HARRY KAPLOWITZ

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Spoon feeds tasty indie pop

By HARRY KAPLOWITZ | July 19

MUSICREVIEW Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 4 stars Fans of the Austin band Spoon could make an argument for dividing the career of Britt Daniel and his indie rock outfit into two distinct periods. First comes the time prior to their signing with Durham-based Merge Records, which gave way to two respectable albums and a triumvirate of good EPs. Then there are the four years that followed, which saw the band release three acclaimed and (relatively) popular LPs: 2001's Girls Can Tell, 2002's Kill the Moonlight and 2005's Gimme Fiction.

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'Jarvis' a pulp of delectably emotional Britpop

By HARRY KAPLOWITZ | April 26

Music Review Jarvis Cocker Jarvis 4 stars There's really no way to get around it: Jarvis Cocker has crafted one of the best, most enjoyable albums of the year. Never mind that it's been out in the UK since November and that its quality should come as no surprise to anyone who knows what Cocker has been and is capable of. His eponymous solo debut feels like an uncovered gem in modern Britpop, and that's a shame because the album is about as classic-sounding as anything that's been released this year.

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'Disturbia,' for what it is, thrills and entertains

By HARRY KAPLOWITZ | April 26

Movie Review Disturbia 3.5 Stars The most you can ask of a film, regardless of genre or star power, is that it entertain you. "Disturbia," in all its teeny-bopper glory, entertains with the best of them. It's one of those unique films that you almost feel bad for liking. But if you're part of the film's target demographic -in this case, not old enough to buy a pack of Camel Lights - then you'll surely enjoy everything director D.J. Caruso offers in "Disturbia." The beauty of this film, though, is that moviegoers outside of that intended sect can find plenty of things to like.

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Students treated to Spike Lee unplugged

By HARRY KAPLOWITZ | April 24

"An Evening with Spike Lee," Monday night's Carolina Union Activities Board-sponsored lecture from the award-winning director of "Do the Right Thing," gave students a rare look at America through the frames of one of its most vocal critics. But it was in the nearby Graham Memorial lounge where select faculty and student leaders got the chance to tackle those issues head-on. In a sold-out lecture that carried a reduced $12,500 price tag, Lee touched on an array of social, cultural and political issues. And he even found time to discuss aspects of his 20-year film career.

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Famed director to talk today

By HARRY KAPLOWITZ | April 23

If the subtitle to his lecture is any indication, attendees to tonight's "An Evening with Spike Lee" can expect a pointed exposition on more than just Lee's career as a writer and filmmaker. Dubbed "America Through My Lens," the lecture, sponsored by the Carolina Union Activities Board, will give students the opportunity to hear the Oscar-nominated director of "Do the Right Thing" and "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" discuss a variety of issues not limited to Lee's storied career.

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Theater group explores Jewry

By HARRY KAPLOWITZ | April 17

You're the rookie executive producer of an upstart campus theater company. After nearly three months of auditions, rehearsals and promotion, your premiere production is about to be performed in front of an audience for the first time. Oh yeah, and you're in it, too. So how do you feel? "I was ready to go on stage," said sophomore Andrew Coonin, founder of UNC's Jewish Theatre Company. Coonin also is acting in and is executive producer for the company's first play, Alfred Uhry's "The Last Night of Ballyhoo."

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This one time at fat camp .

By HARRY KAPLOWITZ | March 22

There are so many things wrong with television nowadays that pointing out just how far from respectability the medium has fallen is akin to beating a dead horse. Look no further than the entirety of CBS' nonathletic lineup for some real lackluster programming. And don't even get me started . again . on that whole "Grey's Anatomy" thing.

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Band tapped for SpringFest

By HARRY KAPLOWITZ | March 21

Two weeks after its official announcement, student groups behind the upcoming SpringFest have selected a band to headline the long-anticipated event. Carbon Leaf, a Celtic-infused pop/rock outfit from Richmond, Va., has been selected to perform at the student government-backed concert, set to take place at 4 p.m. April 20 on the Ehringhaus Recreation Field. The event will cost about $14,000, said Hilary Marshall, chairwoman of the executive branch's student life committee.

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Alumni duo breaks cinematic ice in 'Blades'

By HARRY KAPLOWITZ | March 20

Though it seems about as far away from Chapel Hill as its premise is from reality, "Blades of Glory," the upcoming film starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder, has a Carolina pedigree. John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky, who graduated from UNC in 1985 and moved to Hollywood together seeking work, were two of the comedy's five writers. The duo, who serve as executive producers and "show runners" for Fox's "King of the Hill," said "Blades of Glory" - the first film they've worked on that's gotten the green light - helped flesh out their careers in Hollywood.

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Ben Folds draws tent village, sellout

By HARRY KAPLOWITZ | February 22

Walking by Memorial Hall late Tuesday evening, passersby could have thought they'd wandered into Krzyzewskiville the night before a big game. Tents enveloped the lawn in front of New West and the sidewalk outside Memorial Hall were barely visible between handfuls of mobile dorm rooms supported by flexible rods. But this scene was in anticipation of a different kind of March Madness.