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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