75 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/14/16 6:27am)
I’ve been told I’m a “funny person.” This sometimes confuses me because I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as someone inherently inclined to comedy. As I’ve grown older, I’ve become more withdrawn and less brash than I used to be to the point where socializing with dozens of random people at parties fills me with mild revulsion. My minor introversion doesn’t necessarily preclude me from comedy, but I still don’t think I ever try to be overtly funny. There are certainly people I know who try to force feed me jokes. These people make me want to lie down with a cold compress on my head. I couldn’t bear to live in a world of knock-knock jokes and unapologetically inorganic silliness. I’d rather spend my time in the company of people who are effortlessly witty, people who can toss off a one-liner like a casual salutation. However, I’m not either of those things. I’m definitely too reserved to mug for a crowd, and I’ve never done anything effortlessly in my entire life. You can see the cogs turning in my head from a mile away.
(03/31/16 6:17am)
“The Characters,” Netflix’s newest original series, is a bold gambit for the streaming service. The show devotes each of its eight episodes to showcasing a single comedian, giving him or her free reign to pursue their own comedic styling as they so choose. It’s certainly an interesting endeavor, and never less than entertaining. Ultimately, “The Characters” is just like sketchy comedy itself—a wildly inconsistent show that every now and then hits the mark in a brilliant way.
(03/24/16 7:27am)
“I’ve been working all my life, but I wonder/How does it feel to be rich? How does it feel to just live?” sings Kamaiyah on “How Does It Feel?”, the first single from her brand new debut mixtape "A Good Night in the Ghetto." The answer to her question may appear sooner than she thinks. "A Good Night in the Ghetto" is the best debut rap release of the year, and it portends great things from a very talented artist.
(03/03/16 5:38am)
This past Sunday night, 34 million Americans and I watched the Academy Awards. It was a four-hour slog for the most part, with highlights few and far between. The next day, I read countless articles about how long and boring the ceremony was, truly an exercise in futility and pointlessness in a shallow industry. I’m not going to disagree with any of that. The Oscars are without a doubt the most boring awards show out of a pantheon of boring awards show. How do we fix it? Can it even be fixed? I say it can, but it’s all dependent on one big thing—they can’t hand out any more awards.
(02/27/16 5:28pm)
This past weekend, I went to the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella South Regional Finals. The ICCAs are apparently the same competition as the one featured in the popular "Pitch Perfect" series of movies. While the level of hijinks present at the real-life competition was negligible, the vocal talent and artistry on display was way better than anything you’d get from Anna Kendrick or Rebel Wilson.
(02/11/16 6:28am)
After three and a half long years, the wait is finally over: the new Rihanna album is finally here. “Anti,” the prolific Barbadian songstress’ eighth album, arrived two weeks ago as a surprise release on Tidal, and the response thus far has been rabid. Rihanna has long been our most mysterious pop star, eschewing the empowering confidence of Beyoncé or the universal affability of Taylor Swift in favor of remaining an aloof enigma. Her past seven albums have given us little sense of what makes her tick, yet she has proven herself quite adept at consistently churning out massive hits. “Anti” is a different breed entirely. There is no “Only Girl (In the World)” here, or even a low-key jam like “Rude Boy.” “Anti” is a major creative statement that redefines Rihanna not as the chart-topper of yore, but rather as a bold maverick within the field of pop music. This is pop defiantly unconcerned with its own popularity, and its utter weirdness makes it Rihanna’s most satisfyingly complete album.
(04/09/15 12:23pm)
Soko is a French singer and award-nominated actress. Our Local Arts Editor Drew Haskins interviewed her in light of the release of her critically-lauded second album, My Dreams Dictate My Reality, recently released on Because Music.
(04/09/15 11:18am)
It certainly doesn’t seem like it, but here we are at the end of the year. And somehow, over the smell of construction and lacking food options on campus, we can smell summer just around the corner. This will be the one. The summer of hope and love and job opportunities and cruising around the city/suburb with the windows down and hands hanging out. But, let’s be honest. It’s not summer without a playlist to accompany those long drives and bonfire-filled nights. So, in the style of our inspiration, role model and past Recess Music Editor, MC Bousquette, we are going to present you with a playlist to help your summer along.
(04/02/15 9:56am)
With the hot sun of summer just around the corner, popsicle season is upon us. My trusted team of taste testers (Jonathan Kersky, Dave Stewart, Lee Weisberger and David Monroe) traveled to Durham’s premier paleta (Mexican popsicle) purveyor, Locopops. The assembled panel sampled Locopops flavors for the month of March and would like to present to you our findings.
(03/05/15 9:56am)
On Sunday night before bed (as I do most Sunday nights before bed), I watched the Internet’s consensus on what the best sketches were from the previous evening’s Saturday Night Live. The host was Fifty Shades of Grey star and Melanie Griffith/Don Johnson progeny Dakota Johnson, who I had never seen in anything prior to the episode. For someone currently headlining one of the biggest movies of the year thus far, Johnson seems curiously averse to the spotlight. Her monologue was jittery—not uncommon for hosts who are not familiar with the rhythm of live sketch comedy and understandable given the barrage of hacky Fifty Shades jokes she had to make—and her cadence throughout the night was a curiously embarrassed mumble. All in all, Johnson gave the impression that she would rather be anywhere than Studio 40H. Strangely, I loved it all.
(02/26/15 8:36am)
It has been a rough month for the Cash Money label. For years, Birdman’s business has been home to stars like Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Tyga and, of course, Drake. The month of February has seen both Weezy’s lawsuit to free himself from his contract and the surprise release of Drake’s fourth mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. The latter is an interesting way to exploit a loophole; the mixtape, due to its atypically commercial release, will count towards the four-album requirement he owes to the label, thus severing his contract. It is a savvy move on Drake’s part—one that points to even more creative flexibility in the future—but it begs the question of whether or not such a haphazardly released work is of equally haphazard quality. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late is the weakest of his four main commercial releases but still a solid artistic statement and a worthwhile listen.
(02/12/15 9:33am)
It may have taken two extra days, two dubiously funny videos and widespread campus consternation and outrage, but we finally have our lineup for the LDOC concert. After last year’s disappointment about the relative anonymity of the performers and the low quality of the performances, anyone slated to perform this year would have been a vast improvement. Indeed, 2015 should be better. Spencer Brown, MisterWives, Jeremih and T-Pain are major upgrades and should provide a decent and musically varied concert.
(02/05/15 11:20am)
As a die-hard Seahawks fan, this year’s Super Bowl was very disappointing in ways that will haunt me for a long time. The ecstasy of that incredible bobble-catch followed up by the agony of the botched final offensive play was too much for me, and I would just like to forget about the actual sports aspect of the event for a good long while. Thankfully, I can turn my attentions to the other main attraction of the Super Bowl: Katy Perry’s halftime show.
(01/29/15 10:35am)
Here we are – 2015! We made it! As we move forward into the unknown of this new, exciting year, Recess sat around our crystal ball and summoned forth some predictions for what to expect in 2015. Whether the predictions have to do with the rise of television, the wealth of new movies being released, or seemingly random artist collaborations, Recess has you covered. Read on to see what our staff members think.
(01/29/15 10:32am)
On Tuesday, it was reported that director Paul Feig, known for his popular female-driven comedies like Bridesmaids and The Heat, had finally cast his upcoming 2016 reboot of the Ghostbusters franchise. According to reports, frequent Feig collaborators Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig will join current Saturday Night Live cast members Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones in the roles made popular in the 1980s by Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson. In many ways, this is welcome news. The new cast members are some of the funniest comedians currently working today, and the energy they will bring to the film should be a treat to watch. At the same time, I question the necessity of the project as a whole. While I am optimistic that the new Ghostbusters movie will be at least solid, the rise of reboots and unnecessary sequels have shunted originality to the background as more and more people await cultural properties that they have already seen.
(01/15/15 10:03am)
· Rockabilly guru Romweber returns to the Triangle Area in what is sure to be an excellent time. Romweber blends country, rock and bluegrass, and his shows are notable for their high intensity and fun vibes. Romweber will be joined by musicians Melissa Swingle and Reese McHenry.
(01/08/15 9:41am)
There is a prevailing and unnecessary dichotomy surrounding Nicki Minaj that has divided fans and critics into two factions: those who consider her a rapper extraordinaire and those who consider her a dance-floor diva. Many believe Minaj should stick to the hardened cuts of her mixtape days and guest features, while others applaud her penchant for poppy Top 40 fare. To me, this is reductive and altogether misses the point of what makes her so unique as an artist. Minaj is a ferociously talented rapper with the skills to market herself to the mainstream. While some of her output has tended towards the faceless and generic, The Pinkprint (mostly) rectifies this issue with a series of musically excellent tracks amplified by Minaj at her most confessional.
(12/04/14 10:51am)
Every year, the arts offer up a wealth of awesome culture that is both fun and edifying. 2014 was no exception. Here are some things that happened in 2014 for which Recess is thankful.
(12/04/14 10:31am)
Zooey Deschanel has an admirable work ethic. After all, it must be difficult to be a television and movie star, the “Princess of All That Is Vintage and Twee” and a singing sensation, all at the same time––and to do it all consistently well too. After three albums of original content and one Christmas album, She and Him, Deschanel's collaborative duo with M. Ward, releases its fifth album, Classics, this week. A record consisting of covers of seminal songs from the 1930s and beyond, Classics is an intermittently pleasant listen, though it does not reinvent the wheel.
(11/20/14 10:25am)
What a time to be alive. Indeed, how glorious it is that we live in an age where no cultural institution is sacred enough to be spared from the warped skewering of Adult Swim. Adult Swim, also known as Cartoon Network’s late-night big brother, has long been a haven for alternative comedy and the cartoons that little ten year-olds can’t watch because it would taint their young minds. The programming block is much more than just a dumping ground for Family Guy and King of the Hill reruns, however. The original content churned out by Adult Swim in the past several years has been consistently high-quality, such as cult objects like The Boondocks, Childrens Hospital, Eagleheart and The Heart She Holler. But how many people do you ever hear talking about Adult Swim? Maybe high school or college guys. Maybe critics. This is largely unacceptable. However, a new day has arisen for Adult Swim, and it’s all thanks to Too Many Cooks.
