“Common featuring special guest Q-Tip” is what the tickets read for the Sept. 22 concert at The Rave. If we had flipped the script back to the mid-90s, we would have seen young Q-Tip with his group, A Tribe Called Quest, headlining the bill with no idea who Common Sense, the Chi-town rapper, was.

As I walked into the venue, Q-Tip had already taken the stage and was entertaining the crowd with some classic Tribe songs, such as “Find a Way” and “Electric Relaxation.” Q-Tip exceeded expectations by performing entire songs by himself. It’s questionable if anyone else could have pulled this off so smoothly, other than the legendary “Abstract.” During “Scenario,” Tip handled Phife’s verse and then proceeded to mimic the lyrics of a rambunctious Busta Rhymes that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

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Aside from being one of the university’s hidden gems, the Studio Arts and Crafts Centre is as much for artistically blessed students and community members as it is for non-artists who strive to express whatever hidden talents they may secretly posses.

Its location on the ground floor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Union, Room EG30, may be the reason many people do not know of the craft centre and all of the amenities they have to offer.

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Eight months ago, Milwaukee welcomed a new flavor to its dining scene, a restaurant that offered something different from the standard fare: Ethiopian Cottage, 1824 N. Farewell Ave., was opened on Feb. 14 by owner Yigletu Debebe and his wife Almaz Bekele. Their goal was to not only bring the authentic flavors to Milwaukee, but an authentic slice of Ethiopian culture as well. Sitting at a table, which was actually more like a three foot basket, we were excited to take a look at the menu. Our server, Almaz filled us in on the traditional manner of eating.

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“Eastern Promises” is the latest “wolf in sheep’s clothing” film by the budding cinematic partnership between director David Cronenberg and leading man Viggo Mortensen. This follows close on the heels of their previous work, “A History of Violence,” whose title alone so aptly describes their new film as well.

“Eastern Promises” begins with a horrific act of violence, followed closely by the birth of child to an underage Russian girl. These two sparks set in motion an unstoppable sequence of events located in modern-day London.

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With the three year wait finally over, millions of gamers gathered in anticipation of “Halo 3’s” release last Tuesday at midnight across the world. The long wait was finally over, but was it worth it?

The short and simple answer is yes.

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After video games and arcades had changed the youth of America into mindless degenerates that opposed consumerism and all that is American, what else could they do to strike fear in to the hearts and minds of parents?

Planting one simple idea was there plan, and it was titled runaway.

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Can you believe that some people have never been on an airplane? Can you also believe that some college students have never been on a road trip?

This almost constitutes blasphemy…madness even! Both are great experiences that should be shared with the best of company.

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Walking out of the venue late at night, with my ears ringing, and drenched from head to toe in – whatever - ,I feel something on the back of my neck which I find to be an extremely long human hair from someone else.

After a quick disgusted shudder, I remind myself, yes, that was a metal show.

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As the fifth annual Milwaukee International Film Festival comes to a close, cinema enthusiasts are left with a lot of frames to review in their minds. Here are two of the movies that will be worth checking out once they hit a wider release.

“The Signal”

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In previous weeks I described the styles and trends of the season, so I figured with the ushering in of cool weather, it might be worthwhile to highlight stores and boutiques in the area where all your winter essentials are located.

1. Funky winter coat
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Techno music definitely has a home at clubs and dance parties. However, the Simian Mobile Disco is capable of bringing this genre into your everyday play list.

The U.K. based group, consisting of artists James Shaw and James Ford, released their first full-length album “Attack Decay Sustain Release” in June.

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As this series regarding emotions elicited by video games continues to roll along, it’s about time that we get to the most primal of all feelings that anyone can display. No, this week is not revolving around the overall feeling of queasiness that so many of us have to endure on most Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Better yet, the topic of discussion is centering on fear and all of the fun effects that go along with it.

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Like wildfire, the Argentina-based tango dance company, Tango Buenos Aires took the stage at the Pabst Theatre Saturday night.

The company featured a diverse performance that traced the discovery of tango from the streets to the ballroom floor. Done in four parts, the Tango took Talia and Franco, the male and female leads of the company, and ensemble from the street, to the ballroom, to the city and finally to the theater.

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Skylight Opera opened its twentieth season this past week with the dark operetta, “The Midnight Angel.”

The mysterious story, written by Peter S. Beagle, is best described as a haunting tale with a comedic twist. The musical score is by David Carlson.

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“The Kingdom” has a certain element that makes it hard to watch. Not that it is boring or unoriginal, but the current state of the world seems to make this film remind you that the times we live in are anything but OK.

Jamie Foxx stars as Ronald Fluery, a FBI special terrorist agent assigned to figure out what went down after a terrorist bombing leaves hundreds dead in Saudi Arabia. Joining him are his fellow agents, played by Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman. The team has five days to go in and figure out what went down.

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