Culture
Culture
John Oliver cracks wise during Yellowjacket Weekend
On “The Daily Show,” John Oliver is the go-to British correspondent, a man who cleverly pokes fun at American foreignpolicy, domestic policy and social issues from an international perspective. Friday night, Oliver, drenched in his own sweat under Strong Auditorium’s spotlight, dropped his suit from his “day job” and donned a hideous orange flannel shirt […]
Culture
Catching up on summer television, new and old
As a self-proclaimed television addict, summer serves as my detox period with an eight week sleep away camp as the rehab center. I spent two months in which I was unable to watch even a minute of sitcom laughter, unresolved sexual tension or dramatic stress played out on the small screen in my living room. […]
Culture
Frank Turner brings folk rock to Buffalo’s Mohawk Place
To say Frank Turner is one of the best live acts I’ve seen is an understatement. I’m just going to throw it out there. If in several years, Frank Turner hasn’t gone from the clubs he is playing now to larger music halls (or maybe even stadiums) I will consider giving up reviewing music. That’s […]
Culture
Warped Tour 2010: Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Sure, some may say I'm getting too old for Warped Tour. But as long as there are good bands, I'm going to tackle a long day in the sun and battle my way through sweaty crowds to rock out with the best of them. And while the age-old battle over whether the tour is sticking […]
Culture
E3 2010: Hands on: The Nintendo 3DS
The announcement of the new Nintendo 3DS may be the most exciting development in handheld gaming since the time when I begged my parents for a Game Boy Color -- and that isn't just the awesome getting-to-see-it-early-at-E3 talking. Let's look back at my handheld history. I hated the original Game Boy Advance design, and while […]
Culture
E3 2010: Microsoft's attempt to Kinect with the masses
Microsoft is one of the youngest competitors in the video game console industry, yet it seems to be the smartest player. While other systems struggled to put together a strong online network, Microsoft made it look all too easy with Xbox Live. Powered by franchises like Halo and Fable, the company has released a steady […]
Culture
E3 2010: Hands on: “Golden Sun: Dark Dawn”
Let's be honest. For those of us (myself included) who remember and love the first "Golden Sun," it has been a long year to wait since it's unveiling at last year's E3. All we had was the E3 video from last year to whet our appetites for this powerhouse role-playing game (RPG) on the Game […]
Culture
Spirit of New Orleans found amongst the rubble in 'Treme'
Let's just get this out of the way first. HBO's newest show 'Treme" is pronounced, 'truh-may," not 'trem." Much of the conversation I had leading up to this well-advertised and highly praised television show focused solely around how the hell to articulate the title.After watching the pilot of 'Treme," it is immediately clear that this […]
Culture
Austen revisited in 'Dearest Cousin Jane'
With all the spin-offs of Jane Austen's classic novels, in particular the countless 'Pride and Prejudice" sequels, it's hard to weed out the fascinating Jane Austen tributes from the unoriginal adaptations. The new book 'Dear Sister Jane" by Jill Pitkeathley thankfully happens to be the former. Pitkeathley somehow manages to deliver a brilliantly unique tale, […]
Culture
Peter Steele, Type O Negative frontman, 1962-2010
Celebrity deaths hardly ever have a real effect on me, but when it was announced on April 14 that Peter Steele, the singer, bassist and songwriter for Brooklyn Gothic metal band Type O Negative, suddenly died at the age of 48 from heart failure, I actually felt like I had lost an old friend. I'm […]