POP CULTURE PURCHASES

 

Gossip Girl
The CW

One of the hottest new shows on
television, the complete first season of
Gossip Girl, was released on August
19" after a tremendous initial season
that saw it’s stock rise to O.C.-level
proportions. Based on the series of
novels by Cecily von Ziegesar, Gossip
Girl follows the lives of six super-rich
teenagers in the upper echelon of New
York City. It is much like The O.C.,
although not as funny. It’s still a great
show though, with lots of entertaining
drama mixed in with a comedic

element. Gossip Girl stars Blake Lively,

Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford, Ed
Westwick, Penn Badgley and Taylor
Momsen, the actors who portray the

six central characters. The show and its
stars dominated the 2008 Teen Choice
Awards, winning 11 of the 15 television
awards.

—Garth McLennan

 

Heroes Season Two
NBC

The much-anticipated second series

of the hit television show Heroes has
finally been released. The second
season, starring the likes of Milo
Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere,
does not disappoint. This time around,
it’s full of suspense and exciting new
twists much like the first season. There
are even a couple of added bonuses

to purchasing the set; on top of the
episode discs the bundle will include
an alternate ending to the season finale,
and a sneak-peek look at the making
of season three before it even airs.
Although the season is a little short
lived due to the writers’ strike, it is
certainly worth the watch; especially
since you will want to be all up to
speed for the third season that begins on
September 22™.

—Chloé Bach

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The Lileran Conrad F all
Fashion Line

Whether or not you want to admit it,
we have all watched reality show The
Hills at some point or another. Even if
you look at the gossip magazines at the
grocery store, we all know who Lauren
Conrad is. What you may not know is
that she is just launching her fall fashion
line this month. The line consists of a
range of either cute and casual cotton
dresses and frocks or more dressy form
fitting pieces. The fall line emphasizes
a neutral autumn palette ranging from
ivory to terracotta to black. Most of the
pieces are made from simple cotton and
then stitched into a simple design. It
might be my personal style or my high
standards but I have to say, for the style
and quality, the average tag price of
well over $100 is a total rip-off.

—Chloé Bach

September 08, 2008

 

The Verve
Forth

When I first heard that The Verve was
releasing an album nine years after
breaking up, I immediately thought to
myself, “Oh great, another 90s band
coming back for a cash grab.” But
unlike other reformed 90s bands such
as The Smashing Pumpkins, The Pixies,
Stone Temple Pilots, Spice Girls, etc.,
The Verve actually sound like they’re as
good as they were back in their heyday.
Heck, Richard Ashcroft sounds better.
Now that his voice has matured, it’s lost
the youthful sneer that always seemed
out of place with the profound lyrics he
wrote. “Bittersweet Symphony” was a
great song, but my problem with it was
that it was delivered by a wonderful
poet trapped with the body and voice

of an angsty 25-year-old. New songs
like “Sit and Wonder,” “Love is Noise,”
and “Rather Be” exhibit a band whose
age and maturity have finally caught up
with the music they write. I hope this is
one 90s reunion that lasts longer than
just another world tour.

—Mark Fisher

 

The New Pornographers rock Stanley Park with
FFIENMS 8, siasiew steinbacr

the audience. Jackson possessed plenty

of talent. He went in between country,
mimicking Johnny Cash, Japanese school
children (don’t ask, it doesn’t make sense
without him explaining why), rock, and
even punk. Jackson is clearly someone who
has mastered his craft. The only shame of
his set was that there were no CDs and other
swag to take away from it.

Black Mountain, however, was
pretentious. Pretentious? Well... they were!
The sounds were overused and just did not
jive well together. As the night progressed,
they became nothing more than noise as
I awaited the next band to perform. The
audience did however, seem to enjoy their
show.

Finally, the much anticipated and long-
awaited New Pornographers took the stage
in all of their glory. This well-seasoned band
showed the kids how it’s done. Without
including unnecessary sounds and other
props, they were able to focus on the music,
and they were able to expertly hit every note
with precision and grace.

H.w did the night stand up? Amazingly!
To begin with, the scenery was great. The
event was nestled within the trees, which ran
all the way up to the stage creating a natural
barrier between the bands, the audience, and
everyone else.

I unfortunately missed the first act
due to a tragic accident with Google Maps
that led me to the other side of the park. I
did, however, eavesdrop on the music as it
danced off Lost Lagoon. It sounded refined,
but I was unable to do more than to grasp
at straws as it failed to conquer over the
surrounding noise.

Once | arrived, the audience
unfortunately did not particularly seem to
enjoy The 1900s that much as they took the
stage. Regardless, this is a talented band that
should one day rival the very best. Their
sound is top notch, and their stage presence
is coming along well. This just did not seem
to be their night.

Next came Stevie Jackson. He was
a bit nervous and shy; he would have
been adorable and cute to any girl in

 

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