Track of the day: "Names" - Cat Power This is one of the saddest songs ever written, though it's not the kind of sad that only brings tears; it takes the breath away. Cat Power, also known as Chan Marshall, plays a simple piano line as she gives short...

Who: Frank Riccardi, aka the Hot Dog Man or Senior The Lowdown: For as little as $3 you can get a Chicago-style hot dog and a can of pop. Riccardi also has an ongoing special â€" two hotdogs for $3.50. Talk about a cheap meal after a long night of...

On Nov. 15 the NIU School of Theatre and Dance astounded the O'Connell Theatre audience with a performance of "Le Corsaire." As the dancers took to the stage, the story of Conrad the pirate facing shipwreck and sword fights to win his love, Medora, from...

DeKALB | Two ensembles from the NIU School of Music will present concerts this week featuring a very special pair of guest artists. Valerie Naranjo, percussionist with the "Saturday Night Live" Band, and her multi-instrumentalist husband, Barry Olsen,...

Beowulf - 5/10 Starring (voices): Ray Winstone, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich. Plot: The great and fearless warrior Beowulf (Winstone) comes to kill the monster Grendel (Glover), son...

Rating: 6 / 10 Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Staring: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman. Plot: The 243-year-old Mr. Magorium (Hoffman) is nearing the end of his life, causing his loyal manager (Portman) and his customers to wonder what...

I saw Lewis Black on Saturday. The king of crossed-eyed comical anger was hilarious, smart, everything I hoped he would be and more. The audience, however, was not. Throughout the evening, I felt as if I'd either barf or bow my head in dismay. Black deserved...

Tonight at Otto's Niteclub and Underground, Blue Cheer will take the stage. Here is what you need to know before you go to the show. Background: Blue Cheer formed in the late in 1960s. It became a part of San Francisco's psychedelic rock scene, playing...

"Cherokee" by Clifford Brown and Max Roach Clifford Brown's death in a car crash at the age of 25 was one of the great tragedies in jazz history. He was already one of the top trumpet players in the business and consistently got better with every passing...

Nice cars, Playboy bunnies, wealth and thrown underwear â€" as the Nickelback song suggests, the awesome life of a rock ‘n' roll band, right? According to NIU English professor Joe Bonomo, not quite. "Sweat: The Story of the Fleshtones, America's...

Fresh off an Emmy win for Best Comedy Series, NBC's "30 Rock," starring creator and "Saturday Night Live" alumna Tina Fey, continues its hot streak of comedic genius. Now in its sophomore season, the critically acclaimed show continues the story-arc of...

The Convocation Center is a "$36 million investment" and "the single venue that can bring the university community together at one place and one time to share an experience", according to its Web site. However, this multi-million dollar venue has more...