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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

The Reaping

By Stacie Wieland | April 12, 2007

Grade: C- | After a tragic accident involving the death of her family, once-ordained minister Katherine Winter (Hillary Swank) has exchanged her faith for science. Now a professor at LSU, she investigates religious phenomena all over the world, and has...

Are We Done Yet?

By Christopher Schimmel | April 12, 2007

Grade: C- | Gangster rappers rely heavily on their ability to appear, well, gangster. But Ice Cube has changed his methods. As of late, he has felt the need to appear in pseudo-children's movies about learning to be a stepfather. It is an odd experience...

The perks of an inclusionary lifestyle

By Jenna Andriano | April 11, 2007

As Americans, we are born into a world of plenty. In this great nation, there is an endless flow of both necessities and excesses. It defines us as a society. So it's no surprise that, deep down in each citizen's heart of hearts, the people we truly despise...

The taste

By Desiree Smith | April 11, 2007

To my great dismay, the popularity of their kiosks is growing. People are flocking to them at the mall. The colors are seen all over campus - green, blue, red and pink.

What am I talking about? Crocs, the bright-colored, obnoxious shoe.

When I see Crocs, all I can think of is a garden clog, the rubber shoes my mom quickly slips on when gardening. The official Crocs Web site says the shoe was "originally intended as a boating/outdoor shoe because of its slip-resistant, non-marking sole. By 2003, Crocs had become a bona-fide phenomenon, universally accepted as an all-purpose shoe for comfort and fashion."

Fashion? I have to disagree. These shoes are obnoxious and ugly. Not to mention, each time I see someone wearing them, it looks as though the shoe is a size too big for them. That, combined with the bright colors they come in, makes them look like clown shoes. It's fine that the shoe was created as a boating shoe, but why are people finding them to be "cute" and wearing them with skirts, jeans and sweatpants?

As I checked out their product line, I discovered they have a "professional" set of Crocs, which the Web site (http://www.crocs.com) even goes so far as to say "[look] great at the office." Picturing someone in a full-on business suit paired with a set of Crocs makes me cringe. If Clinton Kelly and Stacy London of "What Not To Wear" could see such an outfit, I think they'd both die from a stroke.

It seems like the Croc Web site can't even come up with some good "reasons you gotta have 'em." Their site lists such reasons as, "Sold Everywhere," "Nothing's more comfortable," "Big air ventilation ports" and "Can save your marriage." (I'm not kidding; saving your marriage is listed on there.)

My point in this: Crocs are ugly. If you are going to wear them for boating, to the beach, fishing or gardening, great. I bet they'll be very useful as they're really easy to clean. All other purposes? Leave them in the closet.

Desiree Smith is the multimedia editor for the Northern Star.

Music Review: Fountains of Wayne

By Mat Warrenfeltz | April 10, 2007

Grade: C+ | Pop rock at its finest - the only way to describe the career of Fountains of Wayne. With its latest release, "Traffic and Weather," they may have drifted off course a bit. The latest release is a lot more pop and a lot less rock. Failing to...

Music Review: Kings Of Leon

By Keith Beebe | April 10, 2007

Grade: C+ | For Nashville's Kings of Leon, the third time's not the charm. Where the quartet's two previous albums, "Aha Shake Heartbreak" and "Youth and Young Manhood" are great recordings, it's obvious that Kings of Leon are deliberately trying to put...

Music Review: Timbaland

By Derek Wright | April 10, 2007

Grade: C | The most endearing thing about mega-producer Timbaland's catalogue is that it has never sounded like that of a trendsetting superstar. While his club/hip-hop peers Diddy (who has parlayed his production work into that of an international icon)...

Movie review: Meet the Robinsons

By Stacie Wieland | April 6, 2007

Grade: A- | Lewis is an orphaned boy genius whose inventions never seem to go quite right. After being rejected for adoption by yet another family, he decides to invent a machine that will aide him in finding out the identity of his birth mother. Once...

Movie review: The Last Mimzy

By Christopher Schimmel | April 6, 2007

Grade: C- | The recent slew of movies concerning the end of the world and the need for change has finally spilled over into children's movies. "The Last Mimzy" mixes myth and technology to explain how the world is to be saved from human mistakes. The...

Movie review: Blades of Glory

By David Rauch | April 6, 2007

Grade: C | You knew what you were getting yourself into before you entered the theater. Everyone, from the truly excited to the proud-movie-buff-forced-by-their-friends, says, "I know that this will be stupid, but I just want to laugh tonight." Enjoying...

NIU senior to bring ‘Comedy Fair’ to the House Cafe

By Herminia Irizarry | April 5, 2007

By day, Christopher Fair is a senior media communication major but by night moonlights as a stand up comic. As a media communications major, Fair sees his comedy experience as an "advantage" and a way to get into his field of choice. Citing the Daily...

Blue Man Group a hit in DeKalb

By Keith Beebe | April 5, 2007

DeKALB | It could be said that Blue Man Group "blue" away the Convocation Center at Wednesday night's show. The brightly painted trio, backed by a phenomenal band consisting of three drummers, two guitarists, bass, keyboards and a powerful female vocalist,...