“is dd 2 fer ue The Christmas Spirit is Contagious Kali Thurber, A&E Editor hristmas is in the air. Christmas is the time for giving, Oh, the moralistic proverbs do abound at this time of year. And, according to the Carousel Theatre’s new adaptation of A Christmas Carol, Christmas is also the time for an entire community to pardon one man’s lifetime of callous bitterness at the first glimpse of warmth in his heart. The man, of course, is Ebenezer Scrooge. And why, oh why, do the poor townsfolk, whom Mr. Scrooge has been nothing but hard and cruel to, forgive Mr. Scrooge for his past nastiness? Oh, right, the Christmas spirit...’d almost forgotten. At only one hour and 20 minutes, this production of A Christmas Carol comes across as a short summary of the story by Charles Dickens; but even in its briefness, the play is undeniably entertaining. Bubbling with all the cheery, hopeful characters of the classic tale—the Crachit family, the Fezziwigs, and who could for- get, the most hopeful of all, Tiny Tim—it’s sure to rummage up a little hol- iday joy in even the most cynical of audi- ence members. The Tim Burton-esque set, stylized with elaborate crooked doorways, gothic pointed windows, and even a fireplace complete with smoking chimney alone is worth the ticket price. But when the Christmas spirits of past, present, and future take their places on the stage, the spectacular set is overshadowed by the (un)believability factor. You see, the Christmas spirits of past, present, and future are represented by puppets. And not the sort of puppets that hang from the ceiling by seemingly invisible threads, but puppets that are held up and spoken for by members of the cast. Perhaps it’s true that children (the intended audience for the play) are willing to accept the fact that one of the actors is literally holding up the head of the Christmas spirit of the past and talking through the back of his nose, but I couldn’t help but smirk at how unconvincing it all was. Terence Kelly, who’s very first profes- sional acting gig was as “Young Scrooge” five decades ago, played a very persuasive Mr. Scrooge, however, as he transformed from the crotchety, old man to a jolly gen- tleman full of love and peace. Though the transformation comes slightly too easily to this Mr. Scrooge, his bountiful good- will in the end is still a definite contrast to the sour comments of “Bah, humbug” that he growls at everyone he comes upon in the beginning. And, though it’s true that I’m a bit of a Scrooge myself, when Tiny Tim closes the play with his sweet little shout of “God bless us every- one,” a small glowing started to grow in my chest and my smirk transformed into a smile. When you’re not on the defense, Christmas can get the better of you. Best Little Stocking Stuffers EVER Kerry Evans, OP Contributor f you love music as much as you told me you did, then you absolutely have to buy Amos Lee’s two sampler CDs this holiday season. What? You haven’t heard of Amos Lee? That’s appalling. I first “discov- ered” Amos when he opened for the Norah Jones concert back in September. His per- formance basically had women throwing their panties on stage, and when he announced that he would be selling one of his newer sampler CDs, as well as signing autographs after the show...let me just say that many elbows were thrown by ladies fighting to be first in line. Lee, a soft-spoken fellow residing in Philadelphia, has just recently been signed to Blue Note Records. About time, I say. His full CD is planned for a March 2005 release. Thank goodness for samplers. It has been | OUnBPPPeSS over two months since I got the seven-song sampler that I purchased at the concert. I still listen to it everyday. My favourite tracks are numbers one, six, and seven, but I'll let you decide which songs make you cry from sheer happiness. Within a month, I was an Amos-Lee junky. I couldn’t get enough. So I went to his website, to feed my addiction and I found out that he previously put out a five-song sampler CD. The pur- chase of both of his CDs is so simple. Just go to www.cdbaby.com/cd/amoslee>. You will find everything you ever needed or want- ed. I can attest that the delivery was speedy, there were no hidden costs, and they will even send you a card that has whatever you want written in it. I am not even sure why they do the last bit, but guess what I request- ed in mine. That’s right, ““To Kerry, the love of Amos Lee’s life.” That’s not creepy at all. I guess you want to know more about his style of music. “What makes this guy tick?” you ask. His website describes his sound as, “a unique breed of folky soul music that aims to unite, uplift, and inspire.” And it’s all true. He notes that some of his musical influences have been Stevie Wonder, John Prine, and Donny Hathaway. You must know by now that I have not been pulling your leg. This man is destined for greatness. Just remember me when you have been enlightened. That’s all I ask. You are not alone The Students’ Union’s Pride Collective provides resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students at the college. The Collective meets Thursdays at 3:00 in room 328 in the students’ union building at the New Westminster Campus. All lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered, questioning and allied students are welcome. Douglas Sie ter Canadian Federation of Students Local 18 December 8/e0nu