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Show DIXIESUNNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24. 2016 HIM NOTE Local ve ues rock ni t 11 vvith cou in e ;I 1 I . ,r' ' tôt , I,' '':! t. ..it 4 i a sandwich shop. Here I got to see a comedy group called Improv Dixie perform improvised sketches and games similar to those in the show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Honestly, I was a little skeptical about watching a comedy show, - ''' It JOE s,.1 NELSON , gjoenelsoncisu. Although St. George is a college town, Dixie University students often left wondering are what to do or where to go State fun. for can be quite the conundrum for students like me who need to find healthy havens from school and work. I mean, this is college; we're not This supposed to be bored. Fortunately, I found a simple solution. Last weekend, I was able to attend several events that supported local artists, involved quality food, and entertained me. My first stop on Saturday night was Even Stevens, Even Stevens 471 E. St. George Blvd. George's Corner Restaurant and Pub 2 W. St. George Blvd. Jazzy's Rock in Roil 285 16 N. Bluff but really enjoyed their performance. It was interactive, spontaneous, and very funny. I St. Travis Fryer, a member of Improv Dixie and sophomore theatre major from Salt Lake City, said he looks for "food and free entertainment" as a student and is pleased to help deliver that to the community. "We're offering something new to the community and just giving people an opportunity to laugh," Kelly Thomas said, also a member of Improv Dixie and former theatre instructor at DSU. "I mean, it's free. You can bring your friends, get some snacks and see a great show." Improv Dixie performs every second and fourth Saturday at Even Stevens. My next stop was just down the road at George's Corner Restaurant and Pub. The food here can be a bit pricey for students on a budget, but the quality is worth it. Various sandwiches, burgers, salads and pastas are available to order. The onion rings I had were paperbacks 10 That's not new. It's 0110 ! I .1 k. ' e ) The popularity of reading since the advent of television has steadily waned. But company Serial Box may have a solution. BY MARY ANN GWINN INS In the ongoing war for our attention, books are losing. I KLJBO continued from 8 children's films these days. From ey the first moment, "Kubo and the Two Strings" creates a sense of foreboding. Kubo's mother, a powerful witch, floes from her family with her newborn son over the peean, fearful that her :Ili .1i , , that most people TV shows to tomes. prefer The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has been tracking how Americans spend their free time since 2003, and, on average, we spend more than two hours each day watching TV and only 19 minutes reading. So to get modern readers' attention, some publishers are taking a cue from Charles Dickens and releasing their books in installments. A company called Serial Box (because what bookworm doesn't love a pun?) is leading the charge by blending 19th century serial publishing with 21st century TV script writing. Here's how it works: Serial Box releases what it has dubbed an "episode" father, the vengeful Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), will appear to steal young Kubo's right eye. Parkinson of "Game of Thrones") lives quietly in a seaside cave alongside his mother. Kubo often tells stories to the local villagers, using the magic of his shamisen (a traditional oriJapanese lute) to bring gami creations to life. But the Moon King . fantastic. . , While chowing down on ,...,,,,,.: i,, , ..,...,, the food, you can listen to a local contemporary artist ,,,, like Nick Adams, or you ,...,.,: , can hear a local country 4 band like Gunlock County. ; l i I definitely enjoyed the : t , t ; time I spent there and ,,,, would recommend it to anybody who enjoys some , f . I delicious food and local , , ,, entertainment. , I finished my evening at " ' 1 i d ' 1 Jazzy's Java Rock 'n Roll Grill. There is a $5 cover t , i . I t. 1 . fee here collected at the , , , , rt door. I was able to hear a , few different bands here t playing mostly punk rock ' , and heavy metal music. I t I . ' It wasn't really my style, f ' , , but there were quite a few t college students there who were enjoying themselves. i Megan Huard, a DSU , alumna and the sound t . board operator, said Jazzy's "attracts everyone. It's mu- X i ! . . sic; everyone likes music." t 2 t Jazzy's showcases dif' i , ' i ! o I, ferent genres each night, t so you may have to go a cZ couple times to hear the like. genre you An indie pop band from Phoenix called Emby AlexBritta Lee Shain of Topanga Canyon, California gives the atmosphere at Georges Corner, a local feel while the audience enjoys a homemade meal. Great entertainment ander was headlining while restaurant, a country-blue- s in St. George at Even Stevens, Georges Corner Pub, and Jazzy Java is nose under hiding your just I was there; I enjoyed Grill. n'Roll Rock them more than the opening groups. Jazzy's tries to bring in talent from all over Jazzy's has amazing groups, then go visit one of p.m. the country, so I would these three venues. smoothies and hold mances If you are bored on the recommend checking their After all, this is college, weekend and you like every Friday and Saturday on schedule mic music and we are supposed to and an performance laughing, great food, open night their Facebook page. have fun. and supporting local bands night on Wednesdays at 8 .4., , ,,,,,,,,. . ., ..1 k . ''. . , f . 1 $ , 1 , , I , 1 ,. -- ' , ' A v . , , . of ,A. 4ii c , k t' ' 1 Z. 1 2 ,, - , , f A i7) r x-- , , t . . . of each book every week well-know- n Years later, Kubo (Art from it. . round out your summer readingincluding 'Hamilton' Badly. 4 . 4 t t ' ) ii4 for 10 to 16 weeks, or a "season." Each episode, in ebook or audiobook form, is 40 minutes long. That's a little less than the average American's commute time to and from work, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2014 American Community Survey, and, coincidentally, the same length as your typical hourlong TV show sans the commercial breaks. In an interview with NPR, Serial Box founder Molly Barton explained, "We're not just chopping up novels and sending out chapters." The company uses a team of writers to flesh out a season not unlike a TV program. Each episode can e be read as a readers can keep or vignette pace weekly to see the bigstand-alon- ger picture. It's a novel idea to get still searches for Kubo, and one fateful day, his twin aunts (both played by Rooney Mara) attack, intent on removing his remaining eye. Saved by the last of his mother's magic, Kubo teams up with Monkey (Charlize Theron)a wooden monkey charm brought to lifeand Beetle (Matthew half-ma- n, McConaughey)a half-beetle-in a search for The Armor people reading more, well, novels. But it also seems unlikely to lure serious TV junkies away from the screen. In 2014, Pew Research Center found that nearly a quarter of Americans didn't read a single book during that year. No paperbacks. No Nooks. No books on tape. Don't panic yet for the fate of literature. Pew also found that, on average, Americans read 11 books per year. That means those who do regularly read, don't just nibble at books; they devour them And all these statistics on the American reader have been fairly consistent since the rise of smartphones and Netflix. It's not as if we're witnessing the slow death of the bibliophile. Readers are fairly set in their habits, which could present Serial Box with a problem as it tries to lure new consumers. See, Serial Box wants to be the "HBO of books." You've heard of Serial Box is aiming for The business model strikes us as more akin to cable TV than video streaming giants like HBO and Netflix, .though. TV devotees can x h a series on because entire seasons of shows are available at once. Serial Box subscribers have to wait a week for the next installment. For the reading faithful, that wait could throw a cramp in their nightly book fix. For the newly indoctrinated, it could keep them from slipping into the story. The serials--o- r books, rial Box has available so far are filled with magic, politics and crime, which d could hook fans of TV series such as "Game of Thrones" (and its books) or "House of Cards." Yet serials run the same risk that all works of art created by multiple people over a long period of time do: a lack of consistency. Don't get us wrong: Anything that gets more people reading is with us. We admire this approachable, tactic. It could be a godsend for a niche market of readers. But that doesn't change the fact that the best g method for is the same today as it was in Dickens' day: a book. good, Ser(c) Tribune News vice 2016. Impenetrable, The Sword Unbreakable and The Helmet Invulnerable to defeat the Moon King. Despite the darkness of Kubo's situation, we are treated to magnifie cent sights like mountain vistas, Kubo's magic building a delicate boat of leaves, and gods and monsters in thrilling battles. Animation house Laika reaches new heights in nearly every scene, so much so that you will film. life-lik- binge-watchin- binge-readin- g? g. Net-flu- binge-watc- 40-min- if you prefer--th- Se- at game-is- h. In addition, the somewhat forced banter between Monkey and Beetle is sometimes a little with Beetle saddled with what is easily the weakest dialogue in the cringe-worth- A-O- K binge-readin- ed likely question whether a background has been painted or is real. However, there is also a tendency for battles and travel-tim- e to lean toward the video well-love- y, Regardless of such small missteps, "Kubo and the Two Strings" will be sure to have you sitting in awe before the magic on the screen. To the parents out there: Be warned that "Kubo and the Two Strings" has some themes and imagery that will certainly frighten the little ones under 10. Use caution. Grade: A e |