Catchphrase: A Game That's Catching On

If you've never heard of a game called Catchphrase, well . . . you're about to. A game for four or more players, this electronic guessing competition combines "Taboo" with "Hot Potato". Each team member will take turns giving clues through the use of physical gestures or verbal descriptions. The catch is, however, that you can't give a rhyming word, the first letter of the word, or say part of the word in the clue when giving clues. Back and forth, you will battle NOT to be the last team holding the Catchphrase device when the time is up and the buzzer sounds.

Sound complicated? It's not! Play a couple "practice rounds" to make sure you have it down. But before you know it you'll be shouting the answer in excitement at the fun fast-paced environment of the game! It's a great game for a group of old friends or an ice-breaker to turn a night of tension into a night of giggles.

If you're not a fan of electronic games, Catchphrase can also be found in its original version and it's just as fun. I simply prefer the electronic version because the words are categorized. You can choose from lists such as "Food/Drink", "Sports/Games", "Around the House", "Family", etc.

If you've never played, you're missing out.

Jillian

-photo courtesy of www.boardgames.com-

ITunes stinks sometimes.

This was my dilemma:

I have a computer at home, a desktop one, and I have a laptop here at school. Over the years, I have acquired tons and tons of songs, amounting to days of listening. I can say that I have been extremely proud of my music collection, as I am not one to judge a certain genre (well, except country) or one to not open my eyes up to a new band or sound. When I was young, I never liked the dances at school because they played the same exact things I heard on the radio all the time. Then, when I got my "Dell DJ," an MP3 player about two years ago, I never turned on a radio station, and every time I wanted a song, I could have it. It was amazing.

When my MP3 player crashed, I was heart broken. I moved on, though, and I got an IPod shortly after. I was excited that I could now view videos whenever I wanted, and it was nice to have around.

Then I went to college, downloaded songs onto my laptop, and tried to sync everything onto my IPod.

I lost all my thousands of songs that I previously had on my IPod that I synced from my home computer.

I had to go home, get them all back, and just download all the other songs I had acquired during school. I knew I couldn't go on with this, so I had to figure out why ITunes wouldn't let me synchronize two libraries into one... and then it hit me: they want money.

This made me really upset, seeing as how I'm insanely obsessed with music... and I decided to download a program that would seek loopholes to add both libraries to my IPod. It worked, but my "play count" and "ratings" were lost on both my IPod and my computer.

The moral of this story is-- well, there isn't a moral... just that ITunes still has some kinks to work out, despite how long they have been running. I know that they want to make money, but how many people are going to stick to using this software when they have to go through such lengths to actually feel that when they bought an IPod, it was worth it?

-Kassandra Small

(Photo courtesy of komotv.com images)

Too much drama? I don't think so!

Buying all six seasons of one of televisions most accomplished shows has not been in the least bit a bad investment on my part. Dawson's Creek, a show which captured the hearts of millions of teenagers during the 1990s, is definitely a show I could watch even years from now.

I guess it wouldn't be considered great entertainment, except for the fact that there have been millions of dollars made in the sales of DVDs for this show. Obviously there's something to watch. Despite the claims of it being a "chick" show, or obnoxious, or anything along those lines... this show has moved people for years. I mean, come on, there have been six seasons. Even after its end, it lives on.

There has been talk of the show's next generation, but in my opinion the continuing of this work of art would be overkill. The last episode is definitely a tear-jerker, and a perfect ending. I don't think the producers would be so stupid as to try to mold the way Dawson's Creek was, into the way television is today... it just wouldn't fit.

When I think about my childhood, this show is one of the most important things I think about. Until I was sucked in, I didn't really have any means of entertainment which actually taught me things-- like life lessons. If there is something going on in one's life, you can bet that it has been aired at one point or another on Dawson's Creek.

What, though, is the exact reason this show was so damn popular, and continues to be? Yes, there's proof that it is, but there has to be emotions attached in one way or another to the characters... and it doesn't fail to do so.

Every character in this show, no matter how long or shortly they have appeared on the show, can connect to a type of teenager... but it's not just teenagers. My mother sits down with me sometimes, and she connects with the older aspects of the show... like people's mothers and fathers, money problems, so on.

Then, there's the unrealistic vocabulary that every character has. I know, I know-- the English language has been pretty much slaughtered over the years... but it was very refreshing to hear young people using words that I don't even hear adults using. When I was younger, I was the type that picked up on people's speech and words and subconsciously started to use them. My dad and mom liked that I watched this show so much, because the show's unrealistic use of vocabulary taught me that it can, actually, be cool to be smart.

Everything about this show is perfect, at least in my opinion. Maybe there are some cheesy parts, or parts that seem unnecessary... but think about it-- what if your life was filmed? There are some pretty crazy things that happen to some people. These crazy things just happened to everyone in this case.


-Kassandra Small

Atonement

Atonement: Amends or reparation made for an injury or wrong; expiation. ( definition Answers.com)

Trailer for Atonement: Directed by Joe Wright


Many who know me know that I am picky when it comes to movies. Not to say I can't enjoy a good popcorn flick, but I do think Hollywood is afraid to take chances. I have seen two movies in the last few months that are worthy of being called great films: No Country for Old Men, and Atonement. I will not make this a review as much as a recommendation. If you want a review go to Rotten Tomatoes.com or Joblo.com both good sites for reviews and movie information. I will save my No Country love for Oscar time and instead talk about Atonement.

No secret that some of the best movies this year were adaptations from novels. Saves money and you have a built in audience. Of course the dilemma is how close to stay to the novel. Go with Will Smith's abs in I am Legend and change the ending to one the best stories of all time? I can start a whole blog on book to movie translations so I will cry for a short period and move on. I have not read Atonement, based on a novel by Ian McEwan, and I understand there were some scenes left out, but the general theme of the ending remained the same.

What made the movie better than all the others was quite simple. It pulled you in. Good movies don't have to cheat. Characters that talked like human beings. Nothing fancy (minus some awesome beach scenes) but brilliant camera work. I sat in a silent, but full theater. People wanted to hear the dialogue and to know what came next. The music seemly coming in at the right moments not to induce emotions, but to enhance them. The acting shadowed somewhat by the plot but Saiorse Ronan did stand out playing an intelligent, but woefully ignorant child. And McAvoy and Keira Knightley did much more than look pretty on the screen, they made you care.
I look forward to seeing There Will Be Blood and Juno as I have heard positives about each, but seeing both in Bangor, Maine can be difficult.

Atonement was nominated for 7 Oscars, including best picture of the year.

~Seth

Chocolate Is Entertaining?

It's crazy, right? Chocolate isn't entertaining. Chocolate is a sweet food, whether in the form of hot cocoa or a candy bar. Some studies even argue that cocoa helps keep high blood pressure down. If you were me, you'd advocate for a "chocolate food group" all its own in the Food Pyramid.

So what does chocolate have to do with art and/or entertainment? Right now you're probably wondering how I'm going to tie chocolate into the two considering that this IS an "arts and entertainment" blog. Well, I'm about to tell you how.

I was snacking on a handful of M&M's this evening while watching an episode of FRIENDS on television. Now FRIENDS is my all-time favorite show, so it takes a great amount of effort to draw my attention from it. But on this particular night, I was fascinated with my bag of M&M candies.

I began to study the characters on the front where "Red" looked as if he were trying to make a two-dimensional pass at "Green". In small print I read a message advertising the M&M website where I could go to make my own M&M character. MY OWN?! What fun! So then I was intrigued. I flipped the bag over (not completely thinking this through and spilling a handful) to discover another message directing me again to the website, but this time it was to customize my candies. CUSTOMIZE?! MY OWN?! So then I was interested and had to check out the website.

It sounds silly, but I had a great time. You can create your own M&M with hair, accessories, shoes, and colors to your preference. There's even an option for facial hair. You can also click on the "Recipes" tab and get a great selection of family treats you can prepare. Or if cooking is not your thing, head to the "Fun & Games" section which, by the way, is very appropriately titled.

All in all the site was very entertaining, so I thought I would share it with all of you. I wanted to shed some new light on the loosely defined term "entertainment." And no, I'm not getting paid to promote M&M's. But it's fun to put down the textbooks or take a break from a long day's work once in a while and do something that makes you feel like a kid again.

Just make sure you give yourself a time limit. I should have been studying while I was creating this super diva M&M.
Enjoy!

Jillian


Click here to enter the M&M website!

What Music Means

Music has always been an integral part of my life. I sing and I play the flute. I grew up in a family where my step-father was a jazz pianist and my mom sang. It was known as the Ronnie Lord Trio, featuring Patti Ann. They played for years at the Bangor House, which is now a housing complex on the corner of Main and Union streets in Bangor. The Bar Harbor Motor Inn was a regular "gig" for my parents, as was the Samoset Resort in Rockland.

Some of my fondest memories growing up were that of my brother playing piano in the "front room" of our home. He would play and sing songs like, "Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqZ95a249p0 . I would sing the harmony line.

Years ago it was very popular to have a "garage band" and my brothers' garage band (he's six years older than me by the way) was a real treat for me growing up. Even today one of my brothers garage band members is now working locally at a music store and is a talented musician and sound man.

Most of all, I remember the day my grandmother took me to a Boston Pops concert that was held, when I was young, at the Bangor auditorium. My grandmother grabbed my hand at intermission and pushed past body guards telling them she had waited on the Conductor, Arthur Fiddler, when he visited a Boston candy store to get chocolates for his wife.  When she reminded him of his weekly purchase, his eyes sparkled in fond memory.   My grandmother was the store clerk at that time. I met Arthur Fiedler backstage thanks to my grandmother's grit. When he grasped my hand he squeezed it between both of his, and in a frail voice said, "never stop playing."  I have not stopped playing, but I have not practiced nearly enough to keep my embouchure tight and fingers limber, the way they should be!

I do still sing however and have had the honor of singing now for the past two years for the Survivors Ceremony at the Komen Maine Race for the Cure, held on the Bangor Waterfront in September.  An audience of several thousand people tends to keep you on your toes, musically speaking!  I also had the wonderful pleasure of singing as studio talent for a NESCom Audio Engineering students' final studio album project.

I'd love to get an ACapella group started at NESCom...anyone interested?

By Susan Patten

Animals in Motion

I have always been a fan of Forest Hart and his sculptures. His love and knowledge of animals allows him to capture their spirit and motion.

I actually met Forest many years ago and had the fortune of visiting with him at his home when he lived in Hampden. I am quite certain he wouldn't remember me from a hole in the wall, but Forest seems to be every where. There is a Forest Hart sculpture of a deer in front of my daughter's school.

This beautiful sculpture, found in the lobby of the Commons building on the Husson College campus, represents the Husson mascot, the Eagle. I have always shivered with delight to see an eagle soaring over the Kenduskeag stream or Penobscot River. I have also wondered, looking at this sculpture, when this eagle might clip its wings on the forehead on an unsuspecting passerby!

Forest creates table top size sculptures as well if a life-sized moose is out of your league! Check out his work at www.foresthart.com.

By Susan Patten

A Return to Buckethead Land

In my first post about Buckethead I gave you a quick run down of that what makes Buckethead special. Well it gets more interesting. How many other musicians have their own theme park? I'll give you a second. Exactly. Not many. From those who have seen Buckethead live, Michael Jackson is an influence on him. The Michael Jackson from the 80's the one who used to dance. Our friend Buckethead has been known to take a break from the guitar to dance. Click here for an example of the masked ones dance skills from his Guns 'n Roses days.

In addition, he also has a fondness for Japanese culture, especially giant robots. This has expressed itself on multiple theme albums all surrounding his theme park: Buckethead Land, and Buckethead Land 2. They take the listener through a macabre and chicken revenge filled world. You can "see" this place for yourself at Buckethead's own website: Buckethead Land.com

Not a place I would recommended for tall people, children or certain cats. For those who aren't sure whether or not Buckethead is for them, you just might not have found the right album. He is a musician who is not afraid to experiment. I will leave you with a live version of his song: Welcome to Buckethead Land. Things change a little from the album version and this version is a little longer and faster. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

*Picture supplied by www.tdrsmusic.com


~ Seth

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger 1979-2008

Heath Ledger died early this week. That’s probably a known fact by now. As far as his work is concerned, he unfortunately didn’t finish his current film before he died. According to police he died in his apartment, naked, apparently overdosing on sleeping pills. Whether accidentally or intentional doesn’t detract from his impact and what he could have done.

Starting his career as a “teen heart-throb” of sorts, he started in comical and romantic throw away films such as Ten Things I Hate About You, a re-make of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Not especially known for doing movies with a lot of substance, late in his life he began to branch out.

One role he will most likely be known for is his role as Ennis del Mar in the film Brokeback Mountain. It was a gutsy move for him as a younger actor, but it solidified his place as a serious American actor. It made him an icon for gay rights, portraying a homosexual romance in a society that frowns upon it.

His newest role was as The Joker in The Dark Knight. As a character that has existed in many incarnations it will be exciting to see Heath Ledger’s final performance. I was looking forward to it anyway because just based on the trailer he seems to have done the character quite effectively.

Really, he was another of those young actors that died before they should have. He was really beginning to be someone who could tackle any role, no matter the controversy. I would have liked to see where he would have gone next. Supposedly, his last movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was going to be spectacularly odd and dark, involving deals with the devil and such. Unfortunately, his death impeded the fruition of the film and it will most likely never see the light of day.

Regardless of the circumstances surrounding his death, he was a great talent that had not yet reached his peak. Hopefully his two movies, yet to be released, will give us something new that we haven’t yet seen from Heath Ledger. It’s clear that whatever you think about the man, the impact he has had in his life has been greater than most from portraying the comedic leading man to some of the most controversial roles of our time. Heath Ledger’s death was the death of a true actor.

Ian MacKechnie

"Do or do not. There is no try."

If you know from my title what the topic of this post will be, it’s because you’re an avid Star Wars fan. Maybe you even practiced for hours to perfect the voice of Yoda to be able to repeat this famous phrase from The Empire Strikes Back.

I’ve long perfected the Yoda voice (though on occasion it sounds more like Marvin the Martian) and have now discovered something new to work on: Lego Star Wars II the video game. I probably don’t need to explain. It’s Star Wars. It’s Legos. And while that seems simple on the surface, you really have to get your hands on the controllers to experience the magnitude of fun that is this game.

You can choose your characters and build solutions with bouncing blocks. Following the Star Wars storyline, you will build tools and use creative thinking and teamwork to solve puzzles that will help you advance to new levels or defeat the enemy. Shoot at oncoming Storm Troopers and watch them explode into Lego pieces (they are, after all, made of Legos) or guide your X-Wing Fighter to the trenches of the Death Star.

If you loved Legos as a kid (who didn’t?) and have a soft spot for the Star Wars trilogy or complete saga, you’ve got to try this video game. It seems silly, but it’s a crazy amount of fun. Give Guitar Hero a rest and pop Storm Troopers’ arms off as Lego Chewbacca.

Jillian

Click here to check out the game!

- photo courtesy of starwars.lego.com -

YouTube Killed The MTV Star

MTV launched in 1981 and purposely chose one video to kick off its run: Video Killed The Radio Star from the Buggles (1979 Island Records Ltd Universal Musical Group). They were sending a message of change. A new era was dawning. Like adding peanut butter to chocolate the concept took off. Not only was it a money maker, it took off just when cable was taking off. The perfect storm.

I heard you on the wireless back in Fifty Two
Lying awake intent at tuning in on you.
If I was young it didn't stop you coming through.
Oh-a oh

Many think those early videos were cheese-fests, and yes, yes they were, but once people realized what they could do with the new media format things only got bigger and videos more complex. Gone were boring concert videos and psychedelic trips. Videos soon became part of our entertainment culture and yes, some were considered worthy of being called works of art. Videos played and some were good. Then what happened? Well . . .

The Real World wasn't the first show on MTV or the first reality show, but it was the first big one. The one that made people think. No, not its viewers, but producers and CEO's. People will actually watch this? Less music, more drama.

What is playing on MTV now? Well you can watch videos between 6 - 7 am? On MTV2? You can enjoy Pimp My Ride 10 times. As sad as that is, the truth is, can you really blame MTV? How many people have the patience to sit in front of a TV and watch a video anymore? This is where YouTube comes in.

They took the credit for your second symphony.
Rewritten by machine and new technology,
and now I understand the problems you can see.

Now over two years old and reportedly the 4th most visited site in the world, YouTube has made it cool to watch videos again. Starting out as just a simple site for people to upload and share videos it grew just like MTV grew. The technology and bandwidth of its users was ready for a site like YouTube. The perfect storm. Entertainment companies fought at first, but after Google acquired it copyright agreements were forged with most major companies. Many smaller bands use it as a tool to promote music.

Now, not every video on YouTube is music, and not every video is good. But with so much out there one is free to look and discover. Thanks to YouTube, artists once again have a reason to make videos. And we can now go back and re-discover old favorites or dig for new gems.

My personal favorites:

Jason Forest - War Photographer. Vikings conquer all with the power of rock and funk.



Serj Tankian - Empty Walls. A not so subtle message about the war on terrorism.








~ Seth

Third Eye Blind

I'd scream at the top of my lungs, like a little girl meeting N*Sync ten years ago, if I ever had the chance to meet the men who make up one of the most influential bands in history: Third Eye Blind.

With a playing span lasting from the early 90s to now, this band is definitely, in my opinion, partly responsible for the way music is lyrically held together today. Accomplished by this band are such well-written albums, all dedicated to the little people, FANS, and those who feel sometimes life, sometimes just simply, stinks. Accomplished is the fact that they move people. With four amazing studio albums to put the "shuffle" button on with, some of the greatest phrases to help me to understand situations in my own life come from TEB's words.

A definite lifetime achievement award from both old and new members of this band is well deserved. Life is complicated, and the little things are what make it up. Relationship problems aren't the same each time, and neither is any situation in life. The truth is, there have been a lot of unfortunate happenings in my life that I feel music has been the only thing to help me through. As it's easy to like someone that helps you figure out your problems, definitely it's easy to love a band that does the same. I don't even think they know how moving their stuff is. That's why they never choke on a song, or try to conform for anybody.

Give it a listen-- and not the songs which have already been on popular radio! I suggest 'Blinded,' 'Farther,' 'Company,' and 'Faster,' but they're all amazing-- every single song.

-Kassandra

Photo from Rizzo Music

Invisible Monsters

Written in the very late 90s, Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk is one of the most thought-provoking and controversial books affecting society today. Comparing its impact with a book such as George Orwell's 1984 would be overstepping it, but only in the sense that Invisible Monsters focuses on smaller portions of America's messed up culture. It's the story and stomach-turning life of an ex-model with a hideous face. There are pills, a certain transvestite culture, disease, denial-- and competition to add to the mix. No two people will get the same reaction out of this book. It holds little pieces of the way America thinks, and the way America neglects, and it's told in sentences and phrases pieced together so eloquently that it's shocking. I have found myself quoting Palahniuk in my own head as I look more deeply and meaningfully into the things I once took for granted, or things I once merely didn't care about reading into: media, drugs, the way things can just simply- and not so simply- be the twist or the controversy of a lifetime. Invisible Monsters doesn't neglect some of the little overlooked problems that make the world so sick and odd. Although it's one story about a few people, it can go to make one think about the petty and weird robot ways of people in this country, told in a way that it's hard- very hard- to just write off, put down, or forget.

-Kassandra

Photo from Amizon.com

Get Lost

There are two types of people in this world: those who watch television occasionally and those who watch religiously. Sadly, I am grouped into the latter. I have a few shows that I can’t miss, and that’s okay because I work hard juggling classes and jobs during the day, so why shouldn’t I be able to have one addiction?

When the clock hits 9 on Thursday nights, I throw my comfortable pajamas on and wrap up in my cozy blanket. I run to the cupboard and gather snacks, placing them next to my favorite seat on the couch so I will be able to find them without drawing my gaze away from Grey’s Anatomy. It all happens again three days later for Desperate Housewives.

You get my point. The first type of people (not to mention those who don’t watch television at all - eek!) view this as a pathetic routine. But it’s one of those routines that I look forward to all week. So when I was presented with the opportunity to add to my list of religiously-watched shows, how could I refuse?

A co-worker of mine and his wife recommended that I borrow a couple seasons of their favorite show that they own on DVD. Three days later my boyfriend and I had blown through an entire season of our new addiction: Lost. And it gets worse. We don’t have to wait a week to watch the next episode - the discs are all right in front of us, sitting neatly in their case. So one episode after another, one disc after another, we can’t seem to shut the television off.

Granted I’ve only seen the first season, but I’m hooked. I knew it after watching the pilot. I always wondered what the big deal was about. Lost has been all the talk since it aired, I just never jumped on the train. Now I see. It’s a thrilling drama and riveting mystery. New and important details emerge with each passing minute. You truly don’t know what will happen next. The eerie music is enough to keep you on the edge and trying to guess what’s behind that rustling bush or lurking in the shadows of the island.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I highly recommend watching the show. If you’re not a Desperate Housewives or Grey’s Anatomy fan, my advice may seem less credible. But seriously, all other shows aside, get Lost. Start at the beginning. Find some friends who own the seasons on disc. You won’t be sorry.

Oh, and get a cozy blanket, too. Guy or gal, it’s a great accessory for watching a great show.

Jillian

-photo courtesy of abc.com-

Cloverfield: Review

Cloverfield is the Godzilla of the You Tube generation. At least that’s what the creator of the show Lost, J.J. Abrams, had planned for this monster flick. Whether or not it will succeed in creating the iconic status it was intended for, it certainly proved itself to be worth the effort.

The movie itself starts out like a government record. Code naming the video, found in the area once called “Central Park”, Cloverfield was an excellent way to introduce the movie. Just following that, the videotape begins. Done in a home movie style, it begins very low-key as it introduces a love story between two of the main characters, Rob and Beth, that plays out through the rest of the movie. All of a sudden, we find a character named Jason recording over this tape. Jason, we find out very quickly, is Rob’s brother. He and his fiancé are creating a tape of Rob's going away party to take with him to his new job in Japan. We are then introduced to the film’s main narrator, Hud. Hud is given the camera by Jason and told to film everything. He takes this job with reluctance, but it gives him a chance to talk to the women at the party so he doesn’t mind too much. This finishes off the introduction of the main characters as Hud wanders around the party. It also re-introduces Beth and Rob’s love story several weeks after the events we saw earlier. This part of the film is slightly confusing and maybe even a little boring. The character of Hud keeps it just entertaining enough to sit through. Luckily, it doesn’t last too long as an earthquake shakes Manhattan and everyone rushes to see what happens. Then it’s the creature feature I paid to see from there on out.

The perspective is the biggest selling point of the entire movie. The entire movie is set out to emulate Godzilla, King Kong and other classic “destruction of the city” monsters. The real difference is in presentation. Every monster movie is pretty much the same. People living life, monster comes in, city falls down, monster roars, end of movie. The presentation really focuses on the individual struggle here. The camera work is spectacular, in so far that it’s supposed to be bad. In the very beginning, everything is close and intimate, denoting the relationship between the characters Beth and Rob. During the party, with Hud beginning his cameraman position it shows the bustle and inattentiveness (and partially drunkenness) of how the characters are living their everyday lives. Incidentally, that’s the hardest part to get through. The whole movie is not meant for those who have motion sickness, but this part was even difficult for me to sit and watch without getting queasy. Just after the incident we see in the trailers, with the Statue of Liberty’s face flying towards us, everything sobers up and becomes a lot more intense (and a bit steadier), trying to capture every little thing they could, because it means staying alive or dying right then and there.

The sound was one of my immediate likes about this film. Other than the party, there is no music. All the sounds we hear are what we would hear in reality. It’s hard to craft a song that is as tense as the sounds of a real disaster, after all. The credits have a very grandiose orchestral feel which is amusing, but throughout the movie, every sound gives you a faux-real feeling. It puts you into that tense situation, leaving out that little safety net that movies often supply by giving you a bit of the dramatic to hold on to. All that you have to keep you company here is the tense sounds and Hud’s narration.

Cloverfield is a solid monster movie. The dialogue is witty, even if the plot is overdone. What really sold it is the execution. It was a risk to take this approach, but it really pulls together well to make something that’s two parts action, two parts horrific and one part funny. As far as replay, the little hidden bits in the movie, and snarky commentary make it worth watching more than once to catch things you didn’t get the first time. If you want something with depth, this might not be your kind of movie, but if you want realism and excitement, but a hefty helping of the bizarre, this is the movie to see. Cloverfield; The You Tube generation’s Godzilla? Maybe, but definitely a movie that gets its point across, even if there's a few buildings in the way.

Ian MacKechnie

Walls That Speak

It's a small space with big expression and the expression is always changing. This space of which I write is fairly well-known among those who express themselves through art. This space is the Husson College Art Gallery.

Perhaps you are scratching your head saying to yourself, "I didn't know Husson had an art gallery." As I told you, it's small but regularly offers local artisans a display venue for their work. Now showing is the work of Adele O'Brien-Drake who lives in Winterport. Several of Adele's abstract paintings adorn the art gallery walls. "It's trying to represent something that's immaterial," says Adele. "It's almost like a haiku poem."

Originally from Philadelphia, Adele moved to Maine several years ago and decided it would be a good place to raise her children. She found out about the Husson gallery from a friend who recently had a gallery show for his work. Adele's work will be in the gallery until February 16th. Check it out and don't forget to sign the Guest Book. If you'd like to chat with Adele about her art or background you can email her at gardenloom@aol.com.

The Husson Art Gallery is room 123 in Peabody Hall, just off the campus center and is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm. The gallery was endowed in 1995 by Husson Alumnus and former Chairman of the Board, Robert White. The gallery was a gift in memory of his parents. A volunteer Docent is responsible for selecting the artist and the shows generally run for about six to eight weeks. However, if you're a student artist and would like a shot at a gallery show you need to contact the Husson Student Activities office.

By Susan Patten

Gracie Theater

She's a young girl, yet a 500-seat theater in Bangor, Maine will soon bear her name. The Gracie Theater, named after Gracie McCollum, will be part of The Meeting House on the Husson College Campus. Most buildings or rooms are named in honor of someone who made a significant, positive impact on many people's lives or a large monetary contribution. Gracie has done neither, although she did have the awesome responsibility of kicking off the ground-breaking ceremony last September with the rallying cry, "let's dig dirt!" Gracie's grandmother, Hilda Hutchins McCollum, did in fact make a large monetary contribution, thus why Gracie's name will adorn the new theater.

Construction progress on the building that will house Gracie Theater is a topic of discussion almost daily on the Husson College campus. There are many exciting reasons the completion of The Meeting House is eagerly awaited, including new classroom and faculty space, but the most exciting to me is the possible development of a performing arts program some time in the future. Why not! After all we have Ken Stack, known widely for his portrayal of the classic Dickens character, Ebenezer Scrooge, in addition to his directing talents.

I get goose bumps when I think about all the Maine talent that will be able to perform over time on Gracie's stage. And while those thespians, musicians and comics thrill audiences of all ages, students at the New England School of Communications (NESCom) will have a state-of-the art training facility in which to learn live performance audio and video skills. The theater is being designed by acoustic and theater consultants from Walters Storyk Design Group out of New York.

Gracie Theater will boast three lighting booths that are classroom size and a built-in video booth as well. "Some of the technological specifications of the project make the construction of the Gracie Theater a bit more complex," said Thom Johnston, President of NESCom. "The frequent snow storms have backed up construction time lines slightly but they'll be able to make up that time."

The classrooms in The Meeting House will be ready by the fall of this year with Gracie Theater scheduled for completion by January of 2009.

By Susan Patten

Buckethead

He's half alive, he's half dead . . . folks just call him Buckethead!

What? You say you have never heard of Buckethead, one of America's strangest and most talented guitarist?

Remember when music was an experience? Let me introduce you to a musician who embraces a myth. No, he doesn't claim he was shot fifty times and survived. Rather Buckethhead claims he was raised by chickens and has an affection for his feathered friends.

He has worked with everyone from Les Claypool of Primus to Serj Tankian of System of a Down. He spent four years (2000 -2004) with Guns 'N Roses, but only rumors have circulated to his actual involvement with the now legendary unreleased album. He has now collaborated with Viggo Mortenson (yes that Viggo Mortenson) on seven albums. All ranging in style, from blues to techno/industrial with political commentary.

What makes him so weird? What makes him so talented? Well first off, as you might have guessed he wears a bucket on his head. To be more specific, a KFC bucket. In addition he wears a white mask. Why? Well that's the other problem -- he doesn't talk. He has on occasion used a hand puppet to get messages across, but overall he lets the music do the talking. Many claim he wants the emotions of his music to come out. Others just say he has a bad case of stage fright. And since his departure from Guns 'N Roses he has been on a tear putting out over four albums a year. Some solo, some as in the case with Claypool and Tankian, involving other musicians.

What makes him so talented? Without getting into the technical aspects of guitar playing. Each album is different. He challenges himself. One album - Population Override is filled with a theme of death and rebirth. With keyboards and one guitar. More blues. Another album Kaleidolscalp is filled with a darker atmosphere and borders on experimental hardcore. Fast and chaotic. He never leaves you bored.

Thanks to YouTube I can give you an example of his work. Here is his softer side from the album Colma : Whitewash

More on Buckethead later. Thanks for reading.

*Buckethead picture thanks to tdrsmusic.com. A wonderful site for exclusive Buckethead cd's and information.

~Seth