It is no secret that reality television has become one of the lowest forms of entertainment on an already disrespected medium.
It is a genre defined by D-list celebrities and members of the public humiliating themselves on national broadcasts for cash prizes. But despite being intellectually despicable, it can also be inexplicably addictive.

CBS certainly does not monkey around with its programming.
Queen’s University alum Tom Cavanagh (Ed) is starring in the network’s new show Love Monkey, premiering Jan. 17 at 10 p.m. The dramedy, based on Kyle Smith’s novel of the same title, revolves around 30-something single record executive Tom Farrell (Cavanagh) as he attempts to cope with a demanding job and finding love in New York City, aided by a diverse group of close friends. Along for the ride is fellow Canadian Jason Priestley (Beverly Hills, 90210) and Judy Greer (Elizabethtown).

Live music is easy to come by in Kingston—thanks in part to the considerably-sized student population—but it’s difficult to find a band like the Jack Kerouac Knapsack Band.
It’s rare to find a band whose performances feature a welcome combination of excellent music, stellar stage presence, and, of course, frat-boy humour, which was exactly what the Jack Kerouac Knapsack Band provided for the boisterously enthusiastic crowd at Clark Hall Pub on Friday night.

Though it may seem an unlikely move for a club best known for its popular “Hump Night” on Wednesdays, last Thursday night Elixir made another attempt to establish itself as a viable live music venue with the performance of Great Lake Swimmers and Kingston local Stephanie Leah Gora.

Warm up this term with local live entertainment.

Biographical movies rarely work, especially because it’s virtually impossible for any person’s life to be condensed into a two-hour narrative. So when filmmakers attempt to do this, the result is typically a limp drama that mythologizes the subject and gives actors an opportunity to milk their weak imitations of celebrities in pursuit of award statues. That is why it is a surprise that Capote is such an effective film.

Hitting the stands in November, Ultraviolet: 10.1, the fall 2005 edition of the periodical campus literary publication, served up its trademark fare in a compilation of student poems and short stories coupled with original artwork.

A typical Sunday night for the average Queen’s student might involve trolling around on Facebook, working at a part-time job, or even doing a little homework. But for Elena Juatco, ArtSci ’07, such relaxing times were put on hold when she stepped into the title role in Ross Petty’s production of Snow White and the Group of Seven.

Speaking with the Journal via telephone from the geography company where he works as a cartographer, the guitar player for Elliott Brood—the name of the band, not a solo artist—is “kind of bored,” friendly and chatty.

Anyone who likes their musicals with a healthy dose of jazz hands won’t be disappointed with QMT’s new production of Urinetown.

Downtrodden and overworked, you head home with a stupefied look on your face after your last exam or paper is over with. You trudge up the stairs to your old bedroom at your parents’ house and sleep for 16 hours before finally coming to. You’ve killed 32 trees and suffered three nervous breakdowns with all the essays you’ve just written; you almost had a seizure on your kitchen table after having your sixth double espresso while cramming for your last exam. Christmas Break is looking pretty damn good because it gives you licence to do a whole lot of nothing.

While most of today’s indie rock bands record their latest album at an inconspicuous and less-than-glamorous studio or in their garage, such is not the case for up-and-coming band Here and There.
In fact, the locale of their recording studio—and the recording studio itself—is probably one of the most atypical things about the band. After all, not a great deal of today’s indie rock was created and recorded in a beach house on the isolated Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal.

Here’s the thing about Dave Eggers: his work is really hard to summarize, because in doing so you inevitably lose something that’s very, very important about it. As one of the 14 unique narrators in How We Are Hungry, Eggers’ new collection of short stories, puts it, “diagnosis would have made it all less interesting.”

The Ice Harvest is, at its core, a modern film noir. It has a twisted, convoluted plot filled with shady characters, greed, betrayal and murder. It also happens to be set at Christmas and is directed by Harold Ramis, one of the most successful comedic filmmakers of his generation.

If you’re looking for a play that will imbue you with that warm, joyful Christmas spirit, The Eight: Reindeer Monologues probably isn’t for you. However, if you’re unfazed by a description of a drunken Mrs. Claus attending a Christmas party dressed only in gold body paint, pasties, and a strategically placed elf, you might want to consider checking out this play.

“Well, there was this time on our way to Kingston to play the Modern Fuel sometime this June, and we were at that half-way point between Ottawa and K-town where there are no rest stops,” recounts Acorn frontman and chief songwriter Rolf Klausener when cornered and forced to divulge The Acorn’s most shocking road stories.

Jazz and wine sometimes get a bad rap. First off, they are commonly described as “acquired tastes”—hey, if you don’t believe me, then why do Michael Bolton albums and sticky-sweet “white” zinfandel fly off of the shelves so much faster than Charlie Parker and red Bordeaux? Couple that with the conjured images of business soirees, midtown dinner parties and urban snobbery, and people steer clear of Mingus and Shiraz whenever people aren’t watching.

There aren’t very many indie rockers out there who release their breakout album at age 37. Then again, Jason Collett has always been a bit of a quiet rebel.
A carpenter by trade with two teenage kids, the lanky troubadour—better known as the best-dressed member of Broken Social Scene—didn’t exactly follow a typical career path.

Since their establishment and first production, The Boyfriend, in 1969, Queen’s Musical Theatre has seen its fair share of musicals. This coming January, they will be adding a new show to their repertoire when they become the first university in Canada to produce the three-time Tony Award winner Urinetown.