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Good fitness takes small, realistic lifestyle changes

By Alyssa Pry | September 17

"Rome wasn't built in a day." How many times have we heard that expression? Although it's pretty annoying, it's also pretty true, especially when we relate it to a healthy lifestyle. You can't possibly change your life all at once, but if you make small changes, it's a lot easier to reach your goal.

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News

Britney's bad moves lose fans

By Everett Brothers | September 17

Within the first few moments of the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, an implosion occurred in living rooms across the United States: Britney Spears had broken the hearts of an entire generation. Once heralded as the one-woman entertainment powerhouse of the new millennium, Britney Spears has proven to the public today that she is emotionally unstable, cognitively dormant and has more trouble pinning her evasive shadow of glory to her fake hair extensions than Peter Pan did to his shoes.

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News

Daily life skills do not translate

By Andrew Robinson | September 17

Apparently, most people in my home state of Kentucky would be having a nervous breakdown if they were in my position. Whenever I mention I'm studying abroad in Tokyo for a year, I'm usually met with, "Oh, I would be so nervous if I were you!" or, "Aren't you scared? I know I would be!" I have a need to convince everyone I meet that I am a man unmatched in courage and unfazed by dire circumstances (except finding large spiders in unexpected places - to that, I freely admit my childish, hysterical fear).

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News

Totally tote: Top seven bags

By Lara Stevenson and Virginia Beckett | September 17

Only a few weeks into school and you're finally starting to realize: That little backpack is practical, but not exactly cute. Sure, your initials on that plain, monogrammed bag are useful if you lose it, but why not get a bag that you love - one that would be impossible to lose simply because you couldn't take your eyes off it? Why start each day with a bag like everyone else's when your tote should be as original as you are? We're tired of seeing those monotonous, black and blue schoolbags wherever we go, and we decided to make things simple for you.

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News

Moore, Vedder fly solo; Rogue Wave crashes hard

September 17

"Asleep At Heaven's Gate" (Brushfire) Sounds like: Everything you've already heard before and wouldn't care to listen to again. Grade: C+ Disappointingly, Rogue Wave sounds nothing like one. In fact, listening to too much of them invites prayers for just that.

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News

A universal message

By Kristen Powell | September 17

Filmmaker Julie Taymor had her work cut out for her directing and co-writing the recent film musical "Across the Universe," which opens nationwide this Friday. Taymor's task of reinterpreting the music of the Beatles was not a light one. "I was in the room when Paul McCartney saw it," she said.

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News

Public's voices drown out critics

By Stephen Trinagli | September 17

In this final installment, "Film Critics and the Film Industry" highlights "Snakes on a Plane" and why that might have been the one film appropriate to pass over film critics. "The Da Vinci Code" gave film industry executives some indication of the methods to make a movie successful without investing itself in print-media coverage, the most important of which was to create buzz or controversy months in advance of the film's release.

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News

Festival provides outlet for short films

By Donna Ledbetter | September 17

Some consider short films to be the proving ground for future filmmakers. The catch: There are very few festivals in the United States that give exclusive attention to this cinematic subculture. Working to change that is the DC Shorts Festival, which runs through this Thursday at Landmark's E Street Cinema in downtown D.

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News

Folk band keeps it in the family

By Donny Sheldon | September 17

Few modern bands are as dependent upon each other as the folk-inspired experimental rock quartet Akron and Family, performing in D.C. this Tuesday. On stage, the band members do not abide by such titles as bassist, drummer, vocalist or guitarist. In fact, Akron/Family's members do not have clear-cut roles whatsoever; everyone sings the lyrics and plays whatever instrument they feel like playing.

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News

Don't rock out when 'Woodcock' is out

By Bryan Koenig | September 13

Do you remember the fat kid who grew up to be Seann William Scott? Me neither. It is from this leap of faith that "Mr. Woodcock" begins, a well-intentioned and reasonably funny movie that opens nationwide tomorrow. Scott plays John Farley, the fat kid who left his humble Forest Meadow home in Nebraska to write what is possibly the corniest self-help book ever conceived.

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News

Black Lips hit Black Cat Saturday

By Hilary Crowe | September 13

The ferocious foursome that is the Black Lips has been touring relentlessly for the past seven years, stopping at the Black Cat this Saturday. But don't be surprised if you haven't heard of the band - only recently has the band received attention from major media outlets.

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News

Animal Collective assembles again to explore grief further

By Donny Sheldon | September 13

The key to Animal Collective's staggering stature in the experimental genre is not the band as a whole, but rather the sum of its parts. The band itself is a patchwork of creativity, including the likes of Panda Bear (also known as Noah Lennox), Avey Tare (David Portner), Deakin (Josh Dibb) and Geologist (Brian Weitz), all of whom have released individual work under each of their respective aliases, and unite as Animal Collective.

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News

Comedians shine on Death Ray's 4th anniversary disc

By Mike Carusi | September 13

Comedians jump at the chance to slug U.S. politicians with a few jokes. But what really sets certain comedians apart from the rest is their ability to send audiences into roaring fits of laughter without poking fun at the president, the Dubai ports deal or other such political mishaps.

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News

Warsaw trip reveals more than expected

By Madalyn Wasilczuk | September 13

As a study abroad student, I was aware things were going to be different from home. But it has already become infinitely apparent how many of those differences I took for granted. Arriving in Krakow, Poland's capital, I was greeted by cobblestone streets, cars parked on sidewalks and hundreds of Polish signs I couldn't read.

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News

The National sells out 9:30 club, finds success with latest album

By Cameron Conway | September 13

Not to suggest that The National's music is overbearing in the slightest, but it's just that when it gets into your head, it never quite leaves. The band is the kind of band that doesn't go away, as hard as you might try to keep it out of your speakers. You can try and wean yourself off of it, but as soon as you hear a couple seconds of one of its late-night television performances, you'll be addicted all over again.

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News

Week in Fun Calendar

September 13

Thursday, Sept. 13 D.C. Shorts Film Festival Landmark E Street Cinema 555 11th St. N.W. 7 p.m., $12 for students A conservative Christian and a radical feminist fall in love. A seedy motel becomes the scene of murder. An American Muslim ponders his social position in modern society.

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News

Life and times at the gay rodeo

By Iliana Imberman Berkowitz | September 13

A thick dust settles over the arena as partners Keith Huber and Rob Sterner tie a magenta bow on the tail of an incredibly animated steer. The steer twitches severely, jumping up on its hind legs to avoid being pegged with the vibrant strip of cloth. After several noble attempts, the arena clown, whose uniform dons the moniker "Arena Bitch," announces, "That steer does not like that color, and I don't blame him!" Welcome to the Gay Rodeo.

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