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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007
Joan Jett returns to spotlight
with last year's "Sinner"
By Bobby Moore
Staff Writer
rmoore 7 @my. westga .edit
Joan Jett is one of
the few originals in the
music industry. Thanks
to her involvement in all
girl band The Runaways,
she predates all of the
other iconic women in the
alternative music world.
Before Ari Up, Exene
Cervenka, Pennie Houston,
Nina Hagen and Kathleen
Hanna, The Runaways
were breaking down
barriers. More
similar to Suzi
Quatro than The
Slits, the band had
a huge following
in Japan and is
best known for
the song “Cherry
Bomb”.
Jett had
a better post-
Runaways career
than any of
her bandmates
(including Lita
Ford) thanks to
her band The
Blackhearts.
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With original hits like
“Bad Reputation” and “1
Love Rock and Roll”, Jett
gained a following in the
1980’s that is still with her
today.
Thanks to her
participation in last
summer’s Warped Tour,
where she reportedly stole
the show from carbon
copy pop bands on a
nightly basis, Jett has a lot
of young fans in addition
to the loyal followers she
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gained during her heyday.
“Sinner”, which
came out last year, fully
signaled Jett’s return to the
spotlight.
It begins with a tune
called “Riddles” that is
about how politicians
seem to speak their own
language. There’s no
riddle about Jett’s political
standing at the end of the
song, as you can hear a
rather confused sounding
George W. Bush speaking
as the song begins to fade.
It is followed by
“A.C.D.C.”, which was
originally done by The
Sweet, a criminally
underrated glam band that
is best known for the song
“Ballroom Blitz.” The song
is one of the highlights
of Jett’s cover version
saturated live set.
“Five” starts out
sounding a little more
experimental than the
songs it follows but it turns
out to sound pretty poppy
once the lyrics kick in. It’s
almost like The Go-Go’s
with an attitude. It is also
the first of several songs on
this album that Hanna, the
lead singer of Le Tigre and
a world-renown feminist,
co-wrote.
The guitar-driven
“Naked” was great when
I heard it live at The Roxy
in November, but it lacks
any bite on the album.
“Everyone Knows” doesn’t
really do a lot for me either,
but it is the last sub-par
song on the album.
The album finally
picks up with “Change
the World”. Nothing
beats a catchy
song that is both
loud and fast, and
this three minute
long scorcher
has all of those
bases covered. It
is followed by
“Androgynous”,
which is slow
enough to be a folk
tune.
“Fetish” is a hard
rock song with
Adam Ant lyrics.
Coming from me,
the second part of
that description is
a huge complement. The
difference is that Adam
made light of fetishes and
this song sounds like it is
serious.
Hanna co-wrote
“Watersign”, and it is
a ballad. So far, I’ve
described a punk song,
something that resembled
a folk tune, hard rock and a
ballad. Even if it wasn’t one
of last year’s best albums,
“Sinner” was at least one
of the most diverse.
Following two more
Hanna co-creations and
two more hard rocking
numbers, the album ends
on a good note with “Bad
Time,” a song that rocks
sounds a lot more like
Jett’s early material.
Overall, this album
is only a must have if you
are a huge fan of Joan
Jett and The Blackhearts.
Otherwise, it is two solid
songs, a great cover and
a bunch of average songs.
Since I used the term “hard
rock” and the album still
isn’t predictable, I am
going to be generous with
my rating this week.
RATING: 6 out of 10
Scorsese's The Departed
misses the mark
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Photo courtesy Rottentomatoes.com
What do you get when you combine a proven storyline, Academy Award winning Di
recting and a stellar cast? Typically the answer is something pretty sweet. Unfortu
nately The Departed proves a rare miss.
By Larry Feel
News Editor
larrx @ ionc inenui.com
When you combine
A-List Hollywood draw,
a proven storyline, and an
Academy Award winning
director? Normally the
answer would be an instant
classic. Unfortunately
Martin Scorsese’s latest
venture The Departed
seems to only be departing
with his reputation.
The premise was
impressive, put Leonardo
DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson,
Matt Damon, Alec
Baldwin, Martin Sheen
and other top stars together
with a dramatic and
thrilling plot. Somewhere
though the film departed
with it’s dignity.
Based on the Hong
Kongmovie ‘WuJianDao’,
the story follows two
men from opposite
sides of the law who
are undercover within
both the Massachusetts
State Police and the Irish
mafia, but violence and
bloodshed boil when
discoveries are made, and
the moles are dispatched
to find out their enemy’s
identities.
Scorsese fans will
adore the cinematography;
Nicholson and DiCaprio
give stellar performances.
The actors perform
exceptionally well despite
the often-stereotypical
race and locality jokes,
and Scorsese’s strange
insistence on emphasizing
the distinct dialect of the
Boston area. Viewers in
the northeast will feel
appeased by the dialect;
however, it is more likely
that the typical viewer
will simply find the trait
comedic.
The film begins with
a crawl, intertwining
the stories of Frances
Costello (Nicholson),
the Irish mafia kingpin;
Billy Costigan, an
undercover mole for the
State Police; and Collin
Sullivan (Damon), also
a State trooper, but
with a decidedly more
checkered lifestyle. As
the three cross paths, at
first unknowingly, then
finding themselves more
and more deeply involved
with each other’s lives,
the suspense and drama
builds to explosive levels.
The films promise seeks to
force its way out despite
its drawbacks.
Scorsese delivers
to his fans the expected
cinematic artistry, but
somewhere between
production and
TUI WI ST GI ORGIAN
presentation, things went
horribly wrong. The films
soundtrack is choppy,
though utilizing his
trademark rock score; the
songs lack the appropriate
fade in and out of the
scenes that they are
supposed to solidify. The
drastic changes break the
bond between the film and
the audience, a decidedly
non-Scorsese trait.
Thelma Shoomaker,
Scorsese’s film editor
for most of his career,
seems to be losing her
touch. Not only were the
score cuts distracting,
but shoddy editing also
encumbered what should
have been incredible
action scenes. Explosions
were improperly cut, once
freezing mid-shot and
completely ruining the
effect.
What do you get w hen
you combine a proven
storyline. Academy Award
winning Directing and a
stellar cast? You get the
potential for a mega-hit
along the lines of Aviator,
but like the Spruce Goose,
The Departed just couldn't
take flight. See you in
2008, Mr. Scorsese.
Grade: C