The Reptile
Love that little green croc? Well if Lacoste is dear to your heart, check out the spring Lacoste fashion show at State tonight. State, located at 320 Lincoln Road, promises complimentary VOX martinis and cocktails until 11 p.m. and one hell of a runway. RSVP to attend this rather cheeky event.

Roots Jam Festival
Drop by Tobacco Road Roots Jam Festival Saturday, for some hot action, three stages, indoors & out, featuring groups such as Kynda, Drums & Tuba, Glass, The Baboons, and Suenalo Sound System.

Because in Normal Taxis Death Awaits
Fatboy Taxi is a one-man show and UM’s greatest secret. Started about five years ago Fatboy Taxi offers trips to South Beach and Ft. Laudy for reduced prices and is hilariously funny and rather up to date on celebrity news, which makes for an even more exciting taxi ride. Two perks, Fatboy doesn’t drive like a maniac and he promises a free Polaroid picture with each trip. Call Early! 305-345-3445

Oscars Succumb to Actor’s Fancy
Bill Murray, nominated for Lost In Translation, agreed to present at the Academy Awards if and only if the orchestra would not play to cut him off no matter what he said or did. They agreed. So expect something outrageous regardless of the 5-minute delay.

If anyone has photography, art, or poetry that they would like to submit for publication, email j.davila1@umiami.edu.

The Academy Awards are just as political and unfair as ever, and every year they seem to get farther away from actually giving the Best Picture award to the best movie of the year.
Of course, judging films is totally subjective and there will always be people who agree with the Academy’s choices. But by looking closely at past winners and reading about the collective attitude of Hollywood before this year’s awards, it’s easy to see that the process is not even close to fair.
Whether you just want to impress your friends, or you’re looking to win some money on the ridiculous gambling site tradesports.com, here’s who will leave Sunday night’s ceremony with statues.

Best Picture
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The finale in Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy is amazingly crafted, but is not the best movie of the year. The Academy doesn’t care however, making LOTR one of the biggest favorites in recent memory. This trilogy will be popular long after Mystic River is forgotten, so why not throw the “Oscar-winning” title before it?

Best Director
Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)
The brilliant Jackson has yet to win an Oscar for his visionary work on the trilogy, and this is the one category that he absolutely deserves to win.

Best Actor
Sean Penn (Mystic River)
Bill Murray also has a shot for his great performance in Lost in Translation, but Penn is possibly the best living American actor and he’s never won an Oscar. He also had an excellent role in 21 Grams, which will help him get a few more votes than Murray.

Best Actress
Charlize Theron (Monster)
The Academy loves to make new stars with its acting categories (see Adrien Brody, Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, etc.), so Theron is basically a lock here unless conservative voters were too grossed out by Monster and pick the less deserving Diane Keaton for Something’s Gotta Give instead.

Best Supporting Actor
Tim Robbins (Mystic River)
The supporting categories are always a mystery, so this one could be a surprise, but Robbins will likely win because of his name recognition and because of the amazing acting by the entire cast of Mystic River. His anti-war sentiments this year have been controversial, but liberal Hollywood probably agrees and so that could help.

Best Supporting Actress
Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain)
Shohreh Aghdashloo’s brilliant performance in House of Sand and Fog would be the daring choice here by the Academy, and some voters may choose to award this underrated film with an Oscar for the Iranian actress, but the more marketable Zellweger will probably win instead for her standout role in the otherwise forgettable Cold Mountain.

Best Original Screenplay
Jim Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan, Kirsten Sheridan (In America)
The screenplay award could go to anyone, and Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation may pick it up if Murray doesn’t win Best Actor, but the most deserving screenplay of the year came from the Sheridan family. An Oscar win would also help this great movie get more recognition among mainstream audiences once it comes out on video and pay-per-view.

Best Animated Film
Finding Nemo
Unless there’s some silent legion of Nemo-haters, this is a pretty obvious choice. The Triplets of Belleville was also very well-liked, but is an extreme long shot.

For all the nominees, go to www.oscars.org. The 76th Annual Academy Awards will air live Sunday night, February 29, at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Shawn Wines can be contacted at shawnwines@aol.edu.

San Francisco jam-band New Monsoon’s sophomore effort, Downstream, is full of eclectic, thick textured sounds with flavors including Classic Rock, Bluegrass, Jazz, and Latino music. The style descends from 60’s, Grateful Dead with similarities to Phish and The String Cheese Incident, both leading contemporary bands of the genre.

Downstream relies heavily on instrumentals. The most notable attribute of the CD is the diverse percussion. Three of the band’s seven members are devoted to drums, many of which give the album its Latin and Eastern sounds. The album breaks down with the entrance of the lyrics which are overly optimistic and weak. They are intended to be inspirational but have little solid content other than how beautiful the world looks when you’re high, with lyrics like “Find the backroads where the coast is clear, open up the pouch and smile, they say the west is nice this time of year” from the song Velvet Pouch .

New Monsoon remains unsigned, producing and releasing their two CDs independently, relying on live performances and a strong fan base for support and exposure. As any jam band fan knows, live is always better.

Jessica Sanders can be contacted at j.sanders4 @umiami.edu.

From the hot tracks floating through airwaves from stations such as 100.7 to the mass amounts of pop-punk blasted on classic music channels MTV, VH-1 and newcomer Fuse, the music industry has been bursting with new and invigorating talent. Adding to the long list of soon to be part of the latest buzz is so-called “emo-pop-punk” band Daze. The three members of Daze have been together for about half a year and their new album Fresh Red is remnant of bands such as Rooney, Jimmy Eat World, or muppet-loving Weezer. However, Daze is all about the females, from the title track Fresh Red to songs such as Gina, Mary and 4 Day Girl, its obvious that the boys have had their share of experiences. Guitarist and vocalist Boris Pelekh chats with EDGE about touring, inspirations, defining music, and foot powder.

EDGE: How did you get the name for the band?
Boris: It was just very random, we were talking and thinking about Days, as in D-A-Y-S but then Daze just jumped out at us, no one else was using it, except for some Swedish techno band in the 80’s that doesn’t exist anymore. It just really summarizes our music.
EDGE: Where do you get your inspirations from?
Boris: Well Fresh Red is all about girls, sex, love; experiences and fantasies.

EDGE: What is your favorite song on the album?
Boris: The title track, Fresh Red, it accumulates our style, the variety in our sound.

EDGE: (switching to touring) What is the best part of touring?

Boris: Playing every night, hanging out, listening to new music.

EDGE: Name something you have to have on tour.
Boris: Well aside from our gear? Foot powder is very crucial on tour, we crash in our van all the time, we buy groceries and lunch out in the van, and sleep in the van. Foot powder in necessary.

EDGE: And the usual question…what are some of your musical influences?
Boris: Jam, heavy thrash metal, the lead vocalist and I were big jazz nazi’s back in Boston, 80’s punk, Rush, Queen, stuff like that.
EDGE: Do you find it hard to be original in a genre that is so big right now?
Boris: Well actually, we have the opposite problem, we’re almost too original, it’s harder to find people that really get our music, people have almost no idea what to say. And as much as we’re classified as emo-pop-punk, we’re not really that.

EDGE: And finally, describe your music in a few choice words.
Boris: Driving heavy, melodic, party-esque.

Despite a slight voice resemblance to someone estranged from The Hurricane staff, Daze are sure to continue causing a stir. With lyrics such as “the naughty playground that you throw on me, body’s bedtime chat your crescent moonshine backline jumps on me,” Daze is not afraid to discuss the honesty of sex as an addiction. Using the truth of a topic that everyone is afraid to admit fixation for, Daze uses its slightly rougher recorded sound to lure audiences under their sexual spell and that spell is one that no one will grow tired off.

Joanna Davila can be contacted at j.davila1@umiami.edu.

Miami is known to the world as a fashion center, however, unlike Paris, Milan or New York, fashion isn’t based on who is walking down the runway, fashion is based on individual tastes and a flair for fun – nothing is too unique for MIA.

While many of the on campus label whores worry if their Gucci clashes with their Coach or if their pumas match their new Urban tee (boys), it’s Miami’s vintage that really creates noteworthy fashion. Introducing Miami Twice and Fly Boutique, Miami’s hippest and hottest vintage fashion stores, showcasing all that is hot in dj vu designs. Who says new means better anyways?

Miami Twice has been open for 20 years, serving the Miami area with vintage clothing, jewelry, shoes, costume rentals, bags, and masks; there’s no question Miami Twice is a unique store. One look at the mannequins in the window lounging on a chase and cuddling with a flamingo tells you there is much to be found behind the glass doors. Inside, the store is a sight to be seen: to the left, vintage dresses by Pucci, Gucci, Prada, and Diane Von Furstenberg, to the right are bags, shoes, and strangely, a rocking horse. Racks and racks of hidden treasures from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and even early 90’s, hang delicately from metal hangers, each priced from the $35-$200 range. Above, a rainbow of fluffy skirts reminiscent of the play turned movie Seven Wives for Seven Brothers hang contently, their ruffles extending to an almost three foot span of layered chiffon. On the walls, Venetian masks, wigs, and men’s hats rest delicately on mannequin heads, beside the register lucite jewelry fills a glass case while cocktail rings and aged ivory fill a 50’s boudoir. Across the room bushy boas rain down like jungle vines on ceiling suspended rails. In the back, men’s jeans cover a wall from floor to ceiling and radiating from behind crystal clear glass sliders, vintage Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci purses sit in mint condition, their $120 price tags begging for them to be bought.

With prices that compare to popular favorites Hollister, AE, and Express, Miami Twice is one of the most interesting stores in the Miami area. Hours can be spent perusing through the racks of clothing, admiring the unique handbags, and laughing at the ridiculousness of the black platform boots made for men. If the idea of wearing twice-worn clothing isn’t appealing, Miami Twice great for jewelry finds, reconstructed skirts and tops (like the ones at Urban Outfitters), guys tees, such as one with a print of Michael Jackson, and mini skirts that will make anyone’s head turn, guy or girl. Hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.; averaging 100 customers a day Miami Twice proves that fun, funky, and vintage are definitely fashion musts.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, seasoned vintage lovers spend time in Lincoln Road’s Fly Boutique. About half the age of Miami Twice, Fly Boutique carries to the slightly more up nosed characters that prefer to adorn their bodies with clothes that even aged, cost more than $40 or $50. However Fly Boutique is rightly named, with an earthy and somewhat ethereal feel the clothes in Fly Boutique are as classic and ageless as the paintings on the wall. Juxtaposed to the chaos on the mall outside the store is rather laid back with everything from the Victorian red velvet chairs to the register table coming from a time period other than the present. Labels such as Pucci, Saint Laurent, and Gucci can be seen among the racks, tie-dyed dresses, shear tops, furs, and $87 Roberto Cavalli jeans rest on the women’s side. On the right, the men’s side is full of bright button ups, classic relaxed jeans, leather jackets, a few retro tees, and a few trucker hats dot the expanse of clothing. In the bags section, Vintage MIU MIU, Gucci and Coach are priced at a mere $115 and $110, bargains compared to prices of present pieces.

Although Fly Boutique is a bit small, the store is packed with an eclectic mix of pieces, catering to everyone wanting to be a part of the vintage frenzy. Classic, the vintage found within the four walls has no expiration date, a perk that nullifies any misgivings about shelling out bucu dollars for something that could be at least two decades old. Overall Fly Boutique is an experience and definitely a must when shopping for vintage- the level of class exuded almost makes you want to call it couture. Fly Boutique is open until 10 p.m., just late enough to take a visit before heading out for a late dinner, head to Fly Boutique to slip into the past and be fly in the present.

Joanna Davila can be contacted at j.davila1@umiami.edu.