The Scene Articles

Set for Stardom

By Chase Kinser
Towering in his little chair and playing with straw wrappers, Forgetting Sarah Marshall writer and star Jason Segel was cracking a joke at every chance he could get. The actor boldly said that he was "born without a sense of shame." For anyone who has been paying attention to the recent surge in the success of Judd Apatow comedies, Jason Segel's lack of shame is certainly paying off.

Little freedom from 'Emancipation'

By Tue Tran / Features Editor
Eighteen years after her first single, "Vision of Love," Mariah Carey goes scientific. Titled E=MC2, her new album is as boring as Einstein's theory of relativity is to a communication major. The "E" represents "Emancipation" and the "MC2" stands for Mariah Carey to the second power.

Film Review

An unexpected leaves well welcomed

By Joseph Neese / Arts & Review Editor
Writer/director Tom McCarthy, who won a BAFTA award for his freshman screenplay The Station Agent, has found success once again with his sophomore release, The Visitor. Visitor centers on the character of Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins), an archetype for an aging man who has lost his passion in life.

Thrice breathes elements in 'Alchemy'

By Ben Shanbrom
Talk about progression. Not long ago, Thrice was considered by most to be just another generic, post-hardcore band out of the So Cal scene. However, just within the group's last two releases, they have matured and grown exponentially; 2005's Vheissu was proof that they were a creative force to be reckoned with, and they took such growth to an even further extreme in late 2007 by releasing the first half of a four-part elemental-based concept work, titled The Alchemy Index.

A Second Opinion: Tom McCarthy interview

By Joseph Neese / Arts & Review Editor
I had the privilege to spend some time with filmmaker Tom McCarthy, BC '88, last week - attending a screening with a talkback of his sophomore film, The Visitor (see my review on Page 8), on Tuesday night and engaging in a private interview with him on Wednesday in the Ritz-Carlton ballroom.

Drink Up!

Gummibar

By Claudia Huapaya
Ingredients: 2 ounces raspberry vodka, 3 ounces cranberry juice, 1 ounce raspberry schnapps Finally, the sun is shining, and we can feel the end of the semester rapidly approaching. With Marathon Monday marking what many would call the Final Lap, everyone should take time to savor this last bit of the academic year.

A restaurant that puts the Za in pizza

By Anne Muscarella
As more of my friends discover that I write restaurant reviews for The Heights, I receive more frequent restaurant recommendations, with all of my friends determined to give me a restaurant worthy of an "A" review. One of my roommates recommended Za, which offers a creative take on the traditional pizza and salad.

Tap This: Sunset Grill and Tap

By Tula Batanchiev / Features Editor
Sunset Grill and Tap is the culmination of many great things mixed into one. Great food, great drinks, and great atmosphere. There's really no better way to spend a weekend night than with a few great friends enjoying all that Sunset has to offer. If you are a beer drinker, look no further than Sunset.

Reel Life

"Mr. Duby Goes to Hollywood"

By Stuart Pike / Heights Senior Staff
Director Oliver Stone has made a career out of popularizing controversial topics. With Platoon (1986), he painted a visceral picture of American atrocities in Vietnam, in JFK (1991), he articulated an expansive assassination conspiracy, and these are just two of his more famous.

BC Tube: None for the girls

By Blair Thill / Associate Arts & Review E
I perused TV Guide to check out the possibilities for this column. Because of the new year that was ushered in with my 21st birthday last week, I decided to be adventurous. Despite what you may believe, the array of shows I've never seen was rather endless.

Off the Record

By Jeffrey Wallace / Assistant Arts & Review Editor
STS9 stands for Sound Tribe Sector 9. Based in Northern California, the electronic-jam quintet started quietly with a niche following in the late '90s, playing shows mainly in Boulder, Colo., Santa Cruz, Calif., and Atlanta, Ga. Word of mouth spread rapidly among the highly viral jam-band community, and STS9 is now considered one of the leaders in the post-Phish jam world.

Mind on Music

By Nicole Wong / Heights Senior Staff
Skirt Day (that first day when it's noticeably warmer and sunnier, and girls can finally free their legs from restrictive pants and wear the skirt or dress bought on sale at the end of last summer; boys typically perceive everyone to be unusually 'dressed up') has come and gone, and it appears the good weather is more or less here to stay.

Style Files

By Deanna Rakowski
As I was flipping through my April '08 issue of Elle magazine, I came across an article written about the three superbly talented Beckerman sisters, who originate from Toronto - Caillianne, Samantha, and Chloe. These three fashion musketeers, who all graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology, have successfully landed right in the middle of the always-changing fashion scene.

Through the Grapevine

By Meghan Thomsen
After a week of speculation, it appears that Ashlee Simpson is engaged, definitely, and pregnant, maybe. Last Thursday, Us Weekly exclusively broke the news that Simpson and boyfriend Pete Wentz were engaged. The musical duo has been dating since late 2006.

Reality Bytes

By Joseph Zaleski / Opinions Editor
My 3 p.m. class lets out around 4:15 in the afternoon, and all that I can think about for that hour and 15 minutes is the chicken breast dinner with a side of rice and questionable broccoli waiting for me in McElroy. I power walk from Gasson to Carney's, my stomach leaping with anticipation as I climb the stairs.

Recipe: Abuela Neese's Oatmeal Cookies

By Joseph Neese / Arts & Review Editor
With classes winding down, everything seems to be getting more and more hectic. Try making these scrumptious cookies which are a family staple to help you along during your study break, or now that the weather's fine, at that special spring picnic. Recipe makes about four dozen.

TV Close-Up: Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross

By Michelle Kaczmarek / Assistant Features Editor
Bree Van de Kamp. The name alone has a reputation to live up to. Fortunately, Marcia Cross is the face behind it, and with her experience in soap operas like One Life to Live and Primetime shows like Melrose Place, she has everything necessary to deliver any expected connotations.

Editor's Obsessions

By The Heights Editorial Board
Tim Mooney, Opinions Editor It's time for Pam and Jim to break up, and not because I'm in love with TV's hottest, cutest secretary. To really get back to its winning formula of hilarious/awkward office humor, The Office's first couple must head for Splitsville.

What We're Watching

By JaNee Allen
1. Shot at Love If you say you're not excited about the return of everyone's favorite bisexual MySpace vixen, then you're lying. Tila Tequila is making her glorious return to MTV on Tuesday, April 22 at 10 p.m, and we at The Scene know we speak for everyone when we say we can't wait for that double Shot At Love.