Gwen Stefani’s still just a (rich) girl in her first solo outing - an up-tempo extravaganza full of club-style hooks and New Wave-inspired sounds. The thirtysomething lead singer of No Doubt has created a lush and trashy party album that’s sometimes...

U2 has altered itself for 28 years. Its first decade reeked of raw political rock by and for the working class. The next four years highlighted Bono’s religious convictions and channeled his global awareness. The band reached its artistic peak in the...

Movies - John Drew Barrymore, the sometimes troubled heir to an acting dynasty and the absent father of movie star Drew Barrymore, died Nov. 29. He was 72. - “Sideways” led contenders Nov. 30 for the Independent Spirit Awards with six nominations,...

With Eminem’s sixth album, “Encore,” he is, as usual, blunt, real, derogative and racy while effectively including substantial content. “Spend Some Time” features 50 Cent, Stat Quo and Obie. The fellas take poke fun at groupies who use artists...

Shopping has always been a sore spot for me. Being a college student, I am frequently without funding to purchase anything other than the bare essentials: toilet paper, pants and Jager Bombs. Plus, I can never prioritize when making decisions, which leads...

What do you say to a man who risked his life to shelter people from a genocide that killed more than 800,000 of his fellow Rwandans? That is the question when one is face-to-face with Paul Rusesabagina, a former Rwandan hotel manager (played by Don Cheadle)...

Sweeps wouldn’t be Sweeps without a high-profile guest star every once in a while. Sweeps correspondent Laurel Marselle caught up with one of the stars of ABC’s red-hot “Desperate Housewives” at the 71st Annual State Street Thanksgiving Parade....

With nothing to do on a snowy afternoon besides go home and sleep, students can head over to the Jack Olson Gallery in NIU’s Art Building to check out student artwork from this semester’s graduating class. Ann O’Brien, acting gallery coordinator,...

There comes a time in every man’s life where his body, or “jintai,” takes a beating. Sadly, my jintai’s beating came this week. For the final Trade of the semester, I decided I would put my life on the line by defending myself from punches to...

The School of Theatre and Dance presented Dylan Thomas’ 1954 classic “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” Wednesday night. The show continues today and Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Stevens Building’s Corner Theatre. The play features the bachelor of...

When Weekender decided to do a power list, it became obvious the search for NIU’s 15 most influential people had to be extensive. Over the course of this semester, administrators, faculty and students were consulted to pinpoint the people who have had...

The holiday season traditionally conjures images of family and emotional warmth in the time of the bleakest weather and unexpected kindness. That is, until recent movies tried to exploit the downside of Christmas. Sure, the holidays can flat-out suck:...