Scene

News

D.C. music venues: there's one for everyone

August 15

D.C. is known for many things — namely politics, monuments and overpriced universities. But the nation's capital has a burgeoning music scene that is busting at the seams. Simply take a stroll down U Street, and you will find some of the most unique music venues in the country.

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News

Don’t fear the cliché: Monuments at night and other D.C. traditions

By Caitlin E Moore | August 15

Between classes and clubs AU students sometimes forget that we live in one of America’s greatest cities – Washington, D.C. This guide will help you take that first terrifying step out of Tenleytown and into the world of monuments, museums and Ben’s Chili Bowl. From the White House to Adam’s Morgan, there is something for everyone.

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News

AU offers musicians opportunities to stretch vocal cords, talents

By Michael W. Richardson | August 15

Coming to college can often serve as a sad excuse to give up your hobbies. Meeting new people, coping with a grossly-expanded reading schedule and timing your Terrace Dining Room trips to monopolize on fresh food leaves little time to pick up a guitar or work on your voice.

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News

Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift impress at Massachusetts concert

By Maggie Hollander | June 21

The forecast was for rain on June 5 here where over 55,000 people were driving to Gillette Stadium to see Taylor Swift on the final stop of her “Fearless” tour. But the sun finally began to peak out from behind the clouds, and by the time most of the crowd reached the home of the New England Patriots, it was the perfect weather for an outdoor summer concert.

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News

Summer playlists offer ‘Recovery’ from end-of-year rush

By Michael W. Richardson | June 1

Finals week means one thing to Scene Staffers: summer is coming soon, and with it, new wonderful music! Our recommendations for your heat-wave playlist include a new appearance from Eminem, the third album from Sri Lankan artist M.I.A. and the deep, soulful vocals of Matt Berninger in The National.

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News

R&B star Jason Derülo talks about his rapid rise to the top

By Maggie Hollander | May 17

It’s been a good year for Jason Derülo. The R&B artist came into the public eye less than a year ago when his first single, “Whatcha Say,” quickly rose on charts and countdowns across the country. Since then, he’s released his self-titled album, took over the airwaves once again with his second hit “In My Head,” toured with Lady Gaga and still isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

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News

Jennifer Coolidge goes from cameos to comedy

By Amrita Khalid | April 25

If you haven’t seen Jennifer Coolidge in a film or television show, you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade or so. As Coolidge gleefully gushes about climbing the ladder to a B-list movie career during her stand-up comedy show at the Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse, you realize that she’s been responsible for sending you into fits of uncontrollable laughter since you snuck a peek at “American Pie” in elementary school.

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News

Big knife, good hands key to cooking delicious meals

By Will Koper | April 25

This will most likely be my last column for The Eagle. I’ve given you all plenty of recipes over the past few months — everything from pasta to stir fry — and a few tips on how to mix it up and create your own dishes. But I wanted to use this last bit of column space to review some the techniques I’ve covered and compile some of my most important tips.

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News

Director Nicole Holofcener’s ‘Please Give’ offers female look into consumerist greed

By Donny T Sheldon | April 25

Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephron are too often cited as the only female directors making films about contemporary women’s issues. Both directors are consistently successful at the box office, yet their films celebrate wildly varying degrees of success. Although her films typically fly under the Meyers-Ephron radar, it is director Nicole Holofcener who is authoring better movies about women and tackling more sophisticated themes.

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News

Documentary "The Cartel" fails to educate on public schools

By Donny T Sheldon | April 25

Whoever gave news reporter-turned-director Bob Bowdon a camera and a tutorial in iMovie should be punished. His patronizing, ethically bankrupt documentary “The Cartel” serves as a train wreck of an example for aspiring documentarians to use as a complete antithesis for the type of work they should be making.

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News

Owl City show displays lack of experience

By Maggie Hollander | April 25

It was not too long ago that Adam Young, better known as Owl City, was just a guy making music in his parents’ basement late at night. His performance at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall last Thursday did nothing but exemplify this fact and proved that his past is all too recent.

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News

Characters reveal inner weaknesses in Mary Gaitskill’s ‘Don’t Cry’

By Emily Lagg | April 25

Mary Gaitskill’s new short story collection, “Don’t Cry,” is an eccentric novel that covers many things, among them Ethiopian babies, one-night stands, widows, soldiers and 43-year-old red-headed virgins. With little prologue, she is able to plumb the emotional depths of these and other idiosyncratically imagined characters, microscopically examining the bloody pulp of their thoughts and feelings — horrors, indignities, uncomfortable wants and all. Though these are certainly raw and bruise-inducing stories, at their core they are about our persistent drive as people to connect, love and know others and ourselves.

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News

‘Glee’ answers fans’ ‘prayers’ with Madonna episode

By Kelly Holliday | April 25

The television sensation “Glee” premiered its five-months-in-the-making Madonna-centric episode last Tuesday to high expectations, and didn’t fail to deliver. Gleeks were treated to some of the best “Glee” performances all season, including a female-empowered rendition of “Express Yourself” (during which Quinn’s baby bump mysteriously disappeared), and the convergence of Kurt (Chris Colfer), Mercedes (Amber Riley) and the Cheerios singing “4 Minutes.” Sue Sylvester’s (Jane Lynch) nearly shot-for-shot remake of the “Vogue” music video was perhaps the most brilliant and hilarious three-and-a-half minutes of the entire episode.

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News

Travel memoir "It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" provides juicy recipes for life

By Shailyn Tavella | April 25

Food critic and traveler Moira Hodgson’s memoir, “It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time,” reads like one of her food critiques. Simple, crisp descriptions of food frame the experience of a particular restaurant. Hodgson writes like she is whispering a secret in your ear about the flavors and flaws of a restaurant experience. Unlike her critiques, however, Hodgson’s novel does not have a gripping plot. The simplicity of her descriptions allows the reader to experience her life quite vividly, and like her critiques, these experiences are enhanced by mouth-watering descriptions of food.

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News

New Perfects, Pierced Arrows, Pretty Lights albums score well

By Stephan Cho | April 25

Baltimore’s own The Perfects recently released an infectiously good sophomore album. The band blends indie-rock flair with digitized sounds of synthesizers and vocoders. While this may cause purists to cry foul, it’s something you really have to listen to firsthand and appreciate in order to make a proper judgment. If the familiar pop and electronica beats lure you in, the surprising musical complexity will make you a devoted listener.

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News

New Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy needs ‘back-up plan’

By Melissa Chavez | April 21

Think of Jennifer Lopez’s newest film “The Back-Up Plan” as a mash-up of “Baby Mama” and “Knocked Up,” but not nearly as funny. While it is better than some of the more recent romantic comedies, the two main characters are hardly intriguing enough to keep the plot afloat. It is only the underused supporting cast and outlandish situations the couple face that help carry the film.

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News

Top 10 ways to be entertained for summer without going outside

By Michael W. Richardson | April 21

Even though the weather gods that control D.C. have seemingly gone off their medications temporarily, it’s likely they’ll calm down soon and usher in that oppressive heat and distracting sunlight that outdoorsy people call “summer.” (EDITOR’S NOTE: This climate theory has yet to go up to peer review.) And though we don’t have to worry about ash clouds or earthquakes, sometimes enjoying the outside world can be boring. Here are our picks for entertainment that do a great job of explaining what summer is like, just short of stepping out your front door.

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