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Ears Open

The technological revolution and the advent of the Internet have done much to change the fabric of the music industry. We all remember the Napster hearings. The first wave of the Internet-based illegal downloading sent music executives and artists into an outright panic that they would soon be without their (in most cases, generous) incomes. But luckily for Metallica and David Geffen, a bunch of teenagers on their Gateway PCs could not cripple the music business.


The Setonian
Arts

Darko' director, working outside of 'The Box'

Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur Lewis (James Marsden) are a typical, happily married suburban couple who have fallen on hard financial times. Things change when a box is delivered to their doorstep by a mysterious man by the name of Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) who presents them with a deal: if they open the box and push the button inside, they will receive one million dollars in cash. But pushing the button will also kill one person in the world — someone they don't know.


The Setonian
Arts

Banhart's latest brings the bizarre

Devendra Banhart surprised fans last year when he signed with major label Warner Bros. Given that he began his recording career by playing into a tape player in his bathroom (natural reverb?), fans were anxious to see how a major label backing would affect their freak-folk darling. Thankfully, Banhart's newest album, "What Will We Be," released in October, is not devoid of the weird charm that dedicated fans have come to love. Recording with A Band of Bees, the same backing band from his last release, "Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon" (2007), Banhart creates an LP with a depth that he hasn't reached with previous projects.


The Setonian
Arts

This Is It' shows more relatable side of Michael Jackson

A pop icon's shining light was nearly extinguished five months ago by his heart-rending death. Today, that light shines on through his legendary songs and, now, in a special release that will run until the end of Thanksgiving weekend, through a concert-documentary that presents a rarely seen side of the King of Pop.


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Arts

Boston opera opens its backstage to the public

This Saturday, the Boston Lyric Opera is presenting a million-dollar opportunity to fans for free. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Shubert Theatre at 265 Tremont St. will be open to the public and filled with activities for people of all ages. Ever wondered what the dressing room looks like for a production of "Carmen" (Boston Lyric Opera's season opener)? The company invites the audience to see for themselves, opening up the dressing rooms, makeup area and stage to idle wanderings.  


The Setonian
Arts

TV with a recipe

Turn on the television on any given night and chances are at least one procedural drama will be airing on a major broadcast network. Procedurals are the typically hour-long dramas that focus on a new mystery each week. These puzzles are usually resolved by the end of the episode. Think "CSI," "Law & Order," "House" — the shows that are, now more than ever, ubiquitous on the television landscape. What's a procedural?   




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Arts

Zach Drucker and Chris Poldoian | Bad Samaritans

Last week, we recommended that all six of our loyal readers go out and see "Paranormal Activity" (2009) for a good scare. We decided to take our own advice and watch "Paranormal," making sure to go during the day so we could walk out of the theater into unthreateningly sunny skies. Despite our best efforts, we left the theater mildly impressed and thoroughly shaken. As we drowned our lingering fears in Oreo cake batter ice cream from J.P. Licks, we realized that "Paranormal" wasn't as revolutionary as we were led to believe. Film critic Owen Gleiberman had boldly stated that the film "scrapes away 30 years of encrusted nightmare clichés," but we think that the film suffers from the biggest horror cliché of all — characters with poor decision-making skills.


The Setonian
Arts

Tegan and Sara's latest album proves they are 'Saints'

Two years after the release of "The Con," (2007), Tegan and Sara have more than made up for any sins they committed in the past. Their Oct. 27 release "Sainthood" (2009) draws from their previous two works — "The Con" and "So Jealous" (2004) — but its weightier content proves the duo is still progressing.



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Arts

Top Ten | Silver Foxes

Silver Fox (noun): 1. a male with graying or gray hair who is considered by many to be exceedingly attractive 2. a small carnivore with a pointed muzzle and bushy tail that is silver. Though we do like fuzzy animals, the Tufts Daily Arts Department has compiled a list of the 10 hottest, over-40 beefcakes around. 10. Sean Connery: He's the original James Bond and has a killer accent. Need we say more? 9. Richard Gere: Richard Gere has been too old for us for about thirty years now. He's super silvery and foxy. Plus, the Buddhist thing is so hot right now. Om. 8. Bill Clinton: Dude could get a twenty-something intern when he was gray and working long hours in the Oval Office. If that doesn't make him a stud, we don't know what does. 7. Alex Trebek: He's like grandpa: knows everything, is condescending to the young ones and gives out a lot of money as a reward for learning things. Why is he a silver fox? Because, unlike grandpa, Alex's appearance never changes. Oh, and we're not related to him. 6. The Crypt Keeper: He may be frail and skeletal, but we'd like to cozy up to this dream boat any old day — emphasis on the old. 5. Harrison Ford: The dreamy star of so many adventure films, we would throw him the whip any day of the week. Assuming Indy wouldn't break a hip, that is. 4. Alec Baldwin: So he's packed on a few pounds over the years (see: "Beetlejuice," 1988), but now that he's gray, things just seem to be looking up. He's won two Emmys for his role as Jack Donaghy on "30 Rock," and he keeps the laughs coming every Thursday night. 3. Anderson Cooper: At 42, he's a little on the young side, but his grayish-white hair gives him that wise, sexy flair. Brian Williams might be alright, but Cooper is the eye-candy you want to see when you turn on the news. 2. George Clooney: George Clooney is the silver fox of silver foxes. Since his "ER" days, there's no denying that Clooney has only grown hotter with age. Clooney's speckled gray hair, boyish charm and incredibly good looks make him the man that every girl dreams of dating and that every guy only wishes he could be. 1. John Slattery: If you don't watch "Mad Men," you should. Not for the amazing costumes and sets or the subtle drama, but for this guy. His character left his wife for a hot, young, insipid secretary, which means there's still hope for us. Step into our office, Slattery.


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Arts

Caryn Horowitz | The Cultural Culinarian

I woke up yesterday morning to find the following text message on my phone sent from three different people: "The Elves are coming to Boston tomorrow!" The wheels started turning as I began waking up, and I realized that the texts were referring to the casting call for season seven of "Top Chef" by Magical Elves production company in Boston today. After a few more minutes passed and I became fully conscious, frustration began to settle in as I remembered how miserable I've been while watching the show recently.


The Setonian
Arts

Psychedelic band drops 'Cosmic Egg'

An awe-inspiring and astonishing event took place in 2004: Australian band Wolfmother dropped out of the sky aboard a groovy, intergalactic time capsule from the late '60s. The band was immediately embraced upon landing and its self-titled album, released in 2006, garnered the group critical acclaim for its sexy, modernized-throwback, hard rock sound. A feature in the video game Guitar Hero 2 cemented Wolfmother's iconic rocker status.


The Setonian
Arts

Exhibition explores work of New York AIDS activist group

One of the posters displayed in the Harvard Art Museum's new exhibition, "ACT UP: New York: Activism, Art, and the AIDS Crisis, 1987-1993," depicts a staunch opponent of safe-sex education and gay rights, Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor, and a condom side-by-side, with text that reads "Know your scumbags." A note under the condom says, "This one prevents AIDS."


The Setonian
Arts

35 Shots' sink in softly, but pack a punch

Great American family dramas tend to climax in rowdy feuds centered on tense holiday tables. Claire Denis' delicate French film "35 Shots of Rum" reflects more on the subtle intricacies of daily interactions, quietly and slowly building the story of a father and his daughter growing apart from each other.


The Setonian
Arts

White Collar' avoids stiff character stereotypes

Viewers might be reluctant to stay in on a Friday night to watch USA's new show "White Collar," but the criminal-turned-cop story might just be engaging enough to beat out going to a frat party.


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Arts

Sufjan Stevens surprises with 'The BQE'

Sufjan Stevens released "The BQE," a symphonic soundtrack for a film of the same name, on Oct. 20. The album defies expectations at every turn, using classical and contemporary influences in a multi-layered symphony that describes the frustrations and glories of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in New York City.


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Arts

Exhibit probes Western art

Harvard's Fogg and Busch-Reisinger museums may be closed for renovations, but the Arthur M. Sackler Museum remains open. It now houses some of the most important pieces from all three collections. The Sackler's fourth floor highlights Western art from antiquity through 1900 as a part of "Re-View," a survey of the Harvard Art Museum collections. Art from around the world is shown next to Greco-Roman and European art, illustrating how Western art has drawn inspiration from other cultures.


The Setonian
Arts

Amelia' crashes and burns amid poor plot development

The classic holiday fruitcake combines ingredients like dried fruits, nuts and sugar. Alone, these items are tasty treats, but when mixed together to form a fruitcake, the seemingly scrumptious ingredients typically make for a clustered, unpleasant mess.


The Setonian
Arts

Sending up our conception of the instrument

A video playing on a wall might seem out of place in a collegiate institution. Even more so when the institution is MIT, and the video isn't about nuclear fission or astrophysics, but music.