THE AVENUE
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FASHION
Q&A with NavaO
By STEPHANIE GRANADA | Jan. 21, 2009In the '80s, Nava Ottenberg opened a vintage clothing store in Gainesville called Persona.
The Avenue
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MUSIC
JJ Grey’s music flows, tells stories of life
By ASHLEY ROSS | Jan. 21, 2009JJ Grey loves writing his music, but he thinks it is better when the songs write themselves.
THE AVENUE
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MUSIC
Album review: Antony and the Johnsons – “The Crying Light”
By ROBERT HILSON | Jan. 21, 2009If you've ever been to a wake, you know that death cleans up real nice - velvet casket, crisp new suit, lots of pretty flowers. It's this bizarre phenomenon, the union of darkness and beauty, that Antony takes to haunting extremes with "The Crying Light," a smiling cadaver of an album that opens with the line "Her eyes are underneath the ground" and only gets more frightening from there.
THE AVENUE
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MUSIC
Album Review: Animal Collective – “Merriweather Post Pavilion”
By ROBERT HILSON | Jan. 21, 2009You may think to yourself, "No. Anderson Cooper and Animal Collective have nothing in common." You would be mistaken.
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LIFESTYLE
The A–List: Budget friendly
By ALISON SCHWARTZ | Jan. 21, 2009So your financial aid disbursement didn't exactly go as planned. Your wallet may have seen better days, but don't let a lack of funds put a damper on your fun. There are plenty of ways to kill time in Gainesville that don't require any transactions from your bank account.
THE AVENUE
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LIFESTYLE
Presidential tradition: boardrooms to bedrooms
By ASHLEY ROSS | Jan. 14, 2009Well, ladies and gentlemen, the time has finally come. In less than a week, Bush is out of office. Critics might allege that he destroyed our economy, started two wars and even failed to correctly pronounce the word nuclear on a regular basis. But he succeeded in one area-he is leaving the White House without a sex scandal on his record.
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LIFESTYLE
Strip club enhances party conversation
By ERIK VOSS | Jan. 14, 2009I'm on a mission to be more approachable. The rare, 20-second conversations at parties are really getting disheartening, especially when they end with, "You're blocking the keg."
THE AVENUE
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MUSIC
Goodrich kicks off free concerts
By HENRY TAKSIER | Jan. 14, 2009Singer-songwriter Rachel Goodrich isn't fond of planning ahead. She said her debut album, "Tinker Toys," had no direction whatsoever.
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MUSIC
Album Review: Guns N’ Roses – “Chinese Democracy”
By ROBERT HILSON | Jan. 7, 2009Axl Rose spent a fortune in litigation fees suing a guy who leaked these songs on the web. Ironic, right? If the Cornrowed One had released this thing on schedule, he could have sidestepped online piracy altogether. You can't have an "Internet leak" without the Internet.
THE AVENUE
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MUSIC
Album Review: Fall Out Boy– “Folie A Deux”
By ROBERT HILSON | Jan. 7, 2009Here's a dirty little secret: The All-American Rejects have no backbone. But then neither do lobsters, and they're doing just fine. In "When the World Comes Down," the too-pretty Oklahoma natives pack all the punch of an aging Oscar de la Hoya, but when your clientele is teenage girls - text: omg! Gr8est band ever!!! - substance takes a back seat to confessions like, "There's a part of you that's still inside of me." If you can stomach the gratuitous fluff, the big melodies - "Another Heart Calls," "Believe" - go a long way toward quenching your sugar fix. It's when the guys use their sappy sound to vent ("Gives You Hell") that they run into trouble. Using strings, synths and pretty harmonies to convey pent-up anger? About as believable as Ben Stein the motivational speaker.
THE AVENUE
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MUSIC
Album Review: Fall Out Boy– “Folie A Deux”
By ROBERT HILSON | Jan. 7, 2009Because teens still shop at Hot Topic, skinny jeans are recession-proof and Pete Wentz is still the object of many tabloids, Fall Out Boy continues to release products under the this-ship-hasn't-sailed "emo" label. Is this an accurate description of the band's sound? Please. "Folie A Deux" reeks drama, from its meaty, disco-nicking first single "I Don't Care," to the ohh-ohh crammed "She's My Winona," right down to the pretentious song titles - file the song "Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes" under 10 Phrases More Preposterous Than "Folie A Deux." Thankfully, as evidenced by lyrics like "Nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy," the boys are in on their own joke and pretty much insulated from backlash. Let those of us without tight pants cast the first stone.
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MUSIC
Band stages benefit
By LANE NIESET | Jan. 7, 2009In a small village in El Salvador, one man has not left in 10 or 12 years. So much time has passed that he can't remember the last time he left. The nearest stream, which is barely a trickle, is a 10 minute hike over hills and poor health conditions prevent many people in the town of El Limon from leaving.
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FASHION
Spring brings color therapy, cheer
By STEPHANIE GRANADA | Jan. 7, 2009The malls were packed, elaborate sale signs hung decoratively in store windows and anxious souls swarmed the racks searching for the perfect gifts to go under the tree, but nobody bought much. Despite the garland and 20-inch snowflakes, shoppers were in unprecedentedly low spirits this holiday season.
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SEX
Rekindling fall flame
By ASHLEY ROSS | Jan. 7, 2009Ah, winter break. Plenty of time to catch up with old friends, chill with the family, cozy up in front of the fireplace with hot cocoa and mess around with the new iPhone or Blackberry Storm. But while you'd think all of these things would keep you busy, your mind is still stuck on what's-her-name or 'the boy,' also known as your fall fling.
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SEX
Do yourself a favor and don't
By STEPHANIE DUNN | Dec. 3, 2008There are categories of people you just shouldn't sleep with, ever.
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NIGHTLIFE
Avoid local awkward situations on local night
By GABRIELLE FALCONEIRI | Dec. 3, 2008Just as football season marks the beginning of fall, Thanksgiving weekend is the first glimmer that the semester is coming to a close. As the majority of UF students rush home to get some turkey, stuffing and tryptophan-induced sleep, a unique time in Gainesville nightlife starts to take hold.
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MOVIES AND TV
'Four Christmases' more full of bad jokes than holiday cheer
By DAVID STUZIN Avenue Writer | Dec. 3, 2008Right around Thanksgiving it begins to happen. As we mindlessly stuff ourselves with turkey, the world outside transforms in a majestic way; front lawns become biblical light shows, toy stores become parental battle grounds, and repetitive, peppy music infuses every store, car and restaurant in America. Behind all this snowy wonderment, Hollywood plays a sinister trick, and all over the country cliché, sentimental family films pop up like blemishes on the face of the movie industry. One of these blackheads, "Four Christmases," smiles at you while you writhe in pain and feel the urge to punch someone out of boredom.
THE AVENUE
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MOVIES AND TV
Shows move from TV screen to computer screen
By LANE NIESET | Dec. 3, 2008Suri, Apple and Shiloh were sitting in their apartment in Los Angeles and decided instead of waiting to become famous, they were going to do it on their own. The actress, producer and singer combined their talents and created a show to document their journey in L.A.
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FASHION
Don't take a holiday from being fashionable
By REGINA STUZIN | Dec. 3, 2008It's that time again. The Florida air is getting chillier, the countdown to winter break is getting shorter and your mother's reminders of all the things you have to do when you get home are becoming a daily staple. No doubt the majority of you will have to attend some holiday function over your winter break, whether you want to or not, and I'm here to help you make sure that you look your best. Even if your dad's office party is so boring you are contemplating faking food poisoning, at least you'll look fabulous doing it.
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LIFESTYLE
Childhood all just an act
By ERIK VOSS | Dec. 3, 2008Nobody gets away with more than children.
