietkus on the idea that they could do something about lecture hall to a television viewing room. Nine the death penalty. But once the idea was planted, it bore fruit. hundred people showed up to see Richard Clarke, More than 300 people filled the Courtyard Café in April 2000 whom the media had dubbed the “counter-terror- for a live discussion via conference call with former death row ism czar.” Clarke had served as an adviser to four U.S. presidents inmate Aaron Patterson. Dietkus set up microphones to allow from 1973 to 2003 and wrote a book criticizing the administra- students to speak directly with the inmate. She said that the event tions, especially that of President George W. Bush. The crowd “brought a human voice to the issue.” cheered and waved copies of his controversial political memoir Upon graduation, Dietkus moved to Chicago to work for a Against All Enemies in the air. Clarke had worked on tough secu- law firm on pro bono cases, and then became the program direcrity issues and probably carried a gun when he traveled, but was tor for the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. She shielded from the crowd and ushered in the back door by a fair- turned down an offer to work on a death penalty documenskinned young woman in a pink blazer. A friend emailed Rachael tary in New York to come back to Urbana-Champaign for a Dietkus after the event to say the blazer was “a hit” on TV. She position at the YWCA at the University of Illinois. later said, “I felt like I was an undercover agent.”

Dietkus was chosen as one of four women from around the

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world to represent the World YWCA at the United Nations 62nd Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in March. While she was there, the Commission decided that its work was not as effective as it could be and a new Human Rights Council was formed. “This truly is historic,” she wrote in an email to her colleagues.

The first stint in Geneva from March to April was paid for with stipends from the World YWCA, but Dietkus was able to return a second time in June to see the landmark opening of the Human Rights Council, by her own signature determination.

She raised money required for the trip from the YWCA of the University of Illinois, City of Urbana Human Relations Commission, World YWCA and from donations from her friends, then scraped by on a budget, “eating cheap Swiss food,” for her tenure in June.

Dietkus maintained her humor and energy while learning about the inner workings of a colossal international body. In an email to her colleagues she wrote, “On a completely ridiculous note, when the Chair of the new Council welcomes the next speaker it sounds like he is saying ‘I have the honor of inviting His/Her Excellency to the restroom.’ (He’s really saying ‘rostrum,’ but still.) Thankfully my friend and colleague from Germany found the slight humor in this, too.”

Dietkus felt humble about her position at the UN. “I was a tiny speck involved in a huge thing.” But her experience at the United Nations was an eye-opener for such a sensitive and sharp person. It made her realize that the local things she does are at least a part of a larger effort and she said, “It made me not feel so small.”

The United Nations experience left her feeling more mature and she spoke about this newfound maturity recently in the aging wooden chapel of the Channing-Murray Foundation, a world away from the buzzing importance of the UN. Jan Kruse attended the event and came to Urbana-Champaign because she wanted to get involved in social justice issues. She seemed to light up when she spoke about Rachael as a person at the center of activity in the area. She described Rachael as a “young person who works local but has a global perspective.”

All of the rigid meetings and impassioned work wore on Dietkus, a self-described night person, in Geneva. So she took the other short-term World YWCA intern, Maya from Papua New Guinea, to a punk club in Geneva called The Factory, to decompress. They “could not have stood out more,” she recalled, and Maya seemed more than a little timid but Dietkus reassured her and they enjoyed an escape from the meetings.

Dietkus uses music as a release from the heavy issues she deals with daily. She has been playing the violin for 22 years and has been a part her band for the past two years. The band is acoustic, just guitar and violin, and reflects the type of music she listens to. “Indie rock is where my heart lies.”

Dietkus spoke about the death penalty with many famous celebrities involved with activism in Chicago, but it is the Richard Clarkes of the world whom she admires.

There were times at dinner with Clarke before he spoke when she thought, “Oh my God.” He had worked with four presidents. “You realize that what you do is so minuscule compared to what other people do. The work you have on a daily basis is nothing compared to the people who are trying to protect the lives of people in the U.S. The people I am star struck by are people like that.”

sounds from the scene

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KIDS, YOU TRIED YOUR BEST AND YOU FAILED MISERABLY. THE LESSON IS, NEVER TRY.

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COMMUNITY

snapshot LINDSEY MORRISON

AMELIA MOORE • PHOTO

WITH

JANICE MCDUFFEE • CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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magine removing all of your clothes, your body completely uncovered with every fold and dimple revealed. Then, you walk into an art classroom full of attentive eyes, ready to capture every detail.

Perhaps the situation would be terrifying to the average person, but to 24-year-old Lindsey Morrison, this is just one of three jobs she does to prove she is financially self-sufficient away from home.

Morrison moved to Champaign in August of 2005 from Philadelphia, Pa. She came after graduating from Elizabethtown College in Lancaster, Pa., with a friend seeking a PhD at the University of Illinois. “It’s cute [Champaign-Urbana]. The size of the school geeks me out. My graduating high school class had 89 people, and my entire college had 1200,� she said.

In desperate need of income, Morrison first applied at Borders bookstore where she now works in the coffee shop, and she also works the bar at Nargile, a nightclub in Champaign. However, her idea of finding a job as a nude model came from her studies in college.

Mor r ison g raduated w ith a deg ree i n A r t Histor y and Ceram ics w ith a m inor in political science. She drew nude models while attending school and was familiar with the procedure.

She began modeling just one month after arriving in Champaign. Morrison was never afraid to remove her clothes and said she actually finds modeling to be relaxing. “I’m really comfortable with my body. I was completely unfazed taking my clothes off in front of everybody.�

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The job entails more demands than simply getting naked and standing in front of an audience. Remaining in the same position for an extended amount of time can be strenuous on the body, Morrison said. “Standing poses that last an entire class period [make] your whole body hurt,� she said.

She even f inds herself bored at times, as some poses can last for up to six class periods. “I sing to myself, or quote movies.

Sometimes I’ll be up there and start giggling to myself.�

While Morrison has no anxiety while posing nude, the students don’t always share her sense of ease. She said it amuses her when students feel awkward, as it is usually obvious. “You get that most with freshmen classes or the introduction to drawing, they’re just like, ‘Oh! There’s a naked girl in the room, hm ... ’�

Morrison believes that the portrayal of the nude body is important for artists to study. “It is one of the most complex images. There’s so much it can do — so many poses it can be in, and it’s so organic and there are no two that are the same,� she said.

Morrison believes that nude modeling has legitimate value in that it “reinforces a positive body image to me — everyone has days where they get out of bed and feel like hell,� she said. “Where you’re, like, ‘I’m so ugly,’ ‘I’m PMSing,’ ‘I’m so bloated,’ you just have to suck it up. You realize it’s not as important as it turns into in your head sometimes.�

Morrison is so comfortable outside of her clothes that nudity is more commonplace in her life than the time she spends dressed. “I calculated it, and since I sleep naked, I have naked time more then normal time.�

Morrison’s life before modeling was much more constricted.

She attended a small Christian high school with students who were not quite as open-minded as she was. She describes their attitude as, “I’m right, you’re wrong, and you’re gonna burn forever.�

Morrison was an angry teen, who would eventually graduate to a bitter person while in high school. “I was always the kid who was in detention for swearing, or all the things I wasn’t supposed to do I would end up in detention for.�

She described herself as an oddball, and said she didn’t socialize with anyone by her senior year.

Despite her experience in high school, the person she developed into blossomed from her parents’ rearing. Her mother and stepfather are Christian, while her father and stepmother are atheist and Buddhist, respectively. “They allowed me to make my own informed

decisions in life, which I think is where the free spirit type of things came from,� she said.

Morrison said if her old teachers and classmates saw her life now as a nude model, “They would probably not be as surprised as they’d like to be.�

Morrison believes that there are misconceptions about nude modeling and sexuality. While she believes that art and sexuality and even nudity and sexuality can be completely unrelated, the responses she receives from other people suggest the general consensus differs. “There’s such a stigma against nudity ... when there is nudity, it’s almost entirely sexual,� she said. “When anybody is comfortable with it, it’s like, ‘How slutty.’�

Men particularly react sexually when she reveals her occupation, often requesting to draw her. Her response is always no.

People have actually recommended she become a stripper because of her comfort with nudity. “No, it’s a lot different, there’s a lot less wiggling involved,� is her usual reply.

One of the perks nude modeling is getting to see the final product. Most of the work she finds to be satisfactory and even well done. However, she noticed several consistent habits, particularly with the female artists. They tend to draw her with a slimmer figure, especially in the thigh and butt area.

W h i le Mor r ison is com for t able bei ng portrayed in the nude and enjoys seeing the artists’ work, she is taken back from time to time.

She says she gets a kick out of seeing naked pictures of herself when they are posted in the hallways and one incident principally sticks out in her mind.

A teacher assigned the students to draw a specific part of her body to cover the canvass. One girl chose to do a close-up of Morrison’s genital area and the canvas eventually hung in the hallway for other students to see. “I was walking down the hallway and it was like, ‘That’s my vagina on the wall. That’s special.’�

Q& A

What is your ideal occupation? “I’m actually moving back to Philadelphia in February to try and get a job related to my degree.

I’m thinking about getting my Master’s in Sex and Gender Studies. I wouldn’t mind doing ceramics professionally. I would love to just make mugs.�

Who is your favorite artist? “My friend Joshua Kerner ... I’ve known him for a very long time and have seen his art adapt and changing over time‌he does glass and metal work.

I also really like Soutine and Cezanne. I like the way they deal with color and different aspects of technique in their work, especially how Soutine has a way with taking ugly things and making them beautiful.�

If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be? “Jim Morrison, because he would be an entertaining character. He was a smart kid when he wasn’t drunk.

Inga Muscio, because she is a great author. She is brilliant, and would have a lot of interesting to say about women.

Ani DiFranco — I’ve listened to her for eight years and there’s an album for every instance in my life.

And she’s just a badass.�

! SALON

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ARDS GIFT CLABLE AVAI

FIRST SNIFF I got my driver’s license on the morning of October 19th, 1995. I had been driving for roughly 11 years and one month when finally, at long last, my car (my fourth one over the years) gave out. It was kind of horrifying. The sound engine made was roughly what I believe the sound that my lungs make when I inhale each cigarette of mine. My girlfriend and I were stranded on I-57. We had our dog with us. I had just started to recall the most daunting moments of The Grapes of Wrath after my girlfriend yelled out, “This fuckin’ jalopy!” when lo and behold, one of my closest friends pulls up behind us with just enough room to take us the rest of the way to Chicago.

Oh sure. My beautiful 1990 Honda is dead as a doornail, but, it could have been so much worse.

It could have been a nightmare, especially with a puppy in tow.

But nope. Not for me. For me, I am loved by the God of Automobiles. So now. Only one word comes to mine: Scion.

WHERE IS THE LOVE? Ok. Here is how I know that CU still has problems: We have a street named for Loren Tate and one for Jim Turpin but we have almost nothing in terms of even basic recognition for the most creative person living in town perhaps, well, ever?

You see, I realize that most of you don’t read.

And I don’t mean read the paper. If you are reading this now, and you haven’t read anything else all week, well then, I really can’t help you. You have chosen poorly.

I mean, like, read books. You know, the one’s with words and page numbers that can rival the 400 club?

Hey. I’ll be honest. I don’t read anywhere near as much as I used to. In fact, I haven’t read a book in over a year. But that will all change just as soon as I find a way to buy that Scion.

IN CASE YOU DON’T FOLLOW NPR …

Richard Powers is a professor of English and a writer-in-residence for the University of Illinois. He was the best part of my experience in college. And that’s not to take away from Jean Thompson and Mike Madonick. They were awesome and amazing professors as well. But, well, the thing is this: Powers is a genius. And see, here is the kicker.

Not only does he not act like it, he wouldn’t even know how to if he tried.

Two weeks ago, Powers won the National Book Award.

KIND OF A BIG DEAL….

Let me put some perspective on what a big thing this is.

Theater has the Tonys. They pick a best play of the year. The music business have the Grammys.

Album of the year. Movies? Everyone knows Oscar.

This is just like that for the world of literature.

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The prize money is about as much as it costs to buy a Scion, but the accolades are tremendous.

I shed a tear when I found out. Not just because he was a great mentor to me, and to all of his students, but because I read that the book deals, in part, about the shock that came after 9/11 and the time leading up to the war in Iraq.

HERE IS WHY… You have to realize that I shared that day with Richard Powers. Everyone came to class to be comforted by him. While I skipped every other possible session that week, it was Powers’ class that I needed. When he arrived, his hands were shaking, eyes were red and his voice was lost.

He told us the truth. The New York Times had called him just prior to his coming to class and they had asked him to write 200 words on how these attacks were to shape our lives in the coming days, months and years. His company? Stephen King. Maya Angelou. Tom Clancy. The big boys and girls. He was amongst them.

As it turns out, he wrote a paragraph about how the poetic usage of a simile could metaphorically be applied into how we felt about what had transpired.

As it turns out, Powers’ needed us that day as much as we needed him that day.

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER… I write this column. It’s basically a piece of shit, relatively speaking. At least, I think it is on most occasions when I actually read it in print. Powers told me straight up one day after class: “Don’t go to grad school yet. Go be a human first.” Best advice I have ever been given because, if he would have told me to go, I would have.

I am no writer. I can opine on things fun, stupid, selfish and relevant. But not much more.

Powers is a writer. In fact, some would say that he is the finest living author in the world today.

I am one of those people.

Congratulations, Richard. You have officially become an inspiration to that many more people.

The secret is out. You are golden.

FINAL WHIFF I would generally never take up an entire column devoted to just one topic or let alone just one man, but these are extenuating circumstances.

Let it be known that we have one of the finest rhetoric departments in the nation right here in Champaign-Urbana. It is often overlooked by the programs that make the school tons of dough, but for those of you suffering through another math class this semester, take a course in poetry from Mike Madonick. Not only is he the biggest piece of shit in the world, he’s more fun than all of your best professors combined. And I mean that in the best way possible. Take his course and ask him and you’ll understand …

Seth Fein is from Urbana. Please don’t let your opinion of his writing influence your thoughts on the university’s rhetoric department. They probably have their head hung in shame. He can be reached at sethfein1@gmail.com sounds from the scene

7

listen, hear

CUTTING EDGE SHOW CHOIR

PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW/CUTTINGEDGESHOWCHOIR.HTM

TO SING AND DANCE AT LINCOLN HALL

The only show choir at the University of Illinois, Cutting Edge is a student-run group that entertains through song and dance. Catch their annual fall show this Saturday at Lincoln Hall.

ANDY GLAYSHER • STAFF WRITER

L PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW/CUTTINGEDGESHOWCHOIR.HTM

ike many students at University of Illinois, Emily Durham wakes up in the morning and heads off to knock out a chunk of her 16-hour schedule. Throughout the course of any given day, she endures the familiar monotony of taking notes, studying and reading.

As a 22-year-old senior in FAA, one might assume that Durham indulges in a little much-needed relaxation, such as watching her favorite movie (Sister Act 2) or listening to her favorite artist (Michael Jackson), once her academic chores are over. But as music director for U of I’s Cutting Edge Show Choir, she often f i nd s her sel f m issi ng out on the luxuries of free time.

“I have to prepare before and after rehearsals, which means sacrificing th i ng s l i ke watch ing a TV show or something,” Durham confessed.

Cutting Edge meets every Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in room 1201 of the Music Building Emily Durham, a senior in Music Edu- and dur ing that time cation, has been in Cutting Edge for the Durham gets to do what past four years. Durham is the current she loves more than anything else in the world. music director and tour manager.

sounds from the scene

“I like to sing and dance, and there aren’t a lot of groups like that around here that combine the two,” she explained.

Durham has loved music for as long as she can remember. As a chi ld, she wou ld stea l her parents’ CDs and l isten to them nonstop, but it wasn’t unt i l h igh school that she began making music herself. Now, she’s not on ly maki ng music, but she’s a l so teach i ng a spi r i ng musicia n s.

Juggling a job as a vocal coach with an academic career while simultaneously leading a show choir would probably make most people a ner vous wreck, but Durham is all smiles as she warms up Cutting Edge to prepare for their week ly rehearsal.

“It’s fun because we get to be in charge of ourselves,” said Claire Wuellner, 21, reflecting on her experience in a group that’s run entirely by students.

At 7:10 p.m. Durham takes the girls off to a separate room where they practice “The Nicest Kids in Town” from the musical Hairspray. While leading them through the harmony-filled piece of music, she switches from playing piano, to clapping, to shouting out feedback — all while keeping a brisk tempo with her tapping feet. The rehearsal session is very laid-back, and there is no sense of impatience on Durham’s part when mistakes are made.

Eventually all 14 members of the choir are reunited in their rehearsal room, where they begin practicing the song as a group.

Here, Durham’s focus is just as concentrated as before, despite the amount of kids present. With several major performances on the horizon, it’s a wonder that she hasn’t folded under the pressure.

“During the first couple days of Thanksgiving break, we’re performing in Springfield,” explained Matt King, president of

Cutting Edge. “December 2nd is our big show, and that’s going to be in Lincoln Hall.”

Yet there is no sense of panic under Durham’s guidance. She supports her fellow performers, and they support her.

“We’re all good friends here,” she said with a grin. “In my free time, I hang out with these people; it’s like we’re best friends. Couples have even met in Cutting Edge and gone off to get married!”

Despite the fr iend ly atmosphere, Durham maintains a work-oriented focus that is fueled by her love for the group, and by the end of the evening everyone is short of breath and sprinkled in sweat.

“She does a good job of separating herself as a friend and as someone who’s in charge,” said Kyle Downs, a friend and longtime member of Cutting Edge.

Durham has been an active member of Cutting Edge for four years, which means that 2007 wil l see her last precious moments w ith the g roup. A lthough it w i l l be a diff icult time for the remaining members of the group, graduation simply means bigger and better things for this dedicated student.

“I want to get a degree in music and teach somewhere,” she said. “I might even go for a masters degree eventually.”

As ambitious as it sounds, Durham has already proven that she has enough talent and drive to match her aspirations. Her experience with Cutting Edge Show Choir is just one small step in a musical journey that’s bound to last a lifetime.

Check out Cutting Edge’s annual fall show, “Game Show Choir,” this Saturday, Dec. 2 at Lincoln Hall. The show starts at 7 p.m. and features special guests The Rip Chords.

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in 1999, arose out of Champaign on Parasol Records. The band traveled to the UK and signed with UK-based record labels while on tour there, until their return to Champaign-Urbana. The band now tours in both the UK and CU. The Beauty Shop has an authentic American rock sound with a twist of country in the vocals.

Most of their songs range from alternative country to indie folk-rock.

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D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

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Catch Pete Yorn tonight at the Canopy with The Beauty Shop.

CAITLIN CREMER • STAFF WRITER

L

isten up CU rockers, Pete Yorn is makin’ a pit stop in Urbana tonight in our special indie haven, the Canopy Club, with local guests The Beauty Shop.

After a three year waiting period, Yorn released his third studio album Nightcrawler this past August, completing the day-to-night trilogy of albums, begun by Musicforthemorningafter and followed by Day I Forgot. Yorn has described the most current album as a documentation of his later life and not something that should be looked at as dark or mysterious. His personality really shines through in his lyrical storytelling, but it seems that only die-hards will truly get the story — although who cares when it sounds good, right?

As stated on his MySpace site, “The record feels different and it sounds different, but it also feels like a continuation of what I’ve been doing,” Yorn said. “I feel like it’s taking more chances creatively as a whole and at the same time it’s just music that I want to make.”

Although some critics, such as Christian Hoard from Rolling Stone, gave Yorn’s Nightcrawler a poor review, many fans have responded with even more loving praise for Yorn’s latest effort than for his golden-child Musicforthemorningafter.

Compared to his earlier efforts, Nightcrawler offers a more complex and grown-up version of Pete Yorn.

Yorn’s musical genius really shines through in his songs “Vampyre,” “For Us” and “The Man.” Currently, Pete Yorn is on tour with the Dixie Chicks, but has scheduled a stop here in Urbana between their shows in Omaha and Nashville for his lucky fans.

Opening for Pete Yorn is Champaign’s very own The Beauty Shop. The band, which formed

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IMRAN SIDDIQUEE • STAFF WRITER

Unlike the conventional album, the expectations and critical eye aimed at a live album are much wider in scope. While the typical studio release can be assessed as a completely independent document, the live album has the same requirements, plus the additional task of dealing with a literal comparison to the actual concert experience.

In many ways the first disc of My Morning Jacket’s Okonokos album, a two-CD live recording of performances in San Francisco last year, is an improved version of their very own 2005 epic, the succinctly-titled Z. This first disc features six of the 10 tracks from the critically acclaimed album, in addition to five of the best songs in the MMJ cannon. As an independent artifact of the history of this band, it stands as a grand entrance into the power of their music.

Yet as a representation of the soul-shaking experience that is My Morning Jacket live, the album fails to capture the band’s substantial presence. The track listing alone begins in the exact fashion that Z does, robbing the listener of the energy of hearing these songs out of their original context. Moreover, the newer songs lack the creative elaboration of the older tracks, once again mimicking the feel of the last album. Songs like “Gideon” are subtlety altered (mostly by lead vocalist Jim James), but, as a whole, they offer little in the way of new insight.

The second disc fares much better than the f irst, opening with an extended version of sounds from the scene

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D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

the final track from Z, “Don Dante,” before moving into a series of rousing renditions of MMJ classics. From the rapturous climax of “O is the One That’s Real” to the absolutely breathtaking guitar improvisation on “Xmas Curtain,” the second disc is much closer to replicating the feel of the group live. Albeit less of a contained piece of work than the first disc, the second disc and its spontaneity are far more alive.

Amidst the two discs there is a huge, gorgeous live album. That’s not to say there are too many songs, or even the wrong songs, but rather that the placement of the least performed (newer) tracks towards the beginning of the album immediately displaces one from the experience of actual live music.

Yet, despite these i ncon sistencies, the evidence of MMJ’s formidable reputation as a live act is more than visible. Take a look at the version that appears of “Lowdown,” from the album At Dawn. Opening with an electrified foreshadowing of the central melody, the song erupts with a simple “la la la” before building itself back up to the energy of the opening. As the tune soars on the weight of James’ vocals, accompanied by a deluge of riffs and that undeniable drumbeat, you can close your eyes and almost feel the heat resonate from the furious playing of the band. It’s a moment rarely found on record (anywhere), but one that is recreated by My Morning Jacket almost every night they play — and it is the shining achievement of, and ultimate justification for, Okonokos.

Be sure to check out My Morning Jacket (with The Slip) at Foellinger Auditorium on Tuesday, Dec. 5. Tickets are $25 for the public, $22 for UIUC students. The show starts at 7 p.m.

ZOX The Wait [SideOneDummy]

STEVE MAROVITCH • STAFF WRITER

When I first started getting into music in the mid ’90s, the grunge era was beginning to fade and the alternative scene was taking over. Many of my favorite bands of the time, like Sublime and No Doubt, were what I call genre-benders; SEE ALBUM REVIEWS PG. 10 sounds from the scene

9

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GENE POLICE: YOU!! OUT OF THE POOL!

mike ingram CU SOUND REVUE

More shows than you can shake a stick at As I mentioned last week, tonight is a busy one around town. Live Karaoke Band will make a triumphant return to downtown to rock Cowboy Monkey, featuring you as the lead singer. If you’ve been living under a rock and have no idea what I’m talking about, then you should head out and see what karaoke should be like. You get to hop onstage with a real band, made up of members of the Brat Pack and X-Krush. Check out livekaraokeband.com for more info and a song list. Cover for the show is $5, with a start time of 10 p.m.

If you’re on campus (or if you’re off-campus and feeling adventurous), you can swing over to Bar Louie to catch a solo show from Lorenzo Goetz’s Larry Gates. Bar Louie is a fairly new establishment, and is extremely new at the live music game. It is located in the space formerly occupied

by Panera on John Street, between Insomnia Cookies (hell yes, late night cookies) and That’s Rentertainment (one of the best rental places in the nation). There is no cover, and Bar Louie is actually very nice inside — you won’t even feel like you’re on campus. They have a full menu and a great draft selection. So, the moral of the story: head down to Rentertainment, find a good movie or two (head to the Czech section and pick up Little Otik if you want to see something both amazing and disturbing), then swing into Bar Louie to see great covers and originals by one of CU’s finest singer/songwriters. After the show hit up Insomnia, for some warm cookies and cold milk.

Across the Quad at the Canopy Club, local favorite The Beauty Shop, will open for Pete Yorn. The Beauty Shop’s John Hoeffleur has long been one of my favorite CU songsmiths, and the band (Hoeffleur, bassist Ariane Peralta and drummer Ben Ucherek) has been debuting several new songs. They also now have all of their CDs for sale, so if you’ve been waiting for a copy of Yr Money or Yr Life (out of print for years) or Crisis Helpline (which spent a lot of time as a UK-only release), now’s your chance to pick one or both of them up.

I say go with both. The show starts a little before 10 p.m. and tickets are $17.

Friday is also ridiculous when it comes to great shows. There’s a pretty cool show at the Illini Media Building called “Musicians on A Mission!” that features Lynn O’Brien, The Greg Spero Trio and The Beauty Shop (back to back nights, mofo!). The show is a benefit for alternative spring break trips dealing with AIDS issues, disability issues and wildlife conservation. It’s only $5, and the best part is that it starts at 8 p.m., which means that you can see three great bands and still have time to head out to another show!

At the Iron Post no one seems to be entirely sure who is playing, but I’m sure that someone will play.

The Living Blue and Centaur were originally on the bill, but the Living Blue has officially cancelled. Will Centaur rock the show with opener Aloke? Will Seth Fein play a 20-minute drum solo to fill some time?

I have no idea. The Living Blue, fresh off of a European jaunt, may have come back with some addictions to deal with, or perhaps some Euro-mullets that need cutting. I’m not exactly sure, but I’m

sure they will rock on their next appearance.

Across the border and into Champaign, Cowboy Mon key w i l l present el s i nore, a band brimming with sexiness. Along for the ride are Colourmusic (from Stillwater, Okla.), Down the Line (Chicago) and CU’s own Darrin Drda’s Theory of Everything. Colourmusic wowed the crowd on their last stop in town, and Down the Line is one of Chicago’s most popular bands. Drda and his Theory will call this show the release for their new CD Loveway. elsinore has been making the Midwest touring rounds this fall, working on new songs and preparing for January’s 16th Annual Great Cover Up. This show will be their last headline date in CU for the year, though they’ll play on New Year’s Eve, opening Lorenzo Goetz’s final show. This is quite the action-packed show at only $7, and the start time is 9 p.m. This show is an official mingram joint.

Terminus Victor and Mad Science Fair will hit Mike ’n Molly’s on Saturday night for an excellent rock show with Motivo Loco and Lil’ Isaac & the Dirty Stank. Terminus is one of the best hard rock bands in the area, and Mad Science Fair is another of my local favorites. It’s ridiculous that this show is only $4. ’80s Eddie Murphy would say, “What a bargain.” Current Eddie Murphy would manage to say it in a cleaner and less interesting way, that kids under seven might enjoy (though I think even they are starting to get tired of him).

The show starts at 9 p.m.

The Iron Post will host a much different show as, under the banner of Rockstravaganza, fast risers Santa will headline a show with The Dakota and The Squares. Maybe you should change your name to “the Santa” just for the night, guys. Santa packed ’em in for a Monday show at the Canopy Club last month, so an all-ages show on a Saturday should be insane. Tickets are $7 at the door, but you can get them in advance from band members for $5. The first band goes on at 9 p.m.

Sunday night brings Michigan band Tally Hall back to Cowboy Monkey (moved from the Highdive). After a residency in April that brought them here for four straight Tuesdays, the band toured the country, had songs on The OC and The Real World and even appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. They stopped here again in September and played a sold-out show.

This time should be no different. Most people say that they weren’t sold on the band until seeing them in a live setting. They come packing excellent harmonies, catchy songs and even a few well-placed covers to sate the appetites of those who can’t seem to handle original bands.

So, head down for the 8:45 p.m. start time and drop your $8 to see what all the fuss is about.

Zox will open.

Monday night, Pulsar47 will perform on WEFT Sessions, so tune to 90.1FM at 10 p.m. to hear an amazing set. Tuesday night, My Morning Jacket will come to town, but I’m sure there’s more info about that elsewhere in buzz this week.

Wednesday night will again feature a Guitar Hero night at Cowboy Monkey. Check our shows listing or openingbands.com for more show info.

Mike Ingram can be reached at forgottenwords@ gmail.com.

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WEAR SHORT SLEEVES! SUPPORT YOUR RIGHT TO BARE ARMS!

ALBUM REVIEWS CONTINUED FROM PG. 9 mixing a little punk, ska, funk and anything they could think of, into the normal rock mix to create a really innovative sound. In the end, these bands helped establish a decade of countless great rock albums complete with edgy and endearing singles like “Date Rape” (who doesn’t like that song?).

When I began listening to ZOX’s sophomore release, The Wait, I couldn’t help being reminded of the bands I loved when I started figuring out my own tastes. Though their music reminds me of past notable groups, ZOX’s sound retains an originality that makes it exciting. Their new CD, released by SideOneDummy Records, is without doubt a rock album, despite its more than lingering ska and punk influences. After producing their first album, Take Me Home, on Armo Records (a small label in Rhode Island near the band’s Brown University stomping grounds) a few years ago, the band enjoyed surprising success and decided to devote much more time to their next album. Their effort has paid off on this new release.

A medley of unusual violin, guitar and energetic bass riffs create a unique environment for Eli Miller’s lyrics on The Wait. Miller, the band’s singer/guitarist, is especially great on the song “Carolyn,” a track with an upbeat melody, cool harmonies and heartening lyrics. “Can’t Look Down” is an exemplar of the band’s high degree of musicianship; its mutated violin, cool acoustic guitar progression and hard-hitting drums make the song a stand-out on the album. ZOX’s hard work is evident in this album, a worthy addition to anyone’s music collection.

SPIN IT ROUND FLIP IT AND REVERSE IT CARLYE WISEL AND BRIAN MCGOVERN

Up-and-coming bands to watch out for

:

• STAFF WRITERS

Old bands are so lame.They have lengthy discographies, few lineup changes and somewhat embarrassing Christmas special appearances. Old bands start out so well and then just fizzle out to wrinkly versions of their former selves (a la Rolling Stones perhaps?).This week at Spin It, Carlye and Brian will pick their favorite up-and-coming new bands. Get your Soulseeks and LimeWires warmed up; here are two new bands to check out.

Brian: O’Death This Brooklyn band, still u n sig ned , h a s m a n a ged to capture the admiration of bloggers, hipsters and music enthusiasts in the past year.

Playing banjo, accordion, electric violin, trombone, ukuleles and junk, the six members of O’Death create a folk-revival sound as wonderful as it is scary.

Howling and barking vocals with crashing percussion make each track sound like a tormented soul wandering the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains. Head Home, O’Death’s debut album, hardly seems like it was recorded in a New York studio; in a cellar around a bathtub serves as a more appropriate locale. The songs at times are frightening, but underlying the screeching fiddles and

screaming accordions is a pop sensibility driving each unique track.

Having recently toured the country for the first time, great reviews have followed wherever they roamed. O’Death’s sets are one part haunted house, one part punk-rock mixed within the classic sounds of folk and bluegrass.

Neo-folk or folk-rock, or whatever it’s called now, has become a stale and predictable genre.

A girl plays the violin, a dude sings about forests and the bassist looks like he was in a hardcore band until last week. Oh ... there’s a xylophone too, awesome.

O’Death takes something old (like Civil War old) and makes something incredibly new. Folk isn’t a sensitive man’s game anymore; it’s for those of us who’ll knife someone for looking at his banjo funny. O’ Death will beat you to the ground and haunt your dreams ... so buy their CD from insound.com or iTunes!

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D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

Comprised of Lane Shaw on drums, Alex Botwin on bass guitar and Ben Hazlegrove on keyboards, The Trio’s jazzy, upbeat jams are equally driven by guitar, drums and keys, balancing out long stretches of music that otherwise might go astray. Their sheer talent is apparent throughout their entire CD Live From Out T here, unden iably prov ing that these three guys may just in fact be the future of popular jam music, with their solid drum beats, soothingly addictive melodies and heav y syncopation that sounds so of f, yet so dead on.

Now, a l t hou g h I ’ve b e e n p e g g e d a s a hardcore “hippie-music kid,” I truthfully only regularly listen to Phish and Umphrey’s McGee, and tend to just dabble in two or three other jam bands. (I bet it’s because I like free-flowing skirts and Birkenstocks.) I’ve always been over-critical of bands in this genre for never-ending digressions that seem to go on forever, dragging out an original concept into an overextended jam that is exceptionally easy to lose sight of. Although I don’t typically favor jam bands that have solely wordless music, the structure and containment of Pnuma’s jams prove me completely wrong, providing their listener with tunes that suck you in by grabbing hold of your attention span, rather than dissipating your interest after only a minute or two.

The Pnuma Trio’s interesting fusion of rock, jazz, funk and other styles is easy to listen to, and even easier to love. Their sheer talent and tremendously catchy tunes remind me of my favorites, and hell, I just can’t wait for the day when I get to say “I told you so!”

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Nov e m be r 30

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A SMART MAN COVERS HIS ASS, A WISE MAN LEAVES HIS PANTS ON.

11

THIS WEEK AT

K R A N N E RT C E N T E R F O R T H E P E R F O R M I N G A RT S

FEATURED EVENTS Moscow Festival Ballet: Cinderella and Don Quixote Sergei Radchenko, artistic director The world-famous Moscow Festival Ballet returns to Krannert Center, bringing two beloved ballet classics to life. Under the artistic direction of legendary Bolshoi performer Sergei Radchenko, the Ballet unites leading dancers from across the Russias in one extraordinary company. Known for its new productions of timeless classics, the company brings its own sense of magic and adventure to Cinderella and Don Quixote.

Su Dec 3

Th Dec 7

Krannert Uncorked 5pm, free

The Nutcracker 2pm, $15-$29

Krannert Uncorked 5pm, free

UI Wind Symphony, Circus Maximus 7:30pm, $2-$8

Annual Carol Concert 3pm, $7-$10

Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra 7:30pm, $12-$31

Intermezzo Breakfast, lunch, supper, dessert

Concert Jazz Band 7:30pm, $2-$8

7:30am-3:30pm on non-performance weekdays 7:30am through performances on weekdays 90 minutes before and through performances on weekends

Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Fr Dec 1

Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony 4:30pm, free

Wednesday-Thursday, January 17-18 at 7pm (Cinderella)

Murder Mystery Dinner 6:30pm, $20-$28

Tu Dec 5

Saturday, January 20 at 7pm (Don Quixote)

UI Symphonic Band II and UI Concert Band I 7:30pm, $2-$8

UI Concert Bands IIA and IIB 7:30pm, $2-$8

The Nutcracker 7:30pm, $15-$29

Jazz Trombone and Jazz Guitar Ensembles 7:30pm, $2-$8

Tryon Festival Theatre Flex: $36 / SC & Stu 31 / UI & Yth 16 Single: $38 / SC & Stu 33 / UI & Yth 18 Corporate Platinum Sponsor:

Sa Dec 2 Patron Co-sponsors: M. Gay Roberts Janet and Ralph Simmons

Enjoy Krannert Center to the fullest!

Th Nov 30

Ralph’s World 11am, $4-$16 Patron Co-Sponsor Anonymous

We Dec 6 Jazz Combos 7:30pm, $2-$8

Corporate Gold Sponsor

Other School of Music Events

Fr Dec 1, Sa Dec 2 Opera Scenes: Jerold Siena, director 7:30pm, free Smith Memorial Hall: Recital Hall 805 S. Mathews Urbana, IL 61801

Interlude Cocktails and conversation 90 minutes before and through performances Now open at 4pm Thursday and Friday!

The Promenade Gifts, cards, candy, and more

Corporate Silver Sponsor

10am-6pm Monday-Saturday One hour before to 30 minutes after performances

The Nutcracker 2pm, $15-$29 Murder Mystery Dinner 6:30pm, $20-$28

333.6280 8 0 0 . K C PAT I X

Patron Season Sponsors Dolores and Roger Yarbrough

Marquee performances are supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council— a state agency which recognizes Krannert Center in its Partners in Excellence Program.

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Corporate Power Train Team Engine Members

40˚ North and Krannert Center, working together to put Champaign County’s culture on the map.

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Concerts University Wind Symphony, Circus Maximus [John Corigliano, distinguished guest composer with James F. Keene, conductor.]

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 7:30pm $2 students/$8 Sudden Sound Concert [A special double bill featuring Joe Giardullo, Wade Matthews, Rueben Radding and Andrew Drury.] Krannert Art Museum, 7:30pm

Dancing Contra Dance [All dances are walked-through prior to dancing. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a pair of clean, soft-soled shoes.] Phillips Recreation Center 8pm Free Swing Dance McKinley Church and Foundation 9:30pm Karaoke Eric Boley’s Boneyard Karaoke Memphis on Main, 7:30pm cover Lectures/Discussions “Race and Unreliable Narration” [Lecture with Thomas Pynchon and Luc Herman.

Discussion with Gordon Hunter and Richard Powers.] Humanities Lecture Hall, 3pm, free “Sequins, Double Dips, and Silver Shoes: The Politics of Latinidad on Salsa Dance Floors” [Dr. Cindy Garcia will present how choreographies of exclusion clash with popular notions of a diverse-but-united salsa community.] Levis Faculty Center, 7pm

Film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (2006) Virginia Theatre, 7pm, $3 “Alpha Dog” [Advanced showing.] Carmike Beverly Cinemas 18, 7:30pm Workshops “Mag-Usap Tayo (MT) Class” Asian American Cultural Center, 7pm Recreation Lunch & Bowling [For $32 four people can rent shoes, bowl a game, get fountain drinks from the snack counter and enjoy sharing a large 18” pizza from Sbarro. Please reserve your lane at least one day in advance.] Illini Union, 12pm Miscellaneous Counseling Center Outreach Hours African-American Cultural Center, 3pm Meetings International Students Support Group [A forum for international students to offer and receive support in the process of navigating their experiences at the

University and in the U.S. culture.] Student Services Arcade Building, 4:45pm APAC Board Meeting Asian American Cultural Center 6:15pm Queer Women of Color [Provides a safe space and friendly environment for all LGBTQA women of color to share, listen and express themselves.]

Illini Union 9pm Family Fun Fresh Fruit at Curtis Orchard Curtis Orchard, 9am Mind/Body/Spirit Relaxation Room at OASIS [Visit the relaxation room to enjoy a 20 minute guided imagery experience while taking a break from the hectic demands of your day.] McKinley Health Center, 10am, UIUC students free/$5 for faculty and staff Krannert Uncorked [Sample beverages with partners Sun Singer Wine & Sprits, The Corkscrew Wine Emporium, Friar Tuck Beverage and Jim

FRI. DEC 1 Live Bands Barb Hamilton Hubers, 8am Billy Galt Sings the Blues Blues restaurant, 11:30am Desfinado Cowboy Monkey 5:30pm, $2 Country Connection Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm, $1 Helping Phriendly Band (Phish tribute), Nebulous Canopy Club, 9pm, $5 Centaur, The Living Blue Iron Post, 9pm, cover Down the Line, Elsinore, Colourmusic, Darrin Drda Cowboy Monkey, 9:30pm, $7 Concerts University Symphonic Band II and University Concert Band I [Peter Griffin and Daniel Neuenschwander conduct.] Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 7:30pm $2 students/$8 DJ

Dancing Contra Dance Phillips Recreation Center, 8pm

Mind/Body/Spirit Relaxation Room at OASIS McKinley Health Center 10am, UIUC students free/$5 for faculty and staff

Karaoke Creative Karaoke American Legion Post 71, 8pm, free

SAT. DEC 2

Film “Rites of the Season” [Takes viewers on an exploration of the winter solstice and the cultural events that accompany this time of year.] William M. Staerkel Planetarium, 8pm Sporting Events Illinois Men’s Hockey vs. University of Michigan-Dearborn Ice Arena, 7pm Recreation Lunch & Bowling Illini Union 12pm Fundraisers Musicians with a Mission [Featuring Doxi, The Beauty Shop, Greg Spero Trio and Lynn O’Brien. All proceeds go to benefit three groups going on Alternative Spring Breaks. They will bring

sell include gifts (new and recycled), works by local artists, books, toys, household items, plants, freshbaked goods and much more.] McKinley Church and Foundation, 9am

Karaoke Liquid Courage Karaoke Geo’s 9pm

Family Fun Fresh Fruit at Curtis Orchard Curtis Orchard, 9am Crisis Nursery Annual Children Holiday Shop [This shop allows children to shop for gifts for their families and friends within their own budget. Volunteers assist the children to fill their shopping list from the items priced between $1 and $7.] Lincoln Square Mall, 10am

Festivals Parade of Lights [The downtown Champaign holiday tree is up in One Main Plaza. The tree lighting will be held with the parade of lights, balloon glow and accompanying presentation of “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Virginia Theatre.]

One Main Plaza, 5:30pm, free

Live Bands Sean Morey Canopy Club 6pm, $15 in advance R&M Karaoke Hubers, 8pm cover Country Connection Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm, $1 Terminus Victor, Motivo Loco, Lil’ Isaac & The Dirty Stank, Mad Science Fair Mike ‘N Molly’s, 9pm, $4 The Dakotas, Santa, The Squares Iron Post, 9pm cover Dress Code, Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Chemicals Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, $5

Film “Rites of the Season” William M. Staerkel Planetarium 8pm

DJ DJ Bozak (Red Bull Music Academy) Soma Ultralounge 9pm, $5 Hip-Hop and R&B DJ Nargile

Fundraisers 36th Annual Peace Bazaar [Donated items are sold to raise funds for peace and social justice causes.

Some of the items we

Sporting Events Illinois Men’s Hockey vs. University of Michigan-Dearborn Ice Arena, 7pm Miscellaneous Lincoln Square Village Holiday Market [Every Saturday shoppers will find produce, baked goods, holiday gifts, crafts, plants and more.]

Lincoln Square Mall, 9am

Build date: 8.14.06 Closing date: 8.24.6 QC: RR

Formed in Louisville in 1998, MMJ has had critical acclaim since birth. The Tennessee Fire, their debut, got the ball rolling and every release has been welcomed heartily since. A combination of classic country songs and modern reverb-laden production, the band creates the surrealistic atmosphere of The Flaming Lips with a core comprised of Neil Young-like sincerity. Crazy Horse and Skynyrd definitely seem to have influenced MMJ and their hard, almost deafening brand of rock.

It Still Moves, released in 2003, became an instant classic, an epic alt-country journey. Z, released in 2005, was more on the side of Donnie Osmond in the “little bit country/little bit rock ‘n’ roll” spectrum, but is considered great nonetheless.

With a legendary live show, complete with long-haired head banging and wishing you brought ear plugs, you don’t want to miss the Starcourse-sponsored show Tuesday.

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My Morning Jacket has opened for countless bands that they are much better than. Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam come to mind. Wait, Brian, those two bands are pillars of contemporary alternative music! True, but what do these pillars hold up? A tower of Alien Ant Farms, Nickelbacks and Fall Out at the Academy Is types — and that’s no tower that should be standing. My Morning Jacket is the Samson of modern rock.Tied up in the dungeon, MMJ brings the whole monstrous building tumbling down.

—Brian McGovern

Dancing UC Hip Hop Congress [Come to practice/learn break dancing from our team members.] Allen Residence Hall, 2pm

MON. DEC 4 Live Bands Jazz Jam with MRS Trio Iron Post, 6pm, cover Open Mic Night Cowboy Monkey, 10pm, free Pulsar 47 Weft 90.1 FM 10pm, free

Chris Cringle Craft Show [Illinois Heartland Decorative Artists presents the 27th annual Chris Cringle Arts & Crafts Show. The show will feature 150 booths on all three levels of Assembly Hall, showcasing a wide variety of handcrafted items.] Assembly Hall, Dec. 2, 9 a.m.

The Nutcracker [With the Champaign-Urbana Ballet and Sinfonia da Camera] Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Dec. 1 through Dec. 10 A Christmas Story [Humorist Jean Shepard's memoir of growing up in the Midwest of the 1940s follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.]

Parkland College Theater, Dec. 6 through Dec. 10 Stone Cold Dead Serious [A pinball wizard for the 21st century, Wynne Ledbetter is surrounded by despair. His father is wasting away on workman’s comp, his mother is a double-shift waitress and his sister is a dropout junkie. But Wynne has a plan. One of only three players in the country to solve the Tang Dynasty computer game, he will travel to the championships in New York City, where the winner pockets a million dollars.]

Station Theater through Dec. 16

sounds from the scene

sounds from the scene

New Tricks by the Old Dogs [A show of new artwork by 12 retired faculty artists from the University of Illinois.] Cinema Gallery through Dec. 23 A Saint in the City: Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal [This exhibition explores the arts and expressive culture of Islamic West Africa through a dynamic and influential movement in Senegal known as the Mouride Way.] Krannert Art Museum through Dec. 31 Surrealist Interventions: Selections from Krannert Art Museum and the University of Illinois Library [This exhibition pairs Surrealist paintings, photographs, prints and drawings from the Krannert Art Museum collection with the movement’s experiments in print culture from manifestos and tracts to elaborately designed serials and books on loan from the University of Illinois Library. ] Krannert Art Museum through Dec. 31 When We Were Young: New Perspectives on the Art of the Child [“When We Were Young” juxtaposes selected childhood works of preeminent historical artists with modern and contemporary children’s drawings to demonstrate their inventiveness and to explore the criteria used for assessing prodigious artistic talent in the very young.]

Krannert Art Museum through Dec. 31

VISIT WWW.CUCALENDAR.COM FOR THE MOST CURRENT EVENTS AND TO ADD YOUR OWN.

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Live Bands Tally Hall, Zox Cowboy Monkey, 8pm, $8 Crystal River Band Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm, no cover Dave Easley Iron Post, 9pm cover

Family Fun Fresh Fruit at Curtis Orchard Curtis Orchard, 9am Crisis Nursery Annual Children Holiday Shop Lincoln Square Mall, 12pm

Dec. 5, 7 p.m.

Foellinger Auditorium, $22 student/$25

IN

SUN. DEC 3

Miscellaneous Sinai Temple Gift Shop Chanukah Showcase Sinai Temple 9am

My Morning Jacket The Slip

INTRO | A ROUND TOWN | L ISTEN, HEAR | CU CALENDAR | STAGE, S CREEN &

Mind/Body/Spirit Relaxation Room at OASIS Illini Union, 12pm, UIUC students free/$5 faculty and staff

art & theater

Trim: 2.458 x 11 Bleed: None Live: 2.208 x 10.75

Live Bands U of I Latin Jazz Combo Iron Post, 7pm, cover JigGsaw [With to be announced guests.]

Illini Union, 8pm, $4 students/$5 Caleb Rose Bowl Tavern 9pm, no cover Pete Yorn, The Beauty Shop Canopy Club, 9pm, $17 Live Karaoke Band Cowboy Monkey, 9pm, $5 Steve Adelman Quartet Zorba’s Restaurant 9:30pm, $3 Larry Gates Bar Louie, 10pm free

DJ Limbs [Hip hop, breaks and party music.] Boltini Lounge, 10:30pm, no cover

Family Fun Fresh Fruit at Curtis Orchard Curtis Orchard, 9am

9pm, free until 10pm/$5 Stitches [Rock/deathrock/minimal night with DJs Rickbats and Kannibal.] Independent Media Center 9pm, $2 DJ Dance Party Canopy Club 10:30pm, cover

Build date: 8.14.06 Closing date: 8.24.6 QC: RR

THU. NOV 30

THE BUZZ LOGO MARKS THE SPOT OF OUR FAVORITES.

$200 donations to each destination: Carnivore Preservation Trust in NC, United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee and God’s Love We Deliver (HIV/AIDS organization in NYC).] Illini Media Company, 8pm

Job # 547959

cu calendar

DJ Bozak (Red Bull Music Academy) Soma Ultralounge 9pm, $5 Hip-Hop and R&B DJ Nargile 9pm, free until 10pm/$5 DJ Mertz Boltini Lounge 10pm, free DJ Stifler Highdive, 10pm $5 DJ Mambo Italiano [House music.] KoFusion 11pm, no cover

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12

Gould. Beverages may be tasted free of charge and will be available for purchase by the glass at a special discounted price during the tasting.]

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 5pm Yoga & Meditation Class [Dada Madhuvidyananda, a Yogic Monk and teacher, will lead.] Ananda Liina Yoga & Meditation Center 7:30pm, free

INTRO | A ROUND TOWN | L ISTEN, HEAR | CU CALENDAR | STAGE, S CREEN &

IN

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ALCOHOL IS NOT THE ANSWER, IT JUST MAKES YOU FORGET THE QUESTION.

Nov e m be r 30

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D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

venues

www.thepointfencingclub.com gift certificates available

Assembly Hall | First & Kirby, Champaign 333-5000 American Legion Post 24 | 705 W Bloomington, Champaign 356-5144 American Legion Post 71 | 107 N Broadway, Urbana 367-3121 Barfly | 120 N Neil, Champaign 352-9756 Boltini Lounge | 211 N Neil, Champaign 378-8001 Boardman’s Art Theater | 126 W Church, Champaign 355-0068 The Brass Rail | 15 E University, Champaign 352-7512 The Canopy Club (Garden Grill) | 708 S Goodwin, Urbana 367-3140 Channing-Murray Foundation | 1209 W Oregon, Urbana CIVITAS | 112 Main St., Urbana The Courtyard | Illini Union, 1401 W Green, Urbana 333-4666 Cowboy Monkey | 6 Taylor, Champaign 398-2688 Curtis Orchard | 3902 S Duncan, Champaign 359-5565 D.R. Diggers | 604 S Country Fair, Champaign 356-0888 Embassy Tavern & Grill | 114 S Race, Urbana 384-9526 Esquire Lounge | 106 N Walnut, Champaign 398-5858 Fallon’s Ice House | 703 N Prospect, Champaign 3985760 Fat City Saloon | 505 S Chestnut, Champaign 356-7100 The Great Impasta | 114 W Church, Champaign 359-7377 The

Recreation Lunch & Bowling Illini Union 12pm Comedy DeBono Improv Comedy Troupe Courtyard Cafe, 9pm, free

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Meetings Colors of Pride Meeting [Works to provide a safe space and friendly environment for all LGBT students of color to share, listen and express themselves.] Illini Union, 8pm Family Fun Fresh Fruit at Curtis Orchard Curtis Orchard, 9am Mind/Body/Spirit Relaxation Room at OASIS McKinley Health Center 10am, UIUC students free/$5 for faculty and staff

Highdive | 51 Main, Champaign 356-0006 Huber’s | 1312 W Church, Champaign 352-0606 Illinois Disciples Foundation | 610 E Springfield, Champaign 352-8721 Independent Media Center | 202 South Broadway, Urbana 344-8820 The Iron Post | 120 S Race, Urbana 337-7678 Jackson’s Ribs-n-Tips | 116 N First, Champaign 355-2916 Joe’s Brewery | 706 S Fifth, Champaign 384-1790 Krannert Art Museum | 500 E Peabody, Champaign 333-1861 Krannert Center for the Performing Arts | 500 S Goodwin, Urbana Tickets: 333-6280, 800-KCPATIX La Casa Cultural Latina | 1203 W Nevada, Urbana 333-4950 Lava | 1906 W Bradley, Champaign 352-8714 Les’s Lounge | 403 N Coler, Urbana 328-4000 Lincoln Castle | 209 S Broadway, Urbana 344-7720 Malibu Bay Lounge | North Route 45, Urbana 328-7415 Mike ‘n Molly’s | 105 N Market, Champaign 355-1236 Nargile | 207 W Clark, Champaign Neil Street Pub | 1505 N Neil, Champaign 359-1601 The Office | 214 W Main, Urbana 3447608 OPENSOURCE |12 E. Washington, Champaign http://opensource.boxwith.

Recreation Red Pin Tuesdays [Strike when the head pin is red to win a free game.] Illini Union, 6:30pm Meetings Women’s Support Group [A support group for female students who have experienced sexual assault/abuse within a relationship.] Women’s Studies House 6:30pm Family Fun Fresh Fruit at Curtis Orchard Curtis Orchard, 9am Mind/Body/Spirit Relaxation Room at OASIS McKinley Health Center, 10am, UIUC students free/$5 faculty and staff

WED. DEC 6 TUE. DEC 5 Live Bands Billy Galt Sings the Blues Blues restaurant, 11:30am Crystal River Band Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm, no cover Concerts My Morning Jacket and The Slip [Presented by Star Course. Tickets through Ticket Central at Illini Union.] Foellinger Auditorium, 7pm, $22 students/$25 DJ DJs Hoff and Bambino [Hard Rock/ Punk.] Mike ‘N Molly’s, 10pm DJ Tremblin BG Barfly, 10pm Subversion: DJ Twinscin and DJ Evily Highdive, 10pm Karaoke Liquid Courage Karaoke Geo’s 9pm Karaoke with Randy Miller Bentley’s Pub, 9:30pm, free Sporting Events Illinois Women’s Basketball vs.

Florida Assembly Hall, 7pm

INTRO | A ROUND TOWN | L ISTEN, HEAR | CU CALENDAR | STAGE, S CREEN &

IN

Live Bands Irish Traditional Music Session Bentley’s Pub, 7pm, free Fuedin’ Hillbilly’s Rose Bowl Tavern, 9pm, no cover Zoso: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute Canopy Club, 9pm, $7 Teller’s Art Iron Post, 9pm, cover

Miscellaneous IU Bazaar [There will be an array of vendors and sales throughout the Union.] Illini Union, 10am Quiet Study Halls African American Cultural Center, 8pm Meetings Book Collector’s Club—The No. 44 Society [This club provides an opportunity for novice and experienced

com Parkland College | 2400 W Bradley, Champaign 351-2528 Phoenix | 215 S Neil, Champaign 355-7866 Pia’s of Rantoul | Route 136 E, Rantoul 893-8244 Red Herring/Channing-Murray Foundation | 1209 W Oregon, Urbana 344-1176 Rose Bowl Tavern | 106 N Race, Urbana 367-7031 Springer Cultural Center | 301 N Randolph, Champaign 398-2376 Spurlock Museum | 600 S Gregory, Urbana, 333-2360 The Station Theatre |223 N Broadway, Urbana 384-4000 Strawberry Fields Cafe | 306 W Springfield, Urbana 328-1655 TK Wendl’s | 1901 S Highcross, Urbana 255-5328 Tommy G’s | 123 S Mattis, Country Fair Shopping Center 359-2177 TRACKS | 116 N Chestnut, Champaign 762-8116 University YMCA | 1001 S Wright, Champaign 344-0721 URBANA CIVIC Center | 108 Water St., Urbana Verde/Verdant | 17 E Taylor, Champaign 366-3204 Virginia Theatre | 203 W Park Ave, Champaign 356-9053 White Horse Inn | 112 1/2 E Green, Champaign 352-5945 Zorba’s | 627 E Green, Champaign 344-0710

book collectors to get together and share information and ideas.] Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 4pm Queer Grads and Gender Group [Social organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender graduate students, faculty and staff of the University of Illinois, their friends and families.] Illini Union, 6pm Jewish Cooking Club [Featuring the Israeli dish, Malawach.] Hillel Foundation, 7pm

Family Fun Fresh Fruit at Curtis Orchard Curtis Orchard, 9am Mind/Body/Spirit Relaxation Room at OASIS McKinley Health Center, 10am, UIUC students free/$5 faculty and staff Wine Tasting Esquire Lounge, 6pm

The Reading Group – Gift Wrapping Come spread holiday cheer at Market Place Mall! The Reading Group is a not-for-profit learning center which specializes in serving children and adults who struggle with learning. They need volunteers to wrap gifts on weekends in December and the week before Christmas. The Reading Group is hoping to get the word out with this service at the mall. To volunteer, contact Emma O’Brien at 367-0914. Get signed up on the volunteer schedule and start wrapping!

DJ Ladies Night with DJ Supa Nargile 9pm, ladies free before 11pm Tropicale Wednesdays: DJ Bris, DJ Delayney Soma Ultralounge 9pm, $5 Dancing Tango Dancing & Salsa Dancing Cowboy Monkey, 7:30pm, no cover Learn Traditional Greek Dance Armory Building, 8pm Sporting Events Illinois Men’s Basketball vs. Purdue (IUPUI) Assembly Hall, 7pm Recreation Lunch & Bowling Illini Union 12pm

B ETWEEN | CLASSIFIEDS | THE STINGER

sounds from the scene

15

stage, screen & i n b e t w e e n

SLIDE BEHIND THE SCENES WITH SLITHER’S DIRECTOR JAMES GUNN JEFF GROSS • STAFF WRITER

F

“

ilmmaking is just basic story telling; just one of the “The main creature manipulates whatever life-form it infects, in many ways to tell a story.” this case Grant Grant, and turns it into a breeding machine, which is These simple words come from up-and-coming what the tubules are on his body which he uses to impregnate Brenda screenwriter in Hollywood, James Gunn, the 36-year- Barnes, who then becomes a breeder for the worms. Those worms are old writer of the financially successful Scooby-Doo movies in turn a part of Grant Grant’s consciousness and so the people who and the Dawn Of The Dead remake. He has recently moved into have been infected by the worms also become a part of him.” the next phase of his career: direction. His directorial debut, Slither, Even if you missed seeing the film on the big screen, Slither on was theatrically released earlier this year to positive critical and DVD is filled with special features including a documentary about the audience reception. making of the movie, a documentary about the film’s special effects, Recently released on DVD a commentary with actor Nathan in late October, Slither has Fillion, extended and deleted scenes made $6.68 million in DVD and a gag reel of outtakes.

“The fact that I was able to rentals, according to the “You ca n see how m a ny Internet Movie Database; in times Elizabeth Banks ruined addition, Peter Travers from shots by laughing, which she did make a movie that horror fans Rolling Stone put Slither in his consistently throughout the whole top 25 DVDs to own from film,” Gunn adds laughingly about 2006. In a phone interview the gag reel. were such big supporters of with Mr. Gunn, I talked to Gunn also promises that there are him about the making of no bullshit plans to release a “better” Slither. Here’s what he had version of the film on DVD. and the fact that I was able to to say: “It’s the cut that I first shot and “Slither was so much fun gave to the MPAA and they said [to make]. I saw it in my head ‘fine,’ so I’m sticking with the make a movie that got such and went out and made it original movie that I cut ... I think the way I saw it ... for me the that it’s unfair that the studios rape whole thing was a pleasant and cheat consumers by putting good critical reviews was, for experience because of the out a DVD and then months later positive reviews and audience putting out a new DVD that’s a reactions; especially from the special or unrated edition. This me at least, great.” horror fans. The fact that I is the definitive edition of Slither. was able to make a movie If there ever is another DVD of —Director James Gunn about Slither that horror fans were such big Slither released, it won’t be for many supporters of and the fact that years.”

I was able to make a movie With one directorial notch on that got such good critical reviews was, for me at least, great.” his belt, James is back to writing and is currently working on a new With a borderline cult following, one of the many reasons why screenplay. At this time, he is unsure who will be directing this next Slither has been so successful with horror fans is that it is jam-packed film. Unfortunately for us, Gunn would not talk about the title or with classic horror film references. plot of his film in the works.

“I used some elements from Shivers as I did from many horror films “It’s very secretive, like Coke’s special ingredient.” to make my film. To horror fans, these elements were very obvious.

Can’t get enough of James Gunn and Slither? Check out the Every street sign in my movie was named after a famous horror exclusive 35 minute interview with James Gunn available at www. movie director or filmmaker and all of the names of the shops are readbuzz.com. named after horror film characters. Max Renn’s Gun Shop is named after the character of Max Renn from Videodrome, and the mayor is named Jack MacReady who could have been a distant relative of R.J. MacReady from The Thing.

Slither boasts a knock out cast which includes horror veteran Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer, Mallrats), sci-fi hottie Nathan Fillion (Serenity), and the beautiful Elizabeth Banks (The 40-Year-Old-Virgin), who, according to Mr. Gunn, were able to help the film get made in more ways than one.

“We had a difficult shoot up in Vancouver — it was rainy, muddy, cold and mostly night shoots — and people like Nathan, Rooker and Elizabeth Banks were able to keep up the spirits of the entire crew simply because they had so much humor and energy the whole time, which was great. It helped the whole thing get done easier.”

The film tells a story about an alien slug plague that lands in the rural town of Wheelsy, turning its residents into zombies and other forms of mutant monsters. Gunn elaborates: sounds from the scene

(Above) James Gunn made his directorial debut with the film Slither in April 2006. The film is now available on DVD. (Left) Can you recognize Michael Rooker as Grant Grant from Slither under all that ugly alien plague?

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LYNN SCONYERS

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THE FASTEST WAY TO MAKE YOUR OWN ANTI-FREEZE IS TO HIDE HER NIGHTGOWN.

Nov e m be r 30

•

D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

BOND IS BACK A look back at the James Bond films and a review of Casino Royale JENNY MCCARTHY • STAFF WRITER

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fter four years, Bond is back in theaters, and totally smooth. Sean Connery was the fi rst but this isn’t your dad’s (or even your to play Bond, back in 1962’s Dr. No. Since then, grandpa’s) James Bond. The 21st fi lm in a there have been four other Bonds: George Lazenby line of mystery thrillers starring the infamous MI6 (who was only in one Bond fi lm), Roger Moore, agent James Bond, Casino Royale serves as a prequel Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan. to the series. The fi lm is based on the book writWell, now it’s Craig’s turn to laugh at his critics. ten by Ian Fleming, He has been stunthe first in the James ning audiences and Bond series. critics alike with his “Casino Royale has This isn’t the fi rst performance as Bond, time Casino Royale James Bond. everything you expect has been made. It According to Bond was f irst adapted fan Bill MacLean, from Bond films and as an episode for “Casino Royale has the TV show Clieverything you expect more. This time it’s not max! in 1954. It was from Bond films and a ser ious attempt more. This time it’s not all about the explosions, t o b e g i n a d a pt all about the explosions, ing Ian Fleming’s but about where Bond but about where Bond Bond novels into got his roots. Daniel episodes, but the Craig does a great job got his roots. Daniel tape was lost until as Bond — the best the 1980s. The story since Connery.�

Craig does a great job as was fi rst adapted for the big screen was in SO BOND BEGINS: A REVIEW Bond — the best since 1967 and had quite OF CASINO ROYALE an eccent r ic cast Connery.� including Peter SellThe fi lm opens in ers, Woody Allen a film noir-style black — Bond fan Bill MacLean and Orson Welles, and white with stylisbut was so Austin tic angles. No Bond Powers spoof-l ike film has ever been shot that it was never considered as part of the actual in black and white or has ever started with Bond James Bond series. not being a 00 agent yet. As we see how Bond With the new fi lm, what better way to start at becomes a 00 agent, the film opens with the tradithe beginning than by choosing a new actor to tional Bond shooting at the screen, the blood comes play Bond? At first, Daniel Craig was attacked by down, and the main credits roll. This intro sets up fans and critics alike as the most unlikely choice our hero well and explains where the traditional to play Bond. After all, Craig doesn’t even look shot comes from. like Bond — he has blonde hair, while the preAs in all Bond films, there’s a villain. In Casino decessors to Craig have all been dark haired, sexy Royale, it is Mads Mikkelsen playing Le Chiffre,

a financier to world terrorists. Chiffre is not a supervillian, rather, he is a man involved in some nasty business that Bond has to put a stop to. A noticeable characteristic of Chiffre is his ability to weep blood from his left eye — a scar from a previous attack. There are plenty more villains in this Bond film, more so than any other. Almost every person connected to Bond has the possibility to be his enemy, but Bond doesn’t know this yet — he’s still too trusting.

Eva Green steps into the shoes of being Bond’s “girl� in this film. However, unlike previous Bond girls before her, Green’s Vesper Lynd is not dumb, overly sexy or a hindrance to Bond’s mission. In fact, she works for MI6 as well, and it is she who funds Bond in the film and eventually, falls in love with him. One of the most spectacular scenes shot for the film was a Texas Hold ‘Em game that was set up by Le Chiffre at the Casino Royale in order to gain back the terrorist’s money he lost in a bad business deal. Thankfully, Ms. Lynd supplies Bond with a $10 million backing from England’s Treasury.

Casion Royale is gritty, bold and a bit long, but it shows that Bond has flaws and that he can be hurt.

My advice is to not pass on the fi lm just because you don’t like the new look of Bond — you’ll be missing out on one of the best fi lms of 2006.

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(Above) Running on the beach to the rescue, Sean Connery as James Bond and Ursula Andress as Bond girl Honey Ryder in the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962). (Left) In a slightly sexier beach scene, Daniel Craig plays James Bond and Eva Green plays Bond girl Vesper Lynd in the latest Bond film, Casino Royale (2006).

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Nov e m be r 30

•

D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

buzz weekly •

I WAS DOING SOME DECORATING, SO I GOT OUT MY STEP-LADDER. I DON’T GET ON WITH MY REAL LADDER.

ARTIST’S CORNER

17

SAVOY 16

Cindy Garcia

www.GQTI.com

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ELYSE RUSSO • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF CINDY GARCIA

You’ve taught all ages from elementary school to college students. How does teaching affect your life personally and professionally?

Dancer, teacher and salsa dancing expert Dr. Cindy Garcia will lecture on “Sequins, Double Dips and Silver Shoes� tonight at 7 p.m. at the Levis Faculty Center.

Dr. Cindy Garcia received her B.A. in anthropology at the University of Colorado, her M.A. in dance and her Ph.D. in culture and performance at the University of California Los Angeles. She also received her elementary teacher certification and Bilinngual Education Endorsement in 1991. Now a teacher, performer, lecturer, scholar, choreographer and salsa dancing expert, Garcia has been invited to the University of Illinois to give a lecture “Sequins, Double Dips and Silver Shoes: The Politics of Latinidad on Salsa Dance Floors.�

The lecture will take place tonight, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. at the the Levis Faculty Center, 919 W. Illinois St., Urbana. The lecture is free and is open to the public Garcia will also offer three master classes for dancers during her visit.

I have found that my research nourishes my teaching and that working with students sparks my desire to ref lect on everyday culture and performance practices with an increasingly creative and critical lens. My teaching practices are highly inf luenced by a number of progressive educators in Boulder, Colo., who believe in experiential education and nonhierarchical learning environments.

As a Latina, how does your heritage influence your role as a dancer, and in general, an artist?

I’ve fou nd t h at d i f ference s of n at ion, e t h n ic it y, a n d c l a s s c a n g e t s u b s u m e d under the name “Latina/o.â€? I f irst identify as Chicana. I’ve always loved to dance and prefer to practice, perform, research and teach popular dances such as cumbia, bolero son, cha cha chĂĄ, salsa and merengue. Because they are popular dances, they don’t necessarily require formal studio training in order for someone to participate in them. They are also dances that have been historically associated with the working and lower-middle classes.

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345$%.43 &/2 45%3$!9 The First Show Time For Each Movie Is A Super Bargain Matineee TURISTAS (R) Fri. & Sat. 1:00 3:15 5:30 7:45 10:00 12:05 Sun. - Thu. 1:00 3:15 5:30 7:45 10:00

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VAN WILDER: THE RISE OF TAJ (R) Fri. 1:45 4:30 7:15 9:35 11:50 Sat. 11:30 1:45 4:30 7:15 9:35 11:50 Sun. - Thu. 1:45 4:30 7:15 9:35 THE NATIVITY STORY (PG) (DLP)Fri. 1:00 1:30 3:10 3:40 5:20 5:50 7:30 8:00 9:40 10:00 11:55 (DLP) Sat. 11:00 1:00 1:30 3:10 3:40 5:20 5:50 7:30 8:00 9:40 10:00 11:55 (DLP) Sun. - Thu. 1:00 1:30 3:10 3:40 5:20 5:50 7:30 8:00 9:40 10:00 BOBBY (R) Fri. - Thu. 12:00 2:30 5:00 7:30 THE FOUNTAIN (PG–13) (DLP) Fri. 12:45 3:00 5:15 7:30 10:00 12:10 (DLP) Sat. 12:45 3:00 5:15 10:00 12:10 (DLP) Sun. - Thu. 12:45 3:00 5:15 7:30 10:00 DEJA VU (PG–13) (DLP) Fri. 1:30 2:00 4:15 5:00 7:00 8:00 9:45 11:00 (DLP) Sat. 11:00 1:30 2:00 4:15 5:00 7:00 8:00 9:45 11:00 (DLP) Sun. - Thu. 1:30 2:00 4:15 5:00 7:00 8:00 9:45 DECK THE HALLS (PG) (DLP) Fri. & Sat. 12:30 2:45 5:00 7:15 9:30 11:40 (DLP) Sun. - Thu. 12:30 2:45 5:00 7:15 9:30 HAPPY FEET (PG) (DLP)Fri. & Sat. 12:00 12:30 2:25 2:55 4:50 5:20 7:15 7:45 9:40 10:00 11:55 (DLP) Sun. - Thu. 12:00 12:30 2:25 2:55 4:50 5:20 7:15 7:45 9:40 10:00 TENACIOUS D IN: THE PICK OF DESTINY (R) (DLP) Fri. & Sat. 1:00 3:15 5:30 7:45 10:00 12:10 (DLP) Sun. - Thu. 1:00 3:15 5:30 7:45 10:00 CASINO ROYALE (PG–13) (DLP) Fri. 1:20 2:00 4:10 5:00 7:00 8:00 9:50 10:45 (DLP) Sat. 11:00 1:20 2:00 4:10 5:00 7:00 8:00 9:50 10:45 (DLP) Sun. - Thu. 1:20 2:00 4:10 5:00 7:00 8:00 9:50 STRANGER THAN FICTION (PG–13) (DLP) Fri. 1:20 4:20 7:05 9:40 12:05 (DLP) Sat. 11:00 1:20 4:20 7:05 9:40 12:05 (DLP) Sun. - Thu. 1:20 4:20 7:05 9:40 BABEL (R) Fri. - Thu. 10:00 BORAT (R) (DLP) Fri. 1:15 3:20 5:25 7:30 9:35 11:40 (DLP) Sat. 11:15 1:15 3:20 5:25 7:30 9:35 11:40 (DLP) Sun. - Thu. 1:15 3:20 5:25 7:30 9:35 FLUSHED AWAY (PG) (DLP) Fri. & Sun. - Thu. 1:00 3:05 5:00 (DLP) Sat. 11:05 1:00 3:05 5:00 THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE (G) (DLP) Fri. & Sat. 1:00 3:10 5:20 7:30 9:50 12:00 (DLP) Sun. - Thu. 1:00 3:10 5:20 7:30 9:50 THE DEPARTED (R) (DLP) Fri. - Thu. 7:00 10:00 Sneak Preview: BLOOD DIAMOND (R) Sat. 7:20

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When you aren’t on the stage or in the classroom, what do you do you enjoy doing with your free time?

Actually, this year, I am a Visiting Research Fel low at t he Center for U. S.- Mex ic a n Studies at the University of California, San Diego. I’m work ing on a research project on the relationship between the social perfor mance of salsa in Mexico Cit y and Los Angeles. I spent part of last summer in Mexico City, researching dance practices in different nightclubs in various parts of the city.

It’s been wonderful to be able to dedicate an entire year to develop this project.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?

I am fascinated by the ways that the politics of racia l ization in the Un ited States profoundly inf luence salsa practices and their signif ications in the Los Angeles dance clubs where I’ve done much of my research.

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

It’s hard to answer this question because I don’t usually think about my professional activities in terms of accomplishments. I consider my work to be part of larger discussions on racialization, immigration and globalization.

There is still a lot of work to do.

sounds from the scene

I’m planning to revise my working draft of a salsa stage production that analyzes differences and tensions among U.S. Latinas.

It’s a comedy.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.ALBERTOS.COM

Your primary research, and the topic for your Nov. 30 lecture and discussion, is on salsa dancing. What is it about salsa that particularly interests and captivates you?

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buzz weekly

I SOLD MY HOUSE THIS WEEK. I GOT A PRETTY GOOD PRICE FOR IT, BUT IT MADE MY LANDLORD MAD AS HELL.

Nov e m be r 30

•

D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

FILM

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BOBBY

ERIC NYBERG • STAFF WRITER

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Emilio Estevez’s labor of love has finally come to fruition in Bobby — a nostalgic look back at 1968 on the ,)6% +!2!/+% "!.$ day Senator Robert Kennedy was murdered at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Much like Crash, &2) $%# the film is composed of several interwoven storylines and garners solid performances from nearly each member of its superb, diverse ensemble cast.

Bobby, written and directed by Estevez, followed the events of one day in the lives of multiple characters

at the hotel: the manager of the Ambassador Hotel (William H. Macy) who is cheating on his hotel hairdresser wife (Sharon Stone); a fading alcoholic diva (Demi Moore) and her loyal yet slowly-boiling manager-husband (Estevez); hopeful young members DOWN THE LINE of Kennedy’s campaign staff (Nick Cannon and Joshua colourmusic Jackson); minority hotel workers discussing race issues $!22). $2$! and baseball in the kitchen (Freddy Rodriguez and

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reminisce while playing chess (Anthony Hopkins and Harry Belafonte); a teenage girl (Lindsay Lohan) 3!4 $%# who saves her classmate (Elijah Wood) from going DRESS CODE to Vietnam by marrying him. The film effectively utilized the Kennedy assassination as a backdrop ",!#+ -/4( 350%2 2!)."/7 which affĂŠĂŠ ects all the stories. / ĂŠ

- ĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠ Several performances stood out; a scene between Stone and Moore, real-life sex symbols who 35. $%# actually showed their age in this film, was touchĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠ ing as their unhappy characters reflected on growing ĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠ old. Fishburne was great while advising the Mexican busboys in the kitchen how to work for their rights. And Hopkins, always impressive, turned in a polished, understated character study.

Estevez often tried too hard to recreate the culture of the 1960s in the soundtrack and in unnecessary references to LSD and The Graduate. An entire storyline, involving Ashton Kutcher as a zoned-out drug dealer, could have been cut. Despite being mildly entertaining, it went nowhere and was irrelevant to the overall narrative.

Upon viewing the movie, it became clear that -/. $%# Estevez, a liberal who sees Kennedy as a sort of political deity, made this film with the agenda to spread the “Gospel according to Bobby.â€? ĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŠ Consequently the movie sometimes felt preachy and 45% $%# overly rosy when dealing with Kennedy’s personal $* $%,!9.%9 character. But overall, Estevez succeeded in making Bobby an interesting tapestry that laments what 7%$ $%# could have been.

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FAST FOOD NATION THE FOUNTAIN TIM PETERS â&#x20AC;˘ STAFF WRITER

SYD SLOBODNIK â&#x20AC;˘ STAFF WRITER

As Eric Schlosser did in his book of the same name, Richard Linklater disassembles the corporate fast food machine to show us the grimy attrition hidden deep inside â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the disaffected store employees, the precarious migrant slaughterhouse workers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; while contrasting it with the familiar sheen of the exterior â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the corporate PR detail, the bright, sterile restaurants. Instead of statistics, quotations and exposition, Linklater uses image, characters and narrative.

We are taken to Cody, Colo., as Don Anderson (Greg Kinnear), a VP for Mickeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, a national fast food chain, is investigating the production line of their new, oversized burger. Linklater then brings us to a border crossing of Mexican immigrants who will soon live crammed together in Cody hotels, eager to accept employment at Uniglobe Meat Packing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a bleached white, sterile plant whose dangerous carcass assembly line is managed

by Mike (Bobby Cannavale), a womanizing drug peddler. While at a Mickeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurant, Amber (Ashley Johnson) and her other teenage coworkers ruminate on how they could rob the store and how every keystroke they make on the register is monitored at the national headquarters.

Linklater shows us the viciousness of the slaughterhouse, the bath of blood as both livestock and, sometimes employees, are pulled into the combine. Then he cuts back to the f inished product. A juicy, cooked burger served up with a smile. Between the wrenching juxtaposition amoung the ranch, factory and restaurant, we see these intelligent characters think, speak and reac and to begin to wake up and figure out if thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anything they can do about this system. By empathizing with these characters, we too start to feel the dread that some invisible, inhumane, corporate machine is dictating what we eat, where we work and who we are.

Darren Aronofskyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Fountain is a strange and enchanting fi lm, much like parts of his other fi lms Pi and Requiem for a Dream. This wildly imaginative fi lm is much more ambitious than his previous works as he adapts a graphic novel he wrote several years ago to tell a story of two lovers who meet in 16th century Spain, again in modern times, and fi nally in the 26th century on a bubble-like asteroid. The Fountain is a visual spectacle, much like Stanley Kubrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1968 classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, that ambitiously portends to explain the importance of the cycle of life, the acceptance of death and how we are spiritually linked to souls of our pasts.

Aronofskyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leads Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz effectively play the central romantic pair.

They first appear as Tomas, a conquistador in Mayan territories of North America and Queen Isabel.

They then appear as Dr. Tommy Creo and writer Izzi Creo in contemporary times. Finally, they are Tom Creo, a bald mystic, and his late wife who appears with him on an asteroid that looks like a wooded island with the Tree of Life as its center.

As medical scientist Tommy Creo, Jackman is most compelling as his research on a treebased compound leads him to seemingly curing a tumor in an apeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brain. While he labors in his lab, his wife is suffering from a brain disorder, which may soon take her life and his medical prowess cannot help. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one chapter short of completing a spiritual science fiction saga that connects life across centuries of time.

Many will f ind The Fountainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lack of an obvious f lowing narrative, repeated scenes and time shift with a plethora of pretentious visuals a bit too over whelming. However, Aronofskyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never sophomoric philosophic connections between people and times make for provocative film going in a season of mindless holiday entertainment.

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OPEN MIC NIGHT

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tickets on sale now!

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Sharon Stone as Miriam and Williman H. Macy as Paul are part of the ensemble cast that make up Emilio Estevezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bobby.

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At the meat factory in Fast Food Nation â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Hope that guy is taking sanitary precautions.

B ETWEEN | CLASSIFIEDS | THE STINGER

Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz star in The Fountain, a love story that transcends the bounds of time. sounds from the scene

Nov e m be r 30

•

D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

buzz weekly •

I USED TO HAVE MAD COW’S DISEASE, BUT I’M ALRIGHT NOOOOOOOOOW.

19

FILM

TENACIOUS D: THE DÉJÀ VU PICK OF DESTINY

HAPPY FEET

In the last 10 years there hasn’t been one film about time travel that’s been worth its salt. Be I must start out with the facts: I am a big fan of it because of too much techno talk or a plot that the “D.” Always have been and most likely always had nowhere to go to begin with, any recent will be. So, last Friday, as I sat alone before a movie that tried to take characters across time magnificent mega-screen at the AMC in downtown fell flat. While Déjà Vu doesn’t restore the genre Washington, D.C., I expected my own echoing to the glory days of Back to the Future, it shows laughter to keep me company amongst the sea of that it does still have some life left in it. empty velvet seats. Disappointingly, it was not to The film follows Doug Carlin (Denzel Washbe, and so I was alone, praying for JB (Jack Black) ington), who’s investigating the explosion of and KG (Kyle Gass) to a fe r r y i n Ne w rouse my adolescence Orleans. A fter once again. finding evidence of Half of the movie terrorism, Carlin described the unification i s put i n t ouch of JB, a blundering and w it h F BI a g e nt aging small-town rebel, Andrew Pryzwarra and KG, a burnt-out ( Va l K i l m e r ). loser sham — the sole P r y z wa r r a lead s members of Tenacious a top-secret govD. T he ot her h a l f ernment program rambled on about their that’s found a way trek to retrieve the magto peer into events ical guitar pick of desexactly four days tiny and the key to their Kyle Gass and Jack Black, the strange and silly singing and si x hours in rock & roll successes. duo, star in Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny. the pa st. There’s Along the way, the two no fast-forwarding, wannabe rock stars duplicate many of the same tired rewinding or saving of the events. The hope elements that were found in the duo’s album and is that by following Claire (Paula Patton), HBO special: the Sasquatch, Satan, Lee, cock push- a woman Carlin thinks was killed by the bomber ups and various other inanities that I once consid- before the blast, the good guys will be able to ered uniquely hilarious. There were several funny find the bad guy. screen appearances from actors like Ben Stiller and At f i r st D éjà Vu d ra g s a long, a nd one Meat Loaf, but the rest of the movie lacked cre- worries whether or not it’s going anywhere. ative comedic structure. The material was sim- But once Carlin and Pryzwarra begin to put ply not there — it was obviously unrehearsed and the pieces of the crime together, the pace inconsistent. The anti-climactic conclusion of the picks up accordingly. Tension steadily builds movie didn’t help its case either. as Carlin tries to f igure out how to send clues The Pick of Destiny was, however, very reminiscent back through time to himself in order to of Tenacious D’s debut album. It was absurd and its prevent the bombing and f ind the bomber essence was often derailed by the residual effect of too while not inadvertently killing anyone else in many bong rips. Even as I walked out of the desolate the process (time travel is risky after all). theater, I was sure that I’d continue to be a Tenacious Is D éjà Vu g oi n g to w i n a ny O sca r s?

D fan, and considered that maybe my expectations Probably not (it is a Jerry Bruckheimer f ilm were set too high. But then again, as the only per- after all). But when a f ilm like this comes son tossing my garbage into the empty trash can, I along that successfully avoids clichés typical had to assume the numbers don’t lie. of its genre, it’s worth checking out.

At a time when computer-animated animal flicks are a dime a dozen, it can be difficult for one kids movie to remain conventional and still set itself apart. This is the achievement of director George Miller, who creates a brilliant synthesis between the familiar and heartwarming (for the kids), and the progressive and surprisingly adult themes and humor (for the parents) with his latest film, Happy Feet.

At Happy Feet’s core is a solid, yet predictable story: In the icy world of the proud Emperor penguin, each member of this highly ritualized society is born with their own unique “heartsong,” which will eventually lead them to their true love. This is problematic for our endearing hero Mumble (Elijah Wood), a young penguin born without a singing voice. Instead, much to the dismay of his father (Hugh Jackman), Mumble possesses a tap-dancing streak that would put Fred Astair to shame. As a result, Mumble must struggle to find himself and eventually must use his talents to save his friends and family.

Built on this common foundation are the parts that really make this movie shine. First, the

KEVIN TERRELL • STAFF WRITER

TOM LANGE • STAFF WRITER

BRENT SIMERSON • STAFF WRITER

story is laced with impressive musical numbers that traverse every style — from classic rock to modern R&B — courtesy of the whole penguin ensemble and some exceptional performances from penguins Gloria (Brittney Murphy) and Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman).

The animation and art direction are simply amazing. Many times it was diff icult to tell if objects and landscapes were real footage or more CGI. Miller even blends the two brief ly near the end, which turned out more organic than awkward. In addition to graphics, the behaviors and lifestyles Happy Feet’s critter cast meet National Geographic standards.

A n d f i n a l l y, o n R o b i n W i l l i a m s ’ performance (as Ramon, Lovelace and Cletus) I’ll say this: his humor is predictably over the top, especially from the Latino Rockhopper Ramon, but is wisely never allowed to run loose. As a result he’s actually quite funny w ithout being dom ineer ing. So i f you’re look ing to score a few brownie points by t a k i ng out a you nger sibl i ng, cou si n or otherwise, now’s the time to do it.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WWW.ROTTENTOMATOES.COM.

Penguins sing and tap dance in Warner Brothers newest aniimated film, Happy Feet.

Topless Female Dancers 18 to enter • Mon-Thur 8pm-1am • Fri-Sat 8pm-2am • $5 Cover

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www.silverbulletbar.net sounds from the scene

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AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE, MORE IS SAID THAN DONE.

Nov e m be r 30

â&#x20AC;˘

D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

PHONE: 217 - 337 - 8337 DEADLINE: 2 p.m. Tuesday for the next Thursdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition.

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â&#x20AC;˘ PLEASE CHECK YOUR AD! Report errors immediately by calling 337-8337. We cannot be responsible for more than one dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incorrect insertion if you do not notify us of the error by 2 pm on the day of the first insertion. â&#x20AC;˘ All advertising is subject to the approval of the publisher. The Daily Illini shall have the right to revise, reject or cancel, in whole or in part, any advertisement, at any time. â&#x20AC;˘ All employment advertising in this newspaper is subject to the City of Champaign Human Rights Ordinance and similar state and local laws, making it illegal for any person to cause to be published any advertisement which expresses limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, color, mental handicap, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, political affiliation, prior arrest or conviction record, source of income, or the fact that such person is a student. â&#x20AC;˘ Specification in employment classifications are made only where such factors are bonafide occupational qualifications necessary for employment. â&#x20AC;˘ All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, and similar state and local laws which make it illegal for any person to cause to be published any advertisement relating to the transfer, sale, rental, or lease of any housing which expresses limitation, specifications or discrimination as to race, color, creed, class, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental handicap, personal appearance, sexual oientation, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or the fact that such person is a student. â&#x20AC;˘ This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. Our readers are informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal oppportunity basis.

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Have you considered a PhD in Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University? See http://www.epp.cmu.edu

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the stinger kim rice & kate ruin DOIN’ IT WELL

New birth control

jonesin CROSSWORD PUZZLE

“Wii Are Not Amused”-taking PS3 literally.

Across 1 GM bought half of it in 1990 5 Spreads seeds 9 Bit of parsley 14 Decorated Desmond 15 State ___ 16 Rash 17 Eyes, to Eduardo 18 From the top 19 Simon’s brother 20 Childhood disease beats out a runny nose?

23 It often comes with a battery

24 Network replaced by The CW 25 “Get it?”

26 All there 28 ___ in “Adam” 31 Sight at a backstabbing family reunion?

36 Character not computer- animated in the “Garfield” movies 37 Noise from a goat pen 38 Make a pitiful face 39 Crime show still goes over the heads of criminals?

44 Get a lode of it 45 Throw (out) 46 Regatta member 47 Path

sounds from the scene

48 Christ lived there 52 Army group does away with their famous song? (careful!)

56 Dot on a monitor 57 Contestant’s choice on “Match Game” 58 Ominous date 59 With a BMI 30 or higher 60 Half of a famous bed-in 61 Leave the scene 62 Part of an etiquette list, maybe 63 Rock group with the line “I’m Kilroy!”

64 Cong. meeting Down 1 Hole in a leaf

2 How French dip sandwiches are served 3 Composition of everything 4 Drivers check them 5 One of the heckling critics on “The Muppet Show” 6 Words after “ready” 7 Shed a few tears 8 Does some tailoring 9 More on the ball 10 Cleese castmate 11 Don’t just show up 12 “___ to laugh” 13 OB/___ 21 Stuff in a bird feeder 22 Really primitive building material 26 Sends bad messages, maybe 27 Pronto 28 Love, Latin-style 29 “___ Named ScoobyDoo” (cartoon spinoff of 1988) 30 Ultrafast jets, for short 31 A little, in sheet music 32 Dumpster emanation 33 Clue weapon 34 Don on the waves 35 Drinks before food 40 Office Depot competitor 41 Chest contents 42 Place to get up and speak your mind 43 Buds 47 Pull violently 48 Author with a Moscow park named after him 49 Soup kitchen server 50 Some Olympics equipment 51 Slalom curves 52 ___ Matto (duo with the 1997 EP “Super Relax”) 53 Team with a yoke 54 40-plus-year-old NBC soap, to fans 55 Cheer (for) 56 Asian salad ingredient Answers page 24

Old dilemma — and a reader question.

Dear Rice and Ruin, Thanks for the insightful report this week on Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). Among the intriguing things you said was that CPCs use government funding to promulgate false information. Do you have more information on that score?

Thanks, R. Hi R., Glad you enjoyed our “undercover” column on CPCs! For more information on CPCs and how they use your taxes to mislead women, check out the info in Sex 411.

We’d like to welcome a new member to the birth control family in the US: Implanon.

Actually, the US is not as cutting edge as we’d like to think. Implanon has recently received FDA approval, but this method of birth control has been used in Europe and other places since 1998. About 2.5 million women use it worldwide.

Implanon is a progestin-only form of birth control. This is good news for women who cannot use or do not want to use birth control containing estrogen (when they are breastfeeding, for example).

Implanon is a soft, flexible rod about the size of a matchstick (1.5” x .08”). A trained health care provider inserts it into the underside of a woman’s upper arm. Insertion takes about one to two minutes and is relatively painless. A local aesthetic may be used.

The progestin-like hormone called etonogestrel is the active ingredient and it is time released into the body. Implanon is about 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, which is pretty good, considering it lasts for three years and there is no maintenance needed.

Fertility returns once Implanon is removed, and those who change their minds about getting pregnant before the three years is up can have Implanon removed whenever they want.

Removal of Implanon takes about two minutes and can be slightly uncomfortable.

This method may remind you of its distant relative, Norplant, which was taken off the market a few years back. Norplant consisted of six plastic rods inserted into the upper arm, and provided pregnancy prevention for five years.

Health care providers sometimes experienced difficulty removing Norplant.

Because Implanon is only one rod, and is inserted for only three years, the problems ex per ienced w ith Nor pla nt shou ld hopefully be avoided. Side effects of Implanon are similar to other hormonal methods of birth control and may include weight gain, acne, depression, menstr ua l changes, headaches and mood swings.

Implanon can be felt by palpitating the skin of the inner arm, but it is not noticeable to the naked eye. So you won’t be called out as an Implanon

user when walking through the Quad. Either way, if you like it, use it with pride!

Is that all?

Here at Doin’ It Well, we’re all for choices. Yet, we have to question why it is that with the plethora of birth control options available we still don’t have many that prevent both pregnancy and HIV, that have zero unwanted side effects or that have beneficial side effects?

Imagine a form of birth control that increased sexual pleasure for women while preventing pregnancy and HIV transmission. That’s the kind of birth control we want to see pharmaceutical companies working hard to develop.

Think about this: There are more than 62 million women in the US who are considered to be in the “child-bearing” years. Of those women, 43 million are sexually active and do not want to get pregnant, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

What would happen if all these women started thinking beyond the options available today and began to imagine what their ideal form of birth control would look like?

That ideal method might last for years like Implanon, but we’re betting it would not involve surgical implantation and removal.

We need question why condoms are the only widely available form of male birth control, yet we have new variations of Viagra hitting the market left and right. This situation illustrates a double standard in the US; that the focus of sex is pleasure for men, and pregnancy (or its prevention) for women.

So, start talking with women in your life about what they would like to see in an ideal birth control method and about what turns them on in bed!

Likewise, initiate conversations with men about women’s pleasure and the importance of male responsibility in pregnancy prevention. Maybe a better question to ponder is: How would reproductive research look if it was run by women?

SEX 411: HOW YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE USED TO MISLEAD WOMEN. •

• • •

The 2004 US Congressional report “The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Programs,” which was prepared for Rep. Henry A. Waxman.

The Guttmacher Institute (www. gutmacher.org) Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (www.siecus.org) The 2006 National Abortion Federation report entitled: “Crisis Pregnancy Centers: An Affront To Choice”

Kim Rice and Kate Ruin are professional sex educators. Send your sex questions, fan mail and comments to riceandruin@yahoo.com

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IF WE DON’T SUCCEED, WE RUN THE RISK OF FAILURE.

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free will astrology NOV. 30 — DEC. 06 ARIES

March 21 – April 19

“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom,” wrote Norwegian philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. That’s vividly true for you right now, Aries. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you’ll thrive on the whirling gaga that overwhelms you as you play in vast, open spaces. Your best decisions will arise as your mind is boggled and wobbled by liberating dramas. So let’s celebrate the disorientation you’re feeling, and do everything we can to make sure that more is on its way.

T A U RU S

LIBRA

Sept. 23 – Oct.22

As a general rule, standing your ground and dealing squarely with a problem is the best policy. But for you right now, escape is a viable option. In fact, I think that running away is actually preferable. All I ask, though, is that you choose a specific place to flee to, so that you’re not just running from something but also running toward something. As long as you’re driven solely by a big NO, in other words, dashing around will weaken you and aggravate the problem you’re dodging. But if you’re also motivated by a vivid YES, you’ll find the strength and wisdom to make all the right moves.

April 20 – May 20

I know how you’re feeling, Taurus. I’ve done time in the same psychic prison you’re trapped in. Because of my exemplary behavior while incarcerated, luckily, I was freed well in advance of my scheduled release date. Would you like to know what I did to win my early release? Four things: (1) I took responsibility for the ways I had perpetuated my own suffering. (2) I practiced feeling grateful for the lessons my pain had taught me. (3) I thought deeply about the actions I could take to atone for how I had hurt other people. (4) I vowed to use the shame I felt as a motivation to become smarter and kinder and wilder.

SCORPIO

Oct. 23 – Nov. 21

Earth Island Journal says scientists have discovered natural ways to clean up old munitions sites. If you plant periwinkle and parrot-feather plants in soil that’s been bombed with TNT, they’ll soak up and neutralize the noxious stuff. Likewise, pondweed absorbs and transforms nitroglycerin in land where explosives have been detonated. I urge you to find the metaphorical equivalents of periwinkle, pondweed, and parrot-feather plants this week, Scorpio. It’s a perfect moment to detoxify the places in your life where past battles left behind toxic debris.

GEMINI

May 21 – June 20

S AG I T TA R I U S

Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

CANCER

June 21 – July 22

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

AQUA R I U S

Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

Does one of your pretty good relationships need a boost?

Does one of your challenging partnerships need some slack?

If so, I’d like to help. Here’s my offer. I’ll perform a healing ceremony for a relationship of your choice. In return for doing you this favor, all I ask is that you, too, carry out a ritual in behalf of the same relationship. Think of it as being akin to a “matching funds” grant: I’ll help you if you help yourself. It is the perfect astrological moment to do this--to make splashy gestures that invoke blessings for relationships that are in need of a shift. Now send me a brief description of the relationship you’d like me to shower some magic on. Write to uaregod@comcast.net. I won’t be able to write back, but I will definitely carry out a ritual for you.

“They might be small, spiky, and spineless, but they’re still family.” So begins a National Geographic story about sea urchins, creatures that biologists now know have far more in common with humans than anyone realized. (They share 7,077 genes with us, and are actually on the same branch of the evolutionary tree of life.) Let that opening sentence be your motto during the coming week, Cancerian, as you adjust your attitude towards not only the runts and outcasts of your tribe, but also towards the parts of yourself that you tend to neglect and underestimate. Now say this: “They might be small, spiky, and spineless, but they’re still family.”

LEO

July 23 – Aug. 22

I hope that one day you will learn how to give all the extraordinary love you have to offer. Another one of my greatest desires for you is that you will cultivate, earn, and seize all the freedom you need in order to become yourself completely. To my great pleasure, you’ve recently begun to tune in to the possibility that these two goals might be extremely fun for you. During the coming weeks their hold on your imagination should heat up considerably. In 2007, I hope they’ll become your modus operandi, your Weltanschauung, and your raison d’être.

On Jupiter’s moon Europa, there is an absolutely straight narrow line about 125 miles long. NASA’S photos show it clearly. Commenting on this improbably regular feature, renowned author and inventor Arthur C. Clarke says he finds it hard not to conclude that it was constructed by intelligent life. “I’m beginning to think the unthinkable,” he writes.

Make that sentence your watchword in the coming week, Sagittarius. Be ready to imagine the unimaginable, see the unseeable, and think the unthinkable. And I mean that you should do that with the most optimistic attitude possible.

According to my reading of the astrological omens, the almost unbelievable prospects coming into your sphere are interesting and invigorating.

As I see your situation, it’s like you’re acting famished even though the cupboards are stocked with goodies. You’re pining and moaning to be close to a treasure that’s right next to you.

You’ve got 98 out the 100 things you need, and yet you just can’t stop obsessing on the two that are missing. If I’m wrong about this, Capricorn, just ignore what I’m saying and rejoin me next week. But if you suspect I may be on to something, please act fast to purge your delusions.

This week I propose that you feel gratitude for every person who has ever told you that you were inadequate, that there was something wrong with you, that you would never amount to anything. You might even carry out a little ceremony in which you bow down to an altar containing their photos or slips of paper on which their names are written. And why am I suggesting this? Because those jerks helped motivate you to become as cool as you are. And if I’m reading the omens correctly, it’s time to summon a huge new burst of creative energy as you disprove their misbegotten ideas about you even more completely.

PISCES

VIRGO

Aug. 23 – Sept. 22

In one of Aesop’s fables, a donkey becomes enamored of the crickets’ serenades. Longing to produce the same sound himself, he goes to a cricket for advice. “What kind of food gives you that sweet-sounding voice?” he asks. The cricket says, “My food is the air and the dew.” The donkey then begins a new diet, hoping that by eating nothing but air and dew he too will be able to make beautiful, whirring melodies. It doesn’t happen, of course. The donkey merely starves. Let this be your teaching story for the coming week, Virgo.

Sing your own song with your own voice, whether that sounds like a hee-haw or a warble. And get the exact nurturing that will help you sing your own song with your own voice, not the nurturing that helps others sing their special tunes.

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Feb. 19 – March 20

Why do cigarette-makers put ammonia in their product? For the same reason that drug addicts use ammonia to turn cocaine into crack: It helps render the nicotine and cocaine into a gas, making it easier for the lungs to absorb them, and dramatically amplifying the high. I hope you can find a healthy, legal, and metaphorical equivalent to this process in the coming weeks, Pisces. You have both a poetic license and an astrological mandate to squeeze at least three times more fun and insight out of every single thing you do. It’s the Intensity Season.

Homework: What thing do you desperately want that would also benefit other people? Testify by going to http://FreeWillAstrology.com and clicking on “Email Rob.”

sounds from the scene

Nov e m be r 30

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D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

buzz weekly •

A DRUNK MANS’ WORDS ARE A SOBER MANS’ THOUGHTS.

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LIKES AND GRIPES LET IT OUT

ERIN SCOTTBERG Editor in Chief GRIPES 1) The leaf blowers on the Quad: I know some folks at the University want the Quad to look all nice and leaffree, but remember, it’s fall, a season that gets its name because, well, leaves fall. I’d rather enjoy the beginning of the week’s nice weather on a leafcovered lawn than have to hear the noisy blower motors all the time.

2) DJ-less radio: I hate this JACK-FM and BOBFM crap. I like knowing there’s a real, live person sitting behind a booth somewhere out there. Without a DJ to tell me the names of songs, take my requests and tell me random facts, radio is more like a giant MP3-player with an FCC broadcasting license. I can plug in my iPod and hit random by myself, thank-you-very-much.

3) Like: It’s, like, totally annoying when you, like, have to like listen to someone who says like, like every other word. It’s especially bad when a TA does it. If you realized what an idiot you sound like, you’d be quick to change your ways.

3

BRITTANY BINDRIM Art Director GRIPES 1) Missing the UPS man every time: I always miss the UPS deliveryman any time he attempts to drop off a package at my apartment. Not just the first attempt, but all three tries. Sometimes when I’m home, I’ll leave to go to class and find that stupid yellow slip stuck to my door. I think he waits till I leave or just doesn’t knock to piss me off.

2) E-mail mailing list bitching: I’ve been receiving annoying these emails this week. I find it pathetic when people feel the need to bitch and moan about events or people behind their backs through blogs or email lists. Especially when the “bitcher” sees the victim of the bitching in person on a regular basis. Hey you guys, stop being nonconfrontational two-faced whiney wusses.

3) Iams dog food: This company conducts cruel animal testing on dogs. Back in 2003, a undercover investigator found animals locked into extremely small and dirty cages, dogs driven crazy from confinement, sick animals denied of veterinary care and dogs piled on the ground after having hunks of muscle taken out of their legs. This company still hasn’t changed their ways. Please don’t support this unnecessary cruelty, buy your pet food elsewhere!

ELYSE RUSSO Arts and Entertainment Editor GRIPES 1) Moldy chee se: D o n’t yo u jus t h a te w h e n y o u’r e al m os t finished making a s an d w i c h by a d din g that last slice of Colby Jack cheese, when suddenly your cheese slice is covered in mold? I hate that!

2) My family Christmas card photo: Even though I’m 22 years old and my sister is 17, my mom and dad still make us take a photo for our Christmas cards every year. That Christmas card gets sent to about 200 people who get to see me smile in disgust at the fact that I still have to do this every single year.

3) End-of-semester chaos: Everyone has like a bagillion papers to write and tests to take even before finals week starts. Why do professors torture us so?

MEGHAN WHALEN Copy Chief LIKES 1) The Nutcracker: I’ve seen it sever al t i m e s t h e p as t f ew years and I never get tired of it. I’m going to see it in Chicago right before Christmas, and I’m so excited. I wish I could be a ballerina.

2) Cold weather: A warm front in November?

Screw that. I want snow!

3) Qdoba: Their three-cheese nachos are to die for, and I’d eat them every day if my metabolism was much, much faster. By the way: Qdoba beats Chipotle any day.

SEE LIKES AND GRIPES PG. 24

GRANTING WISHES THIS HOLIDAY SEASON The Daily Illini & WPGU are hosting a gift drive this holiday season benefitting children of the Champaign Crisis Nursery and Parent Wonders of Champaign.

If YOU or a GROUP you’re a part of want to participate or need more information, contact us!

EMAIL: OperationSanta@gmail.com CONTACT: Call Help Desk at 217.337.8316

Benefiting the Champaign Crisis Nursery and Parent Wonders of Champaign Sponsored by WPGU 107.1 and The Daily Illini. sounds from the scene

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A LITTLE INACCURACY SOMETIMES SAVES A TON OF EXPLANATION.

Nov e m be r 30

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D e c e m b e r 6 , 2 oo 6

LIKES AND GRIPES CONTINUED FROM PG.23 RENEE OKAMURA Designer LIKES 1) Sour Neon Gummy Worms: If I’m in the mood for candy I always buy a 99-cent pack of sour worms from Walgreens. Sometimes I grab a pack for the long bus trip back home, for a late-night sugar snack or even for breakfast. I love the fruity, sugary, chewy sensation you get out of those little suckers.

2) Winter Break: The last three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas Break are the real killers when it comes to hard work and pulling allnighters. I figured that I need to find something that will liven my spirits to support me through those difficult times and what’s better than thinking about winter break? When I stop and think about how great that moment will be when I finish and get out of campus to enjoy a month’s worth of vacation, three weeks of hard work doesn’t sound so bad. So when you’re feeling down from homework, think about those bright paper packages, mistletoes and shiny tinsel on the huge Christmas tree.

3) My black sexy boots: For those of you who see me on campus, you probably notice that I have a pair of leather-strapped boots that I wear practically everyday. I love them! They match with anything I wear and they’re really comfy. And FYI, if you stop to say something nice about my black sexy boots, you’ll be sure to make my day.

ANNA STATHAM Music Editor LIKES 1) Pete Yorn: My single wish for this year will come true at approximately 8 p.m. tonight when Pete Yorn arrives in Champaign to perform at Canopy.

2) No snow yet: As long as it snows on Christmas Eve, I am perfectly content with this being an otherwise snow-less year.

3) Altgeld Hall bells: Even if it’s not snowing, I do love that the bells are chiming Christmas music between classes.

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