Album analysis

In the anguished, misunderstood lives of adolescents, music is often regarded as an essential element to sustain sanity. For Roger Painter, a fictional teenager unjustly thrown into a psychiatric institution in John Darnielle’s book Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality, there is nothing figurative about it.

Acting Out

It’s safe to say the Maplewood Barn Theatre Company isn’t a typical theater group. Among other things, actors have to worry about the rumblings of traffic and helicopters, sounds from neighboring cows and goats and the possibility that a mosquito might fly into their mouths at the end of a soliloquy.

Getting DeClue

(Web Exclusive) Ann Bise turned to Nancy DeClue when she was diagnosed with cancer at age 49. For Bise and her family, time was precious. Bise wasn’t requesting medical help. She needed DeClue, an oncology nurse turned professional artist, to translate her vision onto a canvas.

Let it burn

I first learned about Burning Man, an eight-day long music and art celebration, from a documentary that came out years ago. The event is hot in more ways than one. It takes place in the scorching heat of the Nevada desert, and, as its name suggests, each year a giant wooden sculpture gets torched to the ground. Add to that the eclectic mix of music, muddy people, no running water and no source of sustenance except what you bring yourself, and what could be nothing more than an extra-long Coachella with some trippy flames becomes a downright adventure in self-reliance. Well, self-reliance plus entertainment.

Visions of activism

Leonardo DiCaprio made middle-class Americans think twice before making that engagement ring purchase with his 2006 performance in Blood Diamond. Al Gore might have overwhelmed viewers with his innumerable graphs and charts but was one of the first to relay the importance of going green. But celebrities and politicians aren’t the only ones getting into the action.

Movie Review: Iron Man

(Web Exclusive) Batman Begins has the serious comic book movie concept down, but Iron Man is the perfect example of what a fun superhero can be with the right cast, script and direction.

Too good to be true?

When looking at the nutrition facts on a bottle of Glaceau Vitamin Water, it’s not crazy to assume a consumer would find two ingredients for sure: vitamins and water. But look closer. Vitamin Water is more than its name claims. By the looks of the nutritional facts label, the company might consider making the drink’s simple and snappy name Sugar Liquid.

Movie Review: Made of Honor

(Web Exclusive) Made of Honor is a cookie-cutter romantic comedy that satisfies love-hungry women seeking comfort in a good chick flick. But with the exception of a gender swap, it adds no originality or twists reminiscent of its obvious forerunner, 1997’s My Best Friend’s Wedding.

Behind the label

(Web Exclusive) Some health foods are not as sweet as most consumers think. Here are three products containing certain sweeteners that make them suprisingly less healthy.

Friendly fire

The night is chilly for early May, but the energy is steaming. Dancers, encircled by onlookers who have gathered around a 16-foot effigy of a television, sway rhythmically, even seductively, to the ever-present drumbeat. The steady tempo keeps the contagious zeal of the crowd flowing while fire dancers twirl flaming hoops around their necks and hips. They spin fireballs from chains and spit a combustible concoction into the air to make a fireball rise into the sky. Cries of “Burn it down!” emerge from the crowd, and soon, the tall structure will be reduced to a burning heap of wood.

ON THE JOB

Most people think of doughnuts as a treat to enjoy while relaxing, something to get you ready for the day or a snack to munch on during the game. But do they realize one man slaves away during the wee hours of the morning to provide these puffy pastries to the hungry masses? Just ask Kevin Hicks, owner of Dixie Cream Donuts, about how his nocturnal work schedule eats up his social life. But don’t even think about asking him for a free doughnut.