Archive for January, 2008
January 30th, 2008
In a previous Go Now article, Aimee Kuelling wrote about collecting a surprisingly large amount of cool but unused stuff around her house. I’ve certainly experienced a similar situation in the past - finding unused but perfectly good household items I didn’t need anymore and being unsure what to do with them. For about a year I had a chest freezer in my garage that didn’t have a home - I couldn’t get it into my basement and I didn’t have a place for it to be stored well in my garage. Unsure what to do with it, I did a little internet research and found out about a program called Freecycling.
Freecycling is a group of people who use a mailing list to post items they don’t need anymore or post requests for items they’re looking for but don’t want to or can’t afford to pay for. Got a pair of unused end tables? An old couch? Clothes that your kids have grown out of? Clay pots? You can find someone on Freecycle that’s looking for them. In the past few days you could see books and refrigerators, dollhouses, ferret cages and bubble wrap asked for and received by random strangers all looking for a better place for their unused stuff.
If you’re looking for the Rockford Area Freecycle group, visit their Yahoo!Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rockford_area_freecycle/Â You won’t be disappointed.
January 28th, 2008
I’ve spoken in the past with the Oregon-based band, Matter of Fact, about putting together a feature about them in this section. I asked them to compile some information and get it tome so that I could put some together. What they gave was better than anything I could’ve written so, without further ado:Â How can 4 best friends who love music not start a band? Easily would be the answer i suppose, however we play music and continue to play music to fight off apathy every day. Mix reggae, blues, and rock together in a box and kick it down a flight of stairs. We’re Matter Of Fact. Golden (yes that’s his birth name) Starnes (vox/guitar) Collin Marshal (guitar) Brandon Hafer (bass) and Jake Dickson (Drums). The name came from our lawyer after a few days of figuring out that every name’s taken or been done. We started at the beginning of 2005 and havn’t looked back since (now that i’m reading as i type that last line in pretty cliche because all i’m doing is looking back right now). Our home town of Oregon IL had to change their noise ordinance laws because of us. The police were contacted in the early afternoon and after a discussion of the gray areas of the ordinance in was changed against our favor. no hard feelings because it only pushed us into working harder and performing more. We’ve played bars and all ages venues to festivals and 1 parade. We played on the back of a semi-trailor and our driver took a wrong turn on the route and we ended up rocking the rural area of Rochelle. We’ve even opened for national acts such as G Love and Slightly Stoopid. We recorded our most recent demo with Darkhouse studios. Andy Carlson produced it and did an amazing job. The studio as a whole was fantastic. The perfect combination of serious, frustration, and fun. We look forward to working with Darkhouse for our first full length album due out near the end of summer. Listen to us live on 104.9 the X at 11pm on January 31st. For information on shows or bookings check us out at myspace.com/matteroffact4.Â
January 28th, 2008
A glitzy stable for NBC, Las Vegas showcases the inner workings of the fictional Montecito Casino. There, Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel) oversees surveillance of the casino floor along with a quirky cast of characters. The big news for the series is the replacement of James Caan by Tom Selleck. Selleck gives quietly powerful performance as new Montecito owner A.J. Cooper, but he doesn’t fulfill the same role as Canan, who played Ed, Danny’s once-boss and father of his eventual wife, Delinda (Molly Sims). Though Selleck’s Cooper has connections to other members of the Montecito crew, he doesn’t fulfill the same role as Caan, leaving the character dynamics in flux. For now, some subplots play out perfectly while others fall flat on their face, but hopefully the show will stabilize when show learns how best to use Selleck’s considerable talents. Las Vegas airs on Fridays on NBC at 9 P.M.
January 28th, 2008
In a prime time definitely dominated by the supernatural, Medium brings a healthy sense of pathos to the paranormal. The show follows psychic mother of three Allison Dubious (Patricia Arquette), who uses her clairvoyant gift to solve mysteries while struggling to raise a family of her own. Though the series of revelations and complications are a bit predictable at times, Allison’s reactions and relations are anything but. The show seems tightly woven yet ultimately organic in its depiction of Allison’s character. One of the strongest elements is Allison’s relationship with her down-on-his-luck husband, Joe (Jake Webber). Medium broadcasts a clarity many other supernatural shows lack, coupled with a reality we all can relate to. Medium airs on NBC on Mondays at 9 P.M.
January 21st, 2008
No, ABC’s Cashmere Mafia is not a replacement for the Sopranos. Instead, the show focuses on a four ambitious female professionals working in New York City. The series brings together a host of A-list talent, including Lucy Liu, Frances O’Connor, Bonnie Somerville and Miranda Otto. The series also raises a lot of interesting questions about the issues women face balancing high-profile professions with family and relationships. Unfortunately, these issues end up clouding the character’s interaction with another, which is the show’s best element. Still, the series still manages to pack a powerful punch. The Cashmere Mafia debuts on ABC on Wednesdays at 9:00 P.M.
January 21st, 2008
Michelle Ryan has nothing on Summer Glau. The young actress, best known for sci-fi favorites like Firefly and The 4400, now plays a female Terminator that would give the Bionic Woman a run for her money. Glau plays the Connor’s enigmatic cyborg protector Cameron with peerless curiosity and a great deal more humanity than one would expect from a robot. Sarah Connor is played by Lena Headley (300), who succeeds in striking a delicate balance between overprotective (and heavily-armed) mother and a woman whose life is growing more out of control by the minute. Lastly, Thomas Dekker of Heroes plays the teenage John Connor. Despite good casting, John Connor is a bit hard to root for since much of previous the youthful enthusiasm of the character has been replaced with teenage angst. Overall, The Sarah Connor Chronicles kicks off an explosive new start to the Terminator franchise. The Sarah Connor Chronicles premieres Mondays on Fox at 8:00 P.M.
January 20th, 2008
I’ll first start with an update. I learned last Thursday that Gloria Jeans is in fact closing. The irony here is I that was also the day that my article imploring the coffee shop to stick around. My fiance and I went in to Gloria Jeans to order a White Chocolate Carmel Cookie Chiller only to be told of the news by the manager. We were stunned, if not surprised, to hear the news. I stayed around longer than usual and talked shop with the manager and in doing so got all the details behind the decision. The semantics aside the grim truth of this matter is that Gloria Jeans will no longer have a presence in Rockford. I have moved on since that day and am willing to look for more issues to concern myself with. The newest issue that I’ve found, ironically, was at the mall. It may, at first, seem peculiar that I have some type of fascination of sorts with the mall but when you take a closer look at it, however, it becomes clear that I have several relevant attachments to it. I’ll explain. In the mall’s heyday I was a mall rat. This was back when the movie theatre, Corn Dog on a Stick, Sam’s Pretzels, and Aladdin’s Castle were prominently present. I served on the short lived CherryVale Mall Youth Advisory Board. My mother was the Property Accounts Manager for CBL (owner’s of the mall). My fiance has been a store manager for two clothing outlets in the mall. Finally, my band, “There’s Always Wednesday”, performed in and won a 97zok sponsored Rockford Battle of the Bands against Magnum Opus and The Felix Culpa in the Mall parking lot.Now you know a smidge more about me. But back to the issue. Wet Seal. This is the name of a new clothing store in CherryVale that I would otherwise not have recognized if not for the youth of my workplace clamoring on about it’s greatness. Keep in mind that these same people swear on their lives that, “Meet the Spartans”, will be the funniest movie of the year. But still it makes me wonder…what kind of damage will this Wet Seal do?
January 14th, 2008
Unlike Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert projects a very different personality than his former Daily Show boss. While Stewart is often the straight man, Colbert continually projects his character’s self-absorbed ego. Though Colbert is just as funny and quick-witted as his Daily Show counterpart, his routine can sometimes wear thin with Colbert always in-character. Still, the writer-less Colbert Report is no less hilarious, with Colbert’s enthusiastic satire catching many guests unaware. Definitely watch the end of the Daily Show to see the two hosts interacting during the hand-off from one show to the next. The Colbert Report debuts on Comedy Central at 10:30 PM, with new episodes on at 1:30 PM and 7:30 PM.
January 14th, 2008
While some might have expected Jon Stewart’s satirical Daily Show to flounder without a full writing staff, this is certainly not the case – if anything The Daily Show might be sharper without the writers. From skewering the multi-dimensional complexity of the Writer’s Strike to taking both polls and networks to task about New Hampshire primary projects, the Daily Show asks some a lot of tough questions in-between the laughs, but host Stewart’s self-deprecating humor keeps the show humble and honest. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart airs on Comedy Central on 10:00 PM, with last night’s episodes showing at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM.
January 13th, 2008
I walked in to CherryVale Mall the other day and saw the inevitable : Waldenbooks is closing. The writing has been on the wall for some time, especially after the announcement that Barnes & Noble was moving in lock, stock, and barrel but I have to admit that a part of me was hoping that the “little book store that could” would dig in deep and put up a fight. Alas, there is no battle to be waged. No underdog upsets to pull and this writer fears that the Book Store Beast has not yet claimed it’s last victim. This article serves as a call to arms for Gloria Jeans in hopes that the legendary coffee supplier does not roll over for the piddling coffee pass-off that Barnes & Noble tries to sell to an unsuspecting public. Some tell me that Starbuck’s is the coffee that’s available in that store but the reality here is that when compared to “Glorious Jeans”, who cares? I went in today for my weekly fix and tried their “Coco Loco Mocha Chiller”, and after taking one sip my taste buds truly went Loco as a result of their Coco. In this day in age when brand names become synonymous with actual products (i.e. tissues - Kleenex, mp3 players - Ipods, bandages - Band-Aids) it’s a persistent fear that quality products will pushed out as a result. No one asks for a tissue, they ask for Kleenex. Will it be that one day when asking for a cup of coffee at a local cafe’ people say, “Can I have a cup of decaf Starbuck’s”, well…if Gloria Jeans digs in deep for this battle…this coffee world may remain safe. Â
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