The sad departure
By Edward Cox－bisham

Editor＇s words
Bumped into a fantastic movie, read an absorbing book, or listened to a great CD recently? If you are still seething with excitement, then why not drop us a few lines and enable our readers to share your feelings? Do it right now！ Send your English review to vivi@xmrb.com （400 words or less） and receive some cash once it has been printed.
编者的话
最近是否欣赏到精彩的电影，书籍，或是CD？如果至今还令你回肠荡气不能平静的话，不妨把感受写下来与我们的读者共享。现在就开始行动，往vivi@xmrb.com里发英文短评吧（字数在400字内）。一经采用，必有稿酬。

With Marlon Brando's departure last month people will reflect on many different aspects of a colorful life. Most will always remember Brando as Don Vito Corleone in "the Godfather", for which he won his second Oscar. Some will always remember how his refusal to accept that award—because of the Hollywood film industry's long degradation of the American native (Indian) population—disrupted the 1973 Academy Award ceremony.
Until the Godfather, Brando's more famous and recognized roles were Terry Malloy, a young dockworker victimized by a corrupt union in "On the Waterfront" (1954, for which he won an Oscar); Johnny Strabler, a leather-clad motorcyclist, in "the Wild One" (1953); Marc Antony, Caesar's right-hand man, in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" (1953); and Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee William's "A Streetcar Named Desire", the role by which Brando achieved the switch from Manhattan stage to Hollywood sound studio.
The above-mentioned films were made in the 1950s, while Hollywood blockbusters "the Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" were made in the 70s, by which point Brando was already a giant of the movie world. During the 60s he had begun starring in more socially-conscious movies such as "the Ugly American"(1963), where he plays the USA's ambassador to a southeast Asian country; "the Chase"(1966), where he is a sheriff in a racist county; "A Countess from Hong Kong"(1967), where he reprises（重复） his ambassador for director Charlie Chaplin, and "the Mercenary"(1969), where he is 19th-century British colonial adventurer.
If you have never heard of these four films, do not feel bad or consider yourself any less of a fan, as they simply did not receive the same amount of media exposure as the films he starred in during the 50s and 70s. Whether you are a keen movie-goer or a fan of Marlon Brando, I strongly suggest checking out Brando's movies from the 60s.
Brando's life off-screen was as eventful as one of his films being a father to more than ten children. It's fair to say he liked his ladies. A tragic incident in Brando's life occurred in 1990 when his schizophrenic（精神分裂） daughter Cheyenne's boyfriend was shot by her elder half-brother Christian, who was subsequently sentenced to ten years in jail. Sadder still, Cheyenne later committed suicide. Brando had fallen in love with her mother when she was his co-star in the 1962 remake of "the Bounty".
Brando's presence both on and off screen is arguably rivaled by no other actor in history. His skeptical（怀疑的） view on Hollywood and the entire film industry, where billions of dollars are at stake, says much more about the man—not only as an actor but also as a person with beliefs. Using his fame in an attempt to alter things for the better is admirable in comparison to so many who exploit their fame for individual gain. Sometimes people stand out. It's hard to put one's finger on exactly what it is about a person that makes them different, but Marlon Brando was a cut above the average.
He was a remarkable man and I for one am sad to see him go. The world is already short of great people.
Backstreet Boys，

你为什么这样红？
By 高翔
我或许应该向所有的后街迷们道歉，因为在两个礼拜以前后街还是我所不以为然的团体。喜欢“Linkin Park" "Sum 41" "Marylin Manson"或者是早一些的喜欢 "Nirvana"的摇滚青少年中，3/10的人会不屑后街的音乐，其实不只后街是他们不屑的范畴，Boyzone, NSYNC, Westlife也会是他们不屑的范畴，更不必说F4了——“因为他们是花架子！”
从音乐的角度看，F4或许有“花架子”的嫌疑，因为他们的歌的确不怎么样，但是Backstreet Boys绝对不是，这是我在两周以前看了加拿大乡村女歌手Shania Twain的迈阿密演唱会DVD之后得出的确切结论，在演唱会上，Backstreet Boys除了演唱自己的歌曲之外，还与Shania Twain合唱了Shania Twain的“From this moment”， Alex, Nick, Brian, Kevin 和Howie都单独表现，每个人的演唱都出色而且各具特点。我的偏见就在一次认真的聆听之后改变了，虽然这个改变还远不足以让我像Sunshine FM论坛上的真正的后街迷们那样迷恋Backstreet Boys。
看一看听众们在我们论坛上所留下的帖子，你会发现，Backstreet Boys曾经怎样巨大地影响了他们的生活。请继续支持你的BSB吧，Sunshine FM将于本周五晚8点，在厦广音乐台世贸商城UFO直播间做“后街男孩”专题聚会，如果你是铁杆后街迷，就加入我们的聚会吧。详情请登录www.fm909.com.cn阳光调频论坛。不曾喜欢过BSB的朋友，不妨认真体会一次你曾经不以为然的音乐，或许你像我一样，也会有新的观点。

F.I.R.
By Anita
It is an irredeemable stuffy POP music world, but it is a wonderful time for talented singers to become hot in 2 months. Set up this May, the 3 person band F.I.R. now is not only the hottest band in Taiwan but also secures the place of the best seller of the first album in the stagnant（不景气的） music market.
The band became known to young people in the virtue of a hot love teleplay in Taiwan called “Outsiders”. But I like it not because of the teleplay but because they do not go with the stream of HIP HOP, R&&B or silly love songs.
The band has a keyboard, a guitar and a female vocal. It looks like a Japanese POP band and the vocalist is quite a young and little girl with an amazingly powerful voice. By the hottest song “Lydia” && “Our Love”, you may find their songs an outpouring gypsy style. Nothing could chain the energy of voice, rhythm, love and life; nothing could destroy our hope. The vocalist sings in one of the songs—find a direction; find a power…
I like F.I.R.’s balladry style of music, gypsy style of attitude toward life and lighthearted and powerful way of singing. If you are interested in this band after reading my recommendation, just find their songs for confirmation.
The second Gulangyu Piano Festival was opened on July 30 at the Xiamen People’s Convention Hall. The opening performance is also the first stop of the Travel China Concert Tour, which will cover four other cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and will conclude on August 12.
Photo by Zheng Xiaodong
The final of the second National Youth Piano Contest was held on July 31. There were 36 participants from all over the country in three age groups competing in front of the audience and judges.
Photo by Zheng Xiaodong