After years of impressive returns in the music industry - largely due to people's purchasing their favorite albums on the more permanent compact-disc format - sales have finally stagnated, especially for rock'n'roll bands (the recent success of the Spice Girls and Hanson prove that people will always buy bubblegum pop). And since much-anticipated releases by Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and U2 have not done spectacularly well, industry insiders have been somewhat fretful about the future profitability of rock groups.
Nevertheless, two British acts, Radiohead and Oasis, look to turn the tide with the release of their third albums, "OK Computer" and "Be Here Now," respectively. Both are huge bands across the pond and are looking to further capitalize on their modest successes stateside.
British titans to release mega albums
Forget writer's block. Test anxiety is a breeze. James Hynes' latest novel makes term papers seem like child's play in comparison to the pressures facing university professors. When survival depends on publication, Hynes' characters find that the stakes have been raised from achieving tenure to staying alive. Paranoia preys on academia in Hynes' trilogy of supernatural satire, "Publish and Perish."
Novellas describe the dark side of professors' ambitions
Ever since "Jaws" attacked the shores of American cinema in June 1975, summer has been about one thing and one thing only - money. Each summer, big-budget Hollywood spectacles are expected to show the studios the money for 15 weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day, money that spells relief for the studios that spend the rest of the year either churning out crap or vying for Oscar nominations. This summer is no different. 
Successful summer movies lure audiences to theaters
Walk into any of Ann Arbor's charming local bookstores and you will be overwhelmed by a conundrum of self-help books. It's enough to make your head spin. Follow the latest fad diet and yoga workout and you, too, will be on the way to spiritual enlightenment.Books offer enlightenment through religion, insanity
The words "communism" and "comedy" don't often appear in the same sentence. But "Children of the Revolution" is indeed a comedy about communism, and a surprisingly good one.From Russia with laughs: Davis, Rush excellent in 'Revolution'
"Trial and Error," the new movie starring Jeff Daniels and Michael Richards, is a comedy that promises loads of laughs through its energetic previews, but suffers from mediocrity in the long run. Daniels film a 'Trial' to watch
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Misfits' formation, and they are back with a vengeance. The band's new album, "American Psycho," once again proves that Halloween can be every day, as each song tells a tale of horror, death or an alien attack. In true Misfits style, every song is less than three minutes long, chock full of tempo changes, backup vocals and their trademark 1950s/punk mixture.Misfits make comeback; Dr. Octagon's disc cures all ills
Summer Orientation 1997
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