A&E

Stephen Tucker, conductor and music professor, moved his hands majestically to lead the body of musicians in the concert "Distant Worlds" last Friday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, putting on another wonderful performance by the UC Irvine Symphony Orchestra.

Over the course of last week, the 10th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival showcased over 400 films from 45 different countries at Edwards Island Cinemas in Fashion Island and Lido Theater in Newport Peninsula.

Subscribers to Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) found in January that their subscriptions were canceled. Meanwhile, on the other side of the print industry, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, after publishing since 1863, closed its doors and went online.

Even after his 33 studio albums, Bob Dylan still has not lost his ability to create albums that can entice the listener track after track. Dylan originally returned to the studio to record a single ballad for the film "My Own Love Song," yet the session proved to be so productive that the band recorded nine additional songs, which now comprise his new studio album "Together Through Life."

One look at director Joe Wright's ("Atonement") latest film and you think you have it figured out. What it looks like from trailers and clips is your average awards-bait film; a disabled savant whose inner talent is brought out by his friendship with a saner person. For the most part, this assumption is correct, but a surprising lack of a few major conventions of the feel-good Oscar flick, and the strength of the two lead actors makes what could have been another sappy paint-by-numbers experience into something actually worth seeing.

Rather than turning left to go to the Loan Reserves Desk or making a right to the couches and study cubicles, students should take 20 steps straight ahead.

On Friday night, the Greek community held its 30th annual Songfest philanthropy event in the Bren Events Center. This year, the event raised over $30,000 for the Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer program, burying Songfest's goal of $25,000. Each fraternity and sorority at UC Irvine paired up in fall quarter and for the entire year rigorously rehearsed 12 minutes from a play of their choosing. The end result is three hours of singing, dancing and choreography. Past Songfests have included segments from plays such as "Wicked" and "All Shook Up."

The men from Basildon, England are back with their first album in three years. "Sounds of the Universe" is touted as a return to form for Depeche Mode, with the use of several analog synths and drum machines. Unfortunately, this back-to-basics technique only serves to further highlight the mediocrity that Depeche Mode has become comfortable with.

Spring is here, summer is quickly approaching, and soon we'll all be baking in the sun. With everything so pleasant outside, these months beg for activity, activity that might be down a bit thanks to how easy it is these days to wrap yourself up in your little corner of the world. There are always things to do outside but sometimes it doesn't seem worth it. But you're an adventurous one, aren't you? I can tell from the look in your eyes. Oh, and you like music, do you? Well, then you should be in luck.

Digital distribution has been detrimental to media like films and music that rely on DVDs and album releases to generate extra income for the studios. However, the opposite is true for video games in that avoiding brick-and-mortar retail outlets actually cuts costs for developers. A new trend is emerging in the gaming industry toward titles produced exclusively for digital distribution.

With the Newport Beach Film Festival just around the corner starting this Thursday, the New University brings you an inside look into some of the upcoming films at this year's festival.

ASUCI kicked off its annual Wayzgoose Medieval Faire in Aldrich Park at 10 a.m. on Saturday. In collaboration with Celebrate UCI, Wayzgoose is an opportunity for incoming freshmen to get a taste of the many extracurricular activities the campus has to offer. The park remained packed throughout the day, which couldn't have been better for a festival as there wasn't a cloud in the sky.