Monday, February 27, 2006

78th Academy Awards shows potential for upsets

By Leslie Adkins

The glitz, glamour and glory have finally arrived. As March 5 draws closer and closer, designers of haute couture will begin their annual Oscar hustle, peddling their newest designs from one high-profile actress to another. Workers at the Shrine Auditorium will dust off the ruby red carpet that blankets the sidewalk once a year. Network executives will pray to the entertainment gods and muses for a boost in the show’s television ratings, a feat not achieved in the past three years. While most viewers will watch patiently as a few lucky Oscar nominees become winners, American film critics will undoubtedly be at the edge of their seats to see who emerges victorious in what has become one of the most critically-polarized Oscar race in recent memory. More »

Debunking the myth behind the Arctic Monkeys

By Caroline McKenzie, The Dartmouth Senior Staff

Anyone who follows news in the world of independent music has surely by now heard of the little band with the tragically bad name, Arctic Monkeys. Since the band’s demos became available over the internet in late 2004, British youths have gone mad (perhaps “ape-sh*t” would be a more appropriate colloquialism) over the new thing from Sheffield, the city whose last great contribution to music came in the form of Jarvis Cocker and Pulp. Monkeys concerts began selling out before the band even had a contract; the boys, led by 19-year-old singer Alex Turner, began appearing in music rags nearly every month, and the country was generally enraptured with a band that made a name for itself purely from huge fan support. More »