Inside Beat 2010-12-09

INSIDEBEAT DECEMBER 9, 2010 • VOL. 28, NO. 23

THE WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE OF THE DAILY TARGUM

Time is Running Out! Get the perfect gift for everyone on your list before it’s too late

Page 2 • Inside Beat

$elling Christma$

BY ARIBA ALVI TV EDITOR

Have you ever noticed how ever ything, along with Christmas, is just a product for consumers to buy into? Christmas first and foremost does not begin on Black Friday, but instead a few months beforehand — almost as if Halloween and Thanksgiving no longer exist and are simply little blips on the calendar. On top of that, Christmas is something of a consumer sport, a reason for people to shop. Ever ything that can be “Christmas-ized” is, including

December 9, 2010

Column • Art

episodes of your favorite show, Oreos and special albums put out by artists like Mariah Carey.

That is not where things end, but merely where they begin. If Christmas can be made into a product, why can’t everything else? TV shows are no longer privy to being simply programs but rather products waiting to happen.

Take for instance Big Bang Theory on CBS, which boasts products of its own but allows for sites like ThinkGeek.com to create merchandise based on the show as well. Everything from Firefly to Dog The Bounty Hunter has merchandise to go along with it. Only children’s shows used to spawn ac-

rant

Not Meant For Your Eyes What were they thinking?

BY AMANDA LITCHKOWSKI ART EDITOR

tion figures and Barbie dolls, unlike today where Mad Men has its own line of Barbie dolls complete with drinks in hand.

It’s great when you live with a geek who loves Big Bang Theory because you can get them a shirt that says, “Bazinga” on it, rather than buy them a Walkman or something equally useless. But at the same time everything has been made into a product for people to buy into, just like Christmas.

There seems to be no barrier, no line that people will not cross in order to make money. They are commodities with a bottom line, and we sadly are buying into it like the Berlin Wall is about to fall.

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 DOMPOR..........................................................................PHOTO EDITOR KATHERINE CHANG....................................................................FILM EDITOR NIDHI SARAIYA..........................................................................BOOKS EDITOR ASHLEY PARK............................................................................ONLINE EDITOR

Seriously…

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS TO INSIDE BEAT : Alex Natanzon Freddie Morgan Inayah Bristol Jason Pearl Lester Choi Mike Bither Markeetah Anderson Olivia Kinter Ryan Surujnath Zoe Szathmary Cover Photo Courtesy of FOX

The unbelievable: art you will never see The culprit:

anonymous guerilla artists

The down-low: The show, titled the Underbelly Project, had been in the making for nearly 18 months before it opened for only one evening and offered a single tour to a New York Times reporter. Art purchasers and critics weren’t invited. Actually, no one was really invited because it was located illegally in an abandoned New York City subway station. The walls of the station were transformed into street artists’ murals, and the only eyes that will ever gaze at the colorful graffiti are Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employees, underground adventurers and rats.

The unnecessary fun facts: Each participating artist could only visit the site once and spent a maximum of four hours creating his or her piece. Sometimes, MTA workers shut down the neighboring active station that was used as an access point for the artists.

In such cases, they had to wait underground until the morning to leave without getting caught.

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December 9, 2010

Art • Books

Inside Beat • Page 3

Some We Love, Art for Autism Some We Hate, Some We Eat Hal Herzog | A

BY NATALIA TAMZOKE ASSOCIATE/THEATER EDITOR

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a spider or why “female chimpanzees will readily exchange meat for sex?” If so, you’ve probably read Hal Herzog’s Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, (Or you might have a creepy animal fetish, to each his own.)

Nonetheless, Herzog’s latest work provides an intelligent discussion of the human-animal relationship that will surely leave readers looking at Fido in a new light.

Cover-browsers might scan the title and think, “Eh, I already have PETA’s Vegan College Cookbook.” However, Herzog’s treatment of the complex and contradictory ways in which we view animals is an important primer for an in-depth discussion about animal rights. The book’s

central theme is well-stated in the title of its introduction: “Why Is It So Hard to Think Straight about Animals?” While Herzog avoids an abstruse, philosophical analysis of the problem, he presents a comprehensive approach that is not only accessible to the layman but informative even for the professional. His purpose here is to reveal just how silly and inconsistent our views about our place in the animal kingdom tend to be and to force the readers to confront themselves and their assumptions.

Just ask yourself: Would you sacrifice a chicken to save a dying human? How about 10 million chickens? How about sacrificing a million mice to prevent dengue fever? Or a thousand chimpanzees to try to develop a vaccine for influenza, which may or may not work? Some look at a piece of raw meat as a simple fait accompli, with nothing else left to do but eat

it. Others wouldn’t be caught dead wearing fur.

Herzog’s examination focuses primarily upon the conflict within at least some of us who experience it and are looking for answers. Though the author does not provide conclusive answers, he sets out to inform the reader about these dilemmas rather than to form the reader’s moral constitution. To be sure, we know that different people will respond to each of these situations with different answers, but what is interesting is how a single person may change his or her answer in response to a slight variation of the circumstances.

So whether you wear a fur coat or leather boots, have a dozen pets or just look up LOLcats pictures online, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat will have you looking at animals a little differently.

Rutgers Writes

BY NIDHI SARAIYA BOOKS EDITOR

Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation

By Matt Myklusch With best-selling hits like The Series of Unfortunate Events and more recently, the Diary of A Wimpy Kid series, the once rigid line that barred children’s books from adult literature is blurring. Former Rutgers student Matt Myklusch’s Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation straddles the same line, revealing the fantastic adventures of a young, forgotten boy.

Jack Blank knows little about himself and of life outside St. Barnaby’s, the orphanage where he lives. But that suddenly changes when a couple of surprise visitors introduce him to Imagine Nation, a place where Jack finds the action and excitement from his favorite comic books come to life. As Jack delves further into this new world, he realizes that his family and his identity may not be as blank as he once thought. Combining youthful fantasy with comic book thrills, Jack Blank is truly a book for all ages.

COURTESY OF JEFF LAZARO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

BY AMANDA LITCHKOWSKI ART EDITOR

Art wasn’t just for art’s sake on Nov. 30. Instead, it was for autism awareness. Even though it was closer to World AIDS Day than it was to Autism Awareness Month, which is April, University organization Peer Awareness, Compassion Tolerance (PACT) hosted the Triple-A Expo: Autism Awareness Art Exposition.

The event opened with a performance by a cappella group OrphanSporks, which sparked an evening of music and art appreciation. Lining the walls of the Douglass Campus Center’s Jersey Lounge was a substantial amount of student art. The various photographs, drawings and paintings were collected from a number of campus groups.

Most notable were the pieces borrowed from the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center.

PACT devoted almost an entire section to these creations, and

Decoded

Celebrity Chefs of New Jersey: Their Stories, Recipes and Secrets

By Teresa Politano Teresa Politano’s Celebrity Chefs of New Jersey serves as the perfect guide to spending the holidays in New Jersey. Politano, an adjunct professor of journalism at Rutgers, has worked her way from Bernardsville to Atlantic City, profiling many of the best-known restaurants in the state and their famous chefs. Even better, she included dozens of their tried-and-true recipes, including signature dishes like “Pumpkin Ricotta Pizza” or “Black-Olive Cake with Basil Ice Cream.” So whether you’re looking for a new restaurant or looking for a new dish to try at home, Politano’s book is not to be missed.

Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record and Our Place in Nature

By Brian Switek Evolution will always be a hotly contested theory in American society and people often support one side of the debate without the full facts. Rutgers alum Brian Switek was one of those people. He realized that while many in favor of evolution attack Creationists for being closed-minded, many of those same people support evolution in the same manner. Written in Stone is the result of his personal quest to explain evolution to himself and the public without hiding under difficult scientific jargon. Using the fossil record to present physical data and discussing the latest scientific breakthroughs, Switek’s thorough account takes readers through the indelible history of the evolution theory and life on Earth.

rightfully so. Seeing the products of developmentally disabled children gave a heartfelt perspective on autism awareness.

Interspersed throughout the space were facts about autism and included in the program were “Autism Mythbusters.” Both informational pieces helped educate attendees about the complexity of the disorder. They were effective reminders of what the event was truly about.

Also shown at the event were student-made videos and artwork donated by the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program Artists’ Collective. The labels for the pieces weren’t hung until 45 minutes into the show and weren’t really helpful because some of the work kept falling from the makeshift gallery walls, but these mishaps just proved the point even further — this event wasn’t about the art as much as it was about raising consciousness about a disability that affects nearly one in every 110 people.

BY NIDHI SARAIYA BOOKS EDITOR

Jay-Z never does anything halfway, and his memoir Decoded is no different. Part anecdotal, part lyrical analysis and part scrapbook, Decoded is about as raw as this rapper will ever get.

The book sucks you in from the ver y star t. With stories about hiding his rhymes under his mattress to selling crack on street corners in his teenage years, this book becomes addictive fast. But the stor y quickly moves beyond shock value. In between the tales of his lives, Jay-Z analyzes rap as a whole, from commentar y about the double and triple entendre behind provocative phrases to lineby-line analysis of some of his most well known lyrics. When

Jay-Z | A

he makes asser tions that rappers are like poets and then discusses assonance, homonyms and percussive rhythms, it’s hard not to believe him.

Decoded seems like a misnomer at times. As a narrator, Jay-Z comes of f as likeable yet aloof.

He seems mostly grounded in terms of his success, but he has his moments of conceit too with sections entitled “I am the Mike Jordan of Recording.” With his contradictions, his personality seems no more decoded than the gold Rorschach blot on the cover. But one thing is clear: Jay-Z is more than just an artist or a businessman, he is an advocate for rap.

To him, rapping is not a genre just about the money, the girls, the fame or the bragging rights, but about reliving life struggles and creating characters that anyone can connect with.

In that sense, Decoded can be perceived as an extended rap song. While most readers cannot relate to hustling, meeting Bono and Michael Jordan or even growing up black, the national distress over Hurricane Katrina and the revolutionary election of President Barack Obama touched us all the same. So while his life experiences are far removed from the norm, his discussion of these events — and his rap “My President Is Black” — is one of many instances that show his perspective may not be so different from our own.

Page 4 • Inside Beat

December 9, 2010

Fashion • TV

Guys’ Eye: Lace-Up Boots Ever wonder if the newest trends really impress the opposite sex? Inside Beat surveys a few members of the male population who aren’t too shy to tell the truth.

BY ZOE SZATHMARY STAFF WRITER

Though snow and sleet are coming to New Brunswick soon, female college students don’t want anything standing in their way. The solution? A perfect pair of lace-up boots. While this footwear is tough and sexy to ladies, we wondered how guys felt about the combat-inspired footwear.

“They look good on the right person. I mean, my girlfriend has them,” said Will Murphy, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “But it takes some confidence to wear them correctly.” Chris Kish, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, agreed. “I dig ‘em, actually. I do like lace-up boots on girls.” So far, so good.

BY ZOE SZATHMARY STAFF WRITER

Famous lingerie company Victoria’s Secret is over-the-top and tacky — and knows it. The company’s highly anticipated 2010 fashion show showed of f its bevy of nubile models and “sexy” clothing designs, in a glitzy, sequined spectacle.

The result? A guilty pleasure, as usual. The show opened with model/dancers on a carousel, out of which Adriana Lima, spor ting a Carmen-as-a-por n-star ensemble, appeared.

Lima, arguably the leader of the VS models — known af fectionately as “Angels” — quickly warmed up the crowd. She was followed by an ar ray of models in “tough” outfits — lingerie covered with rhinestone shoulder pads, spiked heels and the like.

To divert the crowd from set changes, pop star Katy Perry performed her song “Firework,” decked out in a lavender bubble dress with an antler-like headpiece. Perry, accompanied by tuxedo-clad backup dancers, was surprisingly likeable.

Storage Wars

The Angels soon returned wearing athletic-wearinspired outfits. A humorous touch was the selection of background male performers, doing a Soviet-gymnastinspired dance routine. Akon led the “Heavenly Bodies” segment, performing the song “Angel” as the models strutted past. Lima, proving she is VS’ real star, wore a $2 million diamond-encrusted bra known as the “Bombshell Fantasy Bra.” It is the second time the company has asked her to wear the piece. “Wild Things” proved to be an interesting follow-up, with lots of black feathers and animal print ensembles. A pseudo haka, a traditional Maori war dance, was performed by male dancers. Another clever touch was an outfit donned by Liu Wen, inspired by the suggestive body paint worn by Patricia Velasquez in 1999’s The Mummy.

Katy Perry closed the show, singing a medley of her hits to the segment, “VS PINK.” Her fetishized, girlish sexuality matched the strangely juvenile outfits worn by the Angels, including long johns, frilly sweaters and rainbow panties. The show would have worked better had the “Wild Things” and “VS PINK” segments been reversed. Nevertheless, Victoria’s Secret still put on a great, tongue-in-cheek show.

A&E, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. | B

COURTESY OF TVGUIDE.COM

BY FREDDIE MORGAN STAFF WRITER

Hoarders beware: Be sure to pay the rent on your storage unit if you’ve got items of sentimental value tucked away. After three months of space without pay, the contents of your locker will be auctioned away.

The zippy new series Storage Wars on A&E follows four ambitious men as they shell out a day’s paycheck to discover the gold beneath other people’s forgotten storage bins. “It’s like being a pirate,” one anonymous buyer coos, eager to unveil the contents of his newly purchased locker. “You’re always looking for buried treasure!” But this task proves more difficult than it seems, as the unit to be auctioned cannot be scavenged for valuables. Instead, buyers have five minutes to inspect the storage unit without stepping inside. An awareness of antiques (or keen foraging instincts) proves to be worthy against bidding adversaries.

Some have been at this game for several decades and have prospered from it. Confident bidder Darrel Sheets (coined “The Gambler” in the series’ opening credits, though he seems to be anything but) invites viewers into his home, boastful of the fortunes he’s uncovered at previous auctions. Inside the home is a hodge-podge of furniture solely from findings. Two framed sketches are the most prolific among his many items, which he claims are authentic Picasso works.

Sheet’s chief competitor arrives with several grand ready in cash. He’s got an eye for high-ticket items and a bite worse than his bark. Dave Hester,

LEFT: LIU WEN RIGHT: ADRIANA LIMA COURTESY OF BOSSIP.COM

Victoria’s Secret 2010 Fashion Show

COURTESY OF MTV.COM

CHARLES DAVID “REGIMENT” BOOT, NORDSTROM.COM $256.90

Others, however, were not so enthusiastic, the main complaint among guys being that the boots are over-thetop. School of Arts and Sciences first-year student Canción Franklin quipped, “I don’t like them — too much boot.”

Chris Glass, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, was also dissatisfied. “I just feel like the laces are too much.”

Wondering what to do with this trend? If you’d like to buy a pair of lace-up boots, go ahead. However, it’s best to avoid pairing any other “military” pieces with the shoes, such as an army jacket or khaki pants. If you stick to streamlined brown or black boots, they can look pretty cute with skinny jeans. They can also be paired with a flirty dress, adding an unexpected edge.

While guys’ opinions are well worth considering, the final fashion choice is ultimately up to the ladies.

“The Mogul,” is the pitbull among all bidders. Lessseasoned bidders crumble under Dave’s persistent offers, and no one gets in his way.

Another veteran collector Barry Weiss, appropriately dubbed “The Collector,” has no shame in hiring a little person to get a closer look into storage containers. He bids on units other people would cast off and ultimately makes a profit for it. In the two episodes alone, he stumbled upon $11,000 worth of overlooked boxes. He bids on a hunch, and so far it’s been working out for him.

The most regular of the bunch is a newcomer to the bidding world. Seeking fresh inventory for his thrift store, Jarrod Schulz, “The Rookie,” is finding anything but. He has a penchant for buying vehicles that don’t run and junk so obviously abandoned, all to his wife Brandi’s chagrin.

Even without the harebrained schemes to liven bidding, the show would be engaging. Perhaps not Emmy-award winning, but it’s fascinating to watch one man’s waste truly become another man’s profit, and the lengths bidders will go to earn one. Though the dynamics between the usual bidders will soon become tiresome, what can keep a person hooked are the potential mysteries to be found within discarded heaps of garbage.

The opening scenes span across two billion square feet of storage-unit space. Not a word is spoken about all the poor people who have lost their possessions, nor is there a hint to economic distresses that have caused the storage industry to boom. But what we do see are men cutthroat and thoughtless enough to profit from another’s misfortune, and that makes for damn good television.

December 9, 2010

Theater • TV

Inside Beat • Page 5

December Broadway Diva COURTESY OF JALC.ORG

Angela Lansbury

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRAVO

“Actors are not made, they are born.”

Birth name: Angela Brigid Lansbury Born: Oct. 16, 1925 (London)

An Evening at

Trademark: Versatility as a performer Signature Tune: “The Worst Pies in London” from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Tony Awards: Mame - Best Actress in a Musical (1966), Dear World - Best Actress in a Musical (1969), Gypsy - Best Actress in a Musical (1975), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Best Actress in a Musical (1979), Blithe Spirit - Best Featured Actress in a Play (2009) Last Seen: Played Madame Armfeldt on Broadway in A Little Night Music at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City.

Inside the Actors Studio

BY OLIVIA KINTER STAFF WRITER

Fun Fact: Angela, her mother and twin brothers were in the last boatload of families evacuated from London to America during the World War II blitz.

BROADWAY SPOTLIGHT

FELA!

BY FREDDIE MORGAN STAFF WRITER

Fela! is not a typical musical.

Theater people like to say things like that, and sometimes they’re right. But Fela! is so remarkably different from any other Broadway performance that it is truly unprecedented. In fact, the term “musical” doesn’t even begin to describe this spectacle.

At the Eugene O’Neill Theater the audience is transported back to 1978. At a club in Lagos called The Shrine, Fela Kuti performs for the final time. He emerges, clad in a turquoise leather suit, surrounded by an entourage of Nigerian women gyrating, vibrating and grooving around the artist. An enthusiastic Fela (Kevin Mambo) queues the band and he croons about political strife in Africa and

activism. Like Fela’s music — a mix of American jazz, African beats, Cuban mambos, James Brown soul and “nyansh,” Kuti funk — Fela! is an amalgamation of all types of performances.

Toward the beginning of the performance, Kuti gets the audience involved. It’s a party as he lights a joint onstage and teaches everyone how to rotate their hips like a clock. But most are already engaged; the theater is immediately welcoming with murals and banners of civil rights figures, political cartoons and headlines, as well as a tie-dyed décor.

The musical itself is a journey of hedonistic Kuti’s life as he studies music in England, fights for rights both in Africa and the United States, smokes dope with relish, and marries 27 women simultaneously (whom he calls his

COURTESY OF FELAONBROADWAY.COM

Queens). The musical is a concert, dance number, collage of images, political diatribe and festivity, all packed into two and a half hours.

For all its innovation, Fela! fits the flexible and ever-evolving tradition of the Broadway musical. Its wide-ranged components juxtaposed startling images of Nigerian military dictators and civilian mug shots with the sounds of Kuti’s vivacious Afrobeat. Mambo is an imperious Fela, despite emotional outbursts of irreverence and anger.

At the final acts of the performance, the dancers snake through the theater aisles, spreading the spirit of unbroken endurance and unbridled passion only conjured at protests and rallies. Such political fervor is not exactly normal for a Broadway musical, but it’s merely one way of many that Fela! breaks the mold.

Anyone who is a fan of the acclaimed series Inside the Actors Studio on Bravo may not realize just how long the entire taping lasts. What is generally broadcasted and edited on television for only one hour is actually taped in front of a live audience for an additional three hours.

To summarize the television program of 16 years, each show features host James Lipton interviewing a famous, accomplished artist in film, television or theater.

The first 75 percent of the interview consists of questions regarding the artist’s upbringing, training and experience working in film or television.

The last 15 minutes, entitled “The Classroom Session,” consists of a well-known routine questionnaire that Lipton asks on every show, followed by a limited amount of questions asked by Lipton’s acting students in the audience. Past guests include Natalie Portman, Denzel Washington, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams, Sarah Jessica Parker, Stephen Sondheim, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp and, most recently, Betty White.

One of Lipton’s recent guests was movie actor James Franco (Pineapple Express, Milk). Franco casually walked onto the stage at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, to a sold-out house of excited fans of all ages. Throughout the interview he was relaxed, very funny and had quite a bit to say about anything Lipton inquired about.

Franco shared personal stories about past girlfriends, gaining an interest in acting, one of his first

jobs as a drive-thru worker at McDonald’s and working on set with A-list Hollywood actors like Tobey Maguire, Sean Penn and Robert De Niro. As the hours trailed on, both Franco and Lipton began to get very technical. They spent the most time discussing 127 hours, Franco’s latest film that has critics noting an Oscar-worthy performance from the actor.

Franco began with a bundle of energy that slowly dwindled over the course of the taping. It may have been due to the fact that the first part of the interview went two and a half hours straight before everyone took a break or that Franco started to get tired or overstressed, for at times, his answers seemed redundant. Although he took very long pauses to think and answer Lipton’s routine questionnaire, he managed to answer with a sarcastic sense of humor.

While Franco was obviously the main attraction for the event, his interviewer was also fascinating to watch live. Lipton is the host but also the executive producer of Actors Studio as well as a dean and professor of acting technique at Pace University. He has even become a popular icon, as one of the myriad impersonations performed by former Saturday Night Live comedian Will Ferrell.

Lipton is just as entertaining to listen to and observe as an interviewer. His dry, subtle sense of humor made an impression on both Franco and the audience — one can only hope that one day they could have him for a class.

Despite quite a lengthy occasion, a trip to see a taping of Inside the Actors Studio is a treat. While you may not be going to the Academy Awards or a Broadway show, this is the place to see the actors we admire at a natural and personal level.

H O L I D AY gift-giving guide SIGNIFICANT LOVER 1

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For the TV Addict

For the Dramatic

For all the foodies in your life who love watching shows like Top Chef or even Iron Chef, this collection of chocolates from Godiva is just for them. Inspired by Chef Morgan Wilson’s Quickfire Challenge-winning chocolates on Top Chef: Just Desserts, this box features unique flavors like Acai Berry, Passion Fruit, Green Tea and Chocolate Mendiant. They are only here for a short time, so don’t wait until Valentine’s Day to grab them up for your significant other.

—AA

For Le Artiste

Love is in the air, and you should buy a statue to remind your significant other of how cute you two are together. Sculptor Armando Ramírez has created a miniature piece of two lovebirds made of recycled bicycle and car parts. It’s both funky and heart-melting.

—AL

For the Music Junkie

If there’s anything we’ve learned from Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, a mix CD is always a great gift to give. It shows that you care enough about your boyfriend or girlfriend to compile a list of songs that they’ll like, and it’s an inexpensive gift. It’s the thought that counts, right?

Splurge: Get the girlfriend some “heartbeat” in-ear headphones, get the boyfriend some “pro” headphones. Both are from the Beats by Dr. Dre line.

—EG

For the Film Buff

If you’re looking for a date night movie, try Knight and Day. Tom Cruise plays an FBI spy on the run that winds up roping an innocent bystander (Cameron Diaz) into his life-threatening escapades. As old box office favorites, Diaz and Cruise keep the audience engaged, despite clichéd plotlines and cheesy dialogue.

—KC

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Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark could possibly be every little boy’s dream come true. Based off of the Marvel comic series, the monstrous Broadway musical features killer effects that will likely appeal to any gender. The show has received much publicity due to its actors getting injured and its $65 million budget, so it might be fun to at least check it out and watch the madness unfold.

—NT

For the Bookworm

Take your literature-loving boyfriend or girlfriend on a date to see their favorite stories on stage—NJPAC has an adaptation of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

For the Trendsetter

—NS

Boyfriend: Fashionable, comfortable and warm? What more could a guy want? This warm wool-blend Peacoat from American Eagle is the perfect gift for the guy in your life. It’ll take him from frat boy to working man in an instant. It’s also on sale, so grab one before they’re gone!

Girlfriend: Girls are hard to shop for, that much we know. It’s difficult to pick out clothing that will satisfy the most finicky of women. Our favorite perennial purveyor of cool, Marc Jacobs, has made it easy on us.

Marc by Marc Jacobs has a bevy of accessories that will make any girl smile. Our favorite is the “Pretty Neoprene Laptop Sleeve.” With a great price and cute colors, you can’t go wrong.

—RV

DIRECTORY: 8 PC. TOP CHEF JUST DESSERTS CHOCOLATE GIFT BOX (1), GODIVA-20.00; RECYCLED LOVE SCULPTURE (5), NOVICA.COM-26.99; BEATS BY DR. DRE “PRO” HEADPHONES, BESTBUY.COM-299.99; KNIGHT AND DAY DVD-12.99; SPIDER-MAN, TURN OFF THE DARK TICKETS (4), SPIDERMANONBROADWAY.MARVEL.COM STARTING AT 69.50; LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS TICKETS, NJPAC.ORG-40.00 EACH; PEACOAT (2), AMERICAN EAGLE-89.95; “PRETTY NEOPRENE” LAPTOP SLEEVE (3), MARC BY MARC JACOBS-38.00 TO 48.00.

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PARENTAL GUIDANCE 2

1 For the TV Addict Whether you are a big fan of Dexter or love cop shows like CSI and Criminal Minds, the Dexter board game is for you. Step into everyone’s favorite serial killer’s shoes and travel the streets of Miami in search of your next victim.

—AA

For Le Artiste

Give your parents a flashback with Take Ivy, a compilation of ‘60s photographs of Ivy League trendsetters. The photographs, taken by Japanese photographer Teruyoshi Hayashida, set off a wave of “Ivy Style” among Japan’s fashionistas back in 1965 (when the book was originally published in Japan). It’s a trip down memor y lane (even if it is someone else’s).

—AL

For the Music Junkie

Mom or Dad will love the nostalgia of Bruce Springsteen’s new album The Promise, especially since Spring-

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steen is a Jersey native.

Splurge: Look into the iConvert, a machine that converts their favorite vinyl albums into MP3’s.

—EG

For the Film Buff The Expendables follows a group of elite mercenaries, whose mission is to overthrow a Latin American dictator. It pays tribute to the blockbuster action films of the ’80s

and early ’90s by featuring an array of action veterans from those decades, including director Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li and Gary Daniels, with special cameos from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

—KC

For the Dramatic

Most parents love The Beatles, making tickets to Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles a sure hit. John, Paul, George and Ringo impersonators hold a concert-like production that takes a vocal journey through their repertoire.

For the Bookworm

—NT

For the ever-busy parent, an e-reader is the perfect solution. You can get all of their magazine and newspaper subscriptions switched to the sophisticated Kindle or economic Nook and buy a few of their favorite e-books to get them started.

—NS

For the Trendsetter

What mom wouldn’t love the gift of looking fabulous? This Korres Brightening and Anti-Aging Rose Collection gift set from Sephora will be sure to get you in mom’s good graces. This limited-edition kit has all the products necessar y for radiant skin.

If there’s one thing that dad doesn’t need, it’s another tie for the holidays. For something a little different, and something he’ll actually use, try The Art of Shaving travel kit from Sephora. This set has all the essentials for a perfect shave without the steep price tag.

—RV

DIRECTORY: DEXTER BOARD GAME (3), SHO.COM-29.95; TAKE IVY BOOK, AMAZON.COM-16.47; BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S THE PROMISE, FYE.COM-13.99; ICONVERT (2), BROOKSTONE-99.95; THE EXPENDABLES DVD, AMAZON.COM-14.99; RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES TICKETS, RAINTRIBUTE.COM STARTING AT 51.50 EACH; BARNES & NOBLE “NOOK” E-READER (1), BN.COM-249.00; BRIGHTENING AND ANTI-AGING ROSE COLLECTION, SEPHORA-54.00; THE ART OF SHAVING GIFT SET (4), SEPHORA-50.00.

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This holiday season is not only a time for family and holiday joy, it’s a time of retail binges. Still scratching your head trying to think of what to buy?

Inside Beat’s staff has picked out the perfect gifts for everyone on your list.

By Ariba Alvi, TV Editor; Amanda Litchkowski, Art Editor; Emily Gabriele, Music Editor; Katherine Chang, Film Editor; Natalia Tamzoke, Theater Editor; Nidhi Saraiya, Books Editor; Rosanna Volis, Fashion Editor.

SIBLING RIVALRY

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For the TV Addict

For the Film Buff

Gleeks have another reason to rejoice: Macy’s has a special collection of Glee clothing for girls. From T-shirts to “Don’t Stop Believin’” hoodies, set their wardrobes in a new direction and dress like your favorite characters from Glee.

For anyone who is a fan of Big Bang Theory, this shirt is the penultimate crossover of geekiness and absurd hilarity. Based on America’s favorite geeks’ version of the classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, this shirt depicts which combination wins. Anyone who watches Big Bang Theory will understand the reference and certainly enjoy the joke. They might even start playing Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock with you!

—AA

Disney-Pixar’s third installment of the Toy Story series, Toy Story 3, follows the gang from the toy box as they are booted out of Andy’s possession and into the Sunnyside Daycare, where they meet a whole other slew of toys. This bittersweet ending to the series is a great movie for sibling bonding.

For Le Artiste

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For the younger sibling: Is your little sister or brother an artist-to-be? Find out with all natural soy crayons made from USA-grown soybeans and dyed with mineral powders and shaped into cute little rocks. The eco-friendly crayons are sold in groups of 8, 16, or in a box of 64.

—AL

For the Music Junkie

Glee The Music: The Christmas Album will help spread the holiday cheer — but only for those gleeks! For others, Michael Jackson’s newest album, Michael, debuts on Tuesday, and everyone loves the King of Pop. Splurge: Buy your brother or sister some concert tickets. Lady Gaga, Usher, Rammstein, Phish and Linkin Park will all be playing at Madison Square Garden in the upcoming months.

It’s a great opportunity for you to show your sibling that you care about them while buying a present for yourself as well.

—E

—KC

For the Dramatic

A gift sure to win over the older crowd is tickets to see Million Dollar Quartet.

Following the legendary jam session between Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, the musical features an upbeat, well-known score.

—NT

For the Bookworm

For brothers and sisters, consider a book and movie combination. Buy the Chronicles of Narnia series and a movie ticket for the upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader or buy the book and DVD for Eat, Pray, Love or Scott Pilgrim together.

—NS

For the Trendsetter

This gift is guaranteed to be both practical and stylish for a picky sister. Steve Madden’s “Tsunami” rain boots — with adorable contrast zipper detail and moto buckles — are sure to add some toughness to any wardrobe. Jumping in puddles is fun, too.

A brother, like a boyfriend, will appreciate a classic and fashionable clothing staple that will last season after season. We like this V-neck sweater from Express. It’s 100 percent wool and can be dressed up or down; the argyle pattern is timeless.

—RV

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DIRECTORY: GLEE CLOTHING, MACYS.COM-40.00 AND UNDER; “ROCK PAPER SCISSORS LIZARD SPOCK” T-SHIRT, THINKGEEK.COM-17.99; ECO-FRIENDLY CRAYONS (3), CRAYONROCKS.NET 4.95 TO 27.00; GLEE THE MUSIC: THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM (1), FYE.COM-9.99; MICHAEL JACKSON’S MICHAEL, FYE.COM 11.99; TOY STORY 3 DVD (2), BEST BUY-19.99; MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET TICKETS, MILLIONDOLLARQUARTETLIVE.COM STARTING AT 46.50 EACH; CHRONICLES OF NARNIA BOOK SERIES, AMAZON.COM-34.97; STEVE MADDEN “TSUNAMI” RAINBOOT (4), NORDSTROM.COM, 79.95; EXPRESS ARGYLE SWEATER, EXPRESS.COM 79.90.

THE BESTIE

2

For the TV Addict Ever yone has at least one TV obsession in his or her life, and the perfect but not absurdly expensive gift for them is Hulu Plus. Ever yone knows Hulu is free, but Hulu Plus gives access to ever y episode, of ever y show all season long. It features some of the most popular shows and can be accessed through your television. It’s a TV addict’s dream come true.

—AA

For Le Artiste

Who knew that your bestie’s favorite beer, liquor or cocktail looked so cool under a microscope? Bevshots did. The company was started when a geeky scientist tried to earn more money for his lab and discovered that printing microphotographs of cocktails on silk ties was the way to go. Nearly 15 years later, the company has popularized its abstract art prints of Japanese Lagers to Cosmopolitans.

—AL

For the Music Junkie

Kanye West’s new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, is probably one of the hottest out right now. Anyone with an appreciation for music of any sort will like some aspect of this album.

An iTunes gift card is also a great gift to give, this way you can pick your price point, and the recipient has a choice of what music they’d like.

Splurge: Pick up an iPod nano. Not only are they extremely functional, but they’re pretty awesome looking, too.

—EG

1

For the Film Buff

In response to the Twilight series phenomenon, Vampires Suck satirizes the first of the installment.

Viewers will thoroughly enjoy Becca Crane’s lovetriangle with Edward Sullen and Jacob White.

—KC

For the Dramatic

Awesome 80s Prom is the perfect gift for any friend or group of friends.

Enjoy a night at a prom with stereotypical high school characters — such as the jock, the prom queen, the geek, the bad boy — and dance the night away. Dressing up isn’t mandatory, but why wouldn’t you go all out?

—NT

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For the Bookworm

What kind of friend doesn’t know his/her best friend’s taste in books?

Take that knowledge and one-up it. Replace a dog-eared favorite book with the deluxe version for their collection or with an audio book so they can take it on the go.

—NS

For the Trendsetter Picking out clothing for a friend isn’t always easy, unless you have them pick it our first. Our best suggestion for a guy or a girl bestie? An H&M gift card. H&M just can’t be beat for affordable, trendy styles. It’ll be sure to make them smile, and it will take the pressure off you to figure out their taste.

DIRECTORY: HULU PLUS SUBSCRIPTION, HULU.COM-7.99/MONTH; COCKTAIL PRINTS, BEVSHOTS.COM-37.99; KANYE WEST’S MY BEAUTIFUL DARK FANTASY, FYE.COM11.99; IPOD NANO, APPLE.COM-149.00; VAMPIRES SUCK DVD, AMAZON.COM-15.99; AWESOME 80S PROM TICKETS, AWESOME80SPROM.COM STARTING AT 52.50 EACH.

—RV

Page 8 • Inside Beat

December 9, 2010

Film

Nathan Greno and Byron Howard | A-

Tangled

COURTESY OF WALT DISNEY PICTURES

BY KATHERINE CHANG FILM EDITOR

As the 50th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Tangled had high expectations to live up to — and it surpassed them all. The wonderful world of Disney has once again returned to its magical roots to weave together another box office hit.

Based loosely off the classic fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, Tangled follows the tale of Rapunzel, voiced by Mandy Moore (A Walk to Remember), a princess with magical, long blonde hair. In her infantr y, Rapunzel is kidnapped and then raised in an isolated tower by a miserable old woman, Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy, Star Trek: Insurrection), who uses the magic from Rapunzel’s hair to stay young. After 18 years of captivity, Rapunzel is curious about the outside world and eventually escapes with the help of her prince-charming-esque figure, Flynn Rider (Zachar y Levi, Chuck). Rapunzel’s infectious exuberance and endearing inno-

cence is simply enchanting, and it is perfectly offset by Flynn’s magnetic charisma and overwhelming self-confidence. Together, they embark on a mesmerizing adventure, discovering all that the world has to offer.

Needless to say, as with all successful Disney Princess films, Tangled keeps to the original storyline but indubitably adds a modern twist. It has catchy and adeptly placed musical numbers and is sure to keep the pop-culture references scarce — all ingredients of the formula for timeless Disney classics that pass the test of time.

While the tone of the film is what makes Tangled a true Disney production, the witty attitude of the characters gives the film a Pixarfeel and the vibrant animation a DreamWorks touch. Tangled also pays tribute to many treasured aspects of the great Disney classics by including cherished characters, such as the suave, dashing ruffian from Aladdin and the noble horse from Mulan, and memorable moments from the likes of Disney favorites such as Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, etc.

Though voice actors for the main characters are well-known in mainstream media, the remaining few characters were voiced by a less star-studded cast, demonstrating that the Tangled casting team made an earnest effort in finding voices that truly matched the characters. It is also important to note that the use of 3-D special effects was not overdone, as has been the flaw of many of the recent 3-D movies.

Tangled was in production for six years, and it was six years wellworth it. The characters were not only well-developed but also wellpresented. The plotline was wellplanned and well-executed, and every other aspect of the movie was just, to put it frankly, well done.

Though Disney Princess movies have generally been geared specifically toward young girls, Tangled enchants viewers of all shapes and sizes and is a film for everyone — boys and girls, young and old alike.

Regardless of whether Tangled is Disney’s finest work to date, its throwback to Disney classicism and Broadway soundtracks make it an absolute must-see.

Must-See 2011 Films The Adjustment Bureau A fusion of the Bourne series, Inception, and the story of the Fates from Greek mythology, The Adjustment Bureau follows the life of the charismatic U.S. Congressman David Norris (Matt Damon, The Bourne Ultimatum). When Norris meets the beautiful ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada), he soon discovers that there are mysterious forces at work, keeping the lovers apart. This science fiction romance film is a refreshing, fast-paced story that keeps the audience interested and constantly wondering from beginning to end.

—Katherine Chang

Red Riding Hood Though another classic fairytale-turned-film, Warner Bros’ Red Riding Hood does not narrate the same old folktale to which everyone is accustomed. Set in a medieval village that is haunted by a werewolf, Valerie (Amanda Seyfried, Mamma Mia!) seeks the assistance of a hunter (Gary Oldman, The Dark Knight) to fight the creature. Meanwhile, she also falls for an orphaned woodcutter (Shiloh Fernandez, Deadgirl, Red), much to her family’s displeasure. Red Riding Hood puts a contemporary twist on an age-old story, turning it from an innocent child’s fable into a dark romance-thriller.

—K.C.

Sucker Punch Director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) has put together another highly stylized, green-screen centric action flick in the same vein as its kick-ass predecessors. Sucker Punch adds one new ingredient to the proven formula of over-the-top action sequences, stylish comic-book visuals, intense metallic soundtrack and unforgettable cheesy one-liners. Replacing King Leonitus and his 300 digitally enhanced Spartan warriors, six sultry femme fatales face off against foes from various fantasy lands, who are sure to seduce Snyder’s fans back into theaters and perhaps add to their numbers. For those still unfamiliar with Snyder’s directorial style, remember as a rule of thumb: Leave your brains at the ticket counter and just enjoy the ride.

—Lester Choi

Summer Wars Already the winner of several film awards abroad, Japan’s animated Summer Wars will be given a limited release in the United States this winter. This skillfully drawn anime tells the story of a world that relies on a virtual reality program for everything from entertainment to utilities management. When a catastrophic failure in the system causes the virtual world to begin to collide with the real one, high school prodigy Kenji Koiso must do everything he can to prevent this unusual disaster.

—Jason Pearl

Tron: Legacy The sequel to Disney’s 1982 cult classic Tron, Tron: Legacy aims to do what its predecessor did almost 30 years ago: produce some of the most visually stunning special effects ever seen. In Tron: Legacy, the son of ace computer programmer and game designer Kevin Flynn investigates the disappearance of his father, only to discover that he’s been trapped in a digital world of his own creation. Both Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner will be reprising their original roles, and joining them in Tron’s virtual universe are newcomers Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde.

—J.P.

True Grit The Coen brothers bring their unique directorial style to the frontier with this remake of the film that garnered John Wayne the Academy Award for Best Actor. True Grit tells the story of a quest for retribution, as a teenage girl and the marshal she recruited seek to avenge the murder of her father. Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, and featuring a screenplay also from Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit may very well be the best film of the holiday season.

—J.P.

Water for Elephants Starring Robert Pattinson (Twilight), Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds), Water for Elephants certainly has the acting talent to adapt Sara Gruen’s New York Times Best Seller into a winning drama. The big question mark, however, is whether director Francis Lawrence — whose past experience lies entirely in the realm of music videos and comic book film adaptations — can excel in a new genre. The story, a love triangle set under the big top of a traveling circus in the Depression era, is told through the memories of a retrospective nursing home resident. A strong cast and compelling plot give director Lawrence a real chance to translate the novel’s success to the screen.

—L.C.

December 9, 2010

Film

Inside Beat • Page 9

The Next Three Days Holiday Feel-Good Films Paul Haggis | B-

COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

BY KATHERINE CHANG FILM EDITOR

With the fall semester coming to a close, winter break is just around the corner. Snow will be falling, holiday music will dominate the radio stations and family and friends will reunite once again — it’s simply the most wonderful time of the year. Keeping those sentiments in mind, be sure to check out the following films this break.

The Holiday (2006) COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES

BY ALEX NATANZON STAFF WRITER

When a man’s wife is wrongfully accused of murder and sentenced to life in prison, he must do everything in his power to get her out. But when all legal means fail and the evidence is stacked up against her, the only plausible option left is to bust her out. Paul Haggis crafts a fairly interesting story with much potential and fine acting, but unfortunately, The Next Three Days clumsily treads the line of intricate and boring, and fails to completely captivate the audience, thus becoming an average film.

College professor John Brennan (Russell Crowe, Gladiator) desperately attempts to prove his wife Lisa’s (Elizabeth Banks, Role Models) innocence after she is wrongfully accused and incarcerated for the murder of her boss.

After years of fighting, he is told by his lawyers that there is no chance of his wife ever being released. Desperate and determined, John begins planning a way to break Lisa out of prison and escape the country with her and their young son. He consults Damon Pennington (Liam Neeson, Schindler’s List) a hardened prison escapee, who advises John on how to survive after breaking out. John’s spirit and character are put to the test as he meticulously plans every detail of the nearly impossible mission.

The Next Three Days felt somewhat incomplete and can leave viewers wanting more. The movie exposed Crowe’s transformation from a timid professor to a des-

perate fugitive and meticulous planner. But there was a lack of action, and the moments where there was action seemed unrealistic. Most of the attention was given to the planning of the escape and John’s struggle of acquiring money and fake documents. The great escape itself was quick, failed to impress and felt like a poor knock-off of The Fugitive.

The acting in the film was very up to par. Crowe and Banks performed at their usual high level and gave their characters personality, which helped the audience feel for them. Unfortunately, the lack of a good back-story and not enough interaction between Banks’s and Crowe’s characters make the film impersonal at moments and will have some feel a lack of justification for rescuing Banks’ character. Despite this, one of the main driving forces in The Next Three Days was some excellent cinematography and camera work that gave the film a suspenseful quality.

There has been an influx of action movies lately, where the main character is on the run from an over whelming enemy and must use ingenuity to prevail.

The Next Three Days, it seems, tries to be original by not having a flood of action scenes and an almost-superhuman protagonist.

But at the same time, it doesn’t explore the characters’ emotions enough to be a deep drama about human nature. The acting is of a high caliber and the cinematography is first-rate, but a poor storyline is the Achilles’ heel of The Next Three Days.

Love and Other Drugs Edward Zwick | B-

COURTESY OF REGENCY ENTERPRISES

Cameron Diaz (Shrek) and Kate Winslet (Titanic) play two lovelorn women who temporarily trade houses in each other’s countries for the holidays. While in each other’s respective house, they both unexpectedly find love with a local guy for the holiday season. Jude Law plays Diaz’s love interest and Jack Black plays opposite Winslet. This light romantic comedy always leaves the audience emotionally satisfied and wanting more.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) An American classic, Miracle on 34th Street tells the charming story of a young girl (Natalie Wood, West Side Story) whose mother (Maureen O’Hara, The Parent Trap) tells her that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. But when Kris Kringle is contracted as the Santa Claus in both Macy’s Thanksgiving and Christmas parades, the adults begin to question Kringle’s sanity, as well as their own, as it begins to seem apparent that Saint Nicholas’s existence may in fact be real. But the Christmas spirit pulls through in the end, leaving viewers cozy and content.

COURTESY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

Home Alone (1990) Home Alone is an American holiday favorite, as it narrates the entertaining adventures of a young boy named Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin, The Good Son) whose large family, in mass chaos, forgets to bring him on the family vacation to Paris. When Kevin realizes how much he misses his family despite his newfound freedom, viewers are always reminded of how nice it feels to be surrounded by loved ones at the holidays.

COURTESY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

Love Actually (2003) Love Actually is a star-studded romantic comedy that takes place around Christmastime, delving into the various aspects of love through 10 interlinking stories. It stars many British actors that have played a considerable amount of roles in American films. From young love to old, innocent to forbidden, neglected to rekindled, Love Actually reminds the audience that love is love is love, and though it may come in many different forms, it is simply irreplaceable.

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

BY KATHERINE CHANG FILM EDITOR

Love, sex, and drugs — one would assume that such a risqué combination would make for the next big box office hit, especially with the Brokeback Mountain stars reprising their roles as complicated lovers, right? Wrong.

Though a new and refreshing take on a love story, Love and Other Drugs deals with darker and more adult themes to which the masses are not accustomed to seeing on the big screen.

Though set in the mid-1990s, Love and Other Drugs is not a period piece. Instead, it aims to merely tell a story without the pressures of displaying ever-changing technological advancements and contemporary current events.

Based on the non-fiction book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman by Jamie Reidy, Love and Other Drugs tells the story of a traveling pharmaceutical salesman, Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal, Jarhead), who wants to rise

through the ranks. When he meets Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway, The Princess Diaries), a woman in her early 20s who faces the onset of Parkinson’s disease, they have a one-night stand and eventually enter into a complex relationship.

While the storyline itself failed to match expectations, if any at all, there was much talent in the performances in Love and Other Drugs. Gyllenhaal was able to provide a very dynamic performance, demonstrating a significant change in a suave Casanova looking for a fun time, to a man in love who wants to be with his beloved, regardless of any obstacles. Also, despite the awkwardness of the storyline and the unnecessary overkill of nudity, Love and Other Drugs may still be Hathaway’s career-best; she plays Maggie Murdock impeccably, making sure to appropriately portray and not force the emotions of her character.

Unlike most R-rated movies these days, this film actually requires its designated movie rating level, not in just that there is overly excess nudity, but also because Love

and Other Drugs is directed at the older, more adult crowd, as opposed to the teenaged target groups that most contemporary films aim to reach. The issues dealt with in Love and Other Drugs are very much adult and not in the least bit relatable to a teenager who faces only the trivial matters of everyday life.

For instance, it is unfathomable to believe that the average teenager would consider using sexual favors to push a product in order to meet company selling quotas, as Randall faithfully demonstrated within the first few moments of the film.

Love and Other Drugs leaves the American public uncomfortable with many scenes, as it not only deals with the more mature themes, but it also incorporates a sex scene into the film about every 20 minutes or so, making the movie very similar in nature to European cinema. Don’t watch this film if you’re in the mood for a cookie cutter romantic comedy, but if you’re looking to get out of your comfort zone, definitely be sure to give Love and Other Drugs a chance.

Page 10 • Inside Beat

December 9, 2010

Music • Video Games

Looking Ahead CRYSIS 2, COURTESY OF EA GAMES

PORTAL 2, COURTESY OF VALVE

STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC, COURTESY OF SWTOR.COM

Video games in 2001

BY RYAN SURUJNATH STAFF WRITER

The 2010 gaming year is now behind us. There are no notable releases left for 2010, so with the year’s final issue of Inside Beat we can look ahead to 2011 and some of its most anticipated titles. Remember to save those holiday gift cards, as next year looks to be a good one for gamers.

Cr ysis 2: March 22 PC gamers fondly remember the original Crysis as the game that laughed in the face of any CPU and GPU that was on the market at the time of the its release. Those who possessed a several-thousand-dollar gaming machine were treated to a game that not only impressed with graphics that were years ahead of its time but with a deep gameplay experience. Next year, Crysis 2 will be released on Xbox 360 and PS3, as well as PC. The game boasts a new and improved Nanosuit 2.0, with all new powers and the interesting ability to combine two different powers into a single effect.

ARTIST

Early footage of Crysis 2 also shows a change in setting, from the wild, untamed jungles of North Korea, to the concrete jungle of New York City. Multiplayer footage has also been shown off, pitting two teams of super soldiers against one another in a deathmatch-style game type. From what has been shown so far, Crysis 2 looks like an intense game.

Pokémon Black and White: Spring 2011 After all these years, Pokémon remains the only game in which the player enslaves helpless animals and forces them to fight one another for money. Humanitarian issues aside, Pokémon has followed the same successful formula for more than a decade. It has attracted both young fans of the TV series as well as older, hardcore gamers. This time around, the series will implement a number of changes to keep the game feeling fresh including new camera angles, variations in gameplay and, of course, almost 160 new Pokémon.

Portal 2: April 18 Portal was a game that was released along with Half-Life 2 as part of the Orange Box bundle. The developer, Valve,

ON THE

did not even consider releasing Portal as its own standalone title. The success of the game was unexpected. Portal was considered one of the most original titles of 2007. It provided challenging puzzles driven by an advanced physics engine. Of course, Portal has become known for its dark humor and the loveable, robotic character GLaDOS, who has been shown to make a return in Portal 2.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Quarter 2, 2011 At E3, both last year and this year, two of the best cinematic trailers in the show have come from Bioware. In each, they showed some amazing footage from The Old Republic. Unfortunately, cinematic trailers are hardly indicative of how a game will ultimately look, but nonetheless The Old Republic looks brilliant. The game takes place thousands of years before the original movie trilogy during a bitter conflict between the Republic and the Sith Empire. Players can align themselves with either side, choosing to use the light or dark side of the Force. The Old Republic will be an MMORPG that Bioware speculates could draw an even larger audience than World of Warcraft.

RISE

gees extortion

BY EMILY GABRIELE MUSIC EDITOR

Gees Extortion holds an endless amount of potential. This Puerto Rican rapper has lyrics that are clever that he disperses through his unique flow. Brooklyn-bred Gees Extortion has been working his way around New York City to spread his talent.

His love for music resonates through his creations, and with influences like Run DMC and Big Pun, his style is undoubtedly worth recognizing.

Underground King is the name of the urban artist’s first street LP. He’s currently recording the rest of the album while continuing to build a fan base. His sharp approach and persistent drive are key factors to his rise to acknowledgment. It won’t be too long before labels will sign this aspiring hip-hop artist.

Eric Benet Lost In Time | C-

BY MIKE BITHER STAFF WRITER

Tracks to Check Out “Bluffin’” (Freestyle)

App of the Week

“The #1 Contender”

Star Wars: Battle for Hoth The Empire Strikes Back features one of the most thrilling battles in the entire Star Wars saga. The empire’s attack of the Rebel Alliance on the frozen planet Hoth was not only exciting for the scale of the assault but also for the debut of the now infamous Imperial walkers. In Star Wars: Battle for Hoth, the player takes the role of a Rebel general in a fun and engaging tower defense-style game. The player must carefully decide which units to place and where in order to halt the Imperial offensive. All of the units seen in the movie are available on Battle for Hoth, such as X-Wings and Ion Cannons, and the gameplay is fast and energetic. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing Stormtroopers forced into a choke point and mowed down thanks to clever planning. Perhaps the best tower defense game on the iPhone, Battle for Hoth is sure to entertain both fans of the genre and new ones attracted by the Star Wars name.

—Jason Pearl

The title of the latest effort from R&B singer Eric Benet is certainly fitting; Lost In Time is loaded with a retro sound taken straight from the ’70s — stringing together some disco, a little bit of funk and the crooner’s signature silky-smooth soul ballads. Despite its obvious influences, the end result comes off as rather bland, generic and certainly not sexy.

Benet’s range of feelings on this disc is about as superficial as it gets: he’s in love, he’s heartbroken, he’s lonely, he’s over it, he’s in love again, wash, rinse, repeat.

“There’s always a reason for falling in love, and it’s always the darkest before the light comes” he sings on “Always a Reason.” This heard-it-a-million-times line is the closest the singer ever gets to proclaiming something that resem-

bles a deep thought. Meanwhile, Benet’s efforts to sound sexy fall flat with lines like “I don’t know what I need to do but I sure wanna get with you” on the disco-sounding dud “Take It.” Nevertheless, Benet’s velvety croon is still undeniable, and the production is appropriately and effectively smooth. One of the album’s higher points, the funky “Paid,” featuring Eddie Levert of O’Jays fame, is a solid departure from the tiresome love ballads that pepper the rest of the record. His lead single, “Sometimes I Cry” features Benet at his best, showcasing his superb, saccharine falsetto as he laments a breakup. However, more often than not, it feels like Benet is lamenting the fact that he’s not in the Temptations.

While the old-school vibe of Lost In Time allows for a few moments of inspired soul, the record feels way too lost in its own nostalgia. It looks like Benet needs to stop and ask for directions to find his way back to the present.

December 9, 2010

Music

Inside Beat • Page 11

OrphanSporks’ Winter Wonderland What A Wonderful Time To Raise Your Voice

COURTESY OF ORPHANSPORKS.COM

BY EMILY GABRIELE MUSIC EDITOR COURTESY OF DIPDIVE

Black Eyed Peas The Beginning | D

BY EMILY GABRIELE

The two driving forces behind the musical quartet, Fergie and Will.I.Am, do not do anything impressive on the album. Will.I.Am’s lyrics are all too simplistic throughout, as he sings, “Hey doctor is something wrong with me?/am I crazy, do I need a remedy?/I’m a club rocker, that’s my personality,” on the track, “Fashion Beats.”

The Beginning seems to lack that stand-out track that features Fergie’s ultra-expressive vocals. Most of the album’s songs use auto-tune, which can be fitting at times for some songs, but in this instance, its usage needs to cease. Ultimately the album is a good one if you’re looking to listen to something that makes you check your brain at the door. It has harddriving beats, and that’s about its only positive aspect. If you’re looking for a mindless dance party album with no real substance, give it a listen — better luck next time BEP.

MUSIC EDITOR

The Black Eyed Peas are back with their sixth album titled, The Beginning. For fans with high expectations from BEP, this album is a giant letdown. After the group’s previous album release, The E.N.D., they set the bar pretty high for themselves, and their follow up is way under par. The album offers nothing new from the electronic style that they have been known for and gives minimal facets to rave about.

“The Time (Dirty Bit)” is the first single off of the album and it takes the lyric, “I’m having the time of my life,” from the ’80s hit and plays around with it over a hyped-up electric beat. The song provides a danceable beat, as most of BEP’s tracks do, yet does not give any insight to the group’s personal talents.

The OrphanSporks took the stage in Scott Hall at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3 to perform their second and final concert of the semester. Their colorful T-shirts, garnished with quirky titles for each of the 16 members lit up the stage as their voices melted the audience.

The crowd consisted of a half-full lecture hall — a decent turnout for the group’s performance. Kendall LaParo, the group’s current musical director said, “[We] were nervous about this performance because we were incorporating six new songs into our set list, but everything turned out great”.

Opening for the OrphanSporks was a group from Lehigh University, the Melismatics. This co-ed a cappella group added four a cappella songs to the night’s performance, including “Everywhere” by Michelle Branch and “Whatcha Say” by Jason DeRulo. Altogether, the group nicely complimented the already idiosyncratic atmosphere.

The Sporks captivated the audience with new songs like “If You’re Out There” by John Legend and with their new medley mix of “Please Please Me” by The Beatles intertwined with “Sex On Fire” by the Kings of Leon. The group ended with an epic performance of the song, “Friday I’m In Love” by The Cure. This song was a special performance because all of the former OrphanSporks members that were in the audience joined the current members on stage to generate a giant performance. Not only was the event a success in attendance and musically, but the event also collected funds toward the OrphanSporks’ adopted family and helped raise funds for Rutgers Against Hunger. The event was one that shined with success in every area and should not be missed next year when winter rolls around again. In the meantime, be sure to keep your eyes open for the OrphanSporks’ next concert.

The Multiple Sides of Nicki Minaj IN

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STUDIO

Pink Friday | C

BY INAYAH BRISTOL STAFF WRITER

Possibly one of the most anticipated albums of the year, Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj has finally released her debut album Pink Friday. If you were waiting for the best female rap album ever made, you may want to look elsewhere — Minaj isn’t there yet.

The album Pink Friday is the exact opposite of what people might have grown used to seeing in Minaj.

She’s not spitting many crazy bars like on her features.

Instead, Minaj spends a good portion of her album singing. It almost doesn’t seem fitting to call this album a hip-hop album. From the girly songs to the pop beats, Pink Friday almost seems like a pop album.

The album starts off with a bit of Minaj’s usual style with confident songs such as “I’m The Best” where she reiterates “I’m the best, best, best, best” and “Did It On Em.” One of the best songs on the

ON

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BY MARKEETAH ANDERSON STAFF WRITER

Ms. Onika Maraj, otherwise known as Nicki Minaj, rocked the house Thanksgiving night at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. With her debut album Pink Friday being the main focus of her tour, the crowd was anxious to hear her newest work. Walking on stage to greet her fans, Nicki had on a black two-piece outfit with sequins on the back revealing her voluptuous goodies, accompanied by her very own female emcee.

Performing songs off her debut album such as

album is “Roman’s Revenge,” a song featuring Eminem. The song is both insane and comical. But what else could one expect from a collaboration between Minaj and Eminem?

The album doesn’t maintain the hip-hop momentum for long, though. Minaj’s singing seems more suitable for a pop star than for a female emcee. Overall, the album is emotional and overtly feminine with songs about breakups and a lover who sees “right through her.” Minaj has proved that she’s far from talentless, one must give her credit for her originality.

No one’s rapping has ever been quite as maniacal as hers. She also deserves credit for holding her own in a male-dominated field.

This album may not live up to the hype it was given, but it shows that Minaj is onto something.

Maybe after a few more albums and features, she’ll deserve the title of the “best.” Until then, we’ll just have to keep our eyes and ears tuned in to see what Nicki Minaj thinks of next.

STAGE “Roman’s Revenge” featuring Eminem and “Save Me,” the crowd went wild, rapping along word for word. The real excitement however came from her performances with featured artists Kanye West, Drake and the Barbadian queen herself, Rihanna. At the end of the concert, Minaj signed some of the fans’ boobs and threw signed Pink Friday T-shirts into the crowd. Minaj definitely made a statement in the heart of New York on Thanksgiving night, and she’ll be back at it again on Christmas, performing at the Palisade Theatre in the Bronx. Don’t miss out on all the excitement, tickets are on sale now. A perfect gift for the Nicki fan in your life!

COURTESY OF MINAJPHOTOS.COM