As Tim Gunn would say, the designers of "Project Runway" made it work. Following a disastrous season in Los Angeles, Lifetime finally emulated some of Bravo's charm and brought the seventh season back to New York City with a cast of mostly memorable and talented designers whose quick tongues and designs made the show worth watching.
This weekend, three Daily writers hit the Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston). Here are a few of the films that IFFBoston had to offer:
Scandal, betrayal and lust are constant reoccurring themes of the new CW series "Melrose Place." From revolving love partners, backstabbing tenants, jealous fathers and secret pasts, the first season followed the surreal lives of seven residents of Melrose Place, California.
Illicit tales of adulterous lovers have been part and parcel of the movie business since the studio era. "The Square" (2008) takes the conventions of film noir, relocates from the cityscapes of '40s Los Angeles to modern-day Australia, adds a few twists and piles on fatalism with an extra helping of tragic coincidence. While it doesn't exactly bring anything new to the table, "The Square" is a solid exercise in suspense and the brutal logic of fate.
Last week the hottest new show of the year — FOX's "Glee" — returned after an unbearably long mid-season hiatus. Already, after only two episodes, the show has shown why it won a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award this past awards season, as it continues its ascent to being one of the most original, insightful and exciting shows on the air.
This past week, we at the Daily Arts Department heard the rumor that a new-generation iPhone was leaked by an Apple employee. This is particularly odd given the company's history of secrecy surrounding its new products, but we'd like to thank the Genius (pun intended) who did this because it got us to thinking about other things we'd like to see leaked in the near future. 10. (Real) naked pictures of Megan Fox: We've seen just about every inch of this buxom vixen in magazine spreads, in posters and in our dreams. And yet, we're dying to see those last couple of inches. Giggety. 9. Not Fergie's pants: So Fergie, darling, you peed your pants in a concert. Not cool. In the future, maybe you'd want to think about wearing some Depends. 8. No Doubt's new CD: They conducted a whole tour last year on the promise that they were working on a CD for this year. So far, no date for a CD for 2010. We're hoping it's already done somewhere, waiting for some butterfingers to get it out to the public. 7. Eating Off of Plates: We just couldn't get enough of the YouTube.com phenomenon "Drinking Out of Cups," with its talking gecko spouting deranged rants. So we want a sequel, in which an animated iguana would ramble disjointedly about ceramic ware. No way. Get real. 6. The new Windows: Hey, the follow-up to Windows 7 was our idea! Because we were all thinking about how much Windows 7 sucks! 5. "Wicked Summer:" Here's the Situation: we want more "Jersey Shore," and we want it Boston style. 4. Newest Nicholas Sparks novel: We're expecting a tear-jerker that'll be begging for a Hilary Duff movie and will put Ernest Hemingway to shame. Potential title: "Bad Romance?" 3. "Toy Story 3" (2010): Disney is back with the toys we wish we had when we were young, like the nagging, elderly Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. 2. Who really shot JFK: Nobody seems to believe that it really was just Lee Harvey Oswald. We in the Arts Department suspect Colonel Mustard, in the billiards room, with the candlestick. 1. Kegs all over Spring Fling: Bring back the beer!
As the summer rolls around, bands around the world and across the country begin gearing up for the height of touring season. For many musical acts, the highlight of these next few months will be the major, multi-day music festivals, at which groups and individuals from every imaginable genre play together — if not on the same stage, then at least in the same vicinity. To better understand this cultural phenomenon, the Daily took an in-depth look at the evolution of gigantic musical festivals and the Tufts students who attend them. Coachella Music and Arts Festival: Springtime in Indio One of the season's earliest major music festivals, commonly referred to simply as "Coachella" by its attendees, occurred this past weekend at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. Starting in 1999 as a two-day event that featured Beck, Rage Against the Machine and Tool as co-headliners, Coachella grew in popularity each year, changing to its current three-day format in 2007.
Russell Brand and Jonah Hill sat down to discuss their characters in the upcoming "Get Him to the Greek," a spinoff of the hit comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008) by the same director, Nick Stoller. They also ruminated on consumerism, the true purpose of comedy and the proper execution of a sex scene. Question: So there's a lot of music in this movie; did you have any input in creating it? Russell Brand: Well I sang all of the songs obviously, out of my face. I opened it up, and out came the vibrations. The only times I'd change [the lyrics] is if people would deliberately try to write things that sound English but don't. But generally I'd leave them, because there were some brilliant songwriters, like Jarvis Cocker from Pulp wrote a couple, Carl Barat from the Libertines, so you know, you can't. Q: How do you feel when people imitate you to your face? RB: They do that a lot! It happens all the time. But I don't mind; it's sort of a tribute. Also, remember, I'm used to being in England where my Englishness and English accent are commonplace. So it's like sort of "Gulliver's Travels," it's like a Swift-ian satire, having people mimic my own accent at me. It's good because I think, "Oh wow! This thing that is commonplace here is exotic somewhere else." Q: I've heard your American accents in your standup, and it's really spot-on. RB: Thank you very much, I've been observing you people on the petri dish called Earth. Q: What are your findings? RB: Well this is the dominant culture. We're all to a degree Americans now, now that colonialism is achieved through commerce and consumerism and not through imperialism and the military, although one could argue to a lesser degree that it still is. We are all imbibing American culture. Q: Comparing Aldous Snow in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" to Aldous Snow in "Get Him to the Greek," where would you say Russell Brand, the man, falls? RB: "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was a laugh because that was very much about restraint. That was a supporting role in Jason [Segel]'s movie, and I had to be measured and gentle. The key thing for me was to make a sympathetic villain. The function of that character was to antagonize the protagonist.
Dear Miley Cyrus, We heard about your new crib, and to put it bluntly, we're a little angry, since it's only been some 17 years since you were rolling around, sucking your thumb and drooling in one. We're still staying in dormitories and apartments, and you just landed yourself a 4,000 square foot property in Toluca Lake, Calif. It doesn't seem fair somehow, considering we thought you were only old enough to be purchasing Park Place and Broadway with Monopoly money.
"Doctor Who," the lively science−fiction series that has been a BBC institution for over 50 years, returned to BBC America this week with a refreshed cast, fronted by newcomer Matt Smith, and a renewed sense of whimsy and reverence for its enigmatic and loveable titular character.
All boys need a dream, and in a hot, dusty Mexican town where a future in the metal factory seems as secure as the steel manufactured there, a motley gang of boys look to baseball as their escape. Forming a Little League team with nothing but enthusiasm, a home−hewn bat and a ball held together with string, the boys of "The Perfect Game" nurture World Series ambitions. Although the story is sweet, a generous helping of cheese comes with the peanuts and Cracker Jacks at this ball game.
On Feb. 11, 2009, I wrote a column titled "Foodemics" about national food epidemics — clever portmanteau, right? In the column, I talked about the E.coli outbreak in spinach in September 2006, the salmonella scare in tomatoes in the summer of 2008 and instances in January 2009 when mercury was found in brand−name products containing high−fructose corn syrup. In the year since I wrote that column, few things have changed. There was a massive recall of peanut products by the Peanut Corporation of America throughout 2009, and a February 2010 recall of products containing hydrolyzed vegetable protein, a flavor−enhancing chemical, will cause hundreds of products to be taken off of our grocers' shelves.
Though special exhibitions that attract large crowds and significant publicity often overshadow permanent collections, the acquisition of a permanent collection is one of the most important parts of any museum's work. This process, in which works are purchased by or donated to art institutions, allows museums the chance to expand the breadth and depth of their holdings, and is often ongoing. It is different from many special shows — because those often feature works borrowed from other museums' collections — but it is no less important, and it is worthy of individual celebration.
This Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Hotung Café, five student bands will put politeness and high−frequency hearing aside for a chance at greatness. The winners of this weekend's Battle of the Bands will be granted the unique opportunity to play in front of thousands of their peers on the side−stage at Spring Fling.
Despite all of the flak he's received for his last few albums, Jeff Beck does deserve some credit. As he aged, Beck never let his music succumb to the nostalgia that domesticated his fellow guitar gods.
We at the Daily Arts Department were very excited for Judah Friedlander's comedy show this past Monday night in Cohen Auditorium. We were especially anxious to see what would be on his iconic hat, and we think that "Campeón del Mundo" was a pretty good showing. This also got us to thinking, so we decided to assemble our Top Ten ideas for future hats for Mr. Friedlander. 10. ART$ Win!: We're sure Friedlander appreciates some Miley Cyrus and good grammar. We'd give him five stars if we could review him, especially if he advertised the best section of the Daily on his hat. 9. THURSDAYS AT 9:30 ON NBC: Simply put, we're smitten with NBC's fantastic sitcom "30 Rock" and think it would be hilarious if Friedlander's hat was an advertisement for the show within the show! How ironic?! 8. VON DOUCHE: Suck it, Ashton Kutcher. 7. LOCAL SPORTS TEAM: Nothing says "I don't care about sports" like a hat that ironically endorses any sports team in the hat-wearer's current location. 6. NUTTER BUTTERS: Who doesn't love Nutter Butters? Plus, we're sure there's some sort of sexual innuendo going on here… 5. HEY, EYES DOWN THERE!: Where else would they be?! 4. 8: This is what Judah's hat would say if he were a hipster in denial who had a thing for post-modernism. I mean, hey, he's already got the hipster glasses to match. 3. BODY BY HOSTESS: We're not saying Judah is fat or anything. We're just saying there's probably a correlation between his Twinkie intake and his T-shirt size. 2. HANDS OFF THE MERCH-ANDISE: Judah frequently suffers from excessive female attention because of his status as both a world champion and an international sex icon. This hat message would probably prevent him from suffering multiple instances of sexual harassment. 1. BACOW IS MY HOMEBOY: Pair it with the shirt that's been floating around campus, and you've got a winning ensemble. We love you, Larry!
In blending the tales of the Brothers Grimm with a cabaret context, the resulting punk-rock fairy tale means to be bold, experimental and hilarious. "Le Cabaret Grimm" also breaks from traditional theater narrative by opening with the "HUBbub," a series of extraordinary and unconventional performances.
Nowadays, not everyone has a Singer in the household. That's the sewing machine, not the vocalist. But with vintage stores cropping up in Somerville and online crafting communities like Etsy.com available, do-it-yourself attire is still an attractive option for creative types. This writer posted an ad to TuftsLife.com seeking the sewing-savvy and was surprised at the response. Whether for relaxation, creative expression or repairs, these students are among those who choose to stitch their way through the semesters.
Although it would be so easy to apply maxims about love and finding oneself to the movie "The Last Song," this movie doesn't even deserve vague appropriations and connections to reality. With its predictable plot and dreadful acting, the lack of originality in "The Last Song" has cost itself the satisfaction of teenage girls nationwide.
