<p>yeah, i was surprised to hear that half of USC consisted of graduate students. but that wasn't really a positive or negative...actually, i'm not really sure what it is...</p>
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Drew: I bet you looooove "The Big Chill".
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<p>I have never heard of "the big chill", why would I love it?</p>
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significant art and music festivals and exhibits
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<p>Aside from the ann arbor art fair (on a side note I love the art fair) what 'significant' art and music festivals are there?</p>
<p>There's the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the book festival (somewhat new, but it dovetails on the antiquarian book fair they've had for ages). UMS is often doing themed things (wasn't this year Shostakovich? I don't follow classical music at all, alas), and then there is the Summer Festival (three weeks of movies, music, performances, you know, "Top of the Park"). The Ark has a pretty well-regarded storytelling festival, and I know there is a bluegrass/folk or some other kind of "roots" music thing that goes on. </p>
<p>Those are just some of the "festival" style things. Then you've got the galleries and exhibits on and off campus, the Kerrytown concert house, stuff at the MI theatre, the Ark, various events at Hill & The Power Center...all the museums and libraries at U-M with their exhibits. For theatre you've got AACT, Performance Network, a handful for community theater groups, and you're not far from Purple Rose. Add the Powwow, Taste of Ann Arbor, Rolling Sculpture Car Show, the Royal Shakespeare Company is coming back this year...</p>
<p>If you throw in the surrounding area you get the Ice Sculpture Invitational (Plymouth), The Celtic Festival (Saline)... well, I'm boring everyone. I just am surprised an Ann Arborite thinks the Art Fairs are the only game in town.</p>
<p>They may not all meet your criteria for significant, but some of them are pretty big deals (Film Festival, the Royal Shakespeare Company, etc)</p>
<p>Top of the park is lame. But, the film fest completely slipped my mind. And yes, the ark is always doing cool stuff, as is the blind pig.</p>
<p>Drew, I was being sarcastic, "The Big Chill" is about a group of people your parents' age reliving their college days in Ann Arbor...</p>
<p>Good movie written and directed by the University of Michigan alumnus Larry Kasdan. Kasdan also wrote the screenplays of the Empire Strikes Back and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.</p>