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News

AU redefines beauty

By Lauren Linhard | February 23

Media outlets define the idea of beauty. The size zero woman in a barely-there outfit with long, flowing hair appears on every ad page of every magazine. Close your eyes and you can picture her because her image has been burned into your brain. However, a movement has begun in which living beauty is recognized.

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News

'Halo Wars' expands horizons with RTS

By Michael Conte | February 23

Real-time strategy games typically don't translate well from computers to consoles, as controllers obviously aren't as precise as a mouse. It's not surprising, then, that "Halo Wars" aims to redefine the RTS genre as something different for consoles. "Halo Wars" is best described as the RTS for the "Halo" fan: it's exciting, dynamic and not tremendously complex, sacrificing the scale of the modern PC RTS in favor of easy controls and fluid gameplay.

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News

MxPx takes talent from covers

February 23

MxPx "On the Cover II" (Tooth and Nail Records) Sounds like: Feeble versions of your favorite songs Grade: C- While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, pop-punk is often a bad Xerox of punk, at best. And when a pop-punk band takes on the best songs of some of the best punk bands, the degree of separation between the original and the resulting album makes for a fuzzy, somewhat painful listen.

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News

Staying chic on the cheap

February 19

As the economic downturn continues, consumers opt to cut costs and substitute style for comfort. Slate reports that sales of Uggs have grown 57 percent, as well as another brand Merrell which specializes in "glorified clogs." These numbers signal a shift from expensive and flashy heels to more comfortable and useful products.

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News

Vinyl hits groove, keeps spinning

By Ryan Tanner-Read | February 19

Downloaded music is killing the CD. Years ago, the CD killed the cassette. Even before that, cassettes killed the vinyl record. But it's not that simple. In 2007, compact disc sales were down more than 20 percent from the previous year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

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News

AU drummer 'CANNOT BE STOPPED'

By Michael Richardson | February 19

If you ask Farley Miller, the mind behind CANNOT BE STOPPED, about what makes working alone so effective, his answer is surprisingly utilitarian. "It's so cost-effective to tour by yourself." Stuffing his drum kit into his mom's station wagon, he managed to hit five cities from Portland to Philadelphia and still make a profit - a modest one of $50.

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News

'Titus' shows Bard's gore

By Brittany Horowitz | February 19

"Titus Andronicus," one of Shakespeare's earliest and goriest tragedies, has not gained as much popularity as the playwright's other works. However, after seeing it presented by the AU Players, the story will be difficult to forget. The play, directed by College of Arts and Sciences junior David Conison, presents the story of a Roman general who partakes in a series of murders, rapes and other forms of violence.

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News

The week in fun calendar

February 19

THURSDAY, FEB. 19 "Titus Andronicus" 8 p.m. WHERE: Katzen P3 Parking Garage, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. METRO: Tenleytown-AU (red line) INFO: One of Shakespeare's lesser-known works comes to life with full gore and special effects. COST: $5 A Congo Relief Benefit Concert 8:30 p.

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News

Gamers 'board' by bland 'Skate'

By Michael Conte | February 19

The original "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" was such a success that it had nearly defined every succeeding extreme sports game in terms of control schemes and gameplay mechanics. Nearly a decade after its release - and after the genre had quieted somewhat - "Skate" reinvented the control scheme to prove a worthy competitor to the stream of Tony Hawk titles.

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News

Nichols lacks luster, 'Red' stretches distance

February 19

The Dig "Demo" (Self-released) Sounds like: A rock band's journey into outer space Grade: B The Dig's follow-up demo to 2007's "Good Luck and Games EP" is an album that requires a second or third listen before judgment should be passed. What at first sounds like a dreary mash of sound and vocalizations filling every second of a song eventually resolves into understated alternative tunes that travel through a variety of musical moods and thought.

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News

Mraz, 'Folds' winning hand

By Caitlin E Moore | February 16

George Washington University's Smith Center light-rocked to its fullest extent during a Ben Folds and Jason Mraz double-headliner concert Friday night. The basketball arena transformed to fit a full stage as college students packed both the floor and the bleachers.

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News

Golden girls take on villainy

By Jordan Coughenour | February 16

Hell hath no fury like a woman in skintight leather. Or at least that's what Hollywood seems to make of the classic William Congreve quotation. With the remake of "Friday the 13th" coming into theatres this week, it's as fine a time as any to look back and remember some of the more striking villainesses in movie history.

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News

Brit musical farce never gets sea legs

By Ali Goldstein | February 16

Admittedly, the recently opened musical comedy "Pluck - The Titanic Show," at the Bethesda Theatre, has a far-fetched premise. Three musicians aboard the infamous Titanic weave together familiar classical music melodies to recount their stories as the boat sinks.

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News

'Jammin' redeemed with 'Bang'

By Traci J. Brooks | February 16

If Saturday's show at Jammin Java indicated the future of music, the world is in trouble. After four bands' worth of guitars pushed to the max, singers who couldn't stay in one key and drummers that had issues keeping rhythm, only the mildly sophisticated Crash Boom Bang - the headliners celebrating their debut CD release - could resurrect what was an altogether failure of a concert.

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News

'Friday the 13th' thrills without chills

By Bryan Koenig | February 16

The latest in the line of icons of the horror genre, the 2009 remake/re-imagining of "Friday the 13th," does its due diligence. With their heart rates accelerated, eyes wide and waiting for the next gruesome end, audiences expecting a slasher film that does Jason Voorhees justice will not be disappointed.

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News

Mash-ups look for legitimacy

By Katrina Casino | February 16

You hear the opening chords to The Beatles' "Let It Be." The progression is familiar: slow and marching with a three-chord cadence at the end. As the final chords ring, you anticipate Paul McCartney's familiar vocals, but instead a different line comes in: "Honey came in and she caught me red handed / Creeping with the girl next door / Picture this we were both butt naked / Banging on the bathroom floor.

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News

NYC moves 'Fiction'

By Kristen Powell | February 12

For most bands, the tour is where your stories come from. For some bands, like the New York-based quartet Finding Fiction, there's no place like home. "Our guitar player [Nathan Corsi] got mugged basically like two weeks ago," said Mario Santana, lead vocalist and guitarist.

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