Just as the 21st birthday girl has become a fixture in Gainesville nightlife, so has "that guy," the one who ends up getting kicked out of the bar every time he goes out.
Anal sex. There, I said it. If the notion makes you clench up, I suggest you stop reading. Like, now.
In a national phone conference, comedian Sarah Silverman schleped over to a phone to discuss the season two premiere of "The Sarah Silverman Program" on Comedy Central and her voting campaign called "The Great Schlep," which favors Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. For more information, check out sarahsilverman.comedycentral.com and thegreatschlep.com.
Kevin Nowak, Liquid Limbs guitarist and vocalist, gave an unusual forecast for the band's Saturday performance at The Atlantic. He promised a "razor sharp set of mind-blowing volcanic riff tornadoes."
I'm a clean guy with dirty habits.
Indie rock group The Walkmen somewhat defy their so-called "indie" branding. With with heavy influences from Bob Dylan and The Kinks, The Walkmen combine emotional lyrics with a throwback to classic rock roots, which doesn't exactly fit into the "indie rock" box - especially since the band crosses genres with songs featured films such as "Spider-Man 3" and television cult classic "The O.C."
Balancing responsibility and still managing to go out is one of the biggest problems facing college students. Between classes and bills, it sometimes seems as though fun takes a backseat.
For Chadwick Stokes, former guitarist of the acoustic-rock group Dispatch, anti-war songs like "The General" weren't enough. Stokes wanted something sharper when it came to political issues. He found this edge in bassist Chuck Fay and drummer Mike Najarian. The three formed the politically charged reggae-rock band State Radio.
The three greatest things to possibly come out of Gainesville: Emmitt Smith, Gatorade and Against Me! It might be surprising to learn that the resident punk heroes eat at The Top, listen to The Streets and are playing a benefit show for the Civic Media Center this Sunday at Common Grounds. Yeah - not very anarchist of them. But lead singer/songwriter Tom Gabel also does interviews while dodging traffic. Now that's more like it.
Michael Cera and Kat Dennings keep it cute and awkward as two teens getting to know each other in "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," a one-night, feel-good frolic through New York City. In between tickling and throwing things at each other, Cera and Dennings chatted in a national phone conference about their new movie, which opens Friday.
Reggae-hip-hop band Funkatron defines its name as "the musical creation and expression of five individuals' hearts and souls."
If you ask my friends, they'll be the first to tell you that I'm definitely not a politically active person. My knowledge of the presidential candidates is shallower than a kiddie pool, but with the shambles our nation is in, I thought it would behoove me to catch Friday night's debates. After all, what better way to learn about our potential future presidents than watching them civilly duke it out on national television?
I'm an optimist when I look at transportation: If it's faster than walking, it's good enough for me. Stopping never comes to mind.
A fantastical view of the world's sleazier characters, "Choke" is a surreal softcore porn movie where the story is better - and more appealing - than the sex but just as graphic. Self-proclaimed sex addict and medical school dropout Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell), cons people into loving him by pretending to choke at restaurants and having others save him. He then uses these people for money to keep his dying mother, Ida Mancini (Anjelica Huston), in "nice" hospital facilities. Content in this wayward lifestyle, he meets his mother's new doctor, Paige Marshall (Kelly Macdonald), who, with an almost angelic demeanor, manages to turn Mancini's life upside down by telling him he might be Jesus's half clone forged from the ancient holy foreskin. It's pretty mind-boggling.
Members of Gainesville band Moodhosa said their sound is hard to explain - even for them. There's a backdrop of gutty, gritty Delta blues, hints of funk, undercurrents of reggae and a smattering of good, old-fashioned rock 'n' roll. What shapes Moodhosa's groove is exactly what makes rock music great: a respect for the classics, an acknowledgment of contemporaries and a personal touch.
The green movement is spreading through America like a forest fire. Even in the celebrity world, green seems to be the new pink.
In their formative high school years, members of the California reggae-metal band The Expendables claimed they sucked so much as musicians that they labeled themselves "expendable," said Geoff Weers, singer and guitarist for the band. A few years and four albums later on the band's national tour, the name stuck.
As the classic saying goes, incinerate your ride once, shame on the lighter. Incinerate your ride twice, shame on The Pink Spiders. The Nashville power-poppers have a way with flames, but such is the combustible nature of a touring band on the brink. After accidentally torching an equipment trailer between gigs a few years back, they decided to one-up themselves by setting ablaze an entire school bus. The Spiders traveled Partridge Family-style, at least until the tires melted. It does make a great story, so score it a Pyrrhic victory on the road to the top.
One of the most iconic figures in the Gainesville bar scene is the "21st birthday girl." She usually comes in with a gaggle of girls who are borderline overdressed for the bar or club, and she has always already had too much to drink.
I'm going to bring my manhood into question here and say that "Ghost Town" is a cute movie. That's the only apt definition for something that's fun to watch and mildly romantic but doesn't offer the suspense, symbolism or surprise - unless you count the joyous physical proof that Cameron from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is still around as surprising - the general population uses to classify a movie as good. But it's a nice movie and worth going to see if you're in the mood for something light.
Solutions by The State News
