Columnists

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COLUMNS

‘Better Call Saul’ cannot be compared to the failures of ‘Joey’

By Jake Smasal | Feb. 11, 2015

“Breaking Bad” is widely considered to be one of the greatest television programs of the last decade, if not of all time. I agree with this assessment; it’s entertaining, well written, addictive and engaging. So, when I rushed home from work on Sunday night to watch the premiere of “Better Call Saul,” I was expecting something very similar to “Breaking Bad.” Generally, that wouldn’t be too far-fetched; if you’re making a spinoff, you only change it enough to let watchers know the material is just new enough to be interesting. Sometimes this works… and sometimes you get “Joey.” I spent months hoping “Better Call Saul” would not be the next “Joey,” and that the writers would see the potential of Saul alone and not ruin him forever.

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The game of risk and reward when a city’s music scene expands

By Jake Witz and JoEllen Amato | Feb. 10, 2015

When I listen to tracks by Devonwho, a Los Angeles beat producer, the sunny, breezy shores of Santa Monica beach flow in and out of my ears. Listen to Andres from Detroit and your headphones will suddenly be lined with jazzy industrial rust from the Motor City. Music often defines a city, with tight groups of musicians producing sounds that will later be impossible to disassociate with their hometowns. Just like every living being on Earth, music scenes strive to evolve. So, what happens when a sound tries to wander outside of the city limits?

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COLUMNS

Column: Checking out the rest of the Big Ten's best

By Rushad Machhi | Feb. 9, 2015

If it is not already clear that Wisconsin is the best team in the Big Ten, then it’s time to get your head out of the snow. However, despite the name, there are still 13 other teams in the conference!

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Minor changes in ‘Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft’ alter gameplay

By Alex Lovendahl | Feb. 9, 2015

It’s been a year since I downloaded the beta client for Blizzard Entertainment’s card game, “Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft,” based upon the MMORPG that stole lives before it. To quickly summarize, it’s a game quite like Magic: The Gathering, in which two players build decks of disparate types and work to eliminate each other. The mechanics are simple, but the cards are numerous, allowing depth and long-term variety beyond the game’s simple randomly drawn card system.

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COLUMNS

Column: You should know more about Dean Smith

By Crystal Crowns and Jack Baer | Feb. 9, 2015

Dean Smith was never like the other coaches. He attended the University of Kansas on an academic scholarship and majored in mathematics. He was a guard for the basketball team, while also playing varsity baseball, freshman football, active in a fraternity and enrolled in the Air Force ROTC.

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COLUMNS

Funny and irreverent, online memes can make anyone a star

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Feb. 8, 2015

In our current culture, people have the ability to go from unknown to super stardom literally over night! As exciting and awesome as that is, I also think it is quite scary because sometimes people go viral for being terrible or super awkward. The reason I brought this subject up is because of the Super Bowl. 

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Don't blame Bucks for UW education cuts

By Jim Dayton | Feb. 5, 2015

For the past week, there’s been a lot of talk that Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million in cuts to the UW System directly coincides with his $220 million financing plan to build a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks.

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‘Wet Hot American Summer’ trailer provides hope for TV

By Jake Smasal | Feb. 5, 2015

Last week, I may have mentioned that this time of year is where TV goes to die. however, what I dod not take into account is that it’s trailer season! Not one but two super-amazing, awesome trailers debuted over the past week: one for season five of “Game of Thrones” and the other for “Wet Hot American Summer.” We knew that a “Game of Thrones” trailer would be forthcoming, and rather than shoot my “GOT” wad this early in the semester, I’ll just say that it was awesome. Like, really awesome. But the real exciting (and kind of unexpected) news of the day belongs to the “Wet Hot American Summer” teaser. 

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Conference disparities hurt integrity of NBA playoffs

By Rushad Machhi | Feb. 4, 2015

The Detroit Pistons, once owners of a 5-23 record midway through December, are now 2.5 games out of a playoff spot in the (L)Eastern conference. Did they go on an amazing run to approach a .500 record, a respectable and deserving win-loss total for a playoff team?

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Reality shot with an iPhone lens

By Andy Van Sistine and Austin Wellens | Feb. 3, 2015

So last week I wrote about the idea of “historical films” that use actual events as their material, and this week I’d like to look at what is sort of the flip side of that.

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When stars go solo after success in a group ensemble

By Jacob Witz | Feb. 3, 2015

The story of the pop-flop is all too common. A former member of a popular group ventures out into the world of solo careers, only to find that their talent and muse was entirely dependent on the group and image they used to associate themselves with. Soon after, we see desperate attempts at singles and maybe a full album, until the only potential money-gainer in their career is an email begging for a supergroup reunion. 

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Column: Is ESPNW progressive or problematic?

By Sam Cusick and Grey Satterfield | Feb. 2, 2015

GS: This weekend saw the conclusion to the Australian Open tennis tournament. The hype of the tournament Down Under might have gotten swept away by the Super Bowl hype and the fact that it takes takes place in the dead of night on our side of the Pacific. Regardless, you missed out on a pretty exciting tournament, and a rather shocking Cinderella story on the women’s side.

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Column: Bucks' new stadium plan wastes needed money on a bad investment

By Jack Baer | Feb. 1, 2015

It takes some gall to announce that you’re giving a sports team $220 million the same day you announce future cuts for the University of Wisconsin System amounting to $300 million.

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Friends, even in books, can drift apart

By Maham Hasan and Emily Gerber and Tamar Myers | Feb. 1, 2015

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Netflix, Amazon battle for title of best online TV

By Jake Smasal | Jan. 28, 2015

Over the past year, one of the newest and best rivalries in TV history began and is now officially heating up. As Netflix continues to produce original content, Amazon has thrown its hat into the ring and now has come up with its first bona fide hit, “Transparent,” which stars Jeffrey Tambor as a father struggling to tell his children about his desire to be a woman, is garnering ridiculous amounts of praise. Amazon versus Netflix is a rivalry that would have been inconceivable even three years ago. Then, most of the world didn’t even know “House of Cards” was going to be a thing, and Amazon was just somewhere you went to compare prices with whatever you wanted at Target. If you had told me then that both of these companies would be serious players in the TV market, I would probably have laughed at you and made a joke about whatever was funny three years ago (Snuggies? Sarah Palin? I have to be close). 

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Column: Bryant’s all-star selection shows flaws in voting system

By Rushad Machhi | Jan. 26, 2015

They say numbers never lie, but sometimes they couldn’t be further from the truth.

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Lost definition of art in society of Top 10 lists and awards

By Alex Lovendahl | Jan. 26, 2015

The current value of American art to its curators is to be ranked and categorized for "Best of the Year" consideration, to find its way into a gallery or museum or to "go viral." We have made art a competition. This is not true, though it is permitted. The last time I saw my roommate from my freshman year, we discussed 2014's Games of the Year, a tradition we've reduced in scope since 2010. We came to concordance upon Blizzard's collectible card game "Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft," a game we've each played for countless hours. Rather than discuss its nuances or celebrate our other favorites, he proceeded to list off the year's releases and determined whether or not we had enjoyed each before we parted.

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Expectations meet reality in films based on history

By Austin Wellens | Jan. 26, 2015

So as a film and history major, the issue of “historically accurate” films has been on my mind lately, what with “American Sniper,” “Selma,” “Foxcatcher” and “The Imitation Game” all being largely talked about movies. But it winds up being just part of a larger conversation I’ve had a few times recently, so to talk about this issue I’m going to talk about something else.

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Column: McCarthy's baffling decisions cost Packers Super Bowl

By Jim Dayton | Jan. 24, 2015

You can blame it on Brandon Bostick for botching the onside kick. Or A.J. Hawk for misreading the fake field goal. Or Ha Ha Clinton-Dix for not knocking down the two-point conversion. Or Aaron Rodgers for missing multiple throws. Or...

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Heisman Watch: 2015 Candidates

By Jim Dayton | Jan. 15, 2015

With the college football season finally complete, it’s time for the final installment of my Heisman Watch series—an early preview of 2015’s potential candidates.