ARE YOU AN ASPIRING ARTIST? REALIZE YOUR DREAM TODAY AT GNOMON SCHOOL OF VISUAL EFFECTS. Gnomon School of Visual Effects Specializes in Training in High-End Computer Graphics for the Entertainment Industries.
OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY, JULY 11TH, 2009 2:00PM – 4:00PM RSVP online at www.gnomonschool.com/open_house Artwork by Dylan Cole
Upcoming Event
Academic Offerings Entertainment Design Full-time, 1-year foundational program High-End CG Certificate Program Full-Time, 2-year certificate program Maya Fast Track Program Intensive nine-week Maya fast track Professional Studies Individual Classes Gnomon Online Online Classes
White Swan World Premiere and Gallery Event With Director Sil van der Woerd
Saturday, July 11th, 2009 6:00 p.m. — Midnight
Register Now for Summer Classes Summer classes begin June, 29th. Register online at www.gnomonschool.com New classes for Summer 2009 include: Advanced Digital Painting
Overview of Visual Effects and Games
Develop High-end Concept Art
Discover the Entertainment Industry and How It Works
Perspective
Advanced Character Maquettes
The Foundations of Perspective
Create Stunning Maquettes in Dynamic Poses
Join Gnomon School of Visual Effects and the VES in welcoming Director Sil van der Woerd for the premiere of his latest project White Swan. In production for nearly a year with White Swan, Sil and his team of Gnomon students and faculty will give an in-depth discussion on the creation of his second music video for singer-songwriter Lolly Jane Blue. Sil will discuss a shotby-shot breakdown of the making of this ground-breaking CG and live action video.
For more information and to RSVP for this event visit: www.gnomonschool.com
YOUR PIPELINE INTO THE INDUSTRY
323-466-6663 info@gnomonschool.com 1015 N Cahuenga Blvd Hollywood, CA 90038
[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
Got Acne?
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July 1- July 14, 2009 • Vol. 19 Issue 26
Editor-in-Chief Jessica Koslow editor.chief@campuscircle.net
Managing Editor Yuri Shimoda
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managing.editor@campuscircle.net
Film Editor Jessica Koslow film.editor@campuscircle.net
Art Director Alance Ward
Contributing Writers Geoffrey Altrocchi, Robert Axelrod, Bryan Baca, Jonathan Bautts, Sarah Bennett, China Bialos, Michael Buzzelli, Erica Carter, Richard Castaneda, Nick Day, Natasha Desianto, James Famera, A.J. Grier, Josh Herman, Zach Hines, Joe Horton, Jonathan Knell, Jason Kordich, Michael Lee, Lucia, Ebony March, Angela Matano,
FILM 8 SCREEN SHOTS 8 PROJECTIONS 8 TV TIME 10 DVD DISH 10 TEMPORARY DISTRACTIONS 11 FILM REVIEWS
Samantha Ofole, Brien Overly, J. Poakwa, Bonnie Priever, Sasha Perl-Raver, Parimal M. Rohit, Dov Rudnick, Mike Sebastian, Henry Senecal, Doug Simpson, David Tobin, John Tron, Mike Venezia, TJ Webber, Kevin Wierzbicki, Candice Winters
Contributing Artists & Photographers China Bialos, Mila Reynaud
SPECIAL FEATURES
5 FOURTH OF JULY EVENTS 6 FREE WEEKLY OUTDOOR CONCERTS 22 SUMMER READING LIST
sean.bello@campuscircle.net
Joy Calisoff joy.calisoff@campuscircle.net
Jon Bookatz Music Sales Manager jon.bookatz@campuscircle.net
Ronit Guedalia
MUSIC 17 SLAYER
Causing Mayhem with Marilyn Manson
Sweet Melodies at the Hollywood Bowl
18 BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
Welsh foursome bring metalcore to the forefront.
19 COPELAND
Shine Light into the Music World
17 18 19 20
FREQUENCY CD REVIEWS MUSIC REPORT LIVE SHOW REVIEWS
ronit.guedalia@campuscircle.net
SPORTS Calendar Editor Frederick Mintchell
Campus Circle newspaper is published 49 times a year and is available free at 40 schools and over 800 retail locations throughout Los Angeles. Circulation: 30,000. Readership: 90,000.
PUBLISHED BY CAMPUS CIRCLE, INC. 5042 Wilshire Blvd., PMB 600 Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 939-8477 (323) 939-8656 Fax info@campuscircle.net www.campuscircle.com Š 2009 Campus Circle, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Pharmaceutical company offering free product and compensation to be a part of an Acne product study for a new non-prescription acne-ďŹ ghting agent to clear up your skin. Participants will also share their stories on camera.
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Clear skin + Money in your pocket = A better social life!
18 INCUBUS ADVERTISING Sean Bello
20 INSIDE
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contents
Editorial Interns Athalia Nakula, Melissa Russell, Constance Smith, Sable Stevens, Marvin G. Vasquez
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Campus Circle | 3
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L.A. HOOPLA GALAXY KICK THE SPORTS WANDERER THE DIAMOND DISPATCH
INNER CIRCLE
4 WOODEN NICKELS 4 CAMPUS NEWS 5 OPINION 7 FUN FOR LESS 7 ON THE MENU 21 CURTAIN CALL 23 JET SETTER 23 MUSICAL 24 GAMES & GADGETS 24 THE ART OF LOVE 24 L.A. FACES 26 THE 10 SPOT 26 GRAPHIC NOVELS
On the Cover: Claudie Giguère; photo by Mila Reynaud, milareynaud.com Inset Photo: Michael Jackson, photo by BAXTER/Abaca Press/MCT
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4 | Campus Circle
[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
inner circle
campus news
BY SABLE STEVENS
Not So Lazy-HazyCrazy Days of Summer
JOE HORTON
THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING: The Passing of Michael Jackson
Laurie
McAdam
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Copley supported the establishment of the David C. Copley Center for the Study of Costume Design and its USC Students looking chair. to get in shape this Academy Award summer with yoga, nominated costume muscle conditioning and designer Deborah SCycling have the Nadoolman Landis opportunity and has been named prime location. the new David C. Until July 31, every Get in shape with yoga classes at USC’s Lyon Center. Copley Chair for Monday through the Study of Friday from 12 p.m. Costume Design at the UCLA to 1 p.m., group exercise will be School of Theater, Film and held at the University Park Television. Landis will serve as Campus, General William Lyon the founding director to a center University Center in the group that is the only one of its kind in exercise/SCycling rooms. the world. Students, faculty and staff can As a costume designer, keep in shape this lazy summer Landis is known for her session. Staff and faculty Lyon Academy Award nominated Center members can sign up for work in Coming to America $20. (1988), as well as the music Pepperdine Wants You video for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” (1983). She has to Take a Hike! worked with Steven Spielberg, Pepperdine University is designing the unforgettable offering a complimentary hike Indiana Jones costume for Friday, July 10 at Los Robles Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Open Space, Moorpark Road, in Areas of study at the Copley Thousand Oaks. This is a guided Center will include the history of hike through a trail during a costume design in Hollywood, summer full moon together with costume illustration as an art form, panoramic views of the city. You genre research and explorations of are asked to bring your own the influence of costume design on water and flashlights and be fashion and culture. capable of handling a moderate hike. Register online at Welcome to pepperdine.edu/pr/events, or Academia Screens contact Allen Gillespie at at USC allen.gillespie@pepperdine.edu. The USC School of Cinematic The hike will begin at 8 p.m. and Arts Alumni Screening Series is end at 9:45 p.m., so arrive by having a free showing of Welcome 7:45. to Academia, Monday, July 6 at 7 p.m. It will be held at University Park Campus in the George Lucas New Copley Chair for Instructional Building, room 108. Costume Design at The screening will be followed by a the UCLA School of Q&A with writer Elzbieta Szoka Theater, Film and and producer Sam Adelman. Television Admission is free and open to all. The gift of $6 million to Make reservations at UCLA from newspaper publisher cinema.usc.edu. and philanthropist David C.
wooden nickels | B Y
EACH OF US IN OUR SMALL WAY, whether along the hot street in Hollywood that serves as the makeshift memorial or listening on the radio to his cavalcade of hits, has been given one more chance to remember the King of Pop as the most iconic and unusual life of the past three decades. Michael Jackson’s musical brilliance – as a performer, writer and megastar – is unquestioned. So too was his strangeness – the trials and vindicating acquittals for child molestation, the dangerous spending habits, the young boys with whom he was just good friends, a childlike innocence and immaturity (one of the
budget tip Plan purchases in advance. Shopping with a list is a good idea not only for groceries but for clothing and other household goods as well. Avoid impulse buys. If you aren’t 100 percent sure something is a good buy, put it on hold overnight and sleep on it. —Athalia Nakula
site pick BossBitching.com This site allows users to bitch about their bosses anonymously, and then other people can rate the submitted stories. It’s therapeutic as it helps to unleash anger and connect disgruntled, frustrated workers. For students with hellish summer jobs, you’re not alone. —Athalia Nakula
lost children of celebrity), the dramatic skin color and nose structure changes. Towards the end of life, it became extremely difficult to separate the man from the music, the Neverland autocrat from the moonwalking artist. He was in the purest sense of the word a “pop icon.” Not in the glamorous, invincible People magazine way, but in a sadder, far more real concoction. Maybe because he spent nearly his entire life in the public eye or because he was denied a childhood or because his perfectionism and obsessive desire to be loved were hopelessly unsustainable in the world or perhaps because of all of it, Michael Jackson lived and breathed as the icon and exemplar of the greatness and terrible price of fame and fortune. His history was one writ large, one with barely a modicum of privacy. His path through stardom, balanced precariously between genius and madness, a scream away from either, played out publicly without a hint of restraint. Yes, he was a favorite punching bag of the media, particularly when he was enveloped in such a hot-button issue like child molestation, but Jackson also shoulders some of the blame. In his interviews he repeatedly said there was an invisible and sacrosanct line for the media and for fans that shouldn’t be crossed: the King of Pop and Michael Jackson were two different people or personas that did not mix. But in his extravagant and indeed lonely life, Jackson himself didn’t get it. He never knew where to draw that line. Perhaps one day he woke up to realize it didn’t exist, if it ever had. Rather than being a king, he was a serf to the kingdom of public opinion and media scrutiny. Even in his Neverland hideaway, gaudy and circus-like, he was the attraction rather
than the owner. He was an icon in the truest sense of the term – denied humanity, cheered and vilified for his uniqueness and petulance – in a life that was never his own. For all of Jackson’s triumphs, of which there were many, it is from his tragedies that we can learn most. Jackson’s skills were so otherworldly and his talent so overwhelming that his admissions of being nervous and anxious when dealing with everyday people bespeak the narrowness of his life. He said often that he felt most at home on the stage, the lit vacuum of euphoria where his explosive gifts made that life easy and fulfilling. When the lights went down, when the concerts and recordings were finished, Jackson’s sequined flashes must have seemed terribly lonely in the darkness. How could a man so skillfully craft the best-selling album of all time and glide effortlessly across the stage in the moonwalk and then dangle his child out of a balcony in Germany? He didn’t know any better or any different. He was a performer. He knew, singularly, how to perform. His strengths on stage hid his weaknesses off it, and much of the rest of the world must have seemed cruel, dark and confusing. Jackson’s delirious fans, much like the artist himself, have met his passing with a raucous, crazed outpouring of grief. On television, not an expert, critic or friend has been speechless. No one has met his death with silence; everyone has an opinion, most of them loud. It’s not for me to tell them how to grieve, but a better memorial would be a private, quiet remembrance of a man who for all of his money, fame and glory lacked quiet and privacy. Rather than hawking T-shirts of the King of Pop, dressing up like onegloved ghosts and dancing on street corners and screaming at his body like the start of a funereal world tour, why not show a bit of restraint for someone who died too young, who was gone too soon. Sometimes it’s not about the love you show but the love you save. Give him in death what he could never achieve in life.
[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
get up, get out! | B Y
FREDERICK MINTCHELL
FOURTH OF JULY EVENT GUIDE Spark Up Some Fun! Eleventh Annual Fireworks Festival
Fifth Annual Margarita Wrestling Tournament
Palisades Americanism Parade Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades;
Celebrate with a barbecue, fireworks and fish at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Hermosa Beach; margaritawrestling.com If you want some irreverence for your Independence Day, see which woman will be crowned this year’s margarita wrestling champion. All proceeds go towards the fight against breast cancer. It’s a non-stop party in Hermosa and Manhattan Beach all night. 1 p.m.-7 p.m. $25, includes cocktails.
July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza Burton Chace Park, 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey; visitmarinadelrey.com A traditional fireworks extravaganza over the main channel programmed to patriotic music broadcast over FM radio KXLU, 88.9 and relayed over loudspeakers. 9 p.m. FREE.
Fourth of July Barbecue Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach; aquariumofpacific.org Enjoy the aquarium at night and get a “fish-eye” view of the Queen Mary fireworks. You can also opt for a combo ticket, which includes a barbecue buffet offering chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, corn bread and more. The aquarium is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The barbecue is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
July 4th Fireworks Spectacular Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood; hollywoodbowl.com
palisadesparade.org The reigning Miss America, Katie Stam, is this year’s grand marshal of the parade that runs down Sunset Boulevard at 2 p.m. The festivities also include a 5K/10K at 8:15 a.m., live music at 7 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m. FREE.
Sixth Annual Vision Outside Fourth of July Jazz and Blues Festival Vision Theatre, 3341 W. 43rd Place, Leimert Park; (323) 291-7321 Enjoy the hottest jazz and blues along with arts and crafts, face painting and lots of food, including free watermelon. 1 p.m.-7 p.m. FREE
15th Annual Hansen Dam Fourth of July Celebration Hansen Dam Park, 11770 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace; hansen4th.com To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the loss of Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper, the best tribute bands in the business will honor these early rock heroes. There will also be food, games, rides, prizes, other entertainment and, of course, fireworks! 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. FREE.
Mathew Imaging
Fourth of July Cruises hornblower.com Sure, you can fight the masses on the beaches or you take an idyllic Independence Day cruise aboard a Hornblower yacht. There are three cruises (departing from Marina del Rey and/or Newport Beach) to choose from at three different times and prices.
Venice Recreation Center, 1800 Ocean Front Walk, Venice; musclebeachvenice.com Muscle Beach celebrates its 75th anniversary to see who’s the most sculpted of them all. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. FREE.
Aquarium of the Pacific
CBS Studio Center, 4024 Radford Ave., Studio City; studiocitychamber.com To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, the Kings of Classic Rock will be playing all your favorite hits from the festival. There will be food available, or you can bring a picnic basket so you can eat while watching the strolling musicians. For the first time, you can see the fireworks from the roof for an additional $20. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $20, $15 advance.
a “Rest of the World” all-star team. 5 p.m., followed by a full hour of fireworks. Tickets start at $25.
Mr. & Mrs. Muscle Beach
83rd Annual 4th of July AmericaFest
Futbol All-Stars Soccer Match
The Hollywood Bowl hosts the L.A. Philharmonic and John Fogerty for their July 4th extravaganza.
L.A. Coliseum, 3939 S. Figueroa St., Downtown; lacoliseumlive.com/joomla The Futbol All-Stars Match will be an annual soccer event featuring stars of member countries of Confederation Sudamericana de Futbol against star players comprising
Hear your favorite American classics courtesy of the L.A. Philharmonic as well as some classic rock by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival with, of course, a fireworks display. 7:30 p.m. Tix start at $12.
Rose Bowl, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena; rosebowlstadium.com The biggest fireworks show in SoCal will be accompanied by performances from five of the nation’s best Drum Corps units, military flyovers, demonstrations and tributes, a food court and more. Food court opens at 11 a.m. Stadium opens at 6 p.m. $13.
opinion
Campus Circle | 5
inner circle
LOVE SOCCER? Then You Are Seriously Deranged BY JOE HORTON DO YOU LOVE SOCCER? ARE YOU IN AN INSTITUTION? If you answered yes to the former and no to the latter, take out a beer bottle, smash it on a countertop and proceed to gouge tattoos in your arms. If you answered yes to the former and latter, wiggle out of your straightjacket and punch out the remaining teeth in your mouth. This is not, mind you, because you are crazy for loving this game – quite the contrary. It is because you are not crazy enough. Come and gone from the American hive mind is the U.S. men’s soccer team’s stunning 2-0 upset of Spain June 24. From halfway around the world, in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, USA soccer defeated the world’s No. 1-ranked national team that hadn’t lost in 35 matches and had won 15 straight games. On the fields in South Africa that will be used next year to host the World Cup, the naïve lunkheads from the States found a way to put two balls past a Spanish team that hadn’t yet allowed a goal in the tournament. Yes, the game will show up on ESPN’s highlight reel of great games at the end of the year, eliciting either an “oh, yeah, I remember that” or a “was that the game where that woman ripped off her shirt and showed her bra? Sweet.” But here’s the problem with American soccer. I count myself as an example of the normal, casual American soccer fan. I love the pageantry and mania that comes with the beautiful game – I love watching the World Cup, I love football fandom when living in or visiting other countries – but I am disdainful of the actual game on the field and how it is played. Let’s be honest: it’s dull, it’s refereed atrociously and most unforgivably of all, it’s a game of flopping, diving, play-acting and whiny, pathetic complaining. All are attributes incompatible with America. For a country that cares deeply about fairness in our society – we abolished the hereditary aristocracies of our forefathers and fight wars all over the globe in the name of one-voice-one-vote democracy – and in our sports (just look at the recent explosion of frame-by-frame instant replay in college and professional sports to ensure that the call is just right), soccer’s longstanding arbitrariness, athletic theatre and subjectivity have rightly stunted its growth in the United States for years. I suggest we need a change in perspective. I’ll daresay that to be a true soccer fan, you must be quite insane. Soccer is pretty awful as a game, but as a communal athletic and cultural experience, it can’t be beat. This is how we must view the game. One need look no further than the rabid followings of club and national teams in almost every country in the world to see that football fandom is not merely a sporting hobby or passing interest but an all-consuming, utterly crazy chemical imbalance. But what kind of crazy? Look to the heyday of English hooliganism in the ’70s and ’80s where citywide brawls would accompany any match. Look at the neoNazi and Aryan bent of many Eastern European football “firms” whose support of their team is as much about ethnic or sectional ferocity as it is about athletic competition. Look at the murder of Colombian national team defender Andrés Escobar after his-own goal in the 1994 World Cup sent the team home in disgrace. So here’s the rub: casual American fans won’t do – the game’s too dull and too incompatible Stateside for that – but neither will the supercrazy. There should be some middle ground that the United States can plow to redefine soccer fandom in equally intense but less destructive terms. Riding the wave of recreational and school teams flooding local fields every night of the week and, despite the monumentally underwhelming twilight career of David Beckham, the continuing play of Major League Soccer (now in its 14th season), soccer in America is here to stay. U.S. soccer must up the ante of feverish support – how else could someone be asked to endure two hours of watching soccer – without degenerating into the ugly mania commonly seen beyond our borders. On the field, the American win against Spain could be a fluke or the beginning of a larger trend, but in the stands, the American influence on soccer support must be powerful and longstanding.
6 | Campus Circle
music
[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
special feature
SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING UNDER THE STARS
Take LACMA’s Friday Night Jazz (5905 Wilshire Blvd.; lacma.org), for example. Now in its 18th season, this weekly concert showcases Los Angeles’ finest jazz musicians and is held in the Los Angeles Times Central Court (you know, the one with the streetlights) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. through
Weekly (and Free!) Concert Series BY MELISSA RUSSELL
November. Come after 7 p.m. for free parking in the garage on 6th Street and bring your laptop for the free Wi-Fi. Stay afterwards to check out the art. There’s also Saturdays Off the 405 at the Getty Center (1200 Getty Center Drive; getty.edu), where you can enjoy the city views while sipping cocktails from the cash bar or nosh on treats from the Garden Café from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (free parking after 5 p.m.). Of course, Getty food can be pretty pricey, so you might want to bring a picnic to eat on the lawn instead. There are only three concerts left (July 11 and 25, Aug. 8) in this summer’s series running every other Saturday, but keep checking the Getty’s Web site for updates and additional dates, including Sept. 26 and Oct. 10. Rounding out our listing of concerts being held at museums is Also I Like to Rock, being held every Thursday (when admission is free!) through July 23, and Jazzpop, from July 30 until Aug. 13, in the courtyard at the Hammer Museum (10899 Wilshire Blvd.; hammer.ucla.edu). Seating is on a first come, first served basis, so you might want to get there a little early. Concerts start at 8 p.m., and parking is only $3 below the museum after 6 p.m. The Skirball Cultural Center (2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.; skirball.org) is celebrating musical traditions from around the globe with its Sunset Concerts every Thursday from July16 to Aug. 13. From Malian musical great Issa Bagayogo (July 16) to Middle Eastern artist Omar Faruk Tekbilek (Aug. 13), soak up the sounds from
Mila Reynaud
Guitarist Peter Sprague animated LACMA’s Friday Night Jazz series June 19.
Charlift serenaded the Getty crowd June 20.
beyond our borders. Concerts start at 8 p.m. and parking is $5. On Thursdays nights at Burton Chace Park (13650 Mindanao Way) in Marina del Rey, Frank Fetta and the Marina del Rey Symphony will be playing at 7 p.m. every other week from July 9 through Aug. 20. Every other Saturday at 7 p.m. is reserved for pop, July 18 through Aug. 29. If you’re looking for more of a dance party, you might want to check out the Santa Monica Twilight Dance Series at the Santa Monica Pier (santamonicapier.org). Running every Thursday in July and August, this pierside concert is an annual neighborhood institution now in its 25th season. The concerts run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and with sponsors like Amoeba
Music, you know this party’s guaranteed to be a good time. Come early to do some window shopping at the Third Street Promenade or just catch some rays on the beach. If Santa Monica’s too far, but you’ve still got that jitterbug, then maybe Dance Downtown at the Music Center (135 N. Grand Ave.; musiccenter.org) is more up your alley. Held in the Music Center Plaza, these bi-monthly dance classes feature everything from swing to samba accompanied by live music or DJs from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. every other Friday starting July 10. Parking is $8 in the Music Center’s garage and admission is first come, first served. Be sure to check the Web site to see the night’s theme. Of course, if you’re in the San
Fernando Valley, there’s always Concerts in the Park at Warner Ranch Park (5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd.; valleycultural.org). Happening every Sunday in July and August (except on July 4 with fireworks instead of July 5), these concerts always draw a crowd of locals. Almost all of the concerts start at 6 p.m. and parking is $8 at three nearby parking structures. But really, the Westfield Promenade is only a block away, and for free parking, why not enjoy the summer evening and walk? The L.A. County Arts Commission offers free concerts at public venues everywhere from Pasadena to Downtown. Dedicated to offering musical quality and diversity to the public, these concerts are scheduled on various days and showcase artists ranging from R&B to mariachi and everything in between. Dates and times are subject to change, so for full, up-to-date details, visit lacountyarts.org. There are also all sorts of Bring your dancing shoes to Saturdays Off the concerts striking up in 405 at the Getty Center. Pershing Square (532 S. out of the mass of blankets you’ve Olive St.; laparks.org/pershingsquare) been sitting in for the past two weeks, at the Downtown Stage from July 15 dig around in your bathroom until through Aug. 23. Pershing Square you find your toothbrush and head presents musical offerings on out of the house for an evening of Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday fun. from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays Mila Reynaud
Mila Reynaud
Ah, yes, the lazy days of summer. Gone are the days of sitting through boring PowerPoint presentations as the professor reads the text word for word from each slide (I mean really, what’s the point of that?) and writing thesis papers about topics you don’t really care about. But now that you don’t have to get to class by 9 a.m. (OK, fine, by 1 p.m., and only if you feel like it) anymore, what are you going to do with yourself? Of course, you could while away your days partying until your liver gives out, but that could get expensive and in this economy, maybe that’s not such a great idea. You could also try getting a job, but how much are you going to want to spend your hard earned cash after the government has already taken a third of your earnings? So how about a night of free music on the town instead? Every summer, a few select parks and museums organize a series of free concerts, some of which last well into September.
from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. With so many nights to choose from, you’re bound to find something you like. Parking can be tough, though, so public transit might be your best bet. Want music accompanied by alcohol? Check out Grand Performances at California Plaza (350 S. Grand Ave.; grandperformances.org) through the end of August, where patrons are allowed to bring alcohol (except for red wine, for fear of staining) to these weekend (plus some Thursdays and Fridays) concerts. Most concerts start at 8 p.m., but seating opens two hours in advance. If you like to take your music with a bit of shopping, head on over to Space 15 Twenty (1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd.; space15twenty.com) for its Thursdays in the Courtyard from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Shop at Urban Outfitters or wander around Gallery Space while listening to a new band (or sometimes DJ) each week. Parking for these concerts is free for one hour with validation. If you’re looking for something a little more popular, be sure to drop by the Hollywood & Highland Center for Wine, Jazz & Moonlight. Every Tuesday through August, this megalithic shopping center (and popular tourist destination) is offering up their courtyard to a new jazz musician sponsored by KJAZZ 88.1 FM. Project Angel Food is also providing two glasses of wine and a box of crackers for a $10 donation during these 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. performances. Parking is $4 for two hours with validation from any Hollywood & Highland shop. With so many events happening in and around Los Angeles, why not check one out, or even make it a weekly group event? At the very least, it’ll be a good excuse to get yourself
[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
on the menu | a taste of l.a.
EBONY MARCH
BE THE FRODO OF THE LOCAL BAR SCENE
Will Pearson
THE LORD OF THE RINGS WAS A MOVIE that really resonated with a lot of people for numerous reasons. Nerds loved it for the lore, magic and, of course, Gandalf. [Straight] girls and gay boys loved it for all the hotties: Viggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom. But for me, I think it was the underlying wisdom that really clinched it for me. There’s
Meet friendly locals and get great happy hour deals at the Edison.
something really commendable about having a purpose in life and fulfilling it, despite the massive obstacles that may pop up along the way. With that in mind, mama needs a place to get her drink on with food thrown in for cheap or free. Can I get an “amen?” I mean, you’ll find a bar that has a great staff but a crazy expensive drink and food menu. Or perhaps you’ll find a cheap place, but the crowd is scary and random. Well, search no further, because now you can enjoy the fun and fraternity of your local watering hole (cheap food and booze included) without all the insane guess work. Take the Edison (108 W. 2nd St.; edisondowntown.com). This is one of downtown’s best places to meet fun and friendly professional locals. Aside from a great atmosphere within the bar, they have a happy hour Wednesdays-Fridays, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., that simply can’t be beat. Wednesdays offers up $ 4 cocktails or $25 punch bowls; Thursdays serves unique cocktails for 35 cents and Fridays is billed as Soup Kitchen,
Ebony March
featuring Depression Era cocktails at Depression Era prices with free grilled cheese sandwiches and soothing tomato soup – just like mom used to make. Want something a bit more centrally located? Then the Happy Ending is for you (7038 W. Sunset Blvd.; thehappyendingbar.com). This is Hollywood’s answer to “Cheers.” It’s a dope neighborhood bar where EVERYBODY knows your name – if you go there enough. They’ve got excellent karaoke on Wednesdays (for those looking for an excuse to down a little “liquid courage”). But the thing that melts my heart into a thousand tiny biohazardous pieces is the Happy Hour prices. I can get $5 cocktails, a pitcher of Bud for $11 (There are some bars on the Westside where you’d pay that for one Stella Artois.) and two-for-one vodka. While you’re exercising your right to drink, why not snack on some tasty appetizers? Order the baby back ribs for a mere $7 or ‘Shroom Time (veggie-stuffed mushrooms so good you want to slap your mama) for $5. Or you could opt for my personal favorite, the Don’t Feed the Models (sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts and feta resting on a bed of leafy greens and drizzled in vinaigrette) for $5. All this tastiness goes down Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Another truly brilliant booze hut is a favorite of geeks the world over. Miss T’s Barcade (371 N. Western Ave.; 323-465-5045) is the place to be when you’re that weird kid in desperate need of some kindred spirits. I’ve been in love with this spot ever since my first trip here two years ago. If you’re a gamer, and you don’t know about this place, then you are way behind, kid. Play ol’ school games like “Gauntlet,” “Galaga” and “Ms. Pac-Man.” Then drink up because the libations are priced to move in this K-town favorite. Truth be told, I’ve never known anybody to order anything other than beer here. Come to think of it, I don’t know if they even have anything other than brews at this place. Hmm … Anyway, beer is fun. So is their snack food. There’s not a nerd in town that isn’t in love with the nachos. I’m just putting that out there.
inner circle
SHAMSHIRI GRILL
712 Westwood Blvd., Westwood BY ERICA CARTER Shamshiri has lighter fare for lunch Monday through Friday (11:30 a.m.-3:30 WESTWOOD CAN BE A STUDENT’S p.m.) for $7.95 … you choose from Falafels paradise with all of the inexpensive food to Shawarmas to Kabobs served with rice, options throughout the Village. From pizza salad and hummus. to shish kabobs, you won’t run out of new, If it’s meat that you desire, rest assured exciting cuisines to try. A great option for Shamshiri has options. Persian cuisine is the Poultry selections include renowned Shamshiri Grill. rotisserie prepared Chicken Since its inception 27 Shawarma Platter with your years ago, Shamshiri’s choice of salad and served reputation of ample with hummus and rice portions for next to ($12.95), or try your hand at nothing has been a lamb dish like the exceeded only by their fast Koobideh ($14.95), two and friendly service. The Feast your eyes on all the Mediterranean broiled skewers seasoned menu is loosely translated fare Shamshiri Grill has to offer. with onions. Mediterranean fare by House Specials take your way of Persia. palate even further into Persia, Albalou Polo Appetizers like the Eggplant Borani, ($12.95), for instance, is a dish of cooked ($4.95) a dip infused with garlic and sautéed sour cherries with basmati rice, and you can onions is similar to a Baba Ganoush, only chose your protein of chicken or lamb shank. with yogurt. Apart from fried calamari and Shamshiri is perfect for large groups as shrimp, many of the appetizers are vegetarian well … the more guests, the more different or vegan, but the melding of ingredients like items you can sample! crispy rice topped with walnuts and pomegranate or fresh herbs with beans and a For more information, call (310) 474-1410 or hint of lime ensure you don’t miss the “meat.” visit shamshiri.com.
the
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J U LY 1 - J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 0 9 • V O L . 1 9
ISSUE 26 • campuscircle.com
FILM IN LOS ANGELES screen shots | B Y
ZACH HINES
Lionel Hahn/Abaca Press/MCT
Some of the best ones were “Thriller,” “Bad” and “Remember The Time.” My favorite piece he did was his film Moonwalker that costarred Joe Pesci and featured the music video for “Smooth Criminal” set in a swanky 1950s speakeasy. The cause of his death was apparently a full cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest as I learned is not the same thing as a heart attack. When someone has a heart attack they only lose partial heart function, but when someone has a cardiac arrest they lose all heart function, and most people die within minutes if they don’t get help immediately. I’m no doctor, but cardiac arrest seems to me to be one of those stress-related conditions, and Michael Jackson was probably an epicenter of stress. It’s no secret that he was taking a trillion different
Ollivier-MF/Abaca Press/MCT
MICHAEL JACKSON IS DEAD. AS if that weren’t dark enough, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon both passed away in the same 24-hour period as the Jackson, giving credence to the theory that everything comes in threes. Jackson was not just a global phenomenon; he’s a piece of world history. No other performer has had a track record of his magnitude and has touched as many people. If you’re alive, you know who Michael Jackson is and know at least a few of his songs. Jackson’s music videos were always the best of the best. Instead of doing simplistic videos that subtly captured the essence of his songs, Jackson would opt to do short films with storylines, with the actual music video appearing somewhere in the runtime.
Lionel Hahn/Abaca Press/MCT
MICHAEL JACKSON RESTS IN PEACE
R.I.P. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson
kinds of medications and painkillers; couple that with his turbulent life, and it’s not so much of a surprise that this happened. I read an out-of-print book a while ago written by a woman who was married to and had kids with Jermaine Jackson, and some of the stuff in the book addressing how dysfunctional the family was and how they treated each other was simply unbelievable. The level of dysfunction of the Jackson family is
beyond epic proportions. And of course, there’s the question of whether or not you believe he was a child molester. I won’t go into what my feelings are on that topic because ultimately, Jackson was a product of the severe level of dysfunction he grew up around. The emotional, physical and psychological abuse he endured from the time he was a child probably made it impossible for him
to develop in any way that could be considered normal. His contributions to the field of entertainment should be how we remember him and not his tragic life. Michael Jackson is probably the epitome of the tortured artist, and if one positive thing can be taken away from his death, it’s that now he’s at peace. Send feedback to screenshots@campuscircle.net
projections | essential film events
t.v. time | B Y
CINEFAMILY 4TH OF JULY BBQ
‘NO RESERVATIONS’
(feat. Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Celebration) July 4 @ The Silent Movie Theatre BY SARAH BENNETT
Dean Hollingsworth/Dallas Morning News/MCT
combining footage from international fireworks festivals with similar-looking experimental films to create a screen-worthy EVEN THOUGH MICHAEL JACKSON alternative to the tamer (and lamer) cityis gone, and the world is preparing for new sponsored displays. economic superpowers, our sweet The night’s feature was filmed at land of liberty is still turning 233 the 1977 incarnation of Willie this week and Cinefamily is giving Nelson’s annual 4th of July us a reason to celebrate. Turning the Celebration, which brought together day the into one of their signature two critically-American things on “Mondo” movie nights, the folks at the nation’s Independence Day: beer the Silent Movie Theatre are hosting and country music. With a barbecue/movie marathon/Willie performances by Waylon Jennings, Nelson extravaganza that will Jerry Jeff Walker and a very drunk replace all your Fourth of July Leon Russell, Nelson and the gang childhood memories with an open What could be more Americana on star in a post-Woodstock (and postgrill, virtual firework display, July 4 than a Willie Nelson movie? Altamont) concert flick that reeks of smattering of America-themed good ol’ fashioned patriotism. shorts and a screening of a Willie The grill is hot, the setting is casual and Nelson feature-length concert film. the films are weird, so BYOB (bring your Mondo movie nights are Cinefamily’s own burgers), mingle outside on their rarelyunique, big-screen free-for-alls. They uproot opened patio or enjoy the couches and air random clips of every length and from every conditioning in the theater as it fills with format pertaining to the evening’s theme and visual testaments to man’s love of country – screen them with no regard for their industry mondo style. 6 p.m. $12. significance. This year’s virtual fireworks show, for example, will be a homespun The Silent Movie Theatre is located at 611 N. interpretation of the holiday’s tradition, Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. For more screening at the almanac’s precise time of information, visit silentmovietheatre.com. sunset for that day (8:07 p.m.) and
YURI SHIMODA
Anthony Bourdain: The Culinary Rebel
a whole cobra – beating heart and all – in IN AN AGE WHERE CELEBRITY CHEFS Vietnam. In 2005, Fox debuted a sitcom, like Bobby Flay and Paula Deen have “Kitchen Confidential,” based on Bourdain’s charmed their ways into the hearts of memoir of the same name. He has also America, and culinary wizards such as Mario appeared as a guest judge on “Top Chef” five Batali pal around with Gwyneth Paltrow (the times. pair filmed a culinary tour But the program that has of Spain for PBS: “Spain… really allowed the gourmand to On the Road Again”), shine launched in 2005 on the Anthony Bourdain blazes Travel Channel. “No his own trail. Reservations” is different from During a two-hour other travel/food shows because speaking panel in Seattle last of Bourdain’s fiery personality month, Bourdain Anthony Bourdain delves into new and the way he thoroughly commented on fellowfood territory in “No Reservations.” immerses himself in the cuisine panelist Batali’s series with of the local culture. From fermenting kimchi Paltrow by saying, “Why would you go to in underground barrels in Korea to dining on Spain with the one bitch who refuses to eat unwashed warthog rectum in Namibia, ham?” in reference to the actress’ wellBourdain is always up for a challenge. publicized macrobiotic personal dietary However, “No Reservations” isn’t just habits. The acid-tongued chef, best-selling about eating unusual food, it’s about the author and proud New Yorker sometimes connection between our lives and food and to displays a grumpy attitude that makes Larry each other. Although he’s just given up chain David look like a happy camper and may smoking, Bourdain will always be the culinary seem like an unlikely TV host, but he’s been a rebel with a cause. fixture in the television world for foodies since 2002. The sixth season of “Anthony Bourdain: No That year “A Cook’s Tour” premiered on Reservations” premieres July 13 at 10 p.m. on the Food Network and showcased Bourdain the Travel Channel. traveling around the world sampling fare like
AND
invite yoü to enter to win tickets for 2 to an advance screening of brüno on thürsday, jüly 9 at 7:30 p.m. in bürbank and orange.
GUSTAF HAMMARS EN ÜCOSTUME NIVERSALPI ERSAL PICTURES TURE MUSICAND MEDIA RIGHTSCAPI HTS CA ITAL PRESENT A FOUR OURBYTWO BY WO AND EEDITED VERYMAN ERYMANPIPICTURES PRODUC PRODUCTION SACHA ACHABARONCOHEN BARONART COHEN “BRRÜNO”NO” GUSTAFHAMMARSTEN MUSIC DESIGNER JAS ASONNALPER A ER BY ERRANBARONCOHEN ERRAN BARON COHEN SUPERVISOR RICHARD HARDHENDERSON HENDERSON BY JAMESTHOMAS JAMES THOMAS SCOTTM.DAVI SCOTT M. DAVIDS DIRECTORS DENISEHUDSON E HUDSONCO- DAVIID SAENZNZDEMATURANA DE ASSOCIATE DIRECTORSS OF PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO HY ANTHONYHARDWI SCHAFFERBASEDDALEALESTERN STERN PRODUCERS JONONPOLL SCHULMAN ANTHONY HARDWICK WOLFGANG GANGHELD H LD PRODUCERS JASASONNALPER A ER PETER ETERBAYNHAM B NHAM JONAH ONAHHIHILL JEFFEFFSCHAFFER POLL TODDODDSCHULMAN EXECUTIVE PRODUCED ON A CHARACTER PRODUCER ANTHONY NTHONYHIHINES BY SACHA ACHABARONCOHEN BARON COHEN JAYAYROACH ROACH DANSCREEN ANMAZER MAZER MONIONICALEVI A LEVINSON CREATED BY SACHA ACHABARONCOHEN BARON COHEN STORY SCREENPLAY BY SACHA ACHABARONCOHEN BARON COHEN & PETERBAYNHAM PETER B NHAM & ANTHONYHI ANTHONY HINES & DANMAZER DAN MAZER BYSACHA ACHABARONCOHEN BARONDIRECTEDCOHEN & ANTHONYHI ANTHONY HINES & DANMAZER DAN MAZER & JEFFSCHAFFER JEFF SCHAFFER ERSALRERELEASE BY LARRY ARRYCHARLES CHARLES AAÜNIVERSA © 2009 ÜNIVERSAL NIVERSAL STUDIOS
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temporary distractions | B Y
dvd dish | BY MIKE SEBASTIAN
SPECIAL FEATURES
JON MINUS KATE EQUALS GREAT
Major Releases Tokyo! is a three-part anthology film, along the lines of Paris, je t’aime or New York Stories, telling various stories of a single city. Visually inventive filmmakers Michel Gondry, Leos Carax (The Lovers on the Bridge) and Bong Joon-ho (The Host) offer surreal takes on the search for connection in the ultra-modern Japanese city. A departure from his usual Little Odessa underworld milieu, James Gray’s Two Lovers is a romantic drama about a love triangle. Pre-rap career Joaquin Phoenix stars alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw in the Brooklyn-set tale. Isabella Rossellini and Elias Koteas co-star.
The Vault Co-writer/star Jon Voight championed the rerelease of the newly discovered extended cut of Hal Ashby’s Lookin’ to Get Out. Voight stars alongside Burt Young and Ann-Margret as a down on his luck gambler trying to get back on track. Daughter Angelina Jolie (then 7) also makes a brief appearance. Though far from Ashby’s best work (Harold and Maude, The Last Detail) the extended cut is a welcome addition to the oeuvre of one of the criminally overshadowed filmmakers of the ’70s.
Blu Notes
The Idiotbox From the creator of BBC’s “The Office” and “Father Ted” comes “The IT Crowd” (The Complete Second Season now available). The technically clueless Jen is relocated to the basement tech support division of a faceless corporation. Now she’s stuck with a bitter slacker and an uber nerd. While it still resides in passé sitcom territory, the British wit is sharp enough to keep it engaging. Just when you thought there was no more ground for reality TV to cover, enter “Jockeys.” The first season of the Animal Planet show follows seven 100-pound athletes as not-so-small egos clash and they compete for the big prize.
Under the Radar The Education of Charlie Banks marks the directorial debut of rap-rocker Fred Durst. The tense drama stars The Squid and The Whale’s Jesse Eisenberg as a privileged college student who gets a visit from an old high school acquaintance, the brash, charismatic Jason Ritter. But Ritter soon begins to take over Eisenberg’s life, bringing Eisenberg to a boiling point.
Also Available: The Betrayed and Night Train, starring Danny Glover and Steve Zahn (July 7)
Michael Pilla/ tlc.discovery.com
Stranger Than Fiction
Iranian Films on DVD: 1) Taste of Cherry 2) The White Balloon 3) Ten 4) Children of Heaven 5) Under the Skin of the City 6) Hidden Half 7) The House is Black 8) The Wind Will Carry Us 9) Close-Up 10) Gabbeh 11) The Cyclist —Angela Matano
being caught up in the whole media YEARS FROM NOW, WHEN I’M brouhaha over Jon’s supold and my face has posed infidelity, but it’s hard weathered into a hardened to escape it when every time shell, one question will stay I go to the supermarket Jon’s with me, “Where was I when doughy face is staring back Jon and Kate announced at me from the checkout their divorce?” It’s troubling line. that such a thought would I’m not making even cross my mind, but James Famera excuses. In fact, I’ve even more disheartening is even caught myself the sad fact that I too was clicking on the Yahoo gossip plopped in front of the TV waiting links to catch up on any new for the inevitable. developments over their It’s odd of me to admit this crumbling marriage. because the demographic for the Am I a hypocrite to show, I’m assuming, is middle-aged criticize those who indulge housewives and 20-something when I too am an obedient women. But there I was, relaxed on little lemming? Perhaps. But I the sofa, most likely the only man in like to think I deserve a free America eager enough to take in pass considering I sat every minute of the “very special” through an entire “Jon & episode. Kate Plus 8” marathon while Now I’ve always considered visiting home a few Christmyself a sophisticated TV watcher mases ago. and usually limit my viewing to It was my younger sister scripted programming and the who just happened to occasional talk show. But when it “stumble” upon the show comes to reality TV, I usually change and insisted I watch. Three Jon and Kate in happier times the channel. hours and nine episodes Not to say that reality lovers are about the show during that ninelater I was ready to gouge out my beneath me. It’s just that I define a episode wind sprint a year and a half eyes and embark on a life of solitude guilty pleasure as a longwinded ago, it was Kate’s snotty attitude towards Jon. Sure I can go into some long convoluted discussion over why Jon may have cheated on his wife. But to be honest, I’m just not interested enough to care. I have faith in the powers that be that Jon will travel to some distant island never to be heard from again, while Kate finds a new beau to harass and pops out another set of twins. “Kate & Len Plus 10” anyone? I’ve always prided The Gosselins: I guess “Eight Is Enough!” myself in my charmingly good tastes, but now that the dust has settled and the scandal is all in the Himalayas as punishment for college lecture or some type of but kaput, I’m left feeling somewhat being untrue to myself. But alas, strenuous activity such as chopping empty. And who can blame me for here I am alive and well. blocks of wood (one can never have that? If I did remember anything too much firewood). I’ve even left the room when the conversation steers toward reality TV, only to reenter several minutes later (usually because I’ve forgotten something). line, “Oh, me so horny! Me love To be quite frank, I’d rather ingest a you, long-time.” Full Metal Jacket handful of gravel than sit through an is one of the best movies of the entire episode of “The Real HouseVietnam genre. Full of guts, wives of New Jersey,” “Kendra” or violence and humor, you won’t Full Metal Jacket whatever else is stirring the dial. be able to shake this one off for July 5-7 @ New Beverly Cinema Which brings me to “Jon & Kate a while. $7, $6 for students. It’s the movie that gave the Plus 8,” or J&K+8 for the text savvy —Ebony March world (and 2 Live Crew) the among you. I’ve cursed myself for tlc.discovery.com
Arguably Spike Lee’s greatest film, Do the Right Thing, is now available on Blu-ray in a special 20th Anniversary Edition. The film takes place on the hottest day of the summer in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood. Lee stars as Mookie, a delivery guy for an Italian pizzeria run by Danny Aiello, which becomes the focal point for rising racial tension. This funny, tense and affecting – though a tad didactic – film really announced Lee as a serious filmmaker. Rosie Perez, Ossie Davis and John Turturro co-star. Included are four hours of bonus features, including commentary by Lee.
Locked-In Syndrome, a poignant documentary by Jean-Jacques Beineix (Diva), tells the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the subject of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Bauby, who was left paralyzed by a stroke, dictated his memoir by blinking his left eye. This DVD, which is the first of six titles in the The Jean-Jacques Beineix Collection (available July 14), also includes the documentary Otaku about Japanese technological subculture, and his first short film, Mr. Michel’s Dog. A whole cottage industry has sprung up around the impending Armageddon, raising the stakes on that old marketing staple, fear mongering. From the Mayan calendar, to a 16th Century apothecary’s vague, infinitely open to interpretation predictions, all signs are pointing to 2012 as the big year. The History Channel’s Nostradamus: 2012 examines the warnings.
J A M E S FA M E R A
staff pick
[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
Courtesy of The Cinema Guild
Betty Blue: The Director’s Cut
Agnès Varda (far left) with a circus troupe of acrobats in The Beaches of Agnès
The Beaches of Agnès (Cinema Guild) Called the “Grandmother of the French New Wave,” Agnès Varda is well known for the innovations she has brought to filmmaking over the decades. Not surprisingly, her autobiographical work, The Beaches of Agnès, is not your run of the mill documentary. Varda makes use of metaphoric imagery, archival footage and creative re-enactments to share her memories of a wartime upbringing in Belgium and France, her days at the prestigious École du Louvre, family life as the wife and muse of the late fellow iconic filmmaker Jacques Demy and her subsequent feminist activist work. That Varda’s life is peppered with a veritable who’s who of the French art world is enough to make this film an intriguing memoir, but it is Varda’s charisma, her effervescent spirit and embrace of life as art itself that makes this film such a delight to watch. The film allows us an intimate glimpse into her process of creation, the playful manner in which Varda views her craft and life in general. Varda’s credentials are astounding, not only as one of the first filmmakers to emerge from the New Wave but she also introduced the world to much crucial talent during her 50 years in cinema (think Gérard Depardieu and Harrison Ford). Anyone with an ounce of interest in French cinema will delight in her tales of the greats from Jean-Luc Godard to Jane Birkin to, of course, Demy. She is also a renowned photographer and video installation artist. But even if you’ve never seen a single one of her films or had the opportunity to enjoy her art, The Beaches of Agnès serves as an excellent starting point. As her film Jacquot de Nantes celebrated the life of Demy, Varda now has the opportunity to honor her own existence with grace and a charming sense of humor. To tell her tale, she traverses the globe, making a pilgrimage to her childhood home, the beloved beaches of her youth, gives us a glimpse of her famed Monparnasse headquarters at rue Daguerre and brings us on a journey back to the beaches of California where she spent much of the turbulent 1960s. Joined by her children (respected cineastes themselves) and cherished friends, one really
gets a sense of just how admired and adored the woman is. And why? You just can’t help but love Varda, vibrant and youthful even at 80 years old. The Beaches of Agnès is a celebration of a life well lived, and we have a lot to learn from her tremendous spirit. Grade: A —Natasha Desianto
(Cinema Libre Studio) It’s been more than 20 years since Jean-Jacques Beineix directed Betty Blue, but now the director’s cut of this sex-filled dissection of mental instability is being released in the United States with an hour of new footage that is sure to titillate. Betty Blue focuses on the lives of Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a handyman cum writer, and his disturbed lover, Betty (Béatrice Dalle). Zorg is an unremarkable and unambitious man, living in a bungalow by the beach when Betty walks into his life. Her passionate nature is a welcome relief until she finds Zorg’s memoirs and decides they need a change in scenery … and burns the bungalow to the ground. When they move to Paris, it becomes evident that Betty and Zorg are devoted to each other, but Betty can’t handle the interactions required
of everyday life. Betty fixates on one obsession after another, and Zorg tries to save Betty from herself. But can he before their lives devolve into lies and violence? The film is in turns comic, dramatic, sexy (come on, the opening scene is literally the couple having passionate sex) and tragic. While the story moves slowly in some parts, you can combat this with a drinking game: Take a drink every time you see someone’s naughty bits. Or, every
time someone does something film that’s just plain weird; but you can chalk it up to Betty Blue being a French film. Grade: B —Melissa Russell Betty Blue: The Director’s Cut releases in select theaters July 3.
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NOW THAT SHE’S HERE THERE WILL BE BLOOD.
“A WORLD-CLASS.
ACTION FILM!
TURNING THE VAMPIRE.. ”GENRE ON ITS EAR”.
…
Mike Szymanski, SCIFI.COM
”IT’S LIKEKILL BILL ON CRACK!” Rama's SCREEN
From a producer of
CRouching Tiger, hidden dragon & Hero
“Abounds with striking pictures.” —New York Times “A terrific documentary.” —Hollywood Reporter
Winner of 12 festival awards Laemmle Music Hall 3 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills (310) 274-6869 Showtimes: 5:10 p.m./7:20 p.m./9:45 p.m. *Q&A with filmmaker Susan Morgan Cooper following 7:20 p.m. screenings Distributed by Julesworks Releasing, LLC
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The Beaches of Agnès releases in select theaters July 3.
film notes | reviews
Campus Circle | 11
12 | Campus Circle
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of an uptight lawyer who is brilliant in the courtroom, but cannot commit himself in the bedroom. Zem’s masculine sexuality and raw testosteronecharged performance as Christophe is a pitch perfect complement to Beauvois’ timidity, and newcomer Bourgoin’s bubbly, but emotionally ambiguous Audrey is both whimsical and utterly real. It is no wonder that both Zem and Bourgoin were nominated for the French equivalent of the Oscar for their performances. The film’s only downfall is in its ending. Despite getting good marks for everything from the acting to the soundtrack (watch out for Barry White), the twist at the end doesn’t make any
film notes | reviews
« CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 (Magnolia) Ah, Monaco. With its mild Mediterranean weather, soothing sandy beaches and proximity to Italy and France, what’s not to love? Known mostly as a vacation retreat city, nothing bad could ever happen here, right? The Girl From Monaco is the story of Bertrand Beauvois (Fabrice Luchini), an accomplished middle-aged defense lawyer who has moved from Paris to Monaco in order to represent a woman who is suspected of killing a man with ties to the Russian mafia. Because of the case’s high profile, the defendant’s son hires a private security guard to protect Beauvois. Christophe Abadi’s (Roschdy Zem) presence proves to be both a blessing (the Monaco local knows exactly how things work around the city) and a curse when Beauvois is willingly seduced by the local weather girl Audrey Varella (Louise Bourgoin). But when Beauvois’ relationship with Audrey gets a little out of hand, he turns to his steadfast bodyguard to set things right. Although it may not sound like it, The Girl From Monaco is an interesting movie about trust, control and love, and since it’s French, it’s also got its share of sexuality. It will probably be billed as a comedy, but really it’s probably more accurate to call it a dramedy. In turns hilarious and dramatic, writer/director Anne Fontaine has made an affecting film that captures moments of real human emotion. Of course, this is partially because of Fontaine’s brilliant casting and directing. Luchini, one of France’s most famous comedians and stage actors, effortlessly captures the essence
Courtesy of Antidote Films ©, property of Sony Pictures Classics
The Girl From Monaco
(l to r) Muhammad Ali, Bill Withers and Don King in Soul Power
sense. Maybe it’s just that our “CSI” and “Law & Order”-saturated culture is trained to pick out such incongruences, but it had me scratching my head. In the end, The Girl From Monaco is both
visually and intellectually appealing, and in watching it, you get the sense that you just saw something real. Although the story is a little weak, it’s still a fun romp around Monaco. Grade: B+ —Melissa Russell The Girl From Monaco releases in select theaters July 3.
Soul Power (Sony Pictures Classics) Soul Power isn’t a documentary so much as it is a document. Director Jeffrey Levy-Hinte was originally hired as an editor on Leon Gast’ brilliant, Academy Award-winning film When We Were Kings, the story surrounding “The
Kulthum, whom he grew up listening to on the radio with his father, as well as by a deep desire to express his love for his Sufi Islamic roots, N’Dour began work on his pivotal release Egypt. Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, who established the Mouride brotherhood to which N’Dour belongs, placed particular importance on Egypt as the cradle of African civilization. Enlisting the help of the Cairo-based Fathy Salam Orchestra, N’Dour broke from his typical Senegalese instrumentation to create a melding of Arab strings and wind instruments with Woloflanguage tales of Islamic saints. Created just before 9/11, N’Dour chose to delay the album’s release in the light of negative feelings toward Islam in the west. Finally in 2004, wishing to create a more positive and tolerant counterpoint for his faith, N’Dour at last released Egypt, to tremendous worldwide critical acclaim. That is, with the exception of his homeland. At home, the Ramadan release of Egypt is met with derision and controversy. As N’Dour is accused of blasphemy and the descendants of Bamba threaten him with a lawsuit, N’Dour and the Fathy Salam Orchestra hit the road for a whirlwind tour of Europe, where the album is triumphantly received. Troubled by the backlash and the ensuing blacklisting of his album back home, N’Dour’s success abroad is bittersweet. All of that changes when Egypt is nominated for a Grammy. Having received the honor of a nomination several times before, this time N’Dour wins, spurring a change of heart in his homeland, which celebrates its native son with an upsurge of national pride. At last the Senegalese have the opportunity to hear and appreciate the album at the heart of the controversy. A duet with religious singer Mustapha M’Baye further serves to dispel the negative feelings surrounding the misunderstood release. It’s amazing that Youssou N’Dour, once named among the “100 Most Influential People
Rumble in the Jungle,” Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s legendary boxing battle in 1974. The movie was culled from over 125 hours of footage and, when the assembly was over, Levy-Hinte couldn’t live with the knowledge that the remaining film was destined to lay dormant in a vault for the rest of time. Instead, he decided to rescue it and create a second film, one he initially conceived as multiple concert films, centered on the music festival that coincided with the fight. The three-day event saw performances from musical legends like B.B. King, James Brown, Celia Cruz and Bill Withers, all in peak form. Levy-Hinte was so blinded by his quest, he forgot to realize that outtake footage is what DVD special features are for, not to ducttape together a second sloppy incarnation of a film that was done deftly the first time. Without a narrative, voiceover, Youssou N’Dour celebrates his Grammy win in I Bring What I Love. through-line, trajectory or even introductory titles, the film meanders along, blithely (and incorrectly) assuming the audience in the World” by Time Magazine, is so little known in the U.S. outside of his vocals on Peter is enjoying the ride but never enticing or educating us along the way. Besides editing When Gabriel’s classic hit “In Your Eyes.” His We Were Kings, Levy-Hinte previously worked as humanitarian work alongside fellow activists like Gabriel and U2’s Bono is another highlight of the a producer on films like Thirteen and Laurel Canyon, all great independent features. The film along with insight into his treasured family life in the Senegal capital of Dakar. director’s chair, however, is not for him. How could a film featuring Muhammad Ali N’Dour’s exuberance and joyful embrace of lack punch? life is infectious. This film is a story of triumph over misconceptions, cultural divides and Grade: D —Sasha Perl-Raver stagnation. Filmmaker Chai Vasarhelyi’s first feature-length documentary is a must-see for Soul Power releases in select theaters July 10. anyone with the audacity to believe that music can change the world. Youssou N’Dour: Grade: A+ I Bring What I Love —Natasha Desianto (Shadow Distribution/Groovy Griot) Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love releases in Senegalese pop icon Youssou N’Dour had a theaters July 3. vision. Inspired by the Egyptian singer Umm
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IN SELECT THEATRES FRIDAY, JULY 17
American Ballet Theatre America’s National Ballet Company®
KEVIN McKENZIE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
ROMEO AND JULIET WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA
July 16 — 19, 2009 DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased at , 213-365-3500 or the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office. For more information, visit musiccenter.org or call 213-972-0711. Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo in Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Gene Schiavone. Programs and artists subject to change.
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[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
frequency | B Y
KEVIN WIERZBICKI
Juliet Simms
Ace Enders
July 2 @ Knitting Factory Firstly, I’m a big fan of Simms’ work in Automatic Loveletter, and it’s not because I love any girl-fronted pop band that comes out of the Warped Tour social circles. Because I don’t. I mean, I think Millionaires are the single worst thing American pop culture has ever produced and might be the cause of our economic crisis as well. Not that I’d even call them a band anyway, because that requires even a slight modicum of skill, but that’s neither here nor there. But Simms is different. She’s got substance. While Automatic Loveletter shows off her rock side, Simms’ solo work gives us a look into her softer side as she croons out soulful ballads with her raspy-but-delicate voice. So even though some girls in music are content to just be pretty faces, this one has the talent to actually back up her presence on stage.
July 9 @ Knitting Factory July 10 @ Chain Reaction While writing the big summer show guide a few weeks back, I was quite stoked Ace Enders was getting headliner billing on a tour, because there’s no question he’s earned it by now. Then I thought about the implication of that. For the next tour, assuming he stays solo for the foreseeable future and that this tour is successful, he’ll presumably want to play bigger venues. I might be slightly less stoked about the prospect of that. Not because I’m that dude that only likes obscure bands for the sake of lording it over those not as well versed musically (no, really, I swear), but because there’s something very special about seeing Enders play in the more intimate venues. There’s something about standing two feet in front of him and being able to hear his own voice louder and more clearly that the stage monitors projecting it to the rest of the venue that evokes a very visceral response. Not to get all Phish-fan, “It’s an experience, maaaan,” but, well, it kind of is.
Death Cab for Cutie
Ryan Russell
July 5 @ Hollywood Bowl In all the years I’ve gone to Death Cab shows, Ben Gibbard and co. have never once put on a bad
Death Cab for Cutie have never once put on a bad show.
show. I’ve said it before, but even still, it amazes me that this band has gone from playing relatively small venues like the Glass House in Pomona to the arena of arenas, the great Bowl, but if there was a harder working band that deserved it more than Death Cab, I’ve yet to find them.
The Epilogues July 9 @ diPiazza’s These guys are easily the most amazing band you’ve never heard of. Simple and straightforward synth-heavy indie rock, but still artfully arranged and performed. More impressively, these Denver natives can translate every note of their killer album to the stage when they play, even when rocking some of Los Angeles’ dingiest dive bar venues. Your friends will be so jealous that you saw these guys play in what’s more or less an Italian restaurant with a stage that’s smaller than my closet (not really. I’m still a starving journalist, but you see what I’m getting at). They are generally awesome dudes as well, so hang out and buy ’em a beer because they’re doing a self-funded tour without even being signed yet. And maybe a bowl of pasta or something too, because there’s starving journalist poor and then there’s starving musician poor.
Andrew Bird July 10 @ the Greek I usually tend to only like my indie folk music in small dive-y clubs, playing to similarly small crowds, but when your particular brand of indie folk is of the big-sounding, orchestral, RufusWainwright-on-a-road-trip-through-theAmerican-Midwest variety, you’re going to need something a little bigger than those kinds of venues to contain it. I guess.
Incubus July 13 @ Hollywood Bowl Like with a handful of other bands I’ve discussed of late, I grew up listening to Incubus. Listening to, not with, just so we’re clear. I’m not that old. Not that the members of Incubus are old or anything, they’re just not … youthful anymore. Point being, I still love them. Even though I tend to favor their earlier work, with Make Yourself being one of the definitive albums of my youth, frontman Brandon Boyd’s vocal flair has still never faded. The band has grown and matured considerably since their start, taking on a more adult sound, but there’s always something inherently fun about watching the L.A. natives perform.
Campus Circle | 17
Lombardo says,“The songs on our latest album music reflect what’s going on in the world. We have a track called ‘Americon’ about the conning of the American people and the government. The music brings out that aggression.” With World Painted Blood, it’s apparent that the group is not getting soft in its later years. BY DAVID TOBIN “We delivered something special with this album, each song has a soul, and working with SUMMER MEANS LOTS OF MUSIC producer Greg Fiddleman, it really came festivals, but one truly stands out: Mayhem through,” says Lombardo. Festival. Marilyn Manson and Slayer are known for fast Slayer lead this season’s onslaught songs, and what brings sold-out of metal. Two years ago these crowds to all of their shows is that bands did their own tour, bringing they sound exactly the same live as together contrasting crowds. they do on CD. “Slayer fans are not Manson Lombardo states,“We are 40 fans. They are very different,” Slayer make Mayhem! to 45 year olds and play the laughs Slayer drummer Dave toughest music, and the younger Lombardo.“But I’m happy to go, bands can’t keep up. They record these albums we took him out last time, and now it’s our with tons of production and effects, and when turn to go with him.” it’s time to play live they can’t do it.” Matching the ferocity of these two big Those who know Slayer’s music understand names in music, the Mayhem lineup also it’s all passion. With over 10 hit albums and live includes Killswitch Engage, Bullet for My recordings this legendary group is proving that Valentine, Trivium, God Forbid, All That they’re all about writing good songs and Remains, the Black Dahlia Murder, performing them flawlessly live. Mushroomhead and death metal pioneers, Lombardo concludes, “This band has Cannibal Corpse. grown over the years, and this album will Slayer is touring in support of their separate the men from the boys. It’s not upcoming CD, World Painted Blood, coming watered down or pre-produced. This is music out in the fall. The album marks their 30th in its most raw form. This is Slayer.” anniversary. Originating in punk, the quartet Slayer will perform at Mayhem Festival took things a step further by tuning down their July 12 at San Manuel Amphitheater, San guitars and allowing Tom Araya to bring his Bernardino. For more information, visit inner demon out vocally and sing about topics slayer.net. that no one dared to before.
SLAYER
Their legendary passion continues.
[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
music
cd reviews M A K I N G TH E G R A D E : A B C D F
EXC E PTI O N A L WO RTH W H I L E MEDIOCRE SAVE YOUR MONEY WILL BE ON HELL’S JUKEBOX
No Go Know Time Has Nothing To Do With It (The Union) No Go Know is a band with ambition. That explains this double album: indie rock with gnashed guitar string twisting, groove-flecked jams, icy space rock and clear-eyed acoustic odes. No Go Know is not easy to categorize, but influences include Built to Spill, My Morning Jacket and Pink Floyd; essentially the group has mastered the trick of meshing inspirations into a specific sound that does not seem unfocused or overtly derivative. The first half highlights encompass the intense build-up during riffing “My Black Dog,” where Scott Taylor layers a scorching guitar solo, and Modest Mouse-esque “Yours Is a Small, Still Voice,” a jumpy jaunt that unexpectedly swaps to minor chords halfway through. Second half standouts comprise epic psychedelic jam “Is It Getting Better?” equally lengthy, herky-jerky “No, We Won’t” and classic rock meets slacker rock “Life Is Forever for Everyone.” Grade: B —Doug Simpson Time Has Nothing To Do With It will be available July 7.
The Rocketz We Are… (Self-released) Similar to AC/DC’s proof of legitimacy and perseverance with Back in Black following Bon Scott’s death in 1980, the Rocketz’ sophomore album serves as a tribute to their former drummer, Andrew Martinez, who died earlier this year in a car accident. With few traces of mourning in its 16 tracks, the Rocketz blister through original alcoholladen tunes and toy around with covers of “Holiday in Cambodia” by punk icons Dead Kennedys
music 101 | artist feature
INCUBUS
(l to r) Chris Kilmore, Jose Pasillas, Brandon Boyd, Mike Einziger and Ben Kenney of Incubus
A Monumental Event BY YURI SHIMODA INCUBUS HAVE PLAYED VENUES all over the world, from Denver’s Red Rocks to Helsinki’s Ice Hall. They’ve even played in China and the Philippines. “We went to Manila for the first time a couple of years ago. It was a big outdoor event, 20,000 people, a shocking draw. We were just super excited; it was a pretty significant event,” says drummer Jose Pasillas. And on July 13, the Grammynominated quintet will celebrate another notable occasion when they headline the Hollywood Bowl – their first show at the historic venue. The bowl has hosted countless legends, including Paul Simon, who was a fixture of Pasillas’ musical upbringing. “My dad was always listening to music around the house. I specifically remember a lot of Paul Simon, so Graceland always sticks out in my head. It’s one of my favorite records, probably because that’s what I remember from growing up,” reveals Pasillas.
Along with vocalist Brandon Boyd and guitarist Mike Einziger, Pasillas formed the band in 1991 when they were still in high school in Calabasas, Calif. They are currently joined by DJ Chris Kilmore and bassist Ben Kenney, formerly of the Roots. Pasillas attributes the band’s longevity to: “A solid relationship with each other. There’s ups and downs in every relationship. Trying to balance five personal relationships is difficult. We’ve already had two members leave and have gained two more. We’re definitely a complete unit now. Just being aware of each other, being supportive of one another, realizing that we’re fortunate to be able to play music, travel the world and do this as a living. Keeping that in mind, that helps us keep things in perspective.” Seven albums, four No. 1 singles and several world tours later, the band released its first greatest hits collection last month. The compilation, entitled Monuments & Melodies, includes a solid mix from their back catalog – from “Stellar,” “Drive” and “Pardon Me” to “Love Hurts” and “Dig” – and two new songs, “Black Heart Inertia”
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE Lethal Weapons B Y B R I E N O V E R LY “IT MIGHT NOT BE A METAL record for the next one,” muses Bullet for my Valentine drummer Michael “Moose” Thomas on his band’s forthcoming album, teasingly adding, “It might be a crossover album, or it might be even heavier, we don’t know yet.” Asked what the odds are that his band will turn out a collection of sugary mainstream pop jams, he quickly quips, “I wouldn’t go too far.” Though the currently in production album likely won’t be that drastic of a stylistic shift for
Welsh natives, Thomas, along with bassist Jason James, guitarist Michael Paget and vocalist Matt Tuck, are ready to challenge their listeners’ aural senses. ‘“We just want to write better songs, to prove to people that we can,” says Thomas. More than that, Thomas and his band mates are ready to start reaping the benefits of years of paid dues. “When I was just getting into music as a teenager, I was into pop, then I discovered Nirvana and the next day I went out and bought Metallica,” says Thomas, adding with a laugh, “I wanted to play guitar, but
and “I Wanna Mohawk” by AFI. “Label on the Bottle” is the highlight of this offering. With background noises of beer bottles clinking and people shouting, Tony Slash sings the soon-to-be classic lyrics, “We’re drinking at full throttle ’til we can’t read the label on the bottle.”
and “Midnight Swim,” on the first disc and cover songs and rarities on disc two. Monuments features cover art designed by Boyd, who is also a published author. Boyd and Pasillas are both avid visual artists and create designs for the band’s T-shirts as well. “The fact that it’s imagery that comes from us makes it even cooler. It’s homemade, homegrown stuff to incorporate,” remarks Pasillas. “I think it’s cool if you can contribute in those other areas of your business.” Einziger also explores other outlets for his creativity: in his side project band Time Lapse Consortium, as a producer and as a student enrolled at Harvard University. The band as a whole has a shared goal of giving back to their fans and the world through their charitable organization, the Make Yourself Foundation (makeyourselffoundation.org). Since 2003, MYF has raised over a million dollars for local and worldwide charities. Moreover, the band does its part every day, even on tour, to raise awareness of important issues. “We’ve been trying to make it a point to bring more awareness on
that didn’t work out too well.” Echoing these sentiments, Tuck found his inspiration sparked by the same band growing up: “I saw a Metallica video, and from that moment on, that was all I wanted to do.” Between nonstop touring of both the United Kingdom and United States, Bullet for My Valentine have built quite a name for themselves. “The other day, some guy recognized me, and I never get recognized, so that’s just weird,” says Thomas, though he jokes, “Matt gets recognized everywhere.” “It’s not something we’ve really thought about until recently,” says Tuck. “We were so busy on The Poison, and we went straight into [Scream Aim Fire] and straight out on tour with it. There wasn’t time to reflect on what was happening. We were just out playing shows while things were getting bigger and bigger,
Grade: B —Richard Castañeda We Are… is currently available.
Sneaky Sound System It’s Not My Problem (14th Floor) These tracks aren’t individually bad, and the beats are danceable, but a
greening. We’re going to have an Amnesty [International] table out on this tour so you can get information. We’re going to green our tour with biofuel tour buses, we’re going to be recycling everything, we’re going to be using organic foods,” says Pasillas. “Hopefully people are aware that we’re aware, and maybe that will inspire them to be more conscious. It’s been amazing we’ve been able to donate a million dollars over many charities, and we’re going to continue to do that. As long as we’re a band, selling tickets and out touring, some of our revenue will always go to a charity. We’re lucky we’re able to give back like that.” After this tour, Incubus plans to give even more to their fans by concentrating on a new album. Pasillas says, “We’ll sit down at the end of this year and really start writing a record. There’s no deadline for us, we have the luxury of a little bit of time under our belts. We’ll have a record out either end of next year or in 2011.” Monuments & Melodies is currently available. Incubus will perform July 13 at the Hollywood Bowl. For more information, visit enjoyincubus.com.
(l to r) Michael “Moose” Thomas, Jason James, Matt Tuck and Michael “Padge” Paget of Bullet for My Valentine
and before we knew it, we were playing decent venues and headlining.” Though their status may have come as a surprise to the band, in retrospect they’re more aware of how it happened. “We come from a little town,” says Thomas, “but we’re proof that it can happen if you’re persistent and you work hard enough.” Bullet for My Valentine will perform at Mayhem Festival July 12 at San Manuel Amphitheater, San Bernardino. For more information, visit bulletformyvalentine1.com.
lot of this just isn’t interesting. The songs, written by Black Angus and Connie Mitchell, are okay at best, and Mitchell’s voice just wafts about with no real direction. But her voice isn’t bad. Maybe it’s just that Australian CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
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[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
music report | B Y Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca
Sarah Cass
How best to describe the experimental pop music found on the just-released Dirty Projectors album Bitte Orca? Vampire Weekend frontman (and former Dirty Projector) Ezra Koeing takes a shot at it.
Dirty Projectors play the Troubadour July 8.
“I hear big riffs that make me think of classic rock so I think, ‘Is this Led Zeppelin deconstructed?’ I hear folk guitar picking and gorgeous strings so I think, ‘Is this ’60s folk-pop
KEVIN WIERZBICKI re-imagined?’ But as is usually the case, my lame attempts at categorization fade away, and soon all I can hear is Dirty Projectors.” Dirty Projectors play the Troubadour July 8, and Bitte Orca is available now in all the usual formats, plus as a limited edition cassette.
Underground Bands Thrash & Burn Dez Fafara couldn’t be more excited about DevilDriver’s spot on this year’s Thrash & Burn Tour. The outing allows Fafara’s band to headline a full tour in major markets for the first time ever and pairs DevilDriver with up-andcoming underground bands like My Children My Bride, For the Fallen Dreams and Oceano. “We are elated to come together to support the underground,” says Fafara. “A full package of amazing bands with a wide range of different styles and sounds will make for an insanely killer time for those who come out to the shows. Raise your glasses; this will be a tour to remember! Hail!” Emmure, Veil of Maya, Despised Icon, Periphery and Thy Will Be Done
COPELAND Dispersing Light
B Y J O N AT H A N B A U T T S COPELAND LISTENERS HAVE come to expect more than simplicity from the band’s records, even on one that draws from the classic ditty “You Are My Sunshine.” “That song is really interesting to me. Everyone kind of remembers it very fondly,” recalls vocalist Aaron Marsh. “You hear about that being a romantic song for a couple or having nostalgia from people’s childhood attached to it, but it’s actually a really creepy song. It’s kind of odd, with like ‘If I can’t have you, no one can’ lyrics.” This comes as no surprise since multi-faceted art is something Marsh
Stillhouse Hollow Dakota (Me and the Machine) With a barn house overlooking an overgrown field of green vegetation on the album cover, Stillhouse Hollow seems like the kind of country-tinged indie band trying to reconcile a small town upbringing with the demands of
Catch the Bus, Listen to Mutemath The new Mutemath album, Armistice, won’t hit the streets until Aug. 18, but the band has come up with a unique way for fans to hear the music before then. Pre-sales of a special VIP bundle have begun and that package includes a ticket to Mutemath’s mobile listening party aboard the Teleprompt/Warner Bros. Records tour bus that’ll roll into Los Angeles Saturday, July 11. Purchasers of the VIP package will also receive a ticket to a Mutemath show of their choice, a copy of Armistice, an exclusive listening party T-shirt, an album artwork lithograph signed by the band, immediate download of the album’s first two singles, plus two nonalbum B-sides and a limited edition “First in Line” pass. The final item in the bundle is the invitation to the listening party aboard the bus. Orders for the bundle are being taken at mutemath.com.
Miss Derringer Shoot it Out on Winter Hill The new Miss Derringer album, Winter Hill, is loaded with songs with titles like “Drop Shot Dead,” “Bulletproof Heart” and “Heartbreaks & Razorblades” – just a bunch of stories about boy trying to catch girl, right? Not exactly.
Marsh’s ethereal voice. “People ask how I write songs, and I don’t even really know,” he laughs. “Some songs might be completely about me, and then other ones might only be half about me and half about something else I’ve observed. It’s hard to say. Sometimes I don’t even know when I’m writing about myself.” One of the things that Marsh, who’s a producer himself during his spare time, learned during the making of Sunshine was to allow songs to deviate from his original visions. “A record doesn’t have to be exactly the way I had it in my head for it to be good,” he admits. “This is the first record I was really able to relax a little bit about the way it was going to turn out and just let it be what it was going to be.” The fact Copeland don’t follow popular music trends is probably why the band will never attract a large mainstream following, which has never been Marsh’s intention.
The album is loosely based on a much more serious topic; the 1960 Irish mob war between Boston’s infamous Winter Hill gang and their rivals. The band is inspired by girl-group music of the era but singer Liz McGrath says she realizes not everything was as pretty as the songs back then. “As I read more and more about the gang I realized that a lot of the music we find inspiration in like that of the Shangri-Las and the Ronettes, etc., was probably coming out of the car stereos while a gangster in the back seat wrapped piano wire around the neck of a gangster in the front seat.” Winter Hill drops July 14 and Miss Derringer will be playing selections from the album during their July 18 show at the Knitting Factory.
“Fight Night Round 4” Soundtrack EA Sports held a release party for their highly anticipated “Fight Night: Round 4” June 22, which announces the return of Iron Mike Tyson. Guests for the night included boxers Sergio Mora, Sugar Shane Mosley and Iron Mike Tyson himself. The party also attracted Pete Rock, Warren G, Snoop Dogg and Young Dre the Truth, who performed his offering from the game, “Chea Bah” featuring Snoop Dogg. The game also features RZA, EPMD, Jay Electronica, K’NAAN, Damian Marley, Mos Def and Santigold. —J. Poakwa
“We really love music, and we want to express ourselves the way that we want to be heard,” he says. “I’d love to tell you our music will be around for a long time, but I don’t really know.” If Copeland keeps making records like Sunshine, it’s hard so see how it won’t be. Copeland will perform July 11 at the Hotel Café. For more information, visit copelandsite.com.
pop culture. While Dakota evokes feelings of a slower lifestyle on the farm, for an Angeleno driving down the streets of downtown, it feels contrived. It’s got playful but soulless lyrics sung with minimal feeling over distinctly folk instrumentals. CONTINUED
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dance music doesn’t translate for American sensibilities, but there’s better house music out there. And in the end, remixing crap with frosting won’t give you cupcakes. Grade: C—Melissa Russell It’s Not My Problem is currently available.
has always gravitated towards, especially recently. “It might seem very lovely and sweet on the surface, but then it has a darker layer. I feel like a lot of times love is like that,” he says. “It has kind of this darker underbelly to it. I’m always fascinated with stuff like that, and we always try to bring a little bit of that haunting quality to our music.” Copeland’s Eat, Sleet, Repeat (2006) departs from typical pop formulas in much the same way as 2008’s You Are My Sunshine. Both center around swirling sonic creations and abstract lyrics, all brought to life by
are also on the slate. The Thrash & Burn Tour stops at the House of Blues Sunset Strip July 25.
Campus Circle | 19
music The only things that save this album from becoming my newest coffee table coaster are that, a) this guy can sing and b) the harmonica (and occasionally the banjo) is played with an intensity that is positively inspired. The album’s offerings are too frenetic, offering the ridiculous “Pimp Hand” (where the singer advises you to “Try to keep your pimp hand strong”) next to a song like “Can’t Take My Love” that sounds like it was originally played on “American Bandstand.” Dakota is interesting in parts, but on the whole doesn’t make much sense as an album. Grade: B—Melissa Russell Dakota is currently available.
Wilco Wilco (The Album) (Nonesuch) Wilco’s new self-titled release might be subtitled A New Hope; it’s like the soundtrack to the election of Barack Obama. Everything about the album says that frontman Jeff Tweedy has found contentment. For a band that has been constantly evolving, The Album is a departure in that it feels like a continuation of previous record Sky Blue Sky. This has a lot to do with the groove the band has found in the stabilization of its lineup. They do still manage to experiment some within this framework. The beautiful “You and I” is Tweedy’s first duet (with Canadian folkie Feist). While “Bull Black Nova” has the group flirting with prog-rock territory. It is doubtful whether contentedness has ever produced great art. And The Album does feel somewhat like a missed opportunity. The closest it comes to galvanizing is the antiapocalyptic reality check “You Never Know.” But it is an enjoyable collection of tunes and something of a relief for the times. Let’s just hope it doesn’t presage an artistic stagnation. Grade: B+ —Mike Sebastian Wilco (The Album) is currently available.
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China Bialos
music
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live show reviews
... my sex is on ... yawwwn … my sex is on fire. Am I human or am I dancing? What does it mean? It means nothing! They really do hate pop music. But they’re pro-happiness, somewhat ironically and then not. Argos pointed out during this, their second night of a three-date run at Eddie Argos of Art Brut, a protest band of the best variety Spaceland, that we, the audience, should all form bands because – look at us! We’re Art Brut so happy. And that we should form June 17 @ Spaceland bands to keep records in record shops. Four years ago, “Emily Kane” And that DC Comics makes him want could make you smile, wince and both to rock out. root for and pity the man behind the Are you ready, Art Brut? No story. Live, that man, Eddie Argos, metaphors, no sleazy dancing, no argues and rambles like his words are puckered mouths (see: Los Angeles) – as fresh as they were in the studio. On just genuine smiles and authentic stage, it becomes suddenly apparent stories. that Art Brut is a protest band of the —China Bialos best variety, fighting against saccharine music that’s been regurgitated 10 times over for a musically ignorant The Dream/Keyshia Cole and receptive audience. They’re June 20 @ Nokia Theatre protesting against irony, against As I walked into the sold out contrived coolness, even drummers’ Nokia Theatre I had no idea what was stools (drummer Mikey Breyer stands about to take place. The night was set up to show off his red pants while he for three of the biggest stars in R&B to plays). takeover Los Angeles, and takeover My sex is on fire ... my sex is on fire they did.
Kicking things off was the beautiful Keri Hilson performing her hit singles “Turnin Me On” and “Knock You Down.” Until tonight I was skeptical of how well Dream would do as a performer, but it looks like hanging around Kanye has elevated his live show because this wasn’t just a performance; it was like a huge music video. Equipped with a ridiculous light up background, the Dream tore the stage up, serenading the women in the audience with his hits “Walkin’ on the Moon,” “Falsetto” and the club banger “Rockin’ That Thang” to close it out. When the lights came on, the crowd waited in anticipation for the headliner of the evening, Keyshia Cole. Chants of “Keyshia, Keyshia” began to fill the arena as the lights faded to black. When she took the stage it was nonstop action. The crowd sung along word for word as she performed hits from her three albums. The night was moving along smoothly, no one was ready for what happened next. One after another Cole upped the ante, giving the crowd their money’s worth by bringing out guest after guest to rock alongside her. These weren’t your ordinary guest appearances. We’re talking Lil’ Kim, Too Short, Monica, Daniel “Boogie” Gibson, Nas and P. Diddy even came out to perform their hit song “Last Night.” By the end of the show the crowd
was exhausted and satisfied. —J. Poakwa
Wilco June 23 @ The Wiltern All you really need to know about a Wilco show is to wear comfortable shoes. After one and a half hours, 25 songs (a full set and two encores), you’re almost as exhausted as the band members. Drummer Glenn Kotche and bassist John Stirratt get your feet moving with every rhythmic beat of their instruments. Nels Cline is a monster on guitar; his solos leave you breathless. Frontman Jeff Tweedy’s scratchy yet emotional vocals are touching during old favorites like “Via Chicago,” “Heavy Metal Drummer,” “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” and newer songs “Deeper Down” and “You Never Know” from their latest, Wilco (The Album). Although Tweedy barely speaks in
staff pick The Dead Weather Horehound (Reprise) Of course it’s gritty, bluesy and in your face. Yet another project brought to you by Jack White, this
Singing About Free Outdoor Concerts: 1) Santana – “Let the Music Set You Free” 2) Magic Michael – “Music Belongs to the People” 3) B. B. King – “Playin’ With My Friends” 4) Ashford & Simpson – “Don’t Cost You Nothing” 5) Johnny Winter – “Let the Music Play” 6) Gillian Welch – “Everything Is Free” 7) The Who – “Bargain” 8) Steve Morse – “Free in the Park” 9) Roger Daltrey – “Giving It All Away” 10) War – “All Day Music” —Doug Simpson
between songs, because the band rarely stops to take a break, when he does share his insights, it’s hilarious – from trying to convince the audience to buy programs and wrist sweatbands to initiating a new tradition of yelling thank you instead of clapping after every song. —TJ Webber
supergroup is fronted by Alison Mosshart (the Kills) whose sultry voice meshes well with White’s, and features Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) on guitar, Jack Lawrence (the Raconteurs/the Greenhornes) on bass and White on drums/vocals. —Yuri Shimoda Horehound will be available July 14.
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Campus Circle | 21
curtain call | live on stage
‘FELLOWSHIP! THE MUSICAL PARODY OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING’ many of whom are trained comedians and some of the world’s best improvisers, let no opportunity pass without going for BY CANDICE WINTERS the laugh. In this interpretation, Frodo and Sam are in love with each other, the Balrog (a IT IS EVERY FANBOY’S DREAM INfearsome creature of shadow and flame) carnate. Frodo, Gandalf, Sam and J.R.R. performs a New York cabaret number in a Tolkien’s entire family of characters is a live, sequined jumpsuit and the rightful heir of breathing, joke-cracking, wig-wearing cast in Gondor does a live guitar “Fellowship! The Musical solo in a ’80s power ballad. Parody of The Fellowship of If you can’t follow the the Ring.” The key word for funny names and multiple this interpretive production species, even if you have of the classic trilogy is never read or seen The Lord parody, because if you think of the Rings, there are still you know the story of the guaranteed laughs in store hobbits who made their way for you. Granted, I realize it through the danger-infested is ideal if you know the story forests, you’ve never seen it The cast of “Fellowship!” and characters because selfdone like this. professed Tolkien nerds wrote the play with Directed by Joel McCrary and music by fellow Rings fans in mind. Allen Simpson, “Fellowship!” goes where no However, with 12 original, over-the-top hobbit has gone before. The time is unchanged, songs as well as witty, pop culture-infused and the place remains Middle Earth. However, dialogue, the musical is a wild ride of fun for allusions to contemporary culture run rampant the entire family. throughout the script. The performances are taking place at the The Falcon Theatre is located at 4252 Riverside Falcon Theatre in Burbank, a quaint arena that Drive, Burbank. For more information, visit allows the audience and actors a degree of falcontheatre.com. intimacy and mutual interaction. The actors, Chelsea Sutton
Now-July 12 @ Falcon Theatre
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22 | Campus Circle
inner circle
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pages
Architecture In On Architecture: Collected Reflections on a Century of Change, Ada Louise Huxtable muses on the evolution of a movement over the past century. From Le Corbusier to Mies van der Rohe, this keen observer and journalist weighs the merits of the differing styles and movements that shaped the buildings of the 20th century. Huxtable’s writing spans The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The New York Review of Books and provides a singular perspective into a fascinating subject.
and trains, that has touched our lives in more ways than we could’ve ever imagined. The new large-format edition offers 70 additional photographs and a new introduction and afterword that details the current whereabouts of the artists and authors.
Animal Humor George Booth’s cartoons for The New Yorker magazine present a singular and humorous slant on life as
Humor And Here’s the Kicker: Con-
From Art to Animal Humor, a Handful of Eye-Deal Leisure-Time Books B Y A N G E L A M ATA N O
both big and small jaunts to take your mind off your troubles. During your next lengthy road trip, perhaps to the Pacific Northwest, consider listening to the riveting and uber popular The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. Following the tempestuous story of Edward and Bella, star-crossed lovers cursed by her humanness in the face of his vampire-ness, the couple must navigate more than the usual pitfalls of romance. Meyer’s writing, full of cliffhangers and adventure, translates perfectly into audio storytelling.
Vacation Materials we know it. His new book, About Dogs, concentrates on the canine point of view with highlights from the author’s 40-year career.
another look into the mind of this original and funny thinker who has come to stand for the best of what it means to be an American.
Beyond Categorization
Road Trip!
Andrei Codrescu writes books and does commentary for NPR in a class all his own. His latest work, The Posthuman Dada Guide, continues his trajectory into his own unique stratosphere of whimsy. This “impractical handbook for practical living” follows an imaginary chess game between Tristan Tzara and Lenin with an eye toward exploring two 20th century giants.
What could be more patriotic than spending Fourth of July weekend taking a country drive and listening to Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father? A surprisingly good and thoughtful writer, our President’s memoir of his interesting and peripatetic childhood gives an insightful portrait of a future success story. Inspiring. With money feeling more and more like a long forgotten hallucination, Jamie Jensen’s Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America’s Two-Lane Highways may be a bright light in the dark wilderness
Commute
Gig Posters Volume 1: Rock Show Art of the 21st Century is a collection of concert artwork, ranging from posters to flyers and handbills, all originating from gigposters.com, the Internet’s first and best resource for concert art since ’01. Each page features an artist and their work, with more than 700 total, including 101 perforated, ready-to-hang posters. When Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant’s (Style Wars) Subway Art hit shelves, it launched graffiti to the heights of global phenomenon. Now, 25 years later, Subway Art: 25th Anniversary Edition revisits this wildly creative era, when street kids’ sketches and tags erupted onto walls
Already one of the most acclaimed new novels of 2009, Reif Larsen’s debut, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, deserves every ounce of praise it receives. A book unlike any other in looks and content, Spivet takes a page from children’s literature by featuring drawings, diagrams and photographs to illuminate the language. Charming. The ultimate summer find, Who is Mark Twain?, by the masterful Mark Twain, arrives with 24 previously unpublished works. Like discovering the Holy Grail, this treasure trove of writing provides
SUMMER READING LIST
Art & Music Besides the cool-looking cover, Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop by Adam Bradley, assistant professor of Literature at Claremont McKenna College, defends rap as poetry, and in doing so, highlights some of the greatest, unrecognized poets of out time. He makes the convincing case that to dismiss this controversial art form would be a great disservice to us all. B-boying (not to be confused with breakdancing) takes center stage in Joseph Schloss’ Foundation: B-Boys, B-Girls, and Hip-Hop Culture in New York. Schloss, a Visiting Scholar and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at New York University, has also been called a “committed floor-rocker” himself. Whether researching the movement or making his own moves, interviewing prominent people within b-boy culture or establishing himself as one of them, this author shines welldeserved light on this hip-hop staple.
beginners in the kitchen. Sometimes a cookbook can act as a travel guide and Lidia’s Italy, by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, is a terrific example of this. Brimming with recipes from the author’s favorite regions of her native land, Bastianich leads the reader on a gastronomic tour from Istria to Puglia. The beautiful photographs and evocative recipes, like Gemelli with Smothered Cauliflower and Saffron, are sure to transport you.
While no one likes commuting, why not make the most of the experience and do something useful? Henry N. Raymond’s Learn in Your Car French provides an easy and convenient way to practice a new language in time that would otherwise be wasted. With three different levels provided, the CDs can be used by those with varying skill levels. Or, use iSync to practice on your ipod.
Cooking Want to learn how to cook oldfashioned American staples like juicy grilled burgers and Southern fried chicken? The Good Home Cookbook by Richard J. Perry is the first and only cookbook entirely tested by the public (the author recruited hundreds of home cooks from all 50 states to test the recipes). With easy-to-follow instructions, vintage-style illustrations and creative menu planning ideas, it’s especially helpful to
versations with 26 Top Humor Writers About Their Craft, by Mike Sacks (available July 8), provides a comprehensive and refreshing look into the minds of some of today’s most successful working writers. From new wunderkinds, like Adam McKay (Step Brothers, Anchorman), to classics, like Buck Henry (The Graduate), Sacks throws everyone a bone. A great read for aspiring Hollywoodites.
Literature A great way to get your literature comes in CD form with Great American Stories. BBC Audio collects 10 works from four American fiction writers. Assembling Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Ambrose Bierce and Jack London offers the perfect backdrop for a spin through 19th and early 20th century America whether literal or figurative – the perfect CD to take on a hike through nature.
of debt and poverty. Bursting with suggestions for car explorations from Twilight country, like Port Angeles, Wash., to fried catfish at Hal & Mal’s in Mississippi, this book will inspire
A light comic novel, from the author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World (both Oprah picks),
Laura Rider’s Masterpiece is a great find for the beach or the plane. Jane Hamilton’s departure of tone from her usual dysfunctional family fare may well turn out to be the summer read. Virtual travel for the impoverished can be found in the lonely planet’s The Travel Book. A stocky but chock-full tome bursting with photographs from every single country on the planet (There are 231!), this intriguing book works like a magic pill for the fantasist. Leafing through the pages, it’s easy to imagine visiting exotic locales like Guinea, with it’s “French colonial influences and Mangrove swamps,” or Suriname, offering “giant leatherback turtles.” Also included, are helpful tips like the best times to visit any given place.
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dealership in the world, and their jaw-dropping multi-storey showroom is packed with bikes of every model and vintage. You’ll even find Elvis Presley at Rossmeyer’s – the King is outside the dealer’s front door, immortalized in bronze aboard his favorite Harley. And believe it or not there are some speedy things in Daytona Beach that don’t rely on wheels. The Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room (960 S. Williamson Blvd.)
jet setter | travel
BY KEVIN WIERZBICKI
Kevin Wierzbicki
DAYTONA BEACH IS ONE OF those curious destinations where two very different worlds seem to collide. The beach itself (where you can actually drive on the sand in places) has an almost magnetic appeal for those who like to relax with the sun and surf, while not far away the Daytona International Speedway offers just the opposite; a loud, gasoline-powered
Daytona’s famous drive-on beach
high-speed thrill-a-minute in the form of the Daytona 500. There’s a connection between the two that is not well known outside the area. It was right here at the seaside Streamline Inn Motel where a group of businessmen and racing enthusiasts met on a December evening in 1947 and formed an organization they dubbed the National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing, better known today simply as NASCAR. Daytona Beach is rightfully proud of its racing heritage and one of the city’s main attractions, even on nonrace days, is the Daytona 500 Experience, located at the speedway (1801 W. International Speedway Blvd.). The Daytona 500 Experience is filled with all kinds of racing memorabilia, including
Elvis at Rossmeyer’s Harley Davidson
actual racecars, but the real fun there is in the “hands-on” displays. With a few friends you can participate in the pit crew tirechanging experience. Then there’s Acceleration Alley where you can hop into a racecar and strap in to compete in a simulated race. At the end of the simulation you get to collect a printout with all the details of your drive like your top speed and, of course, what position you came in. The grand finale of an afternoon at the Daytona 500 Experience is a trolley ride out onto the infield of the track where you’ll tour pit road and victory lane as well as all the behind-the-scenes stuff that makes everything work. Other things go fast in Daytona Beach, too, some of which are thanks to Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley Davidson (1637 N. U.S. Hwy. 1, Ormond Beach). Rossmeyer’s is the largest Harley
musical | live on stage
‘CABARET’ Now-Aug. 9 @ The MET Theatre
BY SASHA PERL-RAVER SET IN 1931 BERLIN AS THE Nazis are rising in power, “Cabaret” revolves around the seedy Kit Kat Klub, its young star Sally Bowles and her relationship with American writer Cliff Bradshaw. It debuted on Broadway in 1966, winning eight Tonys before being made into a film in 1972. Directed by Bob Fosse, the movie earned eight Oscars. Entering a small, utilitarian theater on the east side of Hollywood, the audience is greeted by the cast of Kit Kat Boys and Girls, all slapping each other’s asses and wiggling in audience members’ faces while offering them drinks served from an onstage bar. It’s an attempt at raunchy involvement, but it’s less Bertolt Brecht and more misguided high school theater production. The atmosphere is forced and uncomfortable rather than sexually charged and debaucherous. Eduardo Enrikez’s Emcee is grating, mush mouthed and unconvincing. It feels as if he’s watched Alan Cumming and Joel Grey’s iconic performances one too many times and is desperately recreating them rather than forging his own path, while Kalinda Gray as Sally Bowles lacks both the charisma and vocal chops
Emcee (Eduardo Enrikez) and cast perform “Money” in “Cabaret.”
necessary for the role. Both her singing and acting are hollow and vacant. Choosing a musical that requires the majority of the cast to master an accent was a massive misstep as well. The cast’s mishmash of misplaced tongues vacillates between laughably bad to horrendous. The play’s one shining glory is Bonnie McMahan as Helga, a Kit Kat Khorus Girl. Her time on stage, however brief, is rewarding and enjoyable. She is the sole cast member to understand and deliver the attitude and energy required for the show. The MET Theatre is located at 1089 N. Oxford Ave., Hollywood. For more information, visit plays411.com/cabaret.
Kevin Wierzbicki
(A Lot!) More Than a Beach
Kevin Wierzbicki
DAYTONA BEACH
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inner circle
Other fun attractions in the area are the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse (4931 South Peninsula Drive) where you can take a dizzying 203-step hike up its spiral staircase. The tower is a working lighthouse and is Florida’s tallest. The Museum of Arts and Sciences (352 S. Nova Rd.) has a huge and varied collection, including vintage train cars and an in-depth display of Coca-Cola memorabilia, while the Fountain of Youth ecotour takes you on an hourlong boat ride into the Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge where you’ll see lots of animals, including gators. And there’s always that glorious beach. When you’re tired of sunbathing (not likely!) just hit the boardwalk and pick a spot to eat, drink or kick up your heels. Whatever you choose, don’t worry if you miss something – this city known for racing doesn’t mind if you come back for The Coke display at the Museum of Arts and Sciences another lap. is relatively new to the area. Here you can puff a stogie while you play poker until midnight or plop down a wager on greyhounds.
NASCAR Coke Zero 400 takes place at the Daytona International Speedway on the Fourth of July. For more information, visit daytonabeach.com.
inner circle
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games & gadgets
BLOODY CUTE Adorable Characters, Violent Games B Y J O N AT H A N K N E L L WHILE MOST HATERS WOULD AGREE THAT VIDEO GAMES are for nerds, those who actually live in the real world tend to divide games by whether they are for an adult audience or a kid audience. Granted, some games like “Grand Theft Auto” or “Barbie Horse Adventures” fall into pretty clean-cut lines, but this isn’t always the case. The icon of this multi-generational trend is Mario, the Japanese-created Italian plumber whose exploits seem to draw in older gamers almost more fervently than younger ones. Some games, however, seem more interested in confusing the lines. The ultimate example of this is the cult favorite “Conker’s Bad Fur Day.” In this gross-out classic, the cuddly squirrel named Conker starts off at a pub and ends in an adventure filled with public indecency, lewd characters and quite possibly the most disgusting, corn-filled boss of all time. Needless to say, the game industry has not been following the trends set by this game and we are all poorer for it. Rather than focusing on the gross, the trend in cute games for older gamers turned to violence. Whether you were hunting down cute little creatures in “Raze’s Hell” or using cuddly ammo in “Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath,” both styles shared extreme violence and underwhelming public appeal. This has not stopped developers from making bloody cute games – like the upcoming “Fairytale Fights” where you play as fairytale characters who hope to regain lost popularity by spilling their rivals’ blood – but many players just can’t love these titles. Cute violence is not a lost cause, though. Games like “Katamari Damacy” – the game where you destroy homes, cities and whole planets by rolling an ever-growing ball of junk – give the general feel of mayhem and destruction, yet still manage to keep it whimsical enough that you could still have your kid brother play without feeling bad. Just like Mario stomping turtles to death, as long as it’s cartoony, players of all ages seem fine with a bit of violence. This month has seen the introduction of two notable cute yet violent goodies. “The Munchables” acts as a sort of spiritual successor to “Katamari Damacy,” replacing the ball with a toothy yet cute little creature that literally eats walking fruits and vegetables to death. Just like Katamari, these munchy little creatures grow as they consume, allowing the player to access larger areas of the map. Likewise, the larger you grow, the more food creatures start to fear your ever-chomping jaw and run away in a desperate attempt to avoid a toothy fate. While “The Munchables” does skew a bit towards the younger audience, it is still an engrossing bit of gameplay. The various power-ups and tactics you can use to rip anthropomorphic food apart and then consume them keep the game fresh and fast-paced, plus the generally single-minded hunger of the cute protagonists reminds you that they are still cute little killing machines. The other cute bit of carnage is “Patapon 2.” This sequel returns to the world of these adorable, one-eyed tribesmen who are eager to slaughter animals and rival tribes at your command. To deliver your fatal edicts, you simply have to keep steady beats on four drums and the Patapon will happily sing, dance and murder your foes. This clever mix of real-time strategy and rhythm is as addictive as it was in the first title, plus the additions of multiplayer and the new Hero character greatly expand the experience. And so, like the weapon-wielding Patapon, graphically cute yet destructive and violent games march on triumphantly.
the art of love | Dear Lucia, Would it be wrong to tell a guy I had one date with that I like him and find him attractive? —Julie Dear Julie, Yes, it would be very wrong! You are hoping that by telling him you like him, he will like you in return. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. As my good friend Doc Love says, you need: confidence, control and challenge. By revealing your feelings so soon, you are killing mystery and challenge. Guys need to feel as if they have won a prize. They will not think you have high value if you are such an easy conquest. You also show that you have no self-control, because you feel the need to show your “hand” right away. If you can’t control yourself at this stage of the game, he sub-consciously wonders how you will be able to control yourself with him in the future when things start getting more serious. Not having self-control also shows a lack of confidence. Both sexes find a confident partner very attractive. As you can see, by not following the three “C”s, you will quickly eliminate any attraction on his part. Show you care, but don’t say it yet! Dear Lucia, I am 16, and my ex is 14. We have been separated for five months. He wouldn’t tell me why he broke up with me, but eventually he
l.a. faces | B Y
be an adult the rest of your life. I was not allowed to date in high school, so I was able to focus on what I needed to focus on, which was a good education. I was a straight A student and a voracious reader. This helped me become the person I am today. If I had been worrying about why someone broke up with me, if he was going to come back and how I should handle it, I would have taken the energy I should have been putting into my school work into someone that was only going to be a blip on my screen. This is a time to enjoy growing up, your family and your friends. This is the time to be carefree, since you probably don’t have a lot of responsibilities. You should not be distracted by a 14-year-old boy. It’s OK to have male friends and to hang out in groups, but actual dating at this age is a waste of time. Please stop worrying about him and start thinking about you!
BY LUCIA told me it was because since he was younger, he thought I would avoid him and neglect him. I still want him. Every time I see him I know for sure it’s meant to be, but Lucia sometimes by the way he treats me it leads me to wonder if I really deserve him. He tells me he loves me constantly and hugs me continually, but when I let him know I’m willing to get back together, he tells me he needs to think about it. From that I understand he’s not ready for another relationship so I gave him space and treated him as a friend. He recently went to Miami and texts me constantly. I think he misses me, but I really need to know if I am wasting my time. —Confused Cutie Dear Confused Cutie, I was going to answer your question, until I e-mailed you back asking how old you were. I have decided not to answer the question you asked because I don’t believe teenagers should be dating. Yes, I know it goes against what 99.9 percent of people believe, but I’ve never been one to go along with the crowd. As a dating/relationship expert, I have to look at things objectively and pragmatically. You are both still children, playing an adult’s game. There will be plenty of time for dating, breaking up, making up, etc. when you are older. You are only young once, but you will
Write to Lucia at theartoflove.net. Read an excerpt from Lucia’s Lessons of Love at lessonsoflove.net. Listen to Lucia live every Sunday at 3 p.m. PST on latalkradio.com. Remember: Love inspires, empowers, uplifts and enlightens. The Art of Love is sponsored by Cougar Energy Drink.
CANDICE WINTERS
JULIA ANDERSON Winner of “True Beauty” IF YOU’VE BEEN OUT OF THE reality television loop the last few months, ABC televised a social experiment that sought to find a person who is beautiful on the inside and out. Produced by hotshots Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks, “True Beauty” ran for eight weeks earlier this year and crowned raven-haired Julia Anderson as a “true beauty.” But if you think it’s easy to keep your cool under the hot lights of reality TV, think again. “It’s not for the light of heart,” admits the beauty queen and winner of the network show. “You’re away from your friends and family for a long period of time. You’re put in some crazy situations. It’s definitely an experience.” The Texas native was the only contestant on the program to pass all of the character issues for the win. And
speaking with her for just a few minutes reveals why the pageant princess from Fort Worth deserves the title: She’s a genuine Southern belle who has recently moved to Los Angeles – the place where dreams (hopefully) come true – to pursue a lifelong goal she’s had since she was 11 years old when she first volunteered for the Special Olympics. “My dream is to open up a dance studio,” says Anderson, “where kids with disabilities can let loose and feel what it’s like to dance because dance is my passion. I can’t imagine living without dance. Offering it to them would be a really cool experience.” Though it was her kind heart that won over America, Anderson refuses to leave audiences just yet. She is a correspondent for “The Tyra Banks Show,” a stepping stone to a career that Anderson hopes will include many
John Livas
24 | Campus Circle
Julia Anderson: a “True Beauty” on the inside and out.
similar gigs in the entertainment industry. “I love it because you get to be yourself,” she reveals. “You get paid to talk! As long as I get to do what I love and pay the bills, then I’ll be happy.”
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the sports wanderer | B Y
l.a. hoopla
PA R I M A L M . R O H I T
salary cap limit of last season. Some team out there, say Detroit or Charlotte, has enough cap space to offer Ariza much more than the $2.9 million he richer contract. WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP. COLLECT earned last season. Either No one is really worried some cash. team can also afford about Bryant, or even Brown Certainly, that is what is on the Odom’s $12 million price for that matter. After all, mind of at least four men in Los tag. Bryant is expected to re-sign Angeles. One of those men – Trevor If, say, the Pistons offer with the Lakers. Further, Ariza – made a brief appearance at $5 million, a matching offer while Brown was a bit of a Dodger Stadium on Sunday to throw by the Lakers combined fan favorite, he really was not Parimal M. Rohit out the ceremonial first pitch. The next with Buss’ decision to around long enough to be pitch involving Ariza will not be so retain Odom at the same missed should he leave. ceremonial. $12 million he made in 2008 means The big question marks, of course, Unlike his appointment on the Los Angeles will hit that luxury cap are Odom and Ariza. If the Lakers do mound in Elysian Park, Ariza, along threshold. Just like that, Buss is doling absolutely nothing this summer, they with three of his cronies, will be out an additional $20 million. Put in are already committed to more than catching the next fastball thrown their other words, he is paying about $37 $74 million in salary. Perhaps their collective way. Except, instead of a ball, million for players that are only cost-cutting moves at last week’s draft, the quartet of men (which include worth $17 million on the free market. where the team saved about $6.2 Lamar Odom, Kobe Bryant and That begs the question – is it million by trading away Shannon Brown) hope to good business to re-sign both Odom two of its three draft picks, be catching some extra and Ariza? Good business says you will help somewhat. dollar bills this month. target just one player. That player will Yet, both Odom and This week, the free likely be Odom. Ariza clogged up about agent courting process Odds are Lakers will definitely let $14 million last season, begins in the NBA. Ariza, Brown seek his riches elsewhere. If and both expect at least Odom and Brown are Buss can convince both Odom and the same amount of cash unrestricted free agents, Ariza to accept less money than last this year, if not more. Just meaning they can play season, only then do both players with whatever team they Will the 2009 Finals be the maintaining the 2008 last time we see Lamar have a chance to remain in Los levels, the contracts of want to next year, so long Odom in purple and gold? Angeles – especially if Bryant does Odom and Ariza will as the other team wants not take a pay cut. commit the Lakers at about $88 them and has the cash to pay their bills. Otherwise, the last time we may million – assuming, of course, Bryant Not quite a free agent just yet, have seen Odom in a Lakers uniform does not opt out of his contract for Bryant may opt out of his current was when he was bombarded by his more money himself. contract if he so chooses and join his teammates a couple weeks ago in That figure is dangerously flirting three Lakers teammates and seek Orlando. Worst yet, we may have seen with the $90 million luxury tax cap. riches from another team. It is Ariza in his last Los Angeles uniform Once that figure is hit, Dr. Jerry Buss is expected the man known as the Black when he donned that Dodgers jersey dinged with a dollar-for-dollar tax for Mamba will indeed opt out of his each penny spent over $70 million, the on Sunday afternoon. contract this summer, seeking a longer,
the diamond dispatch | B Y
DOV RUDNICK
INTERLEAGUE PLAY IS SIMPLY NOT FAIR
Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/MCT
Ranch, so you would think they have THE DODGERS WRAPPED UP some familiarity with one another. In interleague play last Sunday against the that case the excuse often used in Seattle Mariners with a 4-2 loss, interleague, that you simply weren’t making them perfectly even (9-9) prepared, doesn’t quite against the American hold. League. Not too shabby, until But there are plenty of you consider the fact that the other reasons to detest Dodgers have the best record interleague play from a in baseball. One would hope player’s perspective. One they could play something reason is that it is simply not better than mediocre ball fair. With the introduction against teams they might meet in say, a World Dodgers pitcher Hiroki of a wild card team that Kuroda plays in the postseason, you Championship Series. have what amounts to a With the loss to the fourth division. Mariners, the Dodgers lost their And since teams of each division second consecutive three-game series. play only select teams, it is impossible The first coming against the Chicago to ensure that some teams are not White Sox, the very team whose spring getting the short end of the stick by training facilities they share in having to play all good teams in the Glendale, Ariz. other league. Up until recently the They literally practiced across the Dodgers have not been concerned field from one another at Camelback
with such things, as they have led in their own division by substantial margins. Sunday’s loss was the fourth in five games, and little stirrings of “uh-oh” were felt around Dodgertown. Perhaps the bubble is burst. The Dodgers, who were riding so high with their league leading best record, are now brought back to earth. There still remains the question of who will be the dominant starting pitcher as the season progresses. Each of the candidates previously discussed; Hiroki Kuroda, Chad Billingsley and even Randy Wolf have performed erratically of late. Of the three, only Kuroda has pitched more than six innings in the last couple starts. While speculation abounds about the possibility of acquiring another arm to power the Dodgers over the long haul, it may be just a matter of accepting what they’ve got, as unsettling as that may be. On an exciting side note, Manny Ramirez will return after his 50-game suspension to play with the Dodgers July 3 in San Diego.
inner circle
SPARKS ENJOY HOME-COOKING B Y PA R I M A L M . R O H I T
WNBA Photos
Paul Rodriguez/Orange County Register/MCT
LAKERS WILL STRUGGLE TO SIGN ODOM, ARIZA
Campus Circle | 25
IF ONLY THE SPARKS COULD PLAY EVERY WNBA GAME AT home. Alas, half the season is played on the road, and the Sparks must imitate their home act on the road. This past weekend was a prime example of the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the L.A. team’s personality this year. On Friday, the Sparks (3-5) traveled to Seattle, where they staked a 16-point lead on the Storm (6-3) before losing the contest, 69-67. Two days later, both teams faced-off against each other at Staples Center, where Los Angeles relied on a 13-2 run to start the second quarter in knocking off the WNBA’s best team in the west, 82-55, in front of a crowd of 10,797. Five Sparks were in double figures, including Betty Lennox with 14 and Vanessa Hayden with 12. The Sparks are 3-0 at home, where Betty Lennox of the L.A. Sparks they give up just 53.3 points per game. However, on the road, Los Angeles is 05, allowing 79.8 points per game. The Sparks host the Mercury at Staples July 5 before heading on a seven-game road trip that begins in New York July 9, Washington, D.C. July 11 and Connecticut July 14. All stats as of June 29.
galaxy kick | BY MARVIN G. VASQUEZ
GALAXY OUTLAST DYNAMO THE LOS ANGELES GALAXY BOUNCED BACK FROM TWO straight losses against the Houston Dynamo, defeating the visitors 1-0 at the Home Depot Center Sunday. Houston came in as the top team in the Western Conference, but they now drop to 8-3-4 with 28 total points as their 11-game unbeaten streak ends. Meanwhile, Los Angeles improved to 3-3-9 with 18 points and is now in sixth place. Galaxy defender Todd Dunivant was the hero of the night since he collected the lone goal of the match. Dunivant scored in the 24th minute of play, and it was the eventual game winner. Goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts grabbed his third shutout for the campaign. The Galaxy’s Todd Dunivant Striker Landon Donovan did not play due to his duty with USA national team at the Confederations Cup in South Africa. Los Angeles will face the New England Revolution Saturday, July 4 at 8 p.m. Donovan should be ready to go for the Independence Day affair. All stats as of June 29.
26 | Campus Circle
inner circle
[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
graphic novels | reviews Grade: A-
(Zuda) Begun as a Web comic for Zuda Comics by Glyph Award nominee Jeremy Love, Bayou is now available in paperback. Set in a sleepy 1930s South, where magic and the sinister lurk just below the surface, Bayou is a simply stunning tale of one girl’s experience with racism, friendship, betrayal and courage, as viewed through her imagination. With shades of Alice in Wonderland, Song of the South, Toni Morrison and the art of Kara Walker, it manages to be wholly original and affecting. Love’s beautiful artwork matches his storytelling in striking a wonderful balance of being beautiful yet unsettling. Grade: A —Mike Sebastian Bayou: Volume One is currently available.
—Mike Sebastian Point Blank is currently available.
(DC) Now available in trade paperback, Andy Diggle’s Green Arrow origin tale is equal parts Robinson Crusoe and Rambo. Diggle strikes the perfect balance between character and action, which artist Jock matches with his kinetic artwork. It’s one of the most well written superhero comics in some time. Brian K. Vaughan provides the introduction. Grade: A —Mike Sebastian Green Arrow: Year One is currently available.
Point Blank (Titan Books) When Wildstorm approached Ed Brubaker to write a murder mystery set in the WildC.A.T.S. universe, the result was Point Blank, the prelude to what became Brubaker’s series Sleeper. A look at Brubaker’s dedication to both Lee Marvin and Alan Moore gives you an idea of what to expect. It’s a slim, but complex, twisting story. Cole is a former member of a now-defunct special-ops team of “posthumans.” When his former team leader is shot and winds up in a coma, Cole gets embroiled in a noirish web of intrigue and suspicion amongst a world of very dangerous people. Brubaker is one of the sharpest writers in comics (check out Criminal, if you haven’t already). Colin Wilson provides the atmospheric urban milieu.
FREDERICK MINTCHELL
SATURDAY, JULY 11
Bayou: Volume One
Green Arrow: Year One
the 10 spot | B Y
Red (Wildstorm) You know you’re reading a good action comic when you can hear the gunshots, when the panels flow together like you’re watching a movie. That’s the case with Red by Warren Ellis. The slim three-part miniseries is being reissued along with a bonus section featuring the script side-by-side with original layouts. The story follows Paul Moses, a retired CIA hitman, who becomes a target after the new CIA Director decides he is a liability left alive. Now the world’s best killer is out to settle to score. The artwork by Cully Hamner is brutal, capturing moments of violence in close up, impossibly slow motion that is somewhere between Sam Peckinpah and The Matrix. It’s a lean, fast, entertaining ride. Grade: A —Mike Sebastian Red is currently available.
Wasteland Book 4: Dog Tribe (Oni Press) Antony Johnston expands his postapocalyptic world even wider in the latest installment of his epic sci-fi western. We meet up with the mysterious drifter Michael and the healer Abi, having left the city of Newbegin and set out across the desert in search of a mythical land. But along the way they are captured by a cutthroat Dog Tribe and find themselves in the middle of an intertribal blood feud. With great attention to detail, Johnston structures these roving packs of humans and dogs along canine hierarchies and behavior. It’s difficult to say how this episode will fit into the whole of the Wasteland universe, but if Johnston crafts the overall story arc with as much thought as he puts into the smaller elements of each volume, it definitely hints at a sweeping and ambitious epic. Grade: B+ —Mike Sebastian Wasteland Book 4: Dog Tribe is currently available.
First Annual Funk Rumble Block Party Chinatown (900 block of Broadway); myspace.com/funkrumble Breakestra get funky. Half music festival and half block party, the Funk Rumble is a blend of live music (Breakestra), DJs, vendors and artists coming together to celebrate urban soul and create the ultimate summer party! Noon10 p.m. $5 before 4 p.m., $8 after.
THURSDAY, JULY 2 Zeppelin Flightseeing Tour Long Beach Airport, 4100 Donald Douglas Drive; airshipventures.com If you’ve ever wanted to ride in a blimp, this is your chance now that the San Francisco-based company is in Long Beach for one week only. No Zeppelin has been in L.A. since 1929. Runs through July 7.
FRIDAY, JULY 3 Infinity & Priss Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake; clubspaceland.com Infinity and Priss certainly aren’t the first tribute bands for Journey and Kiss, respectively, but they have to be two of the few comprised of all females. 21+. 8:30 p.m. $12.
Viver Brasil: “Feet on the Ground/Aiyê” Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles; fordtheatres.org In their seventh season at the Ford, Viver Brasil excavate the roots, rhythms and spirits of Brazilian culture. Enjoy the sounds of guest musician José Ricardo Sousa and vocalist Katia Moraes and sights of the choreography of Rosangela Silvestre. 8:30 p.m. $33, $5 for students.
SUNDAY, JULY 5 Decade at the Beach Micky’s, 8857 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; mickys.com Keep your Fourth of July party going with a barbecue on the patio along with the hottest music from the ’80s, ’90s and today courtesy of DJ Rob and DJ Drew G. Drink specials until 9 p.m. 3 p.m.-2 a.m.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey – Zing Zang Zoom Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St.,
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Downtown; ringling.com Magical acts, human cannonballs, the double wheel of steel, high-wire and trapeze stunts and all other things circus are here. Through July 12.
FRIDAY, JULY 10 2009 OC Super Fair OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa; ocfair.com/ocf There’s something for everyone, from the food, contests, exhibits and carnival rides to the Summer Concert Series featuring Kelly Clarkson, Heart, Rick Springfield and more. Wed-Fri, noon-midnight; Sat & Sun, 10 a.m.midnight through Aug. 9. $10.
SATURDAY, JULY 11 American Heroes Air Show Hansen Dam Recreation Area, 11480 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace; heroes-airshow.com Besides non-stop aerial demonstrations, there will be helicopter displays and demonstrations, interactive exhibits, helicopter rides, live local entertainment, a public safety career fair and concessions to celebrate the dynamic role of helicopters in our lives. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. FREE.
Zenshuji 51st Annual Obon Carnival Zenshuji Soto Mission, 123 South Hewitt St., Downtown; zenshuji.org Everything Japanese, including Ikebana and art exhibits, tea ceremony demonstrations, taiko drumming (Zendeko), raffles, Kenpo Karate demonstrations, folk dances (Awa-Odori, Kikuta-Kai), live entertainment, food and more. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Also Sunday. FREE.
SUNDAY, JULY 12 Bastille Day LA Festival Monticello Old Lodge, Stadium Way and Scott Ave., Elysian Park; bastilledaylosangeles.com If you are going through Independence Day withdrawal, celebrate France’s with a Parisian Waiters Race, street performers, comedians, singers, artists, French Market vendors, sidewalk cafes, prizes, raffles, including a trip to Paris and, of course, French food and wine. Noon-10 p.m. $5.
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For more events, visit campuscircle.com/calendar. To submit an event for consideration, e-mail calendar@campuscircle.net.
[ JULY 1 - JULY 14 ’09 ]
Campus Circle | 27
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