Scene

News

Bard brought into question

By Haely Jardas | September 30

Many scholars believe that it was not the man from Stratford who wrote the works we praise William Shakespeare for, and you would be hard-pressed to find any scholar more enthusiastic about the topic than Dr. Felicia Londre. She recently made a visit to AU, where she presented her views on the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare’s true identity.

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News

Bookworms gather in D.C.

By Stephanie Jaar | September 30

Some of the United States’ most successful and prominent authors gathered in D.C. this past weekend to celebrate literature at the ninth annual National Book Festival.

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News

‘Antlers’ charge at undefined territory

By Katrina Casino | September 30

Described as “dream pop” and later even as “nightmare pop,” the Antlers consistently refuse labels, insisting that as their music grows and changes, it takes on an ever-changing life and identity of its own.

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News

Perfect roast makes happy chef

By Will Koper | September 30

The beauty of roasting is that it doesn’t take much attention; you don’t need to peel or chop anything, you don’t need to slave over a hot stove — nothing about it requires your attention for more than one minute at a time. And, once it’s done, you can throw together a simple salad, grab a chunk of good bread and have a gourmet meal worthy of the French ambassador in less than five minutes.

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News

U.S. goes ‘Gaga’ over pop stars

By Katrina Casino | September 27

Lady Gaga can do whatever she wants. Endless radio play of disco stick innuendo? Sure. Dress of Kermit the Frog dolls? No problem. Choreographed wheelchair dances followed by an over-the-top staging of her own death? Why not — she’s just a pop star, right? Lady Gaga, coming this Tuesday, Sept. 29 to D.A.R. Constitution Hall, is the latest brand of American pop star and the epitome of what our culture has become — satire. Singing about glamour, fame and money in a time where our country is experiencing a major economic recession, Lady Gaga has functioned almost as an escape where all we want to do is: just dance. Pop super stardom, now a relatively female-dominated and culturally-harmless arena, began almost as something dangerous. Elvis Presley and his hip-swinging, new-fangled rock music brought music to the masses, entrancing American teens and making parents across the country nervous for the tainted morals of their children. And despite efforts to censor Presley, his popularity grew to iconic standards. Bandstand.”

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News

‘ODST’ adds shock to ‘Halo’

By Michael Conte | September 27

The “Halo” series started out as a game that merged visceral, tactical action with an excellent story line and powerful atmosphere. For better or worse, the sequels followed the same formula and were defined by many as games that either did or did not live up to the original. “Halo 3: ODST” however, is a curious item. While not long or new enough to be considered more than an expansion pack, the game explores a different approach to the series and becomes all the more interesting for it.

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News

Quaid can't redeem sci-fi

By Bryan Koenig | September 27

“Pandorum” feels like a movie that doesn’t quite know what to make of itself. It tries to be paranoid, but ends up not making sense. It tries to be exciting, but manages only to keep you curious about how the abyss of space will go bump in the night. And so the job of figuring out whether the film is science fiction, horror, psychological thriller or some sort of creative is left to the audience.

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News

Funny gal talks comedy

By Haely Jardas | September 27

Although nerves can strike as they would with any performer, Poundstone seemed unfazed by other obstacles. “What’s the worst that could happen?” Poundstone asked. “They don’t laugh? So what?”

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News

Soderbergh perfects film genre switch

By Donny T Sheldon | September 27

Rotating back and forth between indie pioneer and blockbuster connoisseur, Academy Award-winner Steven Soderbergh is as bipolar as filmmakers come.

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News

Film shows new side of army life

By Natalie Kirkpatrick | September 27

“Where are you from?” It’s a simple question. It’s one that is asked after learning a person’s name. But for five percent of the United States population, it’s a rather difficult question.

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News

Americans take abroad for granted

By William F Zeman | September 27

“My old passport had so many cool visas,” she tells me in her Ankara apartment, a pot of mercimek çorbas? simmering on the stove. (Mercimek çorbas? translates as “lentil soup.” But, like the name, it’s much better in Turkish.)

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News

‘Moonlight’ shines on D.C. stage

By Ali Goldstein | September 27

Those who have crossed the line from aging to dying share certain mannerisms. Eyes squint. Voices rise and fall. Hands twitch uncontrollably. The world has lost its focus and keeps coming in and out of clarity like an old record player whose needle can’t hit the groove.

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News

Swedes give 9:30 ‘Sound’ energy

By Claudia NuezCespedes | September 27

Hoping that they’ll live up to their name, one has a lot of expectations when seeing a band called The Sounds play live. And, boy, do they deliver sound — sound that leaves you wanting more, despite the pestering feedback you can still hear two days later. Promoting their third album, “Crossing the Rubicon,” The Sounds rocked the house Monday, Sept. 21 at the 9:30 club.

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News

New York band ‘walk’ all over set at 9:30 club

By Alex Rudolph | September 27

For 10 seconds in the middle of The Walkmen’s performance of “All Hands & The Cook” during their Sept. 22 show at the 9:30 club, singer Hamilton Leithauser arched his back, gripped his microphone and clearly exhibited every vein in his neck as he held a single note in the middle of the lyric, “If you don’t like it, won’t you tell me?”

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News

Feature photo: Rockin' the basement

September 27

Students enjoy WVAU’s first Capitol Punishment concert of the semester on Saturday night. In the basement of Kay Spiritual Life Center, D.C. bands Videohippos, Cheap Dinosaurs and DJ Dog Dick performed for free.

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News

Feature photo: Feeling it

September 27

The AU community attended a concert celebrating the Spanish and Latin American music on Friday. The concert featured AU music students like Emily Warden, ‘11 CAS (pictured). “Sientelo” in Spanish means “feel it.”

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News

Thompson is ‘all that’

By Erica Finkelstein | September 23

Think back to your childhood. TV shows probably took up a huge chunk of your time, which, unlike now, didn’t matter. Remember shows like “All That,” “The Amanda Show” and “Kenan and Kel?” What do these classic Nickelodeon shows have in common? Answer: Kenan Thompson. He made you laugh in the ‘90s and he still does today in 2009. Continuing his tradition of comedic excellence, Thompson’s career path has led him to become one of the lead cast members on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” In a recent interview with The Eagle, Thompson said he became aware of “SNL” when Eddie Murphy was a cast member. “I’ve been watching all through the late ‘80s and ‘90s, so I think [SNL] had a large impact on my life,” Thompson said. As an “SNL” cast member, Thompson explained, playing various roles continues to be tough.

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