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Angie Estes Carr Reading Series | Wednesday | 4:30 | Illini Union Bookstore Author's Corner | Free If you've never read anything Angie Estes has written, stop reading this nonsense and click here, right now. Back already? Well then go back and read it again, making sure this time to notice the subtle in-mixing of planned and unplanned speech, of narrative interjection and song driven reflection — read it again so you can see how the poet is both entranced …
| Armed with a printing press, Alabama artist Amos Paul Kennedy Jr prints words and symbols on paper both for profit and for personal expression. His posters roll language and color into a visually engaging four-cornered (and sometimes four-lettered) package, and have made their way all over the country in the twenty-some years he's been printing. Mr. Kennedy Jr. is in town as part of the University of Illinois Artist Residency program, and will be showcasing some of his work at …
Speed-the-Plow Friday, 26th and Saturday, 27th | 8:00 p.m. | Gregory Hall | $5 at the door Like most of his work, David Mamet's 1988 play Speed-the-Plow tackles most of the major literary themes unique to the past thirty years of novel writing (hell, probably the past 300 years for the matter): personal greed, idealism, love, sex, aesthetics, etc. In this short saga, Mamet uses the entertainment industry as a trope, explicating the way that these very themes have configured …
If the ability to record thoughts, images and events in narrative form is what separates us from animals, the ability to numb the mind's perception of these events, images and thoughts is what makes our human-hood tolerable. Luckily, round about 9000 BC, some creative Egyptian came up with a little something called beer, and well, the concept stuck. Now, about 100 centuries later, U of I MFA student and Editor for HOBART: another literary journal, Aaron Burch has joined forces …
In preparing to preview this, the the first VOICE reading event of the year, I took a little time to reflect upon how I had once viewed such events, by which I mean, with contempt. Who wants to sit around and listen to people reading their glorified journal entries with strange and embarrassing vocal inflections? Even after I started writing, I wasn't all that keen this whole idea. It wasn't for about a year of private curiosity and outward snarkiness …
The IMC Film Festival is tomorrow and Saturday (and it's FREE), and Kristiana Burtness will have a full preview tomorrow, but we'll whet your appetite today with a couple of Q&A's with filmmakers whose work will be featured at the festival. Vincent Calianno is a grad student at the U of I, and is a composer and media artist. He wrote a new score to the 1920 Robert Weine film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (you can view the film …
The IMC Film Festival is tomorrow and Saturday (it's FREE), and Kristiana Burtness will have a full preview tomorrow, but we'll whet your appetite today with a couple of Q&A's with filmmakers whose work will be featured at the festival. First up is Alex Schwarm, whose film As Ever, Stan, will be shown Saturday night at 8:41 p.m. (give or take?). The 13-minute work is a dramatization of his grandparents' experiences during World War II, when his grandfather was a …
If you live in Champaign-Urbana and you drink coffee, odds are you've encountered Jason Patterson's artwork. His towering canvasses have graced the walls of most every local cafe, but this Friday his solo exhibition Civil Rights Project opens at Indi Go Art Gallery in downtown Champaign with a reception that runs from 7-10 p.m. Often grappling with lofty subjects such as socio-cultural strife, trauma and the past's presence in our everyday life, Patterson makes use of a sleek, direct aesthetic through …
Drew Hastings was nice enough to give me a call the other day and talk about Saturday night's show at the Virginia Theatre with the Canadian Mist Bob & Tom Comedy All-Stars. He'll be joined onstage by Bob Zany, Greg Hahn, and Donnie Baker & the Pork Pistols, and Kristi Lee of the Bob & Tom show will be the emcee of the evening. Tickets are $32.50, there's reserved seating, and the extravaganza begins at 7 p.m. This is the …
Notable stoner/standup comedian Doug Benson will be performing at 88 Broadway (no longer a piano bar and fondue restaurant, now a performance venue!) on Saturday night. If you're a pop-culture junkie, or perhaps the other kind, you know Benson from Best Week Ever, Super High Me and "The Marijuana-logues," among other things, like Last Comic Standing. The show begins at 9 p.m., Graham Elwood is opening, and tickets are $15 a pop. I know it's basically happening concurrently with our …
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To get back to the show, if that’s allowed, we saw it last night. I know a lot about the films of the 30s and 40s and appreciated what Durang was trying to do, though some was pretty obvious and the ending was forced. A literal kitchen…
I had a great time reading around your post as I read it extensively. Gold Coins
Zeleni, I had the exact same theory only with the mysterious Man in Black/Smokie granting the wishes. MIB promised Sayid he could have anything in the world he wanted, which turned out to be Nadia. Although he does not necessarily “have” her, she has not died yet…
Zelini, I really like this - I’ll try to follow the theory more closely. As they reveal more about Kate (possibly next week), it might give us more perspective. I agree with your observation about Ben and I think Michael Emerson has done an excellent job conveying his lesser stature.
What if the sideways alternatives are where Jacob actually grants them their wishes, but in ways they didn’t quite expect? The elimination of one regret. Sayid gets to be with Nadia - although through his brother. Maybe he ends up with her at the expense of his…
I understood this totally differently than the other people that posted…this is what I got from it: - the more background you have going in, the more of the allusions you will understand when watching - afterwards, you can do a little research to fill in the…
Jason — I know you are busy with your own thang too, but, whenever you are ready: http://www.smilepolitely.com/contribute/ Word.
Fair enough. This is my second attempt at writing for Smile Politely, and I agree that my playful review did not go over well, or at all like I intended it to. Thank you, Jason, for your advice. I’ll definitely take it to heart.
Tracy, I think there are two halves to this. Even if you are not familiar with the “history of the American film,“ you are always a few Google strokes away from digging up the basics on iconic films and actors that would have registered a big “A-HA!“…
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Change is the only constant thing in this world. Change is just an indication that a particular place is improving or not. It is a good thing that there is a room for a change but it must be a change for the better. It is just…
Now that Olympian is probably a given, they’re going to have to rename the section between Willow and 45. Any suggestions? Now lets get onto Urbana’s next road to nowhere. Airport Rd., They want to extend it from Bartlow west to Lincoln thru 3 farm fields. One…
Good stuff as always! I like the theory Zelina presented…curious to see how it plays out with Sawyer, Jin/Sun, and Kate…
I found that cake thing about a year ago. It’s pretty amazing. Happily, it didn’t stick as a habit ‘cause I *still* made a mess with the flour and cocoa and all that ...
Foreigner had Double Vision, now that’s vision.. It is interesting today how diverse people’s music taste has become. Take 107.1 for instance, depending on what time of you’re listening to it you can hear indie, top 40 alternative, hip hop, and alt country all in the same block of…
In case you think I’m crazy and Obama loves you - http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/us-declassifies-part-of-secret-cybersecurity-plan/
YOU PEOPLE
“Evaporated.“ Never said that but cool…. Yes, I do know. But people have wanted to be Elvis for 60 years. And I think what is hipper these days is the switch around. Ya know, how every one in the band “kind of” plays “everything” and switches around…
Make a mental note now - This is for federal control of the internet. It will be phased in. There is a cybersecurity bill in congress right now. just watch…
i just found this article, and am so happy about it! mark is a wonderful person!!
*Shrugs*
Cheesy Computers with evaporated Beats and Samples may not be your taste and I can appreciate that…but in some cases they are born out of necessity. Do you know how hard it is to find a drummer these days? Do you know how hard it is to find…
Sometime between now and their first game in this year’s NIT, the Illini need to practice taking a shot before the game clock expires.
Can we please refrain from ever EVER comparing running a marathon to childbirth? Especially when the comparison is made by someone without a vagina? Kthx.
I think we are in. But being blown out again by OSU might give the selection comittee doubts. I dunno anymore.
Mark: You raise some interesting points. I’m impressed by anyone who runs a marathon, no matter their finishing time. It’s the commitment people show to accomplishing a goal they set for themselves that impresses me most. A sign I saw at the Illinois Marathon last year along…
To get back to the show, if that’s allowed, we saw it last night. I know a lot about the films of the 30s and 40s and appreciated what Durang was trying to do, though some was pretty obvious and the ending was forced. A literal kitchen…
Every band in CU - I realize this is just a cheeky comment, but I wanted to respond anyway. I think this column is more about the scene and the support system than the bands themselves. The last thing I would ever want is for someone to…
Interesting article, John. I second your comments Doug. I’d really like to see the two of you do a Siskel & Ebert-style review of albums. Can SP make this happen? And if Noiseboy could reappear to DJ one day at Mike & Molly’s…
@Ty I think this article from last year is what you’re looking for: http://www.smilepolitely.com/food/talking_breakfast_at_the_market/ Enjoy!
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Good stuff as always! I like the theory Zelina presented…curious to see how it plays out with Sawyer, Jin/Sun, and Kate…