Thumbs up to BK-

– for reopening Wednesday afternoon. After depriving Northwestern students and Evanston residents of Whoppers and chicken fries for about four months, the place is sure to be as popular as ever. With swivel chairs and a big television, the new Burger King will not be a disappointment. Faithful customers wasted no time and lines formed as soon as the doors opened.

BK has long been a hangout for drunken college students. We hope the renovations won’t change its dynamic. BK is more than a restaurant, and a new roof shouldn’t change that.

So next time you’re on your way back from Prairie Moon, remember that Taco Bell and Philly’s Best aren’t your only options for a late night meal. Head to Clark Street and have a burger with the King.

Thumbs down to John Lavine-

– for not knowing his audience. While one of new Medill School of Journalism Dean Lavine’s goals is to make journalism more audience-focused, Lavine’s Q&A sent to undergraduates shows that he apparently was unaware that college students aren’t going to read through 21 pages of nothing.

In an attempt to share his message for Medill undergraduates, Lavine sent an e-mail to Assistant Dean Michele Bitoun, who forwarded the message to Undergraduate Registrar Darla Ward, who sent the message to Medill undergrads. Even President Bienen can muster up an e-mail from [email protected] every once in a while.

Bureaucratic arrogance aside, the message contained in the Microsoft Word attachment was an exercise in verbosity. The few students who actually read the Q&A (or more likely, skimmed it) found that they wasted their time.

Medill teaches its budding journalists to be concise, and if “Medill 2020” advocates the rambling style of Lavine’s prepared statement, then we’re scared. In his explanation of how Medill will integrate journalism and marketing, Lavine only showed how disconnected he is from undergraduates.

Thumbs up to Suri Cruise-

– because Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ new baby needs as much encouragement as she can get. While Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman worked hard to make sure their children stayed out of the limelight, apparently no such policy exists with Suri, who was born Wednesday. Within the day, Tomkat’s celebrity pals were already commenting on the newest baby, with Kirstie Alley telling People magazine that the couple is “going to have a great kid.” Thanks, Kirstie!

Part of the gossip was beyond baby Suri’s control. Coincidently, (though not if you listen to conspiracy theories) Suri was born the same day, in the same hospital as baby Grier, the daughter of Brooke Shields, who Tom blamed for her “misguided” use of Paxil to fight post-partum depression for her first child. Speaking of which, let’s hope motherhood doesn’t find Katie down in the dumps.

Poor Suri will be a great target for tabloids for years to come.

At least her name’s not Apple.

2 Thumbs up to Roger Ebert-

– for coming to Northwestern and speaking at the Block Museum on Wednesday night. Ebert talked about his views on the current direction of the film industry and discussed the winners of this year’s Academy Awards.

This year Ebert was in the spotlight for being one of the few major film critics to predict that “Crash” would win the best picture award over “Brokeback Mountain.”

Although Ebert’s pick angered some people and the critic was accused of homophobia, his readers have found that they are unable to quit him.

Highs and Lows reflects the majority opinion of The Daily’s editorial board.