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Scene picks: best SNL political sketches

Star Wars moves to the dark side

18 Months' Dancetastic

For those students who were lucky enough to study abroad, I'm sure you have your handful of songs that remind you of your time away from campus. For me, "Titanium" reminds me of a weekend visit to London and "Moves Like Jagger" will always be associated with my semester in Rome. Usually the songs you associate with study abroad are fast-paced dance tracks you would hear during a night out on the town. With "18 Months," Scottish DJ Calvin Harris's third studio album, I feel as if I am listening to an entire album of study abroad anthems. "18 Months" is 15 songs worth of dance-ready tracks, some you probably have heard before and some you may not have. For those who have not been indoctrinated into the world of electro house music, Harris is the producer of Rihanna's international mega-smash "We Found Love" and has found success on his own with such singles as "You Used to Hold Me" and "Acceptable in the 80s." "18 Months" is actually nearly that long in the making. The first single, "Bounce," was released in June 2011 and more singles have been released sporadically leading up to the album's release earlier in the week. Even though nearly every track makes you want to get up and run a marathon or bust some serious moves on the dance floor, listening to "18 Months" doesn't feel repetitive. The standout cuts each have their own signature feel, be it a different featured artist or creative beat. Harris is one of the leading minds in his craft, and it shows here. "Bounce" featuring Kelis is a bouncing, club-ready track that proves the singer can do more than use her milkshakes to bring all the boys to the yard. The song has a serious beat drop of epic proportions and is one of the best-produced tracks on the album. "Feel So Close" is an interesting track. It features a slow piano key and Harris's soulful vocals, but also a steady beat in the background. In this way, it feels as if the song almost slows down and connects more with the listener while also being worthy of being played during a night on the town. Likewise, "Sweet Nothing" features the poignant vocals of Florence Welch from Florence + The Machine. Once again, there is a backing track of epic proportions to match Welch. This is more than just a song to run or dance to. Just like "Feel So Close," there is raw emotion in Welch's vocals that drives deep within the listener and grips his or her heart. "Sweet Nothing" is the type of track on "18 Months" that doesn't just show off Harris's skill set, but sets him apart as an industry leader. "Thinking About You" featuring Ayah Marar has not been released as a single, but don't let that distract you - this is a silky-smooth track with a sick beat. Listening to the song, one can imagine being transported to a club in London or Barcelona to dance the night away. "Let's Go" features crooner Ne-Yo, and it's about as good of a pump-up jam as you are every going to have the pleasure of listening to. While it lacks the emotional power of "Sweet Nothing," Ne-Yo sings with a sense of urgency that makes the listener's heart race. This is the type of track you close a marathon out with. "Let's Go" doesn't let you quit. People listen to different music for different reasons. Sometimes you need a song to calm you down after a long day at work. Maybe you need a mellow jam for when you are hanging with friends. Or maybe you want a head-banger for when you are driving cross-country. Regardless, I always find it amusing when people criticize electropop DJs for not producing "real" music or "lesser" music. Just because I am not going to find Avicii or Justice on "MTV Unplugged" anytime soon, it does not mean they are lesser artists - it just means you listen to their music with a different purpose. In that vein, Calvin Harris's latest release "18 Months" is about as good of an album as you are going to get for two things - dance tracks and some solid workout music. What sets Harris apart is his tracks more than just motivate listeners to get off the couch - often their very real emotion resonates deeply. Contact Sam Stryker at sstryke1@nd.edu

Fall Concert

The Notre Dame Chorale performs its Fall Concert today in the Leighton Concert Hall at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC). This year's performance will include selections from Monteverdi, Bach, Mozart, Schumann, Wagner, DeBussy and Stravinsky. Lovers of classical music will surely be enchanted by the performance and find their taste for good old-fashioned entertainment all but satisfied. The selections are broken up into six sections: Works from the Middle Ages and late Renaissance, late romanticism, 20th-century romanticism, concerted church music for Salzburg, 20th-century Mass and finally 18th-century a capella motet. The weekend also serves as a reunion of sorts for Chorale alumni. The Chorale, who usually performs Handel's "Messiah" every year in early December, will stage a joint performance of excerpts from the oratorio with both current members of the Chorale as well as alums. They will also be treated to an organ demonstration in the Reyes Chorale and Organ Hall. The $1 million organ took organist Paul Fritts over a year to build. After it was built, the organ was disassembled and reconstructed over a full year in the Organ Hall. Judy Fritts, Paul's sister, designed the intricate carvings on the organ itself and features mostly flowers, animals and other elements of nature. The reunion is also an opportunity for past Chorale members to share stories of their experience in the concert choir when they were undergraduates. Following the Fall Concert the Chorale will begin preparing for their annual performance of "Messiah" and their winter tour. The winter tour traditionally takes the Chorale through various US cities where they perform in parishes. This year they're taking the tour to the "Great White North" and visiting Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa in addition to other northeastern American cities. Before they hit the road, check out the Chorale on their home turf this weekend in their Fall Concert. The concert is tonight at 8 p.m. in DPAC and student tickets are $3. Contact Courtney Cox ccox3@nd.edu

Campus Musician

Tucked into the leftmost practice room on the second floor of Crowley Hall on Wednesday, pianist Will Sievern, a junior music and pre-med double major, practiced his piece for the upcoming Concerto Competition. Two music books, both Chopin, lay on top of the small Steinway & Sons piano. "He's the best," Sievern said. "I go on binges for composers and for the past year I've been reading books and playing a lot of music, just trying to soak in Chopin's life, because he's really interesting to me. He only wrote for piano, so a lot of pianists feel a connection with Chopin." Chopin wrote his first concerto to establish himself as a pianist in Europe. Sievern will play the same piece for his first competition since high school this Friday at the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra's Concerto Competition. Every November, student musicians compete to play with the orchestra the following spring. Sievern will play against violinists, vocal performers and other pianists for the same prize. "A concerto is written to be played with an orchestra, but most people don't get to play a concerto with an orchestra in their whole life," Sievern said. Sievern gave a sneak preview of the concerto he will perform in Friday's competition. He played the first resounding lines triumphantly and then eased into a lovely, complex melody. His hands were nimble and strong on the keys and his expression was firmly concentrated, even though he played the entire piece from memory. Sievern's love affair with Chopin began when he picked up Chopin's first piano concerto, which he started practicing the piece last January. "It's really emotional," he said. "It really tells a story to me." Extending his long fingers, he played a bittersweet piece that rose gracefully to passionate heights and fell slowly to melancholic lows. "It feels so real to me, what Chopin was writing," he said as he played. "What's awesome about it too, it changes character again at the very end. It goes up to some kind of a happy ending. Maybe this is the grieving process for someone." Sievern began his career when he was 6 years old. His father, who gave up his career as a trumpeter early on in life, encouraged him to play the piano. "I didn't really know what I was getting myself into," Sievern said. With natural talent talented, Sievern practiced and competed, but his plans for college track crowded out any time for piano. "I threw [piano] aside, and then injuries and other things kept me from fulfilling my potential in track, so I quit and I wanted to play the piano," he said. "I had been taking lessons, and I was already a music theory and history major along with Arts and Letters Pre-Professional." Sievern said he started preparations for the Concerto Competition with the help of associate professor John Blacklow in the Department of Music. "I put a lot of time into it, more than I usually do for a piece," he said. "There's different kinds of practicing. You can practice and not really concentrate and just play the notes and get along with it. Or you can practice and take every ounce of concentration that you have and pour into it, and it's exhausting. But once I wanted to do it, it became a lot easier to do it. I'm really happy with how I'm playing now." When it comes to performances, the pressure can be overwhelming for competitors. To cope, Sievern said he practiced two hours a day for the past nine months. "And it all comes down to a 15-minute time window in a competition," he said. "If I screw up massively, it seems like all the work has gone completely to waste. There's always the chance that you'll mess up. There's always a margin of error. You're going to play a little bit differently every time, and some of those difference manifest in mistakes." "Once you have a large sample size of performing and competing you always know there's going to be another time if you screw up. But it's a huge monster to tackle." Contact Meghan Thomassen at mthomass@nd.edu 

TV Faceoff

"The Office" How many of you are still watching "The Office" on NBC? From what I'm usually told, most of you stopped following the show a couple of seasons back when Steve Carell left the cast, or maybe long before that. Fans of the show would argue the series has become monotonous (What documentary crew needs nine years of footage on a paper company?), or say the quality of the show has drastically declined in quality since it's earlier years. There were even plans for a Dwight spin-off called "The Farm" (which NBC recently passed on). The real issue isn't that the series hasn't been delivering some quality episodes the past couple of years, but that "The Office" hasn't felt like the same show fans have come to love. For any of you who have lost faith in the show over these past few years, I'm here to tell you that your worries can be put to rest for their final season. "The Office" is good again. There are several reasons for this turnaround. First, the original series show-runner Greg Daniels is back to take control of the final season. Not only was he behind the wheel when "The Office" was at its comical peak, but he left the show to help turn NBC's "Parks and Recreation" into the hilarious sitcom it's become. While Daniels deserves most of the credit, it's possible that giving producer credits to John Krasinski (Jim), Jenna Fisher (Pam), Rainn Wilson (Dwight), and Ed Helms (Andy), has brought some positive changes behind the scenes as it allows the key actors to become more invested. The story lines have not just been funny; they seem far more genuine than they have in recent years. I wasn't happy with how the show handled the Andy/Erin relationship because they broke one of the most important rules of visual storytelling: show and don't tell. We loved those moments with Pam and Jim because we just knew from their awkward interactions that they had feelings for each other. Andy and Erin just kept saying in interviews that they liked one another, then story lines were created to pair the two together. Thankfully, this season we're seeing a new romance between Erin and a newcomer named Pete (Jake Lacy), which works because as we are seeing a romance blossom that has yet to be acknowledged. On the note of relationships, the writers have finally made Jim and Pam's marriage interesting again. With Jim planning to move the family out of Scranton and invest their savings into a start-up business, there's plenty of tension building between the two. Even better is how other long time characters, like Andy and Dwight, are continuing to reveal more about their character through interesting story lines. While I'm not trying to suggest that this season is perfect, it is the final installment of a comedy series that is greatly adored. "The Office" will never be as clever and fresh as it was in the early years (especially without Michael Scott) but it's refreshing to see the show returning to familiar roots of humor and storytelling. "The Office" has improved, so why not see how it all ends?

Best Halloween TV Specials

Halloween episodes on television have always been more successful with a little humor involved. Looking back on shows both old and new, I want to highlight some of my personal favorite Halloween specials. They may not be considered by all to be the best, but they're definitely entertaining.

Do-it-yourself Halloween Costumes

Rip a page from the book of "Project Runway" challenges and make your costume yourself. Don't be afraid to step out on a limb and try some of these cool suggestions - you'll end up with a unique look that's fun and shows off your creative side.

Last-minute Costume Ideas

So you want to get in the Halloween spirit, but don't want to do any real work or spend any money? Easy. There are plenty of costumes you can make in which laziness it part of their charm.

Scene Selects

Paranormal Activity (2007)

A new burrito option

Taylor Swift's 'Red' is golden

Where are they now: ''The O.C.''

Classic political films

The Book was Better

Keep Calm and Style On

Capture the ND Spirit

A distinct and unique musical spirit has long been a part of the Irish people and their culture, and certainly music has been central to Notre Dame's own tradition, with its "greatest fight song in all the land" and the oldest collegiate marching band in the United States. This idea was reflected in Notre Dame's recent $2 billion "The Spirit of Notre Dame Campaign" with the production and release of a two-part album aimed at capturing the musical identity of the Fighting Irish called "The Spirit of Notre Dame." The album features two different discs, the first of which is an upbeat, tailgating-minded collection entitled "Celebration." This first part is mostly a fun, fast-paced collection of Celtic and Notre Dame-themed songs. John Tabis, a 2000 graduate, and Ken O'Malley create the jig-inspiring melody "Irish in the Yard" by altering the lyrics of the commonly known tune, "Whiskey in the Jar" to suit this year's Irish football team. "What Are You Fighting For?" by Emily Lord, a 1996 graduate, is a moving and uplifting ballad of finding purpose, and "Wearin' of the Green" by the Notre Dame Bagpipe Band is a rousing bagpipe and percussion ballad. "Here Come the Irish" by John Scully, a 1980 graduate, and Jim Tullio is a song that will be familiar to anyone who's been to a Notre Dame football game, but the album updates it with an opening introduction from University president emeritus Fr. Ted Hesburgh that, as most things Fr. Hesburgh says, carries a gravity that will give listeners the chills.   "Here Come the Irish" and another song on the album, "Warrior" by 2007 alumnus Jeffery Stephens and 2005 alumnus Lawrence Santiago, class of 2005, was featured on the Jumbotron during Notre Dame's football game against Miami at Soldier Field on Oct. 6. The second disc, "Reflections," is a more contemplative look into the Notre Dame spirit. "Notre Dame's Prayer to a Guardian Angel" by Roberta Lee Halladay, a 1974 graduate, combines the religious tradition of Notre Dame with a slow, introspective and peaceful tune. "With All Your Heart Believe" by 1994 graduate Tim O'Neill, is another touching and emotional song that evokes the seriousness and sentimentality of Notre Dame. "Too Rah Loo Rah Loo Rah" is sung by one of Notre Dame's most famous alumnus, Regis Philbin, a 1953 graduate. The album, which features a total of 33 songs from a number of alumni from many different generations, was a project spearheaded and produced by Tim and Ryan O'Neill, 1994 and 1997 graduates, respectively. "It's basically the biggest music compilation project in Notre Dame history," Tim O'Neill said. "I'm thankful that Notre Dame asked my brother and me to produce the project." The two brothers are a highly successful musical team, having sold more than two million CDs so far in their career, with horizons broadening beyond their alma mater. But Tim O'Neill said their true passion is for Notre Dame. "What we really love are these Notre Dame songs, and we just really love to get the word out about some of these talented alumni," he said. "It's a Notre Dame family project that's going to sell a lot of music, but more importantly connect a people back with Notre Dame and get them emotional about the place and hopefully the donate their time or money."  

Post-Potter effort vacant of magic

Magic. It's what defined the Harry Potter series, both in the literal and figurative sense. There were the wands, the Quidditch, the dragons and the Horcruxes - that's all magic, to be sure. But what truly captivated the reader's mind was the literary magic author J.K. Rowling conjured up - a richly-textured world, finely detailed environs and most importantly, meticulously developed characters. Sadly, Rowling's first post-"Potter" effort, "The Casual Vacancy," is, for lack of a better term, casually vacant of any magic. The characters may be well thought out, and the tiny fictional English village of Pagford that the novel takes place in may seem like a terrifyingly real place, but something is missing - literary magic. A post-"Potter" hangover of sorts may have been expected from Rowling - after all, her series of books is the best-selling of all time, having sold more than 450 million copies worldwide. But at the same time, Rowling is one of the most talented authors of her generation, having enchanted readers of all ages with her Hogwarts tales. Why should she not have succeeded with her first foray into adult novels? Unfortunately, "The Casual Vacancy" tries too hard to be just that - an adult novel. The premise of the story sounds interesting. A town councilor dies of a brain aneurysm, and the ensuing election for his replacement brings to a roiling boil what had previously been simmering class warfare in Pagford. Along the way, Rowling tosses in every calamity and societal malady available - drug use, suicide, rape, infidelity - like a sickening shopping list of the warts of humanity. It isn't bad to show the underbelly of society - "Harry Potter" dealt with some pretty mature themes - but the nonstop barrage lacks focus, as if Rowling was looking to check off a list, hitting every one of mankind's woes with no real thought to how they contributed to the overall plot. Part of the magic is lost in "The Casual Vacancy" when Rowling not only loses focus in trying to portray the dregs of small-town English society, but also when she does not provide a central character that draws in the reader.. Imagine if "Harry Potter" only had an ensemble of Seamus Finnigan, Dolores Umbridge, Ollivander and no Harry, Ron or Hermione. No one, not even the die-hard "Potter" fans, would ever enjoy such a tale. I found myself spending more time than I should trying to iron down in my mind all of the characters in "The Casual Vacancy" when I should have been enjoying the book. Compounding this issue is the fact that the reader simply does not care for the characters in the novel. Every single character has a signature fault, whether it is pomposity, promiscuity or addiction. Characters certainly should never have to be painted as good or bad in black and white terms. One cannot deny the heroes in "Harry Potter" were flawed - Harry was proud, Hermione was a know-it-all and Ron was, well, Ron - but these flaws were balanced by positive traits. On the other hand, by the time I was able to sort the multitude of characters in "The Casual Vacancy" apart, I was only able to distinguish them by their unpleasant traits, not their names. It is hard to fully enjoy a book when every single one of the characters is so unabashedly dreadful. I had high hopes for "The Casual Vacancy." I was expecting a black comedy of epic proportions, an exposé of small-town British life. Instead, I received 503 pages of misery. It may be harsh in comparing the book to "Harry Potter" when Rowling should in no way have to match the magic she conjured in the series. After all, I wouldn't want to have to live up to say, my illustrious performance in my high school European history class. But as an avid "Potter" fan, someone who rereads the seven books every summer and dressed up for multiple midnight movie premieres, I cannot help but be more than a little disappointed with Rowling's effort in "The Casual Vacancy." In a way, I am not so much upset with the book itself as I am with Rowling. If any other author churned this book out, I would say the characters are dreary, but nevertheless the pages kept turning. But seeing the name "J.K. Rowling" on the cover comes with astronomical expectations. I wasn't expecting magic in the literal sense, but was looking to be charmed by Rowling's pen. Unfortunately, there was no literary magic within the pages of "The Casual Vacancy."  

West Coast, Best Coast

As a bit of a disclaimer, I must go out of my way to inform everyone this: being from California, I have a natural inclination toward things West Coast-related -- the music, the culture, the In-N-Out and, once again, the music. With that said, I tried to inject little bias into my examination of Kendrick Lamar's major label debut under Interscope Records, "Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City." And despite my bias, I have found only good things about Lamar's debut effort, as he exceeds the expectations that the hype seemingly unfairly placed around him. With superb presentation and extremely captivating substance, he provides a refreshing album, yet still pays homage to the "old-school" style of West Coast hip-hop that consequently gets nods of respect and appreciation from fans all over.   The songs in "Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City" are compiled into a story, which presents the narrative of Lamar who struggles with the decision to either transcend the dangers and temptations of his city Compton, Calif., with his music, or succumb to the daily traps that his friends and everyone else seem to be a perpetual part of. His music chronicles his time in an environment that veils the opportunities of the rest of the world to its people. The story opens with the track "Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter's Daughter," telling the story of Lamar falling into temptation with Sherane, where it is revealed that Lamar was simply deceived and ambushed.   From there comes a total sequence of tragedies fitting for scenes out of the Compton classic movie "Boyz N The Hood," where the story falls like a tumultuous set of dominoes, one folly leading to a disaster leading to a heartbreak. The first-person narration that Lamar provides is truly impressive, never missing a beat in story telling (except for a single curiously placed song "Don't Kill My Vibe," a solid song, but one that really has nothing to do with the overarching story). Each track provides a different partial ambiance to the overall story of the project, perfectly capturing the mood appropriate to its portion of the narrative in a way that really allows the listener to relate to the song not just for the message being delivered, but also the feel of the song. The feelings evoked by each song are so pure and raw that the strings of the guitar in "Don't Kill My Vibe" pull at some heart strings and the crescendo of Lamar's roars in "Backseat Freestyle" are felt in the chest.   Yet there's also a versatility factor to "Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City" that makes it so beautiful, where the songs can also be standalone songs as well as sequences to the stories. Obviously, lead singles "The Recipe" (produced by and featuring West Coast legend Dr. Dre) and  "Swimming Pools (Drank)" are standouts as individual hits, but other not-so-obvious songs impress. "Don't Kill My Vibe," "Money Trees" (featuring fellow Top Dawg Entertainment artist Jay Rock), "Poetic Justice" featuring Drake, and "Now or Never" featuring Mary J. Blige are automatic hits. One can definitely make a case for any song being the standout song, which only speaks to Lamar's ability as a musician and artist, and the effort he puts forth in each song as well as his passion and pride in his work to avoid any filler songs.   The fervent rapping ability combined with insightful material that has come to be known as Lamar's standard of product is alive and well, pure and untouched in his major label debut.   While "Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City" does have its faults, they are far and few in between, as Kendrick Lamar seamlessly flows into his debut in his own style and his own comfort zone. And if my bias shows a little, feel free to prove me wrong, and purchase the album and try to find a counter-point. You just might appreciate it after all.