INSIDEBEAT SEPTEMBER 30, 2010 • VOL. 28, NO. 14
THE WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE OF THE DAILY TARGUM
Who are we?
A generation with an identity crisis
Page 2 • Inside Beat
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September 30, 2010
Column
rant
I Don’t Go on Facebook BY AMANDA LITCHKOWSKI ART EDITOR
It’s crazy, I know. Do I think I’m too cool? Or the opposite: Am I a total loser? Is it really that distracting? Is it really that necessary? Too few experience the giant relief of deactivating your Facebook account. It’s like shedding 30 pounds, moving out of Mom and Dad’s, being let off a leash. I have friends who told me they wish they could do the same. Despite the appeal, they’re afraid they won’t get invited to parties anymore. They’re scared to lose contact. “Who could I be if the entire digital universe couldn’t see me getting plastered on a Thursday night?” You could be someone — anyone. Facebook is not the be-all and end-all of your identity. Granted, it’s difficult to relinquish the power of vanity. It’s fun broadcasting your life to the world. As soon as I said bye-bye to good ol’ FB, I created a Tumblr account. Someone needed to know I existed.
But a month and six posts later, Tumblr wasn’t that exciting anymore. Keeping up with a digital existence is nearly twice as hard as keeping up with a physical one. Having a Tumblr is like living your life and then taking an hour to relive it through vigorous typing. One word: Unnecessary. Just like status updates, tagging photos and Farmville. Just like the “like” button. Just like fan pages and group invites. According to Facebook’s statistics, people spend more than 700 billion minutes per month on their accounts. That is a ridiculous amount of time for stalking. The other day my Mom asked me if people could see if she ignored friend requests. I told her that luckily, they cannot. “Good,” she replied. My mom is a pretty tame 50-year-old housewife, whose friend request could she possibly be ignoring? That’s when I realized that Facebook is not just a generational pandemic, a constant worry reserved for high school and college kids, it’s a plague itself.
EDITORIAL BOARD S TACY D OUEK .............................................. EDITOR NATALIA TAMZOKE.....................................ASSOCIATE ROSANNA VOLIS............................................ASSISTANT
EDITOR EDITOR
ARIBA ALVI..........................................................................TV EDITOR EMILY GABRIELE...........................................................MUSIC EDITOR NATALIA TAMZOKE...................................................THEATER EDITOR ROSANNA VOLIS..........................................................FASHION EDITOR AMANDA LITCHKOWSKI.....................................................ART EDITOR NANCY SANTUCCI..............................................................COPY EDITOR RAMON ANGELO PAOLO GUTIERREZ DOMPOR.............PHOTO EDITOR KATHERINE CHANG.........................................................FILM EDITOR NIDHI SARAIYA..............................................................BOOKS EDITOR ASHLEY PARK..............................................................ONLINE EDITOR
INSIDEBEAT THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS INSIDE BEAT :
TO
Gwendolyn Breitstein, Inayah Bristol, Ciara Copell, Yorbelid Hererra, Shama Huq, Gianna Stefanelli, Zoe Szathmary Cover Photo of The Social Network Courtesy of allmoviephoto.com Rutgers Student Center 126 College Avenue, Suite 431 New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Phone (732) 932-2013 Fax (732) 246-7299 Email beat@dailytargum.com Web www.inside-beat.com Advertising in Inside Beat, Call (732) 932-7051 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
September 30, 2010
Art • Books • Fashion
Inside Beat • Page 3
Skippy Dies
Chuggs
Paul Murray | A+
STAFF WRITER
Out of the drought for genuinely good fiction came a wonderfully cool drink of water in the form of the novel Skippy Dies by Paul Murray (Aug. 2010). The story revolves around Daniel “Skippy” Juster, a jaded 14-year-old student at Seabrook College in Dublin and his overweight roommate Ruprecht Van Doren, a whiz kid who happens to be more than a little obsessed with the 10-di-
of sorts, holding the novel together cohesively and beautifully much like the strawberry jam that he inscribed his last words with. Murray’s writing style and emotional breadth are also something to be admired. He manages to craft a portrayal of adolescence that is hilarious, heartbreaking and painfully bittersweet all in one novel. This is Murray’s second novel. He is also the author of An Evening of Long Goodbyes, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award in 2003. Withot a doubt, this is one of the best new fiction books this reviewer has had the pleasure of reading in a long time. Skippy Dies is the whole package, with a depth unparalleled by many of the “bestsellers” being published today. If you want a read that will make you laugh, cry and feel like your heart might just burst out of your chest from the gravity of it all, Skippy Dies is the perfect choice.
Bringing Art to New Bruns BY AMANDA LITCHKOWSKI ART EDITOR
New Brunswick may often seem drained of expression. It’s hard to find art in the place we lovingly, sometimes cynically, call “Hub City.” Where is the sense of a creative community? It’s hiding in a small galler y space above Kairo Kafe on Bayard Street. It’s run by New Brunswick locals, many of them University graduates and Mason Gross School of the Arts students. Even so, Collaborative Arts focuses on what it means to be an artist in the dirty and irresistible city of New Brunswick. Collaborative Arts, colloquially known as coLAB, reopened its summer show last Thursday night. Titled Cognitive Disso-
nance, the exhibition showcases coLAB’s summer interns whose specialties range from the written word to sculpture to digital media. There were only six summer interns so the show looks a little sparse, but there is depth within the work itself. Entering the galler y feels like entering a blurr y version of New Brunswick. Mason Gross senior Pavol Olsavsky creates oil paintings from thick blocks of color, and, close up, they look like exactly just that. But from a few feet away, his pieces (one, for example, is titled “Rutgers Bus”) resemble the New Brunswick we all know: Buildings caught out of the corner of our eye, details smudged, colors striking. Around the corner of coLAB’s one of two rooms is a small hallway
that can fit about two and a half people. It’s convenient, of course, because there’s a knockout piece hanging right inside. The show’s curator, Mason Gross sophomore Theresa Francisco, saved the spot for “The Characters.” Atop the wall’s waist-high molding stand five Alice in Wonderland-like creatures including a well-dressed womanizer with a cat head. They’re exaggerated and brooding, and there’s no better place for them than a dim little hallway. Cognitive Dissonance may not be that dissonant at all. Although a seemingly random selection of ar t, the exhibition’s work carries a coherent theme: The alliance of up-and-coming ar tists in New Brunswick. It’s exciting and new. Such collaboration just screams coLAB.
A Visit from the Goon Squad BY INAYAH BRISTOL STAFF WRITER
A title like A Visit from the Goon Squad and a picture of a broken guitar on the front cover can lead you to many assumptions about the content of a book. You can try as much as you’d like to guess what the book is about, but you’ll probably fail. This is a book of many complexities. Jennifer Egan, the author of The Invisible Circus, Look at Me and The Keep, tells an interesting tale with A Visit from the Goon Squad (June 2010), a book which even includes a 75-page PowerPoint presentation. Egan uses an unconventional storytelling approach because she doesn’t just mention the people in her main characters’ past lives — she takes you back to those past events mentioned as well and tells the story from their points of view. It can be a bit confusing as she switches time and place so often, but Egan does it tactfully and tastefully. Learning about these people is just as interesting as the main characters’ stories. The story starts off with a bang, as she begins the tale with Sasha Blake, a kleptomaniac, sitting on her
therapist’s couch talking about a particular incident where she steals the wallet of a girl in a bathroom while on a date. She talks about how stealing made her feel and how she quickly grew tired of her date. The story then goes into the life of Sasha’s boss, record exec Bennie Salazar. At this point the story switches to Bennie’s point of view as he tells of his growing affection for Sasha and how his life has lost its spark. Then the book takes a trip back in time and tells of Bennie’s teen years when he was in a band with a group of his friends and first met Lou Kline, Bennie’s mentor and the final “main” character. The book continues going into various characters’ lives before finally ending with Alex, Sasha’s date. The book is set up in layers and each chapter peels back another layer to the main characters’ lives to give a better understanding of them. But by the time you get to the seventh chapter, you’re left questioning, “Why was I originally reading this?” and “Who is the main character of this book again?” It takes you through so many personalities that you find yourself forgetting who the alleged main characters are or what
Jimmy Choo | F
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BY ASHLEY PARK ONLINE EDITOR
There is trouble afoot in the fashion world. UGG Australia and Jimmy Choo Ltd have joined forces to create a hideous, illegitimate love child — UGGS by Jimmy Choo. This calamitous combination of footwear genetics produced a child with a severe identity crisis. The entire line looks as if they took a potato, wrapped it in zebra print, and shot it up with a bedazzler. It was a valiant effort, but in the end, a potato is still a potato. After more than a decade of fabulous, skyscraping stilettos, the House of Choo has stumbled and smacked its head hard on the runway.
The collaboration has sent some in the fashion world reeling while others, like Nicky Hilton, happily post “UGG-shots” on her twitter. Her pair was probably gifted, but the thin-pocketed laity will have to pre-order their pairs online and shell out $495$795 in the process. Hopefully, the new line of CHUGGS will not reinstall the idea that abominable snowman shoes are back in vogue. If Jimmy Choo plays its cards right for the next seven seasons or so, perhaps we will restore the House to its previous status as the high priest of high heels, and CHUGGS will become a laughable memory of the past safely buried in the fashion faux pas graveyard between ’90s hair and parachute pants.
Fall Nail Guide
BY YORBELID HERRERA STAFF WRITER
Although the weather may be trying to fool us, fall is officially here. As the leaves begin changing colors, why not change your nail color too? Ever since Chanel’s Fall 2009 “Jade” nail polish became so popular it sold on eBay for $165 per bottle, there has been an increased awareness of nail varnishes. Inside Beat has your guide to this fall’s must-have nail trends. Chanel launched a limited series of three nail colors called Les Khaki by Peter Philips, global creative director of Chanel makeup, in celebration of their boutique re-opening in SoHo. The collection includes three shades: “Khaki Brun,” “Khaki Rose” and “Khaki Vert.” Flattering to all skin tones and a good way of keeping up with the military-inspired look, they are sold separately at $25 per bottle.
1.Chanel
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2. Greige For school, work and even a night out Greige is the perfect color to have. This hybrid color is a blend of gray, beige and brown, creating the perfect neutral shade. Feel free to go lighter or darker until you find the perfect hue. Our favorite look is OPI’s “Bright Over the Taupe.” COURTESY OF MAKEUPANDBEAUTYBLOG.COM
Jennifer Egan | Bthe book was essentially about. The book could easily be mistaken as a collection of short stories since not one chapter is told from the same person’s point of view or from the same time period. One thing can be said about Egan’s composition of this book, though: Each chapter leaves you craving more. You crave to know more about these sad characters and how their lives unfolded. Egan leaves it all up to the imagination of the readers. If you like a simple read, this might not be the book for you. But if you like books that delve into the minds of the characters, or if you’re looking for a way to escape your own troubles, this will make a good read. If you do pick this book up, be prepared to read about life, music, and everything that comes in between.
3. Nail Art If you want a minx manicure à la Katy Perry but can’t afford a designer nail artist, try Sephora by OPI Chic Print for Nails. The set costs $15, comes with 16 nail patches and comes in eight designs.
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BY SHAMA HUQ
mensional string theory. What ensues is both pure comical and dark genius, backed with genuine heart and spirit and one heck of a story. The characters steal your heart and mind right from the start; Murray truly holds nothing back while capturing the tragic hilarity of what it means to be an adolescent on top of the world and not sure where to go from there. Within the first five pages, Skippy ends up dead on the floor of a local doughnut shop, his last cryptic words to his friend Ruprecht scribbled in jam on the floor with one finger: “Tell Lori.” Immediately, the reader is drawn into the tale: Exactly who is Lori and what on earth happened to Skippy in that doughnut shop on that fateful day? While presenting a comical front, there is no mistaking the dark and almost sinister undercurrents always running beneath Murray’s lyrical writing. Skippy serves as both a cynical hero and anti-hero
4. Sally Hansen
While Sally Hansen has never been an “it” beauty brand, their new collection with Prabal Gurung is sure to give Chanel some competition. The collection premiered at Gurung’s spring show during New York’s fashion week. It’s made up of colors like “Runway Red-y,” “Paparazzi,” “Without a Stitch,” “Model Behavior,” COURTESY OF THEFRISKY.COM “Casting Call” and “Strike a Pose.” The collection hits stores next spring.
e l g o o G
What came before Google:
While back in the day, it was Yahoo! and Ask Jeeves that everyone turned to when they had a query, Google has become the most used search engine in the United States today. The term “to google” has been entered into several established dictionaries with the definition of (1) searching for something on the Internet using a search engine and (2) checking the credentials of someone by searching for websites containing his or her name. Though Google may be known for its search engine, it has also established a name for itself in several other fields, such as e-mail, humanitarianism and synergy. As per its transformation into a multinational company, Google’s spheres of influence have spanned the circumference of the earth.
The library, government records
W
h
M any o have been defined b ment or a momentous p is nearly impossible to defin one singular trait as today’s w just constantly changing. Wherea cal artists like The Beach Boys and eration cannot even seem to agree on popular songs today may garner some a transient at best. While the ’70s are define against the Vietnam War, today’s generatio gether to agree on whether they support the “ produced some of America’s most-loved classi the Future and The Breakfast Club, and favorite re by the Bell and Full House, but today’s generation c and TV shows that probably will not be able to sta time. Today’s generation just cannot seem to agr thing; it’s no surprise that in the past few decad generation has received (and will continue to rece a plethora of names — from Generation X to th Peter Pan Generation to the Me Generation to Generation 9/11, and so on. Hence, I bring up the original question: What defines our generation? The masses’ fervent interests tend to change on an hourly basis, so trying to pinpoint a common passion found in the general public would be nearly impossible. However, it is possible to determine the many forms of media that are of interest to our current generation. Though they may not necessarily stick around forever, they are a big portion of what actually “defines” our generation. Thus, the following is a condensed list of all that currently monopolizes a good amount of our time.
According to Wordtracker, 14 of Google’s top search terms are sex/porn related.
What came before Wikipedia: Encyclopedias
Wikipedia is solely maintained by volunteers, so anyone can sign up and start adding or editing pages right off the bat.
What came before Youtube: MTV and DVDs
Fun Fact: The Youtube domain name was registered on Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2005).
The first things that the average person thinks to do when he or she hears about a term, person, event, etc. with which he or she is unfamiliar? Look it up on Wikipedia. When the average person has to write a research paper, what’s one of the first sources that one turns to for more information? Wikipedia. If the average person was curious to know how many degrees of separation were between Alexander Hamilton and a fish? Surf Wikipedia. Wikipedia serves as not only an endless source of information, but also an endless source of entertainment.
r a n t i o
Fun Fact:
Wikipe dia
e
Fun Fact:
a
e d t
be Youtu Though in the past there have been several different websites dedicated to the sharing of videos, Youtube revolutionized the entire process. In the beginning, Youtube was just a website where friends, families and coworkers could share homemade videos. As time passed, the range of types of videos being posted varied greatly. Today, official record labels and production companies promote their next big item by posting music videos and trailers. Television channels offer previews and sometimes even complete episodes of popular TV shows to entice and draw in more viewers. Youtube has even created a community of sorts among the most subscribed users, such as NigaHiga and Smosh. Youtube allows viewers and users to connect in a fun and entertaining manner.
KATHERINE CHANG FILM EDITOR
Fun Fact:
What came before blogs and Twitter:
Blogg ing & Twitte r
Diaries, Xanga, AIM chats
efi n
es ou
other eras by a social movepolitical event. But it e today’s generation by orld is so fast-paced and as the ’60s saw huge musid The Beatles, today’s genn a genre of music — while attention, such fame is only ed by the hippie movement on cannot seem to ban to“War on Terror.” The ’80s ic films, such as Back to e-runs, such as Saved cranks out movies and the test of ree on anydes, this eive) he
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When the Internet first became a phenomenon, everyone was wary about letting the slightest bit of information about their true identity slip. But today, it’s all about sharing absolutely everything with everyone; constant updates on what they are doing, innermost thoughts, private conversations, personal opinions, etc. Nothing is off-limits in this new webosphere. The world — online, at least — has gradually transformed from private and secluded to public and open.
What came before Urban Dictionary:
Urban ary n o i t c Di
Mass chaos and confusion
While it was foreseeable that the Internet would bring together all different kinds of people, it definitely was not expected that such a melding of varying cultures would lead to not only the introduction of different kinds of slang, but the creation of new slang words altogether. Today, when someone doesn’t understand the new cool word on the street, he or she can just go to Urban Dictionary, where people around the world contribute appropriate definitions for these new terms and vote for the definition that best fits what they believe the word actually means. This forum allows you to prevent potentially awkward moments and societal mishaps.
What came before Facebook: Myspace, instant messaging, e-mail, phone calls, invitation cards
al i c o S The rk o w t e N Scripted by The West Wing’s Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac), the remarkable story of how Facebook came into creation finally comes to the big screen. Set in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg, Zombieland) began laying out, in his dorm room, the foundation for a social-networking website that would forever change the way we communicate. After a mere six years and 500 million friends later, this ambitious entrepreneur became the youngest billionaire in history. But as the saying goes, it is nearly impossible for one to be successful in personal, vocational and societal matters all at once. In Zuckerberg’s case, his entrepreneurial success leads him to both personal and legal complications. Justin Timberlake co-stars as Napster co-creator Sean Parket, with Andrew Garfield playing the ousted Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. The Social Network is based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich.
If you printed all of th tweets on Twitter, it would cover 350 million sheets of paper; 37 times the number of pages used in bills introduced in Congress since 1955.
Fun Fact: One of the first definitions on the site was "the man," referring to "the head of the establishment put in place to 'bring us down.'”
Facebo ok Though when it first came out, people had used it as just another way of keeping in touch with others, Facebook has grown into one of the top — if not the No. 1 — social-networking websites. Today, Facebook can be used for almost any sort of communication, from creating and planning social events, to spreading awareness about hot topics, to simple instant-message chatting, to staying connected to as many people possible in one singular moment. It revolutionized the way we communicate, forever changing the world as we once knew it.
Fun Fact: In 2007, Facebook was blocked in Syria. According to Ammar alQurabi, head of the National Association for Human Rights, “[government officials] said Facebook could become a conduit for Israeli penetration of our youth, but the real reason for blocking the forum is because it provides for criticism of the authorities,"
Page 6 • Inside Beat
September 30, 2010
Art • Film • Theater
Seriously...
This Week at the NJFF
ALMOST ALMOST 140 140 TONS TONS OF OF DIRT DIRT What were they thinking? The unbelievable: A New York City apartment full of dirt The culprit: Walter de Maria
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Fanny, Annie & Danny
The down-low:
Playing Friday Oct. 1 at Voorhees Hall 105, 7 p.m.
In 1977 de Maria filled a 3,600-square-foot SoHo apartment with 280,000 pounds of dirt and called it “The New York Earth Room.” Spread throughout the space, the soil lies about 22 inches thick. Somehow this room full of dirt is considered a sculpture and is the third installment of de Maria’s “Earth Room” series. The first two Earth Rooms, both in Germany, no longer exist, but the New York version has been going strong for 30 years.
The unnecessar y fun facts: Curators must regularly water the dirt to keep it smelling like musty, earthy soil. They have found mushrooms growing on occasion. The piece is estimated to be worth nearly $1 million.
What happens when a trio of siblings is forced to reunite? Directed by Chris Brown, Fanny, Annie & Danny follows the lives of three siblings who are all very different. As the oldest of the three, Fanny has long been the source of strain and resentment within her family. She is a disabled 39-year-old living in a home for dependent adults. Her world goes into chaos when the candy factory where she works is declared bankrupt. It does not help that jittery sister Annie has spent her entire life taking care of Fanny instead of living her own life, while their successful but elusive brother Danny has breezed through life, avoiding all sense of familial responsibility. Hence, when Fanny, Annie and Danny are all forced by their mother to reunite for a holiday dinner, everyone’s inner resentments and regrets come out to play. —Katherine Chang
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The Town
Ben Affleck | A
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From Screen to Stage
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BY GWENDOLYN BREITSTEIN STAFF WRITER
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TOP: MAMMA MIA, MIDDLE: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, BOTTOM: YOUNG FRANKENSTIEN
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When the musical Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark was announced, it felt like all theater aficionados could do was talk about the artistic catastrophe the new musical would be. The reaction of theater fans raises the question: Has Broadway gone too far in its adaption of movies into musicals? The advent of turning Hollywood movies into Broadway musicals is not a new one. For years both Broadway and Hollywood have been making movies into stage productions and stage productions into movies. Though it seems the movie-into-musical formula is the prevailing rule it used to be the other way around. West Side Story, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music and Oliver! were all Broadway shows before being made into Oscar-winning movies.
That is no longer the norm, and the success of shows like Chicago, Beauty and the Beast and Hairspray have led to the creation of more movie-based musicals. Other examples of shows include The Producers, Mamma Mia, The Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, and Nine. The movie-into-musical formula does not always guarantee long time popularity or success but does help to draw an initial crowd filled mostly with tourists. Initially theater fans were drawn into the new musical adaptations of the movies they loved, but now the novelty has worn of f. Broadway producers are now faced with the challenge of drawing in theater-goers without copying movies. A hint to Broadway: An original play or musical might be just the trick to draw them back in.
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BY CIARA COPELL STAFF WRITER
The Town tells the story of Doug MacRay and his group of bank-robbing friends from the rough side of Boston. MacRay, played by Ben Affleck, falls in love with a woman his gang took hostage during one of their jobs. What follows is a truly actionpacked film that leaves the audience both excited and constantly guessing what will happen next. Though Affleck has been involved in some questionable projects (Gigli), The Town — which he co-wrote, directed and starred in — was absolutely phenomenal and has the potential to jump-start a largescale comeback to his glory days. Affleck plays his role of a seasoned thief who is trying to get out of the game perfectly and is surrounded by an outstanding cast. Co-star Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) delivers a chilling performance as MacRay’s best friend who has gone too far into a life of crime. Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) and Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Frost/Nixon) are all spot-on, completing the movie’s incredibly talented line-up. Coming in at just over two hours, there was the potential for the movie to lag a little bit, but
that was not the case. The plot of the film was both original and interesting, and the stor y was shown in a way that the audience kept asking for more. There was not a moment when the viewer was left wondering how much longer it would be until the action started back up. There was a great mix of drama, comedy and action in the film, which made it all the more enjoyable to watch. The dr y humor managed to keep the film from being bogged down and possibly depressing throughout. Action scenes were also executed ver y well and managed to look both realistic and exciting at the same time. The film was shot on location in Boston, which really added to the overall feel of The Town. The city was a major aspect of the movie (thus the title) and it was fitting that they would take advantage of Boston’s landmarks such as Fenway Park, which played a prominent role in the plot. Sometimes action movies tend to lose the audience at the end, but The Town was not predictable and tied up the loose ends of the film nicely. Bearing this in mind, as well as the plot and cast of characters, The Town is definitely worth the $10 for a ticket, and maybe even the popcorn too.
Music • TV
September 30, 2010
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The New Kind of Canadian
Inside Beat • Page 7 COURTESY OF TRITON DIGITAL MEDIA
Pop punk band Marianas Trench crosses the border to rock your socks off.
BY EMILY GABRIELE MUSIC EDITOR
When you think of Canada, what are some of the first things that come to mind? That’s right, funny accents and hockey. Well, prepare yourself for a new word association.When someone says Canada, you think Marianas Trench. Marianas Trench is a quartet consisting of band members, Josh Ramsay, Matt Webb, Mike Ayley and Ian Casselman. The Vancouver-based band released their first album in 2006, titled Fix Me. The album didn’t receive too much fan reception, but that didn’t keep Marianas Trench from making more music. In February 2009, the band released their second full-length album, Masterpiece Theatre. It is a wellthought-out concept album that has three feature tracks titled, “Masterpiece Theatre”— parts one, two and three. The three songs all give great insight into
the band’s style — harmony-filled and light-hearted — a unique style that is vocally reminiscent of Queen. On Thursday Sept. 23, Marianas Trench made their live performance debut in the United States. The group played at a very small venue in New York City, The Bowery Electric. The crowd consisted of mostly press who aspired to promote the band to the States. Despite the lack of true fans at their concert, Marianas Trench put on an energetic, seven-song performance. Typically, the band is used to performing in front of sold-out arenas in Canada, so the small 30-by-20 foot stage in the hole-in-the-wall venue was a change of pace to say the least. Throughout the show, the band noted how they were ecstatic to finally be spreading their fan base to the United States. Regardless of the small confines, the band members didn’t hesitate to enthusiastically jump around the stage to show the crowd that they’re ready to share their talent to the rest of the world. Thanks, Canada.
Maroon 5 Hands All Over | B
BY GIANNA STEFANELLI STAFF WRITER
Covering so many genres of sound ranging from funk to a little bit of country, there is no better title for Maroon 5’s third album, Hands All Over. With the help of famous producer Mutt Lange,best known as the man behind AC/DC’s Back in Black album, Maroon 5 has their hands all over several musical genres while still sticking to their pop roots. While Mutt Lange’s influence over the album is apparent by the generic song formation— slightly under four-minutes with simple, but catchy hooks — he still knows how to make a sweet pop song sell. However, as every song on the album seems as if it could be released as a single, its experimental
style isn’t enough to keep you from zoning out around song six in an album that contains 11 songs. Their effortless lyrics are a main factor in why their album starts to linger in listener’s heads. Levine’s unique tenor voice croons, “All I want is to be with you always/ I’ll give you everything/ Give some attention to me/ all I want is you and me always,” in the track, “Stutter.” Yet, this track it is not enough to keep seasoned listeners impressed with the simplistic and somewhat juvenile lyrics. With that said, if you aren’t listening to the album in hopes to relate to their music and you’re just craving to dance, Hands All Over is a must listen. The colossal appeal to their contagious tracks like “Misery,” “Give a Little More” and “Don’t Know Nothing,” paired with the sex appeal of their lead singer, is enough to keep their fans’ hands all over their new album.
Selena Gomez and the Scene
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A Year Without Rain | C-
GSN, Weeknights at 6:30 p.m. | B+ BOOKS EDITOR
From a casual glance, GSN’s game show Baggage almost appears to be a run-of-the-mill episode of The Jerry Springer Show. People reveal shocking secrets about themselves to the crowd. Host Jerry Springer observes everyone and pretends to weigh judgment, and ultimately everyone who came on the show pretty much leaves the same sorry state of affairs. But as much you might want to call Baggage the “Jerry Springer of game shows,” there are a few key differences. There are no catfights, screaming matches or burly bodyguards. The audience is actually rooting for the contestants to be happy instead of egging them on to fight. Most importantly, the contestants gain something more than just 15 minutes of fame; they gain the potential for a date with all the first-date awkwardness already out of the way. That’s because if you meet someone through the show Baggage, you are unlikely to be shocked by someone’s secrets again. The whole premise behind this dating game show is that the contestants reveal their biggest secrets and flaws so everyone can date with all their “baggage” behind them. For a rather silly premise, Baggage has a pretty ingenious sequence of events that will keep you hooked until the last minute. First, the main contestant is introduced and then the three possible dates are brought out, each with three pieces of baggage of varying sizes to indicate the outrageousness of their secrets. From the get go, all three open up their smallest suitcases and reveal their smallest secrets to introduce a little bit of their quirky personalities. In the second round comes the deal breaker stage. Jerr y Springer opens up three medium-sized suitcases with three medium-
sized secrets but doesn’t reveal who they belong to. The main contestant singles one secret out as a deal breaker and the person who had that secret is eliminated. Then it’s time for the hot seat. The two remaining competitors are questioned by Jerr y Springer and tr y to rationalize their shocking, weird and embarrassing “baggage.” Of course the two tr y to put their best foot by insulting the other. Finally the two open their biggest baggage and reveal their biggest secret. The main contestant deliberates for a while and then finally picks the winner, but the game isn’t over just yet. The main contestant has a big red piece of baggage too and the winner gets to decide whether the secret inside it is acceptable or just “too much baggage.” This whole formula may sound contrived at first, but it really does build suspense, hilarity and shock. The small secrets aren’t so bad as they are teasingly foreboding, making you wonder how much worse it will get. In one memorable episode, the middle secrets grew worse with “I’m bankrupt and live with my mother,” “I’ve dated men in jail,” and “My best friend Lisa is imaginary.” Finally the show ended with the winning candidate admitting that she “cheated on all of each of [her] 14 boyfriends.” All 14! The main contestant’s “I was paid $1,000 to sleep with three cougars” sealed the deal. As those two walked off hand in hand, you can’t help but wonder how they’ll ever get dates again. Baggage is definitely one of those shows best watched with friends. It will getting you screaming at the screen like Family Feud, plotting out who will end up with the main contestant like The Bachelor and shaking your head in disbelief like Keeping Up With the Kardashians. It’s truly worthy of the cliché, “It’s so bad it’s good.”
BY ZOE SZATHMARY STAFF WRITER
Disney starlet Selena Gomez and her backing band, The Scene, have put out their second electro-pop album, A Year Without Rain. Despite all of the heavy production, big-name collaborators (including Katy Perr y, Fefe Dobson and Dr. Luke), Gomez can’t escape sounding like a dozen other pop artists. “Round and Round” and “A Year Without Rain” are the album’s lead singles. Both start off
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BY NIDHI SARAIYA
promising, with catchy beats and synthesizer effects. The lyrics, however, are what truly kill both songs. For example, in “A Year Without Rain” Gomez coos, “There’s gonna be a monsoon/ When you get back to me/ Oh baby.” Things don’t get much better as the album progresses. “Rock God,” a track originally written and performed by Katy Perr y, features intriguing, Bible-Belt confessional lyrics, “Father, things aren’t always so black and white/don’t cast the first stone ‘cause I’m not alone.” The song is about Gomez refusing to give up her addiction to dating a rocker. However, digital manipulation warps Gomez into sounding like a member of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Gomez attempts to play the role of a sassy life coach in “Intuition.” She repeatedly tells her listeners to follow their instincts because, “It’s gonna be a good day.” After the overproducing and excessive amount of woah’s, “Intuition” gives listeners the indication to skip “Ghost of You” and “Sick of You,” two forgettable tracks about Gomez’s heartbreak. The last song, “Live Like There’s No Tomorrow,” feels like a more serious take on the same themes expressed in her song “Intuition,” seeming very sweet and genuine. However, A Year Without Rain is too slick for its own good, not knowing how to flatter Gomez’s talents.