Category: reviews
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Our Grammy Predictions
http://www.grammy.com/nominees Best New Artist–James Blake Out of names such as Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore, Kacey Musgraves and Ed Sheeran, it seems highly unlikely a generic-sounding James Blake would win. However, my mind keeps going back…
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Downton Abbey returns
The fourth season of Downton Abbey began Sunday, January 5 — leaving eagerly awaiting fans feeling bittersweet. The absence of the British drama left a hole in dedicated fans weekly Sunday night routine, however…
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Sherlock is coming Holmes
After two years of hiatus, the season three premiere of Sherlock, titled “The Empty Hearse”, aired in the UK on January 1 and will premiere on January 19 in the US. The premiere was…
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American Hustle bamboozles box office
David O. Russel’s brilliant take on the ABSCAM Affair of the 70’s, “American Hustle” tells the story of con artist duo Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) as they are forced…
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Saving Mary Poppins
Upon walking into the movie theater for Saving Mr. Banks, I groaned, assuming it was another cheesy Disney movie. As reluctant as I was, Saving Mr. Banks shattered every notion of a fairytale cliche…
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Clumsy Ninja charms gamers
Clumsy Ninja is Naturalmotion Games’ newest creation. Originally announced at the iPhone 5 event last September, the release of the game was severely delayed. Though it has been available in several other countries months…
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Shakespeare, or what you will
On 44th St. in Manhattan, between Sixth and seventh avenue, lies the Belasco Theatre, currently putting on two rather recognizable plays: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Or What You Will and The Tragedie of King Richard…
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A remedy for boring lunch spots
On E. Hargett next to Moore Square sits a quaint diner called Remedy. The red door and signature lights welcome entry to an intimate, casual dining experience. Remedy’s small dining area loses nothing with…
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The Pit review: A sweet, southern spot
Nestled between W. Davie and S. Harrington Street, The Pit stands as one of North Carolina’s most successful barbecue restaurants. As you enter, the smell of sweet sauce lapping over smoky pork, cheesy macaroni,…
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Thor: The Dark World Review
Thor: The Dark World is the follow up movie to Thor and The Avengers, earning $85.7 million opening weekend. The Avengers took over the box office when it premiered last year, and it seems…
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Piccola Italia thinks inside the box
Walking into Piccola Italia in Cameron Village, I didn’t know what to expect. What I was given was a hearty, filling meal in a relatively cozy setting. One word describes the experience: satisfactory. The…
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Lit circle reading: The Bell Jar
A novel about shock treatments, asylum visits, drug overdoses and lesbian encounters. It’s not Lindsay Lohan’s biography, but a dense and intense novel entitled The Bell Jar. The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiographical novel…
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Pearl Jam fails to disappoint
The name “Pearl Jam” most often elicits thoughts of the early 90s, the time where there were many fans of the Seattle grunge scene. After listening to “Lightning Bolt”, the group’s most recent studio…
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Great job, old sport!
The lights dim, the jazz-age music commences, Jake Banasiewicz takes stage right as the iconic Jay Gatsby. The Great Gatsby begins. Running last Thursday through Saturday night, October 31 to November 2, with a…
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Captain Phillips Splashes on Scene
Captain Phillips on surface level may appear to be only the dramatic retelling of the heart-pounding thriller that was the 2009 hijacking of the US container ship Maersk Alabama. However, through the distinctive lens…
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Gorman and Magee Review
Sean Magee and Brian Gorman are two up and coming North Carolinian musicians who perform in small venues around the state. The group performed Sunday, Sept. 29 on the Saint Francis of Assisi school…
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Carolina Ale House review
Located off of Skyland Ridge Parkway in Brier Creek, Carolina Ale House is an upbeat sports bar and pub. When I first walked in, I was amazed by all the items and pictures hanging…
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The happenings of Homecoming
As a sophomore, I was reluctant to attend this year’s homecoming dance as I didn’t have the excuse of being a freshman, nor the experience of an upper classman. After watching a variety of…
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James Spader revives career with The Blacklist
James Spader made a bold comeback with The Blacklist, the show USA Today is calling the fall’s number one new drama. This is Spader’s first hit since Boston Legal, which ended over five years…
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“So You Think You Can Dance” tour amazes Jester
On Tuesday, October 22, the top ten dancers from the competition show So You Think You Can Dance performed live in Durham at DPAC. The tickets, while slightly expensive at $60.00, were well worth…
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Gravity movie review
The movie Gravity premiered on Oct. 4 and has dominated the box office since. It stayed on top for the three weeks is has been in theaters above the premieres of Carrie, Escape Plan…
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CATS mystifies Memorial
From October 8-13, Memorial Auditorium hosted CATS for the kickoff of the 2013-2014 Broadway Series South season. My mother and I scored tickets for the musical on October 10. I had never seen the…
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The League review
The League embarked on its fifth season with the start of this year’s NFL regular season, and it’s looking great. The League follows a fictional eight-man fantasy football league through relatively insane antics, usually…
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Bieber makes a mature comeback to music
Justin Bieber, one of society’s more controversial pop stars, has had it rough this year. With all of the negative headlines and criticism in constant rotation, many of us believed that 2013 would be…
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My experience with the Blind Boys
It’s no secret that I’m a serious boy band fanatic. With the exception of The Wanted and One Direction, I will listen to any boy band from anywhere. However, the Blind Boys of Alabama…
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Pearl Jam Preview
Pearl Jam is releasing their tenth studio album, Lightning Bolt, on October 15. The album is already available for pre-sale via iTunes. The band has created hype through Instagram, in true millennial style. It has…
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The Crucible Review
The North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theater Recently put on the show The Crucible. The play’s cast consisted of teenagers and showed from Sept. 13-29. The Crucible, written in 1953, is about the Salem…
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Lilly’s pizza review
Lilly’s Pizza, located at 1813 Glenwood Avenue, is the epitome of a downtown ‘hole in the wall’ restaurant. Immediately when I walked in,brightly colored and eye-catching ornaments drew me to the back of the…
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Disney Channel’s I Didn’t Do It shouldn’t be done
Finally, after beating it with a stick, milking it dry and draining the life out of small children, Disney Channel has called it quits on Good Luck Charlie. A spokesperson for the network confirmed…
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The Wolf of Wall Street is expected to impress
2013 is a big year for the movie industry. With highly anticipated films like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Thor: The Dark World coming out later this year, there is excitement among moviegoers…
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The Cowfish is crazy good
“And so was the ‘tail’ of the cow and the fish From two separate places they had but one wish To bring to the world in a way, so delish An unusual place to…
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IMBA festival
Overalls and hay. Toothless hicks and whiny vocals. Simple country music for simple, country folk. All things that may come to one’s mind when presented with the idea of Bluegrass. This past week, however,…
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iOS7 is actually genius
“With iOS 7, every detail warranted the same rigor toward design. Like refining the typography down to the pixel. Redrawing every icon around a new grid system. Sticking to a precise color palette. And…
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Held Captive by Prisoners
How far would you go to protect your child? The single question that echoes throughout the entire two and a half hours of Prisoners. Friday, Sept. 20, the movie-going audience of America welcomed a…
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All the way from EXO Planet
So far, 2013 has proved to be a great year for Korean pop music. G-Dragon’s “Coup D’etat” has just broken Billboard’s top 200 international albums and KCON 2013 was a huge success. But one…
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Swift Paints the Town Red
Last Friday, September 13, the PNC Arena was immersed in Red. Returning for the third time in six years to Raleigh, Taylor Swift proved that heartbreak is a lifetime affair. Opening with “State of…
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Slow dancing with John Mayer
“I’m headed out west with my headphones on, boarded a flight with a song in the back of my soul, and no one knows” — The first words crooning out of John Mayer, the…
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K-Pop star G-Dragon hits the stage with Missy Elliott
G-Dragon and Missy Elliott took the stage at KCON 2013 in one of the most talked-about K-Pop collaborations to date. They debuted their song “Niliria” live in front of thousands of fans. Unfortunately for…
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Drake’s new album is ready to crush billboard charts
“Started a label, the album is comin’ September, just wait on it.” That’s right, Drake’s third album is coming out this month. The album will feature a number of artists: Jay-Z, Sampho, Big Sean,…
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Orange is the New Black is outstanding
Orange is the New Black is a dramatic comedy series on Netflix following the prison life of Piper Chapman, a woman arrested for a ten-year-old drug charge. Piper’s story is a compelling, honest and…
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ABC Family adds an exciting new Twist to its lineup
What is it about mysteries that excite the teenage mind? With the sudden onslaught of murder mystery dramas in the past few years, ABC Family’s Twisted adds an exciting new spin to an otherwise…
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Elevate Your Burger at Elevation Burger
Elevation Burger is sweeping the nation. Starting in 2005, Hans and April Hess have opened 47 stores across the nation; on Saturday August 17th, they opened their most recent store in Brier Creek, which…
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Raleigh joins “No Shoes Nation”
After a year’s hiatus, Kenny Chesney returned to Raleigh on Thursday, May 23, for his “No Shoes Nation” tour. Having never seen him live before, my expectations were low, but were quickly blown away…
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App of the Month: Vine
Unfortunately, the App of the Month is a social networking app: Vine. Another social networking app. At this point it’s getting hard to keep up with all of them. Vine is an app that…
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Artsplosure Review
Every year since 1980, downtown Raleigh has hosted the Artsplosure Festival. Artsplosure, which was May 17 through 19 this year, fills Moore Square, City Plaza and the surrounding streets with food trucks, booths selling…
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Inside the Box, Outside the Lines impresses
The Mainstage Theatrics class always finds a way to end their performing season with a bang and a laugh. This year, the class took on the challenge of performing Inside the box, Outside the…
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Music to my ears: The Weeknd
Abel Tesfaye, known by his stage name The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer and record producer. Originally, in 2010, Tesfaye uploaded songs to YouTube under the name ‘The Weeknd’, and no one knew his…
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Review of 42
42 tells the true tale of ex-Major League Baseball (MLB) player Jackie Robinson, the first African American in the MLB. Jackie Robinson, a pioneer for African Americans a decade before the Civil Rights Movement,…
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Mad Men Season 6 provides interesting storylines
I don’t watch a lot of live TV. So, when I enjoy a show enough to make the time to watch it live, it really means something. One of the shows that I make…
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Modern Vampires Proves third time’s the charm
Vampire Weekend’s third album is unlike their previous two, but it’s fantastic. Modern Vampires of the City is a more mature album made by four guys who are no longer just out of Columbia.…