An inspection Tuesday morning by Orono and state officials, including the Office of the State Fire Marshal, found the myriad of code violations that led to the fraternity house being deemed unfit for habitation in September had been fixed.

The home’s 22 residents, all brothers of the fraternity, were forced to move — some chose on-campus housing and others moved into apartments.

PIKE President John Dufour said 16 brothers are ready to move back into the house. The others have signed leases elsewhere.

“There are people who are probably sick of their girlfriends, let’s put it that way,” Dufour said. “They’re just ready to get back in.”

He said those brothers should be able to move in Tuesday evening, pending signing individual living contracts with the PIKA Housing Corporation of Maine, an alumni group that manages the building, funding upkeep with the flat-rate rent paid by those living there.

The September inspection revealed emergency signs and lights that weren’t in working order, blocked exits and electrical problems, among other issues.

The Maine Campus toured the house in October, when the housing corporation was making repairs.

“All of the electrical issues have been corrected and everything identified as a concern by the fire marshal has been addressed,” said Bill Murphy, Orono’s code enforcement officer.

Murphy said further inspections of the house by state electrical inspector Kern Butler found more issues, including open wires in electrical boxes and boxes not properly grounded.

“Once he’s there, he’s checking to see if everything’s OK,” Murphy said. “He found many single violations, and in the aggregate, he had to keep with the no occupancy.”

Orono fire marshal Henry Vaughn said concerns of his, including a fire alarm system that didn’t notify emergency personnel due to an non-operational phone line, clutter and lighting in stairwells that was often shut off, were fixed early on.

Dufour called the house’s closing a “learning experience,” saying when he took over as president, communication with the housing corporation deteriorated.

“You can’t really put that responsibility on the chapter,” he said. “You can’t blame a bunch of kids who were trying to live somewhere.”

The relationship has improved over the past two-and-a-half months, he said.

“I’m not saying it had to go this far, but that’s what happened,” Dufour said. “It’s over now.”

In a Nov. 21 press release, Ponce Inlet police Lieutenant Max Binz announced LaCroix made the short list, whittled down from 78 applicants.

“All interviews have been scheduled through the week,” said Kim Cherbano, the town’s human resources coordinator.

Jeaneen Clauss, Ponce Inlet’s town manager, will conduct the interviews, and Cherbano expects additional rounds of interviews will be necessary. Clauss will recommend the top candidate to the town council, which will vote on whether to hire that candidate.

“I don’t expect to get this one,” LaCroix said Monday. “I really doubt that I’ll even progress.

“I’m not leaving. It’s nowhere near that stage,” he added.

He said applying for other positions doesn’t indicate an imminent departure from Maine, elaborating that he would not think that of other UMPD employees if they were to look for jobs elsewhere.

LaCroix came to UMaine after retiring as a captain with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

LaCroix was also a finalist for the chief of police position in Venice, Fla., earlier this year. That position went to a captain in the Venice Police Department.

The Black Bears improve to 4-6-2 on the season, while the Golden Knights fall to7-5-3 this year.

UMaine junior forward Adam Shemanksy led the way for the Black Bears, scoring two for his first multi-goal game of the season.

The Black Bears had the lead going into each intermission, scoring two in the first two periods to hold off Clarkson.

Even with a late barrage of shots by Clarkson, the Black Bears out-shot the Golden Knights 37-33

“It was one of those nights where both teams were creating a lot of chances,” said Clarkson head coach Casey Jones. “I thought we had a real good third period. Gave it everything we had to tie it up. We thought one was in. We had them back on their heels.”

The lack of official replay might have cost Clarkson a chance at tying things up late in the third during an offensive rush. The game took place at the home of the America Hockey League’s Portland Pirates, and the AHL does not have official replay available.

“I don’t know how a game of this magnitude doesn’t have official replay,” Jones said. “It’s unfortunate.

UMaine junior defender Mark Nemec got things started with a shot wide of the net.

The Black Bears got their best opportunity 2 and a half minutes into the first period after junior forward Joey Diamond found senior defender Will O’Neill at the point. O’Neill fired it toward Clarkson senior goalie Paul Karpowich, who made a great save on the initial shot and Diamond’s follow up.

The Black Bears managed to break through while on the penalty kill. Less than a minute after junior center Klas Liedermark was called for tripping, freshman center Stu Higgins put UMaine on top with his second goal of the season. After a nice pass from junior defender Nick Pryor in UMaine’s defensive zone, Higgins broke free with no defenders in front of him. Higgins took the puck to the right of the net before firing it in the left corner.

“We chipped it out and I had a lot of free space,” Higgins said. “I was looking to pass at first and I think that helped freeze the goalie for a second and I went for a low shot and it happened to go it.”

The Black Bears managed two power-play goals along with the short-hander.

“It was tightly officiated, no doubt,” said UMaine head coach Tim Whitehead. “But with the short-handed goal and the two power play goals, that was big for us to win the special teams game.”

UMaine freshman goalie Dan Sullivan kept the Black Bears’ lead after saving a barrage of Golden Knight shots.

After Clarkson killed-off a UMaine power play, each team went to four-on-four hockey after UMaine junior forward Matt Mangene and Clarkson freshman defender Kevin Tansey were booked for hitting after the whistle

While the Black Bears controlled the early portion of the four-on-four, the Golden Knights managed to tie things up after breaking free. Senior center Louke Oakley made it 1-1 with 7 minutes left in the first period off assists by senior forward Nick Tremblay and freshman defender Sam Labrecque.

Diamond had a great chance to put UMaine ahead 2-1, but couldn’t finish on the fast break.

However, just 20 seconds later Shemanksy put the Black Bears ahead after a nice centering pass from junior center Kyle Beattie. Mangene also picked up an assist as the Black Bears took the 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

“Beattie got some good pressure and Matty [Mangene] found me in front and I just had to spin around,” Shemanksy said.

The second period was riddled with penalties, as the whistle blew seven times for infractions, with three of those resulting in goals.

The Black Bears stretched their lead to 3-1 after an interference penalty by Clarkson sophomore defender Alex Boak.

An excellent cross-ice pass by senior forward Spencer Abbott found Shemanksy in the slot, where he put it past Karpowich for his second goal of the game.

“It was great puck movement,” Shemansky said. “Abbs made a great pass and I just wanted to get it on net because I knew Joey and [senior center Brian Flynn] were coming in for the rebound.”

Three and a half minutes later, the Black Bears turned the puck over behind their net, resulting in an easy goal for senior forward Jake Morely off the centering pass from senior center Corey Tamblyn.

The Golden Knights tied things up midway through the period after Abbott was called for holding. Less than a minute into the power play, Clarkson sophomore Allan McPherson found the net past Sullivan.

Even with a Clarkson penalty with 2 minutes remaining, it appeared things were going to be knotted up going into the third period.

However, after a shot from the point by the Black Bears, a scrum ensued in front of the net before Mangene was able to poke the puck through to give UMaine the lead 4-3 heading into the final period.

“I was able to pull off a quick move and get to the middle and get it through,” Mangene said. “You’ve got to get a good shot off, but the main thing was to get the puck to the net and the guys at the net did a great job screening. It happened to slip through.”

“[Mangene] had a great night, I thought Pryor was great too. On that game-winning goal both Pryor and Mangene at the point were very poised.”

Unlike the first two, the third period lacked scoring as the goals stopped with the second period. The penalties kept coming, as Diamond and Boak were booked for hitting after the whistle and each received a 10-minute misconduct call.

“We said between periods ‘we don’t care if it’s 4-3 or 7-6, let’s come out on top,’” Whitehead said.

The Black Bears fended off a strong offensive period by the Golden Knights, as Clarkson fired 14 shots toward Sullivan.

“Our third period tends to be our best,” McPherson said. “We lost this game in the first period. We gave them too many grade-A chances and they capitalized. They have a lot of skill.”

The Black Bears travel to Burlington over the weekend to take on the University of Vermont in a two-game series. It’s the first meeting of the year between the Black Bears and the Catamounts, as each game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Collecting evidence, working in the crime lab to analyze it and come to logical, well thought-out conclusions isn’t something that can be jumped into willy-nilly.

Gil Grissom and his crew of the hit television show “CSI” glorify the experience and make it seem like a desirable field of work. Fans of the show were finally given the opportunity to live out their investigative dreams and become part of the action as “CSI: LIVE” hit the Collins Center for the Arts on Sunday afternoon.

“CSI: LIVE” is an adaptation of its namesake show that has been on over 115 stages across North America. For their appearance at Orono, it was business as usual.

The show provided an entertaining and educational ride for children interested in the science involved in forensics, but didn’t bore the parents to sleep, either.

The performance opened at the Las Vegas debut of the Max Spade Magic Show, a cheesy illusion act performed by Spade and a lovely assistant. Spade and his assistant walked on stage wearing masks and, without saying a word, Spade selected a member of the audience to assist him with a trick.

The volunteer took the stage, watching Spade put his assistant in a smoke-filled chamber with slits in the side for inserting a giant blade, which Spade did.

He then gave the volunteer a sort of light-up, electricity meter pole, which illuminated when it touched Spade’s Tesla coil. The volunteer held the pole to one side of the blade as Spade held his Tesla coil to the other.

When the coil touched the blade, a loud bang and a startling feminine scream rang out. After Spade opened the box and the smoke within cleared, his assistant was seen slumped over and unconscious.

This was a matter that clearly needed investigating.

A modified version of the show’s title sequence played on the two projection screens on stage, which transitioned into a brief scene that depicted a black van, labeled “Mobile Crime Unit,” arriving at a crime scene.

The action on-screen translated onto the stage as the back end of a van appeared at the back of the stage. Crime scene investigators emerged from it and introduced themselves. David Hart was a faux-macho man and Sydney Mathis was the more grounded and professional of the two.

Mathis announced that everybody in the audience was about to enter their first day of training at the Forensic Science Academy and they would be assisting Mathis and Hart in solving the staged crime.

Then, a “video transmission” from their headquarters came in, a message from Gil Grissom, the main protagonist from the television show. He reminded cadets that their main goal was to collect evidence, saying, “If it isn’t in the report, it didn’t happen.”

To gauge the memory of the audience, Hart got four “recruits” from the audience and had them watch a quick scene from the CSI show. Then he asked them four questions about the video, two of which were answered correctly.

To get the first suspect in their case, Mathis asked a “witness” from the crowd to identify the volunteer from the magic show by process of elimination. After narrowing down his location and identifying him, Mathis and Hart questioned him. He claimed innocence, but nonetheless, he was listed as their first suspect.

Hart and the four previous recruits searched the chamber for pieces of evidence. They came up with a water bottle, a flashlight and wood chips.

The audience then learned that the assistant’s name was Tracy Diamond, a 23-year-old aspiring magician with no history of losing consciousness like she did during the performance. The only medical history of note was her allergies to penicillin and quinine.

A type of stage powder was found on the flashlight from the chamber, a piece of evidence interesting to Hart and Mathis.

Two more volunteers were called from the audience to help Hart and Mathis test the carbon monoxide levels of the smoke that was being pumped into the chamber during the performance, since it was a possible cause of Diamond’s unconsciousness.

After Hart was accidentally trapped in the chamber as gas was being pumped into it, he was found to be fine and the smoke was written off as a cause of the fainting.

The giant blade from the illusion was then sprayed with luminol and put under ultraviolet light, which revealed a clear bloody handprint on it, arousing suspicion in Hart and Mathis.

Hart found the Tesla coil from the magician’s act, and after jokingly asking a small boy in the front row to come up and get shocked by it, the boy went on stage, which Hart and Mathis found funny. They gave him a hat as a souvenir, sent him back to his seat, and continued with the show.

They then thought that the water bottle might have contained tonic water, which has quinine in it, one of Diamond’s allergies, so they tested it under the ultraviolet light. When Mathis had her back turned, Hart started drinking from the bottle and then spat it out when Mathis said it might contain other poisons. Then, Mathis reminded the audience of a vital piece of advice to keep in mind when investigating a crime scene: “Don’t drink evidence.”

In a video call from the hospital, Spade revealed he was upset with Diamond because she was leaving his act to pursue a show of her own. This immediately established him as a suspect with a motive.

After more investigating and antics, an email from the hospital reported a bruise on Diamond’s head, which explained the fainting.

Hart and Mathis found an air-powered cannon, which was big enough to shoot the flashlight they found in the chamber. They also found a flashlight-sized hole in the chamber, which they theorized was caused by the flashlight being shot out of the cannon. They performed a test with the cannon and a wooden box, that proved their theory right.

All of the evidence seemed to suggest it was Spade who committed the crime, but a new suspect was then introduced.

Zurcon the Magnificent was introduced as a failed magician who attempts to ruin the careers of other magicians. They were then sent a picture of Zurcon, which turned out to be a photo of the volunteer from the magic show.

After questioning him, they found a wireless transmitter on him that set off the cannon, which implicated him as the one who committed the crime.

Once the case was wrapped up, Mathis announced that the audience had completed their first day of training. Before the show was done, though, Spade and a new assistant took the stage and performed the chamber trick, this time successfully.

They removed their masks. Hart and Mathis performed the final trick.

In an afternoon filled with mystery, science and fun, fans young and old got their money’s worth in an interactive experience the thrilled youngsters in the crowd won’t soon forget.

The concert celebrated the bicentennial of the birth of renowned 19th century pianist Franz Liszt. The Maine Oratorio Society and UMaine Orchestra performed. Eighty-seven members, young and old, faculty and student, make up the Oratorio Society.

The groups performed “Magnificat in D Major, BWV 243,” a major vocal work by Johann Sebastian Bach, composed for an orchestra and five-part choir with soloists throughout the work. The text represents the canticle of Mary, the mother of Jesus, according to the Evangelist, Luke. Ludlow Hallman, a faculty member of the School of Performing Arts, was the featured conductor.

“Magnificat,” Latin for “magnify,” is divided into 12 parts and lasts about 30 minutes. This is the oldest Marian hymn and is derived from the Latin version of the canticle’s text. The Virgin Mary visits her cousin, Elizabeth, when they learn Elizabeth is with child — John the Baptist. This chorus is a song of praise Mary gives God for her own personal blessing.

It is divided into 12 major parts. The first four songs express Mary’s exaltation and gratitude to God: “Magnificat,” “Et exultavit spiritus meus,” “Quia respexit” and “Omnes generations.” This translates to “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden: For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”

Sopranos Diana Rhys and Hannah Batley were the first section’s featured soloists.

The next section is a praise of the character and gracious disposition of God to all those who give Him reverence. This part is made up of “Quia fecit mihi magna” and “Et misericordia,” translating to “For he that is mighty hath magnified me: and holy is His name. And his mercy is on them that fear him: throughout all generations.”

Bass Joshua Trombley, mezzo-soprano Joan Kroehler and tenor Dustin Batley were the soloists.

In the third part, a proclamation of God’s sovereignty and unique love for the lowly, is sung by Mary. This included “Fecit potentiam” and “Deposuit potentes,” which translates to “He hath showed strength with his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the might from their seat: and hath exalted the humble and meek.”

Tenor John Grover was featured in this section.

The last part of “Magnificat” speaks of God’s mercy to Israel. This included “Esurientes implevit bonis,” “Suscepit Israel,” “Sicut locutus est” and “Gloria patri.” This final section translates to “He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel. As he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end, Amen.”

Soprano Hannah Batley and mezzo-sopranos Diana Rhys, Emily Colwell and Amber Simmons were the last featured soloists.

After intermission, the chorus performed their grand finale, “Psalm XIII, S. 13/2” by Liszt. Tenor soloist Frances Vogt was featured.

Upcoming events in Minsky Hall include a performance by the UMaine Percussion Ensemble on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.; a Brass Night on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.; and a performance by the Guitar Ensemble on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

That doesn’t make it any less effective.

Neil Simon takes full advantage of this in his classic play, “The Odd Couple,” which opens Dec. 1 at the Keith Anderson Community Center in Orono.

The play stars University of Maine theatre student Jose-Luis Lopez as Felix Ungar, the obsessively organized clutter-phobe, opposite Telly Coolong as Oscar Madison, who is much less concerned with the cleanliness of the tiny space the two occupy.

The play is directed by Angela Bonacasa, who has been involved with theater on campus in a big way. She has worked as fight choreographer for the Gilbert and Sullivan musical “The Pirates of Penzance,” and this past summer, she directed the murder mystery “The Bat,” which also featured Lopez.

“She always knows just what to do. It’s always great working with her,” Lopez said about working with Bonacasa again.

The production takes place at the Keith Anderson Community Center in Orono, which holds a relatively small stage compared to UMaine’s Hauck Auditorium.

The space provides the piece with added stress, increases its comedic element and heightens the characterization. It also adds some difficulty when blocking, due to the large amount of running written into the piece, but will no doubt be easy to deal with for Bonacasa, an experienced fight choreographer.

The chemistry between Felix and Oscar is what will bring the piece to life.

“Even during auditions, we had great chemistry,” Lopez said. “If Oscar and Felix don’t work, then the show won’t work.”

The play contains serious dramatic undertones. The audience learns before the play begins that Felix has tried to kill himself, a consequence of his failed relationship with his wife.

It becomes clear as the play progresses that Felix’s neat-freak persona is a defense mechanism to cover up his pain. Occasionally throughout Simon’s script, that defensive mask slips off and Felix cries. He may be trying to control the apartment’s cleanliness because he has lost control over his personal life.

“That’s the really challenging part of the script: Felix’s vulnerability,” Lopez said. “It comes out whenever his wife and kids are mentioned.”

The set was designed by University of Maine student Tricia Hobbs, who will also design the upcoming university show “Avenue Q,” set to open in early 2012.

At its core, “The Odd Couple” is a tug-of-war between the two lead characters. If they both have distinct characterization and good comedic timing while capturing the rhythm of the script, the show is sure to be a huge success.

Lopez wiped a smudge off his perfectly shined shoes, a telling sign he has truly found his character and is ready to take the stage.

He summarized his expectations for the show by saying, “It’s going to be a hell of a show.”

“The Odd Couple” will run from Dec. 1 to Dec. 4. Show times are at 7 p.m. for the first three performances and 3 p.m. for the final showing.

One of the things that’s always changing and has great effect on consumers, however, is how we get our hands on our tunes.

Ever since the phonograph cyllinder’s introduction in 1877, the format for storing audio has undergone constant reinvention. Many of today’s audiophiles would argue the industry got it right 1948 with the release of the vinyl record.

Cassette tapes and 8-Tracks emerged in the ’60s, and it took a while for a decent replacement to come out. Then, in 1982, the world was struck by a revolution — the compact disc, or CD.

It took a while for the format to catch on with casual consumers due to the high initial costs of the CDs and players for it, but once it did, it was seen as a brilliant new way to compactly store music.

The CD revolutionized — or rather, invented — the idea of portable music when, in 1984, Sony introduced the Discman. The portable CD player was hardly larger than the disc itself. For the first time, people were able to listen to their music on the go.

Since then, digital formats have asserted themselves as the ultimate way to buy music and have it on the road, primarily thanks to iTunes and the iPod. In the wake of iTunes’ rising, industry people had to realize that would eventually lead to the end of the CD — really, how much longer could the format last against this kind of competition?

Well, CD collectors’ worst nightmare has come true — various news outlets have announced that in late 2012, they will stop releasing music on CD. This essentially means the CD will be the last physical music format, the final way consumers will be able to purchase music and have something physical to hold.

I know the main function of CDs for some people now is to be ripped into iTunes and never looked at again, but then there are those who unwrap the layer of cellophane as they breathe in that new CD smell, pop the disc into their player of choice and listen to it as they look at the extra art, lyrics and liner notes in the included booklet.

For many music buyers, getting new music isn’t simply about acquiring fresh audio. There is a lot of ritual and tradition involved in waiting for and then finally getting your hands on a new release by a favorite band.

You would either pre-order it and wait for it to come in the mail with eager anticipation, or go to the store soon after it came out and hope they still had at least one copy in stock. There was a certain mystique to having an album by your favorite band.

CDs are to music fans what trading cards are to sports fans — their chance to own a small part of the game and feel connected in some small way. To further explore this metaphor, imagine if sports cards stopped being produced. Essentially, these cards are only a photo with statistics and a bit of biographical information on the back.

This same information is available online from a variety of sources, so what is the point of producing the physical cards?

Hobbyists would answer that by saying there are certain emotional investments and nostalgic feelings attached to opening a new pack of cards and seeing what you got. Well, there is a similar sensation when buying a new CD and looking to see what sort of interesting content the band included in the booklet.

CDs won’t be entirely killed off, however. One expected utilization of CDs will be for special editions of music releases, where the little extra things like art and liner notes are the highlight.

Perhaps when the CD is close to dying out, it will see a renaissance much like the one vinyl records has experienced in the past few years. Fans of vinyl missed holding that giant disc and putting the needle on the right spot to find there track.

Consumers might not realize it now, but there is a certain set of nuances like this that will be lost with the discontinuation of the CD. The loss of the CD seems like a necessary evolution of audio storage, but it’s still sad to see it go.

Let’s face it: The GameCube wasn’t as powerful as the other two systems of the time. That wasn’t completely a bad thing, though. Instead of relying on sheer power, developers needed to give their game distinct art styles if they wanted them to stand out. This is evident in “The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker.”

Another complaint was the GameCube’s lack of online functionality. Howver, some gamers would argue it encouraged friends to get together and play against each other in the same room, hearkening back to the nostalgia of the way things used to be.

The final complaint is its lack of DVD playability. I remember that ten years ago, this really upset my friends and me because DVDs were only a few years old and our families didn’t yet own DVD players. Even today, the Nintendo Wii and the upcoming Wii U do not support DVDs, but this isn’t the same problem it was ten years ago.

Now we can focus on the positives. To start, I’d like to say that the controller for the GameCube is easily my favorite.  Whenever I’m holding one, I feel instantly at home and ready to play some damn games.

And what would a system be without a solid library of games to back it up? I don’t care what anyone else says, “the Cube” had a strong library of first- and third-party games.  Sadly, the first-party games typically outshined the third-party games by a wide margin.

Gamers were treated to a plethora of outstanding first-party titles. “Super Smash Brothers Melee” is one of the finest multiplayer games to be released for the system, an easy-to-learn but hard-to-master hit. Its gameplay dazzled players all over the world, making it one of the enduring hits of the console.

The aforementioned “The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker” is an incredible game. The dungeon design is top-notch and the graphics are borderline perfect. To this day, the game holds up incredibly well, thanks to its distinctive art style.

Older Nintendo fans were treated to the outstanding futuristic shooter “Metroid Prime.” With the GameCube’s last dying breath, Nintendo released “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” for the purple cube, also released for the Wii, signaling the start of a new era. I didn’t like the game that much, but it is extremely polished and a fan favorite.

The best third-party games delivered just as well as Nintendo’s first-party titles. Fans were treated to a few different Resident Evil games, most notably “Resident Evil 4.” The graphics were eye-poppingly great at the time — for any console — and the gameplay was unrivaled.

Another game I remember fondly was “Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.” When I played it again recently, I realized its appeal faded over time, but it was platform perfection at release. “Beyond Good and Evil” was an under-appreciated and near-perfect adventure game. It is available on the Playstation Network and the Xbox Live Marketplace, so grab it now to see what you’ve been missing.

At the time, I wasn’t thrilled with the GameCube, but looking back, I can see it was a great system. Although it had numerous flaws beyond those I mentioned, many GameCube games are still worth playing.

Thankfully, the Wii is backwards-compatible with GameCube games, so give a toast to the box and let its legacy live on.

In the same vein, if you go to “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1” with hopes of witnessing fine filmmaking, you’ll walk out unsatisfied.

The celebrated “Twilight” series in both book and film form has earned its staying power with sappy teen romance, B-movie dialogue and outlandish plotlines. Readers of the lighter side of literature and viewers of the record-breaking blockbusters have come to expect a certain level of quality, and its height is yet to be determined.

To the delight of unabashed “Twi-hards,” “Breaking Dawn, Part 1” plays a poor poker game and shows its cards early, revealing a taut Taylor Lautner — sans shirt — as angst-ridden teen wolf Jacob within the first minute.

For those who have somehow evaded the best-seller dwellers and need a quick plot refresher, here is the lowdown on the first installment of the finale:

Bella, played by Kristen Stewart, and Edward, played by Robert Pattinson, are young lovers, although Edward is actually closer to Hugh Hefner’s age bracket than Bella’s, as he is a vampire who has walked the earth for 110 years.

Desperate to become one of his kind, Bella rushes to the altar with Edward at the ripe age of 18 and soon finds herself on an idyllic honeymoon.

But with a honeymoon comes consummation, and Bella and Edward are more than happy to comply — unaware that as a direct result of their midnight mambo, they would create a freakish, bloodsucking vampire-human hybrid.

As expected, drama and exaggerated CGI ensue, bringing back the larger-than-life werewolves, nemeses of the bloodthirsty Cullen clan. Once jacked Jacob realizes what has happened, he betrays his werewolf brethren to become a one-man pack to protect the withering Bella.

To their credit, several of the actors in “Breaking Dawn, Part 1” do their best to elevate a sagging script and a series that, despite its soaring success, has become a punch line.

Ashley Greene, as the spunky Alice Cullen, is magical, spicing up even the lamest of lines. Billy Burke as Charlie, Bella’s father, is underused yet provides much of the intentional humor in the film.

Stewart is as dull as ever and wildly creepy as the bone-thin, pregnant waif. Pattinson would have done well to stick a stake in the series long ago, but may have hope once credits roll on “Breaking Dawn, Part 2.”

“Breaking Dawn, Part 1” gives the people what they want. A nearly endless line of tweens, teens, unashamed adults and children alike snaked around the Spotlight Cinema in Orono building long before midnight on Thursday, all waiting in the bitter November cold for their chance to see Edward and Jacob face off, once and for all.

The drawn-out film does well to continue a series that has earned nearly $2 billion since “Twilight” first hit theaters in 2008. Lovers of the book may balk at the fact that it neglects much of the original dialogue and acts as more of a rough sketch of “Breaking Dawn” than a fleshed-out film version, but it’s entertaining enough to keep the fiercest of fans at bay.

It teaches audiences that CGI isn’t always the answer, werewolves can find love in the unlikeliest of places and unprotected sex may result in a mutant lovechild that will destroy you from the inside out.

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1” will surely earn its projected $142 million, if not more, and satiate the undying thirst of Twi-hards — at least until “Part 2” arrives.

Grade: C+

I’m talking about the “Punk Goes” series, produced by Fearless Records. In the past, “Punk Goes Metal,” “Punk Goes Classic Rock,” “Punk Goes Crunk” and many others have been released.

The idea of the “Punk Goes” series is famous pop-punk and hardcore bands try their hand at covering a classic or well-known song. These bands put a “punk” spin on anything from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” to “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child.

From the early- to mid-2000s, pop-punk lovers looked upon these collections fondly and with great anticipation. In fact, these albums might be considered responsible for the trend of most punk bands at the time increasing the amount of covers in their repertoire.

Over the past few years, however, most “Punk Goes” CDs haven’t been as well-received as they once were. The series is dying and quality has dropped.

The covers used to be well thought-out and had each band’s style mixed into song. Nowadays, covers don’t sound like much more than just throwing in guitar and drums or increasing tempo.

“Pop Goes Punk 4” is somewhat of a mixed bag — a few of these songs are solid gold, while others are uninteresting.

The album opens up with a cover of Bruno Mars’ hit “Just The Way You Are” by Pierce the Veil. The track is catchy, but doesn’t sound like Pierce The Veil; most of this band’s songs have a Mexican feel to them, but they failed to make “Just The Way You Are” their own. Still, the interesting lead guitar riffs and singer Vic Fuentes’s vocals make this track a good one.

The album’s other single, Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” performed by Woe, Is Me, is one of the more interesting tracks. Little touches like echoing effects, a sound clip from Aqua Teen Hunger Force and electronic sounds during the verses make an interesting mix. The switching between clean vocals and screaming provide a great dynamic.

Speaking of mixing between clean vocals and screaming, Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” is covered here by “For All Those Sleeping.” This Auto-Tuned track felt really awkward — the screaming verses and cheesy breakdown show the band was trying too hard.

Another song I found enjoyable was Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R,” performed by Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, with its powerful breakdown and well-done vocals.

A problem with this album is that most of the songs all have a combination of clean vocals mixed with screaming, breakdowns and synth. A bit more variety would have gone a long way.

The album’s true highlight is Cee Lo Green’s “F–k You,” covered by Sleeping with Sirens. Intense drum fills play through the entirety of the song and the vocals are top-notch.

A little less than half of this album consists of some solid covers, but the remainder sloppily adds a few hardcore elements to the pop songs and calls it a day, leading to much repetition and listener frustration.

Most of the album felt uninspired and lazy, raising suspicion that Fearless Records just wanted to make a quick buck.  If you like any of the bands on this album, you will most likely love their contribution and have a great time exploring the rest of their catalogue outside the “Punk Goes” series.

Grade: B-