Spring Break
Pop culture club
Summer of entertainment awaits students
Trevor Tinberg
Issue date: 5/5/08 Section: Showcase
|
I figured it would be a nice send off by letting you all know about some things you can do this summer to keep from getting bored.
For starters, there are many concerts going on this summer. Besides the other usual local "fests" going on this summer, Summerfest takes place in Milwaukee during June and July, and will feature everyone from Stevie Wonder, Rascal Flatts, and Tim McGraw to Alicia Keys and John Mayer. In the Twin Cities, Kanye West will perform at the Target Center on June 11 and the recently-reunited Stone Temple Pilots will play at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium on June 6. If you like older alternative rock, R.E.M. also has a concert coming up on June 5 at the Xcel Energy Center. If you're in Madison, maybe you want to go to the Alliant Energy Center to catch Sheryl Crow on June 4 and Poison on July 12.
Music fans need not worry, as there's plenty of new music coming out in the summer. Coldplay's "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" hits stores June 17, while fans of Weezer can expect another self-titled album to make its way onto store shelves a week later. Older favorites like 3 Doors Down and Usher will manage to release albums before then, along with other ones from Motley Crue and Nelly coming out later on during the summer too. If albums aren't your thing, you might want to check out Amazon.com's new MP3 store for individual songs.?
While new television shows usually end for the summer, there will be a few new options out during the next few months. If you like reality TV competitions, you'll have The Bachelorette and Nashville Star to choose from. If you're like me and would rather just gorge yourself on DVDs of shows you're not familiar with, than there are other options too. Maybe you can check out some critically acclaimed shows like "Friday Night Lights" or "30 Rock" to see what the hype is all about. CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" became a recent favorite of mine as a result, mostly due to its quirky humor and consistent writing. Or maybe you want to catch up on shows like "South Park" on iTunes for about $2 each episode. If that doesn't float your boat then there are always sites like YouTube or Hulu for videos to watch online.?
Finally, there's a good chance that movie-goers will have the best time of all this summer. A lot of grown-ups will become young again when the first new Indiana Jones movie in 19 years makes its way to the big screen. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" comes out May 22, just days after finals end. "Sex and the City: The Movie" follows May 30. While the first Hulk movie was terrible, we'll see if Edward Norton gets it right when we see his take on the green guy June 13 in "The Incredible Hulk."
If comedy is your thing, Steve Carell stars in "Get Smart" June 20, while his former co-star Seth Rogen stars in "The Pineapple Express" Aug. 8. Ben Stiller and Jack Black will also star in "Tropic Thunder" Aug. 15. Watch out for sequels to "The X-Files" and "The Mummy" to hit theaters, as well.
Perhaps the biggest movie this summer, though, will be coming out July 18, when "The Dark Knight" hits theaters in the U.S. Besides being the second run for Christian Bale as Batman, the film will be notable for showing the late Heath Ledger's take as The Joker. Based on the movie's trailers so far, it looks like he'll be giving Jack Nicholson's original version of the character a run for his money. As anticipation only grows, there's a good chance that it will be the blockbuster for the summer.??
So there you are. There are plenty of things to look forward to after school ends for the summer, and there's probably something out there for everyone. It shouldn't be a boring summer by any means.
Trevor Tinberg is a senior print journalism major and columnist for The Spectator. "Pop Culture Club" appears every Monday.
Be the first to comment on this story