Arts & Entertainment

A&E

Tim’m West on FOX’s “Empire”

By Maggie McCoy | March 6, 2015

Tim’m West, a hip-hop artist, poet and the new director of Teach for America’s LGBTQ Initiative, presented “Empire: A Talk on the Intersectionality of Race, Sexuality and Hip-Hop” last week during his first visit to the University. The architecture of West’s talk was supported by FOX’s knockout drama, “Empire,” which focuses on a family choosing the next executive of a hip-hop entertainment company when the current head is diagnosed with ALS.

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A&E

Latest album from Estelle is stellar

By Jordan Best | March 6, 2015

Estelle’s current obscurity in R&B is simply a shame. She continues to delivers excellent material that both separates from and harkens back to her 2008 breakout single, “American Boy.” Her latest album, “True Romance,” finds the British songstress navigating the themes of relationships and heartache through an eclectic mix of R&B sounds and some stylistically-different tracks.

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A&E

Judaism through t-shirts

By Caroline Crossman | March 5, 2015

Anne Grant opened her traveling art exhibit “Shmattes” at the Brody Jewish Center Friday. Grant, who received her degree in Jewish Studies from the University in 2012, presents viewers with a collection of t-shirts to show different representations of cultural Jewish identity in modern America.

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A&E

Sequel from Ransom Riggs continues to impress

By Kyle Canady | March 4, 2015

“Hollow City,” the second novel in Ransom Riggs’ best selling series, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” continues to please its readers as well as those jumping into its universe for the first time.

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A&E

“Sour Soul” is sort of sweet

By Walker Peterson | March 4, 2015

Ghostface Killah has always been nearly impossible to predict. His releases, besides the Wu-Tang Clan, have offered an eclectic mix, especially the most recent ones.

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A&E

The Last Five Years flops

By Reilly Sheehy | March 3, 2015

The latest movie-musical to hit theaters is Jason Robert Brown’s “The Last Five Years,” starring “Pitch Perfect” star Anna Kendrick and renowned Broadway star, Jeremy Jordan.

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A&E

Big Sean’s latest LP is massive standout

By Vondrae McCoy | March 3, 2015

Big Sean’s latest studio album comes at a pivotal point in the rap music industry. Drake recently surprise released an album and Kendrick Lamar is making waves with new music, while newcomers like Rae Sremmurd and O.T.

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A&E

“Jupiter Ascending” flops to the ground

By Vondrae McCoy | March 3, 2015

From the start of its lackluster publicity pushes, “Jupiter Ascending” failed to live up to its promise to be one of the biggest sci-fi blockbusters of the year.

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A&E

“Sponge Out of Water” stuns fans

By Rose Montgomery | February 27, 2015

Everyone’s favorite yellow sponge from Bikini Bottom is back in “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.” This film, directed by Paul Tibbitt, is essentially an extended “SpongeBob” episode that transports the audience to an altered state of consciousness.

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A&E

An Ode to “Parks and Recreation”

By Walker Peterson | February 27, 2015

Originally intended as a spin-off of “The Office” with Ed Helms or Craig Robinson playing a lynchpin part, “Parks and Recreation” was so unsure of itself during its first season that even the all-star cast couldn’t have saved it.

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A&E

The intersection of literature and history

By Dhwani Yagnaraman | February 27, 2015

Last week, author Caryl Phillips read a section of his new novel “The Lost Child” to an audience on Grounds. Phillips is known for his post-colonial style of writing — characterized by a passage of time and space as well as insight into how history dwells on names and people.

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A&E

Recapping the 87th Academy Awards

By Charles Hancock | February 26, 2015

The 87th Academy Awards Sunday evening brought an end to a contentious and controversial awards season, though the telecast itself was a mixed bag.

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A&E

Florence and the Machine embraces artistic freedom in new music video

By Jacqueline Justice | February 24, 2015

The release of Florence and the Machine’s new song and music video “What Kind of Man” marks the end of the group’s lighthearted era.

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A&E

Nettles release sharp LP

By Ryan Waligora | February 24, 2015

"Locust Avenue” — the first LP from Nettles — is an indie offering with built-in surprises.

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A&E

Inside the mind of Thomas Struth

By Kristen Clevenson | February 23, 2015

Last week, photographer Thomas Struth participated in a discussion with Assoc. Architecture Prof. Nana Last, who is is currently writing a book about Struth, and Art Prof. William Wylie.

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A&E

“50 Shades of Grey,” uncountable shades of terrible

By Nina Lukow | February 20, 2015

Forget the fact that “50 Shades of Grey” is an awful piece of filmmaking and that I almost left within the first ten minutes. Forget that its script is laughable, its actors’ chemistry unbearably dull, and that its supposed sexiness is about as sexy as an itchy wool turtleneck.

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A&E

Surprise release from Drake delivers respectable results

By Nate Wolf | February 20, 2015

Last Thursday, Drake pulled a Beyoncé, tweeting a link to a project entitled “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.” It arrived with no singles, no marketing campaign and minimal immediate fanfare. This isn’t to say the LP-cum-mixtape went under the radar – that’s been unthinkable for Drake for half a decade now – but it’s certainly a far cry from the Canadian artist’s past releases. The difference goes beyond release style, however.

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A&E

Laughter Strikes the Annex

By Dhwani Yagnaraman | February 19, 2015

Stand-up comedian Lee Camp, a former humor columnist for The Cavalier Daily, is returning to Charlottesville Saturday to perform at the Main Street Annex.

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A&E

Inside the U.Va Drama Department’s “Vodka Variations”

By Nina Lukow | February 19, 2015

Visiting one of the final dress rehearsals for the “Vodka Variations,” one immediately gets the sense that a play of this size has not been performed in a while. A spiral walkway acting as the major set piece coils around Culbreth Theatre, with just enough space for a live string quartet to sit in the middle.

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A&E

Zoso performs at The Jefferson, almost mistaken for a Led Zeppelin show

By Dixon White | February 19, 2015

Led Zeppelin is easily one of the most iconic bands in the history of rock ‘n roll. Not only are all four members considered among the best musicians of all time, but they successfully combined their talents to create a unique style of blues-influenced hard rock Tribute band and perennial Jefferson Theater visitor Zoso, named after Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page’s identifying symbol, replicated the atmosphere of a 1970s Led Zeppelin show.