Picking out Plastic Flowers
Tallahassee, Florida’s Plastic Flowers is a one man indie-pop outfit headed by Sean Earl Beard. I spoke to him about the origins of his name, his musical style and his Halloween costume. Q: How did you settle on the name…
‘Glee’ star misses mark
"Glee’s" Mark Salling released his second solo album, "Pipe Dreams," on Oct. 25. The album opens with "Migration," a track that sounds like something Jack Johnson would sing and is infused through a melodious opening guitar solo. With lyrics like,…
Music, games on whole new level
"Music game developer Harmonix has certainly been busy for the past five years; they almost single-handedly made the rhythm-game genre into a cultural phenomenon, starting with the first two "Guitar Hero" games and continuing with the "Rock Band" franchise. The…
Welcome to fabulous ‘New Vegas’
When released in 2008, "Fallout 3" was considered one of the greatest open-world role playing games of the year. Fast-forward two years, and we have a new installment in the award-winning franchise. Obsidian Entertainment has taken over production of the…
Cheap thrills, recycled script sink prequel
Orel Peli, a former video game programmer, transformed himself into a film director and screenwriter for his surprisingly enjoyable psychological thriller "Paranormal Activity." The film, like its creator, was a refreshing addition to a genre littered with recycled techniques; however,…
Ghost stories
Clint Eastwood, director of last year’s critically acclaimed "Invictus" returns with another attempt to pull at our heart strings with the film "Hereafter." Starring Matt Damon ("Invictus") and Cecile de France ("Soeur Sourire"), the film is a drama about death…
Sailing with ‘Catamaran’
"A few months ago I went to Buffalo, N.Y., to see Dan Black and Dragonette, who I knew would be good. I also lucked out and got to see an emerging act named Catamaran, led by Vincent Brunetto. I was…
Obsessions inspire short story writer
"Author Jaimee Wriston Colbert came to Oswego State’s Living Writers Series class on Wednesday to talk about her writing process and her career. "Colbert is a writing professor at SUNY Binghamton and wrote three short story collections and one novel….
Memories from ‘Grandma’s House’
""I want to welcome you to Grandma’s house!" was how Tom MacPherson introduced his exhibit, "Documenti: The Italian American Family Album." MacPherson, an Oswego State alumnus, presented his unconventional, yet fascinating, art exhibit while explaining the logic behind the layout…
‘Sale El Sol’ upbeat and beautiful
Columbian singer Shakira, who has sold millions of albums in Spanish and English, released her latest bilingual album, "Sale El Sol," on Oct. 14. Shakira has written and performed songs in both English and her native language, Spanish, since a…
