A new addition to the technological spectrum left a series of mixed reactions from both critics and potential buyers as Apple's tablet computer, the iPad, was unveiled to the public in San Francisco on Jan. 27, leaving speculation over its development.
To young music fans, the success of Bob Dylan may be puzzling. His raw, nasally vocals and sparse instrumentation, initially just his acoustic guitar and harmonica, are not instantly accessible in a world where synthesizers and auto-tune dominate the mainstream.
After their debut album, Vampire Weekend seemed destined to be a one-album wonder, a sensation amongst indie-music critics who all flaunted their intelligence and culture by describing the band as "Afro-pop." Wonderfully simplistic and quirky, they were new-wave's saviors: these guys were endlessly hyped in a war of journalists trying to out-praise the others.
The Seton Hall University Arts Council and the Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute are bringing the celebrated Latino dancers of Ballet Hispanico to the South Orange Performing Arts Center. The performance will feature four dances performed by the company's 13 dancers.
Awards season is in full swing. The People's Choice Awards and the Golden Globes lead into the Grammy Awards, which some might call the highlight of the season. While red carpets were unrolling, recording experts cast their votes for all 109 Grammy categories (most of which you've never heard of) that will be awarded on Jan. 31.
For the past 12 months it seemed like you could not turn on the radio without hearing Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas or Taylor Swift. For those of you who may have been living under a rock for the past year, it is highly advised that you go out and buy this year's edition of the Grammys' annual mix CD.
Upon first glance, "The Lovely Bones" is a tragic story about having something taken from you. In the movie based on the popular teen novel by Alice Sebold, the protagonist Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) loses everything when she is murdered at the age of fourteen. By taking a closer look, though, it becomes clear that Susie's story is one of discovery. After her death, Susie becomes trapped in the "in-between" – the magical land between Heaven and Earth where she must find the courage to let go of her life and accept her death, allowing herself as well as her family to heal. Unfortunately, director Peter Jackson's adaptation of "The Lovely Bones" fails to match the quality of the novel. Through her writing, Sebold creates a poetic world wedged between heaven and earth that is, until now, unknown to mankind. In Jackson's film version, Sebold's creation is clumsily transformed into a surreal fantasyland.The fact that Jackson has been out of the spotlight for nearly five years after 2005's hit film, "King Kong," may have something to do with the poor transition from novel to screenplay. In addition, the movie's release date was pushed back several times (originally it was supposed to be released in December 2008, then March 2009, now January 2010) which may have given its audience a sense of hope that the film would be out of this world. Sadly for Jackson and fans of the novel, the film did not live up to its hype, although it was not a complete failure either. "The Lovely Bones" is narrated by Susie after she was murdered by her perverted neighbor, Mr. Harvey (Stanley Tucci), who now haunts her entire neighborhood. From the "in-between," Susie watches as her family falls apart in the wake of her death; she witnesses her parents being torn apart in her absence, her mother leaving home to forget the past, and her father's obsessed longing to solve the mystery of his daughter's death.Ronan, the Oscar-nominated star of 2007's "Antonement," did an excellent job at portraying 14-year-old Susie. She is obsessed with the lives that are continuing without her, constantly watching over her home and hoping that her father (Mark Wahlberg) will soon discover the secret behind her death– that her neighbor raped, murdered, and dismembered her body. Aside from Ronan, Wahlberg is the only other actor who fully dives into his role in the film. His character, Jack Salmon, ambitiously searches for his daughter's killer and stops at nothing to solve the mystery. Abigail Salmon (Rachel Weisz) is possibly the least passionate character in the film. Weisz, despite being an Oscar-winning actress, does a poor job conveying the tragedy of a mother who just lost her 14-year-old daughter. Even the scenes where she is sobbing or reminiscing about her daughter, the audience can clearly see right through the façade she puts on.Stanley Tucci, on the other hand, deserves an award for his role in the film. He is excellent playing the perverted neighbor and Susie's murderer, Mr. Harvey. His voice even has the ability to send chills down the spines of the audience. Tucci's performance, along with Ronan's and Wahlberg's, gave the film everything it needed to be a success.The film could have been slightly better if played out properly. Despite the fact that Jackson's rendition of the "in-between" was somewhat far-fetched, the rest of the movie was truly a work of art that will keep audiences on the edges of their seats. From the very beginning, Jackson builds up the suspense by not allowing the audience to get a clear image of the killer's face until Susie herself is face-to-face with the man in the cornfield. He also gives tiny clues away throughout the film, which can only be noticed by those who know the story well.While Jackson's version of "The Lovely Bones" may never quite reach the level of awe of Sebold's novel, he has successfully touched upon her ability to create a world in which one can exist in the afterlife. Though his version of the "in-between" differs slightly from Sebold's, the film as a whole was a success. Had there never been a book, the film probably would not receive nearly as much criticism as it has. Jackson has done a fair job at turning, what seemed to be, an entirely spiritual world into a reality.
David Ayllon, an alumnus of Seton Hall University, recently launched his own t-shirt line, "People Like Me."
For years the film industry has exploited the concept of the apocalypse and how humanity would survive after being brought to the edge of extinction. Such a notion has given birth to countless films that detail the post-apocalyptic world, including the "Terminator" series, "Escape from New York," and the classic "Mad Max" trilogy.
"You don't have to break the bank to be beautiful and feel confident," Bobbie Thomas, style expert and fashionista said, in a phone interview with the Setonian. It's the holiday season which means there are last minute gifts to buy and party outfits to plan.
Probably best known for his altercation earlier this year with R&B princess and former girlfriend, Rihanna, Grammy nominated and highly decorated Chris Brown is back again, this time with his third album, "Graffiti."
Seton Hall graduate student Mark Saylor makes his directorial debut with Theatre Council's production of "Love, Sex, and the IRS" this weekend in the Theatre-in-the-Round.
Controversy has erupted in the past few weeks as the new MTV show "Jersey Shore" has left many audiences, especially the Italian-American community, offended over their ethnic stereotypes of "guidos" and "guidettes." The new reality show aired last Thursday yet, prior to its release on television, previews of the program had many Italian-American organizations protesting its release. In a press release by UNICO National in cooperation with the Sons of Italy in America and the National Italian American Foundation, supporters are urging to "pull the plug" on the show by attempting to convince Jersey Shore sponsors to cut all advertisements and affiliations from the show and its network. Macy's, Sony, Domino's Pizza, Verizon and Victoria's Secret are among those to vouch for support.
Gone are the fair-skinned, blonde beauties like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty that were once Disney standards.
"American Idol" winner, Kris Allen's self-titled debut album showcases his acoustic style and songwriting ability.The album is a mix of acoustic soft rock with fun upbeat songs like "Alright With Me" and slow ballads like "The Truth."Allen's signature acoustic style and pop/rock feel is apparent in this album. His single, "Live Like We're Dying" is an upbeat song that urges listeners to live everyday like it's their last. Similar in sound is the song "Written All Over My Face" which is a pop/rock song that explains the miscommunication between men and women in relationships.The album also includes three ballads that showcase Allen's voice. The first, "The Truth," is a great breakup song that is sure to help anyone get through difficult times. "I Need to Know" is a haunting, relatable ballad that shows the confusion in relationship. "Bring it Back" is the last slow song on the album in which Allen asks for love to come back into his life.Although Allen is happily married in real life, many of his songs on the album have to do with hardships among couples. "Before We Come Undone" is a slow but upbeat pop/rock song. Similar in sound is the song, "Can't Stay Away."More fast-paced ballads include "Is it Over," "Let it Rain" and "A Lifetime" which showcase Allen's talent and prove to any listener why he won "American Idol."Allen wrote almost all of the music and lyrics on the album, including the song "Red Guitar." It has a fun acoustic rock sound that blends in well with the recent melodies that have been on the radio lately."Alright With Me" is the most unique song on the album and resembles older fast-paced rock songs from the 70s.Also included on the album is the popular "American Idol" single, "No Boundaries" and Allen's popular cover of Kanye West's "Heartless." Overall, Allen's album blends in well with the more acoustic rock that has been popular in the music industry as of late. Listeners can relate to the lyrics on the album and the catchy words match the melodies. Most of the songs on the album could very easily be radio hits and all of the songs fit the acoustic style that Allen showcased throughout the "American Idol" season.Allen captures emotion and love throughout all the songs on the album. His voice and songwriting ability is presented well in all the songs.The album is definitely worth listening to and incorporates all of the right elements for a successful debut album that will launch Allen into a long-lasting music career.
Brooklyn born, Brian Bonz still hasn't wrapped his mind around playing at Nassau Coliseum.
The Communication Department will premiere its latest dramatic performance, "A Few Good Men," this Thursday night.
After its theatrical debut on Nov 25, audiences have been mesmerized by "The Fantastic Mr. Fox." Originally a children's novel by renowned author Roald Dahl, this story has come to life in a unique way with the help of director Wes Anderson.
mtvU held the sixth annual Woodie Awards on Nov. 18 in New York City's Roseland Ballroom. mtvU – the obviously cooler television station for college students that actually plays music – opened their red carpet access to college newspapers and invited hundreds of college students to come to the show for free. The standing room floor audience had access to three bars and two different stages to watch the five amazing performances up close and personal, with celebrities and VIP's mingling within the crowd all evening for a real rock n' roll award show.
The Setonian had the opportunity to speak to Chris Walla, producer and guitarist of Death Cab for Cutie, before he performed Death Cab's new song, "Meet Me at the Equinox," live at the MTV Woodies.When asked about the band's motivation to write a song specifically tailored for the "Twilight" soundtrack, Walla admitted to being a fan of the series and said the recording process was "unlike anything we've ever done. It was the first time that we put a song together with something really specific in mind."Outside of vampires and werewolves, Walla acknowledged the recent success of Death Cab's latest record, "Narrow Stairs," discussing the band's emergence into the mainstream world. Not feeling the pressure to maintain mainstream standards, Walla said, "I don't think that anybody really gets anywhere by sort of specifically tailoring their music to fit what a particular audience wants to hear.""I think that I think we're just going to keep doing what we've always done, which is just trying to make records that we like and that we would listen to if we were buying them," Walla said.For all the fans yearning for the lo-fi albums from the "Something About Airplanes" heyday, Walla will not make any promises. "You're really in a dangerous place if you are trying to make decisions, musical and creative decisions specifically, to please some subset of your fans," he said.There are no new plans for a Death Cab album just yet, though Walla acknowledged that the new record will "probably be a little bit more accessible than ‘Narrow Stairs' was." For now, Walla fans can listen to his studio mastery on the albums he is currently producing from groups like Tegan and Sara, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and The Thermals.Kevin Stevens can be reached at kevin.stevens@student.shu.edu.
Solutions by The State News