The Chronicle

Revamped Coffeehouse offers escape

by Braden Hendricks in Recess

It's essential for any hard-working Duke student to find a place to study when your room becomes just a little too stifling.

sand box

by Sam Schlinkert in Recess

So simple. So to the point. Indeed, it is fun to do bad things.

Waters offers insight into filmmaking

by Janet Wu in Recess

John Waters is the fine-mustachioed incarnation of a grindhouse film. He lives in a lovingly dirtied domain of the explicit and extreme. He is a double feature of trash and auteurism.

Master Cleanse enters lemonlight

by Brittany James in Recess

Every year it seems a new fad diet emerges in the ongoing battle against rising obesity rates.

Sanford, Raynes explore split families

A collection of letters, along with photos of these split families, are a part of Pai, Estou Te Esperando/Father, I Am Waiting For You, a visual documentary now on display on the first floor of the Sanford Institute for Public Policy.

Choke: sex, strippers and scams

by Andrew Hibbard in Recess

Chuck Palahniuk belongs to a class of writers raised on film. His novels read at the same cadence of an easily-consumed blockbuster, rife with cleverness and gross-out humor.

Comedian Dane Cook speaks of women, wackiness

by Staff Interview in Recess

With 17 years of experience, stand-up comic Dane Cook has now made the transition to film, appearing in movies like Mr. Brooks and Employee of the Month. His latest project, Good Luck Chuck, pairs him with Jessica Alba as the cursed guy women date immediately before they find their true love.

Animal Collective's Avey Tare to capture Cat's Cradle

by Stefanija Giric in Recess

Recess recently sat down with Dave Portner, aka Avey Tare, to talk about the release of their new album, Strawberry Jam and their U.S. tour.

Editor's Note 6: Rap Rainbow

by Varun Lella, Editor in Recess

A story that slipped the front-page headlines earlier this month, amidst Alberto Gonzales' retirement and Britney Spears' return, was the outrage-mostly media manufactured-over a little song called "Read a Book." The cartoon video, created by BET with Bomani "D'mite" Armah's song, is a parody of everything wrong with modern rap culture.

Clark Gregg

by Andrew Hibbard in Recess

Clark Gregg is the son of a former Divinity School professor, but he hit the stage and screen instead of the books and has racked up a host of acting credits. Last week, Gregg's first directorial effort-an adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk novel Choke-came out and recess' Andrew Hibbard sat down in Boston to talk to Gregg about it.

Editor's Note 5: Bad

by Varun Lella, editor in Recess

I told Chronicle head honchos David Graham and Sean Moroney that recess would be done by midnight. It is 11:28 p.m. and we have more than an hour's work to do in 30 minutes.

New nano: smarter, slimmer and sexier

by Nancy Wang in Recess

Weighing in at a slim 1.3 ounces and available in nine different colors, the fourth generation of Apple's iPod nano ($149 for 8 GB and $199 for 16 GB) has secured its spot as the sleekest and prettiest of the bunch.

Try a slice of Vanderslice

by Allison Gianino in Recess

John Vanderslice has been around the block. Since breaking into the indie scene as frontman for the now-defunct mk Ultra, he's worked with pretty much everyone, from Spoon to the Mountain Goats to Sunny Day Real Estate.

Co-star, directors of The Heartbreak Kid spill on Stiller, scenes

by Recess staff in Recess

Ever since his breakout performance on Comedy Central Presents in 2002, edgy comedian Carlos Mencia has seen his career undergo a meteoric rise.

Heartbreak Kid-a remake

Recess Staff

in Recess

The Farrelly brothers recently answered questions about working with Ben Stiller and remaking a classic.

Oct. 8 DSO concert to honor Pearl

by David Graham in Recess

Sometimes it's enough to play music just to play music-the thrill of the score, the notes swirling in the air, the electricity between audience and performer.

lcd soundsystem

recess music

by Liz Tramm in Recess

With the Sept. 18 release of A Bunch of Stuff, LCD Soundsystem's six-track EP offers listeners a slightly different take on their recent material, mostly in the form of remixes.

T.I. swagger

featured review

by Kevin Lincoln in Recess

T.I. has swagger, and he's not going to let anyone forget it.

Joe College Day to ride again Saturday

by Tina Siadak in Recess

As the last remnants of summer fade into the chaos of midterms, Duke University Union's Joe College Day will offer students a chance to say goodbye to their laid-back days in style.

good luck chuck

recess film

by Janet Wu in Recess

Good Luck Chuck is the cinematic equivalent of standing in front of an automated pitching machine. It's a generally painful experience.

Thurston Moore

recess music

by Stefanija Giric in Recess

It's been more than a decade and about a dozen Sonic Youth albums since 1995's Psychic Hearts, the first solo album from SY frontman Thurston Moore.

Animal collective

recess music

by Stefanija Giric in Recess

New York City experimental rock band Animal Collective returns with Strawberry Jam, almost two years after the release of 2005's critically acclaimed Feels.

2 days in paris

recess film

by Andrew Hibbard in Recess

Writer-director-actor Julie Delpy's 2 Days in Paris uses every convention of the American-couple-visits-Europe brand of romantic comedy-mostly hating on the French.

robin thicke

album reviews

by Madeline Perez in Recess

Robin Thicke's new album, Something Else, hardly reinvents the R&B genre. Instead, the 31-year-old singer is intent on bringing music back to the good ol' days of soul and funk.

foo fighters

recess music

by Bryan Sayler in Recess

It's now been more than 10 years since Dave Grohl engineered his unlikely transition from unemployed drummer to iconic frontman. It's pretty much impossible to deny that the Foo Fighters have had a good run.

Rogue Wave

recess music

by Claire Finch in Recess

Rogue Wave returns in all its jangly, indie-pop glory with Asleep at Heaven's Gate, its third full-length album.

ben folds

album reviews

by Leslie Griffith in Recess

"A piano's all I got/and I know that ain't a lot," Ben Folds laments wryly in "The Frown Song," the third song on Way to Normal, his first release in three years.

iron and wine

recess music

by Alex Fankuchen in Recess

Iron and Wine, the recording name of singer-songwriter Sam Beam, first achieved recognition with so many other lesser-known artists when he appeared on the Garden State soundtrack.

downtown owl

fiction

by Kevin Lincoln in Recess

Chuck Klosterman may have taken up fiction, but even in his first novel he hasn't stopped being a critic.

devendra banheart

recess music

by Stefanija Giric in Recess

Devendra Banhart is a unique spirit and old soul often noted for his surreal, naturalistic lyrics and idolization of Tropicália innovator Caetano Veloso. On Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, his latest full-length release, Banhart both stays true to and expands his "freak-folk" style, classified as "New Weird America" or "Naturalismo" by some.

New boutique turns Brightleaf Square green

Vert & Vogue offers recycled, sustainable clothing, alternative to megamall shopping

by Margaret Baughman in Recess

The thought of "green" fashion conjures images of hemp tunics and yoga sportswear-the frumpy, boring garb of the neohippie, more often seen in the commune than on the catwalk.

Bryan Zupon and the Citrus Chronicles

recess tastes

by Bryan Zupon in Recess

Having eaten his way through many of the best and worst restaurants in the Triangle, recess Tastes editor Bryan Zupon ventures into territory strikingly unfamiliar to a devoted food writer.

Urban artist gives classics new spin

recess arts

by Claire Finch in Recess

Where can you find LL Cool J, sperm cells, Titian and bling all in one place? No, not at some fetishistic porn site, but in the work of contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley.

Misterioso mimics magic loft

recess arts

by Stefanija Giric in Recess

Has the fear of being imprisoned in a playhouse and forced to watch a production you found unbearable after the first 10 minutes kept you from exploring the world of theater?