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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Characters, social commentary make new show fresh

By CAITLIN MULLEN | April 20, 2009

"Sit Down, Shut Up" and pay attention. This show has promise. "Arrested Development" creator Mitchell Hurwitz's new cartoon show, which premiered Sunday night at the 7:30 p.m. slot on Fox, profiles teachers at a Florida high school trying to keep their...

5 things that will kill Twitter

By DEREK WALKER | April 20, 2009

1) Old people Old people ruin everything. They've ruined print media, they've ruined daytime talk, and they're going to ruin Twitter. As the calendar pages flip, so do the numbers on technology's chronograph. Cell phones used to be a young person's game...

“State of Play” fails to thrill

By DAVID MATZ | April 19, 2009

"State of Play" is billed as a thriller, however, this conspiracy-ridden film contains little suspense. The movie opens with two reporters from the fictional Washington Globe newspaper attempting to break the biggest government conspiracy since Watergate....

“Degrassi” star to perform for free at the Convocation Center

By NORTHERN STAR STAFF | April 19, 2009

Fresh off working with Lil' Wayne and Dr. Dre, Canadian rapper Drake will perform a free concert at 7 p.m. April 28 at the Convocation Center. Aubrey "Drake" Graham is best known for playing the physically disabled character of Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian...

“Crank: High Voltage” delivers unapologetic energy and action

By BEN BURR | April 19, 2009

Indestructible anti-hero übermensch Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) wakes up to his organs being harvested. His supernaturally powerful heart has already been replaced with an ersatz electric ticker, but when the back-alley surgeons go for his trousers,...

Peelander-Z confuses, causes bowling, singing, and limbo-ing

By ANDY FOX | April 19, 2009

Was the joke on them or was it on us? That question ran through my mind as I watched "Japanese Action Comic Punk Band" Peelander-Z mock its native kitsch culture, or perhaps American youth's perception of its culture, during its super happy fun time set...

REVIEW- Bat For Lashes “Two Suns”

By ANDY FOX | April 16, 2009

"I will rise now…" sings Natasha Khan a.k.a. Bat for Lashes in the first few seconds of "Two Sun." Rise she does. She emerges through the reverb-drenched balladry as a paradoxically nakedly emotional singer-songwriter while at the same time maintaining...

This week in Youtube

By DAVID MATZ | April 16, 2009

THIS WEEK IN YOUTUBE

Fred on April Fool's Day

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymXOLL3rVts&feature=haxa_popt00us01

There's a lot of crap on YouTube, and to prove this fact is Fred.

Because April Fool's Day took place this past week, I thought it would be fitting to do a YouTube video dealing with April Fool's.

For some terrible reason I was linked to a pre-pubescent hyperactive child named Fred.

Now Fred's April Fool's Day video had a lot of hits, almost 258,000 hits, so like most people I expected some really funny pranks. Nope. Fail. The three-minute video was nothing but the hyperactive, high-pitched kid pretending to pull pranks on two other kids who I'm pretty sure didn't exist.

His video was annoying and not funny or entertaining on any level of comedy.

After sitting through his one video, I noticed there were more videos from Fred, and they all have over a million hits.

It boggles the mind to try to figure out who or why someone would put him or herself through this obnoxious kid's video on his or her own free will.

Obviously Fred must have some type of cult following or he sits at his computer replaying his videos until they reach five million hits. It's disturbing to think that either of the options are possible.

I don't mean to bash Fred's creativity or eagerness, I mean to bash the people that are watching his videos.

What’s on your iPod?

By HEATHER SKRIP | April 16, 2009

Tara Lush, junior elementary education major:

1) The Dresden Dolls "Good Day"

2) In Flames "The Quiet Place"

3) Incubus "Love Hurts"

4) T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake "Dead & Gone"

5) The Doors "Love Her Madly"

6) System of a Down "Atwa"

7) Orgy "Stitches"

8) Led Zeppelin "Stairway To Heaven"

9) Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here"

10) In This Moment "Beautiful Tragedy"

Audiences focus on growing families

By BRIDGET ORKFRITZ | April 15, 2009

Jon and Kate Gosselin handle not one, not two, but eight children in their hit TLC series, "Jon and Kate Plus 8." But there's a new family sharing their limelight. Eric and Betty Hayes and their not eight but ten children make up a new TLC series, "Table...

Concerts headed to DeKalb

By DEREK WALKER | April 15, 2009

Who: Umphrey's McGee Where: The Egyptian Theatre When: Friday, April 17 at 9 p.m. Cost: $30 Why you should go: Jam bands are usually hit or miss, and Umphrey's McGee makes no bones about which side of the spectrum they stand. Formed in 1997, the progressive...

‘Cops and Robbers’ show comes to SpikeTV

By DEREK WALKER | April 14, 2009

When you were a kid, were you the cop or the robber? The cowboy or the Indian? As youths, the battles once waged in our own backyards carried no deeper significance than killing a few hours. But SpikeTV's newest historic fiction, "Deadliest Warrior,"...