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'Loud' praise for rock doc

Jack White carefully winds a length of wire around two fresh nails as uninterested cattle graze in the green field behind him. He brings the wire taut over a glass Coke bottle and secures a round electromagnet beneath. The familiar hum of an amp clicks through the speakers as he twists a knob, sending an electric chill through your spine. White leans over his contraption and starts cranking crazy riffs from his newly minted instrument. The cows look up, amazed.

'Lying' falls a bit short

What is most disappointing about ""The Invention of Lying,"" the latest comedy by Ricky Gervais, creator of ""The Office""  and ""Extras,"" is that it comes so close to being as brilliant as its premise. Gervais' protagonist, Mark Bellison, lives in a world where people never developed the ability to lie. The result is a society without mistrust, without fiction and without that which becomes the focal point of the plot: religion. The idea that religion cannot exist in an exclusively truthful world is both subversive and fascinating, but unfortunately the concept is never fully fleshed out.

Proposed sugar tax poses difficulty for junk food consumers

Soda aficionados, next time you go grocery shopping, be sure to get enough of them, at least for the rest of the year. A panel of researchers and policy makers are advocating for a penny per ounce tax on all sugary beverages, including not only soda, but also energy drinks, many juices and ice teas. President Obama has said it's worth considering. If the proposal becomes law, you'll end up paying 50% more for your 12-pack refridgerator case of Mountain Dew.

State Street evangelist grabs a Guinness

It was a warm, breezy night as I wandered through Library Mall toward my apartment, on my way back from one of my regular Chicken Wrap and Mojo binges at the Union. As I passed the water fountains and headed toward the bookstore, I knew what lay ahead of me. The crazed, pushy pamphleteers would be out in full force, ready to cram every piece of the world's worries right down my throat. This is the point at which I usually take a few moments to mentally prep myself for the roughly 30 seconds of verbal onslaught awaiting me.

State Street evangelist, no one gives a shit

Song causes local hipster to self-destruct

Disclaimer: No hipsters were harmed in the writing of this column.

Sonic Drive-In serves up the classics

Five years of catchy commercials teased Wisconsinites, and it's finally here: a Sonic Drive-In. The new Sonic, 6413 University Ave., is not on campus, but it's worth the drive now that the initial hype has died down. 

The Hold Steady evoke Springsteen in fantastic live show at Majestic

With all due respect to the Boss, the Hold Steady are the new Bruce Springsteen. By masterfully depicting and living the dreams of millions of music lovers, they've managed to craft their own brand and become the new spokesband for the middle class. They write sing-along anthems tailored to amp up the enthusiasm of a crowd whose drink of choice is a double whiskey, Coke, no ice,"" which is an undeniably vast reservoir of listeners. 

All the weirdness ends, Kiera explains it all

After writing my column for two years, it's time to say goodbye. Although all I really want to do right now is curl up in a ball and cry while excessively thanking my weekly readers (assuming they actually exist), I thought a good way to end things would be to clear up a few misconceptions. 

Art fair teaches lessons, brings confidence

I don't want to do this, my mom whined from the front seat. 

A music buyer’s dilemma

Last Saturday was national Record Store Day. I'm only moderately ashamed to admit that I didn't patronize any of the local record stores. Although I am in love with some romantic ideal of what record stores are like (probably due to repeated viewings of ""High Fidelity""), I couldn't tell you the last time I bought an album from a record store. It's simple, really. I don't have money to buy music. And while that might stop me from getting music at record stores, it doesn't stop me from getting music. 

We the redheaded people of the U.S....

So, how did your date go? Will you see him again?"" I asked my friend, who was telling me about a date with some guy she was set up with by a friend of a friend of a creep. 

The Lonely Island album not 'bad' despite older material

Comedy troupe the Lonely Island have kept audiences rolling in the aisles for years. Whether it is with their cult-hit web series ""Awesometown"" or their work on ""Saturday Night Live,"" Lonely Island members Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer know funny. That's why despite a lot of older songs littering the album, Incredibad delivers both unbridled laughs and a bunch of catchy grooves. 

Like, OMG, another top 25 Facebook note

Hey guys, so I was like, so bored last night and decided to fill out one of these totally stupid 25 random thingies thing about me, or whatever. So yeah:  

The importance of being harshly earnest

I've always been the kind of person who lives to make jokes, and often time the best jokes come at the expense of others. I'll be the first to make fun of you for actually reading the Twilight"" series, for being the only person that openly still watches ""Boy Meets World"" re-runs (I mean, really?), and for still wearing capris or scrunchies in public.  

The holiday brought to you by Apple iPod

In today's world, it's very hard to maintain integrity in the workplace. With so many distractions and underhanded tactics, it's very difficult not to sell out and choose money-making tactics over the dignity of your career. 

Diner apologies from an anxious vegetarian

I've been a vegetarian since I was 5. What happened was fairly simple. My mom read a book to me that was marketed to children but was actually very sophisticated in content. The book basically described a young girl dipping her hands in the blood-soaked pot containing dead eels being prepared for food. 

3-point arc change appears to be no problem for some players

In May 2007, the NCAA men's basketball committee passed a rule to extend the 3-point line distance for the 2008-'09 season, a change that has pushed the 3-point arc a step back from 19'9\ to 20'9"". The new line is still three feet shorter than the NBA arc, which rests a distance of 23'9"" from the hoop.  

Disney dooms childhood stars

Viewers turned out in droves this past weekend to witness the East High School gang sing and dance their way through senior year in High School Musical 3."" Earning $42 million in the opening weekend alone, Disney has definitely validated their decision to move the ""HSM"" franchise from cable to the big screen. My frequent readers know I often spend time assailing the mind-numbing stupidity of viewers and their sheep-like devotion to theatrical trash. Yet, I will hold my tongue with ""High School Musical.""  

Muse inspires tribute to day-after tradition

Post Ann Arbor trip, I'm sitting on my couch in my underwear, waiting for Desperate Housewives"" to come on, and feeling completely uninspired and too tired to write anything worth reading. That's about all the energy I have to type right now, reader, as I feel as useless as Charter. But I thought I would share with you something that I read recently that I loved from an new up-coming literary talent. Whitney Newman, one of my best friends, just wrote a poem, documenting our great nights in Madison and the only stable thing in our collegiate lives: post-night out runs to McDonalds for a Large-and-in-Charge Diet Coke, a remedy I am quite sure cures hangovers. So please, dear reader, accept this as a token of my appreciation, and expect bigger and better things from me next week after a quiet weekend in Madison, keeping it low key for the Ohio State game... wink.