The writing on the wall

In a business where packaging and image are everything, the band Cursive has seemingly rejected the idea of being pigeonholed. Even in today’s musical landscape, where pop music is as shallow and unoriginal as ever, Cursive stands defiant as an esoteric anti-pop beacon.

Sound Advice: Dawn Landes

Dawn Landes just seems so nice. And her second album, Fireproof, embodies that simple niceness. With its bouncy music, innocent crooning and rainy day, sore-hearted lyrics, it is perfect for springtime.

Gettin' Nasty

It is a widely shared hope of drivers and auto insurers alike that most people will live their licensed lives without ever rolling an automobile. This is not the case for John “Marko” Markovich. He remembers a weekend last year when he rolled five times while on a night run. “It’s like being in one of those gyroscopes, like at the county fair,” Marko says. “I don’t feel out of control when I roll.”

Sound Advice: Somebody Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Boris Yeltsin’s not losing any love yet. The infamously named band from Springfield, Mo., Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, might be introducing the former Russian president’s name to a whole new generation. Sophomore album Pershing warms listeners with swelling harmonies and sonic edge straight out of the ’60s.

Dirty no more

Touring Wal-Mart’s aisles in search of replacement razor blades, I was shocked — impressed, even — to see a wide selection of condoms, lubricants and other sex supplies flanking modern life’s other necessities. They weren’t even enclosed in locked cases, as they are in many drug stores, which often renders a purchase daunting and embarrassing to those of us shyer about our sexual endeavors.

White picket fences and white collar crime

Over a span of six years, Columbia resident Mike Trom built a friendship with his neighbor, Nate Reuter. Neighborhood dinner parties brought the two together, and when Trom found out Reuter was a hunter, a bond instantly formed. The two took hunting trips, helped each other with fix-it projects and watched as their children played together. All they needed were white-picket fences and the scent of freshly baked apple pie to complete their American-dream lifestyle.

Horton Hears a Who else!

Steve Carell, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill have reunited in Horton Hears a Who! But it isn’t the first time actors have re-teamed to give audiences a familiar comedic cast. Here are 21 actors and 20 of the movies and TV shows that connect at least three of them together.

Far from a memoir

Close your eyes. Go ahead, close them. Now, try to describe the room you are sitting in. How many windows are there? What color is the floor? Can you remember what hangs on the opposite wall?

Actor’s Studio: Run Simon Run

(Web Exclusive) Vox readers might be familiar with British screen actors such as Jude Law, Daniel Craig or Michael Caine, but how many know Simon Pegg? Cult movies including Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead have made this comedian-turned-actor a sensation on American screens.

Fresh fest for film freaks

(Web Exclusive) Sharif El Neklawy, a junior at MU, has thought about transferring to a new school each year he has been in Columbia. Why? The university does not have a major in film production. “I came here for journalism because journalism’s a good degree,” El Neklawy says. “(I was) trying to make my parents happy, but film has been my passion since eighth grade.”

Movie Review: 21

(Web Exclusive) For those who don’t have more than one definition of limits, math is generally not considered fun. So it’s pretty obvious 21’s creators did not consider how profoundly bad an idea it is to make a movie about the act of counting.

On the Job: Art Gelder

Art Gelder spends most of his time on Walk-About Acres, where he dabbles in farming, botany and zoology. As a long-time beekeeper and member of the Missouri State Beekeeper’s Association, Gelder takes pride in his profession. He invited Vox to visit his buzzing sanctuary to learn a little more about the sweetest job ever.

Movie Review: Stop-Loss

(Web Exclusive) Kimberly Peirce, director of Boys Don’t Cry, initially thought of making a documentary about stop-loss, a procedure the U.S. Army uses to extend soldier contracts and halt current losses in military personnel. Peirce wanted to draw on her brother’s experiences in the Army but eventually opted for a fictional account. The result is Stop-Loss.

The Good The Bad & The Ugly

The Good: Doctor’s orders

Home sweet home

Marilyn Love doesn’t need a hardhat and a tool belt to build a house — just paper and pens.

Bellies up

(Web Exclusive) Belly dancing is intense. Not everyone can whirl her body in ways that make onlookers blush. The hip jolts, belly rolls and shimmies that fill classes at Moon Belly Dance Studio are more than a little intimidating. Is belly dancing a worthwhile workout or another fitness fad that will disappoint us? We sent Vox reporter Bridget Mullen to find out how her hips would fare in a belly dancing session.

Rolling back and vibrating

The worlds of one-stop and “Oh, don’t stop!” shopping have collided on the shelves of your friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart. And what’s creating the hushed, mechanical buzz? The gargantuan retailer now carries a variety of sex products, including vibrating cock rings and feminine arousal fluid.

Meet the candidates