From an inauspicious start in commercials, director Zack Snyder has climbed the ladder to direct some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. Love or hate it, 300's specific graphical style has become a cultural phenomenon. The hype surrounding Snyder's newest film is more than 20 years in the making, as he turns what many call the best graphic novel of all time into Watchmen, the movie.The Chronicle spoke with Snyder about ...

In the past decade, the role of the music critic has almost been unnecessary when it came to the latest U2 album. Since 2000, their music hasn't really differed at all, and everybody knew their new release would be a huge hit.Just by glancing at the track list, U2's latest album, No Line on the Horizon, looked as typically epic as U2 ever is. I mean, come on, the album ends with a song called "Cedars of Lebanon." I wasn't expe...

When the lights dimmed in the NIU Convocation Center, shrieks were heard from left to right as the blinding lights from flashing cameras pointed toward the stage. Artists T.I. Ludacris were to begin their performance within minutes, and Columbia student Alyssa Johnson found herself in the spotlight, standing before a sold-out crowd of 10,000 fans.Johnson, a freshman journalism major, and two other Columbia students were ab...

Tyler Perry has made quite a name for himself with his plays, books, movies and syndicated TV show. His multimedia approach to entertainment, alongside some collaboration with Oprah, demonstrates his will to capture the hearts and minds of his audience. He has turned himself into a brand, as evidenced by the full title of his newest feature film, Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail.It is unfortunate that Perry doesn't have more to ...