Sometimes he coughed up blood. Sometimes his knees ached and his back strained when sitting down. When Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington took the stage inside NIU’s University Center on March 20, 1974, the cancer that destroyed his lungs had turned...

It used to be frowned upon, but it seems mainstream comedians are now going for a cheap laugh. An interesting trend in the comedy world is starting to take shape: Stand-up comics are taking the release of their content into their own hands, as opposed...

Chances are, you’ve got some work to do the next two weeks. A lot of work. If you’re anything like me, studying or writing a paper in silence is an exercise in both torture and futility. For whatever reason, my brain needs auditory stimulation to...

There comes a time to say goodbye in everyone’s life, and the time is nigh for a musical icon. Levon Helm, the drummer and vocalist from ’60s folk and rock heroes The Band, is battling the final stages of cancer and is expected to pass in the coming...

Tupac Shakur is alive. Well, not really. But that didn’t stop the late rapper from making an appearance during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s performance at Coachella Sunday night via hologram. If you haven’t yet seen the performance online, Snoop introduces...

Come Thursday evening, the Duke Ellington Ballroom will be filled with the sounds of its namesake. The NIU Jazz Ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. tonight in the Ellington ballroom located inside the Holmes Student Center, performing songs by Ellington and...

It looks like the movie world will lose a few brain cells come next year. Peter Farrelly announced production of a sequel to the 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber would begin production in September, with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprising their roles as...

The rock canon becomes a little bit fuller this weekend following a release from local grunge punk quartet the Stockyards. The group will release its debut EP, titled “Sunshine Smiley Face,” during the Rock 4 Rights show 6 p.m. Sunday at the House...

With the Illinois Primaries wrapping up Tuesday night, the nation became a little more engrossed in the political season. During the countless baby-kissing, flag-waving and ticket-tape covered photo opportunities sure to follow as the campaign for the...

Both NIU and DAYGLOW felt financial ramifications after a Feb. 25 Convocation Center performance was canceled. DAYGLOW stands to lose over $100,000 in ticket sales and NIU stands to lose up to $22,305 in box office, licensing and labor fees due to the...

Some 3,500 people who purchased tickets Saturday’s Convocation Center performance were forced to change plans. The Convocation Center announced Thursday that DAYGLOW was canceled due to “facility production concerns.” DAYGLOW, the self-proclaimed...