Jon Winkler, Author at The Statesman

Melanie Ellner brings soul to Stony Brook Idol

Jon WinklerArts FeaturedApril 9, 2014April 10, 2014

On the first beautiful day at Stony Brook in quite some time, students gathered on the Staller Steps to take in the singing talents of the six finalists of Stony Brook Idol 2014. The students showed great support toward the soulful, sultry performance of “Give It To Me Right,” from Melanie Ellner. Ellner, a sophomore psychology major, wooed the audience with her faithful rendition of Melanie Fiona’s R&B number with great vocal range and powerful delivery. Her stirring performance came together successfully, as she won first place.

Actor’s Conservatory packs the house for Musical Revue

Jon WinklerArtsApril 7, 2014

The Stony Brook Actor’s Conservatory held its second annual Musical Revue this past Friday and Saturday, drawing a packed house at the Staller Center Theatre 3. The crowd that attended the closing show on Saturday ranged from Stony Brook students with a liking for musical theatre to family members looking to see the talent of their offspring.

Pharrell’s “G I R L” offers light and groovy retro-pop

Jon WinklerArtsMarch 5, 2014

This past January, Pharrell Williams was awarded the Grammy for Producer of the Year. Despite what people think about the Grammys and their picks (*cough* Macklemore *cough*), it’s hard to deny the presence Williams has made for himself in the past year. So now, out of almost nowhere but not entirely surprising, Pharrell has presented nine new tracks (including “Happy”) to the public.

Return of a freak: Beck’s “Morning Phase”

Jon WinklerArtsFebruary 26, 2014

Freaks have made some of the best music in the past 50 years because they do not put an immediate ID tag on themselves. This way they can stick their toes in two or three genres on one album and make it their own sound. While freaks like Prince and David Bowie have been on and off in the past 20 years, the public has come to know a new freak of musical nature: His name is Beck Hansen.

Robocop maintains the frantic energy of the original film

Jon WinklerArtsFebruary 17, 2014February 17, 2014

2014’s “RoboCop” is like a brand new, shiny, well-oiled machine fresh off the assembly line. However, it lacks the subtle humor of its predecessor.

Rainn Wilson brings SoulPancake to SBU

Jon WinklerArts Featured Top StoryFebruary 5, 2014February 5, 2014

It is understandable whenever someone sees a famous person nearby and wants a photo. It is also understandable that the famous person may not want to take photos when he is doing something away from a camera. However, it is pretty surprising when that famous person actually poses for fans to take pictures the second he comes out. That is exactly what Rainn Wilson did last night at the Staller Center before he presented the history of his wildly successful media company, SoulPancake.

“Her”: a beautiful love story about a man and his computer

Jon WinklerArtsJanuary 29, 2014

“Her,” is both head-scratching science-fiction, an erotic fantasy for romantics (male and female) and a heartbreaking love story of how tightly people hold on to the ones they fall in love with, and how easily it can slip through their grip.

Billy Joel donates $250K piano to SBU

Jon WinklerArtsJanuary 27, 2014

Long Island is home to many legends in the music business: Pat Benatar, Tony Bennett and Louis Armstrong to name a few. But one of LI’s most famed and acclaimed sons to read sheet music is the Piano Man himself, Billy Joel. Raised in Hicksville, Joel is the sixth best-selling solo artist in music history (over 100 million albums sold worldwide) along with winning six Grammy awards and, more recently, being honored at the Kennedy Center. Joel also seems to always remember where he came from and still wants to contribute to the musical development of young college students.

SBU’s RockYoFace wraps up another successful semester

Jon WinklerArtsDecember 1, 2013December 1, 2013

As another semester at Stony Brook comes to a close, the students of SBU can go home for winter break knowing they saw some high quality entertainment courtesy of RockYoFaceCase, SBU’s premiere concert organizer.

Thor sequel fails to measure up to other Marvel movies

Jon WinklerArtsNovember 11, 2013

“Thor: The Dark World” goes for more quick, bright lightning than slow, creeping thunder. The result: just barely a storm worth caring about.