Arts & Culture - The Daily Tar Heel

Cartoonist Changes To Author With Ease

By Brooks Firth | Oct. 29, 2001

Doug Marlette has collected an impressive list of credentials during his ever-expanding career -- acclaimed political cartoonist, UNC faculty member and best-selling author. And for Marlette these areas, while being different mediums, are based on the same basic ideas. "Kudzu" creator turned novelist Marlette and his friend and fellow author Pat Conroy brought their words -- both spoken and written -- to Carroll Hall on Sunday. Conroy, author of the best-selling novel "Beach Music," joined the cartoonist for a discussion and book signing of Marlette's debut novel, "The Bridge."

Applesauce, Emotion Abounds in Latest Studio 2 Play

By Kristen Williams | Oct. 26, 2001

A man drowning in a vat of applesauce is the catalyst for the plot of "Mashed Peas and Broken Dreams" a Studio 2 production opening today. The death-by-applesauce plot might sound random, but, as the cast agrees, that's the point of the play. It mirrors the absurdity of real life. "I had heard of a similar accident, but I guess I got the idea from something small town that could bring a community together," said Annie Alvarez, playwright and senior drama major.

Algonquin Books Founder's Reading Taped by C-SPAN

By Jenise Hudson | Oct. 26, 2001

Former UNC professor and Algonquin Books founder Louis Rubin garnered the attention of both local residents and C-SPAN television at a book reading Thursday. Rubin read from his latest book, "An Honorable Estate: My Time in the Working Press," at the Bull's Head Bookshop. The book follows the publisher's early career as a young reporter in Virginia. Rubin said he wrote the book because he was curious about what had led him to becoming a teacher and founder of a publishing company.

Loreleis Celebrate 20 Years of Song

By Zach Hemenway | Oct. 26, 2001

It was October 1981. Eight girls, all UNC undergraduates, got together to sing at a Morehead banquet. They called themselves the Loreleis, after their favorite song, and they sang that song along with "Sentimental Journey" and other ballads.The audience loved their a cappella vocal harmonies; a thank-you note described them as "eight women who could sound like 50."

O'Connor to Kick Off Performing Arts Series

By Harmony Johnson | Oct. 26, 2001

Shopping for the latest Mark O'Connor album is a little more like a scavenger hunt than a simple purchase. While most music stores won't place an artist's work under more than one genre title, it's hard to find the right place for the versatile violinist and composer who will kickoff the 2001-02 Performing Arts Series 8 p.m. today in Memorial Hall. O'Connor's credentials read like a who's who list of country, classical, Christian, jazz and folk music performers and seem to defy categorization.

'Cars' Makes for Disappointing Ride

By Jenise Hudson | Oct. 25, 2001

"Riding in Cars with Boys" 2 Stars As long as the Lifetime channel is making true-life movies by the dozens, you needn't buy a ticket to see "Riding in Cars With Boys," because you'd be wasting your money.

Children Entertain With Rollicking Folk

By Harmony Johnson | Oct. 25, 2001

Jump Little Children Thursday, October 11 3 Stars If Jump, Little Children's latest album was an emotional roller coaster ride through the ups and downs of love, then the band took its audience on the same unpredictable journey at the Cat's Cradle. Playing before a sold-out crowd at the Cradle, the acoustic-funk popsters alternated between tracks from Vertigo and older material, mixing high-energy tunes with introspective ballads for a show that seemed to leave the audience in a carnival-esque feeling of dizzy exhilaration.

Redford Climbs 'Castle' Walls

By Nick Parker | Oct. 25, 2001

"The Last Castle" 4 stars Basically a prison movie, "The Last Castle" is exceptional because it doesn't act like one. "The Last Castle" is the story of one heavily ornamented General Irwin (Robert Redford) who is arrested and dishonorably imprisoned in a military hold known as "The Castle." The battle for power between him and the corrupt warden, Colonel Winter (James Gandolfini), creates a conflict that turns criminals into heroes.

Where Are They Now?

By Staff Editor | Oct. 25, 2001

Susan Sarandon The actress who got her start in a deodorant commercial has gone on to give some truly notable performances in big-time Hollywood. Since appearing in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" as Janet Weiss, Sarandon has starred in films such as 1986's "Bull Durham," 1991's "Thelma & Louise" and 1998's "Stepmom." In 1996, she took home an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean in the previous year's "Dead Man Walking." Sarandon most recently starred in this year's "Baby's In Black." Barry Bostwick

Dive Recommends

By Brian Millikin | Oct. 25, 2001

-Guided by Voices I don't think a much better or tighter rock band is out there today. Front man Robert Pollard used to teach fourth-grade English, and now he drinks himself off the stage every night. They have it all in spades: the lo-fi indie stage and the Cheap Trick-Weezer-Beatles phase. - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel One of the very best albums of the last few years and definitely the best psych-folk record ever produced. It's twisted and seductive. There's just no beating fuzzy bass and theromin.

Stomach-Turning `From Hell' Falls Flat

By Michelle Jarboe | Oct. 25, 2001

"From Hell" 2 stars It takes two actors as beautiful as Johnny Depp and Heather Graham to keep the filmgoer from blanching in reaction to the gore of "From Hell." This Hughes brothers film focuses upon one particular explanation for the Jack the Ripper killings in 19th century England. The theory espoused in the film is directly based on the heavily researched, extensive graphic novel "From Hell."

Being Rocky Horror

By James Russ | Oct. 25, 2001

Some people find release in sports or artwork. But for veteran actor/audience member Scott Dirl, Friday night's "Rocky Horror Picture Show" is his own personal brand of escape. A bald, middle-aged man dressed in a white tuxedo with a priest's collar, Dirl stands out like a sore thumb among the mainly black clad twenty-somethings in the Rialto Theater's audience. But once "Rocky Horror" begins, he breaks from his reserved demeanor and becomes another voice in the chorus of remarks being yelled at the on-screen actors.

Kojak Struggles Through Monoton

By Brooks Firth | Oct. 25, 2001

New Wet Kojak No.4 EP 3 Stars Let's call No. 4 EP the concept album that should have been. New Wet Kojak recorded the five tracks of No. 4 EP in five days. The result sounds strangely like a five day workweek. Each track on this, their fourth album, struggles slowly from Monday to Friday, using the same old tricks again and again. With this album, the New York-based group seems to be aiming for experimental sonic art. But the tracks are so formulaic that No. 4 EP is pushed into that dreaded category of music you can put on and then ignore.

Nectarine Gets Lost In Maelstrom of Sound

By Jeremy Fisher | Oct. 25, 2001

The Nectarine No. 9 Received Transgressed & Transmitted 3 Stars Ever since musical pioneers like Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa gave the rock community permission to be as weird as they wanted to be, countless bands have tried to follow in their wake. Received Transgressed & Transmitted, the latest album by British group The Nectarine No. 9, fights like hell to equal the bizarre innovation of Beefheart and Zappa, and, to the band's credit, they almost get it right.

Strokes Have Solid Debut; Bush Matures

By Staff Editor | Oct. 25, 2001

Bush Golden State 5 Stars Raw and powerful, Bush's fourth album, Golden State, makes great strides while thankfully digressing to real rock. Returning to the classic grunge style reminiscent of Nirvana and its own Sixteen Stone, Bush has matured quite a bit. The result is an aggressive mix that makes you feel pumped yet complacent. Gavin Rossdale's plaintive voice now boost lyrics confronting more mature issues like love and personal growth. The band has moved past its youthful angst to find a beautiful yet energetic voice.

Film Soundtrack Still Fascinates After 26 Years

By Russ Lane | Oct. 25, 2001

While the whole idea of "Don't dream it/Be it" appeals to everyone on some level, there are ultimately two types of "Rocky Horror Picture Show" aficionados. The first appreciate the film for the shameless glee it exudes. For these, "Rocky Horror" is good, not-so-clean fun, and it's not unlike the naughty expression on Marilyn Monroe's face when her pure white dress blew upward in in the breeze.

New Order Revitalizes '80s Synth-Pop Groove

By Michelle Jarboe | Oct. 25, 2001

New Order Get Ready 4 Stars New Order's new album is like a very comfortable piece of clothing that you bought in the '80s but are not embarrassed to wear out in public today. Get Ready showcases New Order's impressive ability to preserve the past without reliving it. Although the album has sounds like your cookie-cutter '80s synth-pop band, it lacks the repackaged feeling too common with established bands who have found their style and refuse to change.

Playmakers' Season Opens With Anti-Hate Message

By Michelle Jarboe | Oct. 23, 2001

PlayMakers Repertory Company opened its new season Saturday by focusing on the aftermath of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard's death. But while some would expect "The Laramie Project" to promote gay rights, the play chose to condemn the hatefulness prompting Shepard's murder.

Exhibit Showcases Cohesion

By Nick Parker | Oct. 23, 2001

While recent events test the cohesiveness of American communities, the N.C. Museum of Art's latest exhibit asserts that they are indeed "Indivisible." Taking its name from the Pledge of Allegiance, "Indivisible: Stories of American Community" examines American strength and vitality through 12 diverse communities. With more than 150 photographs and more than an hour of total audio clips from the communities, the exhibit shows how people can all come together to accomplish a single goal.

Family Influential Part Of Stacey Earle's Music

By Michael Abernethy | Oct. 17, 2001

Singer/songwriter Stacey Earle might be raking in critical acclaim for her unique blend of country, pop and folk, but she hasn't forgotten her roots. Earle, who will be performing Sunday at the Carrboro ArtsCenter at 300-G E. Main St., has always relied on her close-knit family for help and support. And she is the first to admit that her family ties have had much to do with her success as a solo artist. Her husband, Mark Stuart, is not only her partner in life but also her partner in music.