Let’s face it, 2008 was not the greatest year for films. This year saw a complete transition in which Hollywood’s adolescent male audience was largely replaced by young and middle-aged females.
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Detroit Science Center partners with United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
When you think of the word “cleanse,” what comes to mind? Is it washing your hands and face, cleaning the house or maybe even taking a bath? Well, this was not the case in Nazi Germany.
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Jerry Oppenheimer’s unauthorized biography, “Front Row: Anna Wintour — What Lies Beneath the Chic Exterior of Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief,” explores the life of a sagacious, yet contumacious, stylista.
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Aspiring actor uses holiday play to propel career
During a considerably brief time span with Wayne State’s theatre program, 19-year-old sophomore Dave Cowan has already risen to local stardom — so to speak.
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Wayne State brings humor to holiday classic
As Detroit received its first true snowfall of the season on Dec. 6, it seemed like the perfect wintery wonderland setting for viewing of a holiday classic, Lloyd Garrison and Roger Robb’s stage adaptation of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” done Wayne State style.
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WSU sophomore, music artist on the track to success
If you asked people what their overall lifetime goal was and their reply was “I want to be an R&B singer,” you would probably tell them that their dreams to be the next Usher or Beyonce were very unrealistic.
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Rapper: ‘Hip-hop is a culture. Rap is rap.’
The debate on whether hip-hop and rap are the same genre seems to be a never-ending issue. Perhaps that question was answered the night of Dec. 5 at an event titled “Hip-Hop is Not Dead … It’s Evolving.”
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The streets of Midtown Detroit’s cultural center area were bustling and alive with fun during the 36th annual Noel Night Saturday, December 6.
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Offbeat director Gus Van Sant makes a return to the relative mainstream with the impressive new biopic “Milk,” starring Sean Penn, James Franco, Emile Hirsch and Josh Brolin. Penn portrays Harvey Milk, the first openly gay public official in the United States.
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New clothing line stresses individuality
Young artists and Wayne State students Blue Bledsoe – a public relations major who will become a junior in January – and Sebastian Jackson – a senior, PR major who wishes to attend law school – introduced their new hip-hop clothing line Pompous.
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Mark Kurlyandchik / For The South End
“You said I look just like messiah on a cloudy night,” sings Sweden’s Kristian Matsson, a.k.a. The Tallest Man on Earth, on “Pistol Dreams,” the second track on his album “Shallow Grave.”
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Fashion industry focuses on the youth
Getting urban youths involved in positive extracurricular activities has been the focus of many organizations, but the Fashion Guru Agency combines that mission with fashion.
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Love Meets Lust hypnotizes crowds
Accentuating mood with a dominant synthesizer, Detroit band Love Meets Lust establishes a twisted tale of vigorous conduct that leaves one with an exhausted body and exhilarated mind.
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Wayne State’s Studio Theatre held a terrific premiere of Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge” on Nov. 28. Directed by Matt Foss, “A View from the Bridge” is a play that will definitely have people on the edge of their seats, anxiously waiting to see what happens next.
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Nelly recently released his first studio album in five years: “Brass Knuckles.” He has had major success with his first four releases, selling millions of records worldwide. “Brass Knuckles” falls short of his previous work.
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Michigan residents are thinking about stem cell research more than usual, especially with the passing of Proposal 2 — Proposal 2008-02: A proposed constitutional amendment to permit, with certain limitations, stem cell research in Michigan was on the Nov. 4 ballot.
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The Community Arts Center launched its exhibit on Nov. 7 to celebrate and showcase some of the Michigan Ceramic Arts Association’s top artists.
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Smooth jazz pioneer performs at Max M. Fisher
“Smooth jazz” is a phrase that, for many, conjures up images of elevators, AM radio stations and dentists’ offices. Some might consider smooth jazz to be music for the mature set only.
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In a technological world of text messages and instant messaging chats, the art of literary and poetic forms of writing seems almost obsolete. In many places, it is more common to find people typing hurriedly with their thumbs on a cell phone than writing with a pen.
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This year brought the release of the Stills’ third album “Oceans Will Rise.” Front man Tim Fletcher once again leads with his incredible vocals, which collaborate with his bandmates’ instrumentals to create an alluring sound.
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Wayne State professor and Detroit band expand concept of performance poetry
Wayne State professor and nationally recognized poet M. L. Liebler, along with Detroit-based band The High Strung, presented a mixture of poetry and performance art at “Detroit Tonight Live” on Nov. 6 at the Jazz Café.
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With the phenomenon of Guitar Hero sweeping into the lives of young kids and teenagers, the desire to produce real music has lost some of its appeal.
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Sugar skulls and marigolds adorned a crowded ofrenda, or offering table, covered with images and symbols of the recently departed.
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‘Murder City’
Plagued by one of the highest murder rates in the country for the past half-century, Detroit has earned its harsh reputation. Brought to light in Al Profit’s “Murder City” are the problems that have been facing Detroit for decades.
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Wayne State campus is ghoulish on Halloween night
Wayne State students prepared themselves for a frightful treat as they waited to enter the free haunted house in the Student Center.
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Christina Spivak has movie screened at Detroit Docs International Film Festival
Many filmmakers will work endlessly to provide the polished articulations of their experiences. They will never hesitate to dream, sacrificing a portion of themselves in order to propel their views into a solid existence.
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The signs of witches, Egyptian queens, and 18th Century mistresses were seen in many places on Halloween, including the Detroit Institute of Arts as part of its Museum Mystery Tours and Yikes! tours and art workshops.
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Documentary filmmaker visits campus, shares knowledge with students in Old Main
Wayne State’s Department of Communication helped produce “An Evening with Les Blank” on Oct. 30 at the Detroit Film Theatre as part of the 6th annual Detroit Docs International Film Festival. The event took up one night of the festival, which ran from Oct. 29 through Nov. 2.
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Halloween atmosphere attracts dance-loving crowd
Flying bats, outrageous costumes and extremely wild behavior all took place at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit on Oct. 31. Music and entertainment were provided by Peoples Records.
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“If you don’t like the show, well … then you’re wrong,” Matt the Knife declared in the opening moments of his performance.
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Bonstelle Theatre hosts sensational performances
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul,” the late choreographer and dancer Martha Graham once said. At the second annual fall dance concert, “Dances in the Making: An Evening of Works in Progress,” at the Bonstelle Theatre on Oct. 31, that statement was brought to life.
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Zack and Miri is one of the raunchiest romantic comedies to date, but underneath the sex, bad language, and nudity is something surprisingly sweet and wholesome.
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While most in their early 20s are trying to figure life out in the classrooms of a university, a group of four guys from Port Angeles, WA, that make up the band known as The Lonely H are hitting the road to tour the U.S. and promote their second full length album, "Hair."
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The Showdown 3 was a real showdown as dance groups across the metro Detroit area competed for bragging rights and a cash prize of $500 at Wayne State in the Community Arts Auditorium Saturday.
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MOCAD scares up a good time
“Believin’” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit was the most “spooktacular” event.
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WSU students share ideas for original, fun costumes
With the economy down and prices up on Halloween costumes, Wayne State Students are in hot pursuit of unique costume ideas.
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Kid Rock and Wayne State Start Music Scholarship Program
Rap-rock superstar Kid Rock and his clothing line Made in Detroit have joined with Wayne State to launch a scholarship program for music students at the university.
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Don't let the title fool you, there's really nothing "fun" about Pink's fifth studio album - that's not to say the ballad-heavy CD isn't worth a listen, though.
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‘Rachel Getting Married’
After a short foray into documentary filmmaking, director Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs,” “Philadelphia”) returns to feature film with “Rachel Getting Married,” starring Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie Dewitt and Tunde Adebimpe.
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‘Alexandra’ explores the Russia-Chechnya conflict
The Friends of the Detroit Film Theater presented “Alexandra” on Oct. 24. The film marked the second installment in the Discussion on Film Series at the Detroit Film Theater.
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Black Theatre Program hosts masquerade ball to send students abroad
Just in the nick of time for Halloween, the Greater Wayne County Chapter of The Links Inc. hosted a masquerade ball fundraiser on Oct. 25 at the Museum Of Contemporary Arts Detroit for Wayne State’s Black Theatre Program. The proceeds of “Le Masquerade” will help send five students to study at the Seoul Institute of Arts.
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'Hamlet’
Wayne State’s Hilberry Repertory Theatre Company performed William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” directed by Blair Anderson, superbly on Oct. 24. Actors included James Kuhl as Hamlet, Christina Flynn as Ophelia, Aaron Kirby as Horatio, Brian P. Sage as Claudius, Dylan Stuckey as Rosencrantz, Rob Pantano as Guildenstern and Caroline Price as Gertrude.
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‘Blues for an Alabama Sky’
“Blues for an Alabama Sky” by Pearl Cleage is a remarkable play that all should consider seeing. The play focuses on African-Americans in Harlem during the Great Depression. Cleage addresses several themes in this play, including homosexuality, abortion and poverty.
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Students celebrate Festival of Lights early
Illumination is the essence of the Indian festival of lights, Diwali. Ranging across various South Asian cultures, Diwali is celebrated for five consecutive days at the beginning of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. As the new moon falls on Oct. 30 this year, the festival begins on Oct. 28 and concludes on Nov. 1. For those of Gujarati descent, this festival is especially important as it ushers in their New Year.
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Scary movie marathon gets campus excited for upcoming events
With the anticipation of Halloween building, Wayne State’s Student Council and the Student Center Administration held its first scary movie Marathon. The event took place Oct. 24 in North Commons, a high-traffic area in the Student Center.
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The Wayne State University Press held its fifth annual fundraiser “Celebrate Detroit Books” on Oct. 23 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. The fundraiser highlighted books published this season that centered on the rich culture and history of the city.
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Music stars Tha Paypa Boiz and the Outlawz meet with fans, media
This past Friday, Trea Day Celebrity Management and Publicity hosted a local fan and media meet and greet with two of Detroit’s hottest rap groups, Tha Paypa Boiz (pronounced the paper boys) and the legendary Outlawz.
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Workshops highlight Chris Collins and renowned jazz personalities
The Wayne State music department — under the supervision of Chris Collins, director of jazz studies — launched a two-day extravaganza of workshops and performances for musicians and fans starting on Oct. 23. The program, “Tenor Madness,” featured some of the most renowned jazz personalities, including Francois Louis, Claudio Zolla, Emanuele Cisi and Jerry Bergonzi.
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Concert and political tour fail to interest students
On the cold morning of Oct. 22, Wayne State hosted the Rock the Vote tour bus at Keast Commons with a crowd that, at one point, peaked at just over 50 people.
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Organization shows dangers of narcotic abuse through movies
Some lives may have changed in a small viewing room in the Student Center on a rainy Tuesday evening. It was as simple as projecting a film. Anti-Drug Wayne recently put on one of their first film presentations open to the students titled “Requiem for a Dream” on Oct. 21.
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Mary Sitto / For The South End
“Tenor Madness” concluded two days of workshops, saxophones and performances by Wayne State’s Department of Music with an incredible performance at the Music Box at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on Oct. 24.
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Jazz director teaches students to hit the right notes in life
A man wakes up in a small room in a cozy Italian Alps chalet. Everything in the room glows amber and reflects warmth from the morning sun. The only noise is birds chirping outside. Through the window, he can see the peaks of a dozen mountains. The man’s long wavy, graying hair is a sign of his age and his life. The frames of his glasses are thick and dark, bold like his character.
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“The Madwoman of Chaillot”
Even though the play was written in 1945, “The Madwoman of Chaillot” — featured at the Bonstelle Theatre each weekend until Oct. 26 — tells a story that deals with issues which resonate strongly in the modern world. The show was directed by Dennis E. North, stage-managed by Jennifer Patrick and adapted by Maurice Valency from a script by Jean Giraudoux.
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“The Way I See It”
The singer/songwriter/producer Raphael Saadiq has done it again with his latest CD “The Way I See It.” Saadiq’s soulful Motown sound can be heard in every song on this compilation.
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“Ghostly warehouse” provides real terror
The loudest, most blood-curdling scream pierced my nearly frozen eardrums and chills ran up and down my spin. I was waiting nervously to crossover into what would be the most terrifying 30 minutes of my life.
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Student-run gallery pairs with Detroit Iraq Moratorium for exhibit
Once a month, the Wayne State student-run gallery, The Bud, holds a themed art show. Held this month on Oct. 7, “Active Art” was run in conjunction with the Detroit Iraq Moratorium.
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Erica Watson organizes concert for Wayne State and local talent
Show Your Love Thursday, an event organized by instrumental music education student Erica Watson premiered Oct. 16 in the Down Under Zone.
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“Appaloosa”
Actor Ed Harris returns to the director’s chair for the first time since 2000’s “Pollack” with the new western “Appaloosa,” starring alongside Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger and Jeremy Irons.
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“XXY”
“XXY,” the directorial debut from Lucia Puenzo, reveals the aggressive curiosity of gender without eschewing the sensitive temperament of an adolescent hermaphrodite dealing with the conflict of social mores.
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National bands ignite museum for two nights
Bubbling up out of Maryland's post-industrial center, the Baltimore Round Robin Tour came to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit on Oct. 8 and 9. Close to 30 artists and their crews drove up in what has been described as a traveling circus by the tour manager, Rose Chase.
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R. Zamora Linmark visits Wayne State
A fifth grader writing a book report on Judy Blume’s “Forever” would seem perfectly normal, right? What if it was a 10-year-old boy, who not only wrote about the love and sex life of the main character, but about his own sex life with his boyfriend? Doesn’t sound very by-the-book anymore does it?
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Senior organizes “Detroit’s Most Wanted Part 2”
Music, laughter and good times had by all caused 1515 Broadway to be packed Oct. 9, as Dizmantle hosted “Detroit’s Most Wanted Part 2: ‘Breaking Out the Pen … Again,’” showcasing the city’s most talented artists.
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Pamela Strauch uses boutique to help violence survivors
Besides the beautiful fall leaves and the fun festivities that accompany the Halloween spirit, what else signifies the month of October? . . . Most people are completely oblivious to the fact that the month of October is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
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Local performers team with major technology developer
The sight of people playing the Guitar Hero video game stopped and enticed passersby on Oct. 9 in the Student Center. Guitar Hero was just one of the events of Apple Week that took place Oct. 6-10, hosted by the Detroit Artist Union.
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Wayne State colors campus with Paint-A-Window
The Student Center Building underwent colorful renovations during the five-day Paint-A-Window Contest that began on Oct. 6. Several Wayne State University organizations participated in the event. Circle K International, a student-led service organization, was one of the participating groups. Gaurav Mukhi, the CKI membership development chair, managed the window painting for the organization.
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Movie Night helps kick off series of festivities
For weeks, homecoming at Wayne State had been advertised around campus. Thousands of signs, promoting several events, could be found at every turn. One of these “pep” events was a free screening of the movie “Wanted,” held Oct. 8 at Bernath Auditorium in the Undergraduate Library.
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Festivities climax with dance show
On the evening of Oct. 12, after the Wayne State Warriors won the homecoming football game, some students went to General Lectures for the Homecoming Step Show.
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Alpha Kappa Alpha celebrates 100th birthday with verse
The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority presented a night of poetry and song on Oct. 8 in General Lectures, celebrating its 100th anniversary and being the first black Greek sorority. Amateurs and developed poets filled the room with poetic vibes and lyrical melodies.
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Jake One’s CD is a stinker
After an hour of listening to the excruciating, painful “White Van Music” from Jake One, I tried concentrating on the goodness of it. Sadly, I didn’t find anything.
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Comedy Jam fills General Lectures with laughter
Guests began arriving at General Lectures early for the Homecoming Comedy Jam and Pep Rally on Oct. 10 — an event that was set to began at 7:00 p.m. The event was coordinated by the Student Council and has been a part of the Homecoming Week tradition for more than five years, according to a member of the board.
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During a phase of the music industry, in which mediocrity often yields a profit and artistic integrity is rarely found in the hearts of so-called musicians, many people will not hesitate to label themselves as "artists." Being an artist is often seen as a means to garner undeserved appreciation, a symbol of hope for those who lack their own colorful characterizations, or simply a way to pacify the holes in empty pockets.
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Wayne State students and faculty members flocked to the Schaver Music Recital Hall on Oct. 3 to receive a lesson in tango from Folias, a Grand Rapids-based husband and wife duo.
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"Leonardo Da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius" has its debut
On Oct. 2, The Detroit Science Center opened a new exhibit that explored the life and legacy of one of the world's most famous intellectuals: Leonardo Da Vinci. While many recognize Da Vinci as an artist, this exhibit gives the chance to see his work as a great inventor as well.
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Tucked away quietly on the corner of Forest and Woodward avenues, the enormous sculptures by Thomas Pyrzewski, Wayne State graduate and adjunct professor of art and art history, linger for observers. Four of his mammoth pieces are being displayed in the Detroit Artists Market as part of an exhibit called "Insider," which is showing until Oct. 18.
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"Platanos and Collard Greens" challenges stereotypes of the two races
Do collard greens really go with platanos? They did in the play "Platanos and Collard Greens," performed in the Undergraduate Library on Oct. 2. "Platanos" tackled issues on race, stereotypes and the realities of blacks and Hispanics expressed through poetry lyrics and punch lines.
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After 50 years, eatery continues to provide luscious cuisines
Follow your nose down through the basement of the International Institute on the corner of East Kirby and John R streets during normal lunch hours, and there you will find one of Midtown's hidden gems, the International Café.
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Banned Book Week features public readings of outlawed literature
The Student Chapter of The American Library Association invited students, faculty and community members to read passages of banned books during its first ever "Banned Books Week "at Wayne State University.
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Katerina Bocci returns to Detroit for clothing event
As each dress by Katerina Bocci made its way down the makeshift runway at the 1325 Broadway Lofts for Detroit Fashion Week on Oct. 4, the small but potent crowd gasped, applauded in amazement and then gasped once more as the model gracefully turned and revealed the dress' back.
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The evening of Oct. 3 was damp and chilly, not too unusual for this time of year. As the clock neared 8 p.m., several audience members scurried to find their seats. The stage lights came up, and a pair of actors appeared on stage, officially marking the start of the Hilberry Theatre's 2008-2009 season. The season's opening play is Sarah Ruhl's "Eurydice."
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38th annual event showcases diversity of cultures
The 38th annual International Fair was held Oct. 1 at Gullen Mall, causing students to come out in droves, in spite of the cold weather, to learn about the many groups and cultures within the Wayne State community.
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General Lectures was transformed into a packed venue for more than a dozen local artists and performers when the Bangladesh Student Association hosted its 11th annual multi-cultural show, "Shopner Cheyeo Modhur".
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