Search Results

A picture too perfect: 'Wonder' falls short

Shawn Mendes has had an interesting career. 

COVID-19 has pushed more women into ‘survival mode’

It moved fast, slithering like a snake from person to person and striking with near perfection. First her younger daughter contracted it, then her oldest daughter, followed by her grandson and former husband. It hit the family hard. 

Are You Entertained? — A weekly entertainment column

Dominic LeRose and Johnny Bildings are seniors at UW-Madison who are fanatics about all things entertainment. Their goal is to recommend their favorite movies, TV shows, books, music, documentaries and specials to make the dismal times of the current pandemic a little less sufferable.

Chess junkie or not, 'The Queen's Gambit' is a must-watch

In chess, a gambit is an opening sequence in which one side sacrifices material in hopes of gaining a positional advantage, the queen’s gambit being the most famous among them. Now, if you don’t know anything about chess, you should still watch the Netflix miniseries "The Queen’s Gambit" for a multitude of reasons — the fact that it has become a global sensation being just one. I bring up the concept of a gambit, however, because the story of Beth Harmon — the central character in "The Queen’s Gambit" — is just that, a gambit, and the series certainly offers no shortage of the thrill and suspense that one would expect to accompany a gambit — and if you don’t play chess just take my word for it that gambits peak the scale on the chess excitement-o-meter.

Man of the Year, even in death: A look at Juice Wrld’s legacy one year after his passing

It’s almost impossible to believe that it’s been an entire year since Juice Wrld passed away from an accidental codeine and oxycodone overdose in Chicago. As cliche as it may be, his music has lived on in the hearts and minds of his millions of fans. His 5.9 billion Spotify streams this year prove that, but they don't tell the full story.

Advocacy groups call on Evers to release inmates as COVID outbreaks continue in state prisons

For nearly a month this fall, protesters gathered outside the governor’s mansion to call on Gov. Tony Evers to use his clemency powers to reduce state prison populations due to the spread of COVID-19 in those facilities. 

How to deal with having COVID-19 at home

If you’re like me right now, you’re spending your days in your twin-size childhood bed after a pair of unexpected positive COVID-19 tests. Yeah, you were safer than normal — read: stopped going to frat parties and bars — the last week you were in Madison, and you tested negative twice before coming back, but that goddamn baby that was bawling its eyes out from Chicago to Newark probably gave it to you. Stop crying and put a mask on you little shit.

Amy Adams, Glenn Close’s powerful performances save 'Hillbilly Elegy'

It’s rare to see a film that feels like it’s divided into two separate films based on the different time periods it depicts. Such is the case with Ron Howard’s “Hillbilly Elegy,” based on the 2016 memoir by J.D. Vance that describes his troubling upbringing in Ohio involving his mother’s heroin addiction. 

Eating disorders around the holidays

About a year on, an album we didn’t know we needed: Everyday Life by Coldplay

While most of the world focused on the unveiling of the Tesla Cybertruck last November and lost it when the “armor glass” on the truck smashed — much to Elon Musk’s embarrassment — another unveiling was taking place in Amman, Jordan. Diametrically opposite to the chaos that the Cybertruck caused, this unveiling was peaceful and serene. It was hosted by none other than Coldplay, who released their most recent album Everyday Life via two live performances during the Jordanian sunrise and sunset that were streamed in their entirety on YouTube. The performances were meant to correspond to the two halves of the album titled “Sunrise” and “Sunset” and the location was a nod to the Middle Eastern influences of the album. Being a biased Coldplay fan, I found the performance to be quite godly, especially when meshed in with the beauty of Amman and indeed, the sunrise and the sunset, but unfortunately, I could not get anybody to appreciate the brilliance of the performance — and indeed, the album — at the time. 

‘It’s not home-like’: One nursing home’s battle for safety and normalcy amid the pandemic

Over a quarter of COVID-19 deaths in Wisconsin have occurred in long-term care facilities, according to data from the state Department of Health Services. One nursing home in Dane County is implementing strict protocols to prevent large outbreaks, but said the stress of the pandemic has impacted both staff and residents. 

UW-Health to Wisconsinites: ‘Our only hope right now is you’

In a two page open-letter run in the Wisconsin State Journal on Sunday, UW-Health employees made a desperate plea for the people of Wisconsin to take action against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Are You Entertained? — A weekly entertainment column

We’re on lucky number seven here at “Are You Entertained,” and sadly it couldn’t seem to come at an unluckier time. The world looks damn bleak right now, and as I listen to my family member cough up a COVID-filled lung downstairs and approach my fifth straight week of self-imposed social isolation measures, I know myself — and I’m sure many other Badgers out there — could use a few gentle reminders on what the word “gratitude” looks like during this time of the year.

Evers renews public health emergency, mask mandate as Wisconsin’s hospitals struggle to keep up

Gov. Tony Evers extended Wisconsin’s statewide mask mandate Friday and declared a renewed public health emergency in Wisconsin as hospitals urge for action.

Dieting downfalls and the promise of a non-diet approach

Change is an exciting thing, and being able to see positive transformations of one’s body is as thrilling a change as any. Whether you are trying to take pounds off or put them on, chances are you have considered following a diet. While some diets are rigid due to biological reasons (e.g. diabetes) or religious grounds — e.g. avoiding pork as a Muslim — many choose to follow them in hopes of achieving dream physiques. 

Badger football is back … but for how long?

There is no better feeling than waking up on a Badger game day, with ecstatic energy in the atmosphere, the people of Madison united in red and the smell of brats roasting on the barbeque. All of this seemed very distant, however, as the season was canceled in late August, leaving Badger fans everywhere devastated. 

Baking yummy holiday treats

An analysis of Kurtis Blow’s 'Basketball'

As we hurtle towards a NCAA basketball season like none before it, analysts and beat writers are sharpening their basketball senses by watching old film, reading up on new players, checking stats and box scores from last year and finalizing their season previews. Everyone watches and reads to get ready for the season, but who truly listens to prepare?

'The Undoing' is a simple mystery to solve, but that doesn’t make it any less watchable

A few weeks ago, I told you Nicole Kidman would keep me around purely out of the fact that I needed a tight-laced mystery in my life as we approach another stretch of stay-at-home orders.

COVID-19 Update: Dane County on course for growing case averages, hospitalizations

With an increase in the COVID-19 case average and an all-time high in reported hospitalizations, Dane County officials advise people to stay home and celebrate the upcoming holidays responsibly.