The Cornell Daily Sun - Arts and Entertainment

Welcome Back to the Show

Julie Block — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Dear Cornell students, faculty, staff and random people who pick up this paper,

Right now, you are most likely sitting in Libe Café, CTB or some equivalent. You may have a few blank notebooks, an astronomical bill on your Cornell Card from books you’ve just bought and some (hopefully) good coffee in hand. The nights are already starting to get colder, and your liver is taking some serious beating from this week, because, as you told your mother again last night, classes don’t actually start until like, mid-September. As you try to stave off the what-am-I-going-to-do-without-Schedulizer panic attack, your eyes alight on these words and you groan inwardly, thinking “Man, I wish it was still summer.”

We do too.

Guide to Getting Down with Your Funky Self

Julie Block — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Bill Maher, Sept. 28 in Barton Hall (CUPB)

Whether you loved, hated, or were just confused by Steven Colbert’s performancce last fall, this fall look forward to another sometimes offensive, always honest, except when he’s being satirical, pundit, Bill Maher. We’re not exactly sure what he’s going to talk to us about — although a reading from When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden would be pretty freaking sweet — but we’re sure it will include some heavy Cornell mockery, spoiled-college-kid scolding, humor and maybe a teeny bit of edumucation. Make sure you get your tickets early.

Go to www.rso.cornell.edu/cupb/ for more information.

Howie Mandel, Oct. 24, Barton Hall (CUPB)

"Don't Worry, I'm a Reporter," or, "A First-Timer's Guide to Lollapalooza"

Peter Finocchiaro — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Chicago is a surprising city. From within its limits, some of the most influential public figures of the past 100 years have skyrocketed to super-celebrity and/or infamy. In some ways, little has changed beyond the venues of choice; Al Capone’s speakeasies might have given way to Kanye West and the Hard Rock Hotel, but the city has retained its reputation for cutthroat politics and as a hotspot for the pop-cultural avante-garde.

It’s from Chicago that Milton Friedman launched an economic revolution. It’s was in Chicago that Walter Payton and Michael Jordan achieved athletic immortality. It's also Chicago that now serves as the inspiration for Christopher Nolan’s Gotham City. And oh yeah, there’s some guy named Barack Obama from Chicago too.

The Various Sonic Samplings of a Rowdy, Beer-Soaked Music Festival

Julie Block — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Before I delve into the festival itself, it’s necessary to point out that Lollapalooza — if not all music festivals — brings out the worst in people. Case in point: While we were trying to get out of Grant Park after Kanye finished his set Sunday night, fights broke out and class warfare went down when a normal Lolla-goer yelled at the V.I.P.’s for being “upper class yuppies who probably don’t even know who the Ting Tings are.” One woman quite literally stretched out her arms and legs on the staircase every step so as to make sure no one cut in front of her in line. It was like an airport, except that everyone was drunk, sun-burnt and bobbing their heads to music.

Lollapalooza Highlights: The Good, the Bad and the ... Hobbits?

Peter Finocchiaro — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The following is a breakdown of who rocked, who didn't, and who lied about Barack Obama showing up at Lollapalooza 2008.

SATURDAY

MGMT: Meh. Not that good. Other than “Kids” and “Time to Pretend,” far and away their best songs in general, the performance was pretty weak.

Explosions in the Sky: It was exactly like Friday Night Lights, except instead of football players there were alot of people who hadn’t showered in a fortnight.

Booka Shade: Lots of percussion. Good dance beats. There was a guy in the audience who was doing some sort of a barefoot jig and reminded me of a hobbit. (Oh my god I can’t believe I just made a Lord of the Rings joke.)

A Free Ticket to The Los Angeles Film Festival

Julie Block — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The best thing about living in Westwood, Los Angeles is that about every other day, the road you need to walk down or park on is blocked off for a movie premiere. What’s even better is the Los Angeles Film Festival, where the entire neighborhood becomes a mini-Sundance, complete with ticket booths, mini-red carpets, special super-secret party rooms (like the Target Red Room, where — if you are important, famous or a major filmmaker — you get to hang out and drink free booze).

Movie Review: Entertainment @ It's Best

Daniel Fipphen — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

As the Piano Man himself once said, “only the good die young.” Just don’t tell that to Eileen Hall, Stan Goldman, Fred Knittle or any of the other twenty-three members of the Young @ Heart chorus. Under the gritty leadership of band director Bob Cilman, these 80 year-olds sing everything from Sonic Youth to James Brown. And although they have toured Europe and performed for royalty, Young @ Heart’s time in the spotlight truly arrived in their self-entitled documentary, in which the group prepares for a performance in their hometown of Northampton, Massachusetts. Bursting with life and uplifting in every way, Young @ Heart is a cinematic treat that … well … only comes around once in a lifetime.

Movie Review: It Was a Dark and Stormy (and Overrated) Knight

Peter Finocchiaro — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:28:33 -0400

I might not be the most popular guy in the room after this statement, but given the insane amount of hype surrounding The Dark Knight I feel compelled to speak my mind. No matter how many people seem to share the conviction that the new Batman sequel is “THE BEST MOVIE EVERRRR,” I would have to argue that the film — honestly, plain and simple — just ain’t that good.

RJD2 to Rock the Arts Quad During Orientation ... for FREE

Lauren Herget — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:30:42 -0400

... And we're back! Welcome once again to the big show, Cornell. Prop up your feet; make yourself comfortable and ready for a new school year. Could I get you anything? A mineral water with a spritz of lime? A foot massage?

I do regret to say, dear readers, serving is not my strong suit, but how about I serve you a free show on the Arts Quad instead? You will forget all about your parched palate and your hurting high arches when you hear RJD2's fine beats rip across the quad, Saturday, August 30.

The Arts Staff's Guide to Having Fun (and Failing School)

Sun Staff — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Cornell is hard — extremely, exhaustingly hard. It’s important you know that now. It’s also important you know that there are plenty of things to do at Cornell and in Ithaca besides your (nearly impossible) school work. It may come as a surprise, but some of those things don’t even involve drinking.

The following is a somewhat incomplete list of all the great venues and organizations on and off campus that provide art and entertainment to you. We say incomplete, because, even though we’d like to think so, we aren’t actually omniscient. There are probably venues or cool establishments around that we don’t know of. If you find one, give us a call, so we can pretend we knew about it all along (or better yet, join our staff and write about it yourself).