Brooks Firth

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Media Mayhem

By Brooks Firth | August 29

Their screens glow inanimate against concrete walls, an Ethernet connection bringing UNC students swift access to all the music, movies, photographs and information that the Internet has to offer. But one eternal ethical question remains -- does ability beget the right? An interlacing of legalese, protection laws, copyright acts and disputes over the rights of the consumer and the rights of the artist can turn an attempt to responsibly download the fruits of other people's labors into a swamp of sour grapes and rotten apples.

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Museums' Exhibits, Special Programs Entice Visitors

By Brooks Firth | August 20

It has been hypothesized that visiting museums is becoming a lost and outdated art, especially among the younger generation. But many museums in the area disagree and open their doors to museum virgins and veterans alike, sharing permanent collections and visiting exhibitions. The Ackland Art Museum, located on the UNC campus, is one of many places to strike a pensive pose and contemplate brush strokes. "The Ackland is always free to students; in fact, it's free to everyone," said Andy Berner, assistant director of development at the Ackland Art Museum.

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Dollywood, Appalachia Combine

By Brooks Firth | July 3

Is it better to burn out than to fade away? Or better still to avoid the question entirely and change the rules? Dolly Parton's new album, Halos and Horns, adds to a trinity of bluegrass-heavy albums that marks a drastic change from the sequined country classics that made her the reigning queen of Nashville country in the '70s and '80s. The success of a genre relegated to the mountains, wholly due to last year's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, makes Parton's return to her roots less of a fading away.

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Art Goes From Carrboro Farmer's Market to Washington, D.C.

By Brooks Firth | May 30

High art and the Carrboro Farmers' Market are not usually entities entangled with each other. But Chapel Hill resident and photographer Sonia Katchian has found a talent for and public interest in the combination with The Carrboro Farmers' Market Photography Project.

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Disband Breaks Rules, Steals Basement Sound

By Brooks Firth | May 23

Ashes fell lightly to the Local 506's stage from the cigarette bassist Charlie Estes held at the corner of his mouth. Sprawled out in a spread stance, guitarist Brian Bedsworth forced out chords with the exaggerated body movements of a prize fighter. And sporting a sound that embodied the harder side of The Dismemberment Plan, Disband gave the crowd proof that the locals can keep up with the basement bands of larger cities.

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Docu-Drama Set in Afghanistan Finds Its Way to Chapel Hill

By Brooks Firth | April 25

"One day the world will see your troubles and come to your aid." Delivered to a group of refugee girls preparing to re-enter Afghanistan, this line from Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf's "Kandahar" was prophetic in the movie's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May of 2001. When the movie made its North American premiere Sept. 8 in Toronto, it was even more so. Now, almost a year after Cannes, this line and this film will be making their way to Chapel Hill during the film's eight-month distribution period.

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Awareness, Presence of Public Art Rising on Nation's Campuses

By Brooks Firth | March 28

New approaches to old ideas are more often than not met by combative forces. In the struggle to make art more of a public domain, the greatest challenge may not be bringing the art to the public but bringing the public to the art. Hoping to incorporate the development of public art into the Master Plan, UNC's Public Art Planning Committee has been drafting a proposal to be completed in mid-April. But the pitfalls of raising statues around campus may pale in comparison to the challenges of raising awareness of public art around campus.

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Dive Recommends

By Brooks Firth | March 21

Poses, Rufus Wainwright

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Chanticleer Redefines Perfection With Memorial Hall Performance

By Brooks Firth | March 21

Chanticleer Memorial Hall Tuesday, March 19 5 Stars Its secondary moniker is "an orchestra of voices." Yet it is rare to see any orchestral performance that so widely lays bare the expectations and emotions of its audience. The rarity of this phenomenon of undisputed musical excellence may have something to do with the rarity of this particular type of ensemble.

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Classic Disney Elements Fail to Rescue Modern Disney Sequel

By Brooks Firth | February 21

"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."