So you went all out for New Year’s this year, only to find out that midnight on Jan. 1, 2000, was just as anticlimactic as it always is.

Whether you bought into the hype that we’ve sprung into the new millennium or you’re on the fringe like me and realize the millennium doesn’t start until 2001, we all can agree that at least it’s a new decade, and with a new decade comes transition.

After the millennium madness, countless hours of staying out past 3 a.m. doing absolutely nothing and sleeping until noon, here we are back in Ames at the start of another semester.

Let’s only hope the new decade brings some changes for the better.

Take the Grammy Awards.

The annual music industry extravaganza announced its nominees last week, and if they’re any indication of the future of music, I’m worried.

The Backstreet Boys, Dixie Chicks and Santana up for Album of the Year? Santana scoring 10 nominations, the most out of all nominees? “I Want It That Way” for Song of the Year?

Then again, the Grammys have never been on the cutting edge of music, but merely a reaction to what is popular and familiar at the time. So nominees of this sort aren’t so surprising after all.

And while the Grammys may never change, music will constantly reinvent itself.

As I see it, music runs in cycles. Every decade there’s a period of about three or four years when popular music is actually good and stretching the boundaries.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize the early ’90s were the last decade’s golden era.

Before Nirvana stormed the music industry in 1991 and turned everyone’s ears towards the alternative sound, pop artists such as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey were who the majority deemed musically important.

So here’s my theory.

Whenever the music industry is overloaded and dominated by dozens of meaningless pop groups whose life span rarely reaches more than two years and whose music is entirely written by some big-shot producer, something will happen to bring the system down.

It happened in 1991 with Nirvana, and my prediction is that someone will come along within the next few years and a musical renaissance will occur again – a little change making music fun again. That’s my hope for 2000.

On another side, the concept of an ever-changing industry stands true for film. The past year has been an excellent one for movies.

“American Beauty.” “The Green Mile.” “The Blair Witch Project.” These movies each gained success on the basis of their quality — good story lines, unique characters and striking cinematography. They were a bit eccentric, and that’s why the public truly developed a genuine appreciation for them.

It’s exciting to see people embracing such high quality movies.

However, I assure you, when summer rolls around, copycat action movies will again flood movie theaters, and the cycle will continue.

Transition is the nature of arts and entertainment.

Another change is happening right here in the A&E section.

I’m taking over as A&E editor at the Daily.

So I thought it would be good to introduce myself and let you know my thoughts on what we’re going for with this section — our goals.

Every day, people complain about Iowa and the lack of cultural opportunities the state presents. They call Ames a boring town with nothing to do. Our section’s purpose is to prove them wrong.

If anyone of you are bored, you’re not looking hard enough for things to do.

I invite you to take advantage of as many cultural opportunities as you can this semester.

Read the A&E Section. Find out what’s going on in the Ames entertainment scene. Support local music, theater and art.

Check out some shows at the Maintenance Shop or Iowa State Center. Catch a flick at SUB films. Delve into the realm of independent music. Pay a visit to the Brunnier Art Museum or Gallery 181 in the Memorial Union.

Let the A&E section know what you think. Let us know what we’re not covering or what we should cover. Write letters to the editor about music, film or anything entertainment related.

Listen to ISU’s radio station, KURE. Take in a student performance at Music Hall. Go Latin dancing at Boheme. See a student play at Fisher Theater.

Those are just some ideas.

An entire semester of entertainment and culture awaits.

Stay tuned to these pages for more details.

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Conor Bezane is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Chicago.