BEST CD TO BLOW $20 BUCKS ON
Jay-Z – American Gangster (Roc-A-Fella) By Anthony A. Chomam, Staff Writer
Jay-Z’s tenth studio album was inspired by the new movie American Gangster. Entirely separate from the film’s official soundtrack Jay-Z’s American Gangster is an interpretation of both the heroin doyen, Frank Lucas and the drug game – in which both he and Jay-Z were once players. Whereas the film intentionally depicts the life and crimes of Mr. Lucas Jay-Z’s album is an open lyrical diary of sorts wherein Jay-Z symbolizes rather than glorifies Mr. Lucas.
Much like both the film and album’s protagonists this album has a myriad of familiarness permeating from its musical pores. However, rather than calling on his friends of yesteryear Mr. Sean Carter, a.k.a. Jay-Z, receives vocal and lyrical support from some of hip-hop’s biggest stars. On the second track of the album, “Pray,” Carter features girlfriend and songbird, Beyonce. And tracks such as “I Know” and “Success” feature Pharrell Williams and Nas.
Jay-Z’s lyricism and flow are as smooth as ever, one track to note is “No Hook”:
“Please don’t compare me to other rappers,Compare me to trappers.I’m more Frank Lucas than Ludacris -and Luda’s my dude, I ain’t tryna diss.Like Frank Lucas is cool, but I ain’t tryna snitch.”
Whether you’re a fan of the film or not is irrelevant when listening to this album. What is relevant, however, is the fact that Mr. Carter has proved himself yet again that he is indeed the preeminent professor of floetry and continues to reign supreme as hip-hop’s modern kingpin.
BEST TV SHOWS TO CATCH UP ONBy Amanda Leth, Web Editor
Desperate Housewives For another week straight Housewives has put out a truly remarkable 43 minutes of entertainment. I never really understood the expression, “It made me laugh and cry all at the same time,” but this past episode of Housewives did just that.
The Halloween special had me laughing so hard my dog was looking at me funny. Daniel finally gave birth, and it was unexpected. The only doctor nearby was a neighbor who was dressed up as Frankenstein. Just picture it, trick-or-treaters peeking in the window to see Frankenstein delivering a baby. Maybe we’re all sick for laughing at the expense of children, Housewives also made me cry by the end of the show when Lennet gets good news about her cancer. If you were too busy last Sunday to watch Housewives do yourself a favor and go to www.abc.com to catch up.
Grey’s AnatomyThis week Grey’s redeemed itself from the bland predictable non-sense that we saw last week, but considering that it’s sweeps month it might be safe to say that Grey’s may be losing its steam. This week there was a mega predictable tear-jerker-father-daughter-moment and the surprise-ahem-bombshell that Izzy and George might not work out. Poor George, he has the sexuality of a wet towel. One of my favorite characters, Christina, has done nothing since her breakup with Burke and I’m beginning to get antsy. I heard a rumor that she was going to get involved with another female this season and my mind is doing circles trying to figure out who it is. Maybe Christina sticks with her trend of conquering the heart surgeons and nails Dr.Hahn.
Considering Hahn turned down Mc Steamy I wouldn’t be surprised if she bats for the other team. Bailey cried when the Chief finally made her Chief resident in what was supposed to be a sentimental moment where the audience finally sees a soft side of Dr. Bailey. But instead it turned into an awkward confusing and unsatisfying brutalization of the normal Bailey which we all love.
WORST TV SHOW TO CATCH (NOT) UP ON By Meagan Perle, Staff Writer
L.A. Ink Another week, another episode of L.A. Ink…SNOOZE FEST! I love Kat Von D as much as the next person. She’s hot and she’s a chick that tattoos, but how many times can we watch the same thing over and over? The formula for the show is as simple as it could possible get; it’s the reverse of Miami Ink, the show Kat started on. The shop consists of all girl artists and one guy artist, different people come in with different stories and Kat usually tattoos celebrities. This week, she tattooed famed comedian Margaret Cho.
There is only so many times you can sit and listen to someone’s sad-sap story about why they are getting a certain tattoo and the side stories are becoming less and less entertaining to watch. If you didn’t see this week’s episode, wipe you tears because it wasn’t that interesting. Hannah is homesick, again, and Kat is stressed, again. Where is the drama?! Where are the screaming fights and slaps in the face?! All I have to say is L.A. Ink better step it up. I want to see some fights and slamming doors, not more tears and more homesick complaints.
BEST NEW VIDEO GAME AVILABLE NEXT WEEK
Preview: Need for Speed ProStreet Daniel Alexander Nigro, Video Game Reviewer
The Need for Speed racing franchise dates back to 1994, with a rich heritage of fast cars and realistic game play. After offering arcade-like game play for the past few years, Need for Speed is going back to its roots with ProStreet, the latest game in the series.
ProStreet is indeed more simulator-like than previous games. Don’t expect to get through a race without using the brakes! To make matters even more realistic is the damage model. If you crash your car, don’t expect to just get back on track by pressing the “reset car” button. Bumpers fall off, glass shatters, suspension alignments get broken, and yes, your car can be totaled. But don’t worry, there are three levels of assists designed to help players ease into the new game mechanics.
Need for Speed has always been about the cars, and ProStreet is no different. There are dozens of cars ranging from classic muscle cars like the Plymouth Barracuda, European hot hatches like the Ford Focus ST, Japanese tuners like the new Nissan GT-R, American sports cars like the Chevrolet Corvette, and exotics like the Lamborghini Murcielago. There’s something for everyone, and these cars can be customized with paint jobs, body kits, wheels, and more to make them truly yours. Need for Speed ProStreet is out next week for all major platforms, including the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360. Need for Speed ProStreet $60 (PS3, X360), $40 (PSP, DS) $50 (all other versions) Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PC, DS, PSP Out next week.
BEST VIDEO GAME TO RELEASE YOUR ANGER WITHOUT GETTING ARRESTED
Hellgate: London by John Stipek, Contributor
Hellgate: London, the unofficial sequel to the wildly popular Diablo series, offers the same addictive game-play as Diablo with better graphics and more loot to boot.Diablo was one of the best-selling PC game series of all time, according to Blizzard’s revenue, and 17 million gamers can’t be wrong. Hellgate: London comes from several of the makers of Diablo and they know Diablo’s secret for success – it’s all about the magical items found while adventuring.
Finding that next amazing weapon or piece of armor is extremely addictive, maybe even more so than leveling up and growing your character’s skills. This game does it all, offering tons of opportunities to find and enhance weapons and armor. The action takes place in a visceral setting of post-apocalyptic London in 2038, where demons have invaded Earth through “hell gates.” Big Ben, Stonehenge and several other important landmarks throughout London have turned into battlefields where the remaining humans on Earth storm out from beneath underground stations to fight the monsters.
One of the more unique features of Hellgate: London is its ability for the player to switch between first-person shooter and third-person melee. First-person shooter fiends (fans of Half-Life, Doom, or Unreal) will appreciate this game’s ability to allow for first-person shooting perspective with the gun-wielding characters and third-person view is available for the melee classes. These dual settings allow the gamer to actually re-play the entire game in a different viewpoint, which gives Hellgate: London a sense of re-playability as it feels like you are playing two different games; personally I prefer the first-person shooter option.
The re-playability factor, unfortunately, does take a hit – some of the levels and quests are repetitive. You will likely come across that same demon-infested street of London several times before the game is over but the street will change in terms of buildings, exits, and monsters so it does help the experience from becoming too monotonous.
Problems begin to appear once you’ve played for over an hour online; the game has glitches and will crash to the desktop, show a blank screen for a minute, or force your character to freeze permanently in one spot. The developers are already releasing patches to fix these glitches; hopefully all the problems will be in the clear soon.
Music plays in subway stations and when boss monsters lurk nearby. It is composed of a mixture of rock and classical music from solid recording artists who also recorded music for the Quake games, James Bond, Splinter Cell, and Jericho. The voice-acting is okay; let’s just say it never detracts much from the experience.
Overall, Hellgate: London succeeds on many levels in creating an addictive fast-paced shooter/melee game that will please Diablo fans until the true Diablo 3 is released from Blizzard Software… sometime this decade. Hellgate: London PC game available at all major retailers for $50