Articles for February 21, 2008
The Bearded Legends
(Web Exclusive) Some beards are seasonal, some fashionable. But there are only a few beards that can withstand both temperature and time. These are the beards that makes one ask: does the man make the beard or does the beard make the man?
Novel noir
Award show season is in full swing, and Hollywood is in a chaotic, well-dressed frenzy. Amidst all the glamour and glitz, MU alumna and Los Angeles Times columnist Mary McNamara is turning heads with her recently released book, Oscar Season. Although the book has elements of a classic murder mystery, it also offers wit and snark to keep readers on their toes.
Take Two: Jumper
"Once I was just a normal person, a chump, like you," says David Rice, played by a very stiff Hayden Christensen. As a "jumper" Rice can teleport all over the globe, though it's never explained how. During this narration, Rice is supposed to appeal to the audience. Which is one of the many problems with Jumper — it's not all that appealing.
To Beard or Not to Beard: Many Don't Have a Choice
(Web Exclusive) As the Spanish proverb goes, “Chins without beards deserve no honor.” Good thing Kyle Montgomery isn’t Spanish.
On the Job: Mortician
The word mortician can send chills down a person’s spine and bring horror films to mind. So what would inspire someone to work at a funeral home for a living? With salaries in the $30,000 range, it’s not the money. Clay Vogl, a licensed mortician at Parker Funeral Service in Columbia, decided to become a funeral director after the death of a relative. “The funeral of my grandfather was handled so well by the director,” he says. “I hoped that I could do the same for others.” Vox asks Vogl about the gritty details of his chosen trade.
Paper-winning presence
The “Paper in Particular” exhibit at Columbia College houses enough paper to make a forest cry, but there’s no need for tree huggers to fret. Entries such as Victoria Burkert’s Construction Site 2 emphasize the need to save trees. While studying at Northwest Missouri State University, Burkert witnessed trees being torn down to build the Fire Arts Building on campus. When she moved to Columbia and heard about “Paper in Particular,” Burkert gathered photos she’d taken of the construction in Maryville. “On weekends I would jump over the fence to take photos of the site,” Burkert says. With pencils and paintbrushes, the artist hand-painted her entry using ink. “I understand construction and growth,” says Burkert. “We should find a way to work around nature. It bothers me that we tear down property, plow it over and build big houses.”
Take Two: Definitely, Maybe
A question for lovers: Should you go see Definitely, Maybe? The answer is both definitely and maybe: Definitely go see the movie and maybe relate it to past relationships as William Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) does. This film is a romantic comedy from the creators of Love, Actually and Notting Hill. It will make the audience maybe laugh, maybe cry and definitely feel for Will and his crazy life plan.
Trouble shooting
Not long after Stefhon Hannah, former member of the MU men’s basketball team, left University Hospital in Columbia for his home in Chicago, the news seemed to get redundant. Another altercation, another community letdown and more muddy details to sift through.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good: Tofu to Go
Put up your jukes
Not everybody can be as gifted as Arthur Fonzarelli. Hearing great songs requires a little more effort than a fist pound on a jukebox and an “Aaay!” Vox searched high and low trying to make the quest to find the perfect jukebox a little easier — no Fonzie fist-pounds required.
The Tao of beards
In a biting Columbia winter, one of the worst foes a person must face is the wind. The low temperatures are bad enough, but a chilly blast can deter people from braving the great outdoors or even the great expanse of the Hy-Vee parking lot. Fortunately, some men have a valuable ally in the battle against Old Man Winter — the beard. Providing an extra layer of warmth, the beard proves useful in the cold. Yet some find beards to be unnecessary food traps or the source of painful post-make out beard burn, and with winter coming to a close, there is less incentive for men to don their God-given manes. For many men, however, hair is more than a trendy face-warming device — it’s a way of life. Three Columbians explain the philosophy behind their mane attraction.
It's a swing thing
If you play a tune and a person don’t tap their feet, don’t play the tune,” William “Count” Basie once said. Even after his death in 1984, the Count Basie Orchestra continues to keep feet in motion. Considered one of the most famous bands in jazz history, the Count Basie Orchestra performs at Jesse Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, Feb. 26 as part of the Univeristy Concert Series.
Listen Up: Erykah Badu
(Web Exclusive) Like solar eclipses and Radiohead tours, Erykah Badu albums are few and far between. So you can imagine how excited her fan base is about her upcoming album, New Amerykah. It has been five years since the Grammy Award-winning soulstress stepped down from her place on top of the R&B hierarchy, and now a new generation of music consumers gets to discover what it is that makes Badu so good.
Embracing the future
The first time I heard the Drive-By Truckers, it was in an ex-boyfriend’s 10-year-old Honda Civic. Their breakthrough Southern Rock Opera had just been released. The song fit so well with driving on an Atlanta street covered by trees drooping with the weight of summertime kudzu and flanked by rows of rusted-out warehouses that we both wanted to stay in the car and drive in the heat to listen just a little while longer.
Reel the music
Venture into Ragtag Cinema this month, and you have a chance to see Bob Dylan and Joe Strummer. Sadly, Ian Curtis has left the building.
The brothers Coen
Like many teenagers, Ethan and Joel Coen mowed lawns for money. It was hard work and not as fun as going to the pool, but it paid off when they merged their funds and bought a Super-8 video camera. The Minnesota natives remade movies they watched on TV by casting friends and adding their own production style.
Making a movie house a home
Comfy couches sagging naturally from years of use are set before the screen at Ragtag — makeshift but welcoming. There are the regulars and the newcomers, the young and the old, all settled into the grooves of the cushions and ready for the film’s blue light to cascade across their faces — to be informed and entertained. More than anything, Ragtag feels like home.
From Ravages to Resurrection
The future of the Drive-By Truckers came down to a late Sunday night and a bottle of whiskey in the fall of 2006. The members of the band found themselves in Louisville, Ky., for a couple days with nothing to do but watch movies in their motel rooms and hit up a nice restaurant every now and then. After six albums and a decade of constant touring, they were exhausted.
