Marion man takes publishing into own hands

It may have meant taking out a second mortgage on his house, but George Clark got his book published.

Clark, of Marion and a 1967 SIUC alumnus, is self-published and is now self-distributing his children’s book, “My Dog Butch.” He’s now doing a string of book signings in the area and will be at the Bookworm bookstore in Carbondale Saturday.

The road to getting his book out there and into the…

Beauty pageant play exposes grotesque intentions

Sometimes the only thing a parent needs to win a beauty pageant is a little glitter, projection and authoritarianism.

“Little Miss Grotesque,” a play written and directed by Andrea Baldwin, a graduate student in speech communication from Abilene, Texas, focuses on three young girls — Matsy Stark, McKenzie Kay and Georgina Vandercamp — and their moms Rosie, Marsha and Jan as they prepare for the Little Miss Everything beauty pageant…

Mass Effect 3 demo impresses

The battle for Earth is about to begin when one of the year’s most anticipated video games, “Mass Effect 3,” hits store shelves March 6.

To help ease the wait, a demo was released Feb. 14 on Xbox Live and Playstation Network.

The “Mass Effect” series is a science fiction story from space. Human beings can travel the galaxy at hyper speed for the first time, thanks to a device known…

Show turns back to standards

It’s taken a little while to become apparent, but NBC’s “The Voice” is one of the weirder contest shows out there.

The show is essentially “American Idol” with teams, coached by big-shot singers Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.

The teams are chosen during preliminary shows in which contestants sing to the coaches, who have their backs turned, presumably to eliminate image bias. Coaches can decide during…

Luthiers craft on rise in southern Illinois

Some area luthiers are carving out a niche industry with handcrafted stringed instruments.

There are several luthiers, people who make or repair lutes or string instruments, working around Carbondale, and while their shops may be a bit hidden in the woods and hollows of the area, their profiles are on the rise.

Andy Kinser, of Makanda, will be featured on the March 1 episode of “Expressions” on WSIU-TV.

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IMC brings movies to students on Friday nights

Crank up the speakers and get the popcorn ready; students and staff now have a chance to catch more movies after Film Fridays at the Varsity Center for the Arts by going to the Big Muddy Independent Media Center.

Husni Ashiku, a senior from Polo studying cinema and photography, said he plans to complement Film Fridays at the Varsity with his own program, which also focuses on films that may…

There is more than one way to carry a wife

Few things can get a husband moving quicker than his wife, some beer and a cash prize.

It doesn’t matter whether her body is wrapped around his waist or she’s thrown over his back with her legs hooked onto his shoulders. So long as she doesn’t fall and tack 15 seconds onto the team’s race time, judges will accept any maneuver that might help the two cross a Wife Carrying…

Love at the Glove

Men walked around in tutus, many wore only underwear and all expressed their impression of amour at this year’s Love at the Glove.

The art exposition is sponsored annually by the League of Art and Design, a Registered Student Organization, and showcases the work of local and student artists.

Jason Wonnell, president of LOAD and a senior from Carbondale studying art, said the event is a great way to collaborate the…

Love story touches for all the typical reasons

True love may be able to exist once, but can it happen twice with the same two people?

It was a cold and rocky road, but that’s the exact question “The Vow” promises to answer.

Based on true events, the film sets the scene for viewers fairly quickly with a snowy crash into a light pole that sends studio artist Paige (Rachel McAdams) through a windshield. After being rushed to a…

Tech wizards thrown bone while celebrities get gold

It’s somewhat ironic that in an age of film increasingly dominated by technology, the knob-turners and computer geeks behind the camera are as ignored as they’ve ever been.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had its annual Scientific and Technical Award ceremony Saturday to honor the talent far behind the scenes — essentially, the guys you never hear about.

One of this year’s big recipients was Douglas Trumbull, the…

Classic opera comes to McLeod

Tears of sadness and of laughter will fill the McLeod Theater this weekend.

The SIU theater department will present two one-act operas in conjunction with the university’s School of Music on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The operas to be performed are “The Tragedy of Carmen,” which is based on Georges Bizet’s opera “Carmen,” and “Trial by Jury” by Gilbert and Sullivan.

“If ever there was a time for the novice to go…

Honor one’s life with a bang

Families don’t have to keep their cremated loved ones on display in an urn if they don’t want to.

Holy Smoke is a company in Stockton, Ala., that packs deceased loved ones’ ashes into bullets as a way to honor their nature-loving life by giving them one last bird hunt or round of clay targets, according to the company’s website.

The process starts with a visit to the website, where customers…

The challenges of a choral commitment

At 7:30 a.m., the music begins.

For Monica Bertrand, a senior from St. Charles studying music education, the last note does not hit until well after the sun sets.

Bertrand begins each day by assisting Carlyn Zimmermann, choir director of Carbondale Community High School.

Bertrand said she is not required to volunteer at the high school for her degree but does so to get a better understanding of how a high school…

Staff and students debate 3D

With the “Star Wars” films on their way to theaters in 3D, Hollywood is looking to take more advantage of the technology.

“Star Wars episode 1: The Phantom Menace” is the first of the “Star Wars” saga set to re-release in 3D Feb 10.

Roger Ebert said on his blog he sees the technology as something that doesn’t add to the movie experience and a waste of a dimension.

But that hasn’t…

Super Bowl commercials transform advertising norm

While the goal lines at Lucas Oil Stadium were clearly demarcated Sunday, the lines between entertainment, art and advertisement were not.

Every year, millions of Americans gather around their TVs to drink a lot, eat a lot, maybe root for a team, and most importantly, consume the finest ads corporate America has to offer.

No matter who walks away with a Super Bowl ring on his finger, it’s the host TV…

Former student writes own ticket to Hollywood

An SIU alumnus is on the fast on track to the Hollywood star-track with three recent screenwriting projects with major studios.

John Scott III, a 2007 graduate from the cinema and photography department, is developing the zombie film “Maggie,” based on his original screenplay, and has two more writing assignments with major studios lined up.

Scott said…

Radcliffe blends too easily with ‘Black’

Daniel Radcliffe had his first big-boy movie role this weekend in “The Woman in Black,” but it wasn’t quite enough to help the young actor outgrow his wizard shoes.

In fact, the film should really just be called “Harry Potter and the Haunted House.”

The plot revolves around a very somber and downhearted Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe), a widower father and lawyer who travels to the small English coastal town Crythin Gifford…

Using local businesses pays off

In a recent business encounter with Southern Illinois Network Consultants, I was given an estimate of about 2 hours and $75 to remove a virus. On the second day the estimate was revised to $150 and another day or two before I could pick it up. The virus was found to be rare and monumentally difficult but after two weeks I had become frustrated.

When I went to pick it…

Alex Kirt gets the blues, old band back together

Since The Woodbox Gang went on a break with singer-songwriter Hugh DeNeal’s imprisonment for mail fraud, guitarist Alex Kirt has been spending his time with a regular solo blues gig at Tres Hombres and a new family-man lifestyle. However, his new band, The Giant City Slickers, will release an album at the end of the month, and he’s been working with DeNeal, now under house arrest, on new material….

Murder By Death to strike Carbondale

Murder By Death will be bringing their gothic Americana rock to Hangar 9 Saturday. With a new album just recorded with Explosions in the Sky producer John Congleton  and an Australian tour slated for the end of the month, singer-guitarist Adam Turla took some time to talk with the Daily Egyptian about touring, recording and building a fan base.

DAILY EGYPTIAN: Have you played Carbondale before?

Adam Turla: No, this is…