The Colorado Stories staff explores what it is like to park in the city of Boulder, with stories from producer Xandra McMahon and host Patrick Fort.

The post Colorado Stories, Episode 9: “Parking” appeared first on CU Independent.

The Colorado Stories team looks into student housing and rentals in Boulder.

The post Colorado Stories, Episode 8: “Landlords” appeared first on CU Independent.

On this week’s episode of Colorado Stories, producers Kyle Ward and Xandra McMahon ride along with a CUPD officer and a delivery driver for one of Boulder’s busiest pizza delivery joints.

The post Colorado Stories, Episode 5: Ride-alongs appeared first on CU Independent.

Sick of holiday tunes? Here’s a different winter playlist. By Patrick Fort

The post Playlist: Alternatives to Christmas music appeared first on CU Independent.

It is December, and you are now legally allowed to listen to Christmas music without bothering others. By Patrick Fort

The post Best Christmas songs appeared first on CU Independent.

Three months later, the flood still weighs heavily on the minds of Boulder County residents

The post Colorado Stories: Episode three – The Flood, Pt. 2 appeared first on CU Independent.

I’m a journalist. Whenever there is a debate on any sort of ethical issue, I am all over it. When I first heard about “The Fifth Estate,” I was intrigued to learn how they would portray the entire WikiLeaks scandal.

First of all, Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is quite good. After seeing the film, I had to check out YouTube for some comparisons. Turns out is nearly spot-on. Applause for Cumberbatch.

(Courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures)

The film also does a good job of letting the plot flow as a narrative, as a movie should. It portrays some of the parts of the WikiLeaks story that would otherwise not be shown, like the grungy, grimy underbelly of Assange’s world.

Do you remember when I said I was a journalist? During most of the film, I found myself saying, “but how do you know that?” Here is the answer:

The information comes from a book written by Daniel Domscheit-Berg, Assange’s former cohort behind the shroud of WikiLeaks anonymity. As you may or may not know, Domscheit-Berg and Assange did not get along so well, and eventually Assange cut him loose.

Clearly, this makes the entire premise of the movie seem tenuous at best. Because they don’t provide this key insight until the movie’s end, viewers spend the entire movie questioning what they’re watching.

The real-life Assange has also publicly criticized the film for its accuracy. Maybe that means something.

Cumberbatch excepted, “The Fifth Estate” is filled with petty melodrama and lacks character development.

For your own good, wait to see the film until it leaks onto your favorite torrenting website.

Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Patrick Fort at Patrick.fort@colorado.edu.

For as much crap as Taylor Swift gets on the internet about writing breakup music, there is something really special about it. To me, breakup songs are some of the best and most sincere pieces of music out there. Conversely, love songs (which is probably the umbrella category for breakup songs) also manage to evoke an emotion that a lot of other genres can’t conjure.

When listening to breakup music (especially while going through a breakup), no one understands the depth of your sadness as much as the person who penned that song.

So why is breakup music the best for pampering your shattered ego? Because everyone has been there. It sucks, but there is nothing like wailing out the lyrics to some of your favorite bands. The lyrics embody that resentment you now have for that special person.

You may ask yourself, “Where do I start?” Well, I am here to help you out.

My favorite breakup song of all time comes from my favorite band of all time. You may recognize the voice, and that is because you have probably heard it. Nate Ruess, is now the singer of a small band called fun., but he used to front a band called The Format. This song is, in my honest opinion, a perfect metaphor for the emotional roller coaster that is a breakup.

With lyrics like, “Can you hear me? Are you listening? This is the sound of my heart breaking. I hope it’s entertaining, because for me it’s a bitch,” and “Was it worth it when you slept with him? Did you get it all out of your system,” there is not much else that better explains all the confusion of your post-breakup self.

So be indulgent, my friends. This is the only time you will get to do it.

“Dog Problems” by The Format

Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Patrick Fort at Patrick.fort@colorado.edu.

If Justin Timberlake is anything, he is a craftsman. He has acted in feature films and, as we all know, comes from ‘NSync fame.

Mr. Timberlake has stuck around without really making a fool of himself. Instead, he has established himself a media empire. He even founded his own tequileria.

In case you, in the court of public opinion, have not been convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Justin is still killing it onstage, I give you Exhibit A.

“Mirrors” 

Yes. I know that this is not the studio version that was slaying listeners all summer, but this version is so much better in many ways. First, he was the host of the episode of Saturday Night Live. It was the fifth time that he had hosted the show, and the third time he’d hosted while also being the featured musical guest. This video just exemplifies his true skill as a performer.

“Cry Me A River”

Not only is the video brilliantly directed, but the song evokes a feeling that many breakup songs don’t try to emote (especially from guys). He’s clearly upset with this girl not because she left, but because of the circumstances of her leaving. Do I need to say more?

Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Patrick Fort at Patrick.fort@colorado.edu.

The Buffs have filled their Oct. 19 bye week with Charleston Southern, an FCS team. This follows the cancellation of a Sept. 14 with Fresno State, the Buffs’ half of a home-and-home series with the Bulldogs. 

The agreement comes after Fresno State and CU could not find open dates in their schedules except for Dec. 7, the date of both the Mountain West and Pac-12 championship games, the respective conferences of both teams.

“The Fresno State athletic department leadership, their president and their fans have all been very supportive and cooperative in our efforts to reschedule this contest,” said CU athletic director Rick George in a press release. “We are also most appreciative of Fresno State’s student-athletes collecting donations to aid those victims of the flood.”

All tickets for the Fresno State contest will be honored for the game against Charleston Southern. If ticket holders are unable to attend the rescheduled game, the tickets may be used for any of CU’s other home games on a value-for-value basis.

CU received a waiver from the NCAA that would allow the Buffs to become bowl eligible if they reach six wins, even if two come against FCS teams. Central Arkansas was CU’s first FCS opponent.  Schools become bowl eligible at six wins but are traditionally only able to count one win against FCS schools.

The time of the game has yet to be decided.

Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Patrick Fort at Patrick.fort@colorado.edu