By: Brennan Carley

When I was younger, I distinctly remember playing Poohsticks with my dad on a bridge in our local park. The aim of the game was for each player to drop a branch in the water on one side of the bridge. Whichever one came out first on the other side was the winner. I bring this up because earlier this week, Disney unveiled new clips for its upcoming Winnie the Pooh. It is a return to hand-drawn animation for a company whose main focus has been on computer animated features recently (save for The Princess and the Frog, of course).

By: Brennan Carley

Rock’n’roll, as a cultural movement, has taken a dormant backseat in the past 20 years. Pop now drives the car of musical dominance in America, led by Katy Perry and her legion of likeminded “musicians.” Likewise, what little is left to be found of rock music today lacks the feminine edge lent to the style by icons like Janis Joplin and Joan Jett.

By: Brennan Carley

By: Darren Ranck, Brennan Carley, Charlotte Parish

On Maslow’s hierarchy, food is one of the most basic necessities, but finding truly great cuisine is more important than simply chowing down. These days, food is more than something eaten, slowly transforming into a wonderful art form of sorts. From decorative presentation of delicacies at Boston’s best restaurants, to the burgeoning food blogosphere, food is no longer restricted to one’s kitchen.

By: Brennan Carley

“Why don’t you love me babe?” crooned Grace Potter coyly as she pranced seductively around the stage on Friday night. Performing to a sold-out crowd at Boston’s House of Blues, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals delivered a blisteringly hot set over the course of two hours, proving to the crowd that the band is one of the best live acts in the music industry.

By: Brennan Carley

James Blake is not for the impatient listener. As evidenced on his self-titled debut, released digitally on iTunes last month, his music takes a while to sift through. It’s worth sitting with for a while, contemplating on what exactly music has become in today’s day and age

By: Darren Ranck, Brennan Carley, Charlotte Parish

The winter doldrums finally seem ready to fade into the abyss, making way for a spring with plentiful opportunities to indulge in the arts. So, in the spirit of March Madness, we decided to put our own twist on that all too familiar bracket that sports fans obsess over for weeks. 

By: Brennan Carley

A hum rises in my throat. A few lyrics murkily surface, muttered almost unconsciously, as my feet began to tap on the floor. There can’t be a chance that my head is bobbing side to side, is there?  After all, this is Avril Lavigne who I’m listening to, and it hasn’t been cool to listen to her since … well … well was it ever considered cool?

By: Darren Ranck, Brennan Carley, Charlotte Parish

When Britney Spears’ new single premiered last month, it was clear that she had bought in to the revitalization of the electronic sounds from the ’80s  and ’90s.  The style permeates our pop world today, from the futuristic synthesizers of Katy Perry’s “E.T.” to Lady Gaga’s supersonic “Born This Way.”

By: Brennan Carley

Though not as flashy as Toy Story 3 or How To Train Your Dragon, the third Best Animated Picture nominee, The Illusionist, charms and sparkles with melancholy. Largely dialogue-free and wonderfully drawn, the film explores the life of a disenchanted French magician who wanders to Scotland. In a tiny village in the highlands  of the country, he stumbles upon an enthralling girl who changes his life forever.