Justin Hunter Scott

Sports

Fast Break

The Georgetown women’s basketball team came into their game against second ranked nationally Connecticut on a two game winning streak. The first win being over No. 22 Syracuse—the Hoyas’ first win over a ranked opponent in over four years. This momentum wasn’t enough to give the Hoyas another victory over a ranked team. Despite a hard fought first half, Georgetown was unable to contain the offensive barrage of the Huskies, falling 80-48.

By February 14, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: British Sea Power

Nationalist rockers British Sea Power return on February 12 with their third album, Do You Like Rock Music? Occasionally leaving behind some of the radio-friendliness of 2003’s Open Season in favor of their debut’s less nuanced—though arguably better—rock sound, the lads from Brighton, England hope your answer is yes. Although the band still fails to write great hooks consistently, the uptempo songs here are among their best to date.

By February 7, 2008

Sports

What Rocks

Before last week, junior Andrew Bumbalough had never competed in the indoor mile run as a Georgetown athlete. Fortunately, he didn’t let that stop him from giving it a go at Saturday’s Giegengack Invitational at Yale University, where he ran the mile in 3:58.46 to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 14. Even though he hadn’t run the event competitively since high school, he wasn’t surprised by his success.

By February 7, 2008

Leisure

Grab your glasses: 3D U2

U2 3D, the first live-action film shot, produced and screened in 3D, is certainly a visual thrill. The hyper-realistic film manages to rival a live concert by U2, which is either a delight or drudgery, depending on your opinion of the material. The band is tight and certainly looks like one that has been touring aggressively since its inception in 1976, but watching Bono and for over an hour is difficult if you don’t buy into the band’s self-perpetuated “biggest band in the world” myth.

By January 31, 2008

Sports

Two tales of success

In swim meets, because times are recorded for each swimmer, individual athletes can have unprecedented success without the team itself having much of it. This season, Georgetown’s men’s and women’s swim teams have fallen into a rut, but head coach Steven Cartwright was confident and proud when given the opportunity to defend his swimmers.

By January 31, 2008

Leisure

The Mars Volta, The Bedlam in Goliath

The Mars Volta, led by former At the Drive-In members Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, have long been divisive in the critical world. Their spastic progressive rock has won them as many detractors as fans, and that’s not likely to change with their fourth album, The Bedlam in Goliath. Still, the album is an exciting development for the band’s sound, which is faster and more focused than on their previous albums.

By January 24, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend began their career like most college bands: toiling away in the relative obscurity of bars around campus. Eventually, though, the indie press noticed their clever mixture of well-crafted melodic pop, African rhythms and New York rock sensibilities, prompting XL Recordings to sign them and put out their very good eponymous first album. Its youthful energy, more than its oft-touted world influence, makes it a compelling and involving listen.

By January 17, 2008

Sports

Rookie Watch

With the NBA season in full swing, it’s not too early to judge how well last year’s college stars are doing in the big league. This discussion would probably begin with Ohio State’s Greg Oden, the number one draft pick, if he were healthy. However, the Portland Trail Blazers’ new big man found out shortly before the season started that he needed micro-fracture surgery on his knee, and he won’t be ready until next year.

By December 6, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices: Ghostface Killah

Ghostface Killah’s third release in two years, The Big Doe Rehab, proves that he’s quite the prolific rapper, but does little to silence the cries of inconsistency that have plagued him since his breakthrough Supreme Clientele. With its lack of innovation and absence of any true standout tracks, The Big Doe Rehab doesn’t live up to its colossal expectations as the follow-up to 2006’s excellent Fishscale.

By December 6, 2007

Leisure

A new tune for Burns

Several months after Radiohead challenged the way music is sold by self-releasing the download-only In Rainbows, the film industry has followed suit. Purple Violets, the latest movie by writer/director Ed Burns (The Holiday, The Brothers McMullen) passed on a theater run and was released directly to iTunes on November 20 with a price tag of $14.99. While it’s not as revolutionary as Radiohead’s offering—it doesn’t allow users to choose their own price—it nonetheless opens up an intriguing new possibility for independent films hoping to find a larger audience.

By November 29, 2007