Campus Circle Newspaper Vol. 20 Issue 2

January 13 - January 19, 2010 \ Volume 20 \ Issue 2 \ Always Free

Film | Music | Culture

PEE-WEE HERMAN Brings the Playhouse to Club Nokia © 2 010 CAMPUS CI R C L E • ( 3 2 3 ) 9 8 8 - 8 4 7 7 • 5 0 4 2 WILSHIRE BLVD., #600 LOS ANGELES, CA 90036 • WWW.CAMPUSCIRCLE.COM • ONE FREE COPY PER PERSON

NOW OPEN.

mthigh.com

Text SNOW to 99158 to have Powder Alerts, Ticket Deals and Special Events sent to your text-enabled phone.

Don't have a ride?

Find one here. http://rideshare.mthigh.com

Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com campus circle January 13 - January 19, 2010 Vol. 20 Issue 2

inside campus circle 6

Editor-in-Chief Jessica Koslow editor.chief@campuscircle.net Managing Editor Yuri Shimoda managing.editor@campuscircle.net Film Editor Jessica Koslow film.editor@campuscircle.net Cover Designer Sean Michael Editorial Interns Melissa Russell, Marvin G. Vasquez

Contributing Writers Geoffrey Altrocchi, Jonathan Bautts, Scott Bedno, China Bialos, Erica Carter, Richard Castaneda, Cesar Cruz, Natasha Desianto, James Famera, Denise Guerra, Andrew Herrold, Zach Hines, Damon Huss, Jonathan Knell, Becca Lett, Lucia, Ebony March, Angela Matano, Stephanie Nolasco, Samantha Ofole, Brien Overly, Ariel Paredes, Sasha Perl-Raver, Parimal M. Rohit, Mike Sebastian, Doug Simpson, Jennifer Smith, Jessica Stern, Sable Stevens, David Tobin, E.S. Turrill, Mike Venezia, Anna Webber, TJ Webber, Kevin Wierzbicki, Candice Winters, M.M. Zonoozy Contributing Artists & Photographers David Tobin

5

18

05 NEWS LOCAL NEWS 05 NEWS CAMPUS NEWS 05 CULTURE FUN FOR LESS 06 FILM DAHMER VS. GACY Q&A with Actor-Director Ford Austin 07 FILM FISH TANK

Michael Fassbender: Unscripted

08 FILM PROJECTIONS 08 FILM DVD DISH 08 FILM REVIEWS 11 FILM SCREEN SHOTS 12 MUSIC OK GO

"WTF?" They're back!

14 MUSIC FREQUENCY 14 MUSIC REPORT

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

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 © 2010 Campus Circle, Inc. All rights reserved.

16 MUSIC CD REVIEWS 16 MUSIC LIVE SHOW REVIEWS 16 CULTURE THE ART OF LOVE 17 CULTURE COLLEGE CENTRAL 18 CULTURE SPECIAL FEATURE

Pee-wee Herman turns Club Nokia into a

playhouse.

19 CULTURE ON THE MENU 20 SPORTS THE SPORTS WANDERER 20 SPORTS L.A. HOOPLA 21 SPORTS CENTER ICE 21 CULTURE GAMES & GADGETS 22 CULTURE L.A. FACES 22 CULTURE FASHION FOCUS 22 CULTURE CURTAIN CALL 23 EVENTS THE 10 SPOT COVER: PEE-WEE HERMAN Photo Credit: Greg Gorman

RIVERDANCE • PANTAGES • 4.875” X 5.9” CAMPUS CIRCLE • PUB DATE: 1• 13 • 09

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

3

NEWS

FILM

MUSIC

CULTURE

EVENTS

DVD

GAMING

SPORTS

MEDIA

BLOGS Campus News Local News Campus Circle > News > Local News

Chris Schmitt Photography

LOCALNEWS

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and arts leaders kick off the second annual Los Angeles Arts Month.

LOS ANGELES ARTS MONTH

Reviving the Soul of Our City BY m.m. zonoozy THE SECOND ANNUAL LOS ANGELES arts Month kicked off on Jan. 5 with a celebration in downtown Los Angeles at REDCAT in the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

A group of high profile art aficionados and city leaders, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, were in attendance to celebrate the opening ceremony of the second annual event.

Officially running from Jan. 1 through 31, Los Angeles Arts Month encourages Angelenos to celebrate and patronize the city’s abundant theaters, galleries and museums.

“I think that one of the most energizing and nourishing things of L.A. Arts Month is that it provides a forum, a venue, for you guys,” shares L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs General Managser, Olga Garay. “Everyone is so busy in their lives, many of you, although are friends or colleagues, don’t really get to spend quality time together. It’s really a way to reengage with fellow travelers down this often rocky road.

We’re all members of this wonderful arts community.”

Attracting local participation was one of the primary bullet points of Jan. 5’s event, which also included an afternoon panel, “Museums: Not Just For Tourists” at

4

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

MOCA, Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art. January highlights in downtown include the “First Thirty Years” exhibit at MOCA. The rest of the city also plays host to a wealth of events.

“Cryptonoche” on Jan. 15 showcases Marcele, a native of São Paulo, Brazil, and her honey-sweet vocals at Club Tropical (8641 Washington Blvd., Culver City), and floral designer Ray Rucker leads flower enthusiasts on a walking tour of the flower district on Jan. 16 (descansogardens.org). Miracle Mile and Culver City host their own Art Walk this month as well.

Beyond January, through “community outreach, local promotional ticket giveaways and a viral word-of-mouth and print and radio campaign,” the city extends the spirit of Arts Month. The celebratory month is a catalyst to generate awareness in hopes of increasing attendance for events throughout the year. Yosi Sergant, an arts producer and promoter, described the event as “the inauguration of something longtime coming in Los Angeles.”

“It’s a unified arts community coming together to celebrate the role of the cultural institution and the individuals that make up the fabric of a really creative community here in Los Angeles,” continues Sergant. “When people like this get together in one room with the unified goal of celebrating the city of Los Angeles, it’s kind of special.”

The festivities also included mezzo-soprano Ronnita Nicole Miller performing a selection from “Das Rheingold,” one of four operas in Richard Wagner’s “The Ring Cycle,” which will be held this spring, and will be accompanied by an arts festival. Already, more than 100 arts and cultural organizations will offer programs that spin off from what could be Los Angeles’ most prominent arts extravaganza this year.

Each participating organization will be responsible for planning, marketing and conducting their own component – whether it be film, concert or exhibition. It takes a village to raise a child, and the city hopes that the collective efforts of the 100 organizations will be more prominent than that of any individual group. Much of the day’s speeches revolved around the concern for general arts funding in the city. However, although admitting to the lack of sufficient government financial support, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa remained optimistic about the future of the L.A. arts scene.

“In this tough budget time, L.A. has invested in the arts less than most big cities in the United States,” Villaraigosa began before later describing L.A.’s arts and culture scene as the “soul of the city,” citing the 850,000 jobs the creative world provides the city and the billions of dollars it generates for our economy.

The presentation also included a surprise announcement that Los Angeles was selected for the AAM (American Association of Museums) Annual Meeting and Museum Expo for 2010.

“L.A. is the perfect choice for AAM at this time in our history. We are making a concerted effort to reach out more to our international and diverse domestic colleagues, to make them more part of our conversation so that we may all better serve the public,” explains AAM President, Ford Bell.

“What better location than the world’s most cosmopolitan city is there to do so?”

The AAM Meeting and Expo is a networking event for arts and museum professionals from around the world, and will be held May 23-26. Bell continues: “L.A. is one of the four to five top cultural capitals on the planet. To have the world’s largest gathering of museum professionals in such a city makes perfect sense.”

Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com Campus Circle > News > Campus News

CAMPUSNEWS

UC FEE INCREASE BEGINS

How Students Are Faring BY denise guerra RAMI MILO, A JUNIOR AT UCLA, REMEMBERS when her friend, Rustin O’Neil, was tasered by police two months ago as thousands of students, faculty and university employees rallied in resistance to a possible 32 percent fee increase to be voted on by the Regents of the University of California.

As the first week of winter quarter begins, Milo is bracing herself for something bigger.

After tremendous public upheaval, the UC Regents approved the fee increase to be implemented starting in January of this year. Under this plan, students will see an education fee increase of $585 this academic quarter, and then by fall 2010, a rise in tuition for both resident undergraduate and graduate students to $1,334.

Non-resident and undocumented students will see a midyear fee increase of $633, and $1,458 by fall 2010. Graduate students and students of professional degree programs will

also see a rise in fees as well.

“A lot of my friends are wondering whether to take out another loan. It puts a lot of students in this state of limbo where right in the middle of the school year their financial situation is completely changed when they haven’t had enough time to plan for it,” says Milo, a member of the Bruin Lobby Corps, a student organization designed to aggressively lobby state legislators regarding diversity, affordability and access.

Some students, however, seem not to be affected.

Milo explains, “A lot of students don’t know what’s going on, or don’t know why or when the increases are happening.

It’s happening right now.”

In a statement after the 2009 November hearing at UCLA’s Covel Commons, UC President Mark Yudof said, “I know this is a painful day for university students and their families, but as I stand here today I can assure you this is our one best shot at preventing this recession from pulling down a great system toward mediocrity. In the long term, that would not be good for the students of today or tomorrow.

And it would be devastating for California as a whole.”

Efforts to save money for the UC have not only affected students, but also UC faculty and employees. A press release from the University of California Web site reports a reduction of instructional budgets by $139 million, a layoff of 1,900 employees and the elimination of 3,800 positions, most of which are faculty.

Already the effects of California state budget cuts are evident in the amount of oversized classrooms, increased furlough days and the suspension of student programs and majors resulting in fewer classes across the UC system.

Yudof explained that the expansion of programs such as the

Campus Circle > Culture > Fun For Less

FUNFORLESS

SO YOU WANNA BE ...

BY EBONY MARCH WITH EACH NEW YEAR COMES THE PROMISE OF new people, places and experiences. As a matter of fact, that’s why New Year’s is my favorite national holiday.

After all the champagne has been toasted and the midnight kisses have been exchanged, it’s time to get down to the business of living life to the fullest. If you spent all of 2009 fence-sitting, daydreaming about doing this and trying that, now’s the time to make it all a reality.

So you say you want to be a ward of the stars? You’ve been watching those celebrity makeover shows and think you’d make an excellent groomer to the rich and famous. Well, you can study up on the latest trends in hair and makeup by enrolling at Marinello School of Beauty (6111 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; marinello.com). This renowned L.A. staple has graduated some of the most badass scissor-jockeys this state has ever seen. Whether you’re male or female, you can learn how to add layers, color and highlights to tresses while making a decent living. After all, no matter how bad the economy gets, people still want to look good.

Maybe helping the famous isn’t nearly as interesting to you as becoming famous yourself. If that’s the case, try Central Casting (centralcasting.org). This agency brokers practically all the extra talent working in Hollywood today.

Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan will help to cover costs of students with family incomes under $70,000.

Under the same plan middle income students whose family income reaches $120,000 are eligible to have half their fee increase covered. According to Yudof, those whose family income totals more than 180,000 will be the ones “adversely affected.”

The UCLA Financial Aid Office also reports that the revenue from the fee increase is expected to generate $175 million in financial aid.

However, for students like Milo, who fall under a financial grey area where ineligibility for Cal Grants and Pell Grants make her only option loans, the optimism of government aid is slim.

Though government aid is subsidized for lower income students, students who are considered middle income are often times not qualified for government grants and loans.

The Daily Californian, Berkeley’s student newspaper, reports that only 22 percent of their aid recipients were from middleincome families, those whose parents made between $60,000 and $130,000 annually.

Students of middle-income families bear a huge financial burden when they do not qualify for financial aid, and still must bear the cost of tuition.

“Fall is what I’m really trying to prepare for. I don’t get Cal Grants or financial aid; I don’t get any of that,” says Milo.

Looking away with a sense of anxiety, she continues, “It’s a bigger financial burden and stress taking four classes, working over 20 hours and being involved in student organizations.

It’s hard when you have to work so much.”

Though the mid-year fee increase seems slight to some, it already has students scrambling for what’s yet to come.

Registering with Central Casting could have you sitting at a table in a cafe or holding your fictitious baby in the summer’s biggest blockbuster.

What’s more, extras can make hundreds of dollars a day just for sitting around on a movie set all day. Hey, it may not be Shakespeare, but everyone’s got to start somewhere.

Simply download an application from the company’s Web site and wait for the phone to start ringing.

Perhaps you’re interested in making friends and picking up a new skill. I know that feeling well.

When I started film school in New York, I decided I wanted to get to know people closer to my age, so I enrolled in a bartending program. Los Angeles has got a lot of them that are great and affordable. Try Pacific Bartending School (pacificbartending.com). This esteemed school offers job placement and plenty of encouragement for those who wish to make it big in Los Angeles’ booming nightlife industry.

And they also have a current promotion: two students can enroll for just $495. So grab your bestie and use the buddy system to propel you into a brand-spanking-new career.

In just a few short weeks of study, you’ll know your Fuzzy Nipples from your Alabama Slammers and will be swimming in dough to boot.

If being jet set is your new year’s fantasy, but you don’t have much money to live it up continental-style, consider a housing swap. There are plenty of sites such as Craigslist.org (free) or HomeExchange.com (membership is a mere $9.95 per month) that allow people the safe exchange of residences for vacation. It works like this: You list your place and desired dates for a vacation or you search the dates of your desired city and departure. If there are any matches, you make contact with another renter or homeowner who wants to switch pads with you. Bada-bing! You’ve got instant lodging.

This leaves you free to spend money on important things like

Start a new career at Marinello School of Beauty.

snow globes and t-shirts that read, “I was here.”

Other alternatives are faith-based vacations. One of my ex-boyfriends is Jewish. A few years back, he signed up for a free trip to Israel through Taglit-Birthright Israel (birthrightisrael.com). This organization offers Jewish youth (ages 18-26) the chance to explore their heritage and expand their pride by journeying to Israel for FREE! After attending a few meetings, a group jets off to the Middle East for fun in the sun on Israel’s sexy beaches. True, these trips are total hookup fests, and yes, there is currently no peace in the Middle East. But you’ll be heading to cosmopolitan sections of Israel that are just as chic and fun and memorable as Paris, Tokyo or New York City.

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

5

NEWS

FILM

MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS

DVD Dish Interviews Movie Reviews Projections Screen Shots Special Features TV Time

Michael Schwibs

FILMINTERVIEWS

Ford Austin as Jeffrey Dahmer and Randal Malone as John Wayne Gacy in Dahmer vs. Gacy

AIN’T AIN’T IT IT COOL COOL NEWS NEWS HARRY HARRY KNOWLES KNOWLES

DAHMER VS. GACY

TODAY TODAY GENE GENE SHALIT SHALIT

NEWSWEEK NEWSWEEK DAVID DAVID ANSEN ANSEN

ROLLING ROLLING STONE STONE PETER PETER TRAVERS TRAVERS

Actor-director Ford Austin opens up about his film.

What attracted you to direct this film?

Two things. Firstly, I was originally cast in Dahmer Vs. Gacy about six years ago and we went through a series of test shoots that looked really great, but the money fell through and the movie died before it was able to go into production. Time went on and I did a few other films like The Wright Stuff, Evil Ever After and Carnies before getting brought in to found WonderHowTo.com and serve as its Vice President of Original Content. I was one of five founding partners and got a good enough salary that I started planning the movies I would make after I sold out my gigantic amount of shares in the company.

I had stars in my eyes made of Internet funny money on the level of a Yahoo or Google executive. When I came down to earth, I realized after I left the company to start my own production company that I had enough money to actually do it. About that time, I was approached by Chris Watson, the writer of Dahmer Vs. Gacy, to star in and direct the movie. I bought the script and started putting it together.

Second, Dahmer Vs. Gacy was a perfect fit for me as a script because it was something too crazy and wild for any studio or production company to attempt because of its outrageousness. There was no way anyone would ever come up with the same idea and actually do it.

You star in and direct the film - how is it juggling those two duties?

I watch the movie and feel the pain I was in during the shoot because of all the work I had to do as both the director and star. When you do both these things, you really have to spend a huge amount of time in pre-production making sure you have all your acting choices down so you can focus on the directing of the movie when you get into production and vice versa. On the other side of the coin, being so busy really forces you to prepare. We were shooting the scene where I am directing the legendary actor Jerry Maren, who appeared in The Wizard of Oz in 1939 as the head of the Lollipop Guild, and I had no time to be nervous or concerned about anything other than getting my shots.

That is probably the best thing about having to prepare so much is that you don’t have time to lose your steam. You just have to suck it up and make your shoot days according to the schedule and the shot list.

Talk about the best parts of this production.

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT NOW PLAYING

STARTS FRIDAY, JANUARY 15

AT ADDITIONAL THEATRES EVERYWHERE TEXT LOVELY TO 33287 FOR MOVIE TIMES AND MOBILE UPDATES FROM PARAMOUNT!

For group sales information or to plan an event, please call 877-477-7878 or email group_sales@paramount.com.

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT TICKETS ACCEPTED

ATTENTION AMPAS AND GUILD MEMBERS: Your card and picture ID will admit you and a guest to any performance as follows (subject to seating availability): Arclight will admit: AMPAS & WGA (valid 7-days a week). Please check newspaper circuit listing for location & showtimes. Theatre list subject to change.

6

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

The most amazing parts of this production were definitely the shoot days we had at a location I rented in Toluca Lake, which was the real Beverly Hillbillies’ mansion that the creator of “The Beverly Hillbillies” based his TV series on. I approached the owner and by the first day of production I had locked it in to be the main location for the climax of the movie.

We had the entire empty house that the windows had been removed from to create the showdown of Dahmer and Gacy where they go head to head and take on five ninjas and a super serial killer at the same time. I also had a creepy back room I filled with 200 ears of corn and 20 bales of hay to create a holding chamber for our super serial killer, played artfully by Ethan Phillips (Neelix on “Star Trek: Voyager”). Here we are in this historic mansion with a sick, twisted clone, surrounded by bales of hay, power eating raw corn in one room while a mad scientist is tied up and tortured by Jeffrey Dahmer in another room, and then in walks John Wayne Gacy in a full clown suit and makeup to fight a ton of ninjas in the living room. All in a day’s work, right?

In your own words, what is the movie about?

This movie is about the creative spirit of the individual filmmaker who is told all along the way he should try and deliver what Hollywood is making. Instead he decides that his best bet is to go the completely opposite direction and adhere to the original bizarre, creative lunacy he originally intended.

Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com

THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS & INSPIRED COMEDY IN YEARS.

“

FILMINTERVIEWS

FISH TANK

”

The Irish Charm of Michael Fassbender BY samantha ofole

Holly Horner

SHAWN EDWARDS, FOX-TV

Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank

FEW ACTORS HAVE QUITE THE SAME CHARM AND CHARACTER OF Michael Fassbender. The Irish heartthrob, who charmed his way into Hollywood in 300, certainly doesn’t need the luck of the Irish. With television and movie credits like Steven Spielberg’s “Band of Brothers,” the critically acclaimed movie Hunger and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, Fassbender has a great future in Hollywood.

Startlingly handsome, the Killarney native with theatrical roots in the United Kingdom became an overnight sensation in 2008’s Hunger when he played Irish Republican Army leader Bobby Sands, who died in the notorious Maze prison in Northern Ireland after a hunger strike. Snagging a British Independent Film Award among others, he showed further promise in Inglourious Basterds. In his latest role, however, his magnetic appeal is put to a discomfiting effect.

In the Andrea Arnold-directed drama Fish Tank, which won a Jury Prize at Cannes, Fassbender plays Connor, a strikingly handsome Irish charmer who promises to bring love and happiness to a single mum played by Kierston Wareing. Fassbender was initially thrown off balance by Arnold’s directing process, which includes casting mostly nonactors and withholding the script.

“When Andrea gave me the premise of the story, I was a bit nervous because I usually do a lot of prepping so when I get on set I am ready to go. So it was a bit disconcerting not to have the whole script to take a look at and form the character. But I got that she wanted to keep it fresh and right, so I put my trust in her,” he says.

Set on a decaying council estate in gritty Essex, England, Fish Tank offers a bleak, nihilistic look at life in Britain as seen through the trials of 15-year-old Mia (Katie Jarvis) and echoes similarities to Arnold’s debut project, Red Road.

Fish Tank releases in select theaters Jan. 15.

MICHAEL CERA

PORTIA DOUBLEDAY

ZACH GALIFIANAKIS

WITH

JUSTIN LONG

AND

STEVE BUSCEMI

www.YouthInRevolt-TheMovie.com

AND

RAY LIOTTA

ARTWORK ©2010 THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

THE FIRST GREAT COMEDY OF THE NEW YEAR IS NOW PLAYING!

WATCH THE RED BAND TRAILER AT YOUTHINREVOLT-THEMOVIE.COM

WEINSTEIN CO. CAMPUS CIRCLE WEDNESDAY: 1/13 ALL.YIR-A1.0113.CAM.PDF MR MR

4.875" X 5.9"

RT

RT

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

7

NEWS

FILM

MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS

DVD Dish Interviews Movie Reviews Projections Screen Shots Special Features TV Time

DVDDISH

PROJECTIONS

SPECIAL FEATURES

PROJECTIONS

BY MIKE SEBASTIAN

BY candice winters

Bill Paxton stars as a polygamous patriarch in Big Love: The Complete Third Season. The HBO drama follows Paxton as he juggles an expanding business, three competing wives and the federal government’s crackdown on polygamy. All while battling “The Prophet” (Harry Dean Stanton), a kind of Mormon mob boss. Chloë Sevigny and Jeanne Tripplehorn co-star.

Everyone’s favorite nerd/spy returns in Chuck: The Complete Second Season. The hour-long comedy follows a computer geek who inadvertently downloads government secrets into his brain. Now he finds himself in over his head as the nerdiest member of the CIA. All eight episodes of the unfortunately short-lived series “The Philanthropist” arrive in The Complete Series. James Purefoy (“Rome”) stars as a billionaire playboy who turns his life around to become a globetrotting do-gooder. Emmy award-winning producers Tom Fontana and Peter Horton (“Homicide,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) co-created the series.

Emmy winner Toni Collette stars as a woman suffering from multiple personalities in United States of Tara: The First Season. Co-created by Steven Spielberg and Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody, the show follows a wife and mother who at times believes herself to be a hard-drinking Vietnam vet, a crass teenager and a perfect ’50s housewife.

Also available: Glee, Season 1: Road to Sectionals

Stranger Than Fiction: Like The War Room, By The People: The Election of Barack Obama gives amazing access into the heart of a presidential campaign and the election of America’s first African-American president. Get behind the scenes footage of family, senior campaign staff and opponents.

Under the Radar: Armando Iannucci (“I’m Alan Partridge”) co-wrote and directed In The Loop, one of the sharpest political satires in some time. Set in the whirlwind land of high-stakes spin and wartime backroom dealings, the film belongs alongside Wag the Dog and Dr. Strangelove. James Gandolfini gives another engaging performance.

The King of B Movies, Roger Corman, was a oneman movie studio, giving many Hollywood legends their starts, from Jack Nicholson to Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. Best of the B*s Collection 1: Hot Bikes, Cool Cars & Bad Babes includes seven of Corman’s digitally remastered films: Naked Angels, Bury Me an Angel, The Fast and the Furious, T-Bird Gang, The Wild Ride, The Winner, and Angels Hard as They Come.

Spike Lee brings the Tony Award-nominated musical to the big screen in Passing Strange: The Movie. The semiautobiographical rock opera is based on singersongwriter Stew’s experiences leaving 1970’s Los Angeles to travel Europe in search of himself.

Rising festival circuit favorites the Zellner Brothers make their feature debut with Goliath, a quirky deadpan comedy about a divorcée at the end of his rope looking for his lost cat.

Also available: Stanley Tucci returns to the director’s chair for Blind Date, co-starring Patricia Clarkson.

Funny Business: Celebrity disher Kathy Griffin returns in her sixth Bravo stand-up special, She’ll Cut A Bitch. Griffin gives the inside dirt on Judge Judy, James Gandolfini, hosting the Emmys and her mom’s obsession with box wine.

Can you ever have too many Star Wars parodies? Not when the folks at “Family Guy” are behind them. They continue their full-length lampooning, taking on the Empire Strikes Back in Something Something Something Dark Side.

Also available: The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season, Post Grad

Made in Japan:

New anime available: Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century, Blassreiter: The Complete Series, Part 2, Baccano! The Complete Series, Dragonaut: The Resonance, Part 02, D. Gray-Man: Season Two, Part Two

Also Available:

Departures, 50 Dead Men Walking, Tom & Thomas, Staten Island

8

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

Vincent Gallo in Night of Pan

IRONICALLY, THE FESTIVAL FEATURED IN THIS WEEK’S INSTALLMENT OF Projections is also entitled Projections. Why should you make your way to this festival, curated by Aaron Rose (a filmmaker and artist), when there are numerous Golden Globenominated films you need to see before the award show? Because Jan. 16 is the North American premiere of Brian Butler’s short film, Night of Pan (7:30 p.m.).

Projections is a festival of rare and hard to see films. And that’s exactly what Butler’s is. Night of Pan, a seven and a half minute piece featuring auteur Kenneth Anger and actor Vincent Gallo, has been screened in Beijing, Lisbon, Cannes, Athens, Rome, Berlin and elsewhere. However, it has yet to be shown in Hollywood – the city where movies are born.

It isn’t just young and relatively inexperienced filmmakers who are being featured.

Spike Jonze has a short film that will be screened several times throughout the month.

Entitled We Were Once a Fairytale (2009), the short lasts a little over 14 minutes and inevitably revolves around the demise of a relationship.

Many of the films are brand new. However, in keeping with the tradition of the festival to show rare footage, some classics from decades past will make an appearance at Projections. Slow Motion, a 1980 feature film by Jean-Luc Godard, which lasts 85 minutes, was his first film with frequent collaborator Anne-Marie Mieville, who edited and cowrote it.

Even curator and organizer Rose has something to present. Become a Microscope: 90 Statements on Sister Corita is a 22-minute documentary shot on location at the campus of Immaculate Heart in Los Angeles. The film chronicles Sister Corita, a teacher and political activist whom Rose considers one of the most innovative pop artists of the 1960s.

Roberts & Tilton Gallery is located at 5801 Washington Blvd., Culver City. For more information, visit robertsandtilton.com.

FILMREVIEWS

Courtesy oif Image Entertainment

The Idiotbox:

Jan. 16-Feb. 20 @ Roberts & Tilton Gallery

Colin Diamond (Ray Winstone) is a husband out for revenge in 44 Inch Chest.

44 Inch Chest

(Image) In what is most certainly the most poorly named film since The Midnight Meat Train, 44 Inch Chest manages to have quite literally nothing to do with the film or subject matter at hand.

Ray Winstone plays Colin Diamond, a good-natured family man who is devastated to find out that his wife of over 20 years is cheating on him with a young waiter. Colin’s group of eccentric, foul-mouthed friends decides to kidnap the waiter to exact revenge.

Performances from Winstone and company are quite good. John Hurt’s Old Man Peanut character in particular has quite a few lines of vulgar, priceless dialogue, and Ian McShane could not have been cast better here.

The dialogue is at times hysterical and is generally extremely well written in a kind of Quentin Tarantino rhythm. Rest assured that those with gentle ears will be offended to high heavens due to the explicit nature of the British language. One particular four lettered word that starts with a “c “and ends with a “t” is uttered so many times I felt like I was drinking in a British pub.

So, we have good performances and great dialogue. The only thing that is missing is a bit of plot. Quite simply put, not a whole lot happens in this movie. The main character, Colin, spends so much time sulking in his misery that after a while it becomes excessive.

Are the British all this emo?

But overall, 44 Inch Chest is shot well, acted well and written admirably.

Grade: C —Zach Bourque 44 Inch Chest releases in select theaters Jan. 15.

WANT YOU TO BE THE FIRST TO SEE

ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN TWO PASSES TO THE WORLD PREMIERE THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 AT 7:00 PM IN HOLLYWOOD. REGISTER FOR THIS PREMIERE EVENT AT CAMPUSCIRCLE.COM/ SCREENING/LEGION THIS FILM IS RATED R. RESTRICTED. UNDER 17 REQUIRES ACCOMPANYING PARENT OR ADULT GUARDIAN. Please note: Passes are limited and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis while supplies last. No phone calls, please. Limit one pass per person. Each pass admits two.

Seating is not guaranteed. Arrive early. Theatre is not responsible for overbooking. This screening will be monitored for unauthorized recording. By attending, you agree not to bring any audio or video recording device into the theatre (audio recording devices for credentialed press excepted) and consent to a physical search of your belongings and person. Any attempted use of recording devices will result in immediate removal from the theatre, forfeiture, and may subject you to criminal and civil liability. Please allow additional time for heightened security. You can assist us by leaving all nonessential bags at home or in your vehicle.

I N T H E A T E R S J A N U A RY 2 2

Samuel Goldwyn Films & Campus Circle invite you to enter to win tickets for an advance screening of THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in West Hollywood.

Register for this screening event at: campuscircle.com/screening/YellowHandkerchief

Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com

Midnight Mayhem Screenings

SCREENSHOTS

SEQUELS BEGGING TO BE MADE

BY Zach hines

Jim Carrey's most memorable character thus far: Ace Ventura.

HOLLYWOOD IS SEQUEL CRAZY. AND THAT’S FINE, I HAPPEN TO LOVE sequels if they’re done right. Generally, if a movie does well or above well, a sequel is a sure thing. But sometimes a movie does do well, and curiously no sequel is fast tracked.

I think a sequel is most appropriate if the original lends itself to a serialized medium of storytelling. Some stories are meant to wrap up after one film, but some stories leave the door open for continuing adventures for the characters. The question is: Can the further adventures of this character or characters be just as, if not more, interesting than what we just saw? When a story creates a world that’s a blast to be in, I believe so. A while ago I wrote an article musing about some extremely unlikely sequels that would be awesome. Below I’ve picked out a few films that make all the sense in the world to sequelize. Hollywood needs to get off its ass and make these ASAP. Ace Ventura 3: You’re lying to yourself if you think you don’t want this. Ace Ventura is Jim Carrey’s most memorable character thus far. He owns it, and nobody can take it from him. It’s a character that nobody in his/her right mind would ever imagine trying to take over. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was one of the best slapstick comedies of the ’90s, and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls was definitely an awesome, worthy sequel. But if Sylvester Stallone gets to revisit Rocky and Rambo, Jim Carrey should revisit Ace. I guarantee that if Carrey revisited this character and the movie was good, it would be a huge hit. The danger, as with everything, is that if it were a hit, the studio might try to ride it until the wheels fell off, and if Carrey decided to cap it at three films (Three is plenty.), they might go and try to do it without him like what they tried to do with The Mask and Dumb and Dumber.

Beetle Juice 2: While Jim Carrey is revisiting Ace Ventura, let’s have Michael Keaton come back and revisit Beetle Juice. You’re full of shit if you don’t want this movie. Aside from his turn as Batman, Beetle Juice is definitely Keaton’s most memorable performance.

In addition to Keaton being fantastic in the title role, director Tim Burton created a fantastic world that I’m certain everyone would want to revisit. You could slice away all the supporting characters and have a brand new adventure with just Beetle Juice. When sequels are made to films that came out before the CGI revolution, the new special effects often take away from the magic of the original, but I think that modern special effects would be good for a character like Beetle Juice. Especially in the hands of a filmmaker like Burton, who would have to come back and direct the sequel or else the picture shouldn’t ever be made.

The Incredibles 2: One of Pixar’s best films and arguably one of the best animated films of all time, director Brad Bird’s satirical superhero action-adventure is a film that should get a sequel. I have all the respect in the world for Pixar. They are master storytellers and have figured out a process of making movies that works for them and everyone else. I have even more respect for them that they focus primarily on original material and don’t get sidetracked too often with sequels. That being said, The Incredibles was meant to be serialized. While the first film explored a world where superheroes had to go into hiding, the conclusion left the door wide open. At the climax of the story, superheroes are back with a vengeance and here to stay. Seeing the family free and able to operate openly as an official crime fighting unit would be different than the first film and just plain awesome.

Sin City 2: One of my favorite comic books, films and film adaptations of a comic book, Sin City is a beautifully crafted film. With its great use of green screen and fragmented story structure, this film helped prove that staying very close to the source material isn’t always a bad thing. When adapting a book or comic, writers are generally ordered to do a trim/hack/slash/rework job of the material to get it to fit into the formulaic mold of a Hollywood film. Instead of doing that, directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller turned the comic into a moving picture. I was into the comics of Sin City years before the movie was made, so I know how much more material there is set in that world that would also effectively translate to film. Rob, Frank … it’s about that time.

Send feedback to screenshots@campuscircle.net.

Friday, January 15th & Saturday, January 16th

Laemmle’s Sunset 5 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 90046

For more information, visit Laemmle.com Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

11

NEWS

FILM

MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS

CD Reviews Frequency Interviews Live Show Reviews Music Report Special Features

Jeremy & Claire Weiss

MUSICINTERVIEWS

OK Go: "If you make something awesome, people will find it."

OK GO

A Band for This Generation

BY M.M. ZONOOZY THIS IS NOT THE BAND WITH “THE TREADMILL VIDEO.” Well, OK, they were the band with the treadmill video. They were also the band that cut the rug in the backyard dance video, and the band that has a Wikipedia-described “unusual fashion sense.” But after listening to Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, the group’s new album, you’d be amiss to deny that OK Go is now much more than that.

Of the Blue Colour is released this month accompanied by a performance on “The Tonight Show” with Conan O’Brien and a European tour. The follow-up to the band’s 2005 release, Oh No, introduces a new funk rhythm to add to their repertoire of guitarbased albums. Departing from their previous sound, the band explores their 1980’s influences. Much of this new sound can be linked to their collaboration with producer, and former Mercury Rev member, David Fridmann – the man responsible for Flaming Lips albums and MGMT’s 2007 new wave Oracular Spectacular. With Fridmann, the band lived in a renovated Amish barn in upstate New York while recording Of the Blue Colour.

The product is a sound that the band likens to Prince and Led Zeppelin. Sitting down with Damian Kulash (lead vocals, guitar) and Tim Nordwind (bass, backup vocals), we discuss the “8 units of success” that they attribute to YouTube and the Internet.

“What’s been so great about the explosion of possibilities on the Internet is that you really don’t need to stick to a form,” explains Kulash. “We didn’t really even think of the backyard dancing video as a music video at first. It was just some crazy shit we made.”

Whether they anticipated it or not, people love the “crazy shit” that OK Go decides to film. The band has already premiered a psychedelic acid trip of a video for the lead single from the album, “WTF?” This month, the band will also release a filmed performance of the album’s second single, “This Too Shall Pass,” accompanied by the Notre Dame marching band. Naturally, the next installment of their never-ending do-it-yourself video collection involves NASA scientists.

“We’re sort of in a lucky position where we don’t have to make marketing tools out of videos,” explains Nordwind. “We can just make them for the sake of making something artful.”

The band jokes that they plan to release 408 videos for their new album. It wouldn’t be surprising, or in any way disappointing, if they did. The tracks on Of the Blue Colour, although dancey in sound, showcase a wealth of emotional songwriting that would be fantastic to see in video form. Influenced by the mindset of a band on a 31-month tour, songs like “In the Glass” blast lyrics, “Every day is the same, we’re praying for rain.”

But, like their infamous treadmill video for “Here It Goes Again,” videos for the new album will also adopt themselves to the viral world. For a band that doesn’t play by all the same rules, OK Go has found the perfect home online. There, they can escape the restrictions of “the MTV version of what a music video is.”

“There’s no reason the music video has to be as long as the song. You could use 15 seconds of it, or like it could be 10 minutes and the song just plays at the end,” explains Kulash. “As long as it’s interesting, that’s all that matters on the Internet.”

Interesting, honest and creatively driven, OK Go is a band for this generation. With Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, their third studio album, it wasn’t a question of if they would push their artistic envelope, it was a question of how. Not constrained by the laws of tradition, the band revels in following their natural arty fervor. After speaking to the instantly amiable Kulash and Nordwind, it’s easy to see that passion is what these dudes are all about.

“This sounds like an artist cliché, but it’s really true that the only things that ever work are the things that you actually believe in,” explains Kulash. “Like if you make something awesome, people will find it.”

People will find OK Go. Of the Blue Colour of the Sky is currently available. For more information, visit okgo.net.

12

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

Corner of Olympic and Fig at L.A. LIVE

ClubNokia.com

DON’T MISS IT! SCOTT SANDERS PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

FEATURIN G THE PLAYHOU SE GANG!

THE NEW STAGE SHOW

YOU’LL LOVE SO MUCH, YOU SHOULD

MARRY IT! $20 RUSH TICKETS AVAILABLE

NOW - FEBRUARY 7 800-745-3000 • TICKETMASTER.COM

Advance tickets for most shows are available to American Express cardmembers via www.ticketmaster.com Nokia is a registered trademark of NOKIA Corporation

campus circle FPFC • 1-13-10 •m • v1

NEWS

FILM

MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS

CD Reviews Frequency Interviews Live Show Reviews Music Report Special Features

FREQUENCY

MUSICREPORT

BY BRIEN OVERLY

BY KEVIN WIERZBICKI

LoveHateHero

It’s been almost exactly a year since Vampire Weekend dropped their highly successful self-titled debut, and now the band is back for another bite with Contra, released this week through XL Recordings. The new record finds the band experimenting with their sound a little bit, like on “I Think UR A Contra” where acoustic guitar is used for the first time on a VW recording, and on “California English” where Auto-Tune is employed.

Not all of the new sounds were planned, explains the band’s Rostam Batmanglij. “I started making ‘Diplomat’s Son’ in my living room. At one point my roommate walked in and turned on the kitchen faucet and you can hear it running behind the guitar solo.”

Vampire Weekend’s shows are the hottest tickets going right now; after selling out the Fonda here the guys went home to New York for several sold-out shows, and they have a string of dates in England in February that are also all sold out. Good news about a free listen to Contra though – KCRW.com is streaming the whole album now through Jan. 18.

Scary Kids Scaring Kids

Avenged Sevenfold Drummer Dies

Jan. 16 @ Chain Reaction While I’m very aware that a few select show entries over the past weeks of Frequencies might make me seem at times like a “hater,” as kids on the Internet call it these days, I want it to be known that such is not the case in reality. In fact, I am anything but.

That is why I’m entertaining the thought of being at this Scary Kids Scaring Kids show as they kick off their farewell tour before disbanding forever, as my own way of telling them thank you. Thank you for finally not making music anymore.

Clearly, “be a nicer columnist” was not one of my new year’s resolutions.

The drummer for Huntington Beach-based Avenged Sevenfold has died. James Owen Sullivan, known professionally as “The Rev,” was discovered in an unresponsive state in his home Dec. 28. Sullivan apparently died of natural causes, although at press time the Orange County Coroner’s Office was still investigating pending the result of toxicology tests.

The Sullivan family and the surviving members of Avenged Sevenfold posted short comments on the band’s MySpace page, Avenged Sevenfold saying in part, “Jimmy was not only one of the world’s best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Jimmy you are forever in our hearts.” Sullivan was 28 years old.

AA Bondy Jan. 16 @ The Echo This Alabama-bred singer-songwriter’s work is the perfect soundtrack to those long days working in the coalmines and for those long rides back to the ranch in an old pickup truck in the middle of a Midwest summer. Oh … so, you’ve never driven past the 310, and you earn a living via Twitter and MySpace usage, you say?

Well … maybe you won’t relate to Bondy’s work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still like it. I mean, I myself tend to be a bit wary of musicians and works that draw heavily from the definitive big Book o’ allegory, but even I was reeled in by Bondy’s acoustic guitar strumming southern twanged crooning.

Hockey Jan. 16 @ Spaceland Before I had ever listened to Portland natives Hockey, I couldn’t help but start to draw out how I envisioned them to be mentally. I pictured oversized vintage v-necks, Wayfarers, moccasins and lots of plaid to outfit the usual monotonous and attitude-y type of banal, low-fi and oh-so-ironic garage indie. Again, I had all but instinctively gathered this just from reading their name. I mean, come on, Hockey?

While I can say I was reasonably close on one account of my expectations, the other one I was pleasantly surprised in. Though there were indeed the predicted copious amounts of flannels of every color in the band’s photos and videos, the foursome’s music is significantly catchier than I would have previously given them credit for. Like, “blasting it in the car with the windows down despite it being the middle of winter because it’s my new official jam” catchy. At first, I was dumbfounded these boys weren’t from one of Manhattan’s hipster breeding neighborhoods or some such, but then it hit me that the giveaway is how completely unpretentious these guys are. They’re just fun. They sound like they’re having fun on the recording of their new album, Mind Chaos. That’s how you know they’re worthwhile.

For some indie rock you can shamelessly dance to without worry of how it looks to those around you, these are your guys. And if you’re not still singing the chorus to “Learn to Lose,” “Song Away” or “Too Fake” a day after hearing the songs for the first time, you might need to consult a doctor for potential hearing impairment. No joke.

14

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

Søren Solkær Starbird

Jan. 15 @ Chain Reaction Jan. 16 @ Cobalt Cafe Some things in my past, I won’t even bother trying to conceal. For example, dig around various social networking sites and it’s no secret that I went through the cliché L.A. scenester kid phase like everyone else who was into punk rock five years ago. Then I discovered grownup music where the frontmen sounded like they had completed their pubescence and didn’t need facial piercings to prove it.

But at the same time, I am always a sucker for clap-along drum beats, big-and-epic guitar shredding and infectious sing-along choruses, all of which these local boys do deliver on. Though looking at them reminds me very un-fondly of my unfortunate days hanging out LoveHateHero: Rock like it's 2005. at Club Moscow before I was old enough to drink, I do have to give credit where it’s due.

The fivesome have matured quite a bit in the two years leading up to the release of this year’s America Underwater to have a more distinctive sound and be a promising band in a sometimes unpromising pack. Given that, I think I can forego propriety and rock like it’s 2005 again, for one night at least.

Vampire Weekend are back for another bite with Contra.

Vampire Weekend: Contra

Rock the Roxy Video Contest The Roxy Theatre and D’Addario have teamed up to hunt for hot bands with a competition called the Rock the Roxy YouTube Video Contest. Musicians everywhere can enter by posting their video at YouTube; entries must be less than three minutes in length, show the band “rocking out” and be submitted as a video response. The top 50 bands with the most video views by Feb. 9 win prize packages from D’Addario and move on to the semifinals.

The winning band will perform at Austin Rox (airfare and lodging for up to five band members is included) as well as take home a prize of $500 cash and gear from Zildjian, Tama, Ibanez, Marshall, Vox, Guitar World and Korg. A one-year endorsement deal with D’Addario, Evans and Planet Waves, worth $5000, also goes to the big winner. Find all the details at rocktheroxy.com.

BOMP! 2 – Born in the Garage If you wanted to keep up with the garage music scene in the ’70s your best bet was to grab copies of the Bomp! or Who Put the Bomp! fanzines put together by Greg Shaw.

Now hundreds of the best pieces published in the zines, written by scribes like Dave Marsh, Lester Bangs, Lenny Kaye, Phast Phreddie and Shaw have been compiled in the new coffee table-style book Bomp! 2 – Born in the Garage.

Everything from surf to psychedelic, Mexican punk to British R&B and Dutch rock to pirate radio is covered in the tome. If it started underground between 1971-81, it’s touched on here. There’s also lots of ink for important bands from earlier days like the Seeds, the Standells, the Knickerbockers and the Shangri-Las, plus informative chapters dedicated to the British Invasion, early garage scenes in places like Michigan, Boston and the Bay Area and even an essay on weird Beatles novelties.

Citay: Dream Get Together San Francisco-based Citay are about to release their new one, Dream Get Together.

The third batch of psych-rock from the cosmic wanderers drops Jan. 26 on the Dead Oceans label, and Citay will shortly thereafter find themselves in our city, playing the new material at an Echoplex show Jan. 28.

FILM

roCK idolsEVENTS wantedDVD (singers & musicians) www.uwant2Bearockstar.com MUSIC CULTURE GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS

CD Reviews Frequency Interviews L.A. Underground Live Show Reviews Music Report

ONTHEMENU CDREVIEWS

MARIX TEX MEX Lackthereof

A Retrospective 1998-2008 or I was a Christian Emo Twentysomething 1108 N. Flores St., West Hollywood (Barsuk) you’ve heard Menomena, aware of what can happen when phenomenal 118If Entrada Drive, Santayou’re Monica creative forces are pooled into a collective whirlwind. Recent solo releases such as this Lackthereof retrospective demonstrate that the parts are equal to the whole in this case.

On this release, Menomena drummer-singer-composer Danny Seim chronicles 10 years of sonic experiments that he originally gave out only in CDR format to friends. if you’vE craving soME to authEntic Seim allows his compositions flow organically in unexpected directions, resulting Tex-Mex, then head over to Marix Tex Mex. From in dream-like, occasionally nightmarish soundscapes.

Electronica merges with acoustic chile con queso to chile con carne and everything folk, washes of static noise collide with howling incoherent vox. Indeed Seim’s vocals in between, including Tex-Mexon seafood, range from eclectic chipmunk acid to burritos, scratchy folk to sarcastic rap. His quirky sense of enchiladas andthrough more, they’re all here. humor shines on tracks like “Tongues O’ Fire” and “Safely In Jail.”

Sometimes Los Angeles youofseem to pay with a critical sense of irony that will Seim’s lyricsintouch on themes Christianity more ambience trendiness instead secular of appealfor to believers andoratheists alike. Tackling topics, his prose flows much like a actual Well,derailed. not at Marix. portions are train offood. thought But it’sThe an interesting journey! very generous, so be prepared to take a doggy bag Grade: B+ —Natasha Desianto home.

A Retrospective 1998-2008 is currently available.

To top it off, there’s, of course, vanilla bean flan.

TheLegend highly decadent “sizzling” apple pie Urban with caramel brandy sauce will satisfy any sweet tooth.

Tropical Techniques There are 15 domestic and imported beers to choose from, as well as a handful of (Blind Lemon) wines.

But Urban if you’re eating Tropical Tex-Mex,Techniques do you really want wine?

Wow. Legend’s is definitely a must-purchase album. It is Get in the fiesta spirit with their signature margaritas. the traditional such a unique, yet thrilling piece of music, although it only Choose includesfrom six songs. and Right fruit margaritas as well as one moregets exotic flavors like feeling Mojito,from Bloody Maria and the from the beginning, an exhilarating “The World Keeps Z-Rita, which is low and low forfor those us wanting to imbibe sensibly.brilliant In fact, Spinning.”

Chana is cal featured on carb vocals this of Spanglish upbeat track. Another any hand-shaken margarita canAround be ordered “Z-Style,” whichisisperformed low cal, low moment comes with “Running in my Head,” which bycarb.

Debi Nova.

If you have aiscase of the “Mondays,” Monday Madness offering $3 Urban Legend composed of J-Radicalthere and is Kool Kojak.Margarita J-Radical’s true name is Jared margaritas.

Tuesdays” enjoy all-you-can-eat carnitas and veggie Faber, whoOn is “Taco a multi-instrumentalist and native ofbeef, Newchicken, York. On the other hand, tacos only $7.95.

From 4 p.m.and to 7playing p.m., Monday Friday, takefor advantage of Kool for Kojak spent time working in Brazil;through he is best known co-writing/ happy hour prices on select drinks and appetizers. producing Flo Rida’s “Right Round.”

Grade: A+ —Marvin G. Vasquez For more Techniques information,is call (323) available.

848 -2458 or (310) 459-8596 or visit marixtexmex.com.

Tropical currently

BY FREDERICK MINTCHELL

ANTONIO’S

LIVESHOWREVIEWS

‘DIA DE LOS MUERTOS’ CELEBRATION!

Antonio’s will have its annual Day of the Dead celebration with a special menu.

Royal Crown Revue

Vintage Fashion Expo Oct. 17-18

David Tobin

NEWS

There will also be info cards given Jan. 6 @special The Mint out with treats and goodies, as With fulleveryone and the floor freshly polished, the Mint welcomed its latest well as themartini display glasses altar for band to its stage, to Royal see! Crown Revue (RCR). This classic swingin’ band got its fame from

their work on The Mask soundtrack, featuring Jim Carrey bouncing around to their hit

Students Free on Sunday

“Hey Pachuco.”

It song, is a tradition to celebrate your loved ones andtime remember.

What better This around the band isn’t doing a one-off. RCR is playing every Wednesday way at Antonio’s? menu nightthan in January, so youThe have a fewis chances to get your swing dancing skills in line to Chicken Mole, Chicken shred theinfloor with the restinofPipian the guys and dolls. sauce, and Enchiladas en the Mole.

The band barely fits on intimate stage at the club, but their sound doesn’t come

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium

off as you might imagine in a crowded space. The horns fit nicely against the bass and celebration is from guitar.The In the percussion department, the drums stay in the pocket and drive the song October 31 ’til November 2. without blasting your eardrums out like other small venues.

Vocally this show has everything you could want. A swingin’ frontman to lead the band, ripped right out of New York City circa 1930, keeps the show rolling and even gets a little support from some female vocal talent throughout the night.

By the time the first set is done you can’t wait for more. The cheap drinks make the dancing easy and the night fly right by. The Mint scored big time by landing Royal Crown Revue for this limited residency for the start to a great year.

For those of you that are a bit shy when it comes to shaking your tails, don’t worry.

There are plenty of seats so you can watch the show and the friendly vibe will encourage Melrose Avenue you to 7470 do more than tap your feet if you want to cut a rug. So grab the crew and head Tues-Fri: 11 a.m.-11 down to the Mint and enjoyp.m., some truly great music that is money, baby, money.

Sat: noon-11 p.m., Sun: noon-10 p.m., —David Tobin

Main St. at Pico

$10

$2 off Reg Adm with this ad

Sat 10:30-6, Sun 11-5 Early Buy Sat: 9-10:30 $20 707-793-0773 www.vintageexpo.com CC

closed Mondays

THEARTOFLOVE

Q&A

BY LUCIA Lucia

I’ve been dating a guy for over two years. We were really close, but then I began to question the next steps in our relationship. Now he doesn’t call me as much, and I am not sure how to get things back like they were. Lately he says he is busy, which I know is not true.

He says that he does want to marry me, but now is not the right time with work and medical bills. I just want him emotionally back with me. How do I fix this?

—Ann Hi Ann, We’ve just entered the second decade of the century, but most women are still dating CATCH MAYDAY PARADE LIVE ON TOUR: as if it’s 1950. Dating a guy for two years no @ longer things will automatically 10/13 The means Dome that - Bakersfield, CA progress to the next level. It’s only natural that you would want to whereCA things are 10/14 @ The Avalon - Losknow Angeles, going, and it’s only natural that if he doesn’t want to go anywhere, he willCA back off.

10/15 @ Thethem Glass House - Pomona, 10/16 ThetoHouse of Blues - San CA While he is entitled to take as long as he @ wants make up his mind, youDiego, are entitled to not have to continue putting your eggs into one basket. If, after two years he’s still not PARADE “ANYWHERE BUT ready to propose, you need to take MAYDAY back the most important thing a woman canHERE” give to a Mayday Parade uses their cunning lyrics and upbeat man in the 21st century – your exclusivity. melodies to catch the attention of audiences in all Tell him that he can take as long as he wants, he just can’t have you exclusively while genres. Their edgy take on the classic alt rock genre he’s doing it. Yes, I’m telling you tohas date othertheir men.music You don’t need sleep with them, taken above andtobeyond where any however, you may meet someone who is band on thehas same page as you. rising ever been before. Anywhere But Here I know this is a new way of looking things, but ask best yourself this: I want to beand a is by atfar the band’s body of Do work to date will surelyalready launchput theinband into as mainstream stardom. girlfriend or do I want to be a wife?

You’ve two years a girlfriend.

How much more time are you willing to wait hoping that you’ll be “promoted” to wife? I'm sure your guy won't be too happy about this, but if he really wants you, then he needs to “put a ring on it” before someone else does!

Write to Lucia at theartoflove.net. Read an excerpt from Lucia’s Lessons of Love at lessonsoflove.net. Listen to Lucia live every Sunday at 3 p.m. PST on latalkradio.com.

Remember: Love inspires, empowers, uplifts and enlightens.

AT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD BEST BUY

16

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

Campus Circle 10.07.09 - 10.13.09

31

Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com Campus Circle > Culture > College Central

Gerry Melendez/The State/MCT

COLLEGECENTRAL

Micah Greenberg, a USC student, started Dormbikes.com to ease the financial strain of costly bikes.

OUT OF SITE 10 Internet Hot Spots for Coeds

BY Candice winters I THINK IT WAS KERMIT THE FROG WHO SAID, “IT isn’t easy being green.” Well you know what? It isn’t much easier being a college student in this economy either. Not only do we have our parents on our back about applying for financial aid and limiting our spending, but they also expect us to get good grades, find an internship and, at the same time, enjoy the best few years of our lives.

Talk about pressure.

And to complicate things, we still have to figure out what we want to do with the rest of our lives. Some of us will prolong the inevitable by going on to grad school, law school, med school … basically any other type of school that will give us a reason not to enter the real world just yet.

For now, while you are trying to figure things out, here are some handy-dandy sites that will make your life just a little easier so that you can have your social life, pay the bills and pass your classes, too.

TextbookRenter.com: It feels like thousands of our hard-earned dollars go toward books every year. What the bookstore charges is almost highway robbery, especially when you consider the fact that they buy back your pristine textbook for a quarter of the price!

So don’t donate to the bookstore’s bank account this time. Go green and rent the books you won’t end up keeping anyways. Because you have to send it back at the end of the quarter or semester, you only pay a small price to use the book. You save all at once upfront, often 80% or more off the new book price.

TextbookRenter.com makes the process even easier by

comparing the rental prices from several sites like Chegg. com, CampusBookRentals.com and eCampus.com, to name a few. Books are shipped to your doorstep, and prices are sure to be the lowest in town. eNotes.com: I think it’s fair to assume that nearly everyone, at one point in his or her career as a student, has relied on SparkNotes to get through a nasty English paper or critical reading exam. I definitely did not completely understand James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man all by myself.

Now, there is a site that combines elements of traditional SparkNotes with interactive media. eNotes.com provides detailed explanations and document exchanges for literature and other texts. It also has expanded its Q & A section that allows visitors to ask and answer questions posted by fellow students. If you’re stuck on that indecipherable Homer passage, finding help is just a click away.

Easybib.com: It is presumably the easiest part of any paper. Creating the bibliography or works cited page is just a matter of collecting data and organizing it alphabetically in a separate document. But who actually remembers the correct MLA format for a book as opposed to a journal entry as opposed to a newspaper article, et cetera, et cetera.

Don’t bother memorizing anything. Easybib.com allows you to plug in all the information you have about the work you are citing, and it is all done for you.

Zoho.com: Not all of us are as media savvy as we would like to be. Though programs are becoming more and more self-explanatory, sometimes they still don’t come to us as easily as they should. The worst is when your professor requires a media element to your paper or presentation, and you can’t seem to weed through the software.

A new site called Zoho.com can help you create powerful presentations by using pre-built themes coupled with features like drag-and-drop, making it an easy-to-use application. The site offers help in making PowerPoints, shared documents, graphs, spreadsheets, online invoicing and project collaboration presentations.

Dormbuys.com: For those of us who don’t like sifting through sheets at Linens ’n Things or perusing shower

caddies at Bed Bath & Beyond, Dormbuys.com has done all that for us. Anything and everything you ever thought you might need while away from home is available via the site’s search engine.

Bedding, shower equipment, electronics, laundry supplies, space savers and furniture are reasonably priced and can be found from the comfort of your generic, dorm desk.

Dormbikes.com: Elementary school was all about learning how to ride a bike. Middle school required your mom driving you places to hang out with friends. High school saw the advent of the car (and being able to drive said car). Now that we’re back in college, we’ve regressed back to our younger years because the bicycle is the easiest form of transportation at a school that gives out overpriced oncampus parking tickets.

However, bikes are not as cheap as the little pink one you used to ride around the neighborhood. A beach cruiser can cost upwards of $400! That’s why a college student at USC has developed a new way for his peers to get cheap, reliable bikes. Dormbikes.com allows users to view pictures of bikes in stock, which are customized by color and type. They are even shipped to your dorm, apartment, fraternity or sorority house. Dormbikes.com is limited to the USC community.

However, the more business the company gets, the more likely it will be able to serve Los Angeles County at large.

Momondo.com: Many lucky college kids these days are taking one of their eight semesters and studying away from the four-year institution that has served their educational needs thus far. But you don’t study abroad for the general psych class in London or art history class in Florence. You go because you want to spend St. Patty’s Day in a Dublin bar or Bastille Day in Paris.

Apart from learning the native language and eating as much delicious food as you can, travel is a priority.

Momondo.com is a Web site that lists every flight you could possibly take on any given day throughout Europe. It helps you find the cheapest flights wherever you want to go so that you can avoid such tedious web surfing and enjoy your semester across the pond.

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

17

NEWS

FILM

MUSIC

CULTURE

EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS Art Books Fashion Food Fun For Less Gaming Special Features Theater Travel

SPECIALFEATURES

David Tobin

Campus Circle > Culture > Special Features

Paul Reubens plays Pee-wee Herman.

‘THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW’

Paul Reubens returns to the playhouse.

BY DAVID TOBIN DURING THE 1980s, TV GOT A FRESH TAKE ON A children’s morning show led by a man in a grey suit with an army of puppets and future celebrities. After seeing the huge success of the Tim Burton-directed Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, CBS decided to give Paul Reubens his own series in 1986.

“Pee-wee’s Playhouse” took audiences by storm and garnered 22 Emmy Awards during its five-year run.

But before the big screen and all of the Emmys, creator Reubens was hard at work with his live version of the playhouse that revolved around a character that came from an acting exercise.

“Pee-wee began as a character in a sketch at the Groundlings in Hollywood,” Reubens comments. “We were doing a fictional skit about a club like the Improv, and we had to play different stand-up comics. I decided to be a comic that never made it. And Pee-wee came out of that.”

18

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

With a new character getting a lot of attention from his peers, Reubens developed a world around the man known as Pee-wee Herman. Taking the stage at the Roxy Theatre in 1981, Reubens integrated puppets and actors into a show that got everyone’s attention.

“I couldn’t have predicted all of the attention. This show was a midnight show that had some adult material that was

“I’ve always wanted to make a movie about ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse,’ and this was the best way to test it out.” designed so that if they laughed at it, I didn’t teach it to them, but if they didn’t, then it went over their head,” he says.

It certainly didn’t go over the head of Warner Bros., who quickly offered Reubens the chance to bring the playhouse to life on screen. From here, he took the character and moved him right into our living rooms with the hit Saturday morning TV show.

As for the live show taking over the stage at Club Nokia from Jan. 12 to Feb. 7, which version will audiences get: the toned-down kids’ show that ruled Saturday mornings for much of the ’80s or the late-night Hollywood cult classic?

Reubens gives a little insight into what audiences will see: “I didn’t think of it that I had a kids’ show to do. I wanted to

do a more adult show, but that kids could enjoy it. Halfway through making this I realized that you can’t control who’s going to come to it. I’m trying to split the difference, and that’s tough.”

And if shaping the right script was tough enough Reubens will be on stage with puppets most of the time, not actors.

“Currently, I’m rehearsing my scene with Globie using a beach ball. If something doesn’t go right, I don’t have anyone to improvise with, just puppets,” he shares.

Reubens goes on to compare the current live show with his television show.

“It’s very technically ambitious. When we did the Saturday morning show it took 10 days to shoot a 24-minute episode. Now it’s over 80 minutes, and it happens in real time.

We’ve never done this before. There’s a plot, sets, costumes, lots of costumes. It’s a play,” he says.

The billing for this theatrical event may only total four weeks, but be advised that this is just the beginning.

Reubens shares, “I’m bringing it back because I want to make a movie. I’ve always wanted to make a movie about ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse,’ and this was the best way to test it out.”

Reubens adds that he doesn’t want to take the live show further, but there are already offers coming in from Broadway to Australia. Wherever Pee-wee’s next adventure may take him, he will always be in our hearts and also newly adored by those that are now seeing him for the first time.

The opportunity to see an artist go back to his roots and bring his signature creation to life is a treat all its own. The kid that never grew up is about to remind Los Angeles what fun is all about.

“The Pee-wee Herman Show” runs through Feb. 7 at Club Nokia. For more information, visit peewee.com.

Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com ONTHEMENU

THE SIX

10668 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles BY jessica kOslow ON PICO BOULEVARD JUST NORTH of Overland Avenue, it’s out with Jack Sprat’s Grille and in with the Six, the brainchild of two Venice High alums, Devin Klein and Jake One of the best parts of the Six, besides the food, is its location.

King, and Malibu native Will Karges.

Though Klein is a first-time restaurateur, Karges has had successful runs with Jones Hollywood and Johnny’s Pizza and King with Rix, El Dorado and Drake’s Venice.

The revamped eatery adjacent to the Westside Pavilion is already receiving a booming word of mouth business in the month since its soft open. With its spacey high ceiling, artful sconces, vintage wooden bar, recycled wine crates and Edison light bulbs hanging from iron pot racks built from scratch, the rustic atmosphere whisks eaters away from bustling Pico Boulevard.

But it’s the food that will have you praising the new owners. Headed by 24-year-old Executive Chef David Gussin, this is the young epicurean’s first go-round as top chef. He’s offering quite a diverse selection of bites, from a Fried Chicken with Honey Hot Sauce Sandwich and Sesame Crusted Albacore Salad to pizzettes and flatbreads and, of course, hearty entrées.

While not one item on the menu looks skippable, I can only speak of what I tried.

Starting with the Beet Panzanella, which, like many of their dishes, is brought out on a wooden board, this appetizer consists of small groupings of fig, ricotta, bacon and arugula scrumptiously arranged together and sprinkled with a Sherry almond vinaigrette. As you’ll see, the tapas-style portions make trying many dishes mandatory.

The Prince Edward Island Mussels sit in a chorizo broth, and although a small offering of bread is allocated, you’ll want to ask for more, as not one ounce of the broth should go undipped. The shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with roasted almond and satsuma (like a mandarin orange) topped with a warm, spiced cider vinaigrette adds a nice infusion of veggies to prepare you for the pizzettes and flatbreads to come.

On that front, we tried the Fennel Sausage Pizzette with caramelized onions and mozzarella, with a light, perfectly crisp crust. The flatbreads are more adventurous, and definitely recommended for those searching for something out of the ordinary. The Potato Rosemary with garlic tapenade and fontina cheese bursts with flavor that’s tapered by the smooth taste of potato, while the grilled Kabocha Squash with brown butter, crispy sage and mozzarella isn’t comparable to anything you’ve ever eaten before.

Hopefully, after trying a few starters, you’ve saved room for the main courses – because the savory surprises never end.

The Potato Chip Crusted Salmon with leek soubise, confit Meyer lemon and caramelized cauliflower is light on your stomach and heavy on taste.

Then there’s the Pastrami Spiced Prime NY Steak with caraway spaetzle, freshly made sauerkraut and roasted beef jus. As the chef describes it, it’s his take on a Pastrami Reuben.

The idea behind the catchy name, the Six, was sparked from a sextet of artists in 1920s NorCal that represented a cozy clique and out of the box thinking. At a cabin called the Chow House, they would engage in lively discussion and indulge in savory homemade meals, wines and handcrafted brews. The concept leaks into the décor, with the owners’ top six actors represented on their sconces, to the menu, with six specialty ales on tap. In the future, the guys hope to make “The Six” interactive with their customers, letting them debate who “The Six” are.

Not only is the restaurant seducing old and new clientele but the petite bar area is packed with a hipster chic crowd. “Wine Wednesdays” occurs weekly with wine by the glass starting at $5 and complimentary flatbreads. It is oftentimes hosted by guest wineries.

The Six also caters, offering a mobile pizza oven for private parties and events, and for take-out, the 6-Pack, an adult version of a “Happy Meal” or bento box. Soon local artists will compete to have their artwork displayed on the pizza boxes and 6-Packs.

Now open for lunch and dinner, there is free parking after 6 p.m. at the Citibank parking lot behind the restaurant. They offer a $6 corkage fee and reservations can be made for parties of six or more.

One of the best parts about the Six, besides the food, chef, friendly owners and atmosphere, is its location. After a lavish meal you can roll yourself down the street to the Landmark and take in a recent release, or stumble into Barnes & Noble or the Westside Pavilion for a mini – or major – shopping spree.

For more information, call (310) 837-6662 or visit thesixrestaurant.com.

the

Best Mexican Food in town!

HappyTuesHour until Closing

Mon-Fri 3-8pm

2414 S. Vermont Ave. L.A. 323.735.6567 Food To Go

CAMPUS CIRCLE READERS USE THIS COUPON TO GET:

LARGE PEPPERONI for $7.99

OFFER GOOD AT THESE LOCATIONS:

Agoura Hills (818) 707-2121 • Burbank (818) 843-8550 Camarillo (805) 389-4700 • Culver City (323) 296-1543 Encino (818) 990-8820 • Glendale (818) 247-1946 Granada Hills (818) 831-1245 • Hollywood (323) 467-5791 Huntington Beach (714) 964-5926 • Koreatown (213) 386-6884 Mar Vista (310) 398-0180 • North Hills (818) 893-8444 North Hollywood (818) 766-7184 • Pacoima (818) 890-5515 Palmdale (661) 947-4545 • Pasadena (626) 577-1723 Saugus (661) 259-3895 • Simi Valley (805) 522-2586 Thousand Oaks • (805) 493-2800 • Torrance (310) 792-4604 Van Nuys (818) 786-3204 • West Hills (818) 999-0880 Wilshire/Highland (323) 939-7661 • Winnetka (818) 700-0509

www.numerounopizzaco.com Must present coupon when ordering. Only one coupon per order, per customer.

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

19

FILM

MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS

Baseball Basketball Football Hockey Soccer The Sports Wanderer

L.A.HOOPLA Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/MCT

THESPORTSWANDERER

Pete Carroll heads to Seattle to coach the Seahawks.

CARROLL ESCAPES TO SEATTLE BY parimal m. rohit AS THE USC MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM TRAVELS ACROSS TOWN TO face UCLA in Westwood this Saturday, they will find themselves in unusual company.

Only days after the Trojans vacated victories in its 2007-08 basketball season, the school’s football program now faces the prospect of sharing a similar fate with its string of national and conference titles won just a few years ago. For the first time in forever, both the USC basketball and football programs will be commiserating together in the lonely throes of college athletics’ detention halls.

On Sunday evening, the Los Angeles Times reported that USC head football coach Pete Carroll officially submitted his resignation to school athletic director Michael Garrett.

Perhaps aware that something really bad is about to go down, Carroll decided it was time to get the heck out of Dodge before the Trojan empire he worked so hard to build came crashing back down to the ground at the snap of a finger.

Carroll leaves USC after spending the past nine years making football relevant in Los Angeles and allowing the city to forget the NFL ever existed. Now, he is going to be sleepless in Seattle as he tries to make football relevant again in the Pacific Northwest.

As Carroll is reportedly accepting the head coaching position with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, the timing of Pretty Boy Pete’s departure is oddly on the heels of the school’s basketball team suffering sanctions in relation to recruiting violations surrounding O.J. Mayo. It would be fair to say, in light of what has transpired with the school’s basketball program, Carroll saw the writing on the wall. Ultimately, Carroll had to make this move now to save his career.

If the NCAA persists in its probe into USC Athletics and discovers the alleged recruiting anomalies surrounding Carroll’s tenure in University Park to be true, he might as well take a suitcase full of millions of dollars and throw it into a raging fire – a few moments before he tosses his coaching career into the inferno. Worse yet, had he resigned amidst the NCAA’s hammer coming down hard upon USC, Carroll would be tossed out of Los Angeles with ultimate embarrassment and humiliation.

With the football program potentially losing its national and conference titles, Carroll did what was best for him in cashing in on his collegiate “success” while he still could – before the wrath of the NCAA suffocated him beyond repair. Now, with Carroll on his way to Seattle, he will ensure his professional survival.

Should the NCAA indeed discover recruiting violations during his tenure, Carroll will not suffer much collateral damage, as the ink is already dry on his new deal in Seattle. He basically set himself up to suffer no worse than a slap on the wrist. By making this move, Carroll will still make his millions and preserve all of his potential coaching options in the future – including calling it a career on his own terms.

The bigger picture is what happens to USC Athletics. Will Southern Cal ever recover from this?

When the handicap parking scandal hit the UCLA football team in 1998, the program never recovered. That year, the Bruins fell from their perch atop the first-ever BCS rankings to mediocrity in an instant, only to stay at that level for more than a decade now.

If Carroll’s departure is a hint of worse things to come, Southern Cal’s fall will be much harder – almost Trojan Horse-like. Of course, the worst may never happen, and ideally this is just Carroll moving on and pursuing other opportunities – which he has a right to do.

Yet, if this really is a hint of worse things to come and the NCAA does indeed discover misdeeds during Carroll’s tenure, then not only will everything the student body and alumni held sacred be thrown out the door, but the faith and trust Trojan Athletics spent generations building will be tainted and violated for years to come.

Even worse, with sanctions hitting the two most revenue-driven sports in college athletics, the repercussions of locking down on USC basketball and football will be devastating – loss of scholarships, recruits, reputation, respect and goodwill. The situation would be darn near irreparable. If the events to transpire after Carroll’s departure only get worse, this could be the dawn of a new era – the mediocrity of USC Athletics.

20

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

CAN THE LAKE SHOW STAY HEALTHY?

BY Marvin g. vasquez AS OF NOW, THE LOS ANGELES Lakers continue to be the best basketball team in the NBA. Their 29-8 record is the Laker forward Pau Gasol most prominent mark among all squads.

And the Lakers still have the best player in Kobe Bryant. The question is whether the unit can remain healthy. Pau Gasol’s latest left hamstring injury, which he suffered Jan. 3 versus the Dallas Mavericks, has been a huge blow to the team’s size advantage over opponents.

More important, in Gasol’s current inability to play, the Lakers have lost scoring production from arguably one of the best power forwards in the game. Before his injury, Gasol was averaging an impressive 16.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

This is quite the integral loss for the group in terms of production.

Earlier in the season, Gasol did not play in the first 11 contests due to a strained right hamstring. The Lakers went on to produce an 8-3 record, but they could have easily been undefeated had the Spanish athlete played.

Thus far, Los Angeles is 2-2 without Gasol in the lineup after his latest physical setback. One victory came against the visiting Houston Rockets on Jan. 5 (88-79) and the other over the Milwaukee Bucks Sunday by a score of 95-77.

However, their two losses were on the road. On Jan. 6, the Clippers ousted the purple and gold convincingly (102-91); they currently hold bragging rights for the city. The Lakers then went on to suffer a punishing loss against the Trail Blazers in Portland. The home squad punched their way to a 107-98 triumph.

Again, Gasol did not play in both games, and his presence was evidently missed defensively and offensively. The fact of the matter is that with Gasol in the starting rotation, the Lakers are a championship caliber team, especially because Lamar Odom comes off the bench.

When Gasol is not present, Odom has been inserted into a starting role as a power forward. He has performed well, but Odom is no Gasol, nor vice versa. In fact, the essential point to recognize in the matter is that the Lakers are better off with Gasol as a starter and Odom as a bench player. Los Angeles has more depth with this system, and the team easily accomplishes specific tasks and earns more wins as well.

Against the Houston Rockets earlier this month, the Lakers gained a victory, but it was no easy task. Gasol was out. Odom was ill because of gastroenteritis (stomach flu).

Bryant’s finger was hurting, and he was slightly below his usual game that night.

Bryant shot 9-of-23 from the field for 22 points and committed four turnovers.

“My finger was horrible, horrible,” Bryant told the press.

He went on to say that his constant movements with his left hand were a necessity for him because of the pain he experienced, but he battled through it as he has in the past with other injuries. Nonetheless, others stepped up their game, and Odom was one of those individuals. Odom scored 17 points, accumulated 19 rebounds and dished out nine assists; he finished one dime shy of his 13th career triple-double. Center Andrew Bynum flourished in the affair, too, having contributed 24 points and eight boards.

Bynum did not take all the credit in the win though.

“That was a monster game by him,” Bynum told the press, speaking about Odom.

Head coach Phil Jackson was quite proud of Odom’s effort against the Rockets since his production was terrific.

“The guy that was unable to practice yesterday [Jan. 4] and was pretty sick was the guy that was the star in the game,” Jackson told the press. “[Odom] knew we were at a deficit tonight without Pau [Gasol].”

Other players who at times have not played because of an injury include forwards Ron Artest (concussion) and Luke Walton (back). Artest is now back in the starting lineup, but Walton has not played a single second since Nov. 13 in Denver when the Lakers lost to the Nuggets 105-79. During this game, Walton aggravated his back and is slowly but surely recuperating while in physical rehab.

After finishing a two-game road trip in Texas (22-13 San Antonio Spurs and 25-12 Dallas Mavericks), the Lakers host two games (17-18 Clippers and 25-12 Orland Magic) before embarking on a long and difficult eight-game East Coast road trip. It includes games at 29-10 Cleveland and 26-9 Boston.

All stats as of Jan. 11.

Gary W. Green/ORlando Sentinel/MCT

NEWS

GAMES&GADGETS

CENTERICE

SHONEN JUMP INTO 2010

DUCKS BREAK EVEN, KINGS TRY TO BREAK FREEFALL

Anime generations clash.

BY JONATHAN KNELL LAST YEAR WAS AMAZING FOR “Dragon Ball: Raging Blast” shows how gaming, and the schedule of games much the game franchise has grown. in just the first quarter of 2010 is overwhelming. With all of these amazingly well crafted, morally-ambiguous titles, you may want to ease into the new gaming year with some games that emphasize quick fighting action and pretty colors. In other words, you need an anime game. Anime – for those of you who have enough of a life to have avoided it – is the general term for Japanese animation.

This last winter saw a slew of games centering around Dragon Ball (the classic anime saga) and Naruto (the new ninja kid on the block). Both of these series feature intense martial arts battles between good and evil, offering simple storylines for younger readers and intense action for older fans.

Needless to say, they should both be well suited to video games, but this doesn’t always work out as well as it should. Here is a quick guide to help you find the right quick fix of cartoon violence.

Assuming that you have a next-gen system like the Playstation3 or the Xbox 360, Dragon Ball is the only contender for new titles. Fortunately, this winter’s “Dragon Ball: Raging Blast” shows how much the game franchise has grown in its many iterations.

This game presents the vast Dragon Ball Z series as a series of battles, essentially ditching hours of the saga’s notorious waiting around in favor of quick action. You can even pit enemies against each other in fantasy battles that claim to flesh out the overlooked plot holes.

If you are not a fan or are just a fighting game aficionado, you may rightly claim that the majority of the game is trading strings of blows with little real strategy or skill.

Of course, this makes sense to any longtime fan of Dragon Ball’s battles, many of which consist of combatants throwing fast-paced blows and effortlessly deflecting enemies’ attacks. Either way, it is a great way to quickly bash out all of your aggression.

Wii-owners have a genuine choice between the two competing titles. “Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3” offers a fairly in-depth recreation of the first chapter of the Shippuden series. Players can jump into easy-to-control combat and tap into each ninja’s signature ninjitsu moves quickly, but the game seems to be mostly fighting the hardware.

The image quality is grainy, which is a real shame considering how much effort went into the animated story sequences. Still, it is a fun, quick fighting title on a system that only has a handful of good fighting titles.

“Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo” tackles the limitations of the Wii from a completely different angle. Rather than losing the action or graphics of the PS3/Xbox 360 version, this game took a completely different route.

Not only is it a beat-’em-up title rather than a fighting title, this follows the later stories of the original Dragon Ball series. You will not get the intense fighting, but the ability to beat up hordes of minions as a young Goku should help burn off the day’s frustrations.

For the most part, handheld systems offer too much of a challenge to game designers.

Fortunately, the PSP’s “Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising” shows signs of progress by supplementing the simplified fighting system with beat-’em-up sequences.

While the game is far simpler than its console cousin, it offers fast combat with armies of minions that actually offer unique challenges. Granted, the storyline suffers for the experience, but fans of the series will be happy with the array of familiar faces that they can throw into martial arts combat.

The most recent Naruto game for the Nintendo DS does not fare as well as its PSP sibling, but “Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans” seems to better understand the restrictions of the DS. Rather than trying to shoehorn in a fighting title, this Dragon Ball Z game opts for the less graphic-intensive traditional RPG route.

This isn’t as intensely satisfying as a brawler, but it delivers a solid story with a wide variety of characters and attacks. If you like classic fighting anime, this game packs a punch.

BY PARIMAL M. ROHIT

Julian H. Gonzalez/Detroit Free Press/MCT

Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com

The Ducks' Corey Perry

AND ALL THE KING’S MEN FELL, ONLY TO FIND THEMSELVES IN THE company of Ducks. It was not too long ago that Southern California professional hockey virtually bracketed the Western Conference standings, what with the Los Angeles Kings in first place and the Anaheim Ducks staking residence in the cellar. Now, the overachieving Kings have come crashing back to reality while the Ducks are picking up the pace.

Barely holding on to the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot with 53 points – a position many NHL pundits reasonably expected them to be in at season’s end – the Kings have struggled mightily since Dec. 12, when they posted a 21-10-3 record (45 points), at that time the best record in the west. In the 30 days since, the Kings have lost seven of 11 games, including six of them by one goal. Now sporting a 25-17-3 record (53 points), the Kings are third in division and eighth in conference. With no significant injuries, the Kings are just suffering a case of cooling off after a torrid start, with Anze Kopitar a case-in-point. Once the league’s leading scorer in November, Kopitar has only scored two goals and assisted on four others in 11 games since Dec. 12 – after scoring 16 goals and posting 21 assists in the first 34 games of the season. The Kings better hope Kopitar’s power outage is not a habit, as he is vital to the team’s playoff hopes.

Meanwhile, the Ducks are getting healthy and finding their groove again at last.

Finally sporting a winning record (20-19-7, 47 points), Anaheim has won its last four games to be above .500 for the first time since Oct. 14. While the Ducks are still at the bottom of the Pacific Division, they trail fourth-place Dallas by just two points and are just six points out of a playoff spot.

All stats as of Jan. 11.

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

21

NEWS

FILM

MUSIC

CULTURE

EVENTS

DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS Art Books Fashion Food Fun For Less Gaming L.A. Faces Theater Travel

CURTAINCALL

L.A.FACES

“11, September”

JANA KRAMER

Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. For more information, visit 11septemberplay.info.

Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” Now-Feb. 13 @ The Complex’s East Theatre Director Justin Gordon has brought forth an authentic feel of an early 20th century France in his adaptation of Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.” The play is witty, well paced, thought provoking and clever.

The production takes place during 1904, in France, which was the epicenter of culture and creative thought at the turn of the 20th century. The country was bursting with energy and a passion for change.

The play takes place at a small bar in Montmartre, where all varieties of creative minds come to gather and bounce thoughts and ideas off one another. We meet a young Albert Einstein, right before he publishes his tour de force, Special Theory of Relativity, and a young Pablo Picasso, who is just a few years away from painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. They both argue that their particular art is more significant and has a greater impact than the other one’s. The main characters debate this along with the other patrons in the bar.

The play brings out numerous laughs and characters that are brilliant surprises. We can see the appeal of Picasso as he woos women with his work, yet is tortured by his artistic sensibilities. The brilliantly cast Einstein makes a case that he too has ideas that are going to change the world. They make contemporary references and are able to laugh at themselves. There are moments when the cast literally connects with the audience by interacting with them, and the audience wall between patron and participant is broken!

Steve Martin manages to not be melancholic about the passing of the previous century, by looking at the approaching one with an optimistic enthusiasm from two of the new century’s most influential individuals.

Keep a look out for Schmendiman! Once you see the play, you will always remember him.

With a strong cast and humor in all the right spots, this play is a real success.

—Ariel Paredes The Complex’s East Theatre is located at 6468 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. For more information, visit plays411.com/Picasso.

22

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

“One Tree Hill” bad girl brings the drama.

BY M.M. ZONOOZY Heather Kampf

Now-Feb. 7 @ Odyssey Theatre Writer-actor Paul Kampf stars opposite Liz Rebert in this drama that wrestles with love, coincidence, denial and the secrets we keep. Director Gita Donovan comments, “So often the ‘truths’ in our lives are based on defensive lies, leading us to destroy ourselves and those close to us.”

The play itself is the story of a spur-of-the-moment relationship between Martin Liz Rebert and Paul Kampf in "11, September" Healy, a mathematician speaking in New York about 9/11 eight years after the tragedy, and Angela Madison, a waitress he goes home with. The story fattens when Martin reveals his ulterior motive for coming to New York: to search for a woman who he had a weeklong affair with decades ago. Guess whose mother it was?

Through incredible circumstances, these two are brought together in a meeting that alters their lives forever.

The themes of the play initially remind me of Virginia Woolf ’s “moments of being” (i.e. flashes of awareness which reveal a pattern hidden behind the wool of daily life).

Writer Paul Kampf notes, “We as Americans seem to have a collective need to bury unpleasant truths, to live a sort of ‘life-lie.’ When reality becomes too complicated or painful, like the events of September 11, it’s easier to look away than to examine it too closely.”

The play’s power rests on incredible coincidence. Its unfurling, however, is tedious and remains opaque. The heightened sense of reality Kampf portrays makes Martin and Angela entertaining, but also extremely frustrating; they are self-centered rather than tortured souls with a need to know.

Martin’s search for his “one true love” is tiring. Instead, the bumps of wisdom stumbled upon by each character carries the play. Namely, that events such as 9/11 shut people off from the world, so much so that they want to hide from the world.

The Jan. 17 performance of “11, September” is Pay-What-You-Can. —Cesar Cruz

IF YOU HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE CW’s Jana Kramer “One Tree Hill,” you must notice something different this season. The addition of Jana Kramer as a series regular, playing troubled actress/model/screenwriter Alex Dupre, has given the show new life. I had a chance to speak with Kramer about her role and Alex’s dramatic suicide attempt.

“I was shocked because we don’t get our scripts until a few days before we shoot the next episode,” Kramer recalls. “I knew my character was having some trouble, I thought something along the lines of going to rehab. But when I was reading it and saw that I was slitting my wrists, I was like ‘Oh my gosh!’”

The role is not Kramer’s first as a drama queen, but it’s hardly her usual casting. Given her positive disposition, most typecast her as the girl next door. But with her roles on “Entourage” and “One Tree Hill” she’s exploring new territory as the bad girl – which is fine by her.

“With Alex, as a character, I get to have so much fun,” Kramer explains. “I get to have so much range and explore with acting.”

Even though she plays the part well, the real-life Jana Kramer still likens herself more to wholesome than party girl.

“Am I anything like Alex Dupre?” Kramer ponders. “Well, here’s one thing: I was reading the audition with my boyfriend, and I was like ‘I can’t do this. I’m so not right for it.’ And he looks to me and was like, ‘You are perfect for this part!’”

Anecdotes like that make it easy to fall for the charming Detroit native. She’s the kind of actress who would “love to do a period piece,” and intends to keep working and doing things she’s inspired to do.

New episodes of “One Tree Hill” return Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. on the CW.

FASHIONFOCUS

BLOOD HEART GANG

Educating People One Shirt at a Time

BY DAVID TOBIN

Blood Heart Gang aims to educate through fashion.

CAN A SINGLE T-SHIRT CHANGE THE WORLD? BLOOD HEART CLOTHING Group founder, Michael Gomez, seems to think so.

“I got stopped 60 times in one hour while at the Getty wearing that shirt,” says Gomez, who was sporting the Oscar Schindler shirt from his latest collection.

By taking historic figures and placing them on T-shirts, Gomez has attracted attention.

The image brings in the unsuspecting bystander, then they see writing on the back and before they know it, they are learning something.

“People love that we use Schindler for one of the shirts. Everyone knows the story, but not everyone has a real concept of what he looks like,” says Gomez.

Gomez explains why he decided to make apparel with someone other than Obama on it: “The goal for me is to teach about people that you don’t know about on a daily basis. I picked these people because they made a sacrifice for the greater good.”

Blood Heart Gang has come up with a concept that is not only cool to wear but is relevant. In addition to spreading the stories of historic figures, Gomez is also giving back.

“For every shirt I sell, I give one away. I went on a tour in September of 2009 to talk with kids and let them know there’s more to life. A lot of kids don’t know about all the paths they can take in life. Let’s go educate some kids!”

Look for more styles and accessories coming in the spring, and in the meantime, pick up a shirt. Some are only $5, and all are made from high-quality materials.

For more information, visit bloodheartgroup.com.

Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com

CALENDARTHE10SPOT

CampusCircle.com > Events

BY FREDERICK MINTCHELL WEDNESDAYJAN. 13

SATURDAYJAN. 16 USC Men’s Volleyball at UCLA

Scandinavian Film Festival L.A.

Pauley Pavilion, UCLA, 555 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles; happenings.ucla.edu These two men’s volleyball powerhouses, with a combined 25 national championships, both need a win in order to not get too far behind in the Pac-10 standings. 7 p.m. $7.

Writer’s Guild Theater , 135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills; scandinavianfilmfestivalla.com The 11th annual festival will present the largest program in its history, including feature films submitted for Best Foreign Film Academy Award consideration, American debut screenings, current feature films, feature-length documentaries, shorts and more. Also Sunday.

SUNDAYJAN. 17

THURSDAYJAN. 14

UCLA Women’s Basketball at USC

photo l.a. 2010

Galen Center, 3400 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles; usctrojans.com The women top off the rivalry weekend doubleheader. (The men played the day before.)

Though Stanford and the Oregon schools lead the Pac-10, L.A. bragging rights are on the line. 2:30 p.m. $15.

Nicolas Khayat/Abaca Press/MCT

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., Santa Monica; photola.com Presenting the finest galleries from around the globe over the past 18 years, photo l.a. has earned a reputation as one of the foremost art fairs and the leading photo-based event in the country. Runs through Sunday.

THURSDAYJAN. 14

SUNDAYJAN. 17 KCRW’s Good Food Live!

Fifth Annual Focus on Female Directors

Paley Center for Media, 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; kcrw.com/events/walkabout Evan Kleiman and Aussie chef Curtis Stone conduct a cooking demo joined by fish expert Peter Evans, mixologist Gus McShane and wine aficionado James Gosper. Indulge Australian and Californian flavors together. 2:30 p.m. $35.

Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; americancinematheque.com Eight short films from eight internationally renowned female directors. Discussion to follow with Patricia Cardoso, Robyn Simms and Janet Grillo. All ticket buyers are eligible to enter a free drawing for a director empowerment bag. 7:30 p.m. $11, $9 w/ student ID.

FRIDAYJAN. 15

MONDAYJAN. 18 Annual Kingdom Day Parade

“Jersey Shore” Recap Party!

Martin Luther King Blvd. and Western Ave. Honoring the civil rights leader, the parade begins at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Western Avenue and travels west on King Boulevard to Crenshaw Boulevard, then south on Crenshaw to Vernon Avenue and east on Vernon to 8th Avenue.

Over 350,000 spectators are expected to view floats bands, dance groups, horses and drill teams.

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood; losangeles.ucbtheatre.com This inane show is begging for a UCB send-up.

Host Matt Price and special guests get crazy stupid and talk about what’s up with Snooki, the Situation and the rest of the crew. So spray on your tan, rock those abs and take a trip to “Jersey Shore.” 11:59 p.m. $5.

TUESDAYJAN. 12

SATURDAYJAN. 16 The Mia Hamm & Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge

Tyler Perry’s“Madea’s Big Happy Family”

Home Depot Center, 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson; miafoundation.org/soccerchallenge This soccer match featuring Hamm, Garciaparra and their celebrity friends benefits Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Mia Hamm Foundation. 3 p.m. $20.

Kodak Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; kodaktheatre.com Tyler Perry’s first touring stage play since 2005 is about the trials and triumphs of a dysfunctional family coming to grips with their matriarch’s death.

Tix start at $48. Runs through Sunday.

Campus Circle 1.13.10 - 1.19.10

23

What’s up?

OMG! Friday night was a blast.

You should have seen the crowd.

The people were going nuts, and so did we. My best friend was sooo excited – she nearly fainted. LOL. Saturday night was “GIRLS” night. We were looking fine and feeling good. Where were you? XOXO

JOIN CAMPUSCIRCLE.COM

FOR ALL OF L.A.’S HOTTEST EVENTS. DON’T BE LEFT OUT!