Ashley Harrell

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Butchies Band With Indigo Girl For Raucous Cradle Assault

By Ashley Harrell | January 23

Amy Ray w/ The Butchies Cat's Cradle Thursday, Jan. 16 5 Stars When Durham's The Butchies took the stage Jan. 16 at Cat's Cradle and began to wail on their instruments, heartbeats were reset to the reverberations of the music. The three short-haired women, clad in collared, blood-red button-downs and black ties, rocked in ways most other girl bands scarcely could imagine.

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Indigo Girl to Bring New Punk Sound to Cat's Cradle

By Ashley Harrell | January 15

When Indigo Girl Amy Ray wakes up in the morning, the first thing she thinks about isn't being a role model for millions but feeding her cats. She's housed as many as 10 stray cats at once, one of many quirks that sets her apart from most rock stars. "I don't feel famous," she says. But she is famous -- just ask the devoted and drunken fans who requested her autograph on their bare butts at a concert.

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Sandler's Animated Foray Captures 'Crazy' Holiday Humor

By Ashley Harrell | December 7

Three Stars What do a shirtless sushi restaurant manager who bangs his head on tables, a man who eats a fatter man's jock strap and a woman with three breasts nursing three babies have in common? They're all from Adam Sandler's imagination. "Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights," caters to a specific younger crowd consisting of those who appreciate the off-kilter but reachable humor that Sandler so effortlessly achieves with quirky characters and absurd situations. Incorporating dramatic, musical and comedic aspects, the realistic fable-cartoon is not nearly up to par with "

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Lab! Theatre Hosts Christmas Play

By Ashley Harrell | November 20

"A Tuna Christmas" Lab! Theater Nov. 18th Three Stars If you're dreaming of a white trash Christmas, then there's a play you shouldn't miss. "A Tuna Christmas," the sequel to "Greater Tuna," revisits the 24 kooky residents of a small Texas town called Tuna. Just to keep things interesting, all the characters are played by two malleable actors -- Creighton Irons and Clay Griffith.

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Detestable 'Frida' Fails To Paint Good Picture

By Ashley Harrell | November 14

"Frida" 1 Star Salma Hayek's eyebrows were touching, but the movie "Frida" certainly was not. A suck-umentary biopic set in Mexico City in the early- to mid-1900s, the movie attempts to communicate artistically the importance of the Mexican Revolution and its influence on painters Frida Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera. Although the scenery is pretty to look at, the characters' personal lives are revealed in an unconvincing and boring way.

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Shocking 'Jackass' Lives Up to Television Fame

By Ashley Harrell | October 31

"Jackass: The Movie" 4 Stars Johnny Knoxville is living the new American dream -- making lots of money with not much effort -- exempt from respecting anyone, including himself. He's brilliant. "Jackass: The Movie," a Dickhouse Production starring Knoxville and some of his sadistic and willing cronies, succeeds in everything it sets out to do. Much like the former television show, each of the unrelated scenes is hilarious, vomit-inducing or just plain absurd, stimulating a variety of reactions from the audience for all its 85 minutes.

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Swing Music to Rock Carrboro

By Ashley Harrell | October 11

Swing lovers, magic enthusiasts and anyone who thought the 1940s was a good decade -- cancel your Saturday night plans immediately. Nashville's John Pyka, commonly known as "Big Daddy Cool," and his Swing Cat Dancers are on tour performing "Swinging at the Roxy," a musical, swing dance and magic show scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday at the Carrboro ArtsCenter. Unique for its plot line, the show is geared toward entertaining on a variety of levels. To Pyka's knowledge, this is the only show of its kind -- a swing dance performance complete with speaking parts and a storyline.

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Dive Recommends

By Ashley Harrell | October 10

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Author Talks With Students About Success

By Ashley Harrell | October 2

At his Tuesday question-and-answer session with the Carolina Production Guild and Writer's Block, the UNC screenwriter's club, Chuck Palahniuk summed up his success strategy in one key phrase. "I decided to write as offensively as possible," he said. Speaking on a variety of topics such as "TV-induced Alzheimer's," and silencing the rational mind, Palahniuk easily matched the persona his books reflect. It's hard to believe that publishing his most widely known book -- the cult classic "Fight Club" -- was a fluke.

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Comas Burst Out of Long Slumber With Energetic, Pulsating Assault

By Ashley Harrell | September 26

The Comas Go! Studios, Room 4 Friday, Sept. 20 4 Stars The stores were sold out of thick-framed glasses this weekend because everyone needed a pair for The Comas concert. The alternative-style music attracts Weezer look-a-likes from all over the tri-state area. From the outside of Go! Studios Room 4, the establishment appears to be a common shed, but inside one is bombarded with the sights, smells and vibrations of a claustrophobic yet poignant rock 'n' roll atmosphere.