Among such networks is NBC, the ugly cousin of broadcast television. Once the pinnacle of ratings and creative success with shows like Friends, NBC has now become a mess of a network. Though NBC touts critically acclaimed comedies in Community and Parks and Recreation, the network’s ratings are less than stellar. NBC’s solution to this problem? See the photo below.

Either I just had a stroke, or Cee-Lo is Dr. Evil | Promotional photo courtesy of NBC

No, NBC didn’t make a spy procedural starring Cee-Lo Green as an eccentric cat-collecting evil mastermind (though I would absolutely watch that). Rather, the second season premiere of NBC’s The Voice put the network in an unfamiliar position: first place. The Voice’s post-super bowl premiere drew the largest ratings of any (non-sports) show in 6 years (37.6 million total viewers with a 16.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic).

NBC may have found itself at the top of the Monday night ratings rankings, but it remains to be seen whether The Voice can keep those viewers. In all likelihood, many of those viewers left the TV on after the Superbowl while getting drunk and making fun of Patriots fans.

The Voice’s incessant ad campaign has garnered high ratings, but the show itself is really just another run-of-the-mill reality show. NBC’s selling point, and admittedly the show’s most appealing element, is the blind auditions. The judges sit with their backs to the contestants, able to hit a button that turns their chair around. There is the requisite amount of sob-stories behind each contestant, but for those who can stomach that, the talent can be fun to watch. NBC screens the talent for The Voice, and thus we get no comically terrible auditions in the vein of Idol. These are pleasurable if subtle deviations from the vocal competition formula, but once The Voice leaves its blind audition rounds (and gets through its excruciatingly ill-planned “battle rounds”) the show just becomes a rote Idol riff with a host that is somehow less likeable than Seacrest (seriously, Carson Daly has been on TV for years and years and somehow still doesn’t know how to act like a personable guy. I’m 90% sure he is one of the giant lizard-aliens from V).

There’s nothing overtly offensive about The Voice, and I’m sure fans of such competition series will be pleased. But at the rate these networks are churning out these cheap, highly rated competition series, the less hope I have for quality scripted programs.

Fleet Foxes Sing The Blues So Well by Kristin Toussaint

‘Men Being Manly III’ Proves That Real Men Sing A Cappella by Lauren Michael

How Mad Men Turns Black Characters into Real People by Allan Lasser

Temple Run: Quite possibly the most addicting game since Angry Birds is Temple Run. It’s kind of like an app version of Indiana Jones in which he’s just running from bad guys. In this case, the bad guys are monkeys and there is no “prize”—you just have to keep running. It has me gripping my phone and cursing way too much, but who’s watching?

Screenshot courtesy of Apple

Pinterest: Similar to Tumblr but more organized, Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board (remember those??) that lets you organize everything from recipes to craft ideas with certain themes. It’s great for planning events and following cool people, and you never know what kind of inspiration you’ll find.

Words with Friends: A complete rip-off of Scrabble, but I’ll let it pass. The free version has ads but all of the same features as the paid version. You can even play without a Smartphone by connecting to Facebook. A great app that won’t fry your brain.

Airbnb: Budget-friendly rentals | Screenshot courtesy of Apple

Airbnb: Named one of the breakout apps of 2011, Airbnb comprises rooms to rent in major cities—NYC, London, Paris—and is a million times better than paying for a hotel. It’s very user-friendly and not at all sketchy. Listings also include apartments that are generally better deals than hotels.

Zombie Farm: Vampires are so 2010. Taking two very popular concepts, Zombie Farm lets you harvest certain agricultural staples and zombies with ease. Once you have “grown” enough zombies, you can lead an invasion or mutate your zombies.

An advanced zombie farm. | Courtesy of Flicker user fifikins

That’s a Spicy iPhone: The Quad Tests Cooking Apps by Allan Lasser

Great Apps for Movie Lovers by Liishi Durbin

Zombies…to the Rescue?? by Camilo Pardo

The Beach Boys in 1964. | Photo by Desconocido via Wikimedia Commons

The Beach Boys to Collaborate with Foster the People, Maroon 5 at Grammys

The three rock bands are set to take the Grammy stage together, where Beach Boys members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks will reunite for the first time in over two decades. This collaboration comes as the latest in a string of performance announcements including Adele, Deadmau5, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj.

Foo Fighters Look Forward to Fighting Adele

“Fighting” for Grammys, that is! They are up against one another in a whopping six categories, including Best Album. Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl says he’s honored to be up against the “Someone Like You” singer and praised her with his comment to The AP, saying, “I’m glad that we’re with Adele in the same category. It means we’ve done something right. I think she gives us all hope. She’s made an incredible record, and she’s an incredibly talented artist, so maybe it is true that the cream actually rises to the top.” Adele’s Grammy performance will be her first live show since she underwent vocal chord surgery last year.

Grammys Go Electronica

For the first time ever, the Grammys will include an all-electro performance segment to honor the rising genre. Deadmau5 and David Guetta are among scheduled performers to bring the best in electronic dance music to the awards show.

Lady Gaga. | Photo by TJ Sengel via Wikimedia Commons

Lady Gaga Announces “Born This Way Ball” Tour

Gaga is gearing up to hit the road on a whopping 110-date tour this year. She recently announced the first dates of the Born This Way Ball Tour, which kicks off in June in Asia and Australia. She won’t be North America-bound until early 2013, but hey–it’s never too early for Little Monsters to start planning their ball outfits.

Klaxons Cancel Concerts to Work on Album

Indie rockers Klaxons just announced cancellations of their 2012 festival appearances in favor of focusing on a new album. Both LCD Soundsystem‘s James Murphy and The Chemical Brothers are rumored to be involved with the band’s Surfing the Void follow-up.

And in case you missed it…

M.I.A. got a little profane during the Super Bowl half time show

Adele’s 21 is STILL at #1

Everyone feels bad for Lana Del Rey…even The Black Keys

NBC’s The Voice is back for round two

Newsic Music November 26th – December 2nd: Grammy Nom Week, Lady Gaga, and Green Day by Nee-Sa Lossing

Newsic Music November 14th-20th: Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber by Nee-Sa Lossing

Newsic Music September 19th-25th: R.E.M., Rihanna, Lady Gaga by Nee-Sa Lossing

Poster courtesy of Wikimedia user Dhialokaaaa.

The Contenders:  Demian Bichir – A Better Life, George Clooney – The Descendants, Jean Dujardin – The Artist, Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Brad Pitt – Moneyball

The Front Runner: The Artist, yet again, leads the race for Oscar glory with Jean Dujardin’s electric performance as George Valentin in one of this year’s best films. So far, he’s won the Best Actor title from the Screen Actor’s Guild, the Golden Globes, as well as at Cannes–so it looks like he’s a shoo-in for taking home the prize on Oscar night. And Dujardin rightly deserves his accolades as well–he managed to make us laugh, cry and cheer for him all without uttering a single word. He was both charismatic and emotive, and the fact that he was able to do so silently makes his performance even more of a triumph. The only thing going against him is that he not well known in the United States and he’s up against three huge Hollywood names. I doubt that this will hold him back very much, though.

Worth Mentioning: The biggest competition Dujardin will have is George Clooney with his role as Matt King, a man living in Honolulu who is about to lose his wife. An Academy darling, many thought Clooney was going to be the one to win the Oscar this year until Dujardin exploded onto the scene. In comparison to Dujardin, Clooney’s performance is more subdued (although there was one pretty tear-jerking scene towards the end of The Descendants that is worth applauding) so he is most likely going to be edged out of the competition this year. Nonetheless, Clooney played his role well and deserves his nomination.

Jean Dujardin is this year's front runner for the Best Actor prize. | Photo courtesy of JJ Georges via Wikimedia Commons

Probably Not Going to Win: People say third time’s the charm, but this probably isn’t the case for three time Oscar-nominee Brad Pitt. That’s not to say that his performance in Moneyball isn’t good (he turned what could have been a relatively mundane baseball movie into something quite touching), but Dujardin and Clooney are going to eclipse him. The same goes for Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Demian Bichir in A Better Life. Oldman is long overdue for an Oscar, but Tinker was low on the Oscar radar and he will most likely be passed over for another person on the nomination list. The same goes for Bichir. The Academy seems to like reserving a spot for actors in lesser-known films (like Javier Bardem in Biutiful last year), so it’s unlikely he will win. All of this Academy exposure can only do his career good, and it looks like he’ll get something out of the Oscars anyway.

Snubs Galore: The Best Actor category this year has its fair share of snubs, including Ryan Gosling, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Michael Fassbender. Gosling was a triple threat, with three critically acclaimed hits this year (Drive, The Ides of March, and Crazy, Stupid, Love), so it’s kind of frustrating that he didn’t get nominated for any one of those performances. While J. Edgar wasn’t exactly a hit in the critics’ circles, most can agree that DiCaprio’s role as the notorious J. Edgar Hoover was powerful and convincing. But perhaps the biggest snub of all in this category goes to Michael Fassbender as a sex addicted New Yorker in Shame . Maybe it was the NC-17 rating that was just a bit too racy for the Academy, but it’s a pity that this up-and-coming talent didn’t even get a nomination.

Nomination Speculation: Best Picture by Ruth Chan

Nomination Speculation: Best Director by Ruth Chan

QuadFilm Picks the Oscars: Best Actor by Ruth Chan

The polar bears for the Coca-Cola commercials have always entertained. | Screenshot by Aria Ruggiero

As I sat through the entire event and watched every single ad play, there are some obvious choices for the best ads of this year’s Super Bowl (in my opinion, of course).

Audi 2012 Game Day Commercial – Vampire Party

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lw9ZeXB2uKs

The ad quite clearly speaks for itself. I mean, who doesn’t like a parody of the Twilight series? Personally, this ad makes me want to buy an Audi with new LED headlights. Just have to wait to win the lottery is all…

Pepsi – King’s Court Super Bowl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rcf01QTcO6E

It always seems like Pepsi turns out memorable commercials each year, with this year being no different. Seeing Sir Elton John in those metallic gold platform heels followed by an unexpected appearance from Flava Flav in the king’s secret dungeon? ‘Nuff said.

M&M’s “Just My Shell”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yn3mktl30iw

This ad finally introduces the brown M&M as “Ms. Brown.” I think everyone can agree that this one is funny, and no one can resist the red M&M dancing to “I’m Sexy and I Know It.”

Sketchers – Go Run Mr. Quiggly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MlYCBJSYWBQ

This ad encompasses all the definitions of cute (I may or may not have watched this an unhealthy number of times). As we all know, the Super Bowl is also the day of the Puppy Bowl, and although this little French Bulldog wasn’t in the actual competition, he won my heart.

“Matthew’s Day Off” – 2012 Honda CR-V Game Day Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VrInJIqxUMA

Anyone who grew up watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off can most definitely appreciate this spoof of the movie featuring Ferris himself, Matthew Broderick. Personally, I loved this ad from start to finish, and it was cleverly crafted to not only sell the new CR-V, but make me want to skip class and watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as well.

Those were just five of the dozens of commercials that aired during the Super Bowl, and although those were some of my favorites, many ads this year did seem to fall short of eye-catching. We’ll just have to see what’s in store for next year’s Super Bowl–which teams will play, who will perform at half-time, and of course, which ads will not only sell their product, but entertain at the same time.

It’s undeniable that desserts are delicious; they always have been and always will be. And for many–myself included–there is no way to escape that craving for sweets after every meal. There is, however, a choice we can make: pick the better dessert over the worst.

A combination of warm Nutella and fresh strawberries will keep your sweet tooth at ease. | Photo by Estefania Souza.

The easiest way to avoid eating a dessert that amounts for the same calories as a full meal is by making it at home. Restaurants tend to add extra fat and sugar, thus making desserts with double or triple the amount of calories.

Take IHOP’s Nutella crepes, for instance. The dessert has the same amount of sugar as 80 jellybeans! Instead, try making crepes at home and save both calories and dollars.

Strawberry Nutella Crepes (adapted from Cook This Not That)

Makes about 4 crepes

For crepe batter:

• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  

  IHOP's crepes have more than double the calories and fat. | Photo by Estefania Souza.

• a pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup fat free milk
• 1/2 cup water

For filling:

• 1/4 cup Nutella
• 2 cups sliced strawberries

1. To prepare crepe batter, mix flour, eggs, and butter in a medium bowl. Once incorporated, slowly add milk. Whisk constantly to avoid the formation of lumps. Add water and continue whisking until batter is smooth. Set batter aside.
2. Coat a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Once hot, pour 2 tablespoons batter onto pan and swirl to distribute evenly. Cook crepe for about 3-4 minutes, or until bottom is golden brown. Flip over and continue cooking for about 3 more minutes.
3. Spread 1 tablespoon of Nutella on the crepe (still on the pan) and add 1/2 cup strawberries on top. Cook for 1 more minute. Fold crepe over and slide on a plate. Serve immediately.
4. Clean pan with a paper towel and repeat to make 3 more crepes.

Keep the batter in the fridge and make a crepe in no time! | Photo by Estefania Souza.

Baked Raspberry Custard: An Easy Dessert for the Stressful Holiday Season by Deb Singer

More Than a Yule Log: Holiday Dessert Recipes by Gabriela Fernandez

An American in Paris: My Favorite Things by Annie White

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is the loud mouth. Born into a family of championship boxers, he is known for having a big head and a big mouth. His attitude is only amplified by an estimated $200 million in earnings and an unbeaten record through 42 fights. Mayweather is known for his smooth, fast boxing style. He is considered the modern-day Muhammad Ali, except he boasts a lot more money.

"Money" Mayweather. | Photo courtesy of Mshake3 via Wikimedia Commons

If Mayweather is Ali, then Pacquiao is Frazier. He is the constant recipient of Mayweather’s insults and challenges. The quiet, methodical pugilist is an idol in his native Philippines, as noted through his #1 albums and his seat in the southeast Asian country’s House of Representatives. When he enters the ring, Pacquiao becomes an entirely different animal. It is through his powerful and quick style that he has maintained a record with only three losses through 59 fights.

The two rivals, however, have never actually fought. There’s been a multitude of reasons preventing a tumble, from a disagreement on steroid testing to false reports of fights, which have had negative effects for both men.

In mid-January, Mayweather challenged his Filipino competitor to “stop being a punk” and “give the world the fight they want.” From there the two groups entered into negotiations. Nevertheless, it was again a flirtatious boast, with Mayweather announcing on February 1 that he will be taking on Miguel Cotto on May 5, a month before he will be serving a 90-day jail sentence.

Today’s obstacle? Money. Top-name boxers are easily the world’s best-paid athletes because in addition to a purse they receive for fighting, they are also able to take a percentage of the pay-per-view revenue. With Pacquiao and Mayweather currently averaging 1 million viewers per fight, they could have easily made a small fortune on what could be the biggest boxing match in 40 years. Unfortunately, the two men and their entourages could not agree on what an even split of PPV revenue meant. In other words, who was the biggest draw, the Pac-Man or the Pretty Boy?

"Pac-Man," or Manny. | Photo courtesy of Roger Alcantara via Wikimedia Commons

Still, they will not fight. The world will have to wait another year for what has been billed as the fight of the century. Just like with Frazier and Ali, it will break records. More importantly, however, fans will finally be able to have an answer to the barbershop talk, or if anything a new reason to debate.

New “Body Project” Course Aims to Fight Fat Talk by Ingrid Adamow

‘Arthur Christmas’ Review: Christmas Mythology with a 21st Century Twist by Liishi Durbin

If the Glee writers put even half of the energy they directed towards conversation about male genitalia in this episode towards a more cohesive set of story lines, this show would be infinitely less aggravating to review.

But seriously, when did a faculty member soliciting male glee club students for their sperm ever sound like a good idea? Blech.

Story Overview

Guest stars, grey areas and gratuitous giving of guidance were gateways for glorious goofiness, groaning and gimmicks this week on Glee. Great?

If there was an overall theme for “Spanish Teacher,” it was the feeling of impotence. Both Mr. Schuester and Coach Sylvester, impacted by negative student evaluations and threatened under competition for gaining tenure, are left feeling insecure about their work and futures.

Mr. Schuester, oddly enough, realizes that being an effective Spanish teacher usually involves being able to adeptly speak Spanish. By an extent, his newfound competition in suave Spanish teacher Ricky Martin David Martinez coupled with his newfound engagement to Emma drives him towards finally getting tenure.

Sue, realizing that her time is ticking, decides that she wants to have a child. Thus, her sperm-seeking search streamlines straight for Mr. Schuester. She also feels the pressure when Principal Figgins criticizes her cheerleading style and recommends she seek assistance from a Real Housewife of Atlanta Coach Roz Washington.

Whereas the teachers at McKinley are feeling impotent, the love-struck students appear to be feeling sterile with their relationships and futures. Sam and Mercedes, woefully caught in throes of amour after duet-ing Michael Jackson last week, seek advice from Ms. Pillsbury. She recommends that the two go a week without talking to each other. That way, each can be alone with their thoughts.

Unfortunately for you, Ms. Pillsbury, Samcedes found a technicality. They won’t talk to each other; they’ll sing to each other!

During a sleepover hangout scene that abruptly reminds viewers that the New Directions kids are friends outside of the club, Rachel blows the lid on her engagement to Finn. Kurt, disoriented by confusion, rage and a copious amount of hair gel, decides to confront Finn about it the next day.

In one of the episodes many advice lectures, Kurt reminds Finn that Rachel’s not the only good thing he has going for him. As an athletic straight man, he could be the proverbial unicorn of the New York theater community.

Other lectures, one politely enlightening and the other sassy, are delivered to Mr. Schuester by Santana and Emma (guess which one was from whom!). Lady Pillsbury, through the use of her infamous pamphlets, tells Will that he’s a meany-pants. Santana, in the most tactful way that she’s ever given criticism, reminds Schuester that he shouldn’t be teaching Spanish since it’s not something he’s passionate about.

In turn, Mr. Schuester becomes a history teacher to be more honest and to give Mr. Martinez the job of his dreams. He also does not win tenure, but, luckily for the Schuester household, Emma wins it instead.

And then nothing progresses on the Sam and Mercedes front.

Characters

"Ay Dios Mio! Pantalones! Taco Bell!" - Mr. Schuester at some point in time - I'm sure of it. | Promotional photo courtesy of Fox TV.

Mr. Schuester – It was bizarre seeing Will’s Spanish-speaking abilities being called out for inadequacy when that’s never been the scenario before. Sure, his Spanish has always been awkward, but it’s never been depicted as being that atrocious. Regardless, this episode featured Schuester in his eternal battle ping ponging between developing character and yelling at Emma way too much. As usual, it was hard to sympathize with him.

Emma – It was nice seeing Emma resume her post as the “Quirky, Sage Advice Giver” of the show. Despite her timid exterior, Emma always manages to hold her ground when people (that aren’t her) are being irrational. Especially when Mr. Schuester enters into one of his bi-episode psycho rages.

Santana – Seeing Santana gradually mellow-out over the course of the season gives me hope that maybe there are some long-term plans in this show. Her advice to Will was no less honest and sassy than it usually is, but it was far less grating than it has been in the past. Hopefully this consistent character growth stays in tact.

Songs

“Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO: Ricky Martin is a pretty talented vocalist, and they have him sing a song that lent more in the way of vocals to Artie. The added Spanish doesn’t alter the song favorably, the choice errs on the side of random, and it feels like a desperate plea to make money off of iTunes with a pointless Top 40 song. Unfortunately, it worked because the song is so darn catchy.

“Don’t Want to Lose You” by Gloria Estefan: Rapid overuse of any talented singer will make mediocrity shine through like a beacon in a fog. Mercedes has been used a lot recently. This song, however, does not push her to her vocal limits like past performances have. Combine that with the vast amount of Spanish, and it creates a tangible disconnect between viewer and performance.

“Bamboleo/Hero” by Gipsy Kings/Enrique Iglesias: In terms of song recognizability, this mashup corrected one of the problems presented in Mercedes’ song. Unfortunately, Sam’s vocals were also mediocre and there was not nearly as much fire and passion in the performance as there should have been.

“La Isla Bonita” by Madonna: In contrast to the previous performances, this song lacked mainstream recognizability but featured reasonable vocals, a quieted intensity and a perfect balance of Spanish and English. The rhythmic dance beat makes for a more immediately enjoyable song, and Santana and David’s coalesce beautifully.

“A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley: And the most random song choice goes to: this song! The biggest draw of this performance was, by far, Mr. Schuester awkwardly cavorting around the stage in that matador’s outfit. It was dorky and funny in the way that Mr. Schuester should be more often. In fact, the song choice and dancing were so distracting that I barely noticed how vocally uninspiring the song was.

One-Liners

“You gon’ get in them stirrups, and you gon’ push, and push, and a full grown adult gon’ pop out with a briefcase and job, talking on a cell phone.” – Coach Roz Washington

“Our periods don’t come until the end of the month.” – Kurt Hummel

“That was some ‘muy’ serious footwork. Muy means ‘very.’” – Mr. Schuester

“Please Don’t Hog My Fiance’s Nog” – Emma’s Pamphlet

Anything Nene Leakes Says Ever.

Overall Score

Usually, when an episode is weak in writing, it makes up for it in song. When it’s weak in song, it makes up for it (mostly) in writing. Sadly enough, this episode was not particularly strong in either. The songs varied from mediocre to bizarre, and the writing didn’t carry the emotional impact that other episodes have had. When I think of the millions of things the show should address, Mr. Schuester’s teaching ability is not one of them.

“Spanish Teacher:” C

These Big Dog Robots are far too scary to befriend. | Image courtesy of US Marine Corps via Flickr

In science fiction, humans always have to save the Earth from robotic domination. There are rarely movies where robots and humans live happily ever after (unless they involve Robin Williams). Why can’t we just all get along? Part of the problem is probably that robots are notoriously scary looking.  No one in their right mind would want to hang out with a spooky spider dog or a glowing metal skeleton. If robots were just a bit less scary and a bit more cute, maybe people wouldn’t be so afraid to interact with them.

One of the biggest difficulties in robotics and artificial intelligence today is figuring out how people interact with machines. Usually, robots learn how to act around people with machine learning and computer vision techniques. Unfortunately, these complicated techniques are incredibly difficult, not to mention expensive.

Some roboticists have found a simple way around this problem by making their robots look friendly. Taking advantage of people’s natural love for all things small and cute, Alexander Reben at MIT Media Lab created a robot that everyone wants to stop and interact with. Reben wanted to make a robot that could get people to answer interview questions on camera, and he needed to do it on a budget. Enter Boxie, a tiny cardboard robot with minimal computational capabilities. By giving Boxie big eyes and a little cardboard head, Reben realized he could get people to instantly gravitate toward it without implementing much additional functionality. When Boxie encounters a person, he even utilizes a cute voice and asks to be picked up. This way, Boxie can get good footage of people answering his interview questions with little effort and without ever needing complicated artificial intelligence.

PARO, the harp seal robot, however, is adorable enough to hug. | Photo courtesy of Flickr user ehjayb.

Cute robots are also being used for more serious endeavors in healthcare and therapy. In Japan, where the elderly population is steadily growing, The National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology is helping to make robots that help comfort and care for people in need, like PARO the therapeutic seal. PARO’s big eyes and soft fur makes it look just like a real pet while its sensors allow it to recognize when it’s being pet, talked to or held. This adorable, responsive, easy to care for “pet” allows people like the elderly or the ill to experience companionship even if they don’t have the ability to take care of a real animal. It’s even easy for caretakers to check a patient’s status, as the robot’s sensors can be used to monitor a patient’s health without seeming as intimidating as traditional equipment.

For engineers faced with the complicated task of making robots that can interact easily with people, complicated artificial intelligence might only be part of the solution. By combining lovable looks with ingenuity in artificial intelligence, engineers are creating robots that are becoming more useful than ever outside factory assembly lines. I, for one, am glad that if robots are getting smarter, they are getting more adorable too. After all, if they do end up dominating the Earth, wouldn’t it be at least a little bit better if they were all cute?

Doctor Who Classics Series IV #1 (Advance Review)

A cast like that sure would make for a great show! | Cover courtesy of IDW Publishing.

Here’s some information that may jeopardize my very health as I know it. I have never been exposed to any Doctor Who media aside from raving Facebook statuses and Twitter tweets. Take this review from the point of view of someone who knows nothing of Doctor Who.

Additionally, these stories were not recently written; they are a collection of stories from some of the 1986 issues of Doctor Who Magazine now published by IDW Publishing. The major changes include coloring and the editing required to combine the stories.

Overall, the story was strangely new-reader accessible. Once I got accustomed to a talking Penguin named Frobisher and figured out exactly what a TARDIS was, the rest of the story moved smoothly without much confusion.

In terms of writing, it wavers between moments of strength and 80s campy predictability. In a sense, I imagine that is where Doctor Who‘s strength lies. In between pages of deep gravitas regarding the displacement of peasants due to the threat of “progress,” there are corny lines like “He’s mad! Like a hatter!”

The art style, considering the time period, does a pretty good job. It occasionally features a heavy use of cross hatching, but it never beats the reader over the head with it. Facial expressions are corny and exaggerated, as they should be. It’s awfully difficult to make a talking penguin/alien subtle.

The modern addition of coloring is definitely one of the comic book’s strengths. Panels featuring the desolate, desert landscape are vivid with oranges and browns, whereas a hidden laboratory emanates calculating coolness with some unemotional blues. Even the characters’ multi-colored outfits give the book some added “umph.”

In terms of overall story, however, the plot is not that interesting or engaging. The most interesting characters go on hiatus shortly through the story, the villain could not instill less fear in the reader, and auxiliary characters throughout the mystery are quite bland.

For Doctor Who fans, this comic series could make for an excellent buy. For the new reader, unless you’re a fan of the talking penguin (as I am), it might be a better decision to turn to the television show.

Review 7/10

Animal Man #6

Blood is not the sign of a good movie. | Cover courtesy of DC Comics.

Of the entire New 52 reboot, the Animal Man series has ascended to be one of the most revered and respected series DC Comics has to offer. That opinion has also been shared by past reviews here at the ComiQuad. The sixth issue offers a break from the manic pace of the current storyline, but does it take a break away from the experience?

Yes and no.

The majority of the issue focuses on Buddy Baker’s short stint as a Hollywood actor between superhero gigs. Fortunately, the story is truly a well-written story. The “movie” art, carried out by guest artist John Paul Leon, carries the emotional drama of a story about an ex-superhero’s failed family life. Travel Foreman resumes art duties for the remaining few pages as the narrative shifts back to reality.

Overall, the story quality is solid. Unfortunately, the entire “movie” feels largely irrelevant to the plot at hand. In a world where comic book stories advance one month at a time for regular payments of $2.99 each, it’s not pragmatic for a fan to not see the story advance. Going two months before the overarching storyline continues feels both like a waste of time and money. There’s no questioning the quality of the art and writing as a standalone issue, but it does feel like a disappointment when the general storyline is so much more interesting than what seems to be a random movie.

The sixth issue may have more consequences down the road, but unfortunately, nothing leads the reader to believe that.

Review: 7/10

Elric #8 (Advance Review)

Don't judge a book by it's cover, especially this comic book with this cover. The interior artwork is much more fascinating. | Cover courtesy of BOOM! Studios

Much like the Doctor Who Classics Series IV, I must confess to not having read of the Elric series. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear that I needed to have read anything of it.

I could stare at the book’s art forever. The grandiose designs of the city, the perverted bodies of the Army of Chaos, and the brilliance in coloring turn pages of Elric #8 into gorgeous pieces of art. More often than not, comic books steal aesthetic designs from clearly traditional influences, but the direction taken by artist Francesco Biagini feels relatively unique. His rendering of people can be questionable, but the sheer magnitude of the background art forgives it.

The writing is pretty solid. The overall story is engaging enough to intrigue the reader, but not too complex as to lose the reader. The dialogue has shining moments, and it also has relatively tepid moments. It isn’t stellar, but it’s not enough to warrant any hugely negative criticism.

Overall, the experience is surprisingly pleasant. If the wildly fantastic setting of the story isn’t engaging enough, the engrossing background artwork and coloring sure will be.

Review 8.5/10

The ComiQuad: Valen the Animal Detective Review by Jon Erik Christianson

The ComiQuad: Coffee Man and BatSteed Review by Jon Erik Christianson

The ComiQuad: A Newbie’s Beginning by Jon Erik Christianson

Could be we colonizing the Moon come 2020? | Photo courtesy of NASA/Dennis M. Davidson

GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich stirred up an odd controversy last week after announcing his plans for a lunar base. “By the end of my second term we will have the first permanent base on the Moon,” he said to an audience in Florida shortly before the primary.

This latest scientific proposal, between his casual insistence that he would serve two terms and the sheer grandiosity of suggesting a Moon colony in such a rough economy, outshines even Gingrich’s previous scientific plans in media radar. Every critic, from fellow candidate Mitt Romney to comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, have jumped on the opportunity to ridicule Gingrich’s plans.

It certainly sounds crazy, but there might be a hint of possibility to Gingrich’s plan. Returning to the Moon is closer to reality than fantasy. In fact, building an outpost on the Moon was a U.S. plan until about three years ago. At its center, the idea is possible, but expensive.

The problem isn’t the technology, it’s the cost. The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) estimates that developing a small, four-person lunar base would cost $35 billion, not including the rocket needed to transport the lunar lander. After the station were established, the CSIS estimates another $7.35 billion a year for maintenance, which is over a third of NASA’s current budget. Especially with NASA’s recent budget cuts, no one is sure whether they will be able to afford these costs years down the road.

Gingrich is full of grand ideas, but are they realistic? | Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.

Cost aside, having people permanently stationed on the Moon isn’t complete science fiction. While 2020 might be a stretch, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) program could be ready to take people to space by the mid 2020s. After all, six crew members, three of them American, are currently on the now-finished International Space Station. With the help of international cooperation, the six trained astronauts and engineers are conducting groundbreaking research and experiments on the station.

There’s a far stretch, however, between a four-to-six person outpost and what Gingrich is proposing. He isn’t aiming for something modest. He’s talking of a permanent colony, where people could live and travel. Once the Moon reaches 13,000 people, he said, it could apply for statehood. This is where Gingrich’s idea becomes most unrealistic. If the cost of a four-person Moon base is unattainable, it’s completely unlikely that we could sustain anything close to a colony. A Moon base is a long term commitment that will need constant funding and attention, regardless of the political environment on Earth. Especially with the economy in a tumultuous state, it’s hard to believe that the US could continually devote their attention towards the Moon while people on Earth are less than happy.

In the end, it’s not the technology that’s at issue. Funded by private companies or by multinational efforts, we could have people stationed on the moon by sometime in the 2020s (or even on their way to Mars if the SLS program is a success). A 13,000 person moon colony, though, is currently out of the question. NASA’s budget cuts have left many less than hopeful about the United States’ stake in space, so it’s refreshing to see Gingrich pushing for exploration. He’ll have to think of another way to get people excited about space, however, because this Moon plan is simply too grandiose to become a reality within his two term limit.

And now, moving on to new foreign adventures…

London, like any thriving metropolis, is filled with some standard chain restaurants. The ubiquitous ones here are the unpronounceable Pret A Manger, Caffé Nero, Starbucks (of course), and the appropriately named EAT. (That period is actually in the restaurant’s name.)

Now, these chain eateries are all fine and cheap (though Starbucks charges 40p for whipped cream!), but one can easily grow tired of pre-packaged BLTs, and as an enterprising BU student, I’ve taken it upon myself to eschew these middle-of-the-road restaurants and seek out reasonably priced flavorful food all by myself (and with the help of a couple friends).

However, this task has proven to be more difficult than we originally thought. The neighborhood of South Kensington (where BU London is headquartered) is one of the fanciest areas of the city, and good, cheap food is hard to come by. (In fact, Time Out London’s map of Cheap Eats presents a noticeable gap directly around South Ken.) Therefore, we have to venture into other areas. Since the London underground, or “Tube” (or to BU students, “the T”), costs £4 round trip, we need to make sure that every ride counts.

Pho, from Pho. | Photo by Joel Kahn.

SoHo is a very popular part of London. It is filled not only with tourists and theatres, but also with overpriced bars and terrible nightclubs. Up until this weekend, every trip into SoHo has resulted in a member of our group declaring, “Let’s never come here again.” And yet, due to its close proximity to Chinatown and ample cheap-eateries, we keep reluctantly returning.

Reluctantly, that is, until we discovered Pho, a Vietnamese restaurant in the non-terrible part of SoHo. Pho offers giant bowls of Vietnamese noodles, meat, and broth (a dish known as pho) in various combinations, as well as bún—made of cold vermicelli rice noodles. Pho also offers a great atmosphere of white-washed wood walls, red ceilings, and basket sconces—not to mention the only bottles of Sriracha spotted in London so far. And the best part: most of its dishes are around £8 (about $12)…not too shabby.

On the other side of the Tube station (in the terrible part of SoHo) is Dishoom, a self-described “Bombay Café.” Dishoom does properly convey the feeling of a sweltering basement in the heart of Mumbai—just without the social strife and population density. An added plus: it’s LOUD. Us Americans are not used to people sitting and eating in silence, riding the subway in silence, or partaking in every aspect of life in a hushed whisper. Thankfully, Dishoom presented the context for speaking at full volume without feeling embarrassed. Oh, and they have food, too. The menu contains an assortment of Biryani, curries, and Tikkas, many for under £10. These dishes were nice and spicy—just as spicy as the place was loud.

"Mummy, could I have some more?" | Photo by Joel Kahn.

Over on the non-cheap side of town, Piccadilly Circus, there lies a delightful macaron shop. Macarons are little heavenly sandwiches made of egg whites and filled with deliciousness, and the French shop Ladurée has some beautiful specimens. The shop lies just around the corner from Old Bond Street—the fanciest street in all of London. Just after shopping at Alexander McQueen or Prada, one can hop around the corner for some multi-colored French confections.

So there are places in London worth the trip that won’t break the bank. Hopefully, there are enough to last through the semester. If I end up frequenting KFC in April, please be sure to slap me across the face and make me aware of the error of my ways.

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