Video and the radio star, now both dead
Since MTV pioneered the broadcasting of music videos with “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the medium has seen a few excellent highlights. The White Stripes used Legos. Prison inmates and Jennifer Garner have both performed the choreography from “Thriller.” There’s all those Michel Gondry videos, Aphex Twin weirdness and tons more examples of how a […]
YouTube offers music-philes aural nirvana
Imagine being a music lover ten years ago. Seeking out recorded live performances by your favorite artists must have been nerve-wracking. Searching vainly for out-of-print videotapes and trolling the bootlegs in record stores would only yield the occasional gem. Hundreds of obscure musicians would exist only in your fantasies or in the one or two […]
March Madness 2.0: video game edition
For many of you, March Madness evokes thoughts of the NCAA basketball tournament—the brackets and the betting pools, after all, are a thoroughly engrained part of our mainstream culture. When I think of this March, however, I think of something else—the upcoming major releases for successful game franchises. Between March ninth and 16th (that’s in […]
After last big win, hoops seniors reflect, reminisce on four years at Brandeis
Entering Saturday’s regular season finale against New York University (14-12, 5-9), the Brandeis women’s basketball team needed a win–and lots of help–to qualify for the NCAA Division III tournament. They got the win, but did not make the tournament. Still, with the largest home crowd of the season on hand, the Judges ended the year […]
Men’s basketball ’10 earns 80th victory, NCAA berth and UAA honors
Over the past week, Terrell Hollins ’10 and classmate Kenny Small have shown that the best of their team’s season is yet to come. After the senior class scored their 80th victory last Saturday, beating UAA rival NYU 69-62, they earned a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament on Monday. The Judges, who finished […]
When in Rome: Brandeis Catholics explore the roots of their faith in the Eternal City
The Last Supper A group of 23 people sat and dined at a long, winding table. The group was mixed in age, race and personality, but they all shared one thing in common—their strong faith. As this group drank wine and broke bread together, they reveled in the past six days they’d all shared. Near […]
Women’s basketball ends break on a high note
The majority of Brandeis students entered mid-February break looking for a chance to get away, for a chance to relax. For the Brandeis women’s basketball team, there would be no break. There would be no chance to relax. With four games on tap during the hiatus that wasn’t (including one against each of the University […]
Men’s basketball splits the week 2-2
With the NCAA tournament bracket announcements this coming Monday, the Brandeis men’s basketball team is feeling the pressure. They have split their last two weekends to bring them to 18-6 overall and 8-5 in the University Athletic Association and have just one game remaining in the regular season. The Judges opened up play over February […]
Grad gets a long overdue face-lift
When we were sophomores, you know, a million (ok, two) years ago, there were plans of renovating Grad. But they never materialized. And so, bright eyed and eager, we moved into our five-person abode in the fall of 2008. For two years now we have endured the sympathetic smiles, pitying glances and outbursts of disgust […]
‘Funnyhouse’ built on unstable foundation
Let there be no doubt about it: “Funnyhouse of a Negro” is the most spectacular production I have ever seen on the Brandeis campus. The acting was very strong. The actors seemed to burst from the stage with precise, crackling energy, simultaneously capturing the supernatural unreality of the mental demons they portrayed while avoiding the […]
‘Island’ makes audiences shudder
Just hearing the names Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio in the same sentence is a giveaway that whatever movie it’s referring to is a force to be reckoned with. And “Shutter Island,” the newest collaboration from this Hollywood director-actor power duo does not disappoint. DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a U.S. marshal sent to Shutter Island, […]
Why I love the Olympics or how I spent my February break
Ever since I was a little kid I have loved sports. I played over half a dozen at one point in time or another and have always adored watching them on TV. Every two years I get so excited to tune in for the Olympics. I get shamelessly into the hype over the latest American […]
The halls are alive with the sounds of … Brandeis
Footsteps. Laughter. A girl on her cell phone. A stereo blasting Lady Gaga. A bongo. As anyone living in a dorm can attest, you’re likely to hear all of these on any given day, blending in with a plethora of other sounds to which you’ve become accustomed. If anyone were to ask you about them, […]
War of the Rose
While the board of trustees was announcing the upcoming academic cuts on Jan. 20, eight fine arts majors were posting signs around campus reminding students of the cut they say was made to their academics one year earlier. “FYI: The Rose is still FOR SALE,” the signs read. Last year when the university board of […]
Track teams heads into BU Valentine Invitational
The men’s and women’s track teams each posted several top-three finishes in the mile and shorter running events at the Tufts Invitational last weekend. Both teams will compete in the Valentine’s Day Classic at Boston University this weekend before heading into the post season. In the Tufts Invitational, Chris Brown ’12 and captain Dan Anastos […]
Women’s basketball continue their winning streak to four, Chapin sets school records
The Judges had their most successful University Athletic Association (UAA) road trip of the season last weekend when they took down the Case Western Reserve University Spartans 65-56 on Friday night and the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans 59-50 on Sunday afternoon. With the wins they improved to 13-6 overall and 6-3 in UAA play. They […]
Men’s basketball goes 2-1 on the week, 1-1 in UAA play
The 21st-ranked Brandeis men’s basketball team split their University Athletic Association play last weekend on the road before taking down visiting Amherst College Lord Jeffs on Tuesday evening. The Judges started off their weekend away by taking on the Case Western Reserve University Spartans on Friday night in Cleveland. Brandeis opened the game by taking […]
The anti-war movement: looking back forty years later: ‘If we sound like a confused generation, we were.’
This coming May will mark the 40th anniversary of the nationwide student protest against the Vietnam War, a protest in which Brandeis was declared the National Student Strike Information Center. Brandeis students began receiving call after call as colleges from as far as Texas phoned in to announce that they, too, were going to strike […]
This comeback might not be televised
Gil Scott-Heron’s first album in 13 years, following his release from prison where he spent several years on drug-related charges, “I’m New Here” proves the artist’s talent is still prodigious, even if his output isn’t. The album, produced by the indie label XL, is a fast listen at just less than a half an hour […]
All the single movies: films for a night alone
Hollywood has no shortage of movies for the person with a significant other on Valentine’s Day. Take for example the soon-to-be-released, aptly titled “Valentine’s Day” or the 2003 hit “Love Actually.” But what options are there for those who are single or do not readily buy into the format of the standard romance (i.e. guy […]