It all began in 1995. That was when Disney released the box office gold mine "Toy Story." With that release and its ensuing success, which has spawned a sequel, the film genre of computer animation has produced one hit after another. The surprising aspect...

Have you ever sniffed a pony's butt? In 1982, kids throughout the country had their noses pressed up against the vinyl tush of My Little Pony. The sweetly scented buttocks of My Little Pony gave off the fragrances of peaches and berries. It was the pony...

Art enthusiasts from the community and NIU gathered at the Art Building March 21 for a proposal presentation given by Karen McCoy, an NIU alumna and head of sculpture at the Kansas City Art Institute. Her piece, "The DeKalb County Farmland Project," will...

Few things from the 1970s have aged well, if Peter Frampton's appearance at Naperville's RibFest last year is any indication. But underneath a thin layer of cultural classics ("The Godfather" films, Led Zeppelin's peak period) and a whole mess of embarrassments...

"Sorority Boys" is a terrible film. Not a single scene in it sheds any optimistic light on anyone involved. It plays with gender roles before it points a middle finger at the audience, expecting us to laugh. First off, Harland Williams is not funny. After...

There's something that I have to come clean about: I've never done it. "It," of course, is referring to downloading music off the Internet. At this point, you're probably asking yourself, "Does this guy live in a cave?" or "Has he been asleep for a while,...

Predictability isn't an ideal attribute for a band trying to make it, but it just might work in the bar scene for Suite Oblivion. The Rockford-based quartet's debut album, "Shine," certainly isn't earth-shaking, but it follows the formula for good rock...

All souls will be out Saturday night at Otto's Niteclub, 118 E. Lincoln Highway. Otto's isn't having some spiritual seance, but alt-rockers Soul Asylum will perform at 10 p.m. A veteran of the rock scene, Soul Asylum has been together since 1981. Originally,...

This year's Oscar gift "basket" is valued at $20,000 and is given to 125 presenters and performers at Sunday's Academy Awards. • Tempur-Pedic mattress, any size. Value up to $1,700 • La-Z-Boy recliners, choice of four. $539 to $1,199 • Motorola...

Not only is Blaked DeKalb spelled backwards, it's a local band on the rise. Blaked, which will perform at 10 p.m. Friday at Otto's Niteclub, 118 E. Lincoln Highway, is comprised of singer/guitarist Rob DeShazek, guitarist Steve Wright, bassist Aaron Gudmunson...

"The Score" - For a movie that stars Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton, it sure didn't get much buzz. But that doesn't mean that the movie features bad performances. In fact, the three work perfectly together and prove why they are among...

"Moulin Rouge" has been called many things, some involving expletives. But with love-it (an Oscar nomination for Best Picture) and leave-it (director Baz Luhrman makes old people dizzy) sentiments forever unresolvable, the film's breathtakingly original...