December 7, 2004 The Lion's Eye = =: = Fve on Entertainment Page 5 _ Dear Diary: U2 does it again with its latest album Retail Ulta 4 I have never before felt such low self-esteem by walking into a store. Ulta, a cosmetics/hair/beauty supply shop in Concord, Del., evoked that feeling from me. I only went because I had a coupon and a list of Christmas shopping to check off, two good rea- sons. But when I walked through the glass doors into beautyland, I knew my Penn State hoodie and sweats were Inadequate. People, employees and products lined the aisles. Where do I begin? Well, my aunt likes Tommy Girl perfume, so I attempted to find it on the right side of the store where all the fragrances appeared to sit. I must have looked like a lost puppy, for not long after wandering around, a clerk with perfect eyebrows, perfect makeup and perfect hair and a not-so-perfect attitude approached me. She helped me find what I needed, all right, which was more than just the perfume. : She made me feel even more out-of-place than I had when I first walked in. She knew it, too, because she soon left me to help someone with money who had taken the time to dress up and put on her face that morning. After deciding not to buy the $49 bottle of per- fume, I went to look for something I've heard much about recently: Jessica Simpson's Desert makeup line. Products include body shimmer, fra- grance spray and lip gloss, all of which you can eat. Hungry in class? One can just eat her lip- gloss, which tastes like vanilla, caramel or choco- late. I liked this concept but when I finally found them, my heart sank when the unmarked stan- dard sized lip-gloss came to price check at $24. Even with my coupon worth $3.50, it wasn't worth it. Next, I went looking for Burt's Bees products. Their inexpensive lip shimmers would make per- fect stocking stuffers. Of course, Ulta carries everything under the sun except inexpensive Burt. That's when I saw it: a sale! A customer could take home her choice of Tatum or Trent, stuffed puppies for only $7.50 with any purchase (normally $25). Part of the proceeds goes to the Make A Wish Foundation. Quickly, I looked around for something I could afford. While looking for hair conditioner, I discovered a salon in the back of the store, a perfect haven for unkempt cus- tomers like myself. Though no one was there, I glanced around for prices, but to no avow, since my hair needed some taming. It probably cost an arm and a leg, anyway. Checking out, I grabbed a Tatum and got the hell out of there, having used my coupon and only spending $6.99. This store gets two paws since it has a huge selection, all of which I can't afford. — JENNIFER RUFO Movies Bridget Jones’ Diary: Edge of Reason Bridget Jones fans have waited a very long year to watch the sequel to the brilliant Bridget Jones' Diary. The sequel, Edge of Reason is maybe a quarter of what the first movie was. Perhaps if people hadn't built up the film so much it would have been less disappointing. In the sequel, Bridget discovers life with Mark isn’t so wonderful after all. The humor was mediocre and some of the fun- nier scenes were recreations of the original inci- dents that took place in Bridget Jones' Diary. Like most unimpressive movies, the funny parts are already shown in the trailer. A few scenes are worthy of good credit because of the hysterical outcome. Renee Zellweger is adorable in her role as an unmarried thirty-some- thing. Hugh Grant steals the scene with his smooth-talking, nonchalant appeal. He is the scoundrel that everyone loves to hate and hates to love. This film has a decent plot, but the actual dia- logue and acting doesn't emphasize this fact. By mid-film, this movie becomes exceptionally monot- onous, and I found myself checking my watch in order to calculate how much longer the show would go on. If you haven't seen this film yet, save yourself RR the $8, and wait until it comes out on video. — CHARLOTTE BARR Music U2 ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’ I was able to fully listen to U2's new album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" more than three weeks before its worldwide release. After several days of listening, I have an expla- nation on how good this new CD really is. Since I first listened to it, the songs written by Bono and The Edge were inspiring and soothing to the soul. Although the album "All that You Can Leave Behind," debuting in 2001, sold more albums than any other CD U2 has produced, this sequel and newest album isn't that bad. As an avid U2 listen- er, I have enjoyed listening to its music and had the opportunity to see the band back in 2001 at a sold-out show. I have heard, however, that U2 will be returning state-side sometime in 2005, with three shows in Philadelphia in early to mid- March. One of the new songs, "Vertigo," has been a No. 1 hit on the radio, especially on 93.3-FM WMMR, Philadelphia. Other tracks on the album include “Miracle Drug,” “Crumbs on Your Table,” and “One Step Closer.” U2 originally made its debut in the United States more than 24 years ago, having songs played on WMMR in 1980. — LENNY FURIA
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