6 I The Behrend Beacon n ~ A look at the world of music, from the obscure to the obscene, Late late album starts Oft ith a (.11 - Lnatic rise and fall of notes: you vvonekr if it's going another tiOs pop ballad. It has that certain nostalgic radio feel that you can swear heard before. In the last 13 seconds, it takes a turn for the unexpect ed. It's got a inockTn rock feel to it, and the cram guitar rock intro ih - ags into the second song. The first two tracks are designed fur gapless plus hack. \\ hich makes it sound really cool. What Fin descrihing ne the first two tracks oft Fantasy Black Channcl h\ Late ut the Pier. Their U.S. debut album \\ as released on Jan. I hut has enjoyed suc cess in the F.K. since August. reaching 1128 on the chaos. The\ have a huge teen lanhase established h\ frequentl\ playing in all-ages clance clubs. Late of the Pier has an titis pop feel with a inure modem st . \ le. Fans t\ picall\ (lescrihe them as "S\ nth Pop:' "Flectronica. - and "Dance-Punk. - In an eser genre-conscious Musi cal \\ orld. you base to wonder \\ hat it realls is. C(1NTRIBI TE PHOTO Late al the Pier traits 11(.6 no true v,enir. With their Nth synth melody and electric diutiv beats. impo.ssibfr to (Immure whew thes• n nnlcl ultimate/.1 The third track has a certain jamming of synthesiser chords that make you \\ ant to huh \ our head. As the \ erse ends. it turns into a screaming chorus of electron ics. oh\ iously making it a dance song. Alter listening to it. I can surer say these gu,s Lill into the "Dance-Punk - genre. Listening to it. I couldn't help hut tap my fingers and toes to the heat. There's also an e\ perimental silk to their music while the album moves on as they continue to play around \\ ith mkt percussion. strange sounds. and e\ en stringier sineine st‘ les Almost e\ery song starts out extremely \lanceable and mo\ es into a standard verse-chorus-kerse song sty,le. Somehow. they make it work. I'd really suggest checking these guys out for a blast from the past that rocks. Late of the Pier has been criticall \ acclaimed fw man\ magaiines in the U.S.. including Ether and Mend( r Food For Thought What words to tell -~ _ I!EMMI the new and the 01d of the on the By Justin Peckular contributini; write! up 51185. psu cdu iOthil . MU.Sit'ACCM is life without —Author unknown ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ,-...„. . ..... ,-.., . Pier scene its story? A look at Gran Torino, Eastwood's own commentary By Nick Kniseley contriblititi,s; titks(N)6(a psu.edu Beu•cur: the following outlines a majority of the film's plot. Though not intentionally a comedy, Clint Eastwood's performance will make you laugh throughout Gran Thrine. Halfway through the movie, I had to look over to my friends to make sure this wasn't a comedy, as it seemed I was laughing every five minutes from something Eastwood's character (Walt Kowalski) said or did. However, this is merely one side of Walt. His gripping past is full of haunting memories of his duties in the Korean Wa•, which still plague him throughout the movie. His young Hmong neighbor. Tauo, asks of Walt what it was like to kill a man. Walt, stone-faced, replies, "You don't want to know..." And later in the film. Walt again speaks of his memories of Korea: "We shot people, we stabbed them, we chopped up 17 year olds with shovels." Beware: the following out lines a majority of the film's plot. The film begins at a funeral for Walt's wife, with the eulogy being presented by Father Janovich (Christopher Carley). Walt's two sons and their families show seemingly no respect during the funeral nor at the gathering afterwards. Obviously. Walt is a man of respect, and having grown up in the military, he has become a very old-fashioned, hard-nosed American. He served in the military and worked in a Ford factory fbr fifty years. The days after the funeral focus on Walt's changing neighborhood. The majority of residents that have moved into the neighborhood are Hmong. which angers Walt, who not only is racist. but not afraid to let you know about it to your face. Thao, a young Hmong boy who lives next door to Walt, is confronted by a local racist Hispanic gang. A car full of Hmong gang members pull up, protect ing Thao. flashing their guns, and even tually chasing the Hispanic gang away. We learn that one of the gang members that saved Thao is actually Thao's cousin, Spyda. Spyda and his friends try to convince Thao to join their gang, as it will make him tougher and change him from a shy. quiet boy to a man. Reluctantly, Thao accepts and as initia tion. must steal Walt's prized 1972 Ford Gran Torino. Walt sees Thao in his garage in the midlle of the night, sneaks in with his rifle, threatening Thao. Walt trips over something on the floor, and Thao dishes out. A few days later, the gang arrives again at Thao's house, saying they want to give him another chance to join. He refuses. but the gang won't let him decline, so a brawl ensues between Thao's family and the gang members, eventually spilling onto Walt's lawn. Walt, armed with his Ml Garand, points at one of the gang members, and tells them to get off his lawn (along with some other choice words). Warning Walt This week in art history By Dave Stull contributing wiiter dass 1 22 (apsu.edu January 23, 1977: Roots, a televi sion miniseries, premieres on ABC. The miniseries is modeled after Alex Haley's novel Roots: The Saga of an Amoican Family. The miniseries, which gave Americans a look into the slave trade of the 1700 s, won multiple awards and was viewed by millions throughout its eight-day run. January 24, 1927: Filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock premiered his first film, The Pleastin , Gulden. The film centers around two chorus girls who work at the Pleasure Garden Theater. It was actual ly filmed in 1925 but due to budget problems its debut was delayed two years. January 25, 1949: The first annual Emmy Awards were held at the Hollywood Athletic club. The show was hosted by Walter O'Keefe and served as a public relations event to boost the image of the industry. Winners that to watch his hack, the gang leaves. Hearing of the event from the previous night, the Hmong resident~ in the neigh borhood decorate Walt's porch with plants and Hmong food. Walt throws out all the gifts. repeatedly claiming he did n't save Thao, he just wanted everyone off his lawn. Driving along the road, Walt notices Thao's sister Sue being harassed by three teens and pulls up. Stepping out of his Ford truck, he approaches the men. and a la Dirty Hron•. wishes for the kicb, to try to mess with him. I almost expected him to come out mrd say. "Go ahead, make my day. - Walt gives Sue a ride home, which allows her an opportu nity to try and connect with Walt. The next day. Thao is told by his mother he must repay his debt to Walt for attempt ing to steal his Gran Torino. Walt instructs Thao to do various random jobs to clean up the neighborhood. This is when we get to see a change in Walt, as he takes Thao under his wing, turning him into a man and helping him get his life on track. He becomes closer with Sue and her whole family. even joining them for a party one afternoon. Throughout the film, Father Janovich visits Walt many times, eager to con vince Walt to go to confession, some- CONTRIBt PHOTO Clint Eastwood even composed and pop' mned the song in the ending cndits. night included Shirley Dinsdale, who won for best TV personality, and the best program went to Pantomime Quiz. January 26, 1940: Former president and actor, Ronald Reagan and Academy Award-winning actress Jane Wyman marry. The two met on the set of Brother Rat in 1938 and were married two years later. Their marriage lasted only eight years, and it produced three children. Reagan would soon leave act ing and enter politics, eventually becoming President of the United States, while Wyman continued acting, landing one of her most notable roles as Angela Charming in Falcon Caw. January 27, 1302: Dante Alighieri, author of The Divine Comedy, is exiled from Florence. Dante is known throughout the world as one of the great est poets to ever live, and his magnum opus, or - great work," The Divine Comedy, is considered by many to be one of the most influential pieces of lit erature in history. Dante came from a well known family. He was eventually Friday, January 23,2008 thing Walt s wife entrusted Fat her Janovich to 1k) for her. Repeatedly. Walt declines and refuses to go through \\ ith his wile's wishes. One of the deepest moments of the movie is the oniversa tion about life and death between the two. Father asks Walt what he knows about (kath, to which Walt recounts his past, having to kill men to sun. is e and in order to serve his countr\ Father Janovich then asks Walt 's hat he kno\\ s about life. Walt has to take a moment to actually think of his response. Father Janovich expresses his opinion that Walt knows more about cleath than about living. Walt's inner battle comes to terms at the end of the movie, where Eastwoods real acting genius collies out into the open. His character is heart-wrenching and simply amaiing. Even at the age of 78, Eastwood still has the intensity he demonstrated in movies decades prior to this. Gran Torino is a roller coaster 01 emotions that will keep ion on the edge of your seat. keeping ion almost afraid of what the ending will bring. I strong ly recommend this to even one. as it shows Eastwood's vast acting, skills and is not just a plain cb•anra: rather, it tells the story of a man broken from his past, and his efforts to cope with it. elevated to a gmeming position in the city of Florence, and because of certain political activities he was banished from the city for two years. He never returned to Florence and passed away at the age of 56 in Ravenna. Italy. January 28, 1956: Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll. makes his first appearance on television. The program was Stage Dieu., a music variety show. While on stage, Elvis sane "Heartbreak Hotel," which was a hit. After his per formance, Elvis went on to sing in other more popular variety shows such as the Ed Sidlira, Show, and would quickly become one of the most popular singers of all time. January 29, 1980: Jimmy Durante dies at the age of 89. Born in Brooklyn. Durance started his career as a Vaudeville star which later lead to his work on Broadway. He ventured into movies with success and starred in many films including: The Wet Pankk, The Man who Caine to Dinner. Ziegfeld Follies. and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mal World.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers