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arts

Thursday, February 9, 2012

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MTV

MTV wears new, hilarious 'Pants' well

BY BRIANNE JOHNSON

MTV gives viewers exactly what they need and revisits the neglected realm of scripted television with Thursday night’s fist-pump-free “I Just Want My Pants Back.”

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Notebook: 'Cougar Town' is the best show you're not watching

ABC

BY KAYLA UPADHYAYA

“Cougar Town” isn’t about Courteney Cox vying for studly 20-somethings. It’s about a close-knit group of adult friends — dubbed the “Cul-de-Sac Crew” — who have a lot of fun and drink a lot of wine.

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Barnes is back and as frenzied as ever on 'Paralytic Stalks'

Polyvinyl

BY KATIE STEEN

Hey, psych majors: This album’s for you! Of Montreal’s latest LP, Paralytic Stalks, is almost an hour’s worth of Kevin Barnes singing, chatting, chanting and shrieking about his bouts of depression. Enjoy!

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Leaving nostalgia behind on Dr. Dog's latest effort

ANTI-

BY GEOFF MARINO

Dr. Dog has long been derided as a lonely bit of ’60s nostalgia floating in an ocean of 21st century musical innovations. However, Be The Void doesn’t give anyone opportunity to engage in such criticism.

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NBC brings a 'Smash' hit to television

NBC

BY PROMA KHOSLA

NBC’s midseason headliner “Smash” is everything “Glee” isn’t and it’s probably many things “Glee” aspired to be. The plot is simple: 24-year-old Karen Cartwright (“American Idol” runner-up Katharine McPhee) wants to make it big on Broadway.

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'Chronicle' brings excitement and originality back to the superhero genre

20th Century Fox

BY AKSHAY SETH

Unlike many of the tastelessly boring superhero adaptations released this past year (our glowering eyes are trained squarely on you, “Green Lantern”), “Chronicle” is entertaining and meaningful.

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Complicated plot drowns star-studded 'Big Miracle'

Universal

BY ARIELLE ACKERMAN

Director Ken Kwapis delivers another moderately heartwarming tale about an animal rescue with far too many subplots in his latest film, “Big Miracle.”

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Exploring and expanding musical horizons with WCBN

Adam Glanzman/Daily

BY GEOFF MARINO

WCBN prides itself and values the community aspect it can provide. Unlike Internet music sites, in which the listener interacts with a computer, WCBN wants to foster the experience of communal music listening.

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Kring crafts muddled but promising pilot with 'Touch'

FOX

BY PROMA KHOSLA

The main characters in “Touch” are Martin Bohm (Sutherland) and his 11-year-old son, Jake (newcomer David Mazouz). The strained relationship between Martin and Jake is the greatest victory of the pilot.

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Powerful vocals can't hide shallow core on Del Rey's debut effort

Interscope

BY KATIE STEEN

The transfixing nature of Lana’s vocals isn’t enough to carry Born to Die. The album is unashamedly produced, incorporating orchestral flourishes, innumerous sound effects of incoherent yelling and a hip-hop backing in almost every song.

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ABC

'Revenge' brings depth and deftness to soap format

BY KAYLA UPADHYAYA

“Revenge” takes everything that makes a soap opera gripping — the cliffhangers, the complicated relationships, the snappy dialogue — and injects less common attributes of the genre: careful storytelling and subtle character work.

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Jacob Axelrad: Trent Reznor deserves a spot next to movie-music legends

BY JACOB AXELRAD

Winning an Oscar isn’t necessary to show that the hard-edged style of Reznor can do wonders for the movies as well as a 100-piece symphony.

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Epic

The Fray's scars tell no stories on latest effort

BY GREGORY HICKS

It might be time for The Fray to swallow its pride and get songwriting or production assistance from a reputable name. The band needs to organize its priorities if it anticipates continuing to work in the music industry.

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Lauren Caserta: Learning the importance of process in East Asian calligraphy

BY LAUREN CASERTA

Many East Asian practitioners consider the process of creation just as important as the piece of art that takes shape, turning the actions of writing, gardening or even serving tea into carefully choreographed displays.

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CBS Films

Daniel Radcliffe returns in refreshing and chilling 'The Woman in Black'

BY SEAN CZARNECKI

Adapted from the Susan Hill novel of the same name, “The Woman in Black” forgoes blood thrills, machetes and whatever creative weapon Hollywood can dream up.

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Lack of context means no triple crown for HBO's 'Luck'

BY KELLY ETZ

From the first scene of Hoffman in jail through roughly the next hour, the lack of explanation leaves the viewer in an unfamiliar terrain with no idea how to navigate through the politics — both upfront and backdoor — or the bewildering jargon.

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Canterbury House to offer 24-hour improv-music fundraiser

BY LAUREN CASERTA

Tonight, the International Society for Improvised Music will pull together some of Ann Arbor’s most talented musicians for a fundraiser as unpredictable as the songs the artists will create on a whim.

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University of Michigan Symphony Band to play at Hill

BY DHRUV MADEKA

At the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, no band is more competitive for undergraduates than the University Symphony Band, which will be showcasing its talent for the first time this year tonight at Hill Auditorium with four pieces.

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