Tagged: @hannland
The Muse: Your guide to summer 2014
By Hannah Landers, Muse Editor
@hannland
Summer is almost here, time to relax with good music, movies, and food./ PHOTO VIA Flickr user Adam Baker
Sweet summer is almost here, which means it’s almost time for The Muse to take a vacation. But before we grab our flip-flops and short-shorts, we have a few final suggestions to make this summer the most Muse-tastic ever. Below is a list of movies to see, albums to listen to, food to nom on and lifestyle events to check out during the long, hot days. Enjoy your summer, Musies! And don’t forget the sunscreen!
Movies
Book adaptation: “The Fault in Our Stars” (June 6) — Sure, “The Giver” promises performances from the likes of Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges and, er, Taylor Swift. But “The Fault in Our Stars” has a beautifully tragic story and a fresh-faced cast. If the trailer alone doesn’t make you tear up, you are a monster.
Epic: “Godzilla” (May 16) — Walter White from “Breaking Bad” takes on one of film’s most infamous monsters. Need I say more?
Comedy: “22 Jump Street” (June 13) — If you liked Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as undercover cops in high school, you’re going to love them as undercover cops in college. Ja feel?
Superhero: “Guardians of the Galaxy” (August 1) — With a team of characters that includes a genetically engineering raccoon marksman and a “tree-like humanoid,” “Guardians” promises to be “The Avengers’” weird younger brother. The diverse cast is another draw, especially with a newly buff and mostly shirtless Chris Pratt leading the pack (am I right, ladies?).
Once in a lifetime: “Boyhood” (July 11) — Director Richard Linklater tells the story of a young boy growing into adulthood, but because he shot the film over a period of 12 years, the audience is actually watching young actor Ellar Coltrane age from 7 years old to 18 years old in a span of three hours.
Music
Rock ‘n’ roll royalty: Jack White’s “Lazaretto” (June 10) — Jack White’s last solo venture was filled with a lot of good ol’ blues-tinged rock ‘n’ roll. Here’s hoping that this album is more of the same.
Girl power: Lykke Li’s “I Never Learn” (May 6) — The ethereal Swedish songstress is back after three years, promising more subtle brilliance with her one-of-a-kind voice.
Indie comeback kid: Conor Oberst’s “Upside Down Mountain” (May 20) — Bright Eyes front-man Oberst usually injects a little more of his country-tinged Nebraska roots into his solo releases and vocal assists from folk duo First Aid Kit only sweetens the deal.
James Blake 2.0: Sam Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour” (June 17) — If you caught Smith’s performance on “Saturday Night Live” in March, you know the power of this Brit’s haunting and soulful melodies. At only 21 years old, Smith is slated for a meteoric rise.
Movie mix-tape: American Laundromat Records’ “I Saved Latin! A Tribute to Wes Anderson” (May 13) — This 23-track album features a diverse array of artists covering songs from Wes Anderson’s iconic films. Muted color schemes and Jason Schwartzman not included.
Food
Chocolate chip cookie milk shot: From the genius who brought you the “cronut,” the chocolate chip cookie milk shot is exactly what it sounds like: a chocolate chip cookie in the shape of a shot glass filled with milk. It’s a magical update on a childhood favorite.
Infused ice: Ice cubes no longer have to be the boring frozen treat of your summer. Restaurants are starting to see the potential of infusing them with herbs, fruit and other goodies in order to spice up cocktails and other drinks. Cheers!
A spot of tea: From tea leaves in entrees to tea-based cocktails, there’s plenty of ways to enjoy tea without having to sip a steaming hot cup in the middle of July.
Ice cream sandwich smorgasbord: After enduring years of the cupcake’s reign as most popular dessert, it looks as though we’ll all be screaming for ice cream sandwiches from roaming food trucks soon enough.
Adult popsicles: Booze-infused popsicles aren’t a relatively new idea, but the fun flavor possibilities and their simple prep make them a no-brainer for summer.
Lifestyle
Music festivals: For many, summer is equated with hanging outdoors and listening to their favorite bands. Muse did a blog post earlier in April with a list of the best music festivals across the country. All you have to do is pick one (or two … or five).
Get your drink on: You don’t have to be in traditional “wine country” to take a tour of a winery. Or, if beer is more your thing, check out a brewery. Sites such as Groupon offer great rates that include tours, food pairings and of course, tastings.
Stuff your face: Food festivals happen nearly everywhere, and they’re a great place to expand your palette and maybe even find your new favorite restaurant. Some of them are even tailored to a state’s signature dish, such as the Maine Lobster Festival.
Pay homage to your favorite author: Okay, this one is kind of a stretch, but if you happen to be in Florida this summer, why not remember a famous author who used to live there? Hemingway Days is a five-day festival in July that includes book signings, readings, a fishing tournament in honor of the author’s favorite sport and a look-alike contest (Google some pictures and thank me later).
The Muse: The Pizza Underground takes cover bands to a whole new level
By Hannah Landers, Staff Writer
@hannland
Macaulay Culkin’s band Pizza Underground is sure to leave you hungry for more./ PHOTO VIA Flickr user Samat Jain
A famous actor or actress who also performs in a band is hardly a rarity these days. When he’s not saving women from being hit by cars or handing out free boxes of Girl Scout cookies, Ryan Gosling performs in his ghost-centric band, Dead Man’s Bones. And silky-haired Oscar winner Jared Leto actually spends more time fronting his band, 30 Seconds to Mars, than he does acting.
But the most outrageous of these celebrity band incarnations is no doubt Macaulay Culkin’s The Pizza Underground, which takes Velvet Underground songs and makes them all about — you guessed it — pizza. So instead of “I’m Waiting for the Man” and “Femme Fatale,” The Pizza Underground serves up “I’m Waiting for Delivery Man” and “Pizza Gal.” The band also features an unusual set of instruments, like glockenspiel, kazoo and, appropriately, the pizza box (although how one goes about playing a pizza box is beyond me). All this talk about pizza cover bands has got us over at the Muse hungry for more food-themed cover bands, so here’s a list that we hope some brave (or perhaps just out-of-work) celebrity will one day form.
The Meatles — These guys would only perform in special shows at butcher shops wearing bloodstained aprons. Just don’t bring your vegetarian friends to a show. Hits might include “Strawberry Veal Forever” and “Sa-La-Mi, Bo-Log-Na.”
The Black Peas — Not to be mistaken for The Black EYED Peas, the Black Peas would be a veggie-themed rock ‘n’ roll cover band for those too faint-of-heart for the Meatles. Hits might include “Chard Row” and “Lonely Bok Choy.”
Bon-Bon Iver — You’ll be begging for seconds after hearing the sugary sweet crooning of this bearded dessert-loving songbird. Albums could be baked into cookies and then sold to sweet-toothed fans. Hits might include “Not So Skinny Love” and “Halloween (Candy).”
The Peach Boys — The ultimate feel-good band of the summer would only be improved with a fruity touch! Each band member could wear those tall hats with all the fruit stacked on top. Hits might include “Wild Honeydew” and “Banana Ann.”
Dungeness Crab for Cutie — This band would only play on ships, wearing traditional sailor garb. They would be a huge hit on cruises. Hits might include “Eel Follow You – Watch Out, A Shark!” and “Shoal Meets Cod-y.”
The Rolling Scones — This one would probably work best with British band members. They know their teatime, after all. Hits might include “You Butter Move On” and “Paint It Red (With Strawberry Jam, Please).
The Muse: music festivals happening this summer
By Olivia Shur and Hannah Landers, Staff Writers
@livsure @hannland
Which music festival will you choose?/ PHOTO VIA Flickr user Tony Nungaray
Summertime means warm weather, no classes and — most importantly — the best music festivals of the year. Here’s a list of just a few of them, including where, when and, of course, who is going to be there. No matter what genre of music you like to jam to this summer, Muse has you covered.
When: May 23–25
Where: Boston
Lineup highlights: Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, Bastille, The Neighbourhood
Why you should go: Why venture far when there’s a great music festival right in Boston University’s own backyard? Boston Calling also offers the chance for concertgoers to get their fix twice a year — once in May and once in September. So if you’re leaving Boston for the summer, look out for that September lineup come move-in weekend.
When: May 23-25
Where: George, Wash.
Lineup highlights: Outkast, The National, Queens of the Stone Age, HAIM, M.I.A., Kid Cudi
Why you should go: Although Sasquatch! usually sticks to indie bands and singer-songwriters, it still has a rather varied lineup. It also boasts a pretty great view: The Gorge Amphitheater, carved right into the cliffs above the Columbia River Gorge, was voted “Top Amphitheater” in the 2013 Billboard Touring Awards.
When: May 24-25 (New York City), June 20-22 (Las Vegas)
Where: New York City and Las Vegas
Lineup highlights: Tiësto, Bassnectar and Afrojack are included in New York; the Las Vegas lineup has yet to be announced
Why you should go: For the electronic music fan, this one’s a no brainer: EDC Las Vegas is the biggest electronic music festival in the world. Last year’s festival certainly seemed to promise more good things to come too, and year’s EDC in Las Vegas has sold out before even releasing a lineup.
When: June 19-22
Where: Dover, Del.
Lineup highlights: Outkast (again), Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons, The Lumineers, Arctic Monkeys, Weezer
Why you should go: One of the smallest states is packing some major festival game. Firefly is a relative newcomer to the world of music fests, but has gotten everything right so far with its killer lineups and pleasant, woodland setting.
When: June 25-29, July 1-6
Where: Milwaukee
Lineup highlights: Neon Trees, B.o.B., A Great Big World and Pentatonix are all performing on the general admission stages; Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga are among those performing in the Marcus Amphitheater
Why you should go: Though those from the coasts may never have heard of Summerfest, it holds the title for world’s largest music festival. Last year, attendees could buy a pass for all 11 days of the festival for just $60. The pass offered admission to any concert on any day, excluding the performers in the headliner arena, the Marcus Amphitheater.
When: Aug. 1-3
Where: Chicago
Lineup highlights: Eminem, Lorde, Foster the People, The Kooks, Chvrches, Jacob Plant
Why you should go: Lollapalooza is one of the biggest music festivals in the country — and notorious for selling out before half of concertgoers even get a chance to look at the lineup. With those kinds of stats, they must be doing something right.
When: June 12-15
Where: Manchester, Tenn.
Lineup highlights: Kanye West, The Avett Brothers, Jack White, Vampire Weekend, Elton John, Neutral Milk Hotel, Lionel Richie
Why you should go: Bonnaroo is the holy pinnacle that all music festivals strive toward. An extravaganza that can attract indie royalty like Vampire Weekend, hip-hop messiahs like Kanye West and kings of music in general like Elton John really needs no further explanation.
When: June 14 to Aug. 3
Where: Various cities throughout the U.S.
Lineup highlights: Less Than Jake, K.Flay, Bayside, Yellowcard, Anberlin, The Devil Wears Prada (lineup varies from city to city)
Why you should go: This year let the festival come to you! Warped may have strayed from its punky roots in recent years, but a diversified lineup has only made it stronger as it approaches its 20th birthday.
The Muse: Our favorite playlists — Hannah Landers
By Hannah Landers, Muse Editor
@hannland
I could say that it was hard to narrow my life down to just 20 songs, that I struggled and debated and agonized over every track. But when I really sat down and thought, when I really contemplated which songs have had real impact and given my life real substance, it was easy to knock off the ones I simply replayed for weeks on end and then forgot about.
In the end, my playlist is surprisingly centered about my family. I have vivid memories of singing Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” with my father, erroneously insisting that Morrison said “Casper” at one point in the song, in reference to my favorite children’s movie featuring a friendly ghost. And I was first introduced to the weird mind of David Byrne through my mother. Whenever “Psycho Killer” comes on the radio, we take turns yelling the “fa fa fa’s” and “aye-aye-aye-aye’s” at one another.
My younger brother, a rich wellspring of music with an iTunes library that would take a couple months to get through, has expanded my music tastes more than anyone. He took the sunny indie music preferences of my teenage years and gave me a healthy dose of grunge in the form of noisy surf punk like Wavves and the kings of grunge themselves, Nirvana.
My younger sister, a staunch Directioner, has been far less influential. Still, I couldn’t help smiling to myself hearing her sing along to the Arctic Monkeys’ “R U Mine?” over winter break. It’s nice to know I have some kind of effect on the person she’s becoming, regardless of how inconsequential it may be.
Bright Eyes’ “Lua” belongs to my cousin and I, who spent so many of my early years with me that people used to mistake us for twins. As we grow apart, physically and figuratively, Bright Eyes will be one of the things that will always link us together.
“Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)” reminds me of my hometown friends, who aren’t technically my family but may as well be. Take it from me, there’s no better soundtrack than Aaron Carter for cruising around suburban Pennsylvania on a humid, cloudless night with the people you’ve known since kindergarten. The Killers’ “All These Things That I’ve Done” and Discovery’s “Swing Tree” were tracks on Sharpie-covered blank CDs given to me by crushes and ex-boyfriends — need I say more?
But most important are the songs that I discovered for myself. Band of Horses’ “Dilly,” Tokyo Police Club’s “Your English Is Good” and Andrew Bird’s “Fake Palindromes” are songs I can play on repeat endlessly from artists or bands that I happened to stumble upon for one reason or another. And it’s these songs, the ones that start out as a sort of special secret between the artist and you, which are most important to cherish.
Muse: 2014 Oscar Predictions
By Hannah Landers, Staff Writer
@hannland
Awards season is the shining beacon of glamour and celebrity in an otherwise dismally dull late winter. With the pinnacle of the season – the 86th Academy Awards – happening Sunday, it’s getting harder to keep the excitement and ardor over who will win (and, equally important, what that winner will be wearing) in check. Keeping in mind that that excitement often turns to disappointment as the Academy inevitably chooses to bestow their honor on someone who (in your humble opinion) just isn’t up to snuff. Here are the official Muse Oscars predictions:
Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay
Who Should Win: John Ridley for “12 Years a Slave”
Who Will Win: John Ridley for “12 Years a Slave”
Ridley’s heartbreakingly compelling adaptation of Solomon Northup’s 1853 memoir blows all other competition out of the water. Plus, Ridley just bagged the USC Scripter award, which has predicted the Oscar sceenplay winner for five of the past six years (Sorry, “Up in the Air”).
Best Writing – Original Screenplay
Who Should Win: Bob Nelson for “Nebraska”
Who Will Win: Spike Jonze for “Her”
With all of the powerhouses competing for Best Picture, Bob Nelson’s quiet little black-and-white story of the tumultuous but loving relationship between an aging alcoholic father and his adrift middle-aged son will, unfortunately, be lost in the shuffle—all the more reason it warrants the Oscar for its screenplay. Jonze will likely take home the prize, however, after wins at the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Who Should Win: Lupita Nyong’o for “12 Years a Slave”
Who Will Win: Lupita Nyong’o for “12 Years a Slave”
There is so much misery and suffering in Steve McQueen’s slavery drama – and rightly so – but the most captivatingly tragic figure is the young slave Patsey, played by Lupita Nyong’o with achingly terrific force.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Who Should Win: Jared Leto for “Dallas Buyers Club”
Who Will Win: Jared Leto for “Dallas Buyers Club”
Leto has swept the other awards in this category and most of the other contenders – with Fassy being the only possible exception – don’t hold a candle to his groundbreaking role and electric performance.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Who Should Win: Amy Adams for “American Hustle”
Who Will Win: Cate Blanchett for “Blue Jasmine”
Adams’ fiercely desperate performance was a highlight of over-hyped “Hustle,” but Blanchett has taken home pretty much every award she’s been nominated for, so an Oscar win for her is almost a certainty.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Who Should Win: Chiwetel Ejiofor for “12 Years a Slave”
Who Will Win: Matthew McConaughey for “Dallas Buyers Club”
Alright, alright, alright – There’s no stopping Hollywood’s favorite surfer from dominating the award shows this season, although veteran actor Ejiofor certainly deserves some kind of recognition for his heart-wrenching breakout performance.
Best Director
Who Should Win: Alfonso Cuarón for “Gravity”
Who Will Win: Alfonso Cuarón for “Gravity”
“Gravity” was a stunning feat of technical brilliance and Cuarón earned his right to recognition for the film that required months of preparation, consultations with space experts and a shooting process that basically involved a more high-tech version of Photoshop-ing the actors’ faces and movements into a pre-animated sequence.
Best Picture
What Should Win: “12 Years a Slave”
What Will Win: “12 Years a Slave”
There’s been some buzz about “Gravity” for this category, but McQueen’s excruciating tale of free man-turned-slave Solomon Northup packs the kind of filmic impact that only makes an appearance every few decades.
MUSE: Year of the Muse
By Hannah Landers, Staff Writer
@hannland
Cheers to a new year!/ PHOTO VIA Flickr user Paul Wilkinson
Dear Musies and Freepers alike,
Welcome to 2014: Year of the Muse (if you want to get technical, 2014 is the Year of the Horse). A new year always brings to mind the phrase “out with the old, in with the new” and, though it does apply here in a superficial staff sense, that’s not really what this semester of Muse is about. In fact, Muse is turning instead to the old, in a way, and we’re excited to do so.
One of the biggest changes of 2014 for Muse is that we’re only publishing one day a week now, on Thursdays. Diehard Musies jonesing for their arts and entertainment fix need not fret, however, because now Muse will be publishing one story online every day from Monday to Friday. This ultimately means more Muse. Who wouldn’t want that, right?
The Muse staff is also working on developing beat contacts within the BU and larger Boston community. This will allow writers to form a stronger bond with that which they’re covering, giving the Muse more of a personal touch and strengthening local coverage. The Daily Free Press is a college newspaper, after all, and its arts and entertainment section should be covering the exciting things that students and student groups are doing nearly every day on campus.
Ultimately, more of this in-depth coverage will build a stronger foundation for the Muse within Boston University and Boston. Sure, it’s fun to read a review of the latest Sandra Bullock movie or coverage of that electronic concert you went to last night, but that’s the kind of content you could find on just about any news site. Muse is special because it’s an integral part of BU, responsible for making the arts a prominent part of this university’s culture. In 2014, we want to get back to our roots by celebrating what the hard-working and multi-talented students of BU have to offer.
Cheers to a new year of Muse!
Your Muse Editor,
Hannah Landers
The Daily Free Now 