If you heard the first song on the new Prince album and decided to stop listening to the rest, you probably aren’t the only one. The first and title track, “”Planet Earth,”” sounds like a bad opening number to the worst musical on planet Earth.

First impressions are not always everything, though. “”Guitar,”” the second track, is upbeat and fun, with an opening guitar riff that gives it a feel similar to any U2 song. “”Chelsea Rogers”” is also fun and upbeat, with more of an updated disco feel.

The album also contains classic Prince-style R&B tracks. “”Somewhere Here on Earth”” is a great song to put on after a long day when you just need to relax. “”The One U Wanna C”” is very reminiscent of “”Raspberry Beret”” or “”Little Red Corvette.””

Overall, the album is a little disappointing for fans that are looking for huge hits like “”Purple Rain”” and “”Kiss.”” But, Prince is known for re-inventing himself over and over, and he deserves kudos for doing it again this time.

– Allison Warren

In his new and jarring novel, “”The Pesthouse,”” Jim Crace toys with the idea of apocalypse in a future that is more medieval than modern. The America he describes has suffered an eco-disaster and is now devoid of government, society and law. Americans who survived form gangs, relying on the rule of brute force, or head back to mysteriously safe Europe.

At the heart of the novel are newly-acquainted Margaret, an outcast because of her recent case of the “”flux,”” and Franklin, a strapping young chap whose job it is to keep them alive. Though romance eventually begins to blossom between the two, their circumstances, including the rescue of an abandoned child, give them interesting status as a family almost from the start.

“”The Pesthouse”” is imperfect in the sparse explanations provided for America’s downfall but makes it up with the vivid details provided of the new, bare landscape and the people who inhabit it. This novel takes the notions of the family and of social breakdown and shaves them bare so that we may better examine them. And who can resist a book so peacefully free of TVs and cell phones?

– Astrid Duffy

This film is supposed to be about a smart, college-aged woman, Aubrey Fleming (played by Lindsay Lohan), who is kidnapped and tortured by a serial killer.

In reality, this movie is actually just a vehicle for Lohan to tramp around in naughty lingerie and curse as often as possible. Sadly, the promise of seeing the near-nude starlet is the most exciting aspect of this film.

“”I Know Who Killed Me”” has a slow but promising start as viewers see the film attempt to build up Fleming’s character. The movie fails to turn into an interesting thriller, though, instead opting for the role of a gruesome and gory horror film, a concept that still is not realized.

Plot twists are typically saved for the finale of a movie, but the identity of the killer was unfortunately spoiled within the first five minutes. Any additional story lines add to the lack of credibility that the movie has – from Fleming’s twin sister separated at birth to the association of blood and gore with stigmata – and weighs down the film from any success it could have had.

Don’t waste your time with this blunder; you will thoroughly regret it. If you really want to see Lohan strip, just do a YouTube search. At least you don’t have to pay for it.

– Jamie Ross