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