Arts and Culture

MariahCarey
RECESS | CULTURE | MUSIC

30 years of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ defining the holiday season

Most Christmas movies don’t come near groundbreaking cinema, and most Christmas songs won’t receive Grammy recognition. But the nostalgia in their scenes and sounds bring us back to joyous holiday memories of our youth that we can only attempt to recreate in our older years.  And “All I Want for Christmas Is You” epitomizes that sentiment — and has for the past 30 years.


SexiestManAliveMag
RECESS | CULTURE

Nobody saw it coming: John Krasinski as People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive

Some eagerly await the winners of the Academy Awards. Others are interested in Nobel Prize winners or Olympic medalists. But, for tabloid fanatics, one of the most important days of the year is when People Magazine bestows the “Sexiest Man Alive” title. In a celebrity world where beauty serves as currency, who is the richest? Who is the sexiest of all the sexy? 


20241205 DocumentaryOpening WanyuZhang
RECESS

‘Permanent Good’: A Duke Centennial documentary

Overall, “Permanent Good: A Duke Documentary” is an astutely produced and well structured take on the Duke story with something for everyone, regardless of their familiarity with Duke’s history. I encourage anyone with an interest in how Duke came to be — or where it is headed — to watch it.


20241115 Rubenstein Exhibit Kevin Li 1
RECESS | CAMPUS

Rift/Fault: Humanity and the environment

While we spend our entire life on or right above the Earth’s surface, we don’t normally think about what lies below. The Rubenstein Library’s “Rift/Fault” exhibit seeks to change that by drawing our attention to the places where tectonic plates meet, in hopes of making people think about real and imaginary borders.


Chronicle File Photo | Page Auditorium after it was renovated in 2015
RECESS

A tapestry of sound and wounds: One night with Adrianne Lenker

On Friday, Nov. 22, Page Auditorium welcomed over 1,000 people for singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker’s “one night only show” — opened by poet and songwriter Suzanne Vallie. While Lenker was indeed there for one night only, she also performed earlier that day in response to the concert selling out all of its tickets.


ThanksgivingMoviesPhoto
RECESS | CULTURE | MOVIES

Holiday horror movies: Why?

While holiday horror may be a collection of usually mediocre, only slightly unique films, that doesn’t mean they are outright worthless. Instead, holiday horror makes up a notable part of a genre that is entertaining at its worst and truly engaging at its best.


FinckelStockPhotoOne
RECESS

David Finckel and Wu Han: Great music, even greater performers

While the performance was brilliant and astonishing, the personalities of Finckel and Han were the standouts of the night. Their engagement with chamber music through festivals, production companies, performance and teaching was obvious in their treatment of the audience and respect for the performance.


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RECESS

5 interesting classes for spring 2025 (Recess’ version)

If you’re looking to change classes, add a fifth – or even sixth – or work towards finishing your T-Reqs, Recess is here to help. Here are six distinctive courses that celebrate creativity and quirkiness in the artistic and cultural landscape classes while helping you graduate on time.