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T T | ^ 11 /TTTT THEY SAID IT I I I A 1/1 I “This one step — choosing a goal and M 1/1 I ^1 sticking to it — changes everything.” 11U IrlliV sc"n>!“ Resolutions § With a little assistance from on-campus resources, students can follow through on personal promises By SHANA TILL THE GAMECOCK Promises are important to keep. Sometimes, however, it is the promises made to yourself that are hardest to fulfill. With the passing of each calendar year and the end of winter break, students make New Year’s resolutions with the hopes of self-improvement. While some resolutions within reach, some students choose to hope for the extravagant. Lee Tant, a fourth-year political science student, resolved to do much more than break a bad habit or make small lifestyle changes. “I want to start a boy band and make $10 million,” he said. With Jan. 1 in the past, it is time to go the extra step to ensure those resolutions materialize. Here to help, the university offers campus resources that can assist with some of the more commonly made — though less kept — New Year’s resolutions. gUne resolution that is popular among students is it healthier foods on campus, i second-year mechanical it, has already broken his g carbonated drinks, r off sugary sodas, but I’ve already,” he said. ; Services offers online lists md its menus. These menus 1 information that helps meals ahead of time, us Services, contracted by ;rvices for food service and )rmation on how to eat campus. Its Web site, >odysoul.com, provides the on nutrition and health, features include nutrition culator, and facts on foods 10 and Carolina Dining. • resolution involves kicking ;s the typical junk-food idents have resolved to stop g. 1 and Drug Programs ng and support to students who have the desire to stop substance :AMPUS x abuse. Its Web site offers links providing information such as South Carolina laws regarding alcohol and the potential harm of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol and Drug Programs also provides social events throughout the year as an alternative to illegal substance use. Students can participate in Safe Spring Break Week and Late Night Carolina. For students who want counseling on the topic, the Counseling and Human Development Center offers a four-week group titled, “Substance Use and You.” Students can also participate in free smoking-cessation groups. The Thomson Student Health Center offers a six-week program that touts an 80 percent success rate. Medications such as Zyban and nicotine patches are free and included in the program. The health center’s Web site -provides information such as tips to stop smoking and what to expect in the first days after quitting smoking. Students can call 296-CARE for available sessions and more information. While USC students are preparing for the first week of classes, it is common to make promises of better grades and improved study habits. Joe Delaney, a third-year theatre student, resolved to perfect his academic pursuits. “I want to work harder at my studies and earn grades that will reflect that hard work,” he said. Several academic departments otter tutorial sessions for students who want to work with others outside the classroom. The College of Liberal Arts provides free services for students at its Writing Center. Also, The Department of Mathematics offers free tutoring for 100-level math classes through its Math Lab. No appointment is necessary, and time availabilities are listed on its Web site, www.math.sc.edu/mathlab.html. USC students can follow through on their resolution to shed a few pounds at the Blatt P.E. Center and Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center. Both offer group fitness programs that help keep students’ fitness regimens on schedule. Yoga, kickboxing, Pilates, ab solutions, water exercise, cardio funk and body sculpting group sessions are available. A full program list with scheduled times is available at the Campus Recreation Web site, http://campusrec.sc.edu/ fitness/group.asp. To participate in the group fitness programs, there is a fee of $20 per semester. Through its campus resources, USC offers helpful measures for some of the most common New Year’s resolutions. While there might be no obvious key to fulfilling promises of fame or wealth, students can find ways to finally keep that New Year’s resolution of eating healthy or quitting smoking without ever leaving campus. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu MOVIE REVIEW Scorcese’s vision sets ‘Aviator’ for Kft-off “The Aviator” ★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ By GABRIELLE SINCLAIR THE GAMECOCK Leonardo DiCaprio, a one-time cinema golden child (in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”) and subsequent heartthrob (“Titanic”) has found in the role of aviation revolutionary Howard Hughes a character that is both challenging and worthwhile. The film opens with the filming of “Hell’s Angels,” now a cinema classic. The film is terrifically over-budget and there’s no sign to an end for the young perfectionist and Texas oil heir Hughes, who insists on reshoots and the presence of clouds in the clear California skies. He demands nothing but the best and will wait and spend and spend to get it. Three men die in the filming for his masterpiece. He breaks flight records, buys airlines, makes a deal with the Army for a fleet. All the while his twitches, his quirks and his childhood loom on his mind. It becomes clear that with everything Hughes did, it had to be his masterpiece, his swan song and his opus. wnetner you know anything or Hughes’ life before you walk in the theater, a sense of impending doom haunts the audience throughout. The action is just right, not distracting, and lends itself as a baseline for the three-hour drama. Time flies by. DiCaprio has never been better, and channels the weight and humanity of the deteriorating genius madman with grace, poignantly capturing both Hughes’ halcyon days and his tragic fall. Alec Baldwin and Alan Alda hold their own as the villains, making thejr respective CEO and senator both believable and evil. Hughes is definitely the tragic hero here. Martin Scorese directs with a steady hand and keen eye for detail. The era and mood come alive with the music and stylized glamour. History is always seen the most interestingly through the eyes of a madman, and, from the movie, ♦ Please see ‘AVIATOR,’ page 16 ‘Southern boys’ ride into headlining status By CARRIE GIVENS THE GAMECOCK South Carolina band All Good Citizens has found the secret to success in the music arena. Riding high from its recent win in the New Brookland Tavern Battle of the Bands competition, the band is set to record at Modern Music Studios and maybe even venture out on a summer tour. Tonight, however, they will be playing at New Brookland with Verona, Third to None and Your Last Dream. Bass player Ryan Johnson promises tonight’s show will be “really energy packed and fun.” Their first headlining show will include new songs from their album. Johnson said “this is historic stuff” for the band. With musical influences such as Dashboard Confessional, Copeland and “We’re pretty much just a group of nice Southern boys.” COIN BROWN DRUMMER FOR ALL GOOD CITIZENS _^_m ’m&mMKT_Mi PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK Battle of the Bands winner All Good Citizens brings its brand of indie-rock and pop back to New Brookland Tavern tonight. Weezer, keyboardist Patrick McGraw says the band’s “sound varies a lot around an indie-rock feel with an occasional pop influence.” Formerly known as The Farewell Note, the band has had an interesting journew-fo winning Battle of the Bands. “Jacob, Stringer and I came from The Farewell Note, and I found Ryan and Patrick in a dumpster trying to be music majors,” drummer Colin Brown said. Brown said that everyone in the band is from South Carolina. “So, we’re pretty much just a group of nice Soi^iern boys,” he said. ♦ Please see CITIZENS, page 15 CD REVIEW Linkin Park, Jay-Z partner for chart-topping hip-hop/rock fusion “COLLISION COURSE Jay-Z and Linkin Park ★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ By RYAN DALLAS THE GAMECOCK In honor of the beginning of classes and a return to dreaded lab ' visits, here is an experiment that everyone, for once, can enjoy. Take two different musical sounds and their equally different creators, mash them together and see what rises from the dust. Let’s call it “Jay-Z & Linkin Park: Collision Couise,” and I think we’ll call it a hit. On this occasion, the experiment succeeds in more than one way, giving not only a refreshing mix of hip-hop and rock but also allowing a rare glimpse of the musicians working together to create an original sound. The CD was kicked off with an early release of “Numb/Encore,” and with its instant popularity the bar was immediately set high for the rest of “Collision Course.” After its release, the album quickly jumped to the top of the Billboard charts, begging music lovers to look more closely at the artists’ creation. The disconcerting opening line of “Where’s my frappuccino?” quickly reveals the rarity of the experiment ;— an opportunity for two big names in music to drop all labels and pretensions and to have fun creating something new in an industry full of clones and repeats. Throughout the CD, Jay-Z and Linkin Park jump seamlessly from track to track while creating a laid back atmosphere that presents a simple, yet uncommon, focus on the music. From the entertaining mix of “Big Pimpin’/Papercut” to the energizing “Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer,” Jay-Z and Linkin Park expertly splice tracks together with studio outtake voice overs to lighten the mood and end up with a complete and satisfying album. The group did exactly what they had set out to do, and the result is an album that begs to be replayed over and over again. When the CD is done, however, there is more to hear and much more to see. Accompanying the CD is a DVD that contains a documentary of the making of the CD, the original airing of the concert by MTV in November 2004 and a concert performance from July 18, 2004. The behind-the-scenes look at the CD is where the personalities of the artists truly come out. With an apparent easygoing atmosphere, the artists joke around and have fun while taking on this project, and the mood is transferred to the concert much to the enjoyment of the fans in attendance. From beginning to end, the concert has an easy feel, and the group looks more like they are having a jam session rather than performing for a packed house. On a few occasions, Jay-Z is seen to look at various members of Linkin Park with an eye of respect, as if this was the first time he had really listened to them play. This thought isn’t entirely unheard of, which once again reiterates the gravity of the musicians doing the mash-up. The two-disc set is a welcome change from the typical chart toppers and is worth taking a look at. In the single “Numb/Encore,” Jay-Z asks, “Encore, do you want more?” Yes Mr. Z, I think we do. Comments m this story ? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu