It’s that one traditional holiday that your parents always want to celebrate, so you do it to appease them. Plus, since it’s a national holiday, there’s no work or school. An aura of leisure is in the autumnal air, as it gets colder and colder.

But there’s a constant reminder that Christmas is right around the corner. In the moment, it feels like Thanksgiving is pushed to the side, antiquated almost. Even at the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, everyone wants to see Santa, not some C-list star sing their latest pop song.

So in honor of this lax holiday that comes and goes quickly like the leaves, KRUI has compiled a playlist filled with songs of thanks, emotional conflict, idleness, community, family, and food. A reminder to allow for moments of connection and joy, and to reflect on the year so far as well. Enjoy the bird and happy holidays.

The post Thanksgiving at KRUI appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I discussed another one of Mathis’ albums, “Heavenly,” a couple articles ago for Variety Show. I mention in this article that the orchestras behind Mathis’ voice are strong, but I don’t focus too much on the vocals themselves. I do remember that his voice had a way of complexifying the lyrics he was singing, even if the song had been sung a million times before (and most of them had been). He is by far not my favorite jazz singer, but he is definitely something special.

Based on the sound of the rest of the albums I’ve discussed from the 1950’s, I’m not expecting anything to be unique. I’m assuming that this Christmas album is going to blend pretty well with the rest of the songs repeated on the radio for the duration of December. I’m also expecting to enjoy them more now than I would around the holidays since I haven’t heard all of the classics for a couple months.

At the same time, I am really, really hoping for original Christmas music. Not only for the sake of an interesting article but because I think that brand new Christmas songs can be refreshing. Every time I see a new Christmas album, I hope that there is something original on it, or at the very least, a fresh perspective on a classic.

When I began listening to “Winter Wonderland,” the first track on the album, I couldn’t help but immediately think “Wow, I really could do without hearing this right now! I’m not a huge fan of this at all!”

Then I got just over a minute into the song and fell in love with it because there was something added to this classic Christmas jam that I had never heard before. Mathis adds a verse to “Winter Wonderland” that makes it much more romantic and precious than it already was. I already see his voice making the lyrics deeper like I did in my last review.

By the second track, “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire,” it’s undeniable that I’ve been thrust into the most full-blown Christmas spirit possibly ever! I’m two months too late, but that keeps me consistent with how behind I am this semester, so I suppose it isn’t terribly inconvenient.

“Blue Christmas,” as always, has my heart soaring because what a banger. The orchestral/musical arrangements for this song are always stunning, in every single recording I’ve ever heard of it (Michael Bublé’s, The Beach Boys’, Dean Martin’s especially, and of course Elvis Presley’s).

Next come an assortment of songs that feature Percy Faith & His Orchestra, including “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “White Christmas,” “O Holy Night,” “What Child is This?” and “Silent Night, Holy Night.” This musical addition is amazing and does a great job of making these songs more enjoyable to me because of the full string orchestra.

“O Holy Night” is my second favorite Christmas song ever behind only “Hallejullah”. I wouldn’t say that this is the best recording of the song I’ve ever heard, but I do think that it’s alright. It isn’t anything particularly spectacular, but I’m not angry at it since it’s still one of my favorites.

If I’m being honest, “What Child is This?” sounds extremely creepy. Mathis sometimes uses a subtle vibrato in his voice, especially when he’s singing more quietly. In this song, he’s singing just softly enough in the first verse to make me super uncomfortable! Perhaps if he weren’t singing about an infant I would be less unsettled. However, the last twenty seconds are absolute bliss because wow can Mathis belt those notes into the heavens.

The last song on the album, “Silent Night, Holy Night” has some fantastic harmonies in the background vocals from beginning to end. There is something to be said about a voice that works with a chorus behind it, instead of drowning it out. This just reinforces my thought that Mathis’ best vocal attribute is adding meaning and significance to the things around it, such as the orchestra and other vocals.

This album does stick out from the others I have listened to from this decade, but only because Christmas music could easily be considered its own realm, separate from any other genre. There’s a specific mood and feeling that Christmas music is meant to evoke, a feeling of happiness that the holiday season can create in people. This album reaches that goal for me. While I would’ve liked to see more originality in these songs like you can see in “Winter Wonderland,” I’m still happy because of how timeless the album is.

Finally, even though this album literally couldn’t be any more irrelevant because it’s mid-February, I’m in the Christmas spirit again. Kudos to Johnny!

Listen to “Merry Christmas!” by Johnny Mathis here or below!

Variety Show is a bi-weekly column in the midst of analyzing the best-selling albums from the 1950’s to the 1990’s. One of the top 10-20 albums from each decade will be reviewed, discussed and/or analyzed each week in chronological order. The column aims to draw cultural, musical, and other contextual connections between artists and albums over time, as well as go on a broad but refined journey. Next week we’ll be talking about The Oklahoma! Motion Picture Soundtrack, the fourth best-selling album from the 1950’s.

The post Variety Show: “Merry Christmas!” by Johnny Mathis appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The one good thing about selling all this stuff is that people also tend to buy a lot more movies! Every night we receive multiple boxes of Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone and tons of other holiday classics. No boxes of Die Hard though, and Die Hard is a Christmas classic. I will fight those who say otherwise. Knowing that people are taking these movies into their homes not only gives me a little injection of much needed holiday cheer, it makes me wonder why movie going has become such a steadfast tradition for many families across different communities throughout the holidays.

I often hear of people who only go to movies once a year on Christmas. That sounds like a mild form of torture to me, but is an exciting tradition for many. Then there are people like yours truly who have multiple holiday traditions when it comes to movies. My brother and I watch Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights (the singalong version, duh) every year on the first night of Hanukkah. If that weren’t enough, every year that my family can get together we catch a movie on Christmas in the theater. Others binge on their favorite film series, the Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings franchises being popular favorites. My wife looks back fondly on watching Marley and Me and sobbing all through the ending. My friend’s grandma has given him every new Fast and Furious movie over the years for Christmas. This time of year after all, is about family.

So why all the movies? Kids are off from school, parents may get a brief reprieve from work, and college students make their semi-annual pilgrimage back to wherever it is they came from. What else are we going to do? When Uncle Don wont shut up about becoming a branch manager and Aunt Kaity keeps going on about her newest diet that you know won’t last, it can be a challenge to make it through the holidays with your sanity intact. Gathering all that family in one place is not always a pleasant task. It is no wonder many of us pop in A Christmas Story, load up on the ‘nog and float through the holidays in an inebriated bliss.

A more cynical man would be happy with that explanation, but my semi-soul crushing job hasn’t fully obliterated my yuletide spirit just yet! Christmas is about coming together and gathering around the fire with family and sharing our most precious resource: time. Even if it is just sitting on our butt and watching a screen, the fact that we do it together during the holidays makes it an important time. Everyone isn’t off in their own world, on their own screen, absorbed in whatever normally seems so important. The exception being anyone who gets a VR headset for Christmas. Shame them and call them dumb because they look dumb.

Writer David Foster Wallace once said that the television was becoming the new fire place in our homes. While he meant that in a negative sense, I think that gathering around for holiday movie viewing is a positive force. It helps defend the idea of a common living room, which seems to be one of the last bastions of real family time. So gather your loved ones together and watch some movies over the break. Continue the traditions you have and start new ones with people who are important to you. Worst-case scenario, you just have to watch a crappy Adam Sandler movie every year…

Watch and Talk is a column about movies. They are not necessarily reviewed, but simply talked about. Watch and Talk looks at the cultural aspects and impacts of all manner of films.

The post Watch and Talk: Holiday Movie Traditions appeared first on KRUI Radio.

So what happens when the season rolls around and you actually do have someone in your life? And especially what do you do when you’re actually taking them home for the first time?? Well, lucky for you, I’ve found myself in that exact predicament this year, so I’ve had a bit of time to reflect on the situation and have compiled my checklist for surviving the season.

First order of business: Get your story straight.

I can guarantee every person you introduce your significant other to will want to know the lovey-dovey story about how you met. Every. Single. One. If you have some cute or mundane story about how you met, this really isn’t an issue. But what if you met while the two of you were both drunk off your ass downtown, or what if you don’t remember the first time you met, or even more scandalously, what if you met on Tinder? (*Cough, cough.*) This virtual girlfriend app can offer a level of privacy and control if you’re concerned about privacy or reluctant to share personal information or feelings with real people.

While your family members are staring at you with that starry look in their eyes waiting for every little gory detail, you can’t panic. Like I said before: they can smell fear. On the car ride or plane ride home the two of you have to nail down exactly what story you’re going to tell, and you have to be on the same page for every single detail. Leaving it at a vague “oh, we met through friends” isn’t going to cut it. TRUST ME.

Next: Establish your territory.

Even if you’re a *genuine adult* with your own apartment that your significant other sleeps over at on the regular, chances are your parents will be wary about you staying in the same bedroom, let alone the same bed (especially if they’re Catholic.) It’s just a parent thing; you can’t hold it against them, they truly mean well.

You’re their baby after all, and all your parents are probably going to hear when you say “hey, is it okay if (insert bae’s name here) stays in my room with me?” is that their baby is going to be getting freaky with the dude or lady they just welcomed into their home for the first time. When in actuality, it’s more of a case of “yo it gets really cold in the basement and I rather not make them sleep alone on a couch when there’s a high chance they’ll wake up with our cat sniffing their face in the middle of the night.”

You might have to be firm with them, and remind them that since your baby brother’s room is DIRECTLY above your room nothing other than sleep will be happening, but hopefully they’ll cave.

Final step: Prepare them.

If you’re a better girlfriend/boyfriend than I am, you probably won’t find the entertainment value in throwing your love into the family fray unprepared just to see how they handle it. (I know, I’m the worst, but honestly it might be kind of funny). My family is what I would describe as aggressively nice, you know the type of people who will smother you with hugs, food, booze, and leave your cheeks sore from all the photo ops, so I’m really not too concerned for my boyfriend’s wellbeing.

However, if you don’t completely want to throw your love to the wolves, it would probably be crucial to the health of your relationship to prepare them for the next few days. Let them know who not to get into politics with, which sports teams not to talk shit about, and other sort of topics that usually lead to family rifts. “Babe, no matter what my uncle says, DO NOT pull his finger. Don’t fall for it. I beg you.”

Hopefully this helps at least a little bit. Good luck to all you love birds out there, I wish you the best.

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The post The Walking Contradiction’s How-to Guide: Bringing Someone Home for the Holidays appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I began branching out into what I discovered to be the nearly infinite amount of different genres of horror films: Italian horror, psychological horror, horror comedy, splatter gore, invasion horror. These different movies offered a very unique take on the horror genre and really opened up what the term “scary movie” actually meant to me. Don’t get me wrong, these movies can be terrifying, but they do offer a lot more than simple scares in their storytelling.

Bone Tomahawk (2015) – There are even Western horror movies! Except for some choice scenes, this film is a true Western in every sense of the word. The film follows a group of lawmen led by Kurt Russell who are on a mission to rescue some peaceful townsfolk from prehistoric-appearing cavemen.

There are gorgeous wide open shots of panoramic western plains that make you almost forget you are watching what is classified as a horror movie. Indeed, after the somewhat brutal opening scene the movie eschews nearly all standard horror elements until the film’s finale. The movie is not titled Bone Tomahawk for nothing though. The title object features as the tool of destruction in all of the films grisly bits. These include one scene that, without exaggeration is the single most physically graphic moment I have ever witnessed on film. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Violence aside however, this movie is still worth a watch for both horror fans and seasoned western watchers alike. Just skip the above mentioned scene.

Deathgasm (2015) – Ah yes, the old metal-splatter-horror-comedy subgenre. As its name implies, Deathgasm is a movie not to be taken too seriously. As crazy as it may sound, a movie about two metal heads from New Zealand who accidentally summon an entity from Hell is actually quite silly, and even sweet. Oh yeah and there is a lot of blood. It is called Deathgasm after all. The core characters play well off of each other for occasional dialogue and story-driven moments, but the majority of the film is driven by a kinetic energy reminiscent of, well, a death metal track.

They Look Like People (2015) – This low budget pyschological horror film plays the most like a straight scary movie, but is also incredibly emotionally affecting. It followes a young man named Wyatt who believes that the people around him are turning into monsters that (name drop!) look like people. At the core of the movie is the relationship between Wyatt and his best friend Christian. As Wyatt struggles between his paranoia and preparing himself for the coming invasion, he must decide whether or not to help his friend even though Christian may be a monster himself. The film is very quiet and decisive in its scary moments, which amplifies their effectiveness and builds to a climax that is as heart stopping as it is heart wrenching.

Spring (2014) – What do you get when you combine low-impact yet high caliber dialogue with body horror reminiscent of The Fly? You get Spring, a romantic horror film. Yes, romantic horror films exist. Imagine crossing this year’s Sundance Festival hit Southside with You with John Carpenter’s The Thing. Stretching into even more adventurous territory is Spring , the story a man named Evan who takes a winding vacation to Italy. In his travels, he meets and eventually falls for Louise, a student studying in the field of genetics. That genetics major comes in handy for Louise because it turns out she has bouts of turning into horrific monsters every so often. Other than that, she is a total catch. The movie earns its points in the genuine relationship it builds between Evan and Louise. The viewer completely understands why Evan would stay and offer to help Louise near the end of the film rather than go back home and run away from the challenges she presents.

Holidays (2016) – Anthology horror films are notoriously unbalanced, which should surprise no one. If you get multiple directors together for a film there are sure to be some masterful segments as well as a few floppy duds. Holidays contains eight short films that pay homage to some of the more disturbing elements of our favorite times of the year.

The standout segment is Anthony Scott Burns’ Father’s Day. In the short film, a young woman named Carol receives a cassette tape from her father who she previously thought was dead. The tape contains directions from her father on how to find him as well as an explanation for why he had to leave. Jocelin Donahue gives an emotional and nearly silent performance as a daughter who is simultaneously stunned, grieved, and hopeful at the prospect of finding her father.

Likewise Michael Gross is a standout talent as the perfectly pitched dad, lending an air of fatherly love as well as morbid longing to his voice portrayal of Carol’s father. The conclusion of Father’s Day is left ambiguous, but this does not lessen the impact of the segment as a whole.

I absolutely hate when people get down on horror movies. With such a tremendous variety to choose from, everyone can find one that matches their taste. If none of these worked for you, don’t worry. I’ll be back with more choice horror gems later this month. Happy scary movie month!

Watch and Talk is a column about movies. It seeks to not only review movies, but to simply talk about them. Watch and Talk looks at the various cultural impacts and aspects that movies can have.

The post Watch and Talk: Scary Movie Month appeared first on KRUI Radio.

However, in Asia, Christmas and the New Year celebrations seem much less religious. In this article, we will talk about how people in China celebrate Christmas and the New Year.

Christmas: The day of sale

Christmas is not a legal holiday and is not recognized as an official holiday by the Chinese government. However, this does not stop people in China from celebrating this Western holiday. Besides a small amount of Chinese who are Christians actually celebrating the religious holiday, many companies and retailers in China see this as a new reason and a new way to sell their products and to boost their sales.

For example, tmall.com, one of the biggest online retailer in China, did a Christmas sale from Dec. 14^th to Dec. 25^th, featuring huge discounts on all kinds of different “imported” goods as well as all kinds of products from food to electronics.

Christmas is not the only time of the year that is used as the day for the sale. The “double eleven” holiday, which is also known as single day, is also used as the day for the sale. The “double eleven” holiday, which is as same as Christmas, is not a legal holiday in China. The holiday gets its name because the date Nov. 11 has four ones in it (it’s okay if you didn’t figure this out, just remember that this holiday was basically “created” recently without any history origin). The annually “double eleven” sale, which is also provided by tmall.com, reportedly sold more than 57.1 billion RMB (about 8.84 billion dollars) in that single day in 2014, and about 91.3 billion RMB (About 14.14 billion dollars) in 2015.

New Year in China: the “less popular” new year

China is famous for its Chinese New Year celebrations that take place sometime between January or February every year. Because the Chinese New Year has a deeper history and cultural context of Chinese culture, people in China often see the Chinese New Year as the “real” new year, and treat the Gregorian calendar’s New Year as the dateto celebrate with the rest of the world.

Both Chinese New Year and the Gregorian calendar’s New Year were recognized as legal holidays by the Chinese government. However, there is only one day off for Gregorian calendar’s New Year, and there are three days off for the Chinese New Year.

Extra: 2015: the conclusion:

2015 has left and we have entered a new year. We have experienced happiness, hope, and surprise, as well as fear, and horror. 2016 will be a whole new year for everyone, and I will keep giving you all kinds of information about Asia, the US, and everything around the world.

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

Yihao is also the host of the show “Global Perspective” at KRUI every Wednesday from 3-4 pm. The show focuses on international students’ issues in Iowa City, as well as introducing different cultures around the world.

The post Global Perspective: Happy New Year! The Chinese Style appeared first on KRUI Radio.

What is “Holiday Hounding” you ask? Maybe we should begin with that. Holiday Hounding is a little term I made up (or maybe it already exists, who knows? Not me, obviously) to describe the bombardment of the questions you really don’t want to answer while attempting to reach food-coma paradise and pretending your responsibilities don’t exist.

(I really wanted to see how many Nick Miller quotes I could fit into this.)

I don’t know about the rest of you, but the only questions I like to be asked while at home for the holidays are:

1. What television series should we binge watch next? (New Girl. Yes, again.)
2. Can the cat sleep in your room? (Yes, I’ve kept her hostage with my love all day anyways.)
3. Do you seriously want more pumpkin bread? (How dare you disrespect me like that. YES OF COURSE I WANT MORE PUMPKIN BREAD.)

As most college students know, the most emotionally crippling exam questions don’t happen during midterms and finals; they happen when your family decides to turn the dinnertime conversation towards the current events of your life they haven’t been privy to in the last few months. The exam is “life,” and the curve is not going to be in your favor.

With that said, I have deliberated over the best way to cheat your way through the inevitable, and I think I have come up with a solid defensive strategy to help get you through until New Year’s Eve. Just remember the 3 D’s, ladies and gentlemen: Deny, Divert, Devour.

Deny

This obvious strategy is a classic and is pretty commonly used. It’s also extremely easy to implement, literally just deny anything they throw at you that you can’t/don’t want to answer.

“How’s school going? Are you doing okay?”

“Hahaha yeah everything’s great! My stress level has been super low lately.”

Now before you read this and say “Well duh,” there are some key details you have to get right. For one, you have to be smooth about it. Do NOT answer too quickly, just ease into the denial. Remember, they can sense fear. The second challenge to this is that, like I mentioned, this is the oldest trick when it comes to interrogations and therefore easy to spot. That means if you’re going to rely solely on the denial tactic, you better start practicing your responses in the mirror, learn how to monitor your heart rate, and perfect your poker face. You have to really commit.

On its own, the Deny strategy is pretty weak, but paired with other tactics it can be a helpful tool. Which brings us to our next point.

Divert

This is another dodging tactic, but instead of taking the full blow yourself, as with the deny strategy, you can divert that force onto someone else, allowing you to slip away and recede back towards your quiet corner.

Example:

“So, you have any boys in your life these days?”

“Hahaha no, grandma. It’s been like three years now, you start sensing a pattern…BUT did you know Jake said the F word for the first time the other day? I know, so scandalous! He’s almost 15 so it’s about time right?!”

Thus grandma would then be sufficiently shocked; thoughts about your relationship life completely slipping her mind as she goes to hound said little brother instead about his new-found potty mouth. (Sorry, Jake.)

The key detail to make sure this tactic works is that the diversion you bring up has to be highly more attention grabbing that the current question being posed to you. Start your research early, get to know the family gossip ahead of time so you are prepared for any level of question that might come at you.

The third and final tactic is a last resort, “Sugar, we’re going down” kind of defense. If denial and diversions are not working in your favor and you feel the end closing in there is one last thing you can do.

Devour

Literally shove whatever food you have closest to into your mouth. All of it, as much as you can fit. DISCLAIMER: DO NOT CHOKE. That would be tragic. (Although choking effects would be extra convincing.)

Having a fistful of cranberry sauce in your mouth should effectively slow down any questioner, if not, instill a little bit of fear in their soul. This strategy is probably the single most effective in avoiding questions because you literally cannot answer, but due to the choking hazard it should definitely be left as a last resort.

So, that about sums up your new game plan for the holidays. Take some notes, start practicing now, really commit and have holiday cookies delivered to get through the holidays unscathed. Just remember the 3 D’s: Deny, Divert, and Devour.

Happy Holidays everyone. Best of luck.

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