Northern Star

WWE: WWE Originals

By Casey Toner | January 22, 2004

A World Wrestling Entertainment music CD is bad. A WWE CD sung by the actual wrestlers is worse — much worse. - It's further proof that artists should stick to their medium, like grappling other oily, muscle-bound, speedo-wearing men. "WWE Originals"...

Smoking ban sparks debate

By Laura Grandt | January 22, 2004

It appears the possibility of a smoking ban in DeKalb businesses has been blown out of proportion, said Julia Fauci, chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee. The Citizens Advisory Committee advises the DeKalb City Council. Fauci said this issue concerns...

NAACP presents annual MLK march today

By LaShaunna Watkins | January 22, 2004

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will host its 13th annual Martin Luther King March today. NAACP president Tim Jones said the march is a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and impact on past and future generations....

Measuring the wizard

By Casey Toner | January 22, 2004

In the "Super Mario Brothers: Time Attack" video, a Japanese child supposedly beat the Super Mario Brothers 3 video game in 11 minutes, with a type of deadly precision only seen in the most dorky of computer gaming nerds. The video is a feat. Watching...

Jazzin’ up the house

By Jessica King | January 22, 2004

Classic jazz music lives on in DeKalb every Wednesday night. The House, 263 E. Lincoln Highway, hosts weekly jazz jam sessions that draw in students and local residents. Robert Collazo, a junior music education and jazz studies major, has played at the...

Ani DiFranco

January 22, 2004

Very rarely does a musical artist take it upon him or herself to work entirely alone. However, Ani DiFranco did just that in her new release, "Educated Guess."

The socially conscious singer (who started her own record label "Righteous Babe") sang and played all the instruments on the 14-track album, as well as recorded and mixed all the songs herself.

-She deserves credit for the sheer challenge of creating a solo recording. Because of that, "Educated Guess" may be her most intimate album yet.

Her emotional narratives and personal ballads seem to either capture listeners or drive them away from her intense world, but her work continues to maintain the level of quality established throughout her career.

The songs on "Educated Guess" are stripped down and minimal, contributing to the intimate feel of the the album. DiFranco sings of broken relationships, complex emotions and vague political matters: "People, we are standing at ground zero/ Of the feminist revolution/ Yeah, it was an inside job/ Stoic and sly."

Admittedly estrogen-heavy, "Educated Guess" maintains a level of maturity that goes beyond mere chick rock.

DiFranco's music dips and rises throughout her poetic style and lyrical compositions. "Plus I dream in skin-scented sentences/ Of a stronger, faster, fiercer you/ And to each noun, verb and predicate/ I dedicate a vivid you," she sings.

One of the most difficult aspects of the songs is her voice, which can strain against the notes and delve into rasping, but on the whole, it compliments the intricacy of her song-writing.

"Educated Guess" is 100 percent Ani, and it shows.

This flop doesn’t require a helmet

By Erin Wienke | January 22, 2004

What happens when a once-popular movie is redone with motorcycles? "Torque," a.k.a."The Fast and the Furious Part 3," is one of the most generic movies to hit the screen this winter. "Torque's" blend of non-stop action coupled with horrible dialogue and...

Rec revival

By Gerold Shelton | January 22, 2004

The Chick Evans Field House is getting a makeover - but not on the surface. This makeover is on the inside: More than 6,000 seats and bleachers are gone, and so is the basketball court. “Right now, it looks like an airport hangar,” Campus Recreation...

Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings and Food

By Sam Cholke | January 22, 2004

In the early 1970s, bands knew their place. Pop music was catchy and didn't stray far from love, while punk music was abrasive and deeply rooted in social politics. Bands stayed on one side or the other, each relegated to its fans and walls erected to...

Along Came polly

By Marcus Leshock | January 22, 2004

And along comes another bloated, coma-inducing, "gross-out" comedy. Funny thing is, it's just not funny. While directors like Terry Zwigoff are using their position to make groundbreaking, dark, edgy comedies ("Bad Santa"), directors like John Hamburg...

Like a virgin

By Greg Feltes | January 22, 2004

Retired General Wesley Clark recently scored the biggest victory of the Democratic primary season. Iowa? Nope. New Hampshire? That's next week. No, Clark's victory was even more far-reaching in scope and impact. He won the Madonna primary. "I think he...

Peters unsure of budget

By Stephanie Gandsey | January 22, 2004

As the budget proposal makes its way past state policymakers, NIU President John Peters said he is unsure how the budget for fiscal year 2005 will look. “While I’m optimistic, I doubt ’05 will hold much in the way of more resources for higher education,”...

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