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Northern Star

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Track of the Day: ‘Turn on Me’ by The Shins

By JESSICA SABBAH | March 24, 2008

Hear the track here. All breakups are hard and "Turn on Me" has the ability to not only bring you back to the bitter end of a past relationship, but also give you the satisfaction of moving on. Singer James Mercer's powerful vocals combined with the ironically...

‘Drillbit Taylor’ too long, despite occasional humor

By CHRIS KRAPEK | March 24, 2008

Rating: 5 / 10 Starring Owen Wilson, Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile, David Dorfman Plot Three high school freshmen (Harley, Gentile, Dorfman) who are always picked on by bullies hire a homeless man named Drillbit Taylor (Wilson) to be their bodyguard. The...

‘Shutter’ another dumbed-down horror flick

By TONY MARTIN | March 24, 2008

Rating: 3 / 10 Starring Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor Plot Ben and Jane go to Japan. They almost hit and kill a girl in their car. Terror ensues. Re-run any adapted Asian horror flick remade for our dumbed-down audiences. The Good The best part about...

Hard to tell if ‘Meet the Browns’ is comedy or drama

By NYSSA BULKES | March 24, 2008

Rating: 4 / 10 Starring Angela Bassett, Tyler Perry, David Mann The Plot Brenda (Bassett) is a single mom who, amid financial struggles, receives word from Georgia of her father's death. She never met the man, but with her three kids in tow, she makes...

‘She & Him’s’ debut album fails to impress

By JEN HANCE | March 24, 2008

Hear the review here. Rating: 4 / 10 Fans of the movie "Elf" were delighted to hear the new album from actress Zooey Deschanel and singer-songwriter, M. Ward. The two have a band, She & Him, and recently released their debut album, "Volume One." With...

Soulja Boy keeps Convo audience on its feet

By RYAN STRONG | March 23, 2008

Everyone from frat boys to black NIU students to middle-aged white women "cranked that Soulja Boy" Friday night at the Convocation Center. The 17-year-old Mississippi native, born DeAndre Ramone Way, gave a surprisingly exceptional performance to an energetic...

Flick Pick: ‘The Graduate’

By BEN BURR | March 23, 2008

"The Graduate" (1967) Director: Mike Nichols Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross Synopsis: Aimless college grad Ben Braddock (Hoffman) fumbles into an affair with the neighbor's wife (Bancroft) before falling hard for her daughter...

Punk learns a lesson at Otto’s

By KEITH CAMERON | March 23, 2008

There is a slogan in modern music: "Punk is dead." Otto's Niteclub and Underground proved punk just got young. Friday was a proving ground for the often misunderstood genre. Bands such as The Aquaholics and Moto demonstrated that young alternative rockers...

Benefit show raises money for Feb. 14 scholarship

By BEN BURR | March 23, 2008

Nine bands, some local and some from Chicago, played at the Huskie Healing Benefit Concert on Saturday night at Otto's with all the proceeds going to the DeKalb County Community Foundation's Memorial Fund and the NIU February 14th Student Scholarship...

Hip-hop event showcases culture, local talent

By PATRICK BATTLE | March 23, 2008

In the Marley Marl-produced "Hip-Hop Lives," renowned intellectual emcee KRS-One raps, "Hip and Hop is more than music / Hip is the knowledge / Hop is the movement." With that in mind, the knowledge of hip-hop is alive and well at NIU, and the movement...

Variety show features stand-up comedy, puppet show and more

By BEN BURR | March 23, 2008

DeKalb showman and self-proclaimed theatrical philanthropist Brian Starr organized a variety show performed at Studio B on Thursday night. The ambiguously titled "Live from Budapest Variety Show" featured talents from stand-up comedy to belly dancing,...

Flick Pick: ‘American Psycho’

By JEN HANCE | March 20, 2008

"American Psycho" (2000) Director: Mary Harron Starring: Christian Bale, Josh Lucas, Reese Witherspoon Synopsis: A high-end New York bank executive earns his fortune working on Wall Street during the day, but at night, he becomes a deranged killer fueled...