2008 Woodie Awards
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Arts and Culture Articles
Foam battle
The Medieval Fighting Club is only kind of geeky
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A group of weapon-wielding warriors charge at each other across a battlefield. One by one they cut each other down until only a single warrior remains. Sounds like a movie, right? It's not. The warriors are Portland State students and their weapons are foam-sheathed PVC pipes. Their battlefield is the wrestling gym in the Stott Center.
Getting off on blood
The rise of torture porn in mainstream film
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There is a disturbing trend in horror films. In many modern movies, terror doesn't lurk in the night. It stands in full sight on screen. Stabbing, gutting and forcing victims' blood to spill out (as well as the audience's lunch), horror films are becoming nothing more than torture porn.
Death is fun!
Day of the Dead celebration remembers absent soldiers with song and dance
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In Mexico, since ancient times, the dead have been celebrated on Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. The dead are believed to return to their homes and be able to partake of the pleasures of life for one day a year, much like the origins of Halloween in the United States (both are festivals for children). In Mexican culture however, the celebration of the dead is much less scary than Halloween and much more festive.
A tale of two assholes
Larry David is still funny after all these years
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Larry David is an asshole. I hear this all the time as reasoning for someone not liking his HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. And like the Larry David-inspired George Costanza character from Seinfeld, he is kind of an asshole--but that's no reason to disparage the show.
Get Scared
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You walk through the halls of a mental asylum (black pressboard smeared with red paint), staring at hanging dismembered limbs (rubber) until "Ahh!" a satanic monster emerges from the darkness (teenager in a $10 costume). Repeat ad nauseum.
Such is the experience of most modern haunted houses. It's a world of bad actors, long lines and that weird smell that comes from the mixture of fake blood and body odor.
The Vanguard is here for you. We have assembled a crack team to traverse some of the most popular haunted houses (and a few other Halloween-y attractions) and let you know which to avoid and which to check out this Halloween season.
Fresh young talent, old rotting fruit
Of Flesh and Fruit in the White Gallery
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As an artist, Carly Bodnar is sparkling. With her third solo show in three months opening this week, Bodnar is receiving the kind of professional attention some mid-career artists can only dream of. One can only hope that the trend will continue after her graduation from Portland State this spring.
Combustible Hip-hop
The Hip Hop Live tour brings three worlds together-and Brother Ali thinks unity can save rap
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Brother Ali isn't much of a protester, but he's practically holding up a sign that says "Keep hip-hop honest." And that's because he's leading by example.
The state of the Sony
How much longer does the PS2 have, and is a PS3 worth it?
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Ah, Sony, Sony, Sony, Sony. Where did you go wrong? It seems that a mere two years ago your glorious PlayStation 2 was the seminal gaming platform, boasting a bevy of third-party programming support, a vast library of games and the most cutting-edge hardware on the block.
Hip-Hop Fable
Aesop Rock on Portland, giant squids and Halloween
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Discordant street poet Aesop Rock is on a mission to bring accessible underground hip-hop to the impressionable musical minds of Portland, a mission of utmost importance.
It's pop, stupid
Dirty Mittens bring the fun
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"I think we constantly try to simplify, that's our goal," says Chelsea Morissey, and she means it. Her band, Dirty Mittens, while just two EPs into their career, have already mastered the oft-ignored rock-and-roll axiom of "Keep it simple, stupid."
Holding a small world
Jenene Nagy takes over the on-campus Autzen and MK Galleries
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Jenene Nagy is a busy person. Besides pursuing her own artistic work, she's the co-owner of the downtown Tilt Gallery, a drawing professor at Clark College, and now a Portland State professor.
The three plays of Ladies Night
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Society is full of expectations, most of them quite arbitrary. Whether we give them much thought or not, those expectations affect how we view the world and ourselves. The quality of physical attractiveness is among the most powerfully ingrained of these expectations, and it is often boiled down to a single issue: weight.
All you need is a book to read
A list of recent and upcoming titles for your reading pleasure
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Written by a Portlander and set right here at home, Heartsick is a thriller mystery worth picking up. The dogged detective figure gets a little twist in Cain's novel--he's the former victim of the very serial killer he brought to justice. Heartsick takes place after the capture of Gretchen Lowell, a rare female serial killer, but now a new killer is on the loose.
The humble pumpkin
Don't overlook this king of squash
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While jack-o'-lanterns will grace the stoops of many homes this evening, spooking trick-or-treaters, the humble pumpkin also deserves to be front and center in the kitchen this time of year.
Press Play - Album Reviews
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Maureen McDonald calls herself MoZella because she says her name "sounds like a diner waitress name." Curious, given that waitresses who watch One Tree Hill or Everwood will love this album.
Press Play - Album Reviews
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I know what you're thinking. The Black Eyed Peas, visionary artists and creators of the grand artistic statement known as "My Humps," can't possibly be topped.
