Jocks want to rock, and rock stars want to be sports heroes. This pop culture rule-of-thumb might explain why 105-pound pianist Anne-Marie McDermott envisions herself as an athlete. Read more...

College students are often familiar with how to find and maneuver the well-traveled road to success. Honors and AP courses, plus extracurricular activities and high SAT scores, equal entrance into an accredited university, which then often equals a well-paying job and happiness. Read more...

The New Pornographers “Electric Version” Mint/Matador Records The New what? That’s right, The New Pornographers are exposing the bare skin of a rock ‘n’ roll that doesn’t need a blanket of feedback or scratchy vocals to hide a lack of talent. Read more...

When second-year student Derrick Spiva had one of his first compositions performed in his high school band, miscalculated chords led to an experience so embarrassing that Spiva’s music still lays tucked away in his bedroom drawer. Read more...

“Manic” Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt IFC Films “Manic” plays like it wishes it were a documentary. The shaky camera angles as well as the washed-out colors of digital give “Manic” a borrowed kind of realism. Read more...

“Manic” joins a tradition of films about mental institutions, such as 1975’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” But sometimes these films give the wrong impression of what actual mental health care is like. Read more...

It’s easy to forget they are there. Locked away and not often talked about, the mentally ill are still a taboo in much of American culture; they are perceived as somewhat alien. Read more...