It can be said that bands and artists that sound the same all emerge around the same time as one another. In 2001, it was the year of the "The" bands. The Hives. The Vines. The Strokes. Every band that graced the scene needed an indefinite article. 2002...

Over the last few years, Beanie Sigel has been better known for his legal trouble than his music, films or State Property clothing line. Sigel also switched labels when Damon Dash and Jay-Z split in different directions. Dash took Sigel under his wing...

The first phase of NIUNet’s project to install a fiber optic network in the northern Illinois area should be complete this summer. As announced last September, NIUNet has a three-year plan to build a 175-mile fiber optic loop connecting DeKalb to Batavia...

David Bowie, the classic chameleon, understands that even people with a merry-go-round of revolving attire and musical fortes need some consistency to avoid parodying themselves. Artists that change per release have to be careful not to fall into a rut...

NIU’s School of Theatre and Dance will present the "The Grapes Of Wrath" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday this and next weekend at the Stevens Building’s O’Connell Theater. Tickets for Frank Galati’s dramatic interpretation of John Steinbeck’s...

Mild weather and blooming flowers make April and May perfect months to get married or propose to a loved one. During these two months last year, DeKalb County issued 95 marriage licenses. Throughout June and July they issued 142. Considering April and...

"Beauty Shop" is as disappointing as a bad perm. Queen Latifah stars as Gina (whose introduction in "Barbershop 2: Back in Business" now seems solely made for the spin-off), who has relocated from Chicago to Atlanta to further her daughter Vanessa’s...

Since this past summer, DeKalb has hosted its own arcade, owned and operated by Pat O’Malley, a veteran of arcades for 20 years. The Star Worlds Arcade is located on East Lincoln Highway between Simmons and Evans Avenue. The arcade includes a "Vintage...

Quote whores. Cheerleaders. Sell-outs. Kiss ups. Free loaders. The 60-plus print journalists at "The Amityville Horror" press junket have been called all of these names. But for the first time, I was one of them. MGM Studios offered to fly me to Los Angeles,...

If the third time really is the charm, the boys of Lifehouse just got lucky. Finally surpassing the dreadful comparison to Matchbox Twenty and Vertical Horizon, Lifehouse has moved on to a more serene maturity on its self-titled third album. Singer/songwriter...

During the first week of March, Weekender called out to NIU students and area locals with altered cars. The ad challenged car enthusiasts to put their cars where their mouths are and allow the section to showcase all those neon lights, buzzers and whizzy...

Marc Turnes can sometimes be swayed to root for the bad guy in the ongoing battle between good and evil. Turnes, a computer science major, said a superior film villain should be held in high esteem. "A good villain is calculating, intelligent and demands...