Summer 2007 Preview

Credit: Jason Hall

July 21 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

It’s the end of an era – after nearly 10 years, the boy wizard’s adventures are coming to a close.

At 784 pages, the seventh and final installment in the series remains a bit hush-hush, concerning plot lines and character deaths.

But author J.K. Rowling promises to answer those burning questions readers have been dying to know (no pun intended) since the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries, in Deathly Hallows.

What exactly happened to Sirius? What’s the significance of Lily’s eyes? Whose name appears on Snape’s moral foam finger – Voldemort or Dumbledore? And seriously, what’s up with that veil?

Oh, sweet, sweet ambiguity. All in good time.

At some point in the story, an epic battle between good and evil is inevitable and will most likely result in multiple casualties with a slew of Avada Kedavras and flicks of the wrist. Even the title sparks morbid curiosity. Will Harry bite the dust? Take the stairway to heaven? Ride the highway to hell? Or will Rowling pull a literary Dr. Strangelove, sans nuclear bombs and communists, and end the world with You-Know-Who as its newly christened leader?

Either way, fans know who the real winner is – Rowling rakes in enough dough (in muggle terms, of course) to bring the Dark Lord himself to his knees.

Riddikulus.

-ÿJinae West

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July 16 – The Police come to Cleveland

Rage Against the Machine is touring with Wu-Tang. A new Smashing Pumpkins album is due in July.

Big-name band reunions are becoming the latest trend in the music industry. And what better group to drive the bandwagon than punk/reggae forerunner

The Police?

Hell froze over last February when the famous, three-piece rockers reunited to perform at the Grammys and announced their first tour since 1984. No Police fan ever expected it. The egotistical and financial conflicts between actor/Police singer Sting and Police founder/drummer Stewart Copeland had become infamous throughout the decades.

But now, the gloves are back on for the summer tour, and Police lovers are feeling the cost of such a rare treat. Quicken Loans Arena tickets for the July 16 stop in Cleveland range from $50 to $350.

During its heyday from 1977 to its 1986 break-up, The Police started a following that has only grown. Each of its five albums contained a different sound spanning from punk to pop. The Police topped charts in the United States and the United Kingdom with singles such as “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle” and “Every Breath You Take.”

So, a couple words of advice: Get the cheapest tickets possible and do whatever it takes, but don’t miss The Police. You never know how long the reunion will last, and The Police members aren’t getting any younger.

-ÿAlly Melling

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July 13 – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This summer will be filled with Simpsons, pirates and one very spidy superhero. But the one character that is sure to steal the spotlight is a 15-year-old boy wizard by the name of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is shaping up to be the most dramatic film in the beloved series so far. With the ever-looming presence of Lord Voldemort, a vicious new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and the highs and lows of adolescence, it’s amazing director David Yates managed to condense the 870-page book to under two and a half hours of screen time.

Fans of the series can expect to see their favorite characters, along with some new faces. Katie Leung plays Cho Chang, the girl Harry has had a crush on since his fourth year. The loony but lovable radish earring-wearing Luna Lovegood is played by Evanna Lynch. And no one can forget Dolores Umbridge, the newest Hogwarts teacher. Clad always in a pink suit, she looks as sweet as a girl scout but is worse than Professor Snape.

After watching the preview, it’s clear Phoenix will be even more adventure-packed than the previous movies; however, adventure can take a devastating turn.

-ÿBrittany Moseley

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May 22 – It Won’t Be Soon Before Long by Maroon 5

Talk about a throwback album. “Makes Me Wonder” is rooted deep in the Saturday Night Fever of the late disco-era ’70s, with a kickback to Michael Jackson. On the follow-up to their debut, multi-platinum success, look for heavy shades of the group’s influences, which range from Prince to Police to The Beatles. –

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June 19 – Wild Hope by Mandy Moore

With collaborations with artists like Lori McKenna and Rachael Yamagata, it’s safe to say that the seventh (yes, you read that right) release from singer/songwriter/actress Moore will lean closer to the folk, alt approach on her compilation album Coverage. “Extraordinary” makes a mellow first impression and doesn’t inspire much hope. Download the album sampler on iTunes first. – Adam Griffiths