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Dissenting Opinions’Albums of the Year

Joe Lynch, arts editor-elect 

The Top 15 Albums of 2005

While 2005 may not be remembered for a new exciting trend or a handful of absolutely classic releases, it was still a good year to be a music fan. There was a glut of very solid albums, making the difference between No. 6 and No. 26 as slim as any year in recent memory. Any Top 15 list will have regrettable omissions. The fact that perennial favorites like The White Stripes and Paul McCartney and follow-up albums from Antony and the Johnsons and Franz Ferdinand fell by the wayside is a testament to how many releases were worth your time this year.  

A look at 2005’s films

With 2005 coming to a close after a soft year at the box office, much good still came from Hollywood. Much good and a whole lot of bad. 

Jump Ball

UW offense vs. Marquette defense 

Horkoscopes

Sagittarius: Nov. 22'Dec. 21 

Terrific cast carries new ’Capote’ biopic

Biographies are hard to successfully transform into movies. They require an impeccable recreation of every relevant fact and an outstanding cast of actors capable of channeling the lives of their characters, both of which can be difficult. Biographies are indeed a challenge, yet Bennett Miller's 'Capote' triumphs.  

Gold at end of the rainbow

UW's schedule landed Barry Alvarez in Honolulu Saturday, but his illustrious career will land him among the ranks of the elite college football coaches in history. The 2005 edition of the Wisconsin Badger football team gave their legendary head coach the only gift he wanted for his last regular season game: a win. The Badgers' makeshift defense was the key in defeating the offensive-minded Warriors of Hawaii, allowing only 17 points of consequence and rendering a meaningless touchdown with time running out. 

No sabbath for the spender

Like Hallmark set the trend by creating a commercialized holiday in February, mass retailers followed suit by selling December between the pages of glossy catalogues. Millions of shoppers awoke at dawn (or earlier) last Friday to deck one another while decking the halls with merchandise purchased at low, low prices. However, for most retail chains, the process of decking the halls began long ago. As a result, winter holidays receive virtually no recognition for their religious roots. 

The Wonderful World of Google.com

Everyone does it. And if they say they don't do it, they are probably lying. Some people like to talk about it, others would rather keep it to themselves. There are a few different techniques, but most people go about it the same way. And this week, I feel I am ready to come clean and discuss my once private activities with the rest of the vocal minority. Yes, I have Googled myself, and I am here to tell the world about it.  

Nintendo goes wireless with DS

Mario Kart for the Nintendo DS launched this week, marking Nintendo's first serious foray into the online gaming environment. The Wi-Fi enabled DS system allows racers from all over the world to compete in what is almost an anthology version of the Mario Kart franchise. Several more games promising online play for the DS are scheduled for release within the next few months. But is Nintendo's recent push into the web too little too late? Can online gaming bring Nintendo back to prominence in the home console market? 

Don’t sweat the Packer cold streaks

It pains me to declare this bit of Badger State blasphemy, but I've got to admit it: I don't think the Packers are going to make it to the Super Bowl. I'm throwing in my green and gold towel and cashing my Bart Starr commemorative chips.  

Badger Baloney: Overzealous Halloween cop looking out for family

Anderson, UW set for 2005-’06 season

Progress is the motto for this year's women's basketball team. The Badgers won 10 games in the 2003-'04 season, 12 in 2004-'05 and will look to move into the upper half of the Big Ten in head coach Lisa Stone's third season at the helm. The squad returns three starters and nine players overall from last year's team, including sophomore point guard Jolene Anderson, who was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team.  

Movies so horrible you cannot look away

Face it: horror movies instill very little 'horror' in their viewers. Constructed realities cannot instill the viewer with the same sense of terror the characters feel. 

Les lists literary costume ideas

I love Halloween for a lot of reasons: the thrill of blowing close to a hundred dollars on a costume, the sugar rush of eating a whole bag of mini candy bars and the backlog of drunken pictures better than any house party. It's the one holiday where it's simply not acceptable to stay inside and read, as the whole point is to go out and be seen in a new light. 

Weak characters prove not everything 'Illuminated'

\Everything is Illuminated,"" based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foers, is a Russian doll of a film-a Holocaust drama inside of a road trip movie that is wrapped in a buddy- comedy, with a layer of magical realism. Marking the ambitious (if flawed) directorial debut of Liev Schreiber, the film examines the way cultures divide us and history unites us, and more often then not, it succeeds. 

Gopher it, you'll probably lose

\What makes UW-Madison kids think they're so Ivy League?"" Meet Becca, a friend of mine since elementary school - kind-hearted, quick-witted and an environmental science major. She was asking an honest question, and I had so many answers, but I couldn't articulate any at that moment.  

The badger baloney

Amid the growing controversy over mopeds on campus, UW-Madison officials have begun a public education campaign. Their message to moped-riding students: get off your lazy fat asses and walk to class. 

The admission of a closet wrestling fan

When considering whether or not something is a sport, many debates seem to arise. The thought of cars only making left turns appearing in a Sportscenter highlight following a spectacular catch by Chad Johnson or a diving stop by Chone Figgins is pretty ridiculous. Watching the festively plump John Daly blow two-inch putts makes one truly question society's definition of an athlete. 

New Beer Thursdays

New Glarus' new brew is barley wine. A unique style of beer, it is \malt accented."" According to the label the hops from Germany and the U.S. were not good enough, so they used only the ""East Kent Golding"" strain of hops available in Scotland.