Archive

  • By Month

April 2011

Leisure

Meet Metsu at Nat’l Gallery

Gabriel Metsu was a dog person. Sure, he was other things too—a prodigy, a technical master, a champion of capturing human emotion with a paintbrush, and, despite not even living to 40, one of the most prolific of the impressive band of seventeenth-century Dutch painters. But looking at the paintings in Gabriel Metsu, a new exhibition on display in the National Gallery of Art’s East Building, it’s clear that the artist really loved man’s best friend.

By April 13, 2011

Leisure

Critical Voices: Battles, Gloss Drop

Flash back to 2007. Radiohead released their blandest album to date, M.I.A. went from agent provocateur to pop auteur, and Feist’s “1234” was synonymous with “alternative.” That is to say: the underground needed a kick in the pants. And Battles gladly provided, with a blend of math rock, prog, and jazz hard enough to sound fresh but whimsical enough to avoid the standard critiques of R-A-W-K rock. It’s 2011 and not much has changed. Radiohead is still peddling coffee house electronica, M.I.A.’s best work sounds more like Britney than Missy, and, well, at least we’ve all forgotten Feist.

By April 13, 2011

Leisure

Critical Voices: TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light

When trying to woo a woman, every man has a different game plan. There’s the flowers-and-candy set, the outside-her-window-with-a-stereo tactic, and, of course, the ever-popular love song. Although they don’t specify exactly whom they’re attempting to snag, on Nine Types of Light, TV on the Radio is apparently opting for this last approach. But before you think that everyone’s favorite Brooklyn experimental outfit has gone soft, be warned that this isn’t your typical acoustic-guitar love-rock—TV remains true to itself the whole way through, blasting their lamenting and lovelorn lyrics with explosions of carefully structured chaos that no indie-loving girl could resist.

By April 13, 2011

Leisure

Fade to Black: Fifth time’s a charm

Most football players, once they’ve reached a certain age and reputation, decide that despite offers to keep playing, they should end their careers and settle into their spots in NFL history. Then there’s Brett Favre. Past his prime, and even after a self-proclaimed retirement—no, make that two—he insisted on continuing his career after catching the scent of a hefty paycheck. Hollywood has a nasty tendency of embracing spent characters too, because even as movie series go into their third and fourth installments, they continue to profit from their predecessors’ success

By April 13, 2011

Leisure

Amuse-bouche: Please drink irresponsibly

Day drinking is awesome. I don’t need to tell you that. You’ve experienced Georgetown Day, or you’re eagerly looking forward to your first. You’ve turned any old weekend afternoon into the most idyllic afternoon you can remember with nothing but a loaded Nalgene, two friends, and a portable speaker set. Maybe you did it on Monday, when all of Georgetown spilled onto Healy Lawn like it was covered in candy.

By April 13, 2011

Voices

Monetizing modern art

In a recent Wall Street Journal profile of superstar art dealer Larry Gagosian, the author explains that a decade ago, the abstract work of Cecily Brown would only sell for around $8,000. However, all that changed when curators from the Tate and the Museum of Modern Art, at Gagosian’s encouragement, began to buy Brown’s work. Today, Brown’s paintings are sold for around $800,000.

By April 13, 2011

Voices

Constant news updates won’t tell you the complete story

Every once in a while, I try to emulate the majority of my classmates by actually following current events. But despite my valiant effort to watch CNN and Fox News this week, I am not significantly more knowledgeable about the issues that affect the world than I would be if I had spent the time sleeping.

By the April 13, 2011

Voices

Knicks’ success hearkens back to its old winning Spree

As a lifelong Knicks fan who has spent the last decade allowing myself to be convinced that the likes of Antonio McDyess, Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Penny Hardaway, Eddy Curry, Zach Randolph, Malik Rose, Don Chaney, Larry Brown, and Isiah Thomas could contribute to a competitive Knicks team, it’s incredibly rewarding to watch the current squad putting up big numbers in the win column.

By April 13, 2011

Voices

Possible Republican candidates are praying for victory

The religious right is back on the Road to Victory. Early in the 2012 election season, socially conservative members of the GOP are attempting to rally their conservative Christian constituents, tapping into a formidable grassroots mechanism rooted in evangelical communities. The Tea Party, meanwhile, is making moves to secure the allegiance of the institutions that shape the religious right and its electoral potency.

By April 13, 2011

Sports

Hoyas hoping to salvage early woes in Big East

Mired in a season-long slump, the Georgetown women’s softball team (9-28, 3-2 Big East) decided to forget about the past and focus on the Big East grind that awaited them. That philosophy paid dividends two weekends ago when they started on a run through the conference against Connecticut. They took one of two games and got their confidence back in defeating quality opponent.

By April 7, 2011