The most recent addition to the series of Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, continues the trend set by its predecessor, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Unlike the first two movies (...the Sorcerer's Stone and ...the Chamber of Secrets) the most recent films strive to be good films and not just books on screen.
The Goucher Chamber Orchestra has gotten off to great start this year with a performance of light classical music conducted by Elisa Kochler. The first piece was the first movement of Palladio by the Welsh composer Karl Jenkins. The piece is a well-know example neoclassicism and minimalism.
Chris Columbus faces quite a challenge in adapting the Pulitzer-winning Broadway musical RENT to the big screen, not unlike the one he faced in his last directing project, the Harry Potter franchise. In some ways, he's more successful this time: RENT stands on its own as entertaining, vibrant and often affecting.
Regardless of whether or not you like Shakira's music, you have to admit that throughout her fourteen-year career, the Colombian songstress has refused to be nipped, tucked, and made over into a twittering pop diva by the American music industry. She's kept her leonine locks, her voluptuous figure and her quirky fashion sense.
Check "The Jukebox" this issue. Not just for the sake of shameless cross-promotion, but because Gretchen Reif wrote an (excellent) writeup of "Laffy Taffy", a new single by Southern hip-hop group D4L. This, as Gretchen mentioned, is an atrocious song. The beat is obnoxious, the verses are even worse, and the chorus is a cut above first-grade sing-alongs.
I admit defeat: There are too many interesting bands out there for one person to ever have any hope of listening to them all.. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can tell you about my latest discovery, The Christina Finelli Recovery Project, whom I discovered only due to the disorganization of Record and Tape Traders.