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Show B2 MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2008 Life • THE COLLEGE TIMES shops What you didn't know was downtown Brandon Osmond / College Timei Greg Wilccox Life writer Many feel that hip culture and Provo mix like oil and water. To a certain degree, this is understandable. But did you know that Provo has a happening scene? That's right; not all just a bunch of cookie-cutter BYU students walking around looking for the best ice cream joint for their group date. A number of boutique shops and music venues are now in the downtown Provo area. These shops and locally owned business have one purpose: to bring more art, cultur, and vitality to the once dank downtown scene. Businesses like Mode Boutique and Coal Umbrella work together to achieve this goal, proof that department stores and mass-marketed designers have reached an intolerable level of banality. Mode Boutique, which opened in October of 2006, sells clothing that breaks away from the stereotypical mall selection. The owners. Mode Boutique owner Ryan Neely (left) diligently running the store. Coal Umbrella's (top and bottom) eclectic array of vintage clothes, vinyl records, and knick-knacks. Ryan and Becky Neely, said they are pleased with the reception they have received. As Ryan stated, "We have been getting more customers at a steady rate since we opened. People around the state have been coming to check us out." The focus, said Ryan, is on unique and interesting style of clothing rather than what's popular and sells the most. "It would have been a lot easier for us to open this store at a mall, but this isn't about the money-it's about bringing culture and vitality to Provo." Close by Mode Boutique is Coal Umbrella, which is a vintage clothing boutique that opened about a month ago. Though the store's entrance can be hard to find, it has a roomy upstairs area filled with some of the best vintage clothes in Utah. In fact. Matt Paulos who owns Coal Umbrella with his wife Elizabeth Paulos reaches as far as Europe and New York Set PROVO SHOPS • B3 27 chick-flick cliches No sizzle, just fizzle Luke Hickman Life editor T he premise to the new romantic comedy 27 Dresses is that Jane {Knocked tip's Katherine Heigl) is a single girl living in New York who has been a bride's maid 27 times, yet never been married herself. If you know what Heigl looks like, you're thinking, "Yeah, right! She'd never be single." But when you see the movie, you quickly learn why. The movie opens with Jane being the go-to bride's maid who solves every problem at a friend's wedding. Once the ceremony is over, Jane runs out to catch a cab to another wedding, where she is also the go-to bride's maid. The opening sequences show her going back and forth over and over again fixing things. Once the exhausting long night ends, Jane goes home and, instead of going to bed, opens up a newspaper and starts cutting out bridal announcements. And it's then you realize why she's single and why she's been a bride's maid 27 times - it's because she's absolutely crazy. 27 Dresses is the most typical chick-flick ever made. It plays off every single cliche you've ever seen. There's the perfect guy boss that Jane's too in love with to confess her undying love. There's the sister, nicknamed Bridezilla, who steals the boss away because Jane didn't speak up, There's even the How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days story going on with a wedding journalist {Enchanted and X-Men's James Marsden) who's try- ing to become close to her so that he can write a page-one article on how crazy she is. And guess what, he ends up really falling for her. Do you think the article will be printed, she'll read it, and then he'll have to win her back again? If so, that wouldn't be very original. Other than being completely unoriginal, 27 Dress's biggest flaw comes from creating a world of characters that you hardly care about. You don't care about the gorgeous, but potty-mouthed Jane. You don't vMmutahbridalshows.com care about Bridezilla. You don't care about the boss. The only person you want to sec more of isn't in the movie enough - Mardcn's journalist. If you're thinking of seeing 27 Dresses, please reconsider or wait until it hits the cheap theaters. There's only one scene in the movie that's actually entertaining which involves Heigl and Marsden stranded in a bar drunkenly singing Elton John's "Benny and the Jets," with the funniest lyrics. Other than that, be prepared to be disappointed. Jan. 26,2008 Provo Marriott Ballroom 100 W. t 0 0 N.. Show Hours: Saturday 11 am - 5 pm m. r/jiiwr^jtsasiKics^jfa^j EXTRAVAGANZA UtahBridalShows.com • ' * , • ! " 'i • • » • • Harriott. PROVO HOTEL A CONFERENCE CENTER ^_.,_J-I mm |