14 I Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010 ALBUM REVIEW ‘Songs Joanna Likes’ Reviewed by Beth Ann Downey COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER When all you want is some easy listening, it’s not hard to reach for the music of Zak Sobel. This local artist frequents downtown bars to serenade Happy Valley with his acoustic origi- nals, but now fans can enjoy the take-home ver sion of his performance with the release of his first LR ‘Songs Joanna Likes.” Recorded with a hill band behind him, Sobel’s individual tal ent as an instrumen talist and songwriter still remains the focus of each track. Whether they have the twang and rhythm of “Better Courtesy of facebook.com Days,” the ’9os pop undertones of "Sweet Anna,” or the slow, soulful melody and lyrics of "Sweetheart, Do Not Fear,” these songs are glimpses of Sobel’s soul. J / And as with most singer/songwriters, the true soul of the album is in the lyrics. This is where listeners can hear Sobel's boyish charm mixed in with the maturity of his musicianship. "Would you like to be my high school sweetheart again? /1 would take you to the prom because I was so stu pid back then,’’ Sobel sings in "Better Days.” Other songs show more depth in both lyricism and arrangement, like his description of what it's like to be on the "Short End" of love or the story about a lost, lonely girl told in words and sad vio lin parts during "Aurora." Though acoustic-based albums can sometimes cany a monotonous sound, Sobel's strength lies in making each song sound vastly different while keeping true to his folk-rock roots. Such song- writing is impressive from a musician who only first strapped on a guitar four years ago. But in listening to this record, it is apparent that Sobel is, in fact, still an amateur. His warm voice, though soothing, is still lacking in definition and variance. The up-beat jams like "Sweet Anna" and "Clay Sun" could've benefited from some more vocal enthusiasm. This Penn State senior has the natural talent, the time and the opportunity to grow and blos som into a bigger name. There's no doubt that we could all see him manifest into the Matt Duke or Ryan Adams of tomorrow. Until then, whether he's serenading you in a performance or lulling you to sleep on your iPod, Sobel is the choice for home-grown talent. Grade: B- Download: “Clay Sun,” “Better Days” and “Sweet Anna.” To e-mail reporter: eadSoB9@psu.edu MOVIE REVIEW ‘Burlesque’ Reviewed by Lauren Ingeno COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER • Burlesque" could have been one of those campy movies, like "Showgirls” or "Glitter" so bad it was actually good but it wasn't even fun enough for that. The two-hour-long movie has sequins, bright lights and a little bit of sex without any sizzle. Christina Aguilera makes her big screen debut playing Ali, the small town girl from lowa who moves to Los Angeles to become a singer. She stumbles upon a burlesque club imaginatively named Burlesque run by proprietor Tfess (Cher). Ali starts off as a waitress, then becomes a dancer and eventually the star of the show. But don't think she does n't have to deal with prob lems along the way. Ali crashes at the apart ment of Burlesque bar tender Jake (Cam Gigandent) who is com pletely in love with her Courtesy of imdb.com even though he has a fiance. Meanwhile a gor geous millionaire (Eric Dane) who wants to buy the club from Tess is also in love with Ali and buys her presents and brings her to VIP parties. Who will she choose? But who really cares? Aguilera can sing. And when she finally opens her mouth midway through ‘ Burlesque,’ - you’re tricked into thinking the sinking movie could actually be saved. She is also a performer. The dance numbers in the club are entertaining and appealing and Aguilera commands the stage. Unfortunately, she doesn’t sing and dance the whole time. She also acts. And it’s bad. Hopefully the film has killed her acting career. To go along with Aguilera’s poor acting, Ali isn’t a likeable character in the first place. She’s sup posed to be the underdog, but it’s hard to cheer for her. She is whiny and self-absorbed, but every one still worships the ground she walks on. When staying with Jake, Ali demands that she gets the bedroom while he’s forced to sleep on the couch. First-time writer and director Steven Antin’s script is atrocious. Even Cher, who tries to shine, is de-sparkled by lame lines and a pathetic story. Nikki (Kristen Bell) is the boozed-up bitch who refuses to be upstaged by the new chick, and she provides an opportunity for some actual conflict in the sour film. But don’t get your hopes up. Her character and interaction with Ali is just as yawn worthy as Aguilera’s acting. Nikki gives her dirty looks in the dressing room, and Ali retaliates with comebacks, like telling Nikki she looks like a drag queen. Ouch. If you want something hot and spicy, watch some Christina Aguilera You Tube videos, because “Burlesque” is bland as could be. Grade: D To e-mail reporter: lmiSolB@psu.edu Inßeview Reporters rank pizzerias Reviewed by Julie Mastrine COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Cheap pizza joints are abundant in Happy Valley, but it can be difficult to know which one not only tastes the best, but gives you the best value. To solve this mystery, a panel of Daily Collegian reporters conducted a blind taste test of eight pizza places: Bell’s Greek Pizza, 214 E. Calder Wav Brother’s NY Style Pizzeria, 204 E. College Ave. Canyon Pizza, 260 E. Beaver Ave College Pizza, 128 Locust Lane Corrinado’s Pizza, 114 Hetzel St Gumby’s Pizza, 300 S. Pugh St. Mamma Mia’s,, 128 E. College Ave. Sarina’s 11, 220 W. College Ave. Our panel of reviewers which included myself and Collegian per forming arts reporter Hannah Rishel tested a slice of cheese pizza from each eatery and gave the piece an overall rating between one and five, five being the best. We also noted prices, took photos, recorded audio clips of our opinions and took measure ments. We then compiled all of the information in an online interactive, which can be found at psucollegian.com. Overall, Gumby's Pizza was the best. Our slice cost $1.50, with an area of 40.14 square inches a reasonable price for a huge slice of pizza. Not only is Gumby's a good deal, but it doesn't skimp on taste, either. The pizza had a great garlic taste that oth ers lacked. Both Hannah and I thought the piece had a good balance of cheese and sauce. Our only complaint was that Gumby's slice was incredibly greasy but simply blotting it with a napkin solved that problem. Our second favorite choice was Corrinado's Pizza. While Hannah and 1 rated Gumby's and Corrinado's the same. Corrinado's slice was almost half as large, with an area of 26.48 square inches. But Corrinado's sauce impressed both of us. as it was just sweet enough. We also thought the crust was perfect neither too thick nor too thin. This slice was a little too greasy, gets the amount of cheese and sauce just right. A plain slice goes for $l. making Corrinado's one of the best pizza options downtown. Our third favorite was Canyon Pizza, perhaps Penn State students' favorite late-night pizza. Canyon's slices are priced at an even SI. and with an area of 25.62 square inches, the piece was the perfect size. It could have used more sauce, we agreed that it had an ample amount of cheese and just enough crust. If the line for these three places is too long. Bell's Greek Pizza and Sarina's II aren't bad options. So which pizza joints should be avoided? Three pizza places scored equally low College Pizza, Mamma Mia’s and Brother's NY Stvle Pizzeria. Hannah and I thought College Pizza was the biggest disappointment, though it is also a late-night favorite in Happy Valley. Measuring in with an area of 30.94 square inches, the pizza was very wide but way too thin. The sauce and cheese were almost nonexistent definitely not worth the $1.25 price tag. Brother's NY Style Pizzeria also doesn't have the best sauce, and the crust was a little too thin for $1.50. At a price of $l.BB, Mamma Mia's pizza was also unimpressive. Though it was the biggest slice we tested with an area of 40.45 square inches and the sauce tasted good, there wasn’t enough of it or cheese. To see the entire review, visit The Daily Collegian's website at psucolle gian.com. To e-mail reporter: jamsB7s@psu.edu For an interactive web graphic of this review: psucollegian.com PIZZERIA RATINGS Pizzeria A. Sarina’s II B. Mamma Mia C. Gumby’s Pizza D. Corrlnado’s Pizza E. College Mart Pizza F. Brothers Pizzeria G. Bell’s Greek Pizza H. Canyon Pizza The Daily Collegian Mastfine 2.5 3 1.5 1.5 4 4.5 4 4.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 3 2.5 3.5 4 G-ach'c by Andrew Metcalf Collegian
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers