Campus Circle Newspaper Vol. 21 Issue 48 by Campus Circle

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MICHELLE TOMKOVICZ Spotlight on USC Local Celebrity by elisa hernandez As we bid farewell to our fall 2011 semes– ter, we must highlight one of the coolest experiences anyone could ever encounter. Imagine this: The first ever Pac-12 Championship game, you standing in an empty Oregon Duck stadium, walking across the yellow paint just hours away from possibly winning $100,000. Well, for one lucky Trojan, what seems like a dream became a reality. Michelle Tomkovicz, 21, is a junior at USC studying International Relations. Tomkovicz was selected from thousands across the country to compete for $100,000 as part of the 2011 Dr. Pepper Challenge. This Iowa City native got the chance of a lifetime after being selected as a top five contestant to compete at the Half Time show of the Pac-12 championship game, where the Oregon Ducks took on the UCLA Bruins. Tomkovicz made a one-mintue video and submitted it to the Dr. Pepper Web site talking about why she needed tuition assistance. “I said I wanted to give back to my parents and grandparents for all their sacrificing, and all their giving to send me and my sister and my brother to college. I wanted to

Campus Circle > Blogs > Trojan SideLines pay off some loans and also be able to do better internships and travel abroad,” says Tomkovicz. After submitting the video, a month had passed and Tomkovicz thought nothing of it until Dr. Pepper called to give her the good news. “I was actually in Minnesota [when I got the call], and I just got in the car and everyone was loud. The second he said Dr. Pepper I got excited. They said I was going to Oregon to compete and had already won $2,500. I just kept telling him I was speechless over and over. I was so excited I didn’t know what to say,” she shares. Tomkovicz was one of five contestants who were flown out to Oregon. She brought along her father from Iowa for support, as she was all set to compete. Unfortunately, before the main event she fell short and lost what she says was “10 seconds,” before the last two contestants went on air to compete live. “I was really bummed because the way they set it up is that they had everyone watching [everyone else compete], and I went first. It was heart breaking watching the others go up after you and see their points go up and up and passing yours,” she says. “You had 30 footballs and 30 seconds and you had to throw them in the huge Dr. Pepper Can standing [about] five yards away … I made nine.” On the bright side, Tomkovicz was able to get an experience most Trojans will never get. “I was thinking the whole time, ‘USC should be here, this was our game.’ I think I was underwhelmed because the Coliseum is much better,” she says with a laugh, “but it was still amazing, especially since it was the first Pac-12 Championship Game. We had amazing seats and all these passes that let us on the field. It was nice; it made me feel important.”

SPIRITEDBRUIN

i survived finals week at ucla by tien thuy ho

As finals week approached, I began to venture down to the Young Research Library. During the week, everyone seemed to be in a stupor. People came and went, staring intently at their papers as they walked to their finals. People constantly posted Facebook statuses on how tired they were or what their finals schedule was like. It seemed like everyone was intently looking for something, an answer, a good grade, something. When I was in the library, I could feel the studiousness around me. People looked for a good place to study. Sometimes they got annoying, though, when they talked too loudly. Here is the story of one day during finals week: Everyone around is being so studious. I open my book and start studying. Fifteen minutes in, I get tired of studying. Oh well, Facebook time. Let’s see how my friends are doing. Hey, my friend who’s at law school is on, I’m gonna talk to her. After 10 minutes, she decides to go back to studying. Maybe I should too. Many thoughts are going through my head as I write. Some are actually about the material I am studying. Others, though, are about what I am going to do after finals. Ooh, let

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Nevertheless Tomkovicz didn’t go home empty handed, she was given a $7,500 consolation prize, a free trip to Oregon, an opportunity to see her father before the holidays, plus a previous $2,500 prize. But for Tomkoviz she gained something else. “I learned to just go after things, [when this first all started] I thought there’s no way I’m going to win, but I submitted it anyway and it ended up being an amazing experience. The whole Dr. Pepper team was amazing and helpful,” she says. “I didn’t win the big prize, but it was still amazing; it really put things in perspective. It made me feel good that out of thousands and thousands of kids I was chosen not only to win, but as a top five contestant, they said I was in the top .3 percent chosen.” Tomkovicz will use the money for her pre setgoals and will be graduating from USC in spring 2013. As she heads home to Iowa City, Iowa she looks to spend the holidays with her family and might get some publicity as she is now Michelle Tomkovicz: Iowa City’s and USC’s very own local celebrity. Have an idea for a future Trojan SideLines? E-mail editor. chief@campuscircle.net.

Campus Circle > Blogs > Spirited Bruin me check if there are any deals for stores when I go shopping. Ten minutes later, I realize I have just wasted valuable study time. Must focus…. I finally get a good 30 minutes of studying in. I think I now understand the relationship between interest rates and the money market. Now to study the effect of the interest rate increases on the bond market…. After about another 30 minutes of studying, I realize that I am getting hungry. I’ve been working pretty hard, time for some food. But what kind of food do I want? Oooh, Thai food sounds good. I should call my friend over and order pad thai. Time to leave the library! As I head home, I feel very productive, I got a lot of studying done and I feel like I know a little more about economics. Today was a productive day! When I arrive home, I eat Thai food with my friend and then we study at my place. The thing is, he is very productive, but I am falling into a bit of a food coma. This is not good. Maybe I should lie down … zzz … As nine o’clock rolls around, my friend is wrapping up studying while I am still fast asleep. My friend wakes me up (grr!) and says “Hey, I’m gonna head back now.” That’s when I realize it is already 9 p.m. Oh no! I wasted three hours. What am I going to do? How am I going to wake up? I ask my friend, “Hey, can you get me some boba?” My friend replies, “Sure,” and orders some boba as he leaves. Yes, I shall be awake. When the boba finally arrives, something is wrong. There are way too many coffee flakes in it. How could they make boba this bad!?! Oh no, what am I going to do? Finally I decide to just make my own coffee to stay awake and just stay up all night studying. Man oh man. Experiences like this make me realize the stresses of finals week. Everyone is on edge, and there is never enough time to

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study. You always feel like you are unprepared for the next test and just can’t wait for it to end. Fall quarter is the worst because you can feel the holiday spirit and just yearn to leave school and go shopping. Sleep deprived, you attempt to shove as much knowledge into your brain as you can and hope that it sticks. You lose track of days and only know how many days you have left until your next final. When it is all done, you feel a tremendous sense of relief. Or not. Because you know that this will happen again next quarter and next quarter and the quarter after that. And if you are planning on going to grad school, and then PhD, then this cycle will never end. Oh well, what can you do? Have an idea for a future Spirited Bruin? E-mail editor.chief@ campuscircle.net.

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GAMEON

HOGWARTS IS COMING TO HOLLYWOOD by nick golden

“Saints Row: The Third” (Volition/THQ) Three chapters into a series that began as a straight-faced “Grand Theft Auto” wannabe, “Saints Row: The Third” commences by almost immediately giving you a reaper drone as your first weapon upgrade and letting you call in (and control) missile airstrikes at will from that moment forward. And with that – and following an opening sequence in which you lead a bank robbery that somehow culminates in an airborne shootout that includes skydiving into and through the windshield of a crashing airplane – we are off to the races. Before we get carried away with how out of control this fable gets, it’s worth stopping and emphasizing how solid “SR3’s” underpinnings are. The game’s third-person shooting controls are far more versatile than what “Grand Theft Auto IV” produced, and the driving (and, eventually, biking and flying) controls are what you expect – loose and arcade-y, but with enough weight that driving a sports car, street sweeper and tank (yes, there are tanks) are markedly different experiences. The graphics aren’t always easy on the eyes, but they certainly suffice, considering how big, busy and free of load times the open world is. Perhaps more surprising is how much care goes into the coherence of a story and world in which anything and everything goes. “SR3’s” humor is juvenile, but it’s cleverly, sharply and even endearingly juvenile – more silly than obscene, though exceptions certainly apply when one mission involves rescuing a friend from a brothel via a rickshaw chase. The main character’s gender, voice and appearance are your calls to make, thanks to “SR3’s” terrifically flexible character editor, but nothing you do changes the lengths the game goes to in developing our hero and his/her friends, enemies and random weirdo acquaintances into legitimately good characters. With that groundwork thoughtfully laid out, “SR3” is free to go completely bananas en route to creating the most shamelessly bombastic open-world game you can play today. Where to start? How about the multi-factional war that pits the Saints against cops, Luchadores, supernatural beings, an armed-to-the-teeth private military and zombies all at once? Because every faction brings its own playable toys to the fray, you can (among numerous examples) jack and joyride a tank, wield a weapon that’s basically the Gravity Hammer from “Halo,” or steal a gunship and rain hellfire down on gang strongholds that fall under your control once cleared out. And that’s just the first few hours. Without spoiling any specifics, “SR3’s” toy chest only gets crazier as you progress through its story and wrap your arms around the ridiculous cache of upgrades, properties, (very) customizable vehicles and not-of-this-world weapons that recurrently avail themselves to you. Your default pistol, for instance? Outfit it with upgrades, and it shoots exploding projectiles that launch enemies airborne. Should you launch an enemy from a high altitude, “SR3” will measure how far he flies and reward you in the form of experience points. In fact, pretty much everything you do – from balancing a handstand on a moving jet to driving on two wheels to flying through your windshield after a nasty crash – is tracked in some way for high score purposes and cashed in for experience that unlocks more surprises. “SR3” wants you to use this playground to goof off as creatively as you like, and it lets you know by rewarding you in some way for every single thing you do. The only place “SR3” dials it back is with multiplayer, with “SR2’s” 12-player competitive multiplayer omitted completely. The two-player survival mode that replaces it is amusing, but considerably more limited in its novelty. Fortunately, two-player anything-goes co-op – which was the absolute best way to maximize “SR2’s” burgeoning goofiness – returns intact. —Billy O’Keefe, McClatchy-Tribune (MCT) © 2011, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. Distributed by MCT Information Services.

‘So it’s true then … Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts,’ purrs Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. And with that, a phenomenon was born. Harry Potter was first published in the U.K. in 1997. Since then, it has captured the hearts and minds of millions of readers and moviegoers. Over the course of the next 13 years, six more books and eight movie adaptations would prove that Harry is here to stay. The Harry Potter movies have made upwards of five billion dollars worldwide, and the books have now been translated into more than 60 languages, ensuring Potter fans all over the world can enjoy the series. It’s no wonder, considering the always-hungry-for-more nature of the Potter fan base. The series has influenced a generation, and many may find it hard to imagine a world without J.K. Rowling’s popular stories. The profound impact that Harry Potter has had on the world is undeniable, and it is arguably the most successful franchise of all time. So, what could possibly make it better? In 2007, Universal Studios partnered with Warner Bros. Entertainment to answer that question with the announcement of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a themed area in its Orlando Islands of Adventure park. Two and a half years and more than 200 million dollars later, the park was opened to the public. On June 18, 2010, thousands of fans were finally able to step into the world of Harry Potter and his friends. Even today, countless people continue to travel to Orlando just to see the world that Rowling created brought to life; however, some of those who can’t make it to Orlando may be in luck. Due to the success of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Universal has decided not only to expand the original park, but also to build the park to California. That’s right! Hogwarts is coming to Hollywood. Now, all of the fans on the West Coast who long to walk into the streets of Hogsmeade and visit the Hog’s Head Pub for a butterbeer can experience the magic and fun that so many have already been able to. Though it may take some time to complete the attraction, all of the dedicated fans that have stuck by Harry’s side thus far will no doubt be willing to wait. “I am delighted that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has been so popular with fans since the opening in Orlando last year, and I am sure that the teams at Universal and Warner Bros. will bring their expertise and attention to detail to Hollywood to make this new experience equally as exciting,” says Rowling. Not much is known about the exact plans and layout for the Hollywood version of the attraction, but Universal and Warner Bros. will assuredly pay the same attention to detail and authenticity that they did as they created the park in Orlando. They promise that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood will be faithful to the landscape created in the films, with a Hogwarts replica serving as the centerpiece to the new portion of the park “The announcement of our partnership with Universal to bring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Hollywood and expand what already exists in Orlando is probably the best holiday gift we could give to the legions of Harry Potter fans worldwide,” says Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. “Everyone involved with these projects is committed to continuing the enchantment of J.K. Rowling’s masterful books as they were brought to life on screen in our eight films and dedicated to extending the magic of the experience for generations of fans to come.” Harry Potter seems to be in good hands here in Hollywood, and with Rowling’s blessing, Los Angeles-based fans are sure to be eagerly anticipating the day when they can also step into Hogwarts castle and wander the famous halls that their favorite characters frequented in both the books and the movies. The completion date for the park is unclear, but it’s sure to be a blast that Potter fans can enjoy for many years. For more information, visit universalstudioshollywood.com.

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Phillip V. Caruso

Campus Circle > Film > Movie Reviews

Charize Theron plays Mavis Gary in Young Adult.

Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (Anchor Bay) The unheralded godfather of the fast-and-cheap indie film, Roger Corman, has spent his career not getting the respect he deserves, and Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel seeks to show that the movie industry would not be what it is today if it was not for Roger Corman. Corman’s World is a star-studded tribute to Corman, Hollywood’s most prolific writer-director-producer ever and a seminal influencing force on modern moviemaking over the last 60 years. He launched many legendary careers, including Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, William Shatner, Francis Ford Coppola and Peter Bogdanovich, just to name a few. Corman changed the landscape of filmmaking with a career that spawned in the late ’50s. Corman provided a refreshing alternative to stuffy and overly expensive Hollywood features with original cult films such as the The Fast and The Furious (1955), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Cry Baby Killer, The Intruder, House of Usher and The Wild Angels (which at that point in 1966 was his 100th film). The film industry is heading into what I feel is the Neo Corman era, where the industry is going to look to cheap, fast films to satisfy the content needs of the masses. It’s funny how Corman has never gotten the credit he deserves, but soon he will get that and more. Director Alex Stapleton does an incredible job weaving archival footage following Roger’s illustrious career: From his early days of genre-defining classics, Corman continued to produce and distribute films outside the studio system. Along with feature interviews with Hollywood icons and cinematic luminaries, some who launched their careers within Corman’s unforgettable world of filmmaking, including Paul W.S. Anderson, Bogdanovich, De Niro and Jack Nicholson, Corman’s journey truly shows that with hard work and determination you can create true Hollywood magic. Although some of Corman’s films were not always of the quality and class of other Hollywood classics – which was readily admitted to by Corman and luminaries like Nicholson, who is awesome in his interviews – they got the job done. Corman is a symbol of cinematic inspiration and shows that anyone can pursue filmmaking. While you don’t have to be a film student extraordinaire to get your dreams on screen, it takes persistence, grind and hustle. The mindboggling aspect of Corman’s documentary is that he is

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nearly 86 and still churning out flicks left and right – around 500 to date. Corman continues adding to his legendary cult film empire, one low-budget success at a time, capitalizing on undiscovered talent and pushing the boundaries of independent filmmaking. This documentary is a must-see for anyone interested in the film industry. Grade: A+ —Sean Oliver Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel releases in select theaters Dec. 16.

London River (Cinema Libre) Finally coming to America is the critically lauded film London River, which debuted at the Berlin film festival and received much acclaim. It is the riveting story of two parents looking for their respective children following the aftermath of the London bus bombings in 2005. London River, directed by Rachid Bouchareb, the threetime Academy-Award nominated director of Days of Glory and Outside the Law, stars Brenda Blethyn (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) as the closed-minded suburban farmer Elisabeth Sommers, and the late Sotigui Kouyaté (Little Senegal, Genesis) who helps drive this controversial film with his portrayal of the quiet and wise Ousmane. Both Elisabeth and Ousmane have come to London from different backgrounds and lifestyles, with different fears and beliefs. The sole purpose is finding their missing children. Ousmane believes that his son’s being a Muslim and not seeing his father since childhood pushed him into a life of bitterness and terrorism, and upon hearing of the attacks believes that his son may have been one of the bombers. Elisabeth, on the other hand, is a small-town farmer who has let her daughter go from her sheltered rural life to London for school, and fears the worst as her daughter has always maintained steady contact. She tries to reach her, especially after news of the bombings, but has not heard from her. Elisabeth does what most parents would do in the same situation: She gets on a train and desperately heads to London trying to solve the mystery of her daughter’s disappearance. The search spins an unusual web of fate and secrets. Elisabeth now sees that her daughter isn’t who she thought she was, and Ousmane at the same time is coming to that same realization about his son. The two parents soon see that their lives are eerily connected.

The connection at first startles the small-minded and xenophobic Elisabeth who believes that all Muslims are bad people and terrorists. But she learns that she must depend on Ousmane, a Muslim, and control her fears to solve what happened to her daughter. London River is a great story that puts you in the middle of a historical event most people never really talk about anymore. The story gives a heart and face to the tragedy. It is an extremely sentimental movie, unveiling a complication of the values that we as people have put on ourselves, and how we simply have notions about others before we even truly know them. Bouchareb does an amazing job with the Ousmane character, portraying how we take hold of racial, xenophobic and religiously biased values and how they make us think about others. London River is a great film that makes you think about how we as humans have to start trusting and helping one another, because who knows, maybe the person you thought you could never believe or trust holds the key to a mystery within yourself. Grade: A— Sean Oliver London River releases in select theaters Dec. 16.

Young Adult (Paramount) To some extent, we are all just older versions of our younger selves. We don’t grow up that much, not really. A timely and very fitting example of this is the phenomenon known as Twilight, which has encouraged a generation of Susie Homemakers to replace their spatulas and vacuums with books and fang marks. More than ever before, pop culture lowers our inhibitions and drugs us with the sweet sounds of reality television so that the line between fiction and the real world is blurred to near obscurity. Writer Diablo Cody depicts, with spot-on clarity, this kind of people who parade around still reliving their high school or college glory days. Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is one such person, a 30-something-year-old writer of young adult fiction. An avid follower of the Kardashians and other E! stars, Mavis is somewhat in ruins. She has major writer’s block, her apartment is a mess and she seems to only have one friend. When she receives an e-mail from her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson) announcing the birth of his child, Mavis is convinced it’s a sign to leave the big city and return to her small hometown to save her ex from his ‘miserable’ life of marriage and fatherhood. Neglecting her dog and the manuscript due in days, Mavis sets out to woo the boyfriend that got away. One unforeseen obstacle in her quest to conquer is Matt (Patton Oswalt) who went to high school with Mavis and who was beaten to near death by high school jocks. The unlikeliest of pairs, Matt and Mavis bond over alcohol and drugs, but both harbor the same resentment for their past (or maybe it’s their inability to get over their past?). Mavis doesn’t get what she wants in a spectacular fashion, and what ultimately culminates in disaster is Cody’s finger-pointing, full belly laughing cynicism directed at the people who left their prime in their teens. Theron makes a very despicable character, and Oswalt, who has had years of comedic practice on such shows as “Reno 911!” and “United States of Tara” (created by Cody), is in top form, delivering the best one-liners of the film. Director Jason Reitman should be given credit where it’s due; he sets the tone for the entire film, and we only laugh when he instructs us to. However, it is Cody who is the shining star here, who has developed and, dare I say it, grown up quite a bit, dropping the happy ending and progressing past the young adulthood she sadistically tears to shreds. Grade: B+ —Candice Winters Young Adult is currently in select theaters, and its wide release is Dec. 16.

‘‘THE

MOST FUN YOU’LL HAVE AT THE MOVIES THIS YEAR!” Joel D. Amos, MOVIEFANATIC.COM

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THAN THE FIRST MOVIE.” Tom Snyder, MOVIEGUIDE

“ROBERT DOWNEY JR. AND JUDE LAW ARE AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME.” Patrick Stoner, PBS FLICKS

“EXTRAORDINARILY BRILLIANT!” Sandra Varner, CELEBRITY PROFILES

“THIS IS WHY WE GO TO THE MOVIES!

AWE-INSPIRING ACTION AND RAZOR-SHARP HUMOR.” Jake Hamilton, FOX-TV

“FLAT-OUT FANTASTIC!” Mike Sargent, WBAI RADIO

SPECIAL MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15. EVERYWHERE DECEMBER 16. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS. Campus Circle

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TOP 10 of 2011 by hiko mitsuzuka

2011 was what I like to call the Year of the Departure. Oprah, Regis, Meredith Vieira and Susan Lucci all said goodbye to their daytime audiences. Katie Couric peaced out on the “CBS Evening News.” The Walker family danced into that good night on “Brothers & Sisters” (to Lady Gaga no less). And yours truly left a position at a company after several years of service. It seems like wherever you turned, someone was embarking on a new chapter of his or her life, whether voluntarily or not (Kim Kardashian notwithstanding), in the first year of this new decade. Personally, 2011 was the year I got in touch with my “inner artist” and attempted to live the life of a writer, which, I found out, involves getting increasingly familiar with daytime television. That said, I’d like to have lunch with Wendy Williams and Anderson Cooper – at the same time. But on to the good stuff: Here are the 10 pieces of terrific television that titillated, tantalized and thoroughly entertained the hell out of me (and hopefully some of you too). 1) “Happy Endings” (ABC) – Sure, they’re a bunch of young urbanites navigating life and love with laughter, but whereas “Friends” now seems so quaint (and so ’90s), this sophisticated group of buds has turned rapid-fire dialogue and gut-busting non-sequiturs into an artform. Huge claps for Casey Wilson, who plays unlucky-in-love Penny with a slight adorkable desperation that doesn’t get too grating, and the hysterical Damon Wayans Jr. whose Brad is an irresistibly dashing cad with a goofball edge.

Campus Circle > Film > The Channel Surfer 2) “The Killing” (AMC) – True, most episodes left me wanting to reach for a raincoat, but the first-rate ensemble and killer writing brought life to this dreary tale of a murdered Seattle teen and those affected by her gruesome death (Michelle Forbes, I always knew you’d get Emmy recognition.). And special kudos goes to Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman for their dynamic chemistry as Linden and Holden, the most original and watchable pair of investigators since Mulder and Scully. 3) Cinema Verite (HBO) – One of the year’s most pleasant surprises was seeing The Secret Circle’s Thomas Dekker effortlessly play Lance Loud (his best role to date), the out-and-proud son of America’s first reality-TV family in 1973. Diane Lane, Tim Robbins and James Gandolfini also shine in this fantastic fictionalized behind-the-scenes account of the groundbreaking PBS documentary series, “An American Family.” 4) “American Horror Story” (FX) - Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s enjoyably twisted take on the haunted house genre was everything I expected from the minds behind polaropposite “Glee.” Jessica Lange couldn’t have chewed enough scenes this season as Constance, the next-door neighbor with plenty of secrets up her sleeves, and Evan Peters brought it as the tortured Tate, television’s chilliest teen. 5) “Homeland” (Showtime) – Who knew little, angsty Angela Chase would grow up and return to television in a political potboiler? Claire Danes gives new meaning to the term conspiracy theorist, and what the dynamic drama does best is balance both sides of the character coin. Who’s good? Who’s bad? The fun is in the guessing. 6) The Royal Wedding (all networks) – As inescapable and overdone as the coverage was for the regal tying of the knot of William and Kate, Americans couldn’t help but

MISEENSCENE

ANNUAL ‘WORST-OF’ LISTS

Why kick something when it’s down? by frederick mintchell ’Tis the season for the all of the year-end Best-Of lists. All of the critics groups are weighing in with all of their choices for Best Movie, Best Actor and Actress, etc. in the lead-up to the biggest awards show of them all, the Oscars. Not only are we hearing about the “best” movies of the year, there are lists ranging from the best songs and TV shows of the year to the best fashion choices of the year to the best sports moments of the year. And this is all well and good; people need a sense of hierarchy in their lives, or else we get anarchy. From the White House to high school, there’s a need to know who’s on top to preserve the natural order of things. Granted, voting on what’s best is very subjective – and many times a popularity contest, but hopefully whoever wins out has actually earned those accolades in some way. In high school, there are homecoming queens, student body presidents and those voted most likely to succeed. While there are usually different criteria at work, they all basically

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swoon over the tastefully done fairy-tale production of this historic affair. 7) “Hot in Cleveland” (TV Land) – There’s something very ’80s about this comfortably traditional sitcom. These three golden boomers (and one “Golden” girl) hit their stride during the cable-com’s second season, and the undeniable charisma of this cast of comedy veterans is what drives each episode. Get in on the fun – the third season just started. 8) “2 Broke Girls” (CBS) – Hipster-hating Max (the sharp-tongued Kat Dennings) and spoiled-rich Caroline (a bubbly Beth Behrs) are the breakout duo of the TV season. Girl power was never this funny. 9) “The Oprah Winfrey Show” (ABC) – The void Oprah left in daytime television will certainly be felt for some time to come, and we will forever be grateful for the 25 enlightening years the talk show titan gave us. In the weeks leading up to her poignant farewell, watching “Winfrey” was like experiencing a greatest hits collection. Every show, every guest, was impressive, provocative and ultimately satisfying. And as for that lecture-filled finale? We’re still soaking up those memorable life lessons. 10) “Revenge” (ABC) – For all intents and purposes, this suds-filled drama about rich people with problems shouldn’t have made this list (boring billboards, lackluster promos), but after experiencing the first 10 episodes, I became a convert. Why does it work? While “Desperate Housewives” satirized primetime soaps (and suburbia), “Revenge” refreshingly plays it straight. Icy glares. Delectable dialogue. And enough twists (Tyler’s a hustler?!) to make us shiver with anticipation for the next episode. By the way: Welcome back, Madeleine Stowe. For more pop cultural ramblings, visit thefirstecho.com and hotterinhollywood.com

Campus Circle > Film > Mise En Scene boil down to being popularity contests. However, I’m not here to bash on popularity contests, no matter what title or award the winner earns. What I am here to bash on are the unpopularity contests. To use the high school analogy again, we don’t vote on the least popular girl in the class, the worst leader of the class or the person least likely to succeed. Except for the Mean Girls or Heathers out there, most of us don’t like to kick people while they’re down. Then why do critics do it? I’m talking about the year-end Worst-Of lists that always accompany those Best-Of lists. We see the lists of the worst movies, songs, TV shows, etc. of the year. But what’s the point? Again, why kick something when it’s down? And besides, we are talking about something that’s highly subjective. Sure there are those movies that have stood the test of time and are the gold standard for filmmakers to follow – Casablanca, The Godfather, Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon. I’m just saying that we should celebrate “good” movies instead of hating on the “bad” ones. No matter how bad a movie is perceived to be, someone – and most likely many people – put their heart and soul into that project. It’s not like a big group of people got together and said, “Let’s make a big, steaming pile of manure for millions of dollars.” Even if I was just a production assistant or the craft services person, I don’t want to be reading about how the project that I worked on for hundreds of hours is a big piece of crap. Imagine what it must be like for the director or star of a movie to hear that all that work you did smells like methane. With awards season in full swing, one word you will hear a lot is momentum. What movie or star has the momentum right now to win the big awards. The same idea in reverse works for the “bad” movies. It’s easy to get caught up in the backlash, just like in the days of the Salem witch trials or

Was The Island really one of the worst movies of 2005? McCarthyism. Granted, I’m not comparing a movie being critically panned to an innocent person burning at the stake, but you get the idea. Hysteria is contagious. I remember when Gigli came out and everyone was saying how it was one of the worst movies ever. I never actually saw Gigli, but I wonder how much of that came out of the Bennifer media over-saturation at the time. I also remember when Michael Bay’s The Island came out. It too was universally panned, and I do remember it making some year-end Worst-Of lists as well. I was curious, so I watched and guess what, I liked it. To paraphrase Sally Field, I really, really liked it. I didn’t understand the uproar. I’d bet that many people didn’t really think it was one of the worst movies of the year – they were just jumping on the antiMichael Bay bandwagon. I vote that in this supposed season of giving, let’s just focus on what was good this year.

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Daniel Smith

Campus Circle > Film > Interviews

Jared Harris, director Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. on the set of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

sherlock holmes: A game of shadows

To director Guy Ritchie, it’s elementary. by john horn

los angeles times (MCT) The signature action scene in the soonto-be-released Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, unfolds in a fusillade in a forest, as high-speed cameras zooming at 70 mph capture ammunition ripping through trees and flesh in real time. It’s the type of mayhem, initially so intense that the film faced an R rating, that you would find only in a movie directed by Guy Ritchie. Until two years ago, Ritchie was known only to a select cinema buff crowd for his stylish, low-budget British gangster movies – Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Revolver and RockNRolla. He burst into the mainstream, and into Hollywood’s loftiest ranks, by directing Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in the 2009 megahit Sherlock Holmes, which grossed more than $524 million worldwide. Though the first Sherlock was a blockbuster, in many ways it was Ritchie’s most constrained production, short on some of his distinctive flourishes. The key set piece in the film, for instance, transpired on London Bridge, a sequence

heavy on computer effects but light on novelty – the sort of staging you might come across in any number of studio action movies. But as the new detective movie should prove, Ritchie has in many ways reverted to his earliest form, injecting the follow-up with more of his signature cinematic touches. Audiences appear even more intrigued with the sequel than with the original, as pre-release surveys suggest A Game of Shadows could be December’s all-conquering hit, with stronger early interest than for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. And because Ritchie’s film won’t be competing against a juggernaut such as Avatar, as was the case with Sherlock Holmes, A Game of Shadows could play far into the new year. “I much prefer it to the first movie,” Ritchie says a day after jetting through Southern California’s windstorms in a terrifying flight that left the 43-year-old director (traveling with model Jacqui Ainsley and their newborn son) so discomfited that he was gasping for breath. “I just enjoyed the experience more.” When Warner Bros. hired Ritchie to pump life into Arthur Conan Doyle’s 19th century literary creation, he was an unusual choice. His 2008 film RockNRolla was only a minor respite from his critical and commercial disappointments Revolver (2005) and Swept Away (2002), the latter starring his then-wife, Madonna. And “Sherlock Holmes” would cost about 10 times that of his most expensive production, the $18-million RockNRolla. Producer Lionel Wigram, who worked with director David Yates, another unconventional choice, on the studio’s Harry Potter franchise, nevertheless thought it was a marriage made in moviemaking heaven. “He’d obviously had a period where a couple of his movies had not been well received,” Wigram says. “But the way to make Sherlock Holmes feel fresh and innovative was the Guy Ritchie version.” Specifically, Wigram says, it was through Ritchie’s filmmaking manner: an innovative mix of staging (especially the fighting), humor, voice-overs, lenses, frame rates, camera

moves and editing (by longtime collaborator James Herbert). “That’s what defines his movies – it’s all through the filter of Guy’s sensibility.” The new movie, budgeted at $125 million, is set in 1891 London, and international unrest is mounting, due largely to mysterious bombings. Holmes is pursuing the “Napoleon of crime,” an academic named Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) who may be trying to foment, and then make a fortune from, a world war. Holmes, who calls it “the single-most important case of my career – perhaps of all time,” resorts to all manner of disguises in chasing the professor, who intends to corner the market on artillery and bandages. Holmes must first persuade Watson, who is about to wed Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), to put crime fighting ahead of marriage. With his assistant finally on board, the two collaborate with the gypsy Sim (Noomi Rapace), whose brother may be working with Moriarty, to stop the professor’s plot. Ritchie says making the first film was as personally satisfying as it was professionally, largely thanks to the collaboration with Downey and his producing partner, wife Susan Downey. “They were great mates,” Ritchie says. “I was going through a divorce, and there was a lot going on [in making the movie] that made me feel comfortable.” If the director, who also has made award-winning commercials for BMW and Nike, was comfortable on the set of the first film, he was luxuriating on the second, his ease revealed in how he shot the forest scene. (It was shot in Bourne Wood, outside Surrey, England; most of the film was staged in the United Kingdom). “I made up my mind to make something out of nothing,” Ritchie says. “In the script [credited to Michele and Kieran Mulroney, but revised and improvised by Ritchie, the producers, Downey and Law], it just said, ‘They are running through the woods.’ But often the most creative stuff comes from nothing.” Shooting in the woods was originally scheduled for just two days of filming, but Ritchie asked for an additional three days of photography there. “And then I armed myself with as many toys as I could,” he says. “I need gizmos – I like the technical side of filmmaking.” In his arsenal was a track system designed for sports that can travel as fast as 70 mph, and a digital camera called “The Phantom” whose frame rate could be cranked up to 5,000 frames per second – the normal rate is 24 – so as to freeze high-speed objects such as bullets. (The faster the camera films, the slower the images play.) “The bullets you see in the air are real bullets – that’s the speed at which they fly,” the director says. Popcorn movies such as Sherlock Holmes don’t usually try to present philosophical arguments. Though Ritchie, who has been working on a documentary about spirituality, believes there’s one inside A Game of Shadows, principally in how Moriarty is banking not on the likelihood of war but on its inevitability. “Moriarty is relying on the fact that inside the human consciousness is an insatiable desire for conflict,” Ritchie says. “I’m not sure I have seen that in a film like this before.” Having recently formed a partnership with Wigram, Ritchie says he’s unsure what he’ll do next, but it’s safe to assume a third Sherlock Holmes movie will be atop the list. He recently published the graphic novel Gamekeeper, which could easily translate into a feature. “I know what kind of movie I want to do next,” he says. “It just doesn’t have a label on it.” He appreciates that he has a new lease on life. “Now,” he says,” it feels like I can have my cake and eat it too.” © 2011 the Los Angeles Times. Distributed by MCT Information Services. Sherlock Holmes releases in theaters Dec. 16. For more information, visit sherlockholmes2.warnerbros.com.

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TVTIME

Randy WAYne

Dancing to the Beat of His Own Drum by sola fasehun Randy Wayne picks up after the fourth ring. Throughout the weekend we had been playing unintentional phone tag due to conflicting schedules. His voice seems low, even over the phone. He tells me that he’s recovering from a cold, and he’s not his usual self. I completely understand. His explanation seems to the break the ice, and now we’re both ready to get down to business. To anyone who’s a fan of ABC Family, Wayne is a very familiar face. He’s had a recurring role in “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and is now on “The Lying Game.” A closer look at Wayne suggests that he’s a versatile actor. Originally from Oklahoma, Wayne’s mother suggested that he give acting a shot, but it wasn’t until his first year of college at Campbellsville University, on a cross country and swimming scholarship, that he began to look into acting. As an actor who has done Web series and a reality TV show, I thought to ask Wayne about both. When it comes to Web series, Wayne is a big fan. “With a Web series … one can be more creative because there’s no studio or network worried about advertisers.” He practically lists the benefits of web series: “They cater to youth because the attention span has gone down. It’s around five minutes per show, easy and accessible,”

Campus Circle > Film > TV Time When it comes to reality television, Wayne is more on the fence. “Reality TV is addicting … people love to see train wrecks [laughing]. We’re a tabloid society where shows like ‘Jersey Shore’ become a hit. If people want to watch that, fine.” But Wayne explains that there are some good reality shows that focus on helping people rather than exploiting them. “I only watch one reality TV show, and that’s the ‘Biggest Loser’ … on that show, people transform their lives for the better. If I had my wish, all reality shows would be positive.” Wayne talks about “Talent,” a Web series from the people behind “Pretty Little Liars,” which is a scripted show. I bring up the British reality show, “Shipwrecked,” and he explains: “I wasn’t an actor at that point in my life, but I sent in an audition tape and ended up doing the fourth season of the show.” Supposedly the idea for the hit reality show “Survivor” came from “Shipwrecked.” Wayne just finished shooting Honey 2. I ask him what it was like to work with Kat Graham from the “Vampire Diaries.” “Horrible [laughing], she’s unattractive and can’t sing. Nah, I’m kidding, she’s amazing.” He describes the audition and mentions that when Graham walked in he was amazed. “She has a great presence. She’s busy, has a lot going on and she’ll be around for a long time.” I had to ask Wayne about his time on HBO’s “True Blood.” “I was only on two episodes, but I was in a scene with Deborah Ann Woll, Anna Paquin and Jim Parrack. Deborah Ann Woll is one of the nicest actresses I’ve ever worked with so far.” He describes the table read where the entire cast was there: “It was great to see the actors of ‘True Blood’ do their thing,

TVTIME

FROM TINA FEY TO Rob lowe

Small-screen stars air their lives in memoirs. by gail pennington

st. louis post-dispatch (MCT) If you were a chubby kid, insecure, a bit nerdy – or, better yet, all three – chances are you now work in TV comedy. Two of the most entertaining books of a year in which many people in television put their stories between hard covers came from Tina Fey (“30 Rock”) and Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor on “The Office”). In Bossypants, Fey reveals that she grew up pale and awkward, with a perpetual bad haircut (for proof, there are pictures) and a scar on her face that was her only claim to fame. In a recurring dream, she was being chased through an airport by her gym teacher. She felt like herself only in a local theater program. Kaling, who titles her book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), was pudgy (she still is, she insists) and dark-skinned. (“Like being Indian, being chubby feels like it is just part of my permanent deal.”) She didn’t learn

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how well they get along and how much fun they have.” What’s next for Wayne? “Other than acting, I also keep pretty busy with producing. I’ve produced eight films in the last few years, with one in post and another in de– velopment.” He also mentions the people in the biz he looks up to and wants to work with: Paul Giamatti and the Coen brothers. He also just finished working on “Hot in Cleveland.” “Getting to work with Betty White was amazing because she’s a legend and so funny.” For now it looks as if the future is bright because he’s following his own advice: “Patience, passion and persistence …I move forward because of this.” Wayne also moves forward because of his hard work and humbleness. The future not only looks bright for this actor but positively limitless. For more information, visit twitter.com/iamrandywayne and facebook.com/iamrandywayne.

Campus Circle > Film > TV Time to ride a bike until she was 12, and if handed a basketball, “I would instantly begin to cry.” Fey admits following an uninterested boyfriend around for years in college. (Even she doesn’t seem positive how she wound up in a happy marriage, with two kids.) Kaling confesses that “hooking up confuses me” and recalls how she once abandoned her jacket to avoid an old boyfriend and his hot date. The twist to both books isn’t a surprise: Our heroines triumphed. Fey fought sexism at “Saturday Night Live,” in the book’s most interesting chapters, and is a triple threat (star, writer, executive producer) on “30 Rock.” Kaling is both an actor and writer on “The Office.” As Fey sums up: “Do your own thing and don’t care if they like it.” Rob Lowe never felt insecure – he’s Rob Lowe, after all, and was a kid so handsome, he had to fight off job offers. But in Stories I Only Tell My Friends, he tells of losing himself to substance abuse, only to be rescued by his wife, Sheryl. Lowe also writes, finally, about his exit from “The West Wing,” giving his side of the complicated story. Lowe’s confessions, like his title, are tame next to what “Saturday Night Live” veteran Darrell Hammond has to say in God, If You’re Not Up There, I’m F*cked. Promising tales of “mind-altering mayhem,” Hammond shares some shockers. As a child, abused physically and emotionally, he turned to cutting himself. In the fall of 2010, he writes in his prologue, he was sent to psychiatric rehab “after getting drunk and trying to cut my arm off with a large kitchen knife.” By then, he’d already been in rehab so many times “that I’ve honestly lost count.” He calls “SNL” his “golden years” but admits, “It cannot have been easy to work with me.” Once, he was carted off in a

straitjacket. In addition to prescription drugs, “I was drinking, doing coke, cutting myself in the dressing room.” Thankfully, Hammond writes from a place of recovery, but his journey there is harrowing – and often darkly funny. Also on the book circuit this year was Jane Lynch of “Glee,” who writes in Happy Accidents that she was born with “an extra helping of angst” and wished nothing more than to go unnoticed. As a girl, she knew she was attracted to other girls, what she calls her “big gay secret.” But her real coming out, her book convinces readers, was as a strong, confident woman. Ellen DeGeneres promises insight into “life and love and other ‘L’ words” – even to let us know how she found happiness – in her third book, Seriously ... I’m Kidding. But in the end, she’s mostly content to poke fun at herself in stream-ofconsciousness style. “Sometimes,” she says, “the greatest things are the most embarrassing.” And then there’s Betty White, who at 89 is still focused on “now,” not “then.” In If You Ask Me” (And of Course You Won’t), White writes primarily about the past two decades of her life, about friendships and animals (her true love) and comedy. There’s a good chance you’ll come away thinking angst is overrated. © 2011 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Distributed by MCT Information Services.

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special features

Betsy Sharkey

“ CHARLIZE THERON PLAYS MEAN TO PERFECTION.

IN ‘ YOUNG ADULT’ THERE IS SOMETHING

ABSOLUTELY MESMERIZING ABOUT

WATCHING A TRAIN WRECK UNFOLD ON SCREEN.”

by mike sebastian

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF UP IN THE AIR AND THE WRITER OF JUNO

Under the Radar: Independent Spirit Award-winner Daddy Longlegs is a totally original film about one man who creates a fairy tale world for the two sons he only gets to see once a year. Four up-and-coming horror directors each craft an entry in the anthology film Chillerama, a love letter to hilariously gory Midnight Movies. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) stars in Tanner Hall, a look inside a privileged all-girls boarding school. The Majors: Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis star in the romantic comedy Friends With Benefits. Two friends who have sworn off love decide to enjoy their mutual attraction without all the emotional hang-ups, but soon find it isn’t that easy. Woody Harrelson and Emma Stone co-star. Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig are two cowboys leading a posse of outlaws and Indians to defend the Wild West from a much bigger menace in Cowboys & Aliens. Jon Favreau brings his Iron Man directing chops to bear in his latest comic book special effects blockbuster. James Franco and John Lithgow add their considerable acting talents to Rise of the Planet of the Apes – a far superior sequel to Tim Burton’s initial reboot of the beloved scifi franchise – which tells how the apes began to evolve past man.

The Idiotbox: HBO’s hilarious deadpan, animated comedy The Life & Times of Tim: The Complete Second Season follows an office drone doormat in his misadventures in work and romance. In one episode, Tim’s coworkers mistake him for a homeless man when he attempts to grow a beard. An all-star list of comedians guest star. An Australian “Sopranos,” Underbelly: The Trilogy is an original and ambitious take on the gangster series. Each season tracks a different story based on true events from the 1970s up until the present day A handful of Hollywood talents lend their voices to Vietnam in HD, an immersive, six-hour, on-the-ground look at a tragic war, culled from never-before-seen color footage filmed by those who were there.

“ CHARLIZE THERON IS A COMIC FORCE

From Criterion with Love: You’ve never seen a gangster film quite like those of

RICHARD ROEPER

Seijun Suzuki. Branded to Kill, created at the height of ’60s Japanese New Wave, is perhaps his most demented. It’s a visually inventive and darkly funny story of a Yakuza gangster with a rice fetish, who becomes the target of a hit. This Criterion release contains new interviews with Suzuki and more.

Foreign Fare:

Point Blank is an edge-of-theseat French thriller about a man whose pregnant wife is kidnapped. Now he has to follow a criminal mastermind’s instructions if she is going to survive. He soon finds himself in over his head with rival gangsters and the police. Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Greek tragedy Medea starring Maria Callas comes to Blu-ray. Also from Italy: Lamberto Bava’s Body Puzzle, Alberto Lattuada’s Come Have Coffee with Us, Riccardo Freda’s Murder Obsession

Blu Notes: Just in time for Christmas, Vincente Minnelli’s classic musical Meet Me in St. Louis starring Judy Garland comes to Blu-ray. This beautiful edition features a 40-page booklet with photos, song lyrics, trivia and more. Peter Jackson made his dramatic film-directing debut with Heavenly Creatures starring a young Kate Winslet as a charismatic but mentally unstable girl who has a mutually destructive and tragic relationship with her obsessive friend. Director/star Sylvester Stallone assembles the biggest group of action stars ever seen in a single film for The Expendables: Director’s Cut, a throwback to the good ol’ fashioned shoot ’em up. Also Available: Michael Feinstein: The Sinatra Legacy

Peter Travers

OF NATURE. BUT FAIR WARNING: THE

LAUGHS IN ‘YOUNG ADULT’ LEAVE BRUISES.”

“ONE

OF THE VERY BEST MOVIES OF 2011. GIVE ‘YOUNG ADULT’ AN A.” Claudia Puig

“

Joe Morgenstern

GUTSY PERFORMANCE.

”

“

EXCEPTIONAL CAST.”

“

Mick LaSalle

HHHHH”

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Campus Circle > Film > Interviews

Director Brad Bird on the set of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

mission: impossible – ghost protocol

Brad Bird enters the live-action fray. by colin covert

star tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT) Brad Bird has made some of the more brilliant and thrilling animated movies of the past two decades, if not of all time. He pushed the boundaries of feature animation with The Iron Giant, and won bestanimated-feature Oscars with The Incredibles and Ratatouille, merging commercial and critical success. But Bird scorns complacency, quoting Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement address at Stanford University: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” Now Bird is dreaming bigger, navigating a new highstakes testing ground. His live-action directing debut is the stunt-heavy mega-budget Tom Cruise adventure Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. The production traveled to locations in Russia, the Czech Republic, Canada, the United States and Dubai, where Cruise rappels down the face of the towering Burj Khalifa skyscraper. Surprisingly, Bird says dangling one of the world’s

Campus Circle 12.14.11 - 12.20.11

top stars from the world’s tallest building isn’t so different from directing computer-generated cartoon characters. “It’s all shots and storytelling,” Bird says. While live-action films are using more of the techniques of digital animation, he knew that going on location and “actually, physically” hanging Cruise a quarter-mile above the city would give viewers a visceral thrill that could be captured no other way. The Mission: Impossible franchise offered Bird considerable latitude. Cruise, who also produces the films, has hired a different director for each of its four installments. In this outing, Cruise’s team includes returning co-star Simon Pegg and newcomers Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton playing colleagues unknown to each other and cut off from official support. Without a fixed blueprint to follow, Bird says, he was free to chart his own path, giving his chapter a more playful feel and a hero who is extraordinarily skilled yet still human. “I liked the fact that each one had different vibes to them. Tom wanted each film to have the flavor of its director, and that’s one of the things that attracted me.” Some of Bird’s favorite films are action movies laced with humor “and not T-shirt lines that are meant to be quoted later. Not wink-wink-nudge-nudge humor, either, but stuff that comes out of character.” Bird loves Raiders of the Lost Ark, he says, “because it has this wonderful balance between the energy and pace and peril of the action sequences and the way you’re continually engaged by the character of Indiana Jones. You like him, and there’s a wit to the way he’s presented. I could say the same for the first Die Hard movie. There’s a lot of humor in it, but it never comes at the expense of the action.” One such moment comes when Cruise’s superspy, Ethan Hunt, is informed he’ll have to climb across the sheer glass face of the Burj tower aided only by some glue gloves. Time is running out, but there’s a cut to Cruise’s thunderstruck

expression and a beat of hesitation before he tackles the stunt. “I really hate it when action stars think they look cool by blithely facing danger and acting mildly bored,” Bird says. “Roger Moore’s James Bond always looked like he was between saunas. Sean Connery was clearly a tough guy, but he’d get in these action scenes and you’d see his life flash before his eyes. That made you invest in the character because he became real.” Getting out of one’s comfort zone and taking chances is something of a mantra for the 54-year-old Bird. Born in Montana and raised in Oregon, he was an animation prodigy who made his first film short, a retelling of the tortoise and the hare, at age 11. It took him two years to complete. In 1977, he sent a copy to Walt Disney Studios. Impressed by his work, they invited him, at 14, to enroll in a mentoring program. He trained as an apprentice under legendary Disney animators and helped animate the studio’s 1981 feature The Fox and the Hounds. Disappointed with the creatively timid Disney of the early 1980s, Bird left, and quickly established a reputation as a top writer for Steven Spielberg’s fantasy anthology TV series “Amazing Stories.” Next came a stint on “The Tracey Ullman Show” and eight seasons with “The Simpsons.” Bird’s film directorial debut, 1999’s The Iron Giant was a touching adaptation of British poet Ted Hughes’ story of loyalty between a boy and a robot. A box-office disappointment, it made a strong impression on those who saw it. That included Steve Jobs, who hired Bird for Pixar in 2000 to shake things up and make sure the company remained innovative. Bird helped guide it to an unprecedented run of hits. The first film he developed for Pixar (and wrote and directed) was the smash superhero spoof The Incredibles, whose boisterous action scenes demonstrated the visual storytelling chops that earned him the Mission: Impossible assignment. The Mission: Impossible stunt sequences presented Bird with challenges like nothing he’d ever faced. “The sequence on the Burj was so logistically complex to pull off. Not just to be up there with our actor but also filming it in IMAX,” whose special 70mm cameras are huge, heavy and noisy. “We definitely made it about as hard as we could make it and still manage to survive and tell the tale.” The biggest bonus from directing live action, Bird says, is spontaneity. “I like being able to throw something at an actor right before the camera goes on and see something happen. Then you have something magic that happened that one time only. There’s a scene in the film between Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg that was done all in one take where they threw each other curves and responded to the curves, and it was this incredibly alive moment. That’s the kind of thing you can’t have happen the same way in animation.” He holds both in equal esteem, but Bird says that in the movie industry, directing live action is “taken more seriously. For a long time, animation has been seen as the kids’ table.” He notes that no maker of animated films has ever been nominated for best director. “The animated film Oscar is wonderful, but it tends to separate animation from the rest of movies. I was honored to be nominated for best original screenplay a couple of times because I was competing against all films, not just with animated films. I like being in the larger pond.” While his new film will certainly open the door to a liveaction directing career for Bird, he says he plans to remain active in Pixar as part of the creative oversight committee. “I’m not there as much, obviously, but I’m still keeping my hand in. It’s an amazing company, a mutually supportive team of really talented people, and I love those guys.” © 2011 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis). Distributed by MCT Information Services. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol releases in select theaters Dec. 16 and theaters everywhere Dec. 21.

A COMEDY OF NO MANNERS “…THE TALK AND ACTION ARE FLUID, THE MOOD MENACING — MR. POLANSKI, AS EVIDENT FROM FILMS LIKE ‘ROSEMARY’S BABY,’ HAS A FEEL FOR DOMESTIC HORROR — AND THE CAST IS VERY FINE. PARTICULARLY OUTSTANDING IS MS. FOSTER, WHOSE GARGOYLE FACES COULD ADORN NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL, AND THE SUAVE, SENSATIONAL MR. WALTZ…” -Manohla Dargis, THE NEW YORK TIMES

“WE’RE TOO BUSY LAUGHING! WICKEDLY FUNNY! A GOLD STANDARD FOURSOME! A COMEDY OF MANNERS, MOST OF THEM ENJOYABLY BAD OR INSINCERE, DELINEATED WITH A NIMBLE VERBAL CLARITY THAT KEEPS THINGS BRIGHT.” -Karen Durbin, ELLE

“COUPLES TURN AGAINST COUPLES, HUSBANDS AGAINST WIVES, AND THE TULIPS, HANDBAGS AND BODILY FLUIDS BEGIN TO FLY. THE LEVEL OF CRAFT HERE IS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD.” -Justin Chang, VARIETY

JOHN C. REILLY

KATE WINSLET

CHRISTOPH WALTZ

JODIE FOSTER

“FULLY DELIVERS THE LAUGHS AND SAVAGERY. SNAPPY, TASTY, DEFTLY ACTED AND PERHAPS THE FASTEST PACED FILM EVER DIRECTED BY A 78-YEAR OLD. REILLY IS RIGHT ON THE MONEY.” -Todd McCarthy, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“MS. WINSLET’S PERFORMANCE WILL REMAIN THE MOST UNFORGETTABLE.”

“THIS ONE HAS OSCAR® WRITTEN ALL OVER IT.” -Mark Rabinowitz, CNN.COM

-Roderick Conway Morris, THE NEW YORK TIMES

OPENING NIGHT

GALA CENTERPIECE

2011

NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL

AFI FILM FESTIVAL

A ROMAN POLANSKI FILM BASED UPON THE PLAY “GOD OF CARNAGE” BY YASMINA REZA A SONY PICTURES CLASSICS RELEASE PRODUCED BY SAÏD BEN SAÏD CO-PRODUCED BY MARTIN MOSZKOWICZ OLIVER BERBEN PIOTR REISCH AND JAUME ROURES A ROMAN POLANSKI FILM “CARNAGE” JODIE FOSTER KATE WINSLET CHRISTOPH WALTZ JOHN C. REILLY PRODUCTION DESIGNER DEAN TAVOULARIS COSTUME DESIGNER MILENA CANONERO MUSIC ALEXANDRE DESPLAT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY PAWEL EDELMAN CASTING FIONA WEIR EDITOR HERVÉ DE LUZE LINE PRODUCER FRÉDÉRIC BLUM BASED ON THE PLAY “LE DIEU DU CARNAGE” BY YASMINA REZA SCREENPLAY BY YASMINA REZA AND ROMAN POLANSKI TRANSLATED BY MICHAEL KATIMS DIRECTED BY ROMAN POLANSKI A FRENCH-GERMAN-POLISH-SPANISH CO-PRODUCTION SBS PRODUCTIONS CONSTANTIN FILM PRODUKTION SPI FILM STUDIO VERSATIL CINEMA ZANAGAR FILMS AND FRANCE 2 CINEMA WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF CANAL + CINECINEMA FRANCE TÉLÉVISIONS THE POLISH FILM INSTITUTE AND WILD BUNCH © , . . 2011 SBS PRODUCTIONS

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OPENS IN NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES DECEMBER 16TH! COMING SOON TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU!

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Tamea Agle

LIVESHOWREVIEWS

Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus performs at KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas.

Camp Freddy

FREQUENCY

by brien overly

The Naked + Famous Dec. 15 @ Galaxy Theatre I know we’re all hearing this band’s singles everywhere at the moment, to the point that certain songs have nearly become synonymous with badly acted television teen angst – with superpowers. But be that as it may, it doesn’t change the fact that the New Zealand natives of the Naked + Famous still know how to craft a sweeping sonic landscape in a song. Effectively catchy enough to be singalong-worthy, with enough of a darker edge The Naked + Famous to give it a haunting emotional resonance, the fivesome gives a new depth to modern indie. Even if the more vapid segments of entertainment want to use it as their soundtrack.

Young the Giant Dec. 16 & 17 @ Galaxy Theatre I guess this band is a big deal or something right now. Whatever. Not like anyone really listens to mainstream rock radio in Los Angeles anymore anyway. Regardless, these Irvine natives can do both big-sounding rock that’s perfect for those long weekday drives home up the 405, as well as the more intimate acoustic jams for weekend trips heading down PCH with the windows rolled down. And in the grand scheme of mainstream-embraced rock, it’s surprisingly low on the d-bag scale – most importantly.

Tori Amos Dec. 17 &18 @ The Orpheum At this point in her career, I’m not even sure what genres to classify Tori Amos under. Or even if she really fits into conventional genres at all anymore, given that she’s kind of done it all by now. Regardless of what you think of piano-driven female singer-songwriter fare, Amos is a sonic and visual performance artist everyone ought to see live at least once. All those other girls on the keys, the ones who your mom loves their singles when they come on the radio? Pretty much all read the Being Tori For Dummies manual, just skipping the chapter on how to be edgy and progressive.

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Dec. 2 @ The Roxy It’s that time of year again … when the weather gets cold, and the Sunset Strip gets hot. For the fifth year, the Roxy Theatre is playing host to a Camp Freddy residency. Friday nights in December will belong to rock ’n’ roll as this all-star band takes the stage and shows everyone what music is truly made of. The band consists of legends and soon to be legends: vocalist Donovan Leitch for part of the night, then you have Matt Sorum from Guns N’ Roses on drums, over on one guitar is Billy Morrison from the Cult and then on another is Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction. Then the real fun kicks in… Each night, a slew of rock stars join the already talent-laden group on stage at the Roxy. The opening night had the craziest line up to date: Sebastian Bach from Skid Row, followed by Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray singing alongside Skinhead Rob of the Transplants doing some Beastie Boys. But the biggest thing about the opening night was Billy Idol coming on stage and doing the last three songs of the night with his longtime guitarist Steve Stevens at his side. Now, if all of this went down on the first night, just imagine where it’s going to go from there. And that’s really the beauty of the Roxy and Camp Freddy; both embody what’s right about music and the scene. They both take the pure aspect of playing fun songs with your friends and bring everyone together for a great time. The Roxy has always been a place for the best to come show the world what they have, and now this seems like their little Christmas gift back to the people who have made it the place it is with a show that rivals anything on the strip. —David Tobin

KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas Dec. 10 @ Gibson Amphitheatre For the last 22 years,the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas has been the beginning of the Christmas season for the station’s listeners in Southern California. This year’s Night One lineup was a thrill to see, with just one glitch: Incubus regrettably had to pull out of the show a few days before due to illness in the band. While I have to admit they were one of my top picks for the night and I would have loved to see them again, I was still happy to begin the Christmas season at Gibson Amphitheatre. The boys of New Found Glory started out the night with vocalist Jordan Pundik decked out as a punk rock Santa and were a great opening for the festival. Young the Giant continued the night with “Cough Syrup” and “My Body,” which both got great responses from the crowd who sang along and finally got up on its feet. Chevelle took to the stage as the third band, and the screams from the pit challenged the soundsystem for a moment. The fans of the Loeffler brothers and the rest of the band sang along from the beginning. Bush, who was the start of the 2000s flashback of the night, came out and put on a great show. People of every age jumped to their feet and yelled and danced. Parents and kids, side by side at a rock show, is a great way to bring in the holiday season. Gavin Rossdale took time between songs for some personal shout-outs to the KROQ team to thank them and of course the fans for the support throughout the years. Sublime with Rome, while an unconventional replacement for Incubus, came out and filled in the other band’s shoes. Drummer Bud Gaugh announced that he would be taking a break to be with his family since, they’re expecting a baby. The set unexpectedly ended up being a goodbye for the band members. Social Distortion, whose frontman was described to me as a “punk rock gangster” brought an energetic and rock-filled set. I agree whole-heartedly with the description of Mike Ness. He earned it. 311’s set was full of hipster-esque rock and light-hearted banter with the audience. “Someone over there is lacking the Christmas cheer!” 311 frontman Nick Hexum joked when someone wasn’t dancing quite enough. The other photographers and I found ourselves dancing along with their set, and that doesn’t happen at every show. Blink-182’s own brand of “bad punk rock” was the best way to end the night. The guys, who have been playing off and on for years, still have fun on stage together. Tom DeLonge, Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus told jokes and performed a great set. They were the highlight of my night. —Tamea Agle

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by eva recinos

Romain Blanquart/Detroit Free Press/MCT

YEAR IN REVIEW

MUSICREPORT

As Dec. 31 gets closer Kanye West and Jay-Z perform on the Watch the and closer, there will be plenty Throne tour. of ends – the end of a semester, the end of Christmas celebrations and the end of a music year that brought everything from an explosive collaboration to plenty of strange, intriguing music videos. The best albums of 2011 can’t all be detailed here, but some of the best were the ones that really stirred up the music world. It’s one thing to create a good album; it’s another to create an album that can go down in music history as an important album. There are a few standouts from 2011 that belong to a group that’s created buzz that will have to be topped come 2012.

by kevin wierzbicki

Harriet tells the Right Story Jan. 31.

Harriet Ready to Tell the Right Story Harriet, a new Los Angeles-based band fronted by former Dawes member Alex Casnoff has announced the details of their upcoming debut EP, Tell the Right Story. Inspired largely by classic storytelling and the spectacle of the movies, Tell the Right Story weaves eerily romantic ballads with unwavering anthems and features classic elements of Americana and folk music contrasted with futuristic electronic samples and beats. “I wanted it to feel big … cinematic,” says Casnoff. “I wanted every song to be a movie; to feel like an occasion. I wanted it to feel like a wedding.” Tell the Right Story drops on Jan. 31, but you can hear first single “I Slept With All Your Mothers” now on SoundCloud.

Mötley Crüe Announces Vegas Residency

Lady Gaga – Born This Way Mother Monster is obviously well known for causing a stir in popular culture. But it’s Born This Way that has capitalized on this attention and turned it into fuel for a worldwide dance party hosted by Gaga. Criticized by some for its pastiche-like arrangement of sounds and influences and hailed by others for including loveable tracks, such as the anthemic “Born this Way,” Gaga’s latest shows a newfound freedom in creativity. Gaga is not afraid to take risks, both musically and lyrically. And if new single “Marry the Night” is any indication, Gaga is still intent on bringing back the music video as both an art form and a phenomenon. In fact, Born This Way proves that Gaga will continue to push plenty of boundaries over the rest of her music career.

Everyone from Elvis Presley to Elton John to Garth Brooks has done it, but Mötley Crüe? The rowdy rockers are the latest in a long line of entertainers to take to the stage in glitzy Las Vegas for an extended run of performances. The world’s most notorious band is heading to the world’s most notorious city to play a dozen shows at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino starting Feb. 3 and running through the 19th. Drummer Tommy Lee, never at a loss for words, says, “I don’t know about you but when I think of Mötley Crüe I think of filthy sex, drugs, a really big show and way too much fun. Sounds like Vegas doesn’t it? A match made in heaven!” Ticket info is at motley.com.

Skrillex – Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites Electronic music is huge right now – there’s no doubt about that. From festival to festival and concert to concert, the new frenzy for electronic sound expands, and it might be now or never for DJs/producers to introduce their expertise and plug in their new sound. Among the big stars of the movement is Skrillex, whose Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites is a testament to the brain-rattling impact of dubstep. Skrillex’s slick tracks follow the electronic music pattern well – build up the tension before dropping the bass – but there’s something inherently thrilling about the deep sounds that escape the speakers. Now Skrillex has got “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” featured on a GoPro Action Camera commercial and has been Grammy nominated for Best New Artist, even without Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites being a huge chart-topper.

Depeche Mode principals Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore are working together for the first time since 1991 and calling their techno-inspired outfit VCMG. Clarke explains, “I’ve been getting into and listening to a lot of minimal dance music, and I got really intrigued by all the sounds. I realized I needed a collaborator so it occurred to me to talk to Martin.” Gore says, “Out of the blue I got an e-mail from Vince just saying ‘I’m interested in making a techno album. Are you interested?’ So I said OK!” The pair has finished an as-yet untitled album, produced by Uberzone/Q and ready for release at a to-be-determined date in 2012. In the meantime a VCMG EP called Spock is now available digitally.

Adele – 21 Adele fans, or maybe just anyone who had heard her sing, recognized that the musician had a powerful, sultry voice and a knack for cooing heart-wrenching songs. But 21 proved just how talented Adele is without having to resort to fancy production or elaborate costumes. Adele’s tracks on the album are sincere and sung beautifully. Yet Adele did take some risks in the album. “Someone Like You,” for example is a bare-bones song that is only her voice and the piano. Somehow, the emotional intensity is concentrated enough in Adele’s voice that the track needs nothing more, and it’s been a chart-topper in numerous countries. Who knows what will come with the next numerically-named released.

Maldivian melodic death metal band Nothnegal is celebrating the release of their first full-length album by giving fans a chance to win a trip to their homeland, the Maldive Islands. Decadence drops on Jan. 24, but if you pre-order a copy from season-of-mist.com you’ll be automatically entered in the contest to win a five day journey to the all-inclusive Fihalhohi Island Resort in the summer of 2012. The trip for two includes round-trip airfare, scuba diving and water sport activities at the resort and a meet-n-greet with the band.

Jay-Z and Kanye West – Watch the Throne If any music lover had his/her doubts about how much swagger could fit into one album, Kanye West and Jay-Z offered an answer. Watch the Throne was a highly anticipated album that was destined to cause a stir from the beginning. From its production to its inclusion of different musical influences to its subject matter – mainly wealth and fame – Watch the Throne has gone down as one of the albums that is not only musically intriguing but interesting to view as an event. Two of rap’s titans teaming to talk about, well, mostly themselves, sounds like a basic plan but it’s somehow unfolded into 12 carefully-crafted tracks. Within the first minute or so of songs like “Otis,” it’s obvious that Kanye and Jay-Z meant business. You can’t mean anything else with an album title such as this. Plenty of other releases are important for 2011, but when you look back a decade or so from now, these will be some of the most ground shaking that will pop into your head. The year might be ending, but the energy that these artists have raised in the music world is only just starting to grow.

Clarke + Gore = VCMG

Nothnegal: Win a Trip to the Maldive Islands

Half Notes Don’t Think, a film by Adam Smith starring the Chemical Brothers, will be screened at select theaters in 20 cities worldwide on Jan. 26. Smith, the group’s longtime visuals collaborator, shot the full-length concert film in Japan last July. The ArcLight Theater in Hollywood is the local participant; for other cities visit dontthinkmovie.com. The official biography of Finnish prog rock band Nightwish is now available in English for all Kindle apps. Once Upon a Nightwish (Bazillion Points Books) details the departure of singer Tarja Turunen in 2005 and all the band’s doings from 1996-2006. Remember the whole Justin Beiber paternity issue with Mariah Yeater? Sacramento band Get Shot! wants to help out Yeater a little financially and is setting aside 10 percent of the proceeds from sales of their new Keepin’ it Sleazy album for the young mother. The band reportedly will be sending Yeater a $1,500 Wal-Mart gift certificate for Christmas. As part of their 15th anniversary celebration, Polyvinyl has released a DVD compilation called A Brief History in Moving Pictures featuring acts like Deerhoof, of Montreal, Owen, Mates of State and many others. British thrashers Savage Messiah are giving away digital copies of their new Earache Records album Plague of Conscience. Grab your free download at earache.com/ savagemessiah.

Campus Circle 12.14.11 - 12.20.11

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MUSICINTERVIEWS

LEE luCAS

Singer-Songwriter and Creator of the Looksy by Kathy leonardo Lee Lucas, singer-songwriter and entre– preneur agrees to meet before a recent gig at the Cinema Bar in Culver City. I notice three bracelets stacked on her wrist, and realize these must be from her bracelet line, the Looksy. We dive right in talking about the Looksy, creativity, the music industry and life as the frontwoman for a band. Lee’s band, NeonWest just won “Best in Country” on mp3. com and has been featured on “Entertainment Tonight.” Like many others in Los Angeles, Lee balances many creative projects, the Looksy Bracelet line, NeonWest and songwriting, producing a cartoon and working a day job. At one of her gigs one night, as she was rushing to get up on stage, she realized she hadn’t checked her lipstick. Looking around, she realized there was no mirror to be found and no time to go find one. It was then that it hit her: Wouldn’t it be great to have a mirror that you wear, a trendy bracelet that also doubled as a touch-up mirror? The Looksy was born. The Looksy is a leather bracelet/wristband with a mirror on it, perfect for a quick makeup check with a flip of the wrist. It currently comes in two styles, “Rockstar” and “Popstar” and four colors: black, white, dark brown and purple. When asked if she ever designed anything, she replies, “I’m creative in lots of ways. I invent stuff all the time. I

Campus Circle > Music > Interviews always have ideas. The Looksy, songs, lyrics, movie ideas – things like that. I don’t normally create things with my hands. I’m not a real ‘crafty’ person. But I did love the jewelry and leather classes in high school, which was probably my basis for using leather as the material for the first Looksy designs.” Lee further explains the early days of the Looksy: “I started with ribbon, glue and mirrors from Michael’s craft store. I have kept a lot my prototypes; it’s hilarious and inspiring when I look back on what they were when I first started creating the Looksy. They’ve really progressed, and now I am really proud of the Looksy.” When asked about the music business, she replies, “My perception is that the record business has completely changed, and is still in flux. I also think there are two very different sides to it, the corporate music side and the indie side. The Internet, iTunes and the deregulation of radio completely changed the game for everyone. Now a band doesn’t need a record label, which is great. However, there is so much music out there, since anyone can do it online. So you really have to stand out, work hard, get lucky. But at least musicians have the ability to be 100 percent in charge of their own careers. That’s the cool part about it.” Her bracelet line is featured at Bohemian Exchange Boutique (1358 Abbot Kinney, Venice), Rosenthal Estates Winery in Malibu and other locations. Several celebrities can be seen wearing the Looksy, such as singer Vicci Martinez (from NBC’s hit show, “The Voice”) and actress/model Sarah Hester. Lee also participates in jewelry/art shows, like the Holiday Boutique event, at Walgrove Elementary School, (1630 Walgrove Ave., Venice) on Wednesday Dec. 14 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will go to the school. “I think it’s really important to support your community”

CDREVIEWS The Black Keys El Camino (Nonesuch) While the Black Keys’ Grammy-winning breakthrough, Brothers, took its inspiration from old-school hip-hop, the new El Camino vibe is more Southern-fried and boogiebased, like ZZ Top crossed with the Stooges. The ache at the core of “Lonely Boy” and “Hell of a Season” is coated in such sticky guitar melodies and crisp, upbeat rhythms that it feels like comfort food. Even the uncharacteristic ballad “Little Black Submarines” ends in a stomping snarl of garage rock. El Camino will keep the Black Keys deservedly parked at the top of the charts. Grade: A—Glenn Gamboa, Newsday (MCT) © 2011 Newsday. Distributed by MCT Information Services. El Camino is currently available.

Gucci Mane and V-Nasty Baytl (Warner Bros.) Gucci Mane and V-Nasty’s new effort is the whole enchilada. The album’s first single is “Whip Appeal,” featuring P2theLA. You can bump this track in your car and are sure to look good while driving. “Many people are going to be surprised by Baytl,” Gucci Mane confesses. “This, by far, is my most controversial mixtape to date.” Gucci Mane has released three studio albums, including Back to the Trap House (2007), The State vs. Radric Davis (2009) and The Appeal: Georgia’s Most Wanted (2010). But this street album is better than any of those. V-Nasty also provides input on the record: “I’ve been a fan of Gucci since Trap House. We had the opportunity to connect

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Lee says. While working as a waitress, Lucas has sold many Looksys to customers, servers, even busboys! “It’s perfect for servers who are always grabbing food on the run. The last thing you want to do is go up to a table with a huge smile and totally embarrass yourself. It’s saved me lots of times!” The Looksy will also be featured at the Venice Art Crawl in December, a monthly art walk that happens every third Thursday of the month. Lee will be showing off her Looksy line downstairs at Hotel Erwin (1697 Pacific Ave.), from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15. Lee adds, “The Looksy makes a great stocking stuffer/ holiday gift!” For more information, visit thelooksy.com and neonwest.com.

Campus Circle > Music > CD Reviews through mutual friends, and when offered the opportunity, I didn’t have to think twice. This album is all about having good, old-fashioned, hoodrat fun with friends.” It all sounds very cool. Whether an avid fan of rap or not, Baytl is enjoyable. Grade: B+ —Marvin Vasquez Baytl is currently available.

Los Tigres Del Norte and Friends MTV Unplugged (Fonovisa) The classic bosses of northern regional Mexican music are here, and with friends. Out now, Los Tigres Del Norte accomplished a resonating album titled Tr3s Pres. MTV Unplugged Los Tigres Del Norte and Friends, which includes several collaborations with musical contemporaries. Mexican pop sensation Paulina Rubio played a part in “Golpes En El Corazon (Hits to the Heart),” a very romantic track and the album’s lead single. Rubio, with her captivating, yet charismatic tone of voice, sounds wonderful while singing the popular lyrics. The album also features performances by acclaimed urban Puerto Rican artist René of Calle 13, Colombian pop star Juanes and rock’s Zack de la Rocha, among others. One of the most prominent tracks of the ensemble’s career is “La Puerta Negra (the Black Door),” detailing the disapproval of a girl’s parents with her boyfriend. Get this: It sounds better live! Grade: A —Marvin Vasquez Tr3s Pres. MTV Unplugged Los Tigres Del Norte and Friends is currently available.

Amy Winehouse Lioness: Hidden Treasures (Universal Republic) Pretty much everything about Amy Winehouse’s Lioness: Hidden Treasures is heartbreaking. It bears all the hallmarks of a posthumous album – the cobbled-together new material, the previously passed-over tracks, the alternate versions of her hits – and they all serve as a reminder that if Winehouse were still alive, this album would never have happened. What makes it all the more wrenching is how, at times, it still sounds completely amazing. On “Between the Cheats,” one of a handful of tracks that producers say were meant for the follow-up to her 2006 masterpiece, Back to Black, Winehouse shows how incredibly skilled she was at making her pain sound upbeat. Surrounded by the gorgeous doo-wop track, she declares, “I would die before I would divorce ya, I’d take a thousand thumps for my love.” Her wounded, woozy delivery is even more poignant placed after the hopeful, almost innocent sound of a muchyounger Winehouse on her reggae-tinged take on “Our Day Will Come.” Her vocals are so well crafted and distinctive that they hold their own against the legendary Tony Bennett on “Body and Soul,” the final song she completed before her death from alcohol poisoning in July, and they overshadow Nas and his timely rhymes on the rushed-sounding “Like Smoke.” Lioness has many moments like that, where something doesn’t sound quite right. Then, you remember, it’s not right because Amy’s not around to fix it. Grade: B —Glenn Gamboa, Newsday (MCT) © 2011 Newsday. Distributed by MCT Information Services. Lioness: Hidden Treasures is currently available.

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Campus Circle > Music > Special Features in Americana, that catch-all genre that pulls from traditional American roots music forms. So, it was a perfect song for the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Del McCoury Band to make as the centerpiece of their stellar 2011 album, American Legacies. Despite all the superb versions of this song over the years, Pres Hall and the McCoury Boys virtually stamp this classic as their very own, offering up the definitive version to stand for the ages. Soaring trumpet, swirling clarinet, soulful lead vocals, airtight bluegrass harmonies, rhythmic banjo ... this is Americana at its finest. —Sarah Zupko 6) Nicki Minaj, “Super Bass” – Let us think about what could have happened had “Super Bass” never graced the airwaves: Katy Perry’s cheesefest, “Last Friday Night (TGIF),” would have had no competition for Best Summer Song 2011, the little British girl who famously belted “Super Bass” on YouTube would be just another precocious child and Minaj would continue to be known more for her stellar guest appearances than her own material. So, thank goodness someone had the savvy to release “Super Bass” as Minaj’s seventh single, thus gifting the listening public with a deliriously hooky chorus and jackrabbit rhymes. Pelican fly, anyone? —Maria Schurr

GL Wood

7) James Blake, “The Wilhelm Scream” – “The Wilhelm Scream” is at once a startlingly adept cover and, paradoxically, Blake’s own haunting composition. The song borrows its vocal refrain (“I don’t know about my love ...”) from “Where to Turn,” a minor 1970s soft-rock hit by Blake’s father, James Litherland, but uses it as more of a sample than a chorus – a distant, winding loop to be twisted, warped, and submerged beneath thick synth textures and icy echoes of drum loops. So goes Blake’s approach to recording. Much as he re-appropriates elements from an eclectic grouping of contemporary genres (dubstep, soul, electronica), what results is indisputably his own. —Zach Schonfeld

Nicki Minaj

THE 10 BEST SONGS OF 2011 by mike sebastian

1) M83, “Midnight City” – All it takes is four synthesizer notes. That’s it. Smothered in reverb, coated in ’80s nostalgia, teetering on the edge of full-on explosion, those four notes pack more heart and energy than most albums released in 2011. But “Midnight City” is more than just a powerful introduction. On this transcendent standout from the sixth M83 album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, Anthony Gonzalez and co-synth-scientist Justin Meldal-Johnsen build layer upon layer of keys, arena-sized drums and vocal atmospherics (not mentioning one of the tastiest sax solos this side of a Springsteen record). The result? The synth Sistine Chapel. — Ryan Reed 2) Adele, “Rolling in the Deep” – For those of us who didn’t know Adele’s breakthrough 19, this was the growing tremor that announced the coming of 21. For all its massive success, 21 isn’t a perfect album, as even the world’s biggest producers aren’t sure what to do with a talent this large. They should just listen to “Rolling in the Deep” more, which basically advises “get out of Adele’s way and let her do her thing. —Andrew

Gilstrap 3) Fleet Foxes, “Helplessness Blues” – Fleet Foxes’ excellent second album Helplessness Blues has a lot of highlights, to be sure. But the album’s best song is its eponymous centerpiece, an unflinchingly earnest meditation on finding one’s place in the universe. “Helplessness Blues” starts out lean, riding on Robin Peckhold’s vocal harmonies and the relentless strum of an acoustic guitar for its first half. But then the song erupts into a massive coda: The harmonies multiply upon themselves, a few more guitars materialize and suddenly the band’s up in the clouds. By the time they return to earth, being small and insignificant in an oversized world doesn’t seem so daunting, anymore. —Billy Hepfinger 4) Radiohead, “Lotus Flower” – Introduced by Thom Yorke during some solo shows a couple of years ago, “Lotus Flower” worked great as a haunting electric guitar lullaby, but for the studio version Radiohead opt to beef up the arrangement, creating one of their most accessible songs in years. Yorke’s lingering falsetto has survived the transformation, but the tracks beauty isn’t stifled by the a web of energetic synths, pulsating beats and shuffling drum loops that now surround the vocal. And, famously, you could dance to it to. —Dean Van Nguyen 5) Preservation Hall Jazz Band & The Del McCoury Band, “I’ll Fly Away” – “I’ll Fly Away” is a tune with a long history in American music; it’s a standard for New Orleans brass bands playing at jazz funerals, it’s heavily favored by gospel musicians, and has been a standard part of the bluegrass repertoire for decades. In other words, it’s thoroughly soaked

8) Kanye West and Jay-Z, “Otis” – In case you haven’t figured it out by now, Mr. West has an uncanny knack for flipping samples _–see his productions “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” “Lucifer” or “Stronger.” For “Otis,” he sliced up the keys, drums, and vocals of Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness” to create one of the warmest beats of the year (“Sounds so soulful, don’t you agree?” says Jay about 30 seconds in). Join that with Yeezy and Hova’s unique rapport and you get one of the greatest moments of their storied collaborative career, despite the complete absence of a chorus. Yeah, these guys are kings. — Mike Madden 9) Florence + The Machine, “Shake It Out” – While Florence Welch set the bar high for herself with a first impression as memorable as “Dog Days Are Over,” her triumphant single “Shake It Out” isn’t just on par with that signature art-pop number, but actually trumps it. Rather than playing it safe, Welch throws caution to the wind and goes all out on “Shake It Out,” a grand pop composition that’s a showcase for her even grander voice. More than anything, the song’s desperate tone and soaring orchestration show that Welch isn’t resting on her laurels, but pushing herself to bigger and better things. —Arnold Pan 10) tUnE-yArds, “Bizness” – The video for “Bizness” opens with tUnE-yArds as a child, resembling a prowling lioness. This encapsulates her; she’s ferociously childlike – tenaciously joyous. After two years of slowly building buzz, “Bizness” hit like a shotgun with everything special about her – the singular voice, the harmonic use of loops, the African polyrhythms, the inability to be pinned down, the confidence – turned up to 11,000. It was a large step from her humble, lo-fi roots and a declaration of uncompromised music talent. —Jesse Fox

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BOOK REVIEWS by kevin wierzbicki

The History of the World According to Facebook By Wylie Overstreet (It Books) Yes, this book is a complete parody featuring bogus Facebook entries that begin appropriately enough with “The Universe” posting pictures from his “birthday party,” photos of stars being born and other cosmic events that get a “like” from Carl Sagan. The Dawn of Man chapter has lots of dialog from Adam, Eve, God and an assortment of other religious biggies while a couple thousand years later, in the Industrial Revolution chapter, Alexander Graham Bell utters the first “Can you hear me now?” Most of the parody is nowhere near hilarity, but it is spot-on in its mimicking of inane Facebook entries even if some of them are mean-spirited (Helen Keller’s gibberish) or just in plain bad taste, like everything posted by or because of Hitler (“Europe changed its profile picture.”) The last chapter covers pop culture from the most recent decades, and this will probably be the book’s most enjoyed segment; Overstreet doesn’t get too obscure with his references, but obviously the reader needs to have a basic knowledge of history in order to get many of his gags. Grade: B Travels: Collected Writings 1950-1993 By Paul Bowles (ECCO) Bowles, who died in 1999, was a well-traveled author who wrote the New York Times bestseller The Sheltering Sky; a

Campus Circle > Culture > Books novel based on his travels throughout the Sahara. This book, however, is non-fiction, collecting nearly 40 of his travel writing essays and inspired by stints in Morocco, Kenya, Paris, Ceylon, Thailand and other places. You might think the older essays here, like the 1956 piece View From Tangier, would be hopelessly dated. To the contrary Bowles relates details that seem to jump from today’s headlines; a Moslem woman caught drinking alcohol in Tangier will suffer the penalty of having her hair and eyebrows shaved off. This is not typical travel writing – go here and see this – Bowles marvels at natural wonders throughout, but it is the people he interacts with and the situations they get into (There’s a chapter on smoking the African cannabis known as kif.) that make the book an exceptional read. Grade: A Unicorn Being a Jerk By C.W. Moss (It Books) You may have seen Moss’ naughty Mr. Unicorn acting up in illustrations on the Internet; Unicorn Being a Jerk gathers 55 full color, one-panel LOL comics with the one-horned menace doing such things as peeing in the pool, photocopying his butt, stealing all the change from a fountain and getting into a fight at his kid’s Little League game. It’s important to remember that unicorns, let alone Mr. Unicorn, are mythical creatures because some of the illustrations might push the buttons of more sensitive viewers. Some may not see the humor in panels showing Unicorn beating his wife, clubbing baby seals or indicating that he’s a pedophile. Generally though, Unicorn Being a Jerk is a real hoot that’ll leave the viewer looking forward to future volumes.

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THE SANTA SESSIONS A 2011 Holiday Playlist by hiko mitsuzuka This was inevitable. After all, if Justin Bieber and Zooey Deschanel can pop out Christmas compilations, then why can’t I? I’ve always believed that a steady, well-balanced diet of contemporary and classic holiday tunes is necessary for any celebration involving tinsel, candy canes and spiked eggnog. Therefore I’ve come up with a small sample of what’s on my playlist between now and Dec. 25. I mean, there are only so many times I can listen to Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” on the radio. So I’ll be relying on my iPod to deck the halls with boughs of ear candy. I suggest you do the same. 1) “When Christmas Comes” by Mariah Carey & John Legend 2) “Shake Up Christmas” by Natasha Bedingfield 3) “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Buble – smooth vocals from a smooth operator 4) “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” by Katharine McPhee 5) “White Christmas (Live)” by Lady Gaga – Straight from her ABC Thanksgiving special, Mother Monster jazzes it up to perfection. 6) “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by Charice

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Grade: B Vintage 80s: London Street Photography By Johnny Stiletto (Frances Lincoln) Renowned photographer Stiletto has a collection of his work on display in the vaunted Tate Gallery in London; Vintage 80s collects 160 black and white street photos taken at a time when, per Stiletto, London was “the style, musical, political and fashion capital of the world.” Some of the photos are quite puzzling until you read the caption; a shot of a woman bent over on the sidewalk and apparently peering behind her is identified as “Woman farting, West End.” The most evocative of photos though are those featuring faces, as Stiletto demonstrates a talent for capturing quite an assortment of characters, most of whom are just everyday people although here and there will be a candid of someone like musician Phil Collins’ mother. Hairdos, shoes and headlines get their share of attention too and by the time you’re through studying the pages you can almost feel the London fog. Grade-A

Campus Circle > Music > Special Features 7) “All I Want for Christmas Is New Year’s Day” by Hurts 8) “Winter Wonderland” by Jason Mraz – This acoustic rendition of the holiday classic is fabulously folksy and perfect for cuddling up by a roaring fire. 9) “Do You Hear What I Hear?” by Kristinia DeBarge 10) “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Leighton Meester 11) “Last Christmas” by Jimmy Eat World 12) “Grown-Up Christmas List” by Monica – The R&B vocalist offers a stirring version of this plea for peace. 13) “Wonderful Christmastime” by Kelly Rowland 14) “Child of Winter” by Rachel and the Reindeerz – A shameless plug for a friend who worked on this merry little Beach Boys cover and turned it into a cheery viral hit. 15) “Extraordinary Merry Christmas” by the “Glee” cast – An original pop number that will get your head bopping while trimming the tree and hanging up those stockings with care. 16) “Mistletoe & Holly” by Leigh Nash 17) “Merry Christmas Everybody” by Steps – Because nothing screams “cheesy kitschy fun” like this poptastic, early2000s gem from the Britpop superstars. 18) “Carol of the Bells” by the Bird and the Bee 19) “All Alone on Christmas” by Darlene Love – An oldie from the early ’90s (Yes, it’s also from the Home Alone 2: Lost in New York soundtrack.), and it is one helluva rollicking good time. 20) “The Christmas Song (Thunderpuss Remix)” by Christina Aguilera – It wouldn’t be Christmas without some diva theatrics set to an over-the-top remix. Perfect for those yuletide rooftop soirees in West Hollywood. 21) “Love Is Christmas” by Sara Bareilles 22) “Last Christmas” by Cascada – If one version wasn’t

Michael Buble provides smooth holiday vocals. enough, then check out this club-friendly rendition from the Queen of Eurodance Trash. 23) “Sleigh Ride” by Debbie Gibson – A flashback to the ’80s to help you reminisce about that Hot Wheels playset you found underneath the tree (or is that just me?). 24) “The Christmas Song” by Justin Bieber & Usher – I hesitate to put this on here, but Usher offers some redeeming vocals to turn this holiday classic into a late-night slow jam. 25) “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by the “Glee” cast Happy Holidays, everyone! For more pop cultural ramblings, visit thefirstecho.com and hotterinhollywood.com

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YEAR-END READING list by mike sebastian

Classics Revisited: Those long winter nights are perfect for delving into some of those must-reads, but who says classics have to be stuffy and difficult? Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes – While it’s overshadowed by the Marilyn Monroe musical, Anita Loos’ 1925 novel (and sequel) crystallized a new archetype, the gold-digger, with a hilarious faux-diary of a globetrotting blonde and her interactions with such figures as Sigmund Freud. Edith Wharton dubbed it the Great American Novel. The Master and Margarita – In our contemporary climate of fluff, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how vital and brave a work of storytelling can be. Written during the darkest era of Stalin’s reign and not published until the late ’60s, Mikhail Bulgakov’s fantastic and hilarious satire of Soviet life is an important and above all entertaining reminder of fiction’s power. The President – Unavailable for 40 years, this stunning work from a master of psychological suspense, Georges Simenon, paints a portrait of a former French Premier living in isolation out in the country. Based on real-life figure Georges Clemenceau, the aging ex-leader is a once powerful man who holds a bitter grudge and a secret that could bring down the government. Something Happened – With the recent publication of two biographies of Joseph Heller, it’s a perfect time to go back and revisit his work. While he’s still mostly known for his iconic first novel, Catch-22, his long-awaited follow-up is actually his best work, a scathing examination of the American suburban middle class. The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. – With the success of The Art of Fielding, baseball novels are making something of a comeback. But to describe postmodern heavyweight Robert Coover’s 1968 book as merely a baseball novel would be inaccurate. The title character lives in a world of his own creation, a fantasy baseball league with a star rookie who pitches a perfect game. But when the fictional all-star meets his untimely demise, Waugh’s life is thrown into disarray.

Fiction The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories – The first collection of shorter work from one of America’s greatest living writers, Don DeLillo, features nine tales written between 1979 and 2011, which span Manhattan to Greece to outer space, and chronicle the author’s constantly evolving but ever-evocative prose style. Erasure – If certain best sellers were to be believed, racism was a regrettable phenomenon that was successfully abolished 50 years ago. For those living in the real world, there’s Percival L. Everett’s reissued satire about a black author who writes a novel called My Pafology, which is intended to eviscerate just such dishonest treatments of race but is inadvertently taken seriously and becomes a huge hit. God Bless America: Stories – Equally heartbreaking and hilarious, Steve Almond’s (Candyfreak) latest collection of short fiction paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of the modern American psyche through intimate examinations of the

Campus Circle > Culture > Books people living in the margins. From the obsessive pursuit of fame to the effects of perpetual war and the sense that the American Dream is slipping from our grasp, it’s a timely and vital collection. Habibi – Craig Thompson (Blankets) returns with another epic graphic novel, a gorgeous gilded tome fittingly reflecting the exotic and epic tale within. It’s the story of two refugee slave children as they make their way through an Arab world that is somehow simultaneously contemporary and timeless. It is a beautifully rendered and timely story of finding connection in a culturally divided world. Long, Last Happy – Because he worked primarily within the short story form, Barry Hannah was destined to be a writer’s writer, despite having a lively and darkly hilarious voice which should have made him a household name. This posthumous release, which culls the best of Hannah’s previous collections as well as four new stories and an uncollected early work, is the perfect introduction to one of America’s great underappreciated artists. The Marbled Swarm – With pitch-black humor and language that is alive and wholly original, Dennis Cooper channels William S. Burroughs and the Marquis de Sade to fearlessly explore the darkest corners of our psyches with tireless inventiveness. Here is the story of one young cannibal’s conflicted relationship with his late father and the made-up language they shared. Nanjing Requiem – Set during the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanjing, Ha Jin’s latest novel is a powerful tale of an American missionary and dean of a women’s college and her brave attempt to help the refugees who flood into the school during the tragic occupation. The Pale King – Never short on ambition, the late David Foster Wallace’s posthumous novel remains unfinished at 500-plus pages (an appendix includes Wallace’s notes). Set in a regional IRS office in Illinois where the employees receive boredom survival training, the novel tackles life’s biggest questions with Wallace’s characteristic wit and empathy. Submarine – If you enjoyed the recent big screen adaptation, go back and check out Joe Dunthorne’s hilarious and original take on the outsider teenage coming of age tale. The novel follows Oliver as he attempts to rekindle his parents’ fading marriage and lose his virginity. There But For The – Ali Smith’s incisive yet playful and wholly original story concerns Miles Garth, who leaves the table midmeal at a dinner party and locks himself in a room. The party’s other guests gather around to each give their perspective on Miles. With her typical deft touch, Smith questions what it’s possible for us to really know about other people. The Visible Man – Known primarily for his hilarious dissections of pop culture, Chuck Klosterman has in recent years made the foray into fiction. His latest is written from the perspective of a therapist whose newest patient claims to possess a cloaking device that allows him to spy on people. The man’s increasingly disturbing tales offer a thought-provoking critique of our ever more public lives.

Just for Laughs I Am Better Than Your Kids – If you were one of the multitude busting a gut to a viral e-mail some years back in which the author excoriated children’s artwork, then you’ll rejoice to know that Maddox, the culprit behind those critiques, has collected them, along with hundreds of pages of new creative efforts, from Valentine’s cards to homemade presents, as well as offering up some of his own childhood drawings.

Non-Fiction

9-11: Was There an Alternative? – With this past September marking the 10th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers, and the War on Terror still dragging on, it’s amazing how muddy many of the issues still are behind how we got here. Who better to put things in perspective than Noam Chomsky, whose analysis of history, nations and power is unparalleled? This revised edition includes a new essay by Chomsky written following the killing of Osama bin Laden. Deadly Monopolies: The Shocking Corporate Takeover of Life Itself – And the Consequences for Your Health and Our Medical Future – As corporations look for ever-expanding frontiers to conquer, a new market has opened up: our DNA. Harriet A. Washington documents the pharmaceutical companies’ attempts to monopolize life itself. The Ecstasy of Influence – With this hefty non-fiction collection Jonathan Lethem draws on an eclectic set of influences to engage with contemporary culture as he has in novels like Chronic City. In reprinted essays as well as new pieces, Lethem tackles everything from 9/11 to Bob Dylan and, of course, Brooklyn, to examine the nebulous role of the artist in the modern world. The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos – Fans of TV’s “Fringe” should grab a copy of physicist turned TV host Brian Greene’s latest, a mindbending exploration of theoretical physics’ most far out theories, from multiverses to doppelgängers. How the World Works collects four previous Noam Chomsky releases, originally published in the ’90s but remaining entirely relevant: What Uncle Sam Really Wants; The Prosperous Few and the Restless Many; Secrets, Lies and Democracy; and The Common Good. These works are unique in the approach, editing together Chomsky’s speeches and interviews on various topics into accessible, conversational yet profoundly insightful and illuminating essays. The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires – Tim Wu’s newest is an important and timely look at communications and big business, a chronicle of how every new medium that has promised to be a vehicle of democratic good has come under corporate control. Is the Internet next? Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses – Newly paperbacked (Jan. 3, 2012), Claire Dederer’s memoir smartly capitalizes on an exercise trend that seems to have incorporated itself into American culture as seamlessly as pizza, sushi and lattes. It will entertain die-hard practicers, as well as those who are still non-believers. —Angela Matano Throw Them All Out – Washington is never short on scandals, and the latest is a doozy. Peter Schweizer offers a non-partisan account of how our elected officials parlay the highest offices into huge profits, the political equivalent of insider trading. Vultures’ Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates and High-Finance Carnivores – Written like a non-fiction espionage thriller, investigative journalist Greg Palast’s latest is a globetrotting exposé on Big Oil, Big Energy, Big Finance and all the other parasites sucking the world dry while governments look the other way – or worse, help. It’s the perfect read for down time in your Occupy tent.

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holla-day!

Time Out From School, Time for You! by emmanuelle troy

Campus Circle > Culture > Special Features Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Earth Day in the winter by going green and doing something useful for the environment. Holla! Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by learning about other nationalities’ history and culture. I know it’s learning something and all, but it’s much more interesting and fascinating than what most of us were learning over the past four months. Holla!

There is no “I” in team, but there is one in “holiday”! No classes, no worries – it’s all about you! Celebrate your time this year by celebrating all the other holidays rolled into one vacation holla-day!

Celebrate your time off like it’s Halloween by taking it all off instead of putting a costume on. Treat yourself to a spa day by being naked, pampered and happy during the day for a change. You can even show off your chest like its Mardi Gras! Let someone else do all the work like it’s Labor Day! Holla!

Utilize your time as if it was Thanksgiving by trying out a new recipe or a new restaurant you’ve wanted to go to. If you choose something with eggs, pretend its Easter and be happy you found something new. Eat a lot of it like its Fat Tuesday and enjoy more. Holla!

Now that you’re feeling good that you have time to feel good, celebrate your free time like its Valentine’s, Fathers or Mothers Day by doing something nice for someone you love. They will love the surprise, and you’ll be surprised at how good it feels doing it randomly. Holla!

Celebrate your time like it’s Presidents Day and Veterans Day by taking time to honor and appreciate this country – with all its wonderful holidays – and the people who have served us. While you’re at it, try to figure out whom you’re going to vote for in the upcoming elections. Holla!

Celebrate like I’ts Columbus Day by discovering something new about you. Go somewhere you’ve never been, listen to some music that you’ve never heard or read something you’ve never read. Any day could be like a Good Friday, New Year’s Day and Independence Day when you’re celebrating and discovering something new, especially when its all about you. Holla!

JETSETTER

let it SNow Ski the West This Winter by kevin wierzbicki Winter is finally here, and that means it’s time to breakout the skis and snowboards and head for the hills. If you’re looking for someplace to go and play in the powder, here are some ideas. Visiting Seattle? Ski Northwestern Washington Snohomish County is only 12 miles north of Seattle (40 miles from the airport), and that’s where you’ll find the Stevens Pass ski park. From now through Jan. 1 snowboarders can purchase a day pass for the park’s Brooks lift and Top Phlight Terrain Park for $25, enabling them to explore lots of different rails, boxes, booters and the brand new stunt ditch. The Top Phlight pass can be upgraded to a full mountain pass for $37. stevenspass.com If you’re a fan of snowshoeing, head a little farther north to Whatcom County and Bellingham. The Mt. Baker ski area is full of snowshoeing trails through scenic areas of oldgrowth forest, waterfalls and unique geologic formations. bellingham.org Going to Vancouver? Think Whistler About 75 miles north of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, is Whistler, often rated as the No. 1 ski resort in North America and the place that hosted the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Right now you can book a two-night/two-day

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Emmanuelle Troy

NEWS

Campus Circle > Culture > Travel Stay & Ski package for $219 (price in Canadian dollars) or if you want to stay longer, there’s a deal where you get your fifth night free. When you’re not on the slopes you find that Whistler has more than a hundred restaurants and bars for you to explore. Find details and chat live with a booking agent at whistler.com/winter_packages. Utah Snow for Half the Dough Southern Utah’s Brian Head offers a full range of terrains suitable for all ability levels, and right now the facilities can be enjoyed at a bargain price. Lots of local hotels are offering discounts on ski-and-stay packages, including the Springhill Suites by Marriot in nearby Cedar City where during the week you can get a room and two lift tickets for $159; the price goes up to $169 per night on the weekend. And if you’ve never hit the slopes before Brian Head has a full-service ski school program for people of all ages. More discounted offers are detailed at brianhead.com. Bowl Park City If your favorite ski destination is Park City, Utah you’ll want to know about Jupiter Bowl, the place to see and be seen après ski. The relatively new (two years) facility has 16 ultra modern bowling lanes, pool tables and a billiard lounge and multiscreen music video and sports viewing. A live DJ spins dance and hip-hop tunes Friday and Saturday nights during JB After Dark when complimentary bowling (two games per person) is also on offer. jupiterbowl.com Yellowstone on Skis Cross-country skiing enthusiasts will love the five-day skiand-learn Yellowstone on Skis program that launches on Dec. 31. Participants will take daily ski trips to Blacktail Pass, Lamar

Stevens Pass, Snohomish County, Wash. Valley, Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon and the foot of the Gallatin Ridge, being led by a naturalist guide and accompanied (for two days) by a cross-country skiing instructor. Evenings will be spent at the Mammoth Hotel and the Old Faithful Ski Lodge. Participants need to bring their own skis; rentals will be available at an extra cost. For program details including a list of additional dates when the Yellowstone on Skis program will be offered visit yellowstonenationalparklodges.com. SnowGlobe Music Festival 2011 Why not take in some tunes along with your time on the slopes? The unique landscape of South Lake Tahoe is the perfect setting for you to do just that. Head to the SnowGlobe Music Festival being held at Bijou Park on the campus of Lake Tahoe Community College on Dec. 29 through the 31st to see performances by 40 acts including Glitch Mob, Fishbone, Bassnectar, Theophilus London, SBTRKT, Max Mool, Dr. Israel, RUN DMT, Govinda, Paper Diamond and many others. The area has about 9,000 acres of skiing and snowboarding terrain, and gamblers will be happy to know that the festival grounds are only about three miles from the casinos of Stateline, Nevada. snowglobemusicfestival.com

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CALENDAR20-SOMETHINGS

Campus Circle > Calendar

BY FREDERICK MINTCHELL

Colin Young-Wolff

SATURDAYDEC. 17

Annual SANTA Monica Pub-Crawl santamonicapubcrawl.com Participating locations will offer drink and food specials to crawlers on three routes (Main Street, Pier or Wilshire). A portion of all proceeds will go to the Westside Food Bank to feed the less fortunate over the holidays. With the official SMPC wristband, you’ll get food and drink specials as well as entry into the official afterparty, where all three routes will join forces to dance, celebrate, win prizes and spread good cheer. 5 p.m.-2 a.m. $10.

WEDNESDAYDEC. 14 Alexander Payne Double Feature Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; americancinematheque.com Director Alexander Payne appears with his latest film, the critically-acclaimed The Descendants starring George Clooney, followed by 1999’s Election starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. 7:30 p.m. $11, $9 w/student ID.

WEDNESDAYDEC. 14 Disney On Ice Presents: Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 3 Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa, Downtown; staplescenter.com Toy Story 3, along with memorable moments from Toy Story and Toy Story 2, hits the ice when Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and the Toy Story gang – along with some new faces – escape from the rambunctious tots of Sunnyside Daycare and race for home. Runs through Sunday.

WEDNESDAYDEC. 14 White Christmas ArcLight Pasadena, 366 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; arclightcinemas.com Since there won’t be one in Los Angeles, see one on the big screen with Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Vera Ellen and Danny Kaye. 7:15 p.m.

THURSDAYDEC. 15 Adam Carolla Grove of Anaheim, 2200 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim; adamcarolla.com Lest you forget, the star of “The Adam Corolla Show,” MTV’s “Loveline,” “The Man Show” and “Crank Yankers” started out as a stand-up comedian. Check out his live act, and be ready to laugh. 8 p.m.

THURSDAYDEC. 15 Criminal Couture: Forbidden Fashion Bootleg Theater, 2200 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; forbiddenfashionbootleg.tumblr. com This runway auction of 60 gowns on 20 models will be constructed from stolen, found and recyclable materials created with the theme of all things Bootleg. Brought to life in the basements of Los Angeles’ top artists and designers, these ravaging rip-offs pay homage the top chi-chi designers of

today. This black market catwalk will offer the music stylings of local diva Abby Travis, fashionista host Howard Seth Cohen and sizzling aerialists to satisfy your desire for all things deviant. Runs through Saturday. 7:30 p.m. $20, $15 w/student ID.

THURSDAYDEC. 15 Invisible Children’s Third Annual Holiday Benefit Show The Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; invisiblechildren.com Sponsored by the Stash Box, the shows are curated by Pete Wentz, Alternative Press magazine and Chop Shop Music’s Alexandra Patsavas and will feature some of Invisible Children’s biggest supporters from throughout the years. Money raised through the Musician Coalition will support an Early Warning Radio Network which links remote Central African communities through radio broadcasts. These broadcasts encourage child soldiers forced to fight in rebel leader Joseph Kony’s force, the Lord’s Resistance Army, to return home. Also Friday.

THURSDAYDEC. 15 Mark & Brian Christmas Show Nokia Theatre, 777 Chick Hearn Court, Downtown; nokiatheatrelalive.com Featuring the Steve Miller Band, comedian Kathleen Madigan and the M&B All Star Band: Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, Kenny Aronoff, Steve Lukather, Marc Bonilla, Kevin Cronin and more. 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAYDEC. 20

Slasher Christmas Movie Double Feature New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; newbevcinema.com If you miss the usual onslaught of slasher movies around Halloween, then check out these Christmas movies of gore, er yore – Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night. 7:30 p.m.

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FRIDAYDEC. 16 Lingerie Football

L.A. Coliseum, 3939 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles; lflus.com Who knew that football could be so sexy? The ladies of the Los Angeles Temptation take on the Seattle Mist in true fantasy football. 7 p.m.

FRIDAYDEC. 16 Power 106’s Cali Christmas 2011

Gibson Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City; power106.com Headlining the annual radio show is hiphop superstar, Drake, along with this year’s No. 1 selling recording artist J. Cole plus Detroit’s Big Sean with his smash single and No. 1 watched video “My Last.” Opening the show will be the Bay Area’s “Love Rance” with the hit single, “Up,” Audio Push, YG and the Chi-Town Breakers dance crew. See what all your favorite on-air personalities look like in person too.

SATURDAYDEC. 17 UCLA Women’s Basketball vs. Tennessee

John Wooden Center, 221 Westwood Plaza, UCLA; uclabruins.com The perennial power and seven-time national champions come to town. This was supposed to be a match-up between former Tennessee player Nikki Caldwell (who left UCLA last year for LSU) against her former coach, Tennessee’s Pat Summit. 2 p.m.

SUNDAYDEC. 18 Alfonso Cuarón Double Feature

Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; americancinematheque.com This double feature spotlights the collaborative work of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and director Alfonso Cuarón with a 10th anniversary screening of Y Tu Mama Tambien and the destined-to-be classic Children of Men starring Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. 7:30 p.m. $11, $9 w/ student ID.

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SATURDAYDEC. 17 Naughty & Nice

Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; gmcla.org The Gay Men’s Chorus’ popular holiday concert features Grammy Award-winning recording artist Melissa Manchester, the GMCLA handbell choir, the Malibu Monks as well as some special surprises. Also Sunday.

MONDAYDEC. 19 A Christmas Story

ArcLight Hollywood, 6360 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; arclightcinemas.com Although you have probably seen one of the countless showings over the years on TBS, why not see it on the big screen this year? 8 p.m.

SATURDAYDEC. 17 “The Nutcracker”

MONDAYDEC. 19 Starfish Circus Christmas Benefit

Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic, Downtown; clubnokia.com If you love watching them on E!, then see them perform live. No pop culture topic or personality will be safe! Featuring Ross Mathews, Heather McDonald, Josh Wolf and Jen Kirkman. 9 p.m.

Royce Hall, 245 Charles Young Drive, UCLA; losangelesballet.org Not going home for Winter Break? The holiday tradition continues with Los Angeles Ballet’s acclaimed original production of “The Nutcracker.” Join Clara and her Nutcracker as they journey to magical realms where mischievous mice battle toy soldiers, snowflakes dance and Clara’s dolls come to life. 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Also Sunday.

Largo at the Coronet, 366 N. La Cienega, Los Angeles; largo-la.com Greg Behrendt, the author of the bestselling book, He’s Just Not That Into You, which was adapted into the movie of the same name, will be joined by Dave Anthony, Patton Oswalt and more for a hilarious night of comedy to benefit the Littlest Tumor Foundation. 8 p.m. $30.

FRIDAYDEC. 16 Cynical Christmas Movie Double Feature

SATURDAYDEC. 17 Stevie Wonder’s Annual House Full of Toys Benefit Concert

Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; americancinematheque.com Double your cynical pleasure with Bill Murray in Scrooged and Billy Bob Thornton and Bernie Mac in Bad Santa. 7:30 p.m. $11, $9 w/student ID.

Nokia Theatre, 777 Chick Hearn Court, Downtown; nokiatheatrelalive.com Drake is back, along with Justin Bieber and Michael McDonald, who will be performing with the R&B legend to raise money for House Full of Toys. 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAYDEC. 16 Comedians of “Chelsea Lately”

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For more events, visit campuscircle.com/calendar. To submit an event for consideration, e-mail calendar@campuscircle.net.

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COLLEGEHOOPS by marvin vasquez UCLA: The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball squad topped the University of Pennsylvania Quakers by a score of 77-73 on Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim. With the victory, the Bruins improved to 3-5 overall, while the Quakers dropped to 5-6 for the year. More than 6,000 fans attended the nonconference affair, which had both programs facing each other for the first time since 1987. Although UCLA held a comfortable lead at times during the game, Bruin head coach Ben Howland acknowledges how close the game became. “It was important for us to win a close game,” Howland says. “Our guys made key plays down the stretch. Jerime Anderson, in the first half, made some big shots to get us going.” For UCLA, it was also an important win because of the recent conflicts surrounding Reeves Nelson, who was kicked off the team due to poor behavior. Consequently, earning this victory just two days after the announcement was crucial for the Bruins in order to begin their next chapter as a team. “After much thought and deliberation, I have made the decision to dismiss Reeves Nelson from the UCLA men’sb team effective immediately,” Howland said in a prepared statement. “This decision is not one that I take lightly, but it is in the best interest of both the program and the studentathlete.” For better or for worse, Nelson’s scoring will be missed. Last year, he was a first team All-Pac-10 selection after he led the Bruins in scoring and rebounding with averages of 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. This season, however, he saw a significant drop in production. Nelson had started in only one game this season and played in six of the seven

Campus Circle > Sports > Basketball contests, while averaging 5.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. I wonder if Nelson was missed in the team’s first game after being dismissed, but the four-point victory for the Bruins did not really show that. They played well, led by Lazeric Jones’ 21 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals in a team-high 36 minutes of playing time. Jones converted seven of 10 shots, including three treys. Additionally, three other Bruins saw point production reach double figures. David Wear recorded a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Joshua Smith had 12 points and six boards and Travis Wear pitched in 12 points and three rebounds. At halftime, the Bruins led by four points (39-35). The hosts’ biggest lead of the contest came in the second half, when they held an edge of 14 points. One of the major differences in the game arrived with regards to points in the paint, which UCLA dominated 34-16. They also outscored the Quakers in points off turnovers, 15-8. The Bruins led by 13 with 5:34 remaining before getting outscored 18-9 to end the affair, and Penn’s Tyler Bernardini had a lot to do with that. Bernardini totaled a game-high 29 points with seven rebounds and three assists. Rob Belcore was the other Penn player in double figures, registering 13 points with his three steals. Despite giving up the lead for a bit, Howland felt well about beating Penn. “It was a good feeling to win,” he says. “Penn is a very well-coached team. It was a good win for us, and a step in the right direction. Our next game against Eastern Washington won’t be any easier.” The Bruins entertain the Eastern Washington Eagles on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at the Los Angeles Sports Arena at 7:30

ONTHEMENU

BÄCO MERCAT 408 S. Main St., Downtown by erica carter I was walking downtown near Fourth Street one Sunday afternoon eager to visit my favorite brunch spot, Banquette Café, but was greeted with signs that the establishment had closed and was making way for a new restaurant. I am relieved that Chef Josef Centeno is the one who took over with Bäco Mercat, as I’m already a fan of his Lazy Ox Canteen a few blocks away. Some of the best culinary creations can come from hours spent in the kitchen experimenting with ingredients or the need to feed lots of people with what you have available. Enter the Bäco, a flatbread creation by Chef Centeno that he came up with when he was the Executive Chef for Hollywood’s Meson G. He used the flatbreads that were left over from the evening’s dinner service and topped them with the meats that were available at any given time, like pork belly and short ribs, to feed the back and front of the house staff after long hours serving guests. The Bäco soon became the signature family meal for the staff at each restaurant Chef Centeno worked at. Soon, the popular dish made its way on to the menu of Lot 1. And now, almost three years later, Chef Centeno has opened a concept entirely focused on the Bäco. Bäco Mercat’s layout is well thought out, from the small, plant-lined patio looking out onto Fourth Street, the inviting bar that greets you when you open the glass doors and the

Campus Circle 12.14.11 - 12.20.11

Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times/MCT

NEWS

Jerime Anderson battles for the ball against Pennsylvania. p.m. before hosting the UC Davis Aggies at the Honda Center on Saturday, Dec. 17, at noon. Both games are nonconference meetings.

USC: For USC, well, they had a different outcome. USC suffered a 44-41 loss to the New Mexico Lobos. With the defeat, the Trojans moved 4-6 overall, while the Lobos improved to 7-2. Maurice Jones led USC with 19 points and five rebounds. Two Lobos scored in double figures, led by Drew Gordon’s double -double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. Tony Snell contributed 10 points. New Mexico led by eight points at halftime (23-15), but the Trojans mounted a comeback bid although it did fall just short before the 4,000 fans present. The Trojans return to the court on Dec. 17, hosting the Georgia Bulldogs at 7 p.m.

Campus Circle > Culture > Food round tables that encourage long conversations and sharing your order with your friends. It’s a neighborhood-tailored spot; just show up, there are no reservations allowed at Bäco Mercat. Once you’re seated, take a look at the well-prepared beverage menu. The beers are hand picked and unique, like the Flying Dog Gonzo Porter from Maryland and the best pilsner I’ve tried in a while, Avery Joe’s from Colorado. But what really caught my eye were the in-house prepared Bäco sodas. The signature Bäco pop – a blend of orange, ginger and juniper – is uplifting and literally put a smile on my face. I could probably drink about two of these a day to keep the blues away. To start the meal, I ordered honeydew melon with crème fraiche and the pickled vegetable salad. Lots of times, honeydew is not very flavorful, I usually look at it as a filler fruit in fruit salad, but Centano’s melon is not only sweet and, along with the crème fraiche, I am rethinking honeydew’s rank in fruits that I enjoy. The salad, ripe with radish, beets and tomatoes, was very tangy, but what I noticed most is the ingredients tasted extremely fresh like they were just purchased from the farmer’s market. For me, this was a great indicator that your dining experience will be good, when you can taste the freshness of the ingredients. Our server suggested we order two or three Bäcos each, so we had “the Original:” pork belly and beef carnitas with smoked aioli and the Spanish sauce Salbitxada, a powerful blend of garlic, tomatoes and parsley with just the perfect amount of vinegar to enhance the salty charred carnitas. Next up, the Pesco, on par with a deep-fried fish taco you find in Baja, in a very delicious way. The vegetarian Fava Bean Fritter with poblano, feta and another sauce found in Spain called Salmorejo – almost like a gazpacho – is my second favorite

The Original Bäco sandwich Bäco. The Bäco gets even flatter and is made into a flatbread pizza called the Coca, or crispy flat bread. Simple ingredients like salsa verde, ricotta and eggs make “The Egg” a great choice to order, as well as the El Cordero with Merguez sausage, spicy harrisa (a sauce native to Africa) and creamy chevre. The Cocas are prime for sharing, but be warned: You’ll definitely be fighting over who gets the last piece. Since Bäco Mercat is closed on Sundays, I don’t have my brunch spot but if I’m up early enough for their Saturday “hair of the dog” mornings, I will be enjoying the Bäzole. It’s a take on pozole, with house-made noodles steeped in a green chile broth, carnitas and a perfect fried egg. That paired with a Bäco soda is a perfect start to the day. For more information, visit bacomercat.com.

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dear santa... by dana jeong

As the holidays draw near, nothing excites me more than the thought of picking my present from those winter must-haves I’ve been accumulating on my wish list all season. But what if there are too many that are just too beautiful to give up? Or what if our most coveted item is way beyond our parents’ budget (damn you, online haute couture boutiques)? Instead of waiting for fat old Santa to deliver our wishes – or in some desperate cases, a prince charming with a trust fund – we independent ladies can take the matter into our own hands and rummage every shop in the city in quest of the budget-friendly versions of our expensive trinkets. And voila! Here’s what I found after only a day of scavenger hunt.

THE PERFECT HOLIDAY PARTY DRESS Get it for: $138, Freya Faux Fur Coat in Forest Green

Get it for: $59.90, Zara Dress with Slits

net-a-porter.com

Originally it was: $5,270, Lanvin Belted Leather Dress

nastygal.com

Monica Feudi/style.com

Originally it was: $7,949, Gucci Shawl Color Fur Jacket

Colored fur has been on my wish list since I spotted that gorgeous beauty from Gucci during fashion week. But why spend a fortune when you can get this one for a fraction of the price? Plus, the cropped length and collarless design make it look so much more youthful.

THE PERFECT HEELS

zara.com

THE PERFECT FUR

Every girl needs a perfectly proper dress for the holidays, especially if she is visiting the boyfriend’s house. With this elegantly chic dress for so much cheaper, you’ll even have money left over to buy the best pie in town – and the parents will love you even more!

THE PERFECT PURSE

Although those Dolce & Gabbana heels would be ideal for dancing in ball gowns, we need a sturdier, more layerable pair to last this winter. With thick platforms and ability to transform into anything when layered with different socks, this adorable pair will surely be our go-to shoes this season.

Get it for: $38, Deena & Ozzy Confetti Studded Bucket Bag

urbanoutfitters.com

Originally it was: $825, Alexander Wang Diego Textured Leather Bucket Bag

topshop.com

net-a-porter.com.com

Get it for: $116, Topshop Luxury Velvet Platform Sandals

net-a-porter.com

Originally it was: $625, Dolce & Gabbana, Bow-Embellished Velvet Sandals

The sweet irony between buttery leather and edgy studs made that cutie the It Bag of the Year, but as a broke college student, all I could do was drool every time I see one. Now, with this new bucket bag in an even prettier color and softer leather, I no longer have to be jealous – and hey, that’s $800 more in my bank account than yours!

Campus Circle 12.14.11 - 12.20.11