Arts & Culture - The Daily Tar Heel

Video Showing Offers Perspective on Al-Jazeera

By Graham Parker | Feb. 27, 2002

Students and faculty will get a rare inside look at the Arab world today, courtesy of a unique presentation by UNC Professor Gorham Kindem. Kindem, a communication studies professor at UNC, has put together a video presentation about al-Jazeera, a little-known Arab television network, and its view of the terrorist attacks, women in the Arab world and the ongoing war in Afghanistan. "Al-Jazeera, An Arab Voice for Freedom or Demagoguery? The UNC Tour," will show at 2 p.m. today in the Carolina Union film auditorium. Al-Jazeera came under intense global scrutiny after Sept. 11.

Toned-Down Jazz Festival Back on Campus

By Jill Spivey | Feb. 22, 2002

Sandwiched between two historic events, the 24th annual Carolina Jazz Festival is a more scaled-back affair. Last year's festival occurred in the midst of several noted events for the music genre, including the centennial of the birth of Louis Armstrong, and in 2003, the festival celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Classic Disney Elements Fail to Rescue Modern Disney Sequel

By Brooks Firth | Feb. 21, 2002

"Return to Never Land" 2 Stars The story always ends the same. Peter leaps off Wendy's windowsill, yells "Goodbye Wendy!" and Wendy always believes in Peter, fairies and pixie dust. But what do you do when you run out of fairy tales to tell, the world is full of kids who act older than their actual ages and your studio just isn't bringing people in like it used to? If you're Disney, you create a sequel. With a plot usually reserved for a straight-to-video release, Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Tinker Bell are back in theaters with "Return To Never Land."

dive recommends

By Michelle Jarobe | Feb. 21, 2002

Sun Ra Lanquidity Recorded in 1976 during the Arkestra's sojourn to Philadelphia, Lanquidity is the perfect mix of astrofunk with loose, grooving jazz. "High Art" So much for the Brat Pack -- Ally Sheedy throws off the mantle of "The Breakfast Club" and astounds as a heroin-chic lesbian photographer-in-hiding in this Sundance indie hit.

Capleton Fails to Produce Sparks; Mosley Channels Usher

By Staff Editor | Feb. 21, 2002

Capleton Still Blazin' Three Stars Jamaican reggae master Capleton is angry, and he wants to tell you about it -- too bad you won't be able to understand him. Throughout his newest album, Still Blazin', Capleton's edgy, ragged voice fires a barrage of unintelligible lyrics at the listener with the ferocity and impact of a machine gun. Capleton has taken all his anger and frustration, mixed in a few handfuls of Rastafarian soul and hip-hop rhythms and added a dash of social commentary to produce his latest work.

Blind Boys Make Believers Out of Cradle Audience

By Joanna Pearson | Feb. 21, 2002

The Blind Boys Cat's Cradle Sunday, Jan. 17 5 Stars If the second coming had happened Sunday night, I would have been right there. When Jesus does come back, he's going to look for The Blind Boys of Alabama -- and from the way they sing, Jesus shouldn't have a hard time finding them. The Blind Boys performed at the Cat's Cradle, transforming the place from a smoke-filled den of slinkers into a room of rollicking, hand-clapping folks just hollering for the Holy Spirit to descend.

Owens' Devout, Skilled Warbling Neglects Secular Sensibilities

By Allison Rost | Feb. 21, 2002

Two Stars The proliferation of young female sirens on the airwaves today, from Michelle Branch to Jewel, leaves little room for generic competitors to break through. But Nashville-based songstress Ginny Owens has one foot in the door: when Lilith Fair came to town in 1999, she was selected from 300 local musical groups to represent the area by performing in the show. The 26-year-old also possesses another characteristic that distinguishes her from the rest of the crowd: she has been completely blind since age 2.

Socially Conscious 'John Q' Takes Health Care Hostage

By Evan Lucas | Feb. 21, 2002

"John Q." 3 Stars If your child were desperately ill and in need of a heart transplant, how far would you go to make sure he received the necessary treatment? This situation is what Denzel Washington finds himself dealing with in his most recent film, "John Q." Washington plays a poor factory worker in desperate need of money to support his family. John Q. Archibald's life is turned upside down when it is determined that his son needs a heart transplant, a surgery that costs upward of $250,000.

And The Grammy Goes To...

By Staff Editor | Feb. 21, 2002

The 44th Grammy Awards will be presented at 8 p.m. Feb. 27 on CBS, and the Diversions staff picked who should win if there is any justice in this world. Place your own bets and tune in. Album of the Year All That You Can't Leave Behind -- U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind covers the middle ground for U2. It's not as political as War, as epic in scope as The Joshua Tree, as starkly personal as Achtung Baby or as daring as Zooropa.

Committee Supports Moving Forward With Public Art

By Jenise Hudson | Feb. 19, 2002

Members of the Public Art Committee decided Monday that they are prepared to move forward with plans for a public arts initiative at UNC. Voting unanimously to create a public arts program for the University, the committee agreed to draft a proposal for the program over the next two months. The decision was reached after more than an hour of discussion about how the committee should go about incorporating art into UNC's campus.

'Shutterbabe' Author Recounts Adventures

By Michelle Jarboe | Feb. 18, 2002

With her petite form mostly hidden by a podium, author and photojournalist Deborah Kogan challenged her audience with images and words about war, adventure and change. At the Bull's Head Bookshop in Student Stores on Thursday, Kogan spoke about her experiences as a woman, a photojournalist, a writer and a mother. Reading excerpts and showing slides from her debut book "Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War," she told a tale of both caution and inspiration.

Cake Saunters Onstage With Anti-Rock Star Stereotype

By Trafton Drew | Feb. 14, 2002

Cake The Ritz Thursday, Feb. 7 4 Stars When someone mentions aviator sunglasses and mesh hats, the words usually don't conjure an image of a rock star. Usually, it's more along the lines of "Bubba" the pig farmer. After seeing Cake in concert, that might change forever.

Lambchop Conjures Up Sultry Torch Singer Image

By Ashley Atkinson | Feb. 14, 2002

Lambchop Is a Woman 4 Stars Nashville, Tenn., is known these days as a music-making machine that chews up aspiring country artists and spits them out as processed, identical pop products. So there must have been a short circuit the day the machine made Lambchop -- a band that transcends its country- influenced roots to create music that is unclassifiable, guileless and beautiful on Is a Woman.

Dive Recommends

By Nick Parker | Feb. 14, 2002

"Rule of The Bone," Russell Banks Following the life of Chapman (a.k.a. Bone), this book is a coming-of-age novel that will change the way you look at the world. Bone is forced to deal with drugs, sex, isolation and pain in a search for himself that reveals the cruel underbelly of society. Strange and dark yet refreshingly inspirational, "Rule of The Bone," is forceful and sometimes lewd but shockingly powerful.

Lambchop Conjures Up Sultry Torch Singer Image

By Ashley Atkinson | Feb. 14, 2002

Lambchop Is a Woman 4 Stars Nashville, Tenn., is known these days as a music-making machine that chews up aspiring country artists and spits them out as processed, identical pop products. So there must have been a short circuit the day the machine made Lambchop -- a band that transcends its country- influenced roots to create music that is unclassifiable, guileless and beautiful on Is a Woman.

Cracker Struggles With Pop-Stardom; NIN Revisits Misery

By Staff Editor | Feb. 14, 2002

Matt Pond PA The Green Fury 3 Stars The experience of listening to Matt Pond PA's The Green Fury leaves one feeling an oddly pleasurable malaise. Matt Pond PA, an indie-pop sextet hailing from Philadelphia, blends various instruments into a muffled melancholy. A layering of guitar, bass, percussion, strings and vibes travels on a unsettling trip through The Green Fury. Sometimes the album seems like a product of a more indie-aggressive version of Coldplay. At others, it's more like a permutation of the The Shins.

The Big Quiz

By Staff Editor | Feb. 14, 2002

Print this page and fill out the answers of fun pop culture questions. Bring your quiz answers to The Daily Tar Heel office with your name, phone number and e-mail address attached. Sit back and relax, we'll contact you. 1. Name at least five female names that are also in song titles by the group Ben Folds Five. 2. What author coined the term "Generation X"? 3. What was David Duchovny's first television appearance (show and role)?

Schwarzenegger Fails to Overpower Terrorist Flick's Mediocre Plot Twist

By Jenise Hudson | Feb. 14, 2002

"Collateral Damage" 2 Stars Originally postponed for its sensitive content in the wake of Sept. 11, "Collateral Damage" serves up a mediocre plot that should have been canned all together. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this disappointing film as devoted fireman and father Gordon Brewer, whose wife and son are killed in a terrorist bombing. Learning the mysterious character smiling at him just minutes before the explosion was the Colombian nationalist responsible, Brewer immediately wants revenge.

Black Encourages, Warns UNC Students

By Nick Parker | Feb. 12, 2002

Before his nearly sold-out show at Memorial Hall, comedian and UNC alumnus Lewis Black shared his anger and his experiences with students studying theater -- a field close to his heart. Returning to his alma mater for his first professional performance at the University, Black spoke to nearly 30 students in the Center for Dramatic Art prior to the show. He recounted his years at UNC and ranted about the demanding nature of show business.

Black Unleashes His Anger At UNC, World in Standup

By Elliott Dube | Feb. 12, 2002

From the film "Network" came the famous saying: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" This quip is comedian Lewis Black in a nutshell. The oft-enraged Black, a UNC alumnus whose success has garnered him a recurring spot on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," chose Memorial Hall as his place to vent Monday night.