entertainment
Night at the Mausoleum
By Sarah Kinter | Dec. 29, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
"You know how they say that in good museums history comes alive? Well in this one, it actually does."
Bezu — a delightful kiss of flavors
By Jasleen Salwan | Dec. 29, 2006, midnight | In Restaurant Reviews »
Though tucked away in the rather drab Potomac Village, Bezu, a new restaurant whose name is French for "kiss," is a lively spot. Its contemporary décor, complete with tiled white designs on the Mediterranean-orange walls and a backlit onyx bar, contributes to the vivacious atmosphere. The exceptionally friendly staff also amicably welcomes visitors as soon as they arrive.
Console Wars
By Boris Vassilev | Dec. 22, 2006, midnight | In Video Games »
The 2006 holiday season is finally here: let the gift giving, store camping and mall looting officially begin! As usual, some of the hottest items around this year are the new next-generation gaming consoles: the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. With the release of the PlayStation 3 on Nov. 17, people were trampled, shot at, robbed and generally disappointed as they tried to get their hands on limited units of the coveted game console. With less scandal, the Nintendo Wii debuted 2 days later, along with a considerably lower price and many fewer customer grievances. A year ago, the Xbox 360 flew off the shelves, selling 10 million units within 16 months of the release date, according to CNET. Which one of these souped up gaming machines it right for you? SCO gives you a look at the hardware, support and games backing each in your quest for the ultimate holiday gaming machine.
Take a well-deserved "Holiday"
By Kate Harter | Dec. 22, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
Ever wish you could just take a quick holiday? Leave town—and everyone in it—and just set off on an adventure by yourself for two weeks, so that you can start over? In "The Holiday," Amanda and Iris are able to do just that.
Time to "Start Wearing Purple"
By Courtney Burtraw | Dec. 22, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Gogol Bordello, a "Gypsy punk" band out of New York City's Lower East Side, rocked the 9:30 Club in a sold out show Tuesday night. With Eugene Hütz as frontman (you know him as Alex, the interpreter from "Everything is Illuminated"), Gogol Bordello is comprised mostly of Eastern European immigrants, and their music borrows heavily from Gypsy sound, mixed with The Pogues-esque punk with The Clash overtones.
"Unaccompanied Minors": Every child's dream
By Julia Mazerov | Dec. 21, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
Twas' the night before Christmas and all through the airport, ran loose five unaccompanied minors, left alone to cavort. Sound like a typical Christmas Eve? It certainly wasn't for a particular group of scraggly and disheveled kids, who find themselves stranded at Hoover Airport sans parents because of a blizzard in Warner Bros.' latest flick, "Unaccompanied Minors."
"Charlotte's Web" won't catch all
By Rachita Sood | Dec. 20, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
Most teenagers can remember reading "Charlotte's Web," the classic E.B. White novel, with delight and awe in elementary school English classes. Fast-forward ten years and the story loses much of its charm. For this reason, director Gary Winick's screen adaptation may not hold the attention of most Blazers, but the movie is a simplistically well done film for another generation to delight over.
Minors Only!
By Josie Callahan | Dec. 20, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
"THUMP!" The pitter-patter of shoes kick the back of the chair. Above the volume of the previews, the unmistakable crunching of popcorn, slurping of soda, and rustling of candy wrappers can be heard. THUMP…CRUNCH…SLURP…THUMP…. The movie theater seems to explode with the cacophony of noise that can only mean one thing: small children. A warning to parents, babysitters, and older siblings alike: drop the minors off at the door, and run, do not walk away from "Unaccompanied Minors."
"Eragon" excels
By Priyanka Gokhale | Dec. 20, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
The most frequent complaint about the movie Eragon will be its similarity to other recent fantasy films. A fight in a dusty farmhouse will remind the audience of the famous Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp "brawl-in-a-barn" scene from "Pirates of the Caribbean." The magic spells cast will "conjure" images from the most recent "Harry Potter" installment, and the plethora of sword-wielding and the presence of fantastical creatures are reminiscent of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. But take these battles up with Eragon's author, Christopher Paolini—these parallels originated from the book, not the movie—because as a film, "Eragon" works.
"Escape" while you can from Stefani's latest
By Johanna Gretschel | Dec. 18, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Once upon a time, Gwen Stefani was one cool chick. She was blue-haired sometimes, fearless all the time and sang girl-power anthems while fronting as the only female in third-wave ska band No Doubt. However, upon reaching "senior citizen" status as a 30-something, Stefani felt compelled to record "Love.Angel.Music.Baby.," throwing her rock cred out the window in favor of synth-heavy Madonna-wannabe singles tailor-made for repeat on 99.5 FM. Released Dec. 15, Stefani's sophomore solo album, "The Sweet Escape," is recorded in a similar vein to "L.A.M.B.," failing to introduce anything new and causing listeners to feel nostalgic for the good old "Tragic Kingdom," No Doubt's 1995 breakthrough hit album.
The "Black Gold" that makes the world go round
By Amanda Pollak | Dec. 17, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
As you sip your next latte, savoring its rich bitterness and creamy texture, think of the workers of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union, who toil away, malnourished, often for 50 cents a day, to make your caffeine surge possible. Or at least that's what "Black Gold," a new documentary by Nick and Mark Francis, would like. Though it may not get in the way of the global empire that is today's modern coffee giants, it serves as a poignant reminder that everything good comes at a cost — which in this case are the millions of people of the third world who remain dependent on the trade.
"Pac's Life" doesn't keep him living
By Betsir Zemen | Dec. 14, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Pac's Life commemorates the ten-year anniversary of Tupac's death at age 25. His eleventh posthumous album, "Pac's Life" is an entire album of collaborations with artists who knew or grew up listening to Tupac. Unfortunately, with all the featured artists and re-mastered beats, Tupac's true talent fails to shine through in "Pac's Life."
Hot and cold holiday drinks
By Iliya Smithka | Dec. 13, 2006, midnight | In Food »
Winter has arrived, and with it comes the holiday season. Whether you're trying to warm up after a snowball fight or throwing a party to celebrate the holidays, you can use these hot and cold drinks that could make even Scrooge happy.
Jay-Z doesn't show us what he's got
By Betsir Zemen | Dec. 11, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Barely two years after retiring in 2004, Jay-Z is back with his highly anticipated album "Kingdom Come." Head of Def Jam Records and one of the most successful living rappers, Jay-Z has set high standards for rap with his previous albums including Reasonable Doubt and Black Album. Unfortunately, Jay-Z can't seem to make the kingdom succumb to liking his new album.
Urban's "love," "pain" and "crazy things"
By Elsi Wu | Dec. 8, 2006, midnight | In Music »
The reigning king of country, Keith Urban, is decidedly defending his throne with the release of his highly anticipated fifth album, "Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Thing." Featuring Urban's Australian-bred style of classic country heavily infused with rock 'n roll sounds and smooth vocals, the album has rocketed straight to the top of Billboard country charts. His most successful album to date, "Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Thing" is a strong compilation that represents Urban's originality as well as his down-home country flavor.
Two thumbs for "Five Women"
By Boris Vassilev | Dec. 7, 2006, midnight | In Plays »
Five very different women sit it front a window, each wearing a strikingly similar, hideously ugly salmon and azure dress. Each shoots a different glare at the unseen Tommy Valentine, a known womanizer and dreadful scoundrel. Although ability and drive is required to pull off this multifarious play and do it justice, the Pine Players acting troupe achieves just that in their production of Alan Ball's "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress."
"Piratz" treasure
By Alexis Egan | Dec. 4, 2006, midnight | In Restaurant Reviews »
While Silver Spring's "Piratz Tavern" lacks Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley in starring roles, the new buccaneer restaurant does look like it came straight out of the Caribbean.
"Bobby" bores
By Lingfeng Li | Dec. 4, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
"Bobby" is the title of the film. The tagline for the film is entirely about Bobby. Historical footage of Bobby begin and end the film. The film was marketed as coverage of Bobby's assassination. But instead of focusing on Robert F. Kennedy — "Bobby" — director-screenwriter Emilio Estevez centers his Faulkner-esque mosaic on the perspectives of 22 different people, and none of them are named Bobby.
The perfect "Christmas Present"
By Will Bucher | Dec. 3, 2006, midnight | In Entertainment »
It's 12 o'clock midnight and all is well. That is, except for poor Ebenezer Scrooge, the old miserly man whose past, present and future just won't leave him alone. But thanks to a wonderful performance by the Blair Players in this year's production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer learns a lesson or two while joining the rest of the cast for perhaps the most delightful fall play director Kelly O'Connor has put on yet.
"A Christmas Carol" lights up the audience
By April DalBello | Dec. 3, 2006, midnight | In Plays »
High school Christmas plays at Blair can be hit or miss propositions. Yet this year — as was confirmed by the audience's enthusiastic reception — the winter's play is definitely a hit. From the heartwarming opening scene to the dramatic closing(s) of the curtain, Blair's rendition of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" steals our hearts and tucks us comfortably into that cozy place we reserve for holiday memories and traditions.
Thanksgiving leftovers
By Miriam Ragen | Dec. 1, 2006, midnight | In Food »
Thanksgiving is like a marathon. Holiday revelers must endure tons of delicious food and the eccentric relatives that seem to appear ever holiday without fail. Then there is the main event, Thanksgiving dinner. After hours of slaving over a hot oven, or watching oversized cartoon characters float over Manhattan, the participants gather around a sagging dining room table and dive headfirst into the seemingly endless dishes of turkey, stuffing, casseroles and desserts. Soon enough dinner is over, the in-laws are passed out in the living room and only one question remains: What to do with the leftovers? Lucky for you, Silver Chips Online has some great suggestions to save those delicious dishes from their imminent fate of becoming mold-encrusted monstrosities.
The spirit of "Bobby" lives on
By Gus Woods | Nov. 28, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
"He saw wrong and tried to right it. He saw suffering and tried to heal it. He saw war and tried to stop it," so goes the tagline to "Bobby," a film that chronicles the lives of numerous witnesses to Robert F. Kennedy's assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
A considerable failure
By Brittany Allen | Nov. 27, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
Christopher Guest is a man of many talents. He was the magic behind Nigel, the stupid death metal rocker in 1984's "This is Spinal Tap," most famous for upping the amplifier count from 10 to 11. He was the directing, writing and acting genius behind the hilarious mockumentaries "Best in Show," "Waiting for Guffman" and "A Mighty Wind," along with the stony-faced Eugene Levy, who has also been in most of Guest's pictures. He was even the six-fingered man in "The Princess Bride." In this business, everything he seems to touch turns to comic gold — but Guest's gift for farcical hijinks and poking fun at human eccentricities is lost in his latest venture, "For Your Consideration."
Let's leave the theater
By Julia Mazerov | Nov. 27, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
It was a nice try, but director Bob Odenkirk's "Let's go to Prison" simply failed to muster what 2005's prison movie "The Longest Yard" was able to— constant laughter from the audience. For starters, the film's horribly unoriginal title is such a turn-off and clear indication of how little the film has to offer. Though the movie had its moments, well, more like moment, the ridiculously infeasible and embarrassingly random plot twists left the audience sitting in silence as the credits rolled, wondering three things: if the movie had actually just ended, what had just occurred, and why they had just wasted the past two hours.
"'Dreck' the Halls"
By Madeline Raskulinecz | Nov. 27, 2006, midnight | In Movies »
Good Christmas movies are hard to come by. For every "It's a Wonderful Life," there are hundreds of holiday flicks with no heart, no inspiration and seemingly no scriptwriter — movies like "Deck the Halls."
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