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Vtovie Releases I '■.“Alone in the Dark” “Hide and Seek” CD REVIEW iFranco produces mellow gold (NUCKLE DOWN" Nl DIFRANCO ★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ y JENNIFER FREEMAN IE MIX EDITOR Ani DiFranco’s music can be lookec as an autobiography of sorts, as chi; :tremelv prolific musician has rcieasec least one album a year since 1990 er earlier albums were full of tht notions filling a 19-year-old woman’ :e, and she became known for hei minist “folk-punk” style. As her lift id career has evolved, so has hei msic, reflecting a woman’s search tc avigate love, live up to her family anc ve life on her own. “Knuckle Down” signifies a firsi >r Ani — she invitee erformer/songwriter Joe Henry tc o-produce the record. This mighi ot seem like it, but for a musiciar rhose last album (“Educated Guess”; ras produced by her singing verything, playing all tht instruments, recording the tracks at home and engineering the disc, bringing someone else into the creative process is a very big deal. Luckily Henry, who has nine albums to his name, collaborates with Ani perfectly, crafting 12 songs that inspire deep emotions. Used to producing her albums by herself, Ani said Henry “played the role of catalyst as much as anything for this project.” Ani still maintains her tried and true companions — her guitar and her voice. Both equally distinctive, any Ani fan will find comfort in the familiarity of her guitar-picking style and sweetly raspy voice. However, after the solo work of “Educated Guess,” Ani revisits her earlier sound of having a band back her up. She brings in a string bass, a piano, percussion, violin, glockenspiel, electric guitar, melodica and whistling. Having won a Grammy in 2003 for Best Recording Package for her “Evolve” album, the packaging of “Knuckle Down” is just as creative. A tri-fold case, the inside contains a picture of Ani’s forearm and palm. Flip it over, and the back of the case has the top of her hand with the track listing doodled on her hand. The plastic slipcover echoes the hand motif with more doodles tracing the outline of the hand. AnPs fans are familiar with the beauty of her poetry, which is contained in a small pullout booklet of the CD’s lyrics and artwork. For fans of Ani’s more political songs, “Paradigm” is the most overdy political song on the album, but it doesn’t reach the fervor she usually attains. It delves more into her family and how she came to have her political beliefs. “Studying Stones” is probably the prettiest song on the album, with violin backing Ani’s lyrics. As usual, “Knuckle Down” is chock full of songs that anyone who has been through a breakup can listen to over and over again and think that Ani must be inside their head. “Sunday Morning” reminisces about those lazy mornings spent laying in bed and the other little things you miss most after a relationship ends. “Sunday morning/sheets still warm/kitties swarming/around our feet/life comes easy ... I’ve done with your ghosts/still it’s Sunday morning/I miss you the most.” The spoken-word piece “Parameters” deals with subject matter every female will understand — coming home to find a stranger in her home. Ani’s storytelling abilities rival any author’s. For long-time Ani fans, this album expands on her familiar subjects and musical style. Fpr those unfamiliar with this folk singer’s music, her newest album might be a good starter. It isn’t as overtly political as some of her earlier albums. For those who think of Ani as an angry-feminist man-hater, this mellow, touching album will prove those notions wrong. She has matured over the years, and she imparts the lessons she has learned in her music. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu " . i MOVIE REVIEW Clint Eastwood, as an aging boxing coach, and Hilary Swank, as a female boxer training under Eastwood, star in “Million Dollar Baby,” which earned nominations for seven Academy Awards. Eastwood’s ‘Baby’ worth a million “Million Dollar Baby” ★★★★ but of ☆☆☆☆☆ By TODD GREEN THE GAMECOCK Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby" is the best boxing movie since “Raging Bull." “Baby” is not really a boxing movie, but tells a story of human spirit through three characters whose lives involve and have been shaped by boxing. “Million Dollar Baby” stars Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman. Eastwood’s character, Frankie Dunn, is an aging boxing trainer that runs a small Los Angeles gym. Freeman plays Scrap ■ Iron, Frankie’s best friend and a former-boxer-turned-janitor-in residence at the gym. Swank’s character, Maggie Fitzgerald, is a 32 year-old waitress from a dysfunctional Missouri family. Maggie shows up begging Frankie to train her. Maggie believes she can make it as a fighter, and it might be her only chance at achieving any semblance of a happy life. Frankie immediately refuses — he doesn’t train girls. Maggie is not the type of person to give up very easily. She joins the gym and begins to tirelessly work out every day in hopes that Ftankie might notice her determination and agree to train her. Scrap-Iron begins to like Maggie. He tries to convince Frankie to take Maggie in and teach her. Frankie reluctantly agrees. If you were a fan of “The Shawshank Redemption,” you will probably also like “Baby.” The story is told through Freeman’s eyes, similar to the way his character ‘Red’ told the story in “Redemption.” The movie’s real power comes when Frankie trains Maggie. In Maggie, we see a woman who comes from nothing, but she has such a passionate spirit and such an indomitable attitude that you cannot help but absolutely fall in love with her character. She is the ultimate underdog triumph story. The fight scenes make you want to stand up and cheer for her. As Frankie teaches Maggie how to be a champion, it becomes clear that he is in just as much need of help as Maggie. Frankie’s troubles come from his past, from regret. The relationship between student and pupil becomes circular. Watching Maggie perform is a healing process in and of itself for Frankie. While boxing is a primary part of the first three-quarters of the movie, the plot takes a surprising turn at its conclusion. The movie stays with you. It is on your mind long after you have left the theater The performances are spectacular. The best acting is when characters can express a wide range of feelings and emotions with a single, simple expression on their faces. Eastwood and Swank do this time and again, with their dialogue simple, yet meaningful, at the same time. It is truly a work of an — one of the best films in recent years. Comments on this story? E-mail ga7necockfeatures@g1vm.sc. edu Beyonce clothing line to land in stores this fall By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Beyonce is planning a new release — her own fashion collection. The Destiny’s Child singer has signed a licensing agreement with the Tarrant Apparel Group to produce a line of apparel for young women. She named the House of Dereon collection after her grandmother Agnes Dereon, who worked as a seamstress. The first fashions will be in stores this fall, and the look will be “a mix of vintage things with contemporary things. It’ll be fur with denim, classic with street,” Beyonce said. The collection also will include party dresses, sweaters and even some tailored jackets. “I have pretty broad taste. I’ve been all over the world — thank God I’ve had the chance to do that,” the 23-year old told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Beyonce will design the line with her mother, Tina Knowles, who along with her daughter formed Beyond Productions, a joint venture with Kids Headquarters. They’ll work with co-creative director Heather Thomson Schindler. “I think my mother and I both have a good idea of what people who are fashionable like,” the singer said. “I love clothes from my grandmothers generation, my mother’s generation and contemporary stuff.” Beyonce is already wearing some of the samples. She spoke to the AP by phone during a fitting for the dress she’ll wear in the upcoming “Cater to You” video. “It’s a takeoff of sparkle.... It’s son of Supremes-era,” she said. Tina Knowles, the stylist for Destiny’s Child, said the mother-daughter design team THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Beyonce Knowles will design the new clothing line with her mother, Tina. broadens the audience for the clothing line. “It'll have a young feel but be practical, too,” she said. Knowles also noted that some of the design and sewing techniques that her mother taught her, including smocking and hand-beading, are trendy again. Cory Silverstein, Beyond Production’s executive vice president, said House of Dereon outerwear should be available by the holiday season. “And we’re two more heartbeats away for shoes and handbags,” he said, while lingerie, eyewear, jewelry, a fragrance and home products are on the timeline for the next three years. * f-1 "The prestige of an honor society, responsibility of a service organization, and the fellowship of a social fraternity." Phi Sigma Pi National Coeducational Honor Fraternity Informationals When: Feb. 2 and 3 Time: 7:30 pm Where: RHUU 304 Must have 3.0 GPA to join ozn use i'fiuionai mUiIvI j icttti i tin* E-mail phisigmapiau@yahoo.com or go to web.sa.sc.edu / phisigmapi / AlphaUpsilonHome.htm / I criterion PICTURES Presents Newsweek., s«n sam «d sw<m ‘.‘..The season's filled with so many big names - Cruise. Hanks. Heder. Wait, Heder? Yes, Jon Heder in ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ OUR PICK TO BE I > THESEgOTPSkEEPERjlJ i I "Will you bring me my ChapStick®? I v My lips hurt real bad!" | . . ii ^_ www.foxsearchlight.com Join The Fan Club Tonight at the Russell I House Theatre at 8:00 pm I