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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2005)
Oregon Daily Emerald Thursday, May 12, 2005 “Thank God I’m an atheist. ” Luis Bunuel | Director rd . times 1LCHARM The force is \n\V\\ story-driven ///: ft even ge o\ \^ve. S/th'as it vev\\w\^ to the dark svte BY STEVEN R. NEUMAN MANAGING EDITOR There is a certain joy that one feels upon completing a task, especially if one can look back, see the ups and downs and realize that last note was a strong one. Last week I had the pleasure of hearing such a note. The final episode of the "Star Wars" saga, "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," is a fast-paced, palm-sweat ing, eyes-wide open, teeth-gnashing jump-start of a movie. You will love it. Before we get to how George Lucas managed to turn his act around, let's get something straight— I own no Star Wars cos tumes, and I can neither speak any of the movies' languages nortell you any tidbits outside of the actual movies. Read: I am no hard-core "Star Wars" fan. However, "Revenge" is fun to watch at any level. Preparing myself to see this flick was admit tedly a challenge. I found Lucas' last two pre quels stiff, hollow and for the most part STARWARS, page6 COURTESY ■ In my opinion AMY LICHTY POP ROCKS Mommyhood the latest trend to hit Hollywood Accessories are key in Hollywood. Whether dripping with million-dollar Neil Lane jewelry or sporting the tiniest of dogs, the ladies of Hollywood know howto complete an outfit. But one accessory seems to always be popu lar, especially in the past couple of years: To many Hollywood starlets, having a baby on the hip completes all outfits. Last weekend, another famous actress jumped aboard the baby bandwagon. After months of speculation about a possible en gagement, pregnancy or both, E! News con firmed that "Alias" star Jennifer Garner and reported fiance Ben Affleck have offspring due in November. The reps for these two have not breathed a word, however, so don't go buying the baby booties quite yet. But Hollywood definitely has its fair share of UCHTY, page 11 PULSEMUSIC PULSEMUSIC New Order, "Waiting for the Sirens' Call": It's always a bit disappointing to hear a once revolutionary, visionary, zeitgeist-grabbing band or artist fall into a case of terminal stasis. The juice just stops flowing, the inspiration seep ing away as core group members strive to simply maintain. Only the hardcore fans stick around, and everyone else politely pretends the band died in a fiery jet crash years ago. New Order has slipped into this mode, to the shock of nobody. Mediocrity strikes rock musicians much in the way senility and loss of teeth strike the elderly. The band's new album, "Waiting for the Sirens’ Call," is a decent collec tion of songs typifying the blend of pop rock and dance-floor beats this group pioneered during the mid-1980s and early 1990s. The problem is just that. This is a decent collection of songs but no great shakes in terms of the band's catalogue. And the sound hardly deviates from what the band was doing 20 years ago. While a few tracks stand out from the rest, particularly "I Told You So" and "Morning Night & Day," the majority of the album sounds outdated and tired. The album is more of a holding pattern than an artistic achievement as the group fights off the creeping ennui that comes with musical old age. Listeners would better be served picking up a copy of "Republic" or something else from the era when New Order could dig into someone's unconscious with ungodly efficiency. Unless this group has another creative rebirth up its sleeve, it might be best to write it off now. — Ryan Nyburg INSIDE PULSE "Kafka Parables," the latest production from the University Theatre, opens Friday. Good Times is a great neighborhood bar without much of a neighborhood. TheWhite Lotus Gallery presents a different way to look at books in its new exhibition. Today Sam Bond's Garage The Walton Complex 9 p.m., $3 at door Rock Friday The Misfats John Henry's 10 p.m., $3 The world's fattest Misfits cover band Saturday Zion 1 WOW Hall 9:30 p.m., $8 in advance, $12 atthe door Hip-hop Sunday Nine Ball Tournament Luc key's Bar 7 p.m., free Pool tournament TOP 5 MOVIES 1: "Kingdom of Heaven" 2: "House of Wax" 3: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" 4: "Crash" 5: "The Interpreter" NEWYORKTIMES BEST-SELLERS 1: Nicholas Sparks, "True Believer" 2: Sue Monk Kidd, "The Mermaid Chair" 3: Dan Brown, "The Da Vinci Code" 4: Mary Higgins Clark, "No Place Like Home" 5: Matthew Stover, "Revenge of the Sith" BILLBOARDTOP 5 1: Bruce Springsteen, "Devils & Dust" 2: Mariah Carey, "The Emancipation of Mimi" 3: Bobby Valentino, "Bobby Valentino" 4: Rob Thomas, "...Something to Be" 5: Amerie, "Touch"
