2 | Campus Circle
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
Open University at CSULB Summer Sessions 2009
April 22 - April 28, 2009 • Vol. 19 Issue 16
Editor-in-Chief Jessica Koslow editor.chief@campuscircle.net
Managing Editor Yuri Shimoda
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managing.editor@campuscircle.net
/P GPSNBM BENJTTJPO UP $46-# SFRVJSFE r &BSO VOJUT UPXBSE ZPVS EFHSFF r &OSPMM PO B iTQBDF BWBJMBCMFu CBTJT
Film Editor Jessica Koslow film.editor@campuscircle.net
Art Director Alance Ward
I ..........................................June 1-July 10 II ...................................... June 22-July 31 III ................................. July 13-August 21
Editorial Interns Christopher Agutos, Allyson Barkan, Gina Quattrochi, Marvin G. Vasquez, Farnaz Youshei
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Contributing Writers Geoffrey Altrocchi, Robert Axelrod,
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Jonathan Bautts, Elsy Benitez, Sarah Bennett, China Bialos, Nicole Boisvert, Zach Bourque, Michael Buzzelli, Erica Carter, Richard Castaneda, Noah Galuten,
www.uces.csulb.edu/openu email: openu@uces.csulb.edu
Erik Hayden, Josh Herman, Zach Hines, Joe Horton, Jonathan Knell, Lucia, Ebony March, Angela Matano, Ryan McWhorter, Adrian Nevarez, Samantha Ofole, Brien Overly, Polites, Bonnie Priever, Sasha PerlRaver, Parimal M. Rohit, Dov Rudnick, Mike Sebastian, Henry Senecal, Doug
California State University, Long Beach
Simpson, Amy Sommer, David Tobin, Anna
University College and Extension Services
Candice Winters
Webber, TJ Webber, Kevin Wierzbicki,
Contributing Artists & Photographers Polites, Rudy Sanchez, Emmanuelle Troy, Marvin G. Vasquez, Anna Webber
17 INSIDE
6 3 WOODEN NICKELS 3 CAMPUS NEWS
FILM
contents
Three Summer Sessions:
5 THE SOLOIST
Humanizing Portrait of the Mentally Ill and Homeless
5 ‘RAD GIRLS’
They’re not just bad, they’re rad!
6 ALI LARTER
Gets to the Root of Being Obsessed
6 ROLLING
Glimpse at L.A.’s Drug-Fueled Dance Underground
7 TYSON
Sheds Light on the Boxing Enigma
4 PROJECTIONS 8 SCREEN SHOTS 8 REVIEWS 10 DVD DISH 15 TV TIME
MUSIC
16 LADYTRON
Groove Their Way to the Fonda
17 THE SECRET HANDSHAKE Puts Luis Dubuc’s Name Up in Lights
ADVERTISING Sean Bello sean.bello@campuscircle.net
Joy Calisoff joy.calisoff@campuscircle.net
Jon Bookatz Music Sales Manager jon.bookatz@campuscircle.net
Ronit Guedalia ronit.guedalia@campuscircle.net
15 16 16 17 18 18
SPIN CYCLE CD REVIEWS L.A. UNDERGROUND FREQUENCY MUSIC REPORT LIVE SHOW REVIEWS
SPORTS 22 22 22 22
L.A. HOOPLA GALAXY FYI THE SPORTS WANDERER THE DIAMOND DISPATCH
INNER CIRCLE Calendar Editor Frederick Mintchell
Campus Circle newspaper is published 49 times a year and is available free at 40 schools and over 800 retail locations throughout Los Angeles. Circulation: 30,000. Readership: 90,000. PUBLISHED BY CAMPUS CIRCLE, INC. 5042 Wilshire Blvd., PMB 600 Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 939-8477 (323) 939-8656 Fax info@campuscircle.net www.campuscircle.com © 2009 Campus Circle, Inc. All rights reserved.
4 COLLEGE CENTRAL 4 GET UP, GET OUT 13 FASHION101 14 L.A. FACES 14 EXHIBITIONS 15 BOTTOMS UP 15 MUSICAL 18 LIFESTYLE 19 THE ART OF LOVE 19 GAMES & GADGETS 19 CURTAIN CALL 20 BRAIN THOUGHTS 20 CHEAP EATS 20 ON THE MENU 21 FUN FOR LESS 21 ESSENTIAL L.A. 21 COMEDY 21 PAGES 23 THE 10 SPOT 23 CAUGHT AROUND TOWN 23 DOOR SERVICE
COVER CREDIT: Joel West (joelwestphotography.com) Model: Mary Seidell Inset Photo: Ali Larter in Obsessed/Suzanne Tenner, Sony Pictures Entertainment
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
POLAR BEARS AND ZOMBIES: This Week’s Edition of “Who’s Crazier?” LET’S PLAY THE GAME I AFFECTIONATELY call “Who’s Crazier?” This week’s edition will feature a comparison of two potentially life-threatening situations wherein the reactions of our contestants will be judged with three criteria: one, their culpability for placing themselves in the dangerous situation; two, their demeanor and actions during the event; three, their resulting contributions to the study of mental illness in the world today. Contestant number one is “Mandy K,” the 32-year-old German mother of one who jumped into the polar bear enclosure at the Berlin Zoo last week. At first glance, Mandy places very high in all of our categories. By climbing over a fence, a “thorny” hedge and a concrete abutment, then diving into the water with the bears, she is certainly liable for placing herself in such a precarious position. But also understand that the zookeepers, according to news reports, were prepared to shoot the bears to save the woman who busted into their pool, and that in looking at the grainy amateur video of the rescue, Mandy didn’t exactly exhaust herself as rescuers were trying to pull her to safety.
campus news | B Y
JOE HORTON So what of Mandy’s long-term impact on the craziness of our world? The Daily Telegraph of London, among others, reported that Mandy’s baby daddy, Lars, said she was distraught over being unable to find a job, and the two shared custody of their daughter, who was not with Mandy on this fateful day. Said Lars of Mandy’s swim, “She was supposed to be joining us today for an Easter egg hunt. I don’t know what we will tell our daughter.” I’d recommend you start by telling her that her mother is a finalist this week in Campus Circle’s “Who’s Crazier?” contest! Mandy’s competition this week is a repeat visitor to the realm of extreme reality, Oscarnominated actor Woody Harrelson. After accosting/being accosted by a TMZ paparazzo at New York’s LaGuardia Airport and allegedly pushing the photographer and breaking his camera – a situation that, knowing Harrelson’s tempestuous relationship with close videographic celebrity media surveillance, would normally warrant barely a mention – Harrelson decided to set the record straight by identifying his accoster as a member of the undead. “I wrapped a movie called Zombieland, in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character,” Harrelson said in a statement. “With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie.” How, then, does Harrelson place in our categories, particularly against such strong competition from Mandy K? His initial score is poor, since he was merely
G I N A Q U AT T R O C H I
Be the Intern Queen
Get LinkedIn about
Prospective Jobs Here’s yet another alternative to crashing on your mom’s sofa if Bad news: Employers plan you’re graduating this spring: to hire 22 percent fewer Lauren Berger, a.k.a. the Intern graduates in 2009 than in 2008. Queen, helps students search and Good news: LinkedIn’s new apply for internships at over 400 micro-site, grads.linkedin.com, hard-to-reach companies through teaches recent grads how to her new Web site, internqueen.com. best identify job opporThe Intern Queen herself tunities, get their resume completed 15 internships during The Intern Queen, Lauren Berger noticed and tap into her four years of undergraduate LinkedIn’s network of comstudy, so she knows what’s up. Resumes are panies and professionals. There are 500,000 sent directly to her and then she uses her magic recruiters on LinkedIn seeking candidates and passes them on. for available positions, so don’t miss your shot. Calling All Amateur Chefs and Foodies Idahoan, a leading provider of mashed potato products (Yes, you read correctly - they call themselves Idahoan.), is challenging college kids to create the most delicious and innovative dorm meal they can for the chance to win a $5,000 savings bond and … get ready … a year’s supply of Idahoan mashed potatoes. Imagine all the possibilities! You’d never have to skip those late night munchies again. Of course, you must incorporate at least one Idahoan product in your culinary creation, be able to name it and snap a pic of it. To enter, submit an official entry form (available at Idahoan.com) to hotpotchallenge@hunterpr.com. E-mail entries must be received by May 22, and mail entries must be postmarked by May 22 and received by May 29.
Are you an aspiring realtor? You may not be now, but you will be once you find out you can win a $10,000
scholarship. Rent College Properties, a new web-based rental property location service for college students, wants to know if you have what it takes to sell in this economy. The college student who is able to sell the most memberships for Rent College Properties will win a $10,000 college scholarship, and the top 10 finalists will be interviewed for a position with the company. Visit rentcollegeproperties.com for details. The competition runs through July 31, so practice that sales pitch.
Good News for Students Who Didn’t Buy Their Textbooks You can now download audiobooks for free on your iPod, iPhone or MP3 device at the public library. Recorded Books and NetLibrary have joined together to bring libraries a wide collection of iPod-compatible downloadable audiobooks. Best of all, there’s no waiting list to download a new title.
TOP10 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT
TANNING! Misconception #7
“Showering after tanning will remove your tan.” FACT: UVA and UVB stimulate melanin to be produced in the skin. Once natural melanin is produced, it takes 24-48 hours to develop your sun tan. Showering immediately after tanning will not affect your tan. After the melanin travels to the surface of the skin, it is lost in natural skin shedding, which is why a tan fades with time. Using a lotion can help keep skin healthy, moisturized, and extend the time needed between tanning sessions.
U-TAN
Los Angeles
wooden nickels | B Y
walking through what he thought inner circle was a non-zombieinfested airport. Reacting quickly to the situation that presented itself, however, he took both physical action, pushing the zombie away (though, as he doubtless knows, a push to the upper body of a zombie is unlikely to incapacitate it for very long), and public action, warning the populace at-large of the impending release of his film. In the third category, overall impact, Harrelson must also score highly for the selfaware recognition of his madness. Obviously, just as zombie attacks in LaGuardia are quite understandable, even expected during peak travel times, so too is the battle for mental health acceptance, the acceptance of the things only you can see in the face of public ridicule and “fact.” Kudos to Harrelson for putting his star power to good use to further the discourse on the unwell and the undead in our country. Ultimately, in this week’s contest of “Who’s Crazier?” the nod has to go to Harrelson. He scores highly in his actions and demeanor during the event and his overall work in the ongoing arena of mental health. Mandy K is to be commended for her dogged determination to get in and swim with polar bears, but on closer inspection her episode looks a lot like the culmination of a really bad day in a really bad year. We’ve all been there. But I’ll wager we all have not had to defend our families from imminent zombie attack. That’s the kind of bravery that wins you a prize. And what a prize. In our rough-and-tumble, dog-eat-dog, mile-a-minute world, could anything be more prized than a nap? Woody wins a nice, relaxing nap at the Shadybrook GroveValley Relaxation Village and Sanity Spa. We’ll start with a 72-hour hold for observation.
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Mixed and Matched Concert and Bone Marrow Drive April 24 @ Ground Zero Café HapaSC, the mixed/multiracial and multicultural student community at USC, is hosting a bone marrow drive concert to raise awareness for the need for racially mixed bone marrow donors. The concert will feature Marié Digby, Antonio Pontarelli, 5 Minutes to Freedom and Cossack. 7 p.m.–11 p.m. FREE.
MyVeryWorstDate.com Dates are the stuff of legend. Everyone has good, bad and horrifically strange tales. This site is a “commiseration of the moments when the sweet possibilities of romance turn into a sour struggle to get the hell out of the situation.” You know you want to reveal your courtship disasters to the world, if only to help. C’mon, share!
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4 | Campus Circle
inner circle
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
college central
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY
April 22 – and All Year Round
DITCHING THE IPOD DOCK
Fraternity Finds New Way to Listen to Music BY CHRISTOPHER AGUTOS REMEMBER THE WALKMAN? OR BACK WHEN THE DISCMAN was the coolest thing out there? We’d lug around a bunch of our favorite CDs, limited to no more than 100 songs, and pop one into this hmmm … moderately sized device. While some of us sit and ponder why people still bother to buy CDs, we should probably admit that the Discman wasn’t, by any means, the easiest set-up. Naturally, these Music Men have long since disappeared, replaced by MP3 players, including one tiny little gadget that is collectively loathed by music player manufacturers everywhere; all of course, except the proud parent, Apple. But for the mass college arena, a breakthrough in music is about to be made again. No, not to replace the iPod … well actually, sort of. The good people of Sonos have created a new multi-room music system that allows all music lovers to wirelessly stream music throughout their homes. Using Sonos zone players, either connected directly to speakers or to your home theater and stereo system, each room can enjoy its own quality sound or be linked together in “party mode” to play the same song in perfect synchronization. For one fraternity at USC, Delta Tau Delta, Sonos has wiped away the hassle of switching iPods throughout the night to find the right music, increasing ease and reducing theft from unattended docks. Corbin Johnson, who first introduced the system to his fraternity house, says, “It’s really convenient. From an iPhone or controller, you are able to pull music from playlists from everyone in the house, as well as services like Pandora and Rhapsody. We have a couple guys who can set the playlist for the night choosing from a huge range of music.” Brian Tung, a fellow member of Delta Tau Delta, agrees, “It’s awesome. It’s really the best way for me to listen to music with my brothers.”
EARTH DAY IS APRIL 22, AND as the so-called “green generation,” the holiday means more to us than ever before. It’s cool to be “green” now, right? In that spirit, why not throw an Earth Day party or vow to change your habits? Instead of just another excuse to buy a keg, your party could be an opportunity to spread awareness by providing organic beer (available at BevMo!) and locally grown produce, or ask people to bring food they made using whatever’s already in their kitchen so you don’t have to buy anything at all. You could even host a vegan cooking party; trust me, trying to make delicious baked goods and yummy treats without animal products is a fun adventure. Use plates and utensils made from recyclable materials, maybe even host a candlelit dance party and turn off the house lights. Don’t let the stigma of being a leftist hippie stop you; today being “green” isn’t some idealistic decision, it’s an imperative. Make it fun, be proud of it, live it. What else can you do in honor of Earth Day? There are tons of events going on in the city, or you can just gather some friends and do a beach clean up or make a pact to be more environmentally conscious and conservationist.
That includes using less water (according to the USDA, you’d save more water by not eating a pound of beef than you would by not showering
Martha Stroud/MCT
Corbin Johnson
B Y G I N A Q U AT T R O C H I
USC’s Delta Tau Deltas get down with their Sonos system.
Echo Park from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturday, April 25. You’ll see a bunch of people in green T-shirts meeting up at the corner of Echo Park Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard; they’ll bring the supplies and donuts if you supply the people power! Songs 4 Earth, a network of ecologically-minded singers, songwriters, musicians, and engineers, will host a concert at Metropolitan Community Church Saturday at 7 p.m.. Saturday is also the Cahuenga Green Stage Festival from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Santa Monica Boulevard between Virgil Avenue and Madison Street will be closed for an “ecological celebration of Life and Land.” This celebration focuses on the cultural heritage of Los Angeles, from the aboriginal people of Cahug-Na, who were the first inhabitants of East Hollywood, to the indigenous Tongva of the Westside. Finally, kick off summer at WorldFest, a solar-powered celebration of music, the environment, animals and humanity on May 16 at Woodley Park in Encino. Best of all, TheFrankenstand – a 100 percent plant-based gourmet hot dog cart – will be there! 2010 is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, so this year kicks off the Green Generation Campaign in preparation; the campaign is a twoyear initiative meant to mark the beginning of a new era of personal, corporate and government responsibility for preserving the Earth. With negotiations for a new global climate agreement approaching in December, it is especially important that we get involved and make it known that we intend to embark on a new way of life. You can sign the Green Generation manifesto at www.earthday.net/greengeneration.
get up get out! | guide to socal events
for a whole year … so I guess less trips to In-N-Out?), turning off lights and using them less often, driving less (Public transport in Los Angeles does exist! Not to mention biking, which is environmentally friendly and bodyfriendly; but wear a helmet!), buying local produce whenever you can and being less wasteful in general. You know that five-pound container of cookie dough you bought from Costco that has been sitting in the back of your freezer all year? Next time, think about how much you will actually use. As for events, the Los Angeles Neighborhood Clean Up Project is hosting an Earth Day Clean Up at
projections | essential film events | BY SARAH BENNETT
SEVENTH ANNUAL INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES
opportunity to learn about both India’s multifaceted culture and long history of filmmaking.There is a festival-long salute to Now-April 26 @ ArcLight Hollywood acclaimed actor Anil Kapoor – better recognized as the game HOLLYWOOD, SCHMOLLYWOOD. show host in Slumdog – with one inThis weekend, it’s all about Indian person screening per day from his filmmaking. Despite our hometown’s lengthy catalog of achievements and the history with the business, India is now shorts programs. These feature the world’s largest producer of movies everything from computer animated and Slumdog Millionaire’s Academy Golden Gate Bridge supports falling in Award sweep only solidified the love to children walking home in warcountry’s growing importance in torn Sri Lanka and are so eclectic you’ll cinema. forget you’re at a specifically Indian For the next five days, the country’s event. vibrant culture and burgeoning film Transforming the ArcLight courtindustry will be taking over the ArcLight yard into Rhythm Village, the IFFLA will in Hollywood to present world premieres also feature live dance and music of some of its best shorts, documentaries throughout the festival. Artists like and feature-length movies. Rasika Mathur – as heard on “My Name Now in its seventh year, the Indian is Earl” and “Weeds” – and Andaaz – UC Film Festival of Los Angeles offers the Irvine’s South Asian a cappella group – local film community a unique
deliver performances that fuse East and West cultures as much as the movies playing inside. In addition to events at the famous Hollywood landmark, the festival is also holding seminars that discuss relevant issues in Indian-American film relations – like “How to Produce Indian Content for the International Market” – with speakers like the CFO of Fox Searchlight and Kapoor, himself. The IFFLA is not just for Indians, and it’s not just for people interested in the future of the worldwide film industry. The movie schedule is diverse enough for ordinary movie fans and is peppered with enough Western influence that it begs for a crossover audience. And even if you don’t speak Tamil, it’s OK. Most of the screenings are of the English versions, some have no dialogue and the rest have ample subtitles. For more information, visit indianfilmfestival.org.
APRIL 22 - APRIL 28, 2009 • VOL. 19
ISSUE 16 • campuscircle.com
THE SOLOIST
Humanizing Homelessness, Destigmatizing Mental Illness BY CANDICE WINTERS IT’S A RARE THING TO TAKE AN afternoon drive through Los Angeles, even a short distance, without being greeted by dirty faces, haggard clothing and roadside signs asking for money. Some of us toss a five out the window in their general direction; most of us cast an ironclad blind eye. Insulated in our shiny cars, the street might as well be relocated to the opposite side of the moon. We have no sympathy for the uneducated, deceitful, lazy vagabonds who claim residence on the worn pavements that, naturally, belong to us – not them. Or so the story used to go. The Soloist is a feature film adaptation of the novel by Steve Lopez that seeks to change our minds. Robert Downey Jr. stars as Lopez, a downtrodden columnist for the Los Angeles Times whose career is flatlining and whose midlife crisis isn’t helping. Hunting for possible story leads, fate guides him down Skid Row to Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (played by Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx), a bedraggled homeless man
plagued with schizophrenia. Ayers spends his days pushing a shopping cart towering with odd bits of junk and playing a two-stringed violin. “You know we’re all half-way crazy sometimes,” jokes Foxx with an edge of complete seriousness. “We go places in our mind, and that’s the reason we are who we are. Doing this, it was tough. As the psychiatrist said, it’s like taking your brain with schizophrenia, putting it in a meat grinder and then having to think. It’s a very horrid place to be.” As Lopez begins to research his new friend, Ayers’ past unravels like spaghetti on a fork: He was a cello prodigy who attended Juilliard for two years before his mental instability forced him to replace his warm home with the dangerous tunnels of downtown Los Angeles. Lopez takes Ayers to the Lamp Community where hundreds of others, who are also homeless and incapable of caring for themselves, congregate. Director Joe Wright made this film on the one condition that he was
allowed to use actual homeless civilians rather than paid actors so as not to detract from the story’s veracity. “At Lamp I met extraordinary people,” says Wright with the utmost sincerity. “I felt quite at home there, certainly more at home than I do in Beverly Hills where the real monsters live. We made the film with them, rather than just about them. They were the most wonderful thing about making the film. We had a really good time together.” It becomes the quixotic mission of the writer to get the tragically brilliant artist off the streets and back to performing. The film’s constant allusion to music juxtaposed against the nittygritty, naturalistic truth inherent in L.A. culture forced the actors to approach the project with an authenticity and vulnerability that shines true in each scene. “Making connections, that’s what people do,” admits Downey Jr. very matter-of-factly. “It’s a predictably rational way of seeing people to soothe yourself so that you are OK in your own skin.” The most touching part about this highly stylized piece of cinema is its message. Sure, the film is a vessel for Downey and Foxx to display their acting chops. But more than anything, it is a testament to the bonds of human interconnectivity in the face of failure, decay and a judgmental world. “What I’ve learned is that by humanizing Mr. Ayers, we may have taken the step in humanizing thousands like him and destigmatizing
The Female Rock Equivalent of “Jackass”
Jeff Forney
RAD GIRLS GO LIVE
BY JASON R. MARTINEZ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE “RAD Girls” show, get ready for some all-girl wild stunts and crazy feminine antics. Past pranks have included cast member Ramona Cash asking credulous pedestrians if she could lay unpalatable anal gas in their unwitting mouths, cast member Munchie drinking her own urine and cast member Darling Clementine pouring hot sauce in her eyeballs. Ouch. Often described as the female rock ’n’ roll equivalent of “Jackass,” “Rad Girls” had its first run on the FUSE network in 2007 and has since moved on to MavTV for season two and its upcoming season three.
The project orThe Rad Girls rock the Keyclub April 23. iginated in Santa Cruz, Calif., where Also on the bill are the Randies, an the bang ’em up spitfires began to film all-girl, L.A.-based punk band, who their skits. Since then the Rad Girls will be performing after the screening. moved to Los Angeles and have defied The new White Stripes-esque rock stereotypes by having women inhabit duet, Space Junkies will open the show what most audiences believe to be an at 9 p.m. area dominated by male stunt junkies The musical element of the show and lame-os. bleeds onto the cast, as Darling On April 23 at the Keyclub, the Rad Clementine will perform a couple of Girls will be screening an episode with original tunes to get the crowd going. unreleased footage that includes the The Rad Girls Season 2 DVD will gang experimenting with unadvised be available soon. liquids in a Neti Pot, one of the girls riding a ferocious rodeo bull and a For more information, visit radgirls.tv. birthday (Mace?) party for the ages.
Francois Duhamel
FILM IN LOS ANGELES
Newspaper columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) discovers former musical prodigy turned homeless man Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx).
mental illness,” says the real-life Lopez who remains close friends with Ayers. “You can do it with a compelling human drama and tuck all of that in neatly so that you don’t
even see it. It’s just a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.” The Soloist releases in theaters April 24.
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
ALI LARTER
film
A Hero Becomes Obsessed BY SASHA PERL-RAVER FOR ALI LARTER, THE SCHWAB’S soda fountain counter of the new millennium can be summed up in three little words: whipped cream bikini. In 1999’s Varsity Blues, when Larter stepped out in a Reddi-wip surprise festooned with cherries for James Van Der Beek’s edible enjoyment, a star was born. Since turns in Final Destination, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Resident Evil: Extinction, Larter is now best known as the schizophrenic
superhumanly strong Niki/Jessica Sanders/Tracy Strauss on “Heroes,” but she returns to the big screen in Obsessed, a movie she describes as “a kiss to the sexy thriller genre [like] The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Single White Female and Fatal Attraction.” In the film, she plays Lisa Sheridan, an office temp who develops a dangerous fixation on her superior (Idris Elba). As her passion spins out of control, she begins wreaking havoc on him and his wife,
AUDIENCES ARE CHEERING FOR THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL FILM OF THE YEAR
BEAUTIFULLY ACTED.” ‘‘ SENSATIONAL!” ‘‘ AMAZING! A MUST-SEE.”
‘‘
-Stephen Holden, THE NEW YORK TIMES
-Rex Reed, THE NEW YORK OBSERVER
-Clay Cane, BET.COM
played by Beyoncé Knowles. Larter says she delighted in the chance to tackle such a “delicious female villain” and that the role fulfilled a lifelong fantasy for her to step into the role of a “femme fatale.” “The movies I love,” she explains “are Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity, Rita Hayworth in Gilda; the real classic femme fatales are one of the reasons I always wanted to get into this business.” When she discovered she’d be playing opposite Elba and Knowles, she signed on immediately. “I have so much respect for Idris,” she gushes. “He was incredible on ‘The Wire.’ And Beyoncé is such an amazing talent.” What she wasn’t prepared for were the demands of shooting a film and a TV show simultaneously. Although she says the producers of “Heroes” did their best to accommodate the film as much as possible, Larter still found herself in a maelstrom of work. “I was shooting ‘Heroes’ at the same time [as Obsessed] so, for several months, I was working seven days a week, 12 hours a day,” she says. “Sometimes I was driving from one set to the next. I was so tired, I think it fed into the delusion of the
character,” she laughs. For Larter, the greatest challenge of the role was making sure she wasn’t playing a crazy person in a crazy way. She needed the audience to feel like she was completely justified … if off her nut. “To Lisa, it has to be completely rational,” she says matterof-factly. “We wanted to make sure Idris’ character gives her Idris Elba and Ali Larter in Obsessed enough reason to to hear what you want to hear.” believe that he’s in love with her.” Moving out of high school and Getting into the mindset of her into the film’s corporate office setting, deluded, lovesick, fanatical character Larter says it makes perfect sense to set forced Larter to draw on her own a thriller there since that’s where so experiences and that meant dipping many insecurities, doubts and into the well of awkward high school suspicions can arise. memories for insight. “People go to work and spend “When I was younger, I remember more time with their co-workers when I’d sit by the phone ALL NIGHT than they do with their family,” she waiting for the guy to call,” she giggles. points out. “This draws on those “If I could will that phone to ring, oh, fears about what’s really happening I would have done anything! And there when they leave the house and go to are games you play in your head. I that office.” think the obsession is the stories you tell yourself. Someone may say one Obsessed releases in theaters April 24. thing, but it’s how you misinterpret it Suzanne Tenner
6 | Campus Circle
INSPIRED BY AN EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORY
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A Director Great at Rolling with the Punches BY EBONY MARCH IN THE GRAND TRADITION OF movies like Go and Gregg Araki’s Nowhere comes a new film steeped in
ALEC BALDWIN KIERAN CULKIN RORY CULKIN JILL HENNESSY TIMOTHY HUTTON CYNTHIA NIXON EMMA ROBERTS
#### ####” IN A DERICK MARTINI PICTURE
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-JOHN ANDERSON, NEWSDAY
1/2
-KYLE SMITH, NEW YORK POST
“‘ORDINARY PEOPLE’ MEETS ‘LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE’.” -PETE HAMMOND, HOLLYWOOD.COM
“KEENLY OBSERVED!
BALDWIN HAS HIS BEST ROLE SINCE ‘THE COOLER’.”
Courtesy of Indican Pictures
-MICHAEL ORDONA, LOS ANGELES TIMES
storylines and tightened up the the most popular aspect of ’90s finished product. They also held counterculture: ecstasy use. Rolling early rounds of casting to find was directed by L.A. filmmaker Billy performers whose natural Samoa Saleebey and candidly delves mannerisms would help them carve into the stories of eight characters out the project’s realism. who each have personal relationships Saleebey has put an immense with the drug. amount of effort into Rolling and Saleebey, who himself was a wants people to know that his film regular fixture on the club and rave takes an objective look at ecstasy use. scene nearly a decade ago, is well He is quick to defend his movie from versed in many of the popular movies of that time. “I wanted to make a film that really captured the ecstasy experience from start to finish,” he says. He credits director Ed Burns’ Sidewalks of New York for inspiring the documentary style in which Rolling was made. However, Saleebey also has a favorite, which specifically touches on ecstasy use and has been drawing comparisons to his project. Billy Samoa Saleebey (far right) directs members of Rolling 's cast. “A lot of people have said our movie is like an those who say it defends the drug. American version of Human Traffic,” “Well, I think the movie can be he admits. perceived in many different ways, When Saleebey first decided to and I leave that up to the pen the script for Rolling, he was so audience.” enthusiastic about the material that he wound up with a screenplay that Rolling releases at Laemmle Theatres was over 500 pages long. He later April 24. For more information, visit enlisted the help of some friends, rollingmovie.com. who each took control of several
THE AMERICAN DREAM SUCKS. WWW.LYMELIFETHEMOVIE.COM
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L PASADENA L Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 (626) 844-6500 F Tickets available @ laemmle.com G G WEST HILLS Laemmle’s Fallbrook 7 SORRY, NO PASSES ACCEPTED (818) 340-8710 FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT
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G CAMARILLO Regency Paseo Camarillo Cinemas (805) 383-2267 F IRVINE Edwards University Town Center 6 (800) FANDANGO #143
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
ultimate journey from boxing ring to a solitary cell to the wrong side of media attention. “Basically, it’s a tragic structure of a tragic figure – someone who starts with nothing, elevates himself to unimaginable heights, then brings himself down by his own behavior and own flaws,” Toback says of the film’s overarching theme. “In the case of Mike, it’s a double Greek tragedy, because he did it again – he got back up and again brought himself down, all
through the tragic Greek vice of hubris. [He had] overweening pride and a sense he could do anything and handle anything and most of all get away with anything.” It was a tragedy Toback has been itching to tell for quite some time, adding he really wanted to focus on the sometimes outrageous demands of the public at large. “For years I have been looking for a project that would allow for a new form of presentation. I wanted to make
Campus Circle | 7
a movie that would film serve the thematic complexity and multiple layers of character and behavior by splitting the screen and overlapping sources of dialogue and music,” Toback says. “A full portrait film with Mike Tyson as its subject not only allowed for the exercise of that technique but actually demanded it.” Tyson releases in select theaters April 24.
“POWERFUL AND ”
INSPIRING! SHAWN EDWARDS FOX-TV
IS A MOVIE THAT MUST BE EXPERIENCED.
Tracey Morris, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
“ THIS
SIMPLY FLAWLESS.
”
JAKE HAMILTON CBS-TV
James Toback and Mike Tyson, while filming Tyson
TYSON
Director James Toback captures the madness. B Y PA R I M A L M . R O H I T IT WAS 1985. DIRECTOR JAMES Toback was on the set of The Pick Up Artist when he met a bulky yet athletic young man. Only a few people knew of this 19-year-old, primarily boxing aficionados. One year later, this kid became the youngest heavyweight champion ever. Almost 24 years later, Mike Tyson finds himself on the big screen as the subject of a Toback documentary. “The idea of the movie was to create kind of a self-portrait, to be transmitted through the prism of the aesthetic sensibility of yours truly,” Toback explains of his vision of Tyson. “What I wanted was to get his views of everything in his own words.” In his five days of shooting the film (and ensuing 12 months of editing), Toback set out to share with the public a panoramic view of Tyson’s life. Directing only his second documentary, Toback wanted the moviegoer to feel the true impact of Tyson’s rollercoaster life – the hardships as a child, the early success in the ring, the criminal accusations, the time served in
jail, the re-claim to fame and the repetition of his demise. To achieve that end, the moviegoer witnesses Tyson’s many triumphs during the early stages of the film, only to end with the boxer losing fight after fight, showing all but one of his losses in succession. “We needed to make that horrible ending felt,” Toback says emphatically. “I thought it was important to have the brutality and the humility of those last fights and have it register [with the moviegoer] to see the beatings he took after being so dominant and confident.” In portraying the rise and fall, then re-rise and second fall of Tyson, the acclaimed independent director of Black and White used a variety of original interviews, archival footage and telling photos to shed some light on the life and times of the controversial boxer. Combined with the voice of Tyson himself, the moviegoers delve deep into his life, learning of his childhood struggles in Brooklyn, his rapid rise to fame and his
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[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
screen shots | B Y
ZACH HINES
The Garden
Seymour (Rick Moranis) confronts the carnivorous plant in Little Shop of Horrors.
The original is awesome, but the Oz version was a film I watched many times as a child, and I’m sorry but you can’t top that. From what I understand, Corman himself is producing the new version, and I suppose the argument is that they want to reintroduce old material to newer audiences, but my answer to that is CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
«
Back in 1960 Roger Corman directed a very low budget black comedy titled Little Shop of Horrors, which was remade in 1986 as a black comedy musical directed by Frank Oz starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin. The film followed a man who comes into possession of a carnivorous plant from outer space and winds up feeding it people. Evidently two versions are not enough, and the film is going to be remade a third time. Not exactly sure if this is going to be a musical or not, but if it is then it will be a remake of a remake. That’s right ladies and gentlemen; we’re starting to get remakes of remakes now.
“Part morality tale, part voyeuristic time trip. Strong stuff !” -Michael Cieply, The New York Times
“Impresses with style.” “Electrifying performances!” -Troy Patterson, SPIN
the land have taken their campaign to new heights. (Oscilloscope Laboratories) Currently, the land remains There once was an oasis in South barren and undeveloped, Central Los Angeles. Formed after the though Horowitz claims he L.A. riots in 1992, the 14-acre has plans to build a community garden at 41st and warehouse … a Forever 21 Alameda was the largest of its kind in Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) and reporter Cal warehouse. the United States. The South Central Nominated for Best McAffrey (Russell Crowe) in State of Play Farmers grew their own food, fed their Documentary at the 2009 families and created a community in embarrassing television appearance. Academy Awards, The Garden is a one of the country’s most devastated Cal sets out to exonerate his old thought-provoking investigation into and blighted neighborhoods. pal (after all, the pen is mightier than the prevalent issues surrounding race The Garden is a look into the the sword). However, in doing so, he and class that are still firmly situated political and social battle over the plot uncovers a trail of intrigue and dirty in L.A. society. of land that sustained vegetation in deeds done not-so-cheap. Director-producer Scott Hamilthe midst of a community’s When an ambitious blogger ton Kennedy has gathered interesting desperation. In one corner, though named Della (Rachel McAdams) people and follows a worthwhile lead there are far too many players to begins sniffing around for a story to tell a story that seeks to be spread. name, the farmers – Tezozomoc, about Rep. Collins, McAffrey enlists However, the entire documentary feels Rufina and Josefina – are the leaders of her to help sway public opinion this movement. A Civil away from all the fiction Rights lawyer, an ex-Black surrounding the scandal and back Panther and an ex-Brown to the facts. Both must deliver a Beret are several aids compelling story while staying in rallying behind the plight the good graces of their editor of the farmers. (played by The Queen’s Helen In the other corner, Jan Mirren). In the end, Cal winds up Perry, a Los Angeles City being the best mentor a young Councilwoman, and journalist could have, but uncovers Juanita Tate, founder of some unpleasant details about his Concerned Citizens of buddy in the process. South Central L.A., have Kevin Macdonald has earned stolen millions of dollars himself some serious Brownie from the city and the A South Central Farmer shows off a cabbage in The Garden. points with State of Play. He does farmers through a phony nearly everything correctly. The land development deal. Even Mayor pacing is perfect. The casting is genius a bit jumbled and incoherent. The Antonio Villaraigosa was suspected of and the onscreen chemistry is the stuff multitude of main players delineates corruption; he received $1.3 million of legend. the storyline and confuses the viewer. from the fast-growing retailer, Forever Crowe shines opposite dynamic Though every point is not made 21. women like Penn and Mirren. Jason perfectly apparent, the overall message However, it is real estate developer Bateman is perfectly cast in a cameo as and underlying allegory to the Ralph Horowitz who is the ultimate a coked-up publicist and straddles the economic and social climate in villain in this real-life drama. The land intensity and comedy of the part like a America ring clear as a bell. After all, it was sold for millions less than fairchamp. State of Play even manages to may not be greener in other pastures. market value in a closed-door session breathe new life into Affleck’s career Grade: Bof the L.A. City Council. The deal has with a performance worthy of an —Candice Winters never been made public. Academy Award. The Garden releases in select theaters Bulldozers, on Horowitz’s orders, Still, I come back to the “they did April 24. uprooted the garden in 2006. Since too much” concept. The ending – or then, over 350 families locked out of what I’d hoped was the ending – was State of Play so satisfactory, that the added drama (Universal) just seemed a cheap attempt to shock In fashion, women are advised to From the director of and titillate. accessorize then remove one piece of “ Grade: A jewelry before they walk out the door. MY FAVORITE AMERICAN —Ebony March That way, no one can ever accuse them MOVIE SO FAR THIS YEAR.” Michael Phillips, CHICAGO TRIBUNE State of Play is currently in theaters. of being over-styled. This is also a good rule of thumb for filmmakers as well. There is such a thing as doing too much. In State of Play, Russell Crowe plays Cal McAffrey – a Washington, D.C. journalist. Cal is just the sort of guy you would expect to be writing Fourth Annual your newspaper articles: He’s witty, Los Angeles Jewish kind of plump around the middle and Film Festival chock-full of sarcastic one-liners. April 23-30 WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Cal’s maintained a close @ Various Locations Soundtrack available on iTunes Adventurelandthefilm.com friendship with his college roommate, Among the official Congressman Stephen Collins (played selections are Jump (with NOW PLAYING by Ben Affleck). The state reprePatrick Swayze) and the HOLLYWOOD ArcLight Cinemas At Sunset & Vine (323) 464-4226 sentative is handsome, reeks of documentary Classmates of 4 Hours Validated Parking - $2 BEVERLY HILLS Beverly Center 13 Cinemas Kennedy charm and even has a Anne Frank. Tickets and a full (310) 652-7760 SANTA MONICA Laemmle's Monica (310) 394-9741 beautiful wife (Robin Wright Penn) to lineup are now available at Tickets available at laemmle.com WEST LOS ANGELES boot. That’s why his involvement with lajfilmfest.org. The Landmark at W. Pico & Westwood (310) 281-8233 www.landmarktheatres.com FREE PARKING a Washington sex scandal is so juicy —Ebony March AND AT THEATERS EVERYWHERE when the story blows up following an Glen Wilson
Remaking a Little Shop of Horrors Remake
film notes | reviews
-Dennis Dermody, PAPER Magazine
####
“Pitch-perfect. Might make you choke laughing.” -Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
Courtesy of Black Valley Films
8 | Campus Circle
####!
staff pick
GREG MOTTOLA
STARTS FRIDAY, APRIL 24 WESTWOOD The Majestic Crest (310) 474-7866 £ SANTA MONICA AMC Loews Broadway Cinemas 4 (888) AMC-4FUN Get parking info and reserve seats online at www.westwoodcrest.com SHERMAN OAKS HOLLYWOOD ArcLight Cinemas At Sunset & Vine ArcLight Cinemas At the Sherman Oaks Galleria (818) 501-0753 (323) 464-4226 4 Hours Validated Parking - $2 4 Hrs. Free Validated Parking. NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT TICKETS ACCEPTED
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ARTWORK © 2009 MIRAMAX FILM CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
“IT IS ELEMENTAL, ESSENTIAL VIEWING.” –Peter Travers
“GRIPPING AND ENTHRALLING.” –Kenneth Turan
“A MOVIE THAT’S A CONTENDER.
A POWERFUL VOICE THAT BRINGS PERSPECTIVE TO AN UNUSUAL LIFE STORY. ‘TYSON’ HAS ALL THAT.”
–Richard Corliss
“NOTHING IS OFF-LIMITS HERE.” –Scott Foundas
TYSON «
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
A JA MES TOBACK FILM
A SONY PICTURES CLASSICS RELEASE FYODOR PRODUCTIONS AND WILD BUNCH PRESENT A DAMON BINGHAM / HARLAN WERNER PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH GREEN ROOM FILMS AND KROSSOVER PRODUCTIONS A JAMES TOBACK FILM “TYSON” DIRECTOR OF MUSIC EDITED EXECUTIVE COPHOTOGRAPHY LARRY MCCONKEY BY SALAAM REMI BY AARON YANES PRODUCERS WARREN FARNES BILL NEWCOMB SALAAM REMI NAS PRODUCERS MIKE TYSON HARLAN WERNER NICHOLAS JARECKI HENRY JARECKI CARMELO ANTHONY DAVID HAINES BOB YARI SONG “LEGENDARY” BY NAS PRODUCEDBY JAMES TOBACK DAMON BINGHAM DIRECTEDBY JAMES TOBACK www.sonyclassics.com
OPENS IN NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES FRIDAY, APRIL 24TH! VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.TYSON-FILM.COM
film
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
dvd dish | B Y
The Majors Darren Aronofsky tones down his stylistic excesses and focuses on telling a simple story in The Wrestler, one of the best films of 2008. Mickey Rourke nails the role of a lifetime as a washed-up wrestler beating himself
MIKE SEBASTIAN
up on the semi-pro circuit on weekends. Meanwhile, he tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and strike up a romance with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei). Ron Howard directs the big
screen adaptation of Broadway hit Frost/Nixon, starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen.
The Ugly Truth Two searing and timely documentaries examine potentially catastrophic problems
THIS YEAR’S SEXIEST THRILLER
facing the country. I.O.U.S.A. looks at the $9.5 trillion national debt with commentary by Alan Greenspan and Warren Buffett. America Betrayed investigates the country’s crumbling infrastructure and the corruption and incompetence that have led us here. Richard Dreyfuss narrates. Afterward, if you want to feel a little better about our country, check out the Inside the Third Reich Box Set, collecting four in-depth documentaries: The Goebbels Experiment, Firestorm, The Reich Underground and Television Under the Swastika. And on a lighter note … Glass: A Portrait in Twelve Parts is a year in the life of composer Philip Glass, with Woody Allen, Errol Morris and Martin Scorsese. Scott Hicks (Shine) directs.
screen shots | B Y
Nixon on DVD 1) Dick 2) The Assassination of Richard Nixon 3) Dark Days at the White House 4) Nixon 5) Frost/Nixon: The Original Watergate Interviews 6) All the President’s Men 7) The Trials of Henry Kissinger 8) The Final Days 9) Secret Honor 10) Christmas Carol (1978) —Angela Matano
A Galaxy Far Far Away examines the Star Wars phenomenon in this 10th anniversary release.
The Idiotbox Christian Slater stars in My Own Worst Enemy, the short-lived series about CIA agents who are voluntarily given split personalities, which are manually triggered at the end of the workday. Slater’s alter ego has a wife, kids, CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
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10 | Campus Circle
ZACH HINES
« CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
“get Netflix.” It makes no sense to make worse versions of films so that younger people will be exposed to the material. You can’t top the second one. Can’t do it. I love all the work that Corman has done throughout his career, and in no way do I think this is a reflection on him, but what’s going to happen 20 years from now when filmmakers (or should I say film-remakers) are remaking remakes that came out now? Oy vey!
SCREEN GEMS PRESENTS A RAINFOREST FILMS PRODUCTION “OBSESSED” BRUCE McGIL MUSIC WITH JERRY O’CONNEL AND CHRISTINE LAHTI BY JIM DOOLEY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS GLENN S. GAINOR MATHEW KNOWLES BEYONCE KNOWLES EAPRODUCED RVIN “MAGIC” JOHNSONWRITTENDAVID LOUGHERY DAMONDIRECTEDLE JEF GRAUP BY WIL PACKER BY DAVID LOUGHERY BY STEVE SHIL CENTURY CITY AMC Century 15 888/AMC-4FUN
STARTS FRIDAY, APRIL 24
HOLLYWOOD L.A./BEVERLY HILLS SANTA MONICA WESTWOOD Grauman’s . Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14 AMC Santa Monica 7 . Mann 323/777-FILM #059 323/692-0829 #209 888/AMC-4FUN 310/248-MANN #051 UNIVERSAL CITY WEST LOS ANGELES SHERMAN OAKS CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX® At The Sherman Oaks Galleria The Bridge Cinema De Lux 818/501-0753 888/AMC-4FUN 310/568-3375
AND AT A THEATER NEAR YOU
Dragonball Disappointment I mainly talk about upcoming stuff, but every so often I respond to something because the movie moved me in a profoundly positive way. Unfortunately, right now I’m responding to a film that moved me in a profoundly negative way. When I found out last year that 20th Century Fox was actually going to go ahead with an adaptation of “Dragonball,” I did my best to contain my anger, and then I wrote about it in my column and wished them luck. After seeing the film, I don’t think my well wishes helped at all. If anything, Dragonball is a shining example of what happens when you crumple up the source material you are adapting and shoot it into the trash through one of those little basketball hoops you put over the wastebasket. I’ve never seen the fan base of anything unanimously hate something so passionately before this. That being said, I’m actually a really big fan of James Wong. I love
The X-Files and I liked The One and his Final Destination films, but Wong just wasn’t the right guy for this. I’m not laying all of it at his feet, but I’ve never seen an adaptation where literally every single thing was done completely 100 percent wrong. I feel entitled to say these things because the “Dragonball” story and mythos are very dear to my heart. I grew up on it. I watched every episode of the series, read every comic and played every video game (even the Japanese ones) throughout my childhood. And “Dragon Ball Z” was also something that inspired me to become a filmmaker in the first place. Making a film version of “Dragon Ball Z” has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and thanks to this film, that dream can still come true. Everything that the makers of Dragonball said they couldn’t do because it wouldn’t work on film will be done and given the respect it deserves in my movie. I absolutely believe that I was put on this Earth to make this film, and I promise the world that it will happen. For crying out loud, we’re talking about one of the greatest Japanese mangas of all time! You don’t give something like that to someone who has no idea what it is. You give it to someone who values it like the works of Shakespeare. Let this be a lesson to all those who seek to do adaptations of highly respected and globally loved franchises: The only people who should adapt something like that are the fans. Send feedback to screenshots@campuscircle.net.
ROGUE PICTURES PRESENTS A MISHER FILMS PRODUCTION CHANNI NG TATUM TERRENCE HOWARD “FIGHTING” LUIS GUZMÁN ZULAY HENAO BRIAN WHITE MUSIC CASTING COSTUME MUSIC BY AMANDA MACKEY CSA AND CATHY SANDRICH GELFOND CSA DESIGNERS KURT AND BART BY DAVID WITTMANJONATHAN ELIAS SUPERVISORS DAVE JORDAN AND JOJO VILLANUEVA EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR OF PRODUCED BY KEVIN MISHER EDITORS JAKE PUSHINSKY AND SAAR KLEIN DESIGNER THÉRÈSE DE PREZ PHOTOGRAPHY STEFAN CZAPSKY ASC PRODUCERS LISA BRUCE ANDREW RONA DIRECTED WRITTEN BY ROBERT MUNIC AND DITO MONTIEL BY DITO MONTIEL © 2009 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
MOBILE USERS: For Showtimes - Text FIGHTING with your ZIP CODE to 43KIX (43549)!
STARTS FRIDAY, APRIL 24
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATRES AND SHOWTIMES
A GRIPPING THRILLER.
“
‘STATE OF PLAY’ KEEPS THE TWISTS COMING.” Peter Travers
AT THE MOVIES
SEE IT
Ben Mankiewicz,
“
.
The story is intriguing, with plenty of twists.” Claudia Puig,
“INTELLIGENT
USA TODAY
AND ENGROSSING.” Roger Ebert,
“A
SMART, INGENIOUS THRILLER.”
Leah Rozen,
“A
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
PEOPLE
SIZZLING THRILLER.”
UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND WORKING TITLE FILMS PRESENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH STUDIOCANAL AND RELATIVITY MEDIAMUSICAN ANDELL ENTERTAI NMENT/BEVAN-FELLNER PRODUCTION RUSSELLPRODUCTICROWE BEN AFFLECK COSTUME ON RACHEL M CADAMS ROBIN WRIGHT PENN JASON BATEMAN JEFF DANIELS AND HELEN MIRREN “STATE OF PLAY” BY ALEX HEFFES DESIGNER JACQUELINE WEST EDITOR JUSTINE WRIGHT DESIGNER MARK FRIEDBERG BASED ON THE BBC TELEVISION DIRECTOR OF EXECUTIVE PRODUCED COSERIES CREATED BY PAUL ABBOTT PHOTOGRAPHY RODRIGO PRIETO ASC, AMC PRODUCER ERIC HAYES PRODUCERS PAUL ABBOTT LIZA CHASIN DEBRA HAYWARD E. BENNETT WALSH BY ANDREW HAUPTMAN TIM BEVAN ERIC FELLNER SCREENPLAY DIRECTED BY MATTHEW MICHAEL CARNAHAN AND TONY GILROY AND BILLY RAY BY KEVIN MACDONALD A UNIVERSALPICTURE THIS FILM CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF TOBACCO CONSUMPTION
© 2008 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
MOBILE USERS: For Showtimes - Text STATE with your ZIP CODE to 43KIX (43549)!
NOW PLAYING
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATRES AND SHOWTIMES
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
dvd dish | B Y
«
MIKE SEBASTIAN
Campus Circle | 13
inner circle
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
a fake job – all real to him. But one day he “wakes up” during the middle of an operation in Russia. Now this suburban dad has an international terrorist after him. While the execution isn’t exactly inspired, it’s a competent, entertaining attempt at Bourneesque intrigue and action. “Battlestar Galactica” fans rejoice, “Caprica” is set to fill the void left when the show finishes up its run. Eric Stoltz stars in the spin off set 50 years prior to its predecessor. The feature-length pilot is now available.
The Horror! The Horror!
Blu Notes
In 1987 author Clive Barker offered up a horror film different from the prevailing slasher flicks and created one of the most terrifying icons of the genre: Pinhead. Barker’s work has always had more in common with H.P. Lovecraft than Wes Craven. Hellraiser centers on an ancient box artifact, which turns out to be a doorway to Hell, calling down the Cenobites, creepy S&M demons. An unfaithful wife meets her undead ex-lover after he escapes from the demons, but Pinhead follows him. The Hellraiser Box Set contains the Anniversary Editions of the first two films as well as a Blu-ray of the first film. Plus they come in a nifty reproduction of the puzzle box. Also available: The Burrowers, Laid to Rest
Charlie Sheen stars as an astronomer who picks up a signal from extra terrestrials in The Arrival (1996). When he’s fired from his job, he sets off to Mexico to get to the bottom of the message. It’s a pretty solid paranoid sci-fi thriller from the director of Pitch Black.
fashion 101 |
Have You Seen? Before seeing State of Play in theaters, check out the original BBC miniseries from 2003. The taut political thriller is All The President’s Men for the 21st century, examining the conflux of politics, media and big business. In six hour-long episodes, there’s just too much that’s too good to cut down to a feature film. It stars James McAvoy, Kelly Macdonald and Bill Nighy. TV drama doesn’t get much better than this.
PHOTOS BY EMMANUELLE TROY
COMEDY IS THE NEW GREEN
inner circle
APRIL 23 @ Echoplex
The Day after Earth Day shouldn’t be a time to forget about what we learn on and about Earth Day. It should be a day to plant seeds, flowers, love and laughter! Joining Neal Brennan, the co-creator of “Chappelle’s Show,” along with Dan Levy, who just aired his first Comedy Central half-hour special and other comedians from MTV and “The Late Show,” will be these up-and-comers bringing you the funniest show on Earth. 8 p.m.
Emily Maya Mills wears an Ultra Vintage dress with AJ Morgan Eyewear.
Joe King wears a vintage Boy Scout shirt from American Vintage.
Matt Ralston and Meredith Mckenna wear clothing from American Vintage and Forever 21.
14 | Campus Circle
inner circle
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
exhibitions
l.a. faces | B Y
EBONY MARCH
JOEL WEST
Reinvention Never Looked So Good
John Grande’s Fire Starter (2008, oil on canvas, 50” x 31”)
CERASOLI GALLERY
8530-B Washington Blvd., Culver City BY JOSH HERMAN apparent CGI figures on chessboards – an LSD trip after watching that early CGI cartoon with modulating shapes and the scene from The Lawnmower Man that played in mall stores that also sold Magic Eye drawings. If there were a world beyond our mirrors, breaking the glass would unleash Chin’s paintings. Explosions and Double ended April 15. April 18-May 13 sees an Nick Potter’s The Motorcade (2009, oil on panel, 16” x 30”) exhibition with John Grande, Nick Potter and Franziska Klotz. and art studios. Evan and Freddi Grande and Potter are an Cerasoli joined this aesthetic obvious match, both rendering exodus to Culver City, moving their photographs-from-a-distance that titular studio – the Cerasoli Gallery turn out to be painted when you – from Santa Monica. walk closer. Klotz takes a more While the gallery has moved, the mission remains the same: “to represent and exhibit, upand-coming and mid-career local and international artists whose common thread is creative, thoughtful and imaginative contemporary art of their generation.” For the (re)inaugural show, Cerasoli exhibited David O’Brien’s Explosions in a Mental Sky and Tofer Chin’s Double Dip. Both work with subjectively geometric forms but synthesize them beyond their common use in minimalist art. Franziska Klotz’s Changes (2008, oil and acrylic O’Brien, who trained with on canvas, 61” x 49”) architect Frank Gehry (Disney abstract approach, turning Concert Hall), creates crystalline snapshots – of, say, a football team – forms that hold rainbows rather into Monet droplets of color. than cast them. Chin says he explores “a world For more information, call (310) of electronic psycho sexual energy,” 945-5974 or visit cerasoligallery.com. which I suppose is the use of
Vincent Dilio
CULVER CITY MAY BE THE epicenter of the artistic renaissance in Los Angeles. Drive down Pico Boulevard and you’ll find intermittent bedrocks of galleries, design centers, architecture firms
Fall on Sycamore Dr.
Still, he walked away from the TO SEE JOEL WEST IN ACTION flashbulbs and couture of Bryant Park during the 1990s was to witness a for a subtler life back home in Iowa. stunning anomaly. His striking good looks, which can best be described as what might have happened if Jeff Buckley mated with Julia Roberts, catapulted him to the pinnacle of success among male models. This star of the catwalk and countless publications was chosen by the great Calvin Klein as the face of his highly popular Escape campaign. Yet, with his strong ties to the fashion world, Seal scream West always maintained a From there, West relocated to Los certain level of Steve McQueen cool – Angeles where he began to pursue a trait that set him apart from the rest acting. of the pack. He would later settle down and marry actress Anna Bocci (with whom he has two children) and begin to chase another aspiration: standing on the opposite side of the camera. In recent years, West has reinvented himself as a photographer. He has shown in a few galleries and also provides his services to actors, actresses and models who wish to work with the best. West takes pride in the exquisite images he’s wave rider Joel West strikes a pose. managed to capture.
But what’s most inspiring about him is the comfort he has in his own skin. “I have to say it’s pretty fantastic the perspective I have right now as a person – as a dude,” he confesses. “It’s pretty good.” As for what someone can expect when stepping before his lens, West is equally easygoing. “They can expect to just relax and get real for a moment and just show the camera who they are without having any insecurities,” he says. “It’s about having confidence in who you are and just projecting that into the lens.” For more information, visit joelwestphotography.com.
HUNTER BIRD
Begins Festival of New American Musicals with a Bang BY BONNIE PRIEVER AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATER on the West Coast is alive and well, even thriving and growing. In fact, there’s a current renewal of musical theater work springing up all over southern California, to the delight of Hunter Bird, a freshman in the theater department at UCLA. Ambitious by nature from the minute he stepped on campus, Bird formed a campus theater company/ensemble called ActIII. “We present new student works and student directed projects,” he says. The first show, which was the opening fundraiser for the Festival of New American Musicals 2009 (running through August), was Andrew Lippa’s “The Wild Party,” and it played
to sold-out audiences. Bird co-directed this production, which was hailed by Marcia Seligson (the festival’s founder) as “far beyond any college production I have ever seen.” A major element of the festival is the education component – to bring new musicals into the schools and students into the theaters. Bird interned for the festival while at Palos Verdes High School and is thrilled to continue his involvement. He enthusiastically exclaims, “The festival brings together shows of all types – from small studios in Santa Barbara to larger theaters in La Jolla. It’s sort of a linking of 43 new musical productions ranging from concert readings/cabarets to full scale pro-
fessional shows.” The festival lineup includes a public reading of “The Water” by Tim Werenko, Jeff Hylton and Georgia Stitt at the Colony Theater on April 27. Bird’s future goals include theatrical management with the hopes of becoming an artistic director à la Jason Alexander of the Reprise Theater at UCLA. For more information, visit lafestival.org.
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
music
SUNDAY, APRIL 26 Morgan Page
Marc Goldstein
Flight Lounge, 8082 Adams Ave., Huntington Beach; flightoc.com 21+/2 p.m./$10 advance After months of hitting the hottest spots in the United States and around the rest of the globe, DJ/producer Morgan Page is back in Southern California at an afternoon event in Huntington Beach. Yeah it’s a short drive down DJ/producer Morgan Page readies a new album set to drop in September. the 405 freeway, but this is your opportunity to escape from Los Angeles and mingle with the O.C. crowd; not to mention witness a world-class DJ in action. Page is best known for his Grammy nominated track “The Longest Road,” off of his album Elevate, with the accompanying Deadmau5 remix. But he’s getting ready to drop a brand new album in September, and you’re sure to get a preview of the new goods. This is one to catch; I know I’ll be there.
SATURDAY, APRIL 25 Haul and Mason Quality @ Zanzibar, 1301 5th St., Santa Monica; zanzibarlive.com 21+/9 p.m./Free before 10p.m., $10 after If you’re looking for a fun Saturday night out and prefer music that’s a little more recognizable, head on out to Zanzibar in Santa Monica to catch veteran resident DJs and L.A. favorites Haul and Mason do their thing. They specialize in Top 40, hip-hop and dance, but always add their own little twist separating them from the norm. Admittance is free before 10 p.m., so get there early and use the 10 bucks you saved to get yourself a couple of drinks.
SUNDAY, APRIL 26
}
{
bottoms up | at the bar
A wise man recently said, “When people get worried they cling to guns and religion.” I would add alcohol to that equation. And, in these uncertain times, who can fault clinging to a clean, crisp vodka on the rocks? For years I’ve been a Grey Goose man, but I recently had the pleasure to sample a new contender in the vodka field: Ís Vodka (pronounced “ice”). The
inner circle
REQUIEM FOR A GILMORE GIRL
The Lack of Quality TV for Women (A second season for the show is still up in the GONE ARE THE MONDAY MORNING air.). While “Lipstick Jungle,” based on another chats my friends and I would have about the book from “Sex and the City”author Candace exploits of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Bushnell, and “Cashmere Mafia,” Charlotte. No longer are there produced by “Sex and the City”creator weekly popcorn and wine fueled Darren Star, were both cancelled. viewing parties of “Gilmore Girls.” HBO’s “Big Love” and ABC’s It’s been five years since the “Desperate Housewives” have their “Sex and the City”vixens went off moments, but their storylines just the air and almost two years since aren’t quite relatable to young Lorelai and Rory bid adieu to TV women. Same with the two sitcoms audiences, and the absence of both ABC has currently replaced “Ugly programs is still sorely felt. The “Gilmore Girls:” Lorelai Betty” with, “In the Motherhood” The brutally honest (Lauren Graham) and and “Samantha Who?” Thankfully, conversations between the Rory (Alexis Bledel) “Betty” will be back May 7 – even fabulous foursome about sex, though it’s lost some of its edge, at least the fashion and friendship and the Gilmores’ fashion is still (somewhat) fierce. witty banter about all things pop culture For all of you witch/“Charmed” fans, it’s either reminded you of people you already reported that Rebecca Romijn has been cast as knew or made you want to be friends with the lead in ABC’s upcoming “Eastwick” series – them. All of the characters on these shows along with Lindsay Price (“Lipstick Jungle”) were honest portrayals of real people. and Jaime Ray Newman (“General Hospital”) DVDs of both shows are still top sellers, and – an adaptation of John Updike’s The Witches the success of the Sex and the City movie shows of Eastwick and its 1987 film version. that women are still hungry for more (A sequel I guess there are still a few bright spots out is currently in development for 2010.). The CW there, but nothing yet has even come close to the has tried to compensate for the loss of “Gilmore “Sex and the City”ladies or the two Gilmores. Girls”with goody-goody schlep like “Privileged”
musical
‘GOTHMAS’
name “ice” makes sense as the vodka is made using water from Iceland. It is also distilled seven times and uses non-genetically modified European wheat. I don’t know if any of that matters, but I do know what the result is – a clean tasting vodka with a slight burn on the end, just so you know you’re drinking an actual spirit. Ís Vodka will be coming to a bar/store near you, so be on the lookout for the new Icelandic kid on the block. Skal! (That’s “cheers” in Icelandic.) For more information, visit isvodka.com.
BY ROBERT AXELROD Goths Helena (Laura Lee Bahr) and Garth (Kerr Seth Lordygan) are sharing an apartment when they meet Joe (Kadyr Gutierrez) separately and fall in love with him. Joe’s a bisexual and returns the flow. Garth’s got an overbearing mother, Mabel (Taylor Ashbrook), who is in denial about her son’s sexual leanings. Add an Kerr Seth Lordygan, Kadyr ax murderer splitting up Gutierrez and Laura Lee Bahr the relationship by taking Joe out of the equation, and you’ve got the premise for some 20 heavy-handed musical numbers that are practically all recitative. The humor is “MADtv” styled, as a funny Chris Vose (the detective) tries to solve the murder. Sandra Purpuro as Joanie and Levi Packer as Draken, a two person Greek Chorus, were very pleasant to watch. George “Drew” DeRieux provided live electric guitar backup to a majority of the numbers. Eclectic Company Theatre is located at 5312 Laurel Canyon Blvd., North Hollywood. For more information, visit plays411.com/gothmas. Rebecca Bonebrake
Henry Fonda Theater, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; henryfondatheater.com All ages/8 p.m./$25 advance, $25 at the door For the second time in the past several months, electro punk rockers the Faint return to the Henry Fonda, this time as co-headliners with Ladytron. The Omaha natives are still touring in support of their latest release Fascination, but never neglect playing the hits from Wet From Birth and Danse Macabre. Ladytron’s electro pop sound is a little less harsh, but as former openers for To submit an event for Björk and Nine Inch Nails, it’s obvious their consideration, e-mail appeal has no boundaries. spincycle@campuscircle.net. —Ryan McWhorter
BY SCOTT BEDNO
YURI SHIMODA
Now-May17 @ Eclectic Company Theatre
The Faint/Ladytron
ÍS VODKA
t.v. time | B Y
Handout/MCT
spin cycle | l.a. dj culture
Campus Circle | 15
ANTONIO’S MOTHER’S DAY AND “DIA DE LAS MADRES” CELEBRATION! There will be two Mother’s Day celebrations here at Antonio’s! There is the one on the 10th of May, which is celebrated in Mexico. We celebrate that day here with a special menu, cards and goodies, as well as a musical trio performing. Then there is the one on Sunday celebrated here in the U.S. We will have the special menu, cards, and goodies, as well as the trio to serenade the moms. We at Antonio’s always treat the moms special, so make your reservations and whichever day you decide, the 10th or the second Sunday of May as celebrated here in the states, we will make sure mom is given the extra special treatment.
Call (323) 658-9060
for reservations and “Recuerde a Mama”!
7470 Melrose Ave.
Tues-Fri: 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat: noon-11 p.m.,
Sun: noon-10 p.m., closed Mondays
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
cd reviews M A K I N G TH E G R A D E : A B C D F
EXC E PTI O N A L WO RTH W H I L E MEDIOCRE SAVE YOUR MONEY WILL BE ON HELL’S JUKEBOX
music 101 | artist features
LADYTRON
For fans, “Tomorrow” can’t come soon enough. BY EBONY MARCH
Buraka Som Sistema Black Diamond (Fabric) Portugal’s Buraka Som Sistema play electronica-heavy house music that’s also influenced by the kuduro dance sound native to the African nation (and former Portuguese colony) of Angola. What does that actually translate to for the casual listener of Black Diamond? Every song eventually gets around to rocking the dance floor Eurostyle even though every song also features lots of electronic doctoring. “IC19” deconstructs a hiphop groove into disjointed vocals and odd effects before segueing into throbbing house. Most of the tunes sound like what you would expect from a remix effort, and some, like the multi-lingual chanting of “Sound of Kuduro,” sound spectacularly fresh. The world beat influences on Black Diamond are often subtle, as demonstrated with the vaguely Brazilian air of “Aqui Para Voces.” Other times the source of inspiration is clear; the intro to “General” is obviously African and done in a style that recalls the work of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Grade: A —Kevin Wierzbicki Black Diamond is currently available.
THE BUZZ FROM THE ELECTROclash movement came and went, but it left something spectacular in its wake: Ladytron. The group was founded in 1999 when Daniel Hunt linked up with fellow DJ Reuben Wu. From there, Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo followed suit, and the rest, as they say, is history. To listen to each of this electronic outfit’s releases is to be dazzled by a unique sonic tapestry of hot beats and rocking instrumentation that melds the best of music’s past accomplishments and future promise. Ladytron is back on the scene with the single, “Tomorrow” from its 2008 release Velocifero. According to Hunt, this effort is a natural progression of the band’s sound. “Everything we’ve done is like a continuation,” he says. “At no point have we sought to reinvent.” He adds, “Next record may be more of an experiment, but this one
was more of things we did from previous albums, taken to the next level.” That next level is also ripe with collaborations with some outstanding artists. Ladytron has made a name for itself, remixing tracks for other musicians such as She Wants Revenge, Placebo and Nine Inch Nails, but has also added an unlikely union to the mix with the addition of Christina Aguilera to the roster. “That’s why we’re out in L.A. now,” says Hunt. “She’s writing lyrics, and we’re collaborating on tracks. It sounds really good.” For most music fans, this pairing is about as “out there” as Jack White partnering with Alicia Keys for the last 007 soundtrack. But Hunt admits that in the case of Ladytron, it’s totally about mutual admiration. “Normally, it’s just artists that get in touch. Or maybe you just do remix swaps,” he says. Shortly after leaving Los Angeles,
l.a. underground | B Y
JULIEN-K Round Two
AMIR DERAKH AND RYAN Shuck are back to bring the masses back out of hiding. This duo was the driving force behind Orgy, a group that broke new ground in taking aggressive electro beats and mixing them with a hard metal edge. This time, as Julien-K, they’ve put an emphasis on guitars and bigger vocals led by Shuck. Skeptics guessing at the chance of lightning striking twice were hushed after Julien-K took over the Roxy April 8. Their larger-than-life sound got the packed house off their feet and as close to the stage as possible. With a pit of fans 200 deep singing every song, it was hard not to get lost in the chaos. “This is big. We’ve waited a long
DAVID TOBIN
time for this,” comments Derakh. “After going out on Projekt Revolution, we got a chance to get people familiar with the sound before launching this CD, and it’s paid off.” They are currently touring in support of their new album, Death to Analog, and plan to be on the road all summer. In addition to getting a killer show in 2009, fans can also expect to hear the band’s influence in the video game world as well. The “Transformers 2” game is scored by Julien-K. As if that weren’t enough, they will also be launching another project, Dead by Sunrise, with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park on vocals. “As an artist I couldn’t be happier, I’m getting to play in two different bands at the same time and create two different sounds,” adds Derakh. Dead by Sunrise is a departure from the rap rock that Linkin Park is known for, allowing for some range in the vocals. Opening up his vocal
abilities, it seems as though this band gives Bennington the musical foundation he needed to do his voice justice. The ethereal sound that Derakh and Shuck have put together here is a much more somber recognition of their Julien-K alter ego. The main focus of Julien-K’s legacy will be their stage show. The former members of Orgy destroy the stage every night they perform. From Shuck’s unrestrained personality to Derakh’s technically perfect guitar arrangements, this is worth the wait in line.
staff pick Stagecoach April 25-26, Indio No shirt, no shoes … no problem! Don’t miss California’s third annual Stagecoach country music festival this year featuring
David Tobin
music
Hunt and company will head out on a co-headlining tour across North America with the Faint. Ladytron is also slotted for European road dates with the masters of electronica, Depeche Mode. They’ll play shows in Belgrade and Budapest – which are two cities that Ladytron is looking forward to visiting. However, don’t bank on the band losing its senses in a starstruck frenzy Ladytron is slated to tour with Depeche Mode. when in the company of Dave Gahan or Martin Gore. “It just made sense, especially now “In a way, it’s not like any of us with the economy and everything.” were big Depeche Mode heads,” says In the midst of all the financial Hunt. “When I was growing up, hardship and prolonged road life, Violator was a big album for me, but I Ladytron does have one major item don’t think it necessarily influenced that it’s looking forward to with plenty any of us.” of excitement. He does look forward to watching “This summer’s going to be the the legends in action, though, adding, 10th anniversary of us getting “We’re excited about it.” together,” admits Hunt. As for the tour with the Faint, fans However, don’t expect him to give may feel that they’ve died and gone to you a prediction on what the next music heaven, but this pairing was decade holds for his future or even that years in the making. of his band mates; to Hunt, there’s “When we first started, we had a more beauty in the unknown. lot of people suggesting we play “We’ve never looked more than a together,” admits Hunt. year in advance, so I don’t really see So the two bands joined each anything,” he confesses. other by performing in concert at the Palladium. Hunt is happy to have the Ladytron will perform April 25 at the Grove, chance to give added value to loyal Anaheim and April 26 & 27 at Henry Fonda followers at a time when a lot of Theater, Hollywood. For more information, music-lovers can’t pony up the big visit ladytron.nettwerk.com. bucks for tickets. Mike Sharpe
16 | Campus Circle
Ryan Shuck of Julien-K
Death to Analog is currently available. For more information, visit julienk.com.
country music superstars including Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Reba, Kid Rock and many more. Check it out Saturday and Sunday at the beautiful Empire Polo Club in Indio. Tickets are going fast; get yours today at stagecoachfestival.com! —Lauren Brodsky
Tom Goss has created a vigorous album. The best track is “Back to Arkansas,” its vocals inspiring, the arrangement ebullient and lyrics resplendent. Back to Love touches the heart and soul. Grade: A —Marvin G. Vasquez Back to Love is currently available.
Mute Math Spotlight EP (Warner Bros.) Mute Math’s second EP, Spotlight, serves as a bridge between their debut and the untitled forthcoming album due in August. Spotlight astonishingly condenses a lot of energy into the short 15
minutes it lasts. The EP kicks off with the infectious title track that was included on the Twilight soundtrack. Paul Meany’s vocals soar throughout and add an ambient quality that makes the listener yearn for more. “Clockwork” is a fast-paced track, mainly percussion-driven with
some tambourines peppered throughout. A simple guitar melody intertwines between both instruments and complements it in such a way that the song is destined to become a signature of theirs in future concerts. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17
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Back to Love (Self-released) Singer-songwriter Goss provides a divine sensation to the heart and soul with his third release, Back to Love. It makes you want to fall in love. The 11 songs are stylistic – filled with emotions, realities and dreams. Goss, who performs with piano and guitar,
Are you in on it? BY EBONY MARCH FOR YEARS, DALLAS, TEXAS WAS synonymous with anything but cool youth movements. This Southwestern city became internationally famous for big hair, 10-gallon hats and a philandering oil baron named J.R. Luckily, a new breed of musicians and artists has infiltrated the ranks of this land and turned it into the next big thing for music. Luis Dubuc of the Secret Handshake has played a huge role in this transition. He first achieved notoriety as part of the hardcore act, Thirty Called Arson. From there, Dubuc put out his first full-length album, Antarctica. Within the next year, he followed that up with the EP This Is Bigger Than You and I, which was distributed by Dollhouse Recordings. Despite this succession of achievements, everyone’s got his or her origins. For Dubuc, his early days of musical fascination had incredibly humble beginnings. “I just started at the school talent show and went from there,” he says.
Now, this musical maestro returns, stronger than ever. The Secret Handshake’s latest release, My Name Up in Lights, is a project very near and dear to Dubuc’s heart. “The new record just sort of happened after I got engaged,” says the performer. Looking toward the future certainly helped stoke the fires of creativity. That inspiration has led to much experimentation with style and even instrumentation. On previous efforts, he’s married the technology of his laptop with all kinds of sounds, including a Wurlitzer, of all things. “I don’t really have any boundaries to what I do,” he says. This philosophy enables him to freely build his beats and add whatever accompaniment he thinks will sound good, afterwards. Although often categorized as an electronic act, the man behind the Secret Handshake views what he does through very different eyes. “I’ve never really felt I was
Brett Arthur
THE SECRET HANDSHAKE
electronic, really,” he says. “I really just consider myself a pop band.” What also may surprise many people about Dubuc and his music are his influences. “I totally like urban music, really,” he confesses, listing Kanye West and John Legend among his favorites. Someday, he’d even love to tour with his idols. “I’d like to tour with someone like Elton John, Kanye West or Madonna.” But those aren’t the only collaborations he’s put any thought to. Dubuc is Luis Dubuc of the Secret Handshake extremely interested in perception that it’s not the hotbed of seeing the fruits of his hard labor cool, Dubuc would have you guess appear on the silver screen. otherwise. After all, he understands “Yeah, I’d love to do that!” he says. the personal hand he’s had in the city’s For him, there’s also one name current metamorphosis as the nation’s that leaps out as the best filmmaker creative hotspot. with whom to partner his songs. “Everyone’s just trying to do what “Michel Gondry,” he proclaims, I do,” he explains of the Southwest’s adding that he would love his song to burgeoning electropop scene. appear, “in a really happy part of But make no mistake; he’s not [Gondry’s] movie.” deterred by this. Instead, Dubuc is As for the next step in his exciting flattered by the similarities. His laid story, Dubuc stares out onto a back joy about the work he does and promising horizon that includes his the ensuing popularity that’s sure to pending nuptials in June, as well as follow takes a backseat to good old“getting ready to go on tour in May.” fashioned Texas charm. “I’ve been overseas three times last year. I think the kids are really fun,” he My Name Up in Lights is currently admits. available. For more information, visit Still, don’t expect this star in the thesecrethandshake.net. making to abandon Texas. Despite the
music This Time.” Watkins spent a couple of decades honing her skills with (the now on indefinite hiatus, bluegrass-influenced) Nickel Creek, and she is currently only 27, so it is safe to say that this album also welcomes her to womanhood; you can hear the new-found maturity in her voice and in her phrasing. It helps that Watkins has chosen a set of solid covers to augment her self-penned tracks; takes on Jimmie Rodgers’ “Any Old Time” and John Hartford’s “Long Hot Summer Days” are among the best. Grade: B —Kevin Wierzbicki Sara Watkins is currently available.
frequency | essential concerts | B Y
B R I E N O V E R LY
So I like to try and give you all at least one solid dance party every week, and this week’s no different … except … it’s only dance parties. It wasn’t a conscious decision to take that angle, but apparently I’m out of touch with all the cool up-and-coming punk rock bands kids are listening to these days. Or maybe the majority of new bands coming out in that genre are just shitty. Either way, there are still my usual staples of girl-fronted rock, riff-y guitar work and more synth than you can shake a bedazzled microphone stand at this week. Plus nobody will be at any of these shows wearing neon pink zebra-print jeans with matching tutus purchased from their local Hot Topic. I hope.
totally danceable, it’s a bit more challenging to know the appropriate response to seeing them play in person. The Faint make it clear from the start that they want you sweating balls by the time their set is over, whereas with Ladytron, maybe you want to go have a wild drunken shag in the handicapped stall of the venue restroom … or maybe you want to go stand outside in the smoking section and ponder your existence for a bit.
Ladytron/The Faint
Young Love
April 25 @ Grove of Anaheim April 26-27 @ Music Box The Faint was one of my earliest exposures to indie rock, so they’ll always hold a very special place in my heart. I didn’t have any concept of their hype at the time, just happened to catch their set one fateful night while waiting for another band, but it
Grade: B+ —Richard Castañeda Spotlight is currently available.
Sara Watkins
April 27 @ Spaceland April 28 @ Whisky Admittedly, I did get into Young Love almost three years ago because of the rumblings of hype that were beginning to surround him. The unfortunate thing is that there never seemed to be payoff for the buzz. Unfortunate because his debut
country sweetie Alison Krauss and Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant. The doubters were proven wrong as their project, Raising Sand, became a critically acclaimed bestseller. Does a similar fate await Sara Watkins? Watkins also teams with a former member of Led Zeppelin;
Young Love’s One of Us drops April 28.
album was killer and deserved to be heard by a lot more people than it was. It was certainly much better than all the TV shows that opted to use its songs as soundtrack and theme music. Fortunately for all parties involved, however, Young Love’s new album drops the same day as the Whisky show, and the new songs promise to be even more anthemic and infectious than the ones from the last album.
bassist John Paul Jones produces this set of very introspective numbers. Jones does an excellent job of showcasing Watkins’ voice, particularly on songs where she needs to show fragility like with the finally-letting-go sentiment of “All CONTINUED
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Self-titled (Nonesuch) Many people cringed when they first heard about the pairing of
was love from then on after seeing how much raw energy they brought to the stage. Never before had I seen a band invoke such a visceral response from an audience just by sheer stage presence, and make it look so effortless. Ladytron, on the other hand, was a bit of a harder sell on first listen. Dark and haunting, but still somehow
Kenneth Cappello
Westbound Train Come and Get It (Hellcat) If the world of “American Idol” means little to you, and the legions of celebrity lip syncers has you yearning for the classics, Westbound Train may have the sound you’ve been yearning for. This catchy band’s unique mix of ska and reggae with soul, blues and jazz returns for a fourth album – the first in about three years – and it’s a strong showing. From the moment that the reggae refrain from “You Don’t Belong Here” – the first track – works its way into your brain, you will be at the album’s mercy. The album then seamlessly flows through toetapping tunes, managing to combine the soulful vocals of lead singer Obi “Day 19” Fernandez with the band’s jamming horns, guitars, keyboard and drums. Assuming that you can appreciate a nice, slow reggae jam, Come and Get It is full of indulgently catchy tunes that will follow you throughout the day. Grade: A —Jonathan Knell Come and Get It is currently available.
18 | Campus Circle
music
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
Headlights
live show reviews
music report
April 12 @ Spaceland Spaceland is always an interesting place to see a band live. The stage is an interesting mix of glittery grimness that colors the musicians’ performance. As soon as Headlights took the stage their sound completely transcended this feeling. Performing songs from their sophomore effort Some Racing, Some Stopping, the room was filled with pop sugary goodness. These songs are a great deal different than what they created in their first album. Their sound on stage is a great deal fuller, softer, slower and filled with delicate melodies. When they performed “Cherry Tulips,” their first single, I felt as though my head stopped for a second. What I had replayed over and over on my iPod took on a whole new life that night. Erin Fein, Headlights vocalist, held the song together by adding a delicate layer to the band’s fragile melodies. Without a doubt they are an act to appreciate on record, but must absolutely not be missed live. —Elsy Benitez
BY KEVIN WIERZBICKI
Teddy Thompson
Red velvet everywhere with burgundy walls and no bar, the Largo is fundamentally one of the last traces of class leeched from the old jazz theater days we can find here in Los Angeles. And for British folk/blues singer-songwriter Thompson, all seats were occupied. The house filled up absolutely with people that came to hear the music, which can be a pretty novel purpose these days on a Saturday night in the city. Thompson’s voice resounded with a rhythm that only comes from a practiced musician devoted to his addiction – to melody, to harmony and sound. His voice is comparable to that of Jackson Browne, or notably, Chris Isaak or Buddy Holly. But this night it was Thompson alone with his guitar, belting it out with lights in his eyes to a pitch black room of a hundred people or so, with chills that could hail a storm. —Anna Webber
April 11 @ Largo The sound systems in Los Angeles usually have a tweeter out or some other such ear jerking clamor rattle out from their speakers. I have never in my life heard a sound so clear, so full and
The Darlings instruct: “Turn it up and get out of the way.”
Legendary rockers Kiss have teamed with social media company Eventful to give fans a chance to determine where the band will play on the fall leg of their 2009 tour. The tour begins in September, and according to a statement on the Kiss Web site, the band will play wherever the popular vote demands. Singer and bass player Gene Simmons says, “Kiss has never followed the rules; we have always broken them. Kiss has never listened to critics; we have only listened to the fans. It’s time to give back to the fans with bigger shows and longer set lists. And for the first time anywhere, we want our fans to tell us where they want us, and when.” Fans can cast their votes at kissonline.com. Kiss is currently touring South America and working on their first new studio album in 11 years.
Kid Rock Takes Over Detroit Ballpark Comerica Park, the home of baseball’s Detroit Tigers, has been renamed Kid Rock Field. Rock recently purchased the naming rights to the stadium from Comerica Bank for an unspecified amount. Says Kid Rock, “This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and with the banks in trouble, it seemed like the right time for me to reach out to the fine people at Comerica Bank. Since they relocated to Dallas after opening the stadium they were very open to the idea of making this deal. I’ve never been more excited, and I’m proud to be able to add my name to the legacy of my favorite baseball team.” And just so fans attending games don’t go thirsty, Rock has entered into a separate agreement with the Michigan Brewing Company to produce a line of Kid Rock beers that will become the Tigers’ official suds.
Tankian Wants Armenian Genocide Recognized System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian wants President Obama to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide took place in 1915 shortly after the beginning of World War I when the government of Turkey decided to purge their nation of the Armenian minority, resulting in the death of more than a million people. Turkey has long denied the atrocity, but the rest of the world is demanding that the nation take responsibility for their actions, and President Obama has pledged to give the Armenian Genocide official recognition. Tankian is working with guitarist Tom Morello (Audioslave) and the Axis of Justice to nudge Obama into keeping his pledge and to honor the April 24 commemoration of the genocide on the Global Day of Remembrance. Tankian is of Armenian heritage, and his grandparents survived the ethnic cleansing. For more information, visit axisofjustice.org.
so ranging than from British folk singer’s Teddy Thompson’s acoustic guitar and honeyed voice, as I did at the Largo. I drove past the Largo three times, even with my GPS suggesting its coordinates were not far, at which point I’d pass it. One sign flashes vertically, blinking “Theater” and another small sign without lights, “Largo,” is some ways beneath. This place rules.
inner circle
Headlights filled Spaceland with pop sugary goodness.
lifestyle | B Y
JESSICA KOSLOW
THE GROUNDLINGS SCHOOL So You Think You Can Improv? YOUR FRIENDS TELL YOU YOU’RE funny. You make your roommate or boy/girlfriend laugh all the time. And whenever you go to improv comedy shows you secretly wish you were on stage, trading silly remarks and funny faces with the other comedians. Alright, maybe that’s not you: It’s me. Summoning all of my courage, I tried out a “mock” Groundlings class. Oh, what fun! The Groundlings offer comedy courses and workshops for all different levels (from one to four). One of the first things you should know about the Groundlings is that the players write their own material. So in addition to building performance courage, you’ll also be sharpening your writing chops. As my teacher, hilarious Groundlings cast member Lisa Schurga, told
me at the start,“Writing is a big part of the Groundlings school. In writing lab (the third level), a teacher works with the students to write monologues and scenes that they will later perform in a writing lab show. Then in the fourth level (advanced), the students write material for two shows. And lastly, in Sunday Company (the final level of the school), you write new material every week for a new show every week.” OK, so you don’t actually want to BE a Groundling. Taking a class or workshop can be rewarding in its own right. Not only does it boost your allaround confidence and improve public speaking skills, it allows you – even encourages you – to act like a goofball, like a kid all over again. One of the most important tips I learned from Schurga was: “When
Shawn Bishop
Fans Pick Kiss Tour Route
Teddy Thompson is smooth.
Justine Bursoni
Los Angeles’ South Bay beach communities have long been known for spawning great punk bands like Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, the Descendents and Pennywise. Now following in those legendary footprints are the Darlings, a no-holds-barred quartet whose members hail from Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach. Band members are singer/guitarist Buddy Darling, guitarist Josh Kearney, bassist Kris Kranes and drummer Josh Fasen. The band first gained notoriety when they won a local Battle of the Bands in 2006; a victory that helped land them a spot on last year’s Warped Tour. Now the Darlings have released their debut recording, a self-titled EP containing music that comes with the instruction to “turn it up and get out of the way.” Buddy Darling is equally succinct in discussing the future of the group: “We’re going to be around simply because we love it! So check us out.”
Kurt Iswarienko
Oh the Darlings!
Groundlings Kevin Kirkpatrick and Lisa Schurga (my teacher!)
doing improv, listening and “yes anding” – building off of what your partner just said or did – are probably the most important things to remember.” I walked away from the Groundlings Theater having completed various exercises that caused me to maintain eye contact way beyond my comfort level, act like a machine and make up a hopefully giggle-inducing story on command. An hour I will never forget. For more information, visit groundlings.com.
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
BY LUCIA
Dear Lucia, I broke up recently with a long distance relationship that I had with a guy for over a year. We love each other, but it simply cannot be because he lives in another country. I decided to go online again and meet some other guys. I don’t go out that much so I’d rather hook up in a chat room sometimes. I know that it is not easy to find a nice guy online these days, but I’m willing to give it a try again. I met this guy online about a week ago. He lives in New York, and I live in Florida. We both are Hispanic; we both like that special Latin vibe that we have, so we clicked instantly. He has his job, lives on his own, never been married, no kids, has his life altogether. I like that in a guy because I’m an independent woman with a 13-year-old child, and I’m looking for someone independent as well, who also likes kids and/or wants them, and he’s like that. We’ve been talking already about sex and things that we like and such; he likes me very much, and since he saw my pictures and saw me on webcam, he’s been talking about coming down to Florida to visit me. I’m a big girl, and he loves big women. He says that he would like to have something with me. Of course I know that he means sex. I like him very much too, and I feel very attracted to him. I don’t believe that he will come to visit since long ago someone did the same and
by the date he was supposed to travel he came up with a stupid excuse so I dumped him. I want to believe in this guy since I really want to meet him. If he comes, he’s obviously doing it be- Lucia cause he wants to have sex with me. Should I let him come down here and have sex? Is it too soon? I want to act the opposite to how I have always been, like trying to be friends first even if I like the guy for something else. However, this time I want to have sex with someone I like that much, like him. Is it wrong to start maybe a good relationship with a guy? What if I want something serious with him, should I tell him? What if he tells me that he wants something serious afterwards? While this has been happening with this guy, I can’t stop thinking of my ex boyfriend. Does that mean that I should not get into another relationship yet? Should I try and meet more guys besides this new one? I’ve been with no sexual partner since I was faithful to my long distance guy, so I really want to hook up with someone at least living here in the United States, and he looks like a good chance. Please tell me, what do you think? I really want to know your advice in this situation. —Horny Big Woman
games & gadgets | B Y
Dear Horny, You’re all over the place. I think it’s the hormones talking. In one sentence you say you want to do things differently and become friends with a guy first, and in the next you say you want to have sex when the guy from New York comes down. What do you want: sex or a relationship? Generally, if you start with sex, you have no foundation of friendship to build on, and therefore a relationship can’t develop. Also, keep in mind that the part of the brain that wants sex is instinctual and is not the same part that falls in love and wants a relationship. The bigger question is why you only seem to be interested in guys who live thousands of miles away. Are you trying to avoid true intimacy by not choosing someone in the same city? I think you need to be honest with yourself about what it is you’re really looking for. Somehow, I don’t think it’s sex.
curtain call
‘LYDIA’
Write to Lucia at theartoflove.net. Read an excerpt from Lucia’s Lessons of Love at lessonsoflove.net.
Remember: Love inspires, empowers, uplifts and enlightens.
Now-May 31 @The Matrix Theatre BY ROBERT AXELROD
I.C. Rapoport
Is monster killing a form of environmentalism?
baked goods in the hopes of shaping the next world. One of the cool features of this game is that you can actually change the characteristics of the things you scan, making monsters weaker and people happier and friendlier. “Avalon Code” is an engrossing game with quirky characters, interesting challenges and good graphics for the DS. Granted, some of these challenges get to be a bit too confusing and the code system is heavily based on tedious trial-anderror, but once you get into it, these flaws are easily overlooked.
“LYDIA” TELLS THE STORY OF THE FLORES FAMILY, A Mexican family living in El Paso, Texas in the 1970s, and their struggle adapting to the American way of life and their own family dynamics. The story is told through Ceci, played by Onahoua Rodriguez, a once vibrant girl, left crippled and half brain dead after a terrible car accident. Struggling to get by, the family hires a young immigrant named Lydia, played with comic brilliance by Stephanie Beatriz, to help them care for Ceci. The set was perfectly designed by Christopher Acebo and the delicate music composition by the late Chris Webb. The cast was so real, so present – embracing every moment of their character. There is wonderful humor within this dark, poetic story. It embraces the stereotypical clichés of a Mexican household in the United States and the complexities of family and survival in a Onahoua Rodriguez and Stephanie Beatriz in “Lydia” foreign land. Despite the seriousness of the context, the play continually reminds the audience that life is really one big telenovela after all.
‘STICK FLY’
The Art of Love is sponsored by Cougar Energy Drink.
J O N AT H A N K N E L L
strange but loveable characters. “Frontier”’s unique time management system – where one second in the world equals one minute in game time – really adds to the engrossing nature of the game. Even if the mix of “Harvest Moon” and “Diablo” seems a bit odd, you will find yourself rushing with glee to finish your gardening in time to go deeper into the dungeon. In contrast, “Avalon Code” for the DS actually offers up a world that is destined to be destroyed without redemption. Rather than fighting to save the world, you are tasked with the goal of “scanning” everything from people and animals to monsters, plants and
Now-May 17 @ Mark Taper Forum
Mark Taper Forum is located at 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown. For more information, visit centertheatregroup.org.
Listen to Lucia live every Sunday at 3 p.m. PST on latalkradio.com.
VIRTUAL EARTH DAY EARTH DAY CELEBRATES OUR realization that you can succeed while tending to the planet. Likewise, video games have evolved new ways to save their worlds beyond just shooting and stabbing. Here are a few new games that offer unique ways to save the world. “Rune Factory: Frontier” for the Wii picks up after the events of the original “Rune Factory” for the DS. Mist – one of the love interests from the first game – leads our hero to Trampoli where he must once again fight monsters. Of course, he also has to plant and tend a garden, learn to fish and cook and build relationships with a cast of
inner circle
BY XIMENA HERSCHBERG
Craig Schwartz
the art of love |
Campus Circle | 19
“STICK FLY” IS AN INTELLIGENT ALBEIT PREDICTABLE exploration into the structure of an African-American wealthy family. On the surface, the weekend the LeVay family is to spend in their vacation home in Martha’s Vineyard looks like it will be a warm, personal event. Not so. The group throws itself into a domestic powder keg of prejudice, hypocrisy and family secrets dealing with illegitimate children, old affairs and new racial tensions. Tinashe Kajese, as the youthful maid Cheryl, goes over the top emotionally too soon in the piece, leaving nowhere for the character to go when the climax hits. Terrell Tilford and Chris Butler fare well Terrell Tilford, John Wesley and Chris Butler as brothers Flip and Kent. Avery Clyde, as Flip’s Caucasian girlfriend, stays levelheaded throughout despite racial slurs, while Michole Briana White, as Kent’s girl, rides an emotional roller coaster as an old affair with Flip is revealed. Lydia R. Diamond’s dialogue is exquisite and the direction by Shirley Joe Finney is seamless. The Matrix Theatre is located at 7657 Melrose Ave., Hollywood. For more information, visit matrixtheatre.com.
20 | Campus Circle
inner circle
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
brain thoughts
THE GOLDEN STATE CAFÉ
Safe Haven for Misfits
Noah Galuten
BY NOAH GALUTEN THE FIRST TIME I WALKED INTO THE GOLDEN STATE CAFÉ, it was packed; the line was out the door, and the energy was palpable. The draw of the place is clear: a café celebrating the food and drink of the great state of California, run by a couple of guys with an unhealthy passion for things that taste good. One of those men is Jason Bernstein, co-owner, resident hardcore beer specialist and usually, your server as well. It was opening night, and he looked energized and sharp, but in the messy sort of way you do when you’re operating on minimal sleep and heavy doses of adrenaline. The concept behind the restaurant is about as perfect as it gets: top beers from independent California breweries, California wines, sandwiches, hot dogs, sausages and sides (with salads coming soon). While I found no disappointments Co-owner Jason Bernstein at your service. on the menu, some things, like their signature burger, really stand out. They use Harris Ranch beef, Fiscalini Farmhouse cheddar and brown sugar glazed bacon. Their other big accomplishment is that they’re the only other place in the world that sells the now-legendary Scoops gelato (for an added treat, try their beer float). It’s hard to do wrong at a place where you could essentially spin a roulette wheel in the categories of “main,”“side,”“beverage” and “gelato” and never be disappointed. Let me try: muffaletta sandwich with jalapeño cabbage slaw, a pint of Racer 5 and a scoop of chocolate Guiness gelato. Yeah. That’ll do just fine. A few weeks after my first visit, I went back to take another look and talk to Bernstein between the lunch and dinner rush. He still hadn’t taken a day off and looked extremely tired, but deeply satisfied, like someone who had been out for a swim at Zuma, got pulled under by a wave, had their body smashed against a collection of jagged rocks, then swam, tumbled and doggy paddled their way to the shore with their last breaths, barely staving off death and lying on the sand, wheezing heavily, battered and bloody – but so immensely happy to be alive. The process of opening the restaurant, all in, took 11 months. City ordinances, beer and wine license, building codes and surprise fees sprung up everywhere. He was even required to install a brand new 750gallon grease trap, which, for a variety of reasons, delayed the restaurant opening for three months all by itself. It seems that opening a restaurant, any restaurant, requires an immense amount of hard work. To attempt it, I’m fairly certain that you either need to be a little stupid or a little insane. I find Bernstein to be an intelligent guy, so the only other possibility is crazy, right? “I’ve shed more tears over this project than all the girlfriends I’ve ever had in my entire life,” he says. Is he a masochist? “I was just thinking about that the other day. No. I don’t think I am. I think I appreciate the experience. The immersion.” So if pain isn’t his main goal, then why do it? Why put yourself out there? Why battle your way through countless vendors to ensure that you’ll have some of the best beers on tap in the entire city? Why do any of it? “I’ve had a lot of different jobs in my life, but none of them really matched up. There was no direction. But this is something I’ve always wanted to do. It was either this or open a bar, and we couldn’t afford to open a bar. What else was I going to do?” What else indeed. So the verdict is in: He’s absolutely freaking nuts – and thank God for that. The Golden State Café is located at 426 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. For more information, call (323) 782-8331 or visit thegoldenstatecafe.com.
cheap eats | B Y
SASHA PERL-RAVER
SUNDAY TAPAS AT CIUDAD PERFECTION. IT’S A WORD WE don’t use often outside of being hyperbolic. An experience that offers perfection is rare, generally occurring without warning or time for emotional preparation. The other night, due to some sublime good fortune, my visiting parents and I had a brush with perfection. It was unexpected, though quite welcome, and it had a name: Tapas Sunday at Ciudad. Let it be known that tapas are loathed by my father and mistrusted by my mother, both feeling there’s never enough food to leave them truly sated. Needless to say, they were less than pleased as we took our seats in the warm, cubism-inspired dining room. However, I explained to them, tapas is the perfect poor people fancy meal because plates are usually $5-$10, and since everything’s meant to be shared, you can have a gourmet experience for a portion of the price. They both gave me a look that seemed to say,“How are you our child?” but they settled into the menus and tried to keep an open mind as our waitress, who was sweet and helpful, offered several suggestions and personal favorites from an extensive list of choices. The first plate to arrive was a small bowl of delicate Sautéed Clams, Diced Pickled Tomatoes, Miniature Purple and Yellow Fingerling Potatoes, all floating in a Salsa Verde Broth ($13) that was so exquisite we placed two orders of grilled bread to sop up any lingering traces. My mother proudly licked the bowl clean in the middle of the restaurant. There’s no need for restraint when something is that
on the menu | B Y
unabashedly delicious. Following closely on its heels, Goat Cheese Fritters served with Grilled Apricots, Caramelized Onions and Homemade Crackers ($6). When all three components are piled onto an accompanying cracker, the warm, sweet, nutty, creamy combination sings in harmony like a barbershop quartet. Butter Lettuce Salad with Pomegranate and Bee Pollen ($5) arrived to provide a perfect clean and crunchy palate cleanser just as a plate of Crab Salad with Shaved Cucumber, Melon and Sherry Mint Aioli ($11) was being scraped clean of all its refreshingly sweet, crunchy, rich, meatiness. Next, a duo of Calamari battled for dominance on the table. Fried Calamari with Paprika and Garlic ($7) was a decided favorite, dodging the typical, heavy calamari bullet that feels like it shoots you directly in the stomach after a single, greasy tentacle. Instead, this calamari, though fried, was crackling with flavor and the back burning heat of paprika. It was, without question, the best calamari anyone at the table had ever had … that was, until the Sautéed Calamari with Chorizo, White Beans and Roasted Peppers ($7) arrived demanding a third and fourth order of grilled bread to transport the buttery, winey, smoky, garlicky accompanying sauce to our mouths. Two totally different kinds of calamari offering two very different experiences, both sending your mouth into such ecstasy, you might find yourself discreetly
composing sonnets to each bite. But before you can count the ways you love thee, dessert arrives. The Basque Apple Tart ($5) must make the French (my former favorite apple tart provider) burn with envy as sweet slivers of apple rest atop puff pastry, which is slightly caramelized along the bottom requiring a few extra, buttery, sugary tugs to procure a bite. Espresso Dusted Churros ($5) are served with a healthy dollop of whipped cream that gets a lovely speckling of espresso, cinnamon and sugar every time you drag a still-hot-from-the-pan churro through the creamy fluffiness. For $59 (plus tax), around $20 per person, it was one of the most delicious, luxurious and pleasant meals I’ve had in months. Ciudad is the downtown outpost of everyone’s favorite Too Hot Tamales, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, champions of all flavors Third World and, more recently, all food organic, sustainable and environmentally conscious. But, on Sunday, they do more than make responsible food; they (with the help of Ciudad’s Executive Chef Kajsa Dilger) make meals where every bite, from start to finish, brings back that one word that seems so elusive in daily life: Perfection. Ciudad is located at 445 S Figueroa St., # 100, Downtown. For more information, call (213) 486-5171 or visit ciudadla.com.
NICOLE BOISVERT
THE LAB GASTROPUB 3500 Figueroa Blvd., Los Angeles DID YOU EVER FANTASIZE ABOUT watching the big game in your science lab? Have you ever thought it would be much more fun to be taking shots out of a test tube rather than making some basic solvent for chemistry class? Well, then if you haven’t already, make your way to the Lab Gastropub, USC Hospitality Service’s newest creation. The Lab serves a multitude of beers on tap or in a bottle, features a full bar and a full menu full of amazingly tasty treats. This hip newage science lab fits the need of any college student in need of a break. Although you may feel like you’re in a classroom, with the chalkboard decorations and communal “lab” tables, this pub offers more treats than
any classroom ever could. With great prices and an all-star staff, the Lab, its ambiance and its proximity to campus make it a smart choice for any student looking for anything from a quick thirst quencher (try their dry Vanilla Bean soda) to a full blown gourmet meal. From starters such as onion rings served with raspberry ketchup, flatbreads sure to meet everyone’s tastes and delicious chicken quesadillas, the items on the clipboard menus are sure to please any crowd. The starters are all cheap and meant to be shared. The Lab’s take on sandwiches are unique and delicious. From steak and greens to the standard Black Angus
burgers, these are sure to satisfy your stomach’s hunger. If it’s a big meal you’re looking for, this chic college bar will rock your world. From shrimp to seared tuna, they’ve got their equations all correct. The Lab – which features a great indoor atmosphere, or the ability to take your party outside and enjoy the great L.A. weather – will fill your craving for a new college pit stop. It’s scientifically proven you will love it! For more information, call (213) 7431843 or visit thelab.usc.edu.
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
fun for less | B Y
is the coiff-junkie’s mothership. You can find everything from relaxers to dyes to accessories to blow dryers. What’s best about this chain’s inventory is that you can also add length and fullness by picking up your very own set of hair extensions. Sally sells both clip-on styles for everyday use or the old school glue-in variety. Depending on length (extensions are sold in eight-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch and 18-inch bags), you can expect to pay $10-$80 per package (so price accordingly). With very little effort, never fear … Vidal is here you’ve taken your look from (sassoon.com). I learned drab to fab, providing a about the Vidal Sassoon glimpse of the new you at Academy from two girls I that special occasion or on met while working at Urban date night. And you’ve done Outfitters. They always had so at half the cost that some these amazing mod haircuts of the Beverly Hills salons that looked like absolute Ebony March charge their customers. perfection no matter what. Finally, if you’re looking You’ll get expert styling at for healthy hair, while paying respect to a fraction of the cost by men and your body, mind and spirit, then try a women who have chosen to learn from relaxing scalp massage. Magic fingers the best. Cuts run roughly $25 for noncaressing your head is a feeling like no students and $10 with student ID. Just other. Many salons provide this note: You may be in that chair for a technique as an add-on to other while because there is still quite the services such as a deep-conditioning learning curve for these badass hair treatment. Salon Mix (3174 Glendale jockeys. Blvd., Los Angeles) offers a $20 for 20 Many neighborhood salons are minutes massage for its clients. also offering great deals these days. However, if you’re weirded-out by New Image Cuts (6342 San Fernando strangers’ hands all up on your Rd., Glendale) has an $8 trim that is cranium, then bring this soothing stylish and clean. The salon itself is treatment home. The Malibu nice and always has an inviting Dandruff/Eczema Weekly Scalp atmosphere. Massage is available online. This Sure, you may have a certain level product is designed to exfoliate the of snobbery about hairstyling done at skin on the top of your head, creating a Supercuts prices. However, mom and healthy canvas for new hair to grow. pop salons will value your business The tingling sensation against your and work hard to keep you coming skin married with the deep rubbing back. New Image is no exception. action of your fingers (or your friend’s, If you’re a fashionable lady looking if that’s how you roll) will leave you to add a little “oomph” to your style, catatonic yet blissed-out. This you can do so by taking a trip to Sally treatment retails for roughly $50. Beauty Supply (sallybeauty.com). This
comedy
EBONY MARCH
Campus Circle | 21
inner circle
I ATTEND A GOOD AMOUNT OF events each week: shows at the Echoplex, parties in West Hollywood, dates with dudes I hardly know (JK). These are the kinds of situations that you always want to look nice for, without coming out of a lot of money in the process.
Get an affordable but cool cut at Vidal Sassoon Academy.
I’ve invested a great deal of time and effort into perfecting my body. My wardrobe is in a satisfactory place, but with cool clothes and shoes, you’ve got to rock good hair. Here are some awesome places for keeping your ’do in check for those wild and crazy party nights. Want a designer cut without having to pay designer prices? Well,
essential l.a. | B Y
CHINA BIALOS
ORIGAMI VINYL 1816 W. Sunset Blvd., Echo Park AFTER SEA LEVEL RECORDS went kaput in 2007, there remained a gaping hole at 1716 W. Sunset Boulevard ... and then that hole was filled by Stories,
a solid and much-needed used bookshop. But down the street, at 1816, a fabulous little replacement called Origami Vinyl has just opened up, and it’s a much-needed fix for those of us who’d hate to drive as far as Sherman Oaks or Eagle Rock (or, face it – battle the Amoeba crowd) for our records. Shop owner Neil Schield is of a humble warmth, and admits that he’s finally carrying out a dream he’s had since high school. Above his head
hangs an origami mobile, complementary of the beautiful handmade, industrial-style, modern décor that he and some friends have put together themselves. Several yards back, a spiral staircase leads up to a loft set up for live music, and behind the counter is a list of tickets for Spaceland and Echo/Echoplex shows that the store’s got for sale. Origami’s first month coincided with the second annual Record Store Day (April 18), and conveniently enough, the store strictly carries vinyl. The selection leaves room for growth but is of little filler, and though you might run into a few sealed pieces by Madonna or the Eagles, you’ll more readily spot a fair selection of Stones Throw comps, seven-inch slabs by a small range spanning Big Black to the Henry Clay People, and choices you hadn’t thought to look for but suddenly need, like Julian Koster’s The Singing Saw at Christmastime. For more information, call (213) 6182166 or visit origamiorigami.com.
Ed Krieger
FABULOUS HAIR FOR THRIFTY THRILL SEEKERS
French Stewart and Laurie Metcalf try to keep things professional.
‘VOICE LESSONS’ Now-May 17 @ The Zephyr Theatre BY HENRY SENECAL JUSTIN TANNER NEVER MISSES THE MARK AS A PLAYWRIGHT who delivers witty entertainment, and his latest comedy, “Voice Lessons,” is no exception. Laurie Metcalf and French Stewart provide a riotous look and some crazy characters that turn ordinary events into extraordinary laughs. One look at Virginia (Metcalf) and you know she is a woman that’s living life to her own tune. She wants to be the next, great singing star, and she employs voice teacher Nate (Stewart) to make that dream happen. Against his better judgment he takes on the new, wacky client. Virginia definitely wants to be the maestro of every situation, and before long Nate is fighting to prevent the line between personal and professional interaction from blurring and fading completely. When Virginia’s friend Sheryl (actress Maile Flanagan) enters the arrangement, everything falls apart in a hysterical climax! The Zephyr Theatre is located at 7456 Melrose Ave., Hollywood. For more information, visit plays411.com/voicelessons.
pages | B Y
M A R V I N G . VA S Q U E Z
The Busy Adult’s Guide to Making College Happen! (Break Free) While working full time as an adult during the day and attending school in the evening, Geoffrey Schmidt earned his undergraduate degree at Northeastern Illinois University and his Master of Business Administration degree at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He later completed a C.P.A. exam and wrote this book. Some of the prominent topics discussed include time management, school motivation, financial aid, choosing the right major, adult education programs and getting a job in your field. However, the most intriguing chapter is 12, Many Levels Left to Climb. The chapter deals with both identifying and rewarding oneself because of the college success achieved, whether in undergraduate or graduate work. More importantly, it offers an epiphany to the reader because it highlights the fact that there are many levels left to climb. Grade: B+ The Busy Adults Guide to Making College Happen! is currently available.
22 | Campus Circle
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
inner circle
l.a. hoopla
YOUTH RISING “Ariza-n” for Hope
THE NO. 1 SEED IN THE WEST LAKERS SAILED PAST THE eighth-seeded Jazz 100-113 at Staples Sunday. Several of the L.A. squad’s younger talents thrived in the spotlight, specifically forward Trevor Ariza and guard Shannon Brown. Ariza tallied a career playoff-high 21 points, including three threepointers, as well as four rebounds and two assists. Brown came off the bench early in the first quarter with two threes to give the team a strong boost of energy (He ended up 3-3 from downtown.). Kobe Bryant scored 24, increasing his total career postseason points to 3,710 (He’s now third on the Lakers’ list and ninth on the NBA’s.). The team heads to Utah for games three and four on Thursday and Saturday. They return to Staples Monday for game five of this first round of playoffs. Elsewhere in the west, a few notable upsets happened over the weekend as the fifthKobe Bryant drives to the basket against Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko Sunday. seeded Rockets pounded the fourth-seeded Trailblazers 108-81 in Portland and the No. 6 Mavericks came out over the No. 3 Spurs 105-97 in San Antonio. In the east, the surprises were the sixth seed 76ers grabbing a 100-98 win over the third seed Magic in Orlando and the No. 7 Bulls beating the No. 2 Celtics 105-103 in Boston. All stats as of April 20.
PA R I M A L M . R O H I T
this fall. While his career numbers as a player are not at all astonishing (8.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in games played bej8 as a coach) spread over NBA’s tween 1978 and 1990), three functioning leagues – the glossing over of Cooper’s WNBA, NBA Developmental legacy shows just how much League and the NBA itself. we are spoiled here in Los Hailed by former Celtic great Angeles. (By my count, at Larry Bird repeatedly as one least 14 current or potential of the “best defenders” he Hall of Famers have spent the played against, the career Parimal M. Rohit peak of their careers playing, Laker was among the club’s for a considerable amount of time, in top 10 players in nine statistical Los Angeles.) categories. The league also recognized Of course, Cooper will never make his defensive repertoire, awarding him the Hall of Fame. Since the Lakers only the Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 retire jerseys for their players who and naming him five times to the NBA make the Hall of Fame, we will probably never see Cooper’s No. 21 hanging from the rafters. Yet his resume still remains impressive, winning with the Lakers, Sparks and Albuquerque Thunderbirds. Perhaps he will win a national title over at USC, should he join the women’s basketball program. But when he calls it quits for good, how will Cooper be remembered for his significant contributions to Los Michael Cooper gets fired up coaching the L.A. Sparks. Angeles basketball? I say it’s time to institute a Los Angeles Hall of Fame. All-Defensive First Team and three After all, many local high schools times to the NBA All-Defensive and colleges have such shrines Second Team. dedicated to their successful athletes. Briefly joining the team’s front Why not institute a regional shrine for office as a special assistant to Jerry every player who made a significant West, Cooper even served as Lakers contribution to Southern California coach for a game or two before sports? Heck, it would even memorassuming chief strategist duties down ialize some of the greatest moments in the Staples Center hallway with the Los Angeles. Sparks (the Lakers’ WNBA counterIf I had a vote, Cooper would be part) – where he won two championenshrined on my first ballot. ships and is a favorite to win a third
MICHAEL COOPER A TROJAN? DON’T OVERLOOK IT! MICHAEL COOPER MUST BE THE most overlooked athlete in L.A. sports history. He has won eight championships in professional basketball, including seven here in Los Angeles, yet no one will find his jersey hanging from the rafters of Staples Center or the Forum – or even Pasadena City College, for that matter. Maybe USC will find some way to honor the man should he bring a national championship to Galen Center. OK, I admit he is no Wayne Gretzky or Magic Johnson. Heck, Cooper is not even Gail Goodrich, who is perhaps one of the best basketball players to ever come out of Los Angeles (Goodrich was quite the star at Francis Poly High and UCLA before joining the Lakers.). But the lanky basketball player who was fondly referred to as “Coooooop” during the Showtime days of the Lakers was significantly responsible for seven professional basketball championships in Los Angeles. A winner on every level of professional basketball, Cooper is apparently setting his eyes on the college ranks after it was recently reported he is currently in talks with the University of Southern California to take over the reigns of the school’s women’s basketball team. Perhaps on the verge of his eighth this season with the L.A. Sparks, Cooper has won a total of eight championships (five as a player, three
galaxy fyi | B Y M A R V I N G . VA S Q U E Z
TRYING TO UNTIE THE KNOT THE L.A. GALAXY ARE STILL WITHOUT A VICTORY IN THE 2009 season after collecting a 1-1 tie in San Jose against the Earthquakes. Los Angeles’ draw sets its record to 0-1-3 for the year, and the Galaxy are in an obvious slow start, just like last year. Brazilian forward Pablo Campos netted a goal in the fifth minute to give the Earthquakes a 1-0 edge for over 70 minutes. The Galaxy’s Bryan Jordan scored in the 76th minute to knot the match at one a piece. Jordan’s goal came 20 minutes after he entered the game as a substitution for Mike Magee in the second half. “Jordan’s pace helped,” coach Bruce Arena said to the Washington Post. “It helped out [our] attack to have a little more speed there.” The Galaxy’s Bryan Jordan The Galaxy are still in search of their first win. They looked shaky on the road, just as they were at the Home Depot Center during their three-game homestand. Los Angeles continues its two-game road trip as the Galaxy visit the Colorado Rapids April 25 at 6:30 p.m.
the diamond dispatch | B Y
DOV RUDNICK
DODGERS ARE BACK TO WINNING WAYS “OH, GOD. THANK YOU!” MANNY Ramirez was heard saying as he gestured heavenward once inside the Dodger dugout April 18, moments after hitting his first homerun of the 2009 season. The crowd of some 40,000, which missed this private Manny moment, was exploding with a cheer it seemed they had been holding in for months. After 36 at-bats, Ramirez was finally being the Manny of their dreams and memories. Alas … Ramirez’s glory moment did not linger long when nearly five minutes later playing in left field he dropped a routine fly ball. Oddly enough the pattern repeated itself in later innings. On his next at-bat, he swatted a second homerun; again the enormous applause, and again in the
following inning, another fielding mishap. So it appears Ramirez is indeed back to being Manny and, taking the good with the bad, we should be grateful, because the Dodgers it seems are back to their old winning selves. (Oh God, Thank You!) While not exactly the same group of guys who walked away with last year’s Western Division Title, the Dodger ball club is endowed with a very similar passion for winning ballgames. As the Dodgers head back on the road this week to defend their firstplace status they carry with them one very intriguing factoid: They are undefeated at home. Playing six games in seven days last week the blue crew made short work of the San
Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT
Paul Rodriguez/Orange County Register/MCT
BY TJ WEBBER
the sports wanderer | B Y
L.A. Dodger Clayton Kershaw
Francisco Giants and the Colorado Rockies with outstanding performances from both their defense and offense. Dodger hitters scored 50 runs on the homestand, an average of 8.3 runs per game. Starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley and Randy Wolf each earned victories going for more than six innings and giving up less than three runs per outing. Even youngster James McDonald made a decent start, showing further signs of a bright future. All stats as of April 20.
[ APRIL 22 - APRIL 28 ’09 ]
the 10 spot | B Y
Campus Circle | 23
caught around town
FREDERICK MINTCHELL
LEVI’S THIRD ANNUAL POWERSLIDING CHAMPIONSHIPS
SATURDAY, APRIL 25
April 15 @ Santa Monica Pier
Battle at the Rose Bowl
PHOTOS BY RUDY SANCHEZ
1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena; uclabruins.cstv.com Tailgate with other Bruin football fans, the UCLA band, cheerleaders and Yell Crew, get pictures and autographs and enjoy skill contests and games. Tailgating starts at 3 p.m. The spring game starts at 7 p.m. FREE.
newportbeachfilmfest.com The OC hosts a week of premieres, screenings, galas and parties. Through April 30.
Roundhouse Aquarium, Manhattan Beach Pier; roundhouseaquarium.org Experience your own Jaws moment without becoming shark food by watching the sharks feed and maybe getting the chance to feed them. Saturdays, 12:30 p.m. $2 suggested donation.
SATURDAY, APRIL 25
SUNDAY, APRIL 26
L.A. Texas Exes Chili Cook Off
Volkswagen City of Angels Fun Ride
Newport Beach Film Festival
Mr. Pockets, 516 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach; mrpockets.com Bring your favorite antacid to this gastronomic extravaganza. Noon-6 p.m. $10 for all the chili you can eat ’til it’s gone.
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books UCLA, 405 Hilgard Ave., Westwood; latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks The largest festival on the West Coast features more than 100 author panels (with authors ranging from Ray Bradbury to Mary Higgins Clark to Tori Spelling) and the “Comix Strip,” which offers access to comic book, graphic novel and manga exhibitors. Sat, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. FREE.
Kevin Stone Laugh Factory, 8001 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; hypnotist.com The Hollywood Hypnotist is back, and you will laugh your subconsciousness off when you see what people do in a hypnotic state. Saturdays at midnight. $20, plus two drink minimum.
National Psoriasis Walk for Awareness Ocean View Park, 2701 Barnard Way, Santa Monica; walk.psoriasis.org Walk, support a walker or volunteer your time to raise money for those affected by psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. 8 a.m.
Weekend Feeding Frenzy
door service | B Y
Los Angeles Police Academy, 1800 Academy Drive, Elysian Park; coafunride.com Ride, support a rider or volunteer your time to raise money for the Children’s Hospital LA Bloodmobile Fund. 7:30 p.m. $55 includes a T-shirt, lunch and a raffle ticket.
TUESDAY, APRIL 28 Gogol Project Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; rogueartists.org Three of Nikolai Gogol’s most famous short stories – “Diary of a Madman,” “The Overcoat” and “The Nose” – are brought to life using the Rogues’ signature mix of live actors, puppetry, masks and digital projection. 8 p.m. today and tomorrow. Pay what you can.
In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd.; smpl.org Stacy Perman discusses the cultural and business lessons of her new book, In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the FastFood Chain That Breaks All the Rules. 7 p.m. FREE.
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For more events, visit campuscircle.com/calendar. To submit an event for consideration, e-mail calendar@campuscircle.net.
POLITES
SILVER MEDAL GIRL IT’S 1:05 A.M. IN HOLLYWOOD. Silver Medal Girl is visibly pissed that I actually made her pay to get in as she begrudgingly utters something under her breath before she is suddenly almost knocked down by Glitter Girl and Androgynous Boy, both of whom are getting escorted quickly out of the club by a bouncer. “Byyyeee” … Glitter Girl waves to me as she goes out the front door still smiling, still out of her mind on the Xanax that she, if she’s still looking, will now easily find outside on the streets of Hollywood at this late night hour. “What was she on?” Silver Medal Girl sarcastically asks. “Well, now she’s on the street!” I sarcastically answer. “Now you’re the shiniest thing in here.” “Is that a compliment?” she asks. “Well, with you and the girl with all the glitter on her face who just got kicked out here together for that brief second I thought I was going to need to put on my sunglasses,” I jokingly reply. “The lights aren’t that bright in here,” she answers back. “Neither are most people who wear their sunglasses inside a club,” I say. “Not that bright to you?” she asks as she pretends to be genuinely interested in what
Polites
THURSDAY, APRIL 23
Kendra Wilkinson (“The Girls Next Door”), Jason Acuña (Wee-Man from “Jackass”) and Jonny Moseley
my answer may be. “Not really,” I say. “It’s not really a bright idea to wear sunglasses in a club at night, unless you’re in an ’80s music video, or any hip-hop video ever made, for that matter.” “Not even if you’re trying to be the ‘shiniest thing in there’?” she says, as if she were winning the gold medal with the callback in this particular question. “Usually the shiniest things in here DO wear sunglasses with their shiny clothing: anything for the attention. There’s a BIG difference between the ‘shiniest’ and the ‘brightest’,” I say.
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