Brook Corwin

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Twists de?ne race for top slot

By Brook Corwin | January 10

March 3 — Throughout a prolonged seven-week campaign, student body president candidate Matt Calabria was always ready with well-measured words. Late Tuesday night, he finally was at a loss for them. In the conclusion to what will likely go down as one of the most heated and competitive student elections in school history, Calabria emerged the victor and will be UNC’s next student body president.

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'Guy Thing' Meant for Men, Women, But Disappoints Both

By Brook Corwin | January 23

"A Guy Thing" 2 Stars Movie studios will work long and hard to keep a romantic comedy away from the dreaded "chick flick" designation. Such films already target the female market, and keeping the male population from taking a machismo-induced flight is a sure-fire way to light up box office receipts. Give "A Guy Thing" some sort of credit -- it tries. The casting of Jason Lee alone deserves effort points. Lee ("Almost Famous," "Mall Rats"), delivers sharp dialogue using the kind of sardonic wit many guys aspire to achieve.

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Artistic Community

By Brook Corwin | January 16

For a program that is already well-established and almost universally praised, Arts Carolina is operating in a state of continued limbo. The program has just completed its three-year initiative, and during that time it can lay claim to organizing several festivals, publicizing hundreds of arts events through its Web site and periodical, leading an artistic campus response to Sept. 11, and being the target of a glowing evaluation. But those credits don't necessarily add up to permanent future funding.

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Massive 'Towers' Weaves Beauty, Brilliance

By Brook Corwin | January 9

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" 4 Stars From its breathtaking first scene to its cliffhanger ending, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" doesn't practice cinematic restraint. Nor does it ever have a reason to. An epic in the grandest sense of the word, "The Two Towers" pushes outward the scope of its predecessor -- "The Fellowship of the Ring" -- expanding the breadth of the series to gigantic proportions. Close-ups zoom back to helicopter shots; extras are supplemented by digitally created armies; sound stages are replaced by on-location filming.

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Arts Carolina to Be Renewed for Another Semester

By Brook Corwin | December 7

Even after its three-year pilot period ends with the calender year, Arts Carolina will continue to operate for at least one more semester thanks to additional funding by the College of Arts and Sciences. And officials at Arts Carolina and the College of Arts and Sciences said they hope a positive evaluation of Arts Carolina published this week will help the program secure permanent funding -- possibly through an increase in student fees. "Everything is very hopeful right now," said Amy Brannock, director of Arts Carolina.

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ESRB Ratings Grade Game Age Appeal

By Brook Corwin | November 21

There's an old adage in the entertainment industry -- sex sells. And when sexual content is clearly identified on the package of a video game -- along with violence, profanity and other forms of mature content -- that belief is put to the test.

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Old 97's Miller Ignites Cradle Show With New Take on Old Material

By Brook Corwin | November 14

Rhett Miller and the Instigators Cat's Cradle Monday, Nov. 11 3 Stars Rhett Miller has some unfinished business. The frontman of country-rock group the Old 97's is touring the nation with his own backup band to promote his poppy new solo album, The Instigator. But Monday night at the Cat's Cradle, Miller's performance had a secondary purpose. If the individually charged show was any indication, Miller has another task he wants to take care of before moving forward with a solo career -- reclaiming the songs he performed with the Old 97's as his own.

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Concert to Benefit World Camp for Kids

By Brook Corwin | November 14

Students heading out tonight to the Chapel Hill bar scene can make their money go a long way -- as far as Malawi, Africa. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., Pantana Bob's on Rosemary Street will host a benefit concert for World Camp for Kids, a nonprofit organization founded by UNC students that sends volunteers to educate poor children in Malawi. All of the proceeds from the show's $5 cover charge will go to help paying travel and living costs for about 40 volunteers signed on for the three-month program this summer.

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Timberlake's Debut Doesn't Justify Leaving Band Behind

By Brook Corwin | November 14

Justin Timberlake Justified 2 Stars There are a lot of motivating factors in making a solo album -- even when your group is selling millions of records. There's the need to go in a new musical direction, the desire to get breathing room from pesky bandmates or the opportunity to gain attention as an individual artist. For 'NSync crooner Justin Timberlake, it's the chance to make your dream party mix. Except that when you've sold as many albums with your old group as Timberlake, you get the best people to do the mixing.

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Threads of Local Music

By Brook Corwin | November 7

Zeke Graves looked out from the Go! Studios stage Friday night and saw a crowd that wasn't familiar. The singer and guitarist of the Chapel Hill-based band Cold Sides was performing on a bill that featured three other groups, and most of the 107 paying patrons huddled in front of the stage weren't typical Cold Sides fans. "It was a completely different audience than we're used to playing for," Graves said moments after the show. "The crowd was much younger." With three other groups sharing the bill, such a new audience hardly came as a surprise.