Columnist Anna Williams argues, \This difference between the current and past campus activism seems to be simply due to the fact that today we are more selfish.""'
A summer of laughs, tears and the mutant X gene has come and gone, and now it's time for you to return to your boring life at what's not even the nation's No. 1 party school any more. Here's a fond remembrance of those happier times. Can it really have been just a week ago? Or was it all just a dream...? Most Pathetic, Self-Indulgent Swipe at Critics Disguised as a Movie: ""Lady in the Water"" ""Lady in the Water"" is stupid enough to begin with, with nefarious grass creatures that can only be seen in a mirror's reflection and a little boy who becomes suddenly clairvoyant after reading cereal boxes. (You have to see it to believe it.) But it gets worse when it becomes clear that ""Lady in the Water"" is nothing more than a childish jab at the critics who assailed ""The Village."" Shyamalan's hubris has been growing exponentially since ""The Sixth Sense,"" but this is the first time it has manifested itself so completely into one of his movies. Shyamalan takes special glee in the scene in which the villainous movie critic character gets viciously killed by a grass creature, despite the fact that, even more than the rest of this mess of a movie, it doesn't make any logical sense. ""Lady in the Water"" is a baffling, astonishing failure that even the ample talents of Paul Giamatti can't salvage, and is certainly the worst movie of this lackluster summer. —Joe Pudas Most Inspired Typecasting: Patrick Stewart and Kelsey Grammer in ""X-Men 3"" In an effort to make their film more imaginative and daring than their previous entries, the producers in charge of ""X3"" made the ""risky"" choice of Kelsey Grammer, most famous for playing an intellectual, verbose, up-tight psychiatrist to play the role of Henry ""The Beast"" McCoy, an intellectual, verbose, up-tight mutant. But paired with Patrick Stewart, famous for playing ""Star Trek's"" Captain Picard, playing another humanity-lauding chief in charge of a group of unique humans and quasi-humans. The chance taken by casting these two untried actors in risky roles no doubt contributed to making an excellent film. —Brad Boron Best Summer Songs You Never Want To Hear Again: ""Promiscuous"" by Nelly Furtado and ""Hips Don't Lie"" by Shakira There have been two songs fighting for the title of ""the"" summer song this year: Nelly Furtado's surprising comeback ""Promiscuous,"" featuring producer Timbaland, and Shakira's ""Hips Don't Lie,"" a retooled version of Wyclef Jean's ""Dance Like This"" (first heard in the film classic ""Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights""). Both were equally catchy, sexy pop tunes with tons of energy, making them infinitely danceable and thoroughly enjoyable. But, as fall rolls around, it has become obvious that these infectious songs are now a plague on radio and music TV stations, taking up more airtime than quite possibly all other songs combined. For music that claims to be about the beauty of a one-night affair, the two songs have become more like a summer fling now pleading for commitment. It's time to cut the strings and bring the ""Sexyback"" to the airwaves. —Kristin Czubkowski Song That Should Have Caused the End of the World But Ended Up Only Sucking Mildly: ""Stars Are Blind"" by Paris Hilton Let's get one thing straight: Paris Hilton's summer hit ""Stars Are Blind"" is a bad song. Combining teen pop, reggae-lite and soulless vocals, ""Stars Are Blind"" is so lightweight it floats by without making any lasting impressions. It is too fluffy to function even as pleasant diversion. But make no mistake—this makes the song a resounding triumph for Paris. As an American aristocrat famous for nothing more than being filthy rich and being well, just plain filthy, everyone expected her singing career to be an embarrassment of Shatner-Nimoy proportions. But ""Stars Are Blind"" isn't a miserable way to spend four minutes—it isn't interesting, fun or diverting, either—but it is thankfully so soft and mechanized that it's hard to pay attention to the song for more than thirty seconds at a time. Which is probably why the record label decided to make the music video look like an outtake from ""1 Night in Paris."" —Joe Lynch
UW-Madison must extend health insurance benefits to domestic partners lest it wishes to lose more promising researchers. '
2006 will be no exception in the constant shift in power between UW football's offensive and defensive units. In a situation similar to 2004, the defense will once again have to carry the offense. '
The UW System Board of Regents voted in June to raise tuition by 6.8 percent for resident undergraduate students for the upcoming school year. Undergrads at UW-Madison will pay $382 ' ¦
Despite the state Assembly's recent decision to put the death penalty referendum on the November ballot along with the 'Defense of Marriage Act' amendment, Democrat and Republican officials agree those two issues will not be the main focus of the 2006 governor election.
The current exhibit on display at the Chazen Art Museum, 'Metalsmiths and Mentors: Fred Fenster and Eleanor Moty' offers something that is not usually reserved for art museums: practicality. Almost all of the pieces on display in the exhibit, now opened an extra week until July 30, seem like something you would see under glass'but at Bed Bath and Beyond or William Sonoma, not the Chazen.
I have found it impossible to avoid the evilest of the evil when it comes to male villains on the silver screen. My favorite line from a movie'to this day'is from 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,' when Alan Rickman, Sheriff of Nottingham, shouts, 'And call off Christmas!'
For most Wisconsin students, going to a football game is about much more than merely standing around and passively watching each play. Cheers are a way for fans to actually ' ¦
College is all about new experiences and having a good time. Sure school is important, and that's why everyone is here. But when it comes to a Saturday evening or any weeknight, students need a place to go and forget about school for a couple of hours, and watch something that really matters... sports. For you freshmen that may not know much about Badger athletics, or didn't even realize that Wisconsin has an athletic department until now, here is a little refresher course on what to watch for.
A bill signed by Gov. Jim Doyle May 22 authorizes law enforcement to track sex offenders more closely than ever before. Assembly Bill 591 directs the Department of Corrections to ' ¦
What keeps your fingers awake during power lectures and connected to your friends at bar time is catching on with college admissions officers. Nationwide, universities are communicating with admissions candidates ' ¦
You're going to gain the Freshman 15'there's no getting around it. But lest this evoke thoughts of flabby bellies, take a moment and imagine the wonderful indulgences that will comprise ' ¦'
As a freshman, State Street may seem like the most logical choice for non-University Housing food options. However, State Street is only the beginning of what Madison has to offer ' ¦'
Gov. Jim Doyle's signed a bill in May requiring Wisconsin school boards to present abstinence as the ideal choice of behavior in sex education curriculums. Though the bill carried bi-partisan ' ¦
One of the biggest question marks of the upcoming football season is the health of senior offensive tackle Joe Thomas. Although he is already racking up preseason accolades and awards, ' ¦
If you're thinking about school, between writing papers, cramming for tests and weeping silently into bowls of ramen, most students are not likely to be spending much free time in ' ¦'
High levels of manganese'more than 50 micrograms per liter'in Madison-area tap water have recently prompted Madison Water Utility to flush local wells of the excessive mineral build-up. Although Rick Johnson, ' ¦
Sick-leave proponents remain optimistic
Welcome newbies to Madison, Wis., home of the Badgers and the 20,000 undergrads who scream for them. There is no doubt that the atmosphere around Badger sports is one of ' ¦
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