Campus Circle Newspaper Vol. 21 Issue 8 by Campus Circle

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UCR Summer Sessions 2011

inside campus circle

campus circle Feb. 23 - March 1, 2011 Vol. 21 Issue 8

UC Riverside – just an hour away on the freeway – over 450 courses to choose from!

Editor-in-Chief Jessica Koslow editor.chief@campuscircle.net

Managing Editor Yuri Shimoda managing.editor@campuscircle.net

04 NEWS COLLEGE CENTRAL 04 BLOGS THE GREENER SIDE 05 BLOGS THE WING GIRLS 22 BLOGS COLORS OF CULTURE 23 BLOGS TREND BLENDER 06 FILM BROTHERHOOD Director Will Canon unravels an extreme tale of frat initiation. 06 FILM MOVIE REVIEWS 08 FILM HALL PASS Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis in a Farrelly Brothers Girl-Friendly Comedy 08 FILM PROJECTIONS

www.summer.ucr.edu

09 FILM DVD DISH 16 FILM TV TIME 12 MUSIC LIVE SHOW REVIEWS 12 MUSIC CD REVIEWS 13 MUSIC NOTES 14 MUSIC MUSINK 2011 Band Guide for the Fourth Annual Music and Tattoo Festival 15 MUSIC FREQUENCY 15 MUSIC BAYSIDE Make a Killing 16 MUSIC REPORT 03 CULTURE CAUGHT ON CAMPUS 18 CULTURE ON THE MENU 18 CULTURE GRAPHIC NOVELS 18 CULTURE BEAUTY BEAT

Film Editor Jessica Koslow film.editor@campuscircle.net Cover Designer Sean Michael Editorial Interns Dana Jeong, Cindy KyungAh Lee

Contributing Writers Tamea Agle, Christopher Agutos, Scott Bedno, Zach Bourque, Mary Broadbent, Kate Bryan, Erica Carter, Richard Castañeda, Deepthi Cauligi, Nick Day, Natasha Desianto, Gillian Ferguson, Stephanie Forshee, Jacob Gaitan, Denise Guerra, Elisa Hernandez, Zach Hines, Ebony March, Mike Matusiewicz, Samantha Ofole, Kristen Orola, Brien Overly, Ariel Paredes, Shaan Patel, Sasha Perl-Raver, Eva Recinos, Mike Sebastian, Cullan Shewfelt, Doug Simpson, John Stapleton IV, David Tobin, Kevin Wierzbicki, The Wing Girls, Candice Winters

Contributing Artists & Photographers Tamea Agle, Jacob Gaitan, Castulo Hernandez 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

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Campus Circle > Culture > Photo Galleries

10TH ANNUAL BRUIN DANCE MARATHON

Feb. 19 @ Ackerman Grand Ballroom, UCLA photos by castulo hernandez

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COLLEGECENTRAL

JOBLESS ECONOMY?

Perfect Score SAT Prep to the Rescue BY shaan patel College graduation – a day filled with excitement, happiness and now … uncertainty. As a senior at USC, I know that many of us in the class of 2011 are wondering what to do next. Today’s pallid economy has left us little to look forward to upon graduation. No wonder so many students are opting to enroll in graduate school in order to “weather the storm” in hopes that the job market will recover after they have earned a couple more letters after their name. If staying in school for the sake of staying in school is not your thing, here’s another option: Start your own business. Sure, embarking on a new venture in an unpredictable economy is not the safest bet, but a fledgling business during hard times also has the greatest potential for growth. In fact, more people became millionaires during the Great Depression than during any other period of U.S. history. Although I do not expect to become the next John Deere, I do have some entrepreneurial spirit. So as a college senior confronted with a harsh job market, I decided to instead launch my own business: 2400 Expert, a premier

Campus Circle > News > College Central SAT preparation company in Southern California that offers courses by a perfect score SAT instructor. Researching, planning and implementing the launch of a business while juggling midterms has not been easy, but I have developed four fundamental rules that every college entrepreneur should follow. 1) Stick to what you know. Do not try to enter a market in which you have little expertise or knowledge. I chose tutoring because I scored a perfect 2400 on my SAT in high school. My own preparation and success on the SAT gave me the experience and knowledge necessary to enter the test preparation industry. I found a niche in the market that could be filled. Since there are only 1,490 students who have scored a perfect 2400 on the SAT, I knew there couldn’t be much competition. In other words, do something you’re good at. 2) Be reasonable. Every college entrepreneur dreams of becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg or Larry Page. But in reality, there is much success to be had even if your business isn’t a worldwide phenomenon. Translate the money-saving savvy you have learned from college to lower your initial overhead. Instead of leasing and furnishing a retail location for my test prep facility, I chose to operate out of Blankspaces, a co-working “virtual” office space in Los Angeles. You can always shop around to get the best bang for your buck. When I wanted to create a professional Web site for my business, I e-mailed the same request to 50 different web design companies. Although some companies gave me outrageous quotes upwards of $10,000, I also found a very talented web designer who built a modern Web site for my business (2400expert.com) at a price that didn’t break the bank. 3) Plan. Then, plan for your plan. If you are going to start a business in college, you need to be organized, which could mean going out less on weekends and working even

THEGREENERSIDE

WHAT’S NEXT? 2011 Graduates Ask Themselves

by deepthi cauligi Are you graduating this summer? Are you clueless as to what you want to do after graduation? Are you confused about your career path? Join the club – you are not the only one! Jobs, money, getting settled, further studies – these are the words constantly running in the mind of a student about to graduate. What’s next is the million-dollar question all of us face. Sometimes we feel that pursuing a master’s degree would be a great idea considering the current economic situation. But is it really worth the time and money if we are not certain about our interests? Study would mean acquiring additional skills and extending the comfortable and somewhat carefree student life. Securing a job sounds better, since it means no more studies, money in the pocket and more fun. The pros and cons analysis of further studies vs. getting a job would best be done after taking into consideration the views of parents, friends, professors and, of course, the current economic situation than by going on hunches alone. This would offer a broader perspective on things and would help in making the right decision. Not all of us know what we want to do with our lives and which steps to take next. Not knowing what to do can be

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when midterms are over. During my senior year in college, I planned to brainstorm all of my SAT prep ideas during the fall semester, guerrilla market my SAT prep center during the spring semester and begin SAT prep courses during the summer. Make daily, weekly and monthly goals you need to accomplish. This isn’t college where your professor sets deadlines for you. You need to make your own “syllabus” that outlines exactly what you’ll get done and when. For instance, to make sure I had solid lessons ready for my summer SAT courses, I made sure to get two hours of writing done a day, five times a week. 4) Give something to get something. You have to think in terms of the consumer. Why would a person visit your business or site? If you saw The Social Network, you know how opposed Zuckerberg was to putting advertisements on Facebook until it was “cool” enough for people to logon no matter what. Try to generate a stream of traffic first, then sell your product. For example, when I was developing my site, I thought of what I could give high school students to get them to become 2400 Expert Facebook Fans. I decided that if students became fans and wrote “2400 Expert Rocks!” on my fan page wall, I would give them my SAT Essay Manual for free. This kind of incentive builds my potential sales leads at the expense of giving away only a small portion of my SAT “secrets.” I also decided to give away college scholarships to Southern California high school students as both a promotion for my company as well as a way to give back to the community. FastWeb.com has recently indexed my scholarships into its database, which has generated thousands of hits to my site. And so as the age-old adage goes, it is better to give than to receive. 2400 Expert is located at 5405 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 333, Los Angeles. For more information, visit 2400expert.com.

Campus Circle > Blogs > The Greener Side good because it gives an opportunity to experiment and try new things in life before figuring out the right path. Learning new things, making new mistakes and rising up after every mistake will only help us become an improved person each time. To make the right decision, we must become familiar with our interests so that we can pursue a degree or work accordingly. To make the process of arriving at the right decision easier, studying in reputed universities definitely makes a big difference. The opportunities are plenty and resources unlimited. The career center, career fairs, internship opportunities, supportive professors and a wide array of courses to choose from certainly help in getting to where we want to be. However, to get to that place where we can use these resources, first we need to know the right career path. It may take a while to get to that point. Jennifer Smith, a senior studying at USC says, “I was confused about what I would do after I graduate. But internships helped me figure out my interests. Now that I know what I love, I plan to continue working in the same place even after I graduate.” Internships can be a great instrument to help us discover our interests and strengths and even secure a full-time job. Instead of pursuing another degree, it is always helpful to get some hands-on experience first. In his 2005 Stanford Commencement speech, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, advised the graduates to do what they love. “Sometimes life’s going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did.” Yes, we need to do what we love, but we may not always get to do what we love. Being able to see the greener side

Mark Crosse/Fresno Bee/MCT

NEWS

What’s next is the million-dollar question all graduates face. of everything can help us to be successful. There will be some point in our lives when we have to do something that we don’t like. If we can see the positive aspect of it, we can accomplish just about anything. In this current economic scenario, where soon-to-be graduates are pitted against laid-off workers and recent graduates, the competition is certainly strong. USA Today found that there are more than five job seekers for every opening. So to beat the competitors, experience and passion is extremely important. If we know our interests and are passionate about them, companies will be more than happy to take us on board. Self-confidence, positive attitude, industriousness, hope, earnestness and enthusiasm are the mental qualities that we need at this point to push us along our path in life.

Become a CAMPUS CIRCLE Fan on Facebook http://bit.ly/dhFhEE THEWINGGIRLS

TO GUYS WHO FINALLY GET LAID HER: I’m a girl, and I love your videos – even though they’re meant for guys. I’m really confused because there is a friend of mine who’s a guy. We really are just friends and nothing even close to more than that has ever happened with us. We’re buddies. But recently, he got a girlfriend. Ever since, he has completely ignored me. He never calls me back, he always cancels plans and he acts like he doesn’t even know me anymore. Basically, it’s making me feel like shit. What is up with this dude? WG: Hey, so your situation totally blows. We know, we’ve been there before. There are a bunch of guys out there who are really hard, hard up for SEX or any almost version of it. That’s fine; we’ve all been hard up in our lives, Wing Girls included. Great. Fabulous. Wonderful. Being hard up makes guys do all sorts of crazy ass shit, that’s OK too. Girls can accept that. What we can’t accept is when this hard-up dude finally gets laid, he abandons his previous life and is crazy rude to his former girl friends. No, not ex-girlfriends, in which case he shouldn’t be talking to them anyways, we’re talking his friends that are girls that have listened to him through thick and through thin. It’s just weird that penis insertion could make a guy who was previously super niceymcnice turn into a royal dick wad overnight. Baffling really. We thought that shit was supposed to make guys happier. We thought getting play makes guys feel right in the world, like helping old ladies across the street and shit. Unfortunately with some guys, we’ve noticed the exact opposite – they turn into massive assholes who think that because they found someone to get naked with, they don’t need anyone else. “What? Someone who’ll watch ‘Family Guy’ with me and rub my balls? What more could I ask for in this life? Bye friends. Bye family. Bye hobbies, aspirations and goals. Bye Personality. And especially bye girls whom I was keeping around hoping that one day they would drunk-fuck me or something.” Some guys are just keeping their girl friends around and being super nice because they want us to sleep with them one day. Or there are some guys that only need a girl to remind them what being around girls feels like. It’s like having a token Asian friend so you can have someone to order dim sum for you. Some guys just need one link to the lady world, and when they find a real girlfriend, they dump all their other friends with tits. The thing about this is, those girls actually thought you were real friends, and so she’s going to think that this sucks. So to all our boys who are on the verge of getting some action, don’t forget the rest of the world. Remember that being totally submerged in booby does not give you free asshole range. Also on a side note, remember that the girl that is sleeping with you does not find any of this behavior attractive. When she sees how easy it is to be your whole world, she wonders what’s wrong with you. “How could someone abandon everything for me? He must not have anything going for himself.” No one can be one person’s everything. Also in terms of time, if you spend every second with her she is going to be totally turned off. Even if you would rather die, be nice to the people in your life and make time to hang out with your friends and family, no matter how much you’d rather be neck-deep in lady privates. So, for you our friend, call him on his BS. Ask him if he was really only friends with you because he needed to be around someone who smelled clean for once. If that is all your friendship was, you deserve better. He probably secretly wanted to get in your skinny jeans, and you don’t need any more guys chasing your tail in your life. He’ll most likely come crawling back once he comes up for air, but hopefully by that time, you’ll have replaced him with someone better: a gay man.

For more information, visit thewinggirls.com.

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EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS DVD Dish Interviews Movie Reviews Projections Screen Shots Special Features TV Time

FILMINTERVIEWS

BROTHERHOOD

Will Canon exposes the dark side of pledging. by candice winters Things have gotten out of hand lately. College kids don’t just have keg stands and binge drink; they play awful, mean-spirited and highly dangerous pranks that don’t seem to be benefiting anyone. One of the causes, though by no means the sole reason, for this influx of young drinkers is the popularity of the Greek community, you know, fraternities and sororities. The houses are clubs that revolve around brotherhood and sisterhood, but whose bond often comes from getting drunk and doing stupid things. It’s not a crime; just blame it on the stupidity of youth. As a cultural study of our society, it’s a rather interesting topic, one that writer-director Will Canon has spent years studying. He made a short film when he was a student at NYU, and the movie that ran about eight minutes left him wanting more. “I always felt there was an opportunity to have a lot of fun with the story,” says Canon. “I thought that if I expanded it, I could explore the characters a little bit more and do something that was fun, but that had depth to it as well.” Though it sounds like a simple story, Canon and co-writer Doug Simon are the masters of throwing in twists and turns when you least expect it. In Brotherhood, Jon Foster is Frank, the pledge master of sorts in his fraternity, responsible for getting the new members (aka pledges) through the hazing

Campus Circle > Film > Interviews process alive and bonded. Trevor Morgan and Lou Taylor Pucci are two such pledges who are chosen by Frank as future leaders of the brotherhood. Hence, they are forced to go through with an initiation prank that is a little different than the others who must steal toilet seats from the neighboring sorority. “I talked to everyone I knew who had been in a fraternity,” says Canon about how he prepared for situations he did not know from firsthand experience. “Right after I graduated, I was back in Texas, and a friend of mine was at a school there. He let me hang out and see what they did and what they were about. I told them, ‘Explain dynamics to me. Explain what you liked about it, what you didn’t like about it.’” What Canon produces is a film that takes a rather extreme story and makes it totally believable. Without giving too much of the plot away, the initiation prank – making the pledges think they will have to rob convenient stores – goes horribly awry, leaving Pucci’s character injured and the rest of the boys scrambling to agree on how to resolve the situation. As preparation, the director gave the actors a little assignment to help them find their inner frat boy. “I called Jon and told him, ‘I’d be interested in you hazing these guys,’” says Canon. “He took all the actors who play the older brothers in the fraternity, and they organized the guys who were going to play the pledges. They came up with different hazing rituals to get them in the mindset of where their characters are on the food chain and to establish the dynamics of this group. I think Jon and the other guys had fun with it. I don’t know if it was really fun for the pledges.” What also was not fun for the cast and crew were the grueling conditions of the set. Canon shot the film in his hometown of Arlington, Texas, at locations he used to visit as a child. The fraternity house in the film was a working

MOVIEREVIEWS

Trevor Morgan plays Adam in Will Canon’s Brotherhood. fraternity for 30 years, but has since been abandoned, which brought along with it some unforeseen hazards and difficulties for the shoot. “We shot in August in Texas,” says Canon. “The fraternity house we were in was abandoned, so it had no electricity or air conditioning. There were dead animals rotting under the floorboards of the house. We would shoot all night and sleep during the day.” And if you think this is some exposé of the Greek community, think again. While at NYU, Canon was no part of it and has only acquired details secondhand. However, Brotherhood is not a film meant to condemn fraternities or shine any sort of light on their shortcomings. “To me, this isn’t a movie about the Greek system,” explains Canon. “It’s just about people, and people are going to do things in their own self-interest regardless of what institution it may fall under. For me, it wasn’t about making a pro-fraternity movie or anti-fraternity movie. It didn’t really matter to me. It was about people.” Brotherhood releases in select theaters Feb. 25.

Campus Circle > Film > Movie Reviews

Now & Later

Of Gods And Men

(Cinema Libre Studio) The United States has been puritanical in its views on sex in film. But Now & Later, directed by Philippe Diaz, proves that nudity and uncensored sexual conduct can move a story rather than become a distraction. Now & Later opens with Bill (James Wortham) running from the LAPD with the help of his former driver, Luis. The exchange between the two sets the tone for the whole movie; Bill does not understand why someone would help another person if there were nothing to gain from it. Bill slowly begins to understand this concept after he meets Angela (Shari Solanis), a free-spirited illegal immigrant who happens to live on a rooftop in East Los Angeles. She is full of philosophical whimsy and political outrage against the United States government and what it stands for – what Bill stood for. With Angela’s help, Bill begins to break through his notions of sex as a completely self-contained action rather than as a way to help live life. Angela feels that sex should be experienced to its fullest, a philosophy that she keeps true to in life. Life, as well as sex, should be taken as it is rather than fretted upon. The sex scenes are not gratuitous, but show a relationship where sex allows a severely closed-off man to talk about how he feels. While the ending remains ambiguous about the future of both leads, there is a certain satisfaction in knowing that their lives have been changed due to the other. Now & Later provides an intense perspective of the sexual relations of a newly formed relationship and a mind-opening view of the United States’ influence over smaller countries. Grade: B+ —Kristen Orola Now & Later releases in select theaters Feb. 25.

(Sony Pictures Classics) This film claims to be loosely based on the tragic kidnapping and murder of seven French monks of Tibhirine in 1996. At the time, Algeria was waging a bitter and bloody battle within its own country between the government and an extremist terrorist group that wanted power. The death of these Catholic figures in a predominantly Muslim community had an unbelievable effect on the country and the religious community at large. The monks are the ties that keep the small community together, acting as doctor and counselor for the locals who are regularly treated for their illnesses and given shoes when they have no money. The seven brothers of the church are positive, reassuring influences on the innocent people who are dragged into the battle. After much debate and consideration, the men decide to remain with their people instead of leave the country and escape from danger. They firmly believe that they shall live if it is God’s will. When their fateful end finally does come, it is not so bloody or violent. We are even allowed to harbor the clinging hope that maybe they will make it out alive. But as they walk off with their captors into the snowy mountains, history remains steadfastly true. The film is slowly paced and often frustratingly simple. The religious overtone is heavy handed, even for a movie about French monks. However, there is a scene near the end that nearly redeems the prior 90 minutes. Director Xavier Beauvois creates a stunning sequence that mimics The Last Supper with cinematic beauty and emotive grace. Of Gods and Men is a gentle story that won’t ruffle any feathers, but that makes a small statement about the power of good. Grade: C+ —Candice Winters

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Phase 4 Films

NEWS

Of Gods And Men releases in select theaters Feb. 25.

Vanishing on 7th Street (Magnet) Director Brad Anderson offers another eerie, thoughtprovoking film in Vanishing on 7th Street, which will make you question an overlooked daily occurrence: the dark. The film begins in a crowded movie theater on a typical night. Paul (John Leguizamo) is a theatre projectionist working the machines when the lights go completely black. Once the lights come back on, the theater is empty, and all that remain are peoples’ clothing and personal belongings. There are no bodies to be found. Vanishing on 7th Street, set in downtown Detroit, ultimately finds four people struggling to survive and fight off the unknown and a growing darkness. The survivors find the last bit of remaining light in a bar powered by a gasoline generator. Paul, Luke (Hayden Christensen), a TV news anchor, Rosemary (Thandie Newton), a physical therapist and James (Jacob Latimore), a young tween are left to figure out why they were chosen to live. They question what everything means while fighting a faceless enemy. In the menacing darkness, all they see are shadows and hear are disturbing whispers. A few times during the movie, I was reminded of films like I Am Legend and 28 Days Later, where the survivors wake to find emptiness and chaos while trying to search for answers. Though there are no new, exciting twists, Vanishing on 7th Street manages to remain spooky throughout. The film has moments of suspense and dread but leaves too many unanswered questions. Grade: B —Ariel Paredes Vanishing on 7th Street releases in select theaters Feb. 25.

“‘HALL PASS’ IS THE FUNNIEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR.” “ THE FARRELLY BROTHERS HAVE DONE IT AGAIN. ‘HALL PASS’ IS A COMEDIC EXPLOSION.” Carrie Keagan, NGTV

Joel Amos, SHEKNOWS.COM

“ THE BEST FARRELLY BROTHERS MOVIE SINCE ‘ THERE ’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY.’” Manny De La Rosa, NBC-TV

“ LAUGH-OUT-LOUD

FUNNY FROM START TO FINISH.”

Mark Reardon, CBS-TV

“ A MUST SEE! ” Maria Salas, AMERICA TEVE

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HALL PASS

A Farrelly Brothers Chick Flick by sasha perl-raver When you’re a kid, a hall pass means a few minutes of glorious freedom spent away from the classroom. As an adult, a hall pass includes stoned rounds of golf, binges at Applebee’s and Google searches for pickup lines … at least if you’re in the new Farrelly brothers movie, Hall Pass. The film stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis as married best friends whose wives, played by Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate, grant them “a hall pass”; a weeklong opportunity to do whatever they want, with whomever they want, with zero consequences and it’s all fun and games – until their wives start enjoying some extracurricular activities as well. The Farrelly brothers, known for films like There’s Something About Mary and Dumb and Dumber, call their latest offering “a chick flick,” and say they knew from the first moment they heard the concept it would be a hilarious firestarter topic ripe with comedy. At the film’s press day in Los Angeles, looking surprisingly well rested considering he’d been in New York shooting “Saturday Night Live” just 15 hours earlier, Sudeikis agrees with the directing duo. “I do believe in the concept of love, marriage and monogamy, but I like that the commercial alone causes some sofa discussion and pillow talk of, ‘Honey, what would you do it I gave you that?’ Marriage is in an interesting place with the high divorce rate, people talking about the sanctity

Campus Circle > Film > Interviews of gay marriage and rampant cheating with Tiger Woods, the Internet and [Congressman] Chris Lee,” he says, posing as if shirtless with a cell phone cam. “I like that it raises the question.” “But it’s a horrible idea,” Fischer interjects. “It’s a wonderful premise for a film; it’s a horrible practical idea for your real life. Don’t do it.” “All the guys are silent, like ‘Oh, yeah, you’re right. It’s a bad idea,’” Wilson laughs. In order to appeal to filmgoers of the fairer sex, the Farrellys turned to their wives for input, as well as several wellknown female comedy writers whose names Sudeikis rattles off like he’s taking attendance. “Laura Kightlinger, Morgan Murphy, who writes for ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’...” “You’re like a database,” Wilson laughs as Sudeikis licks his finger, marking notches in the air. “It is a chick flick,” Wilson continues. “[The Farrellys] would often say that to me; that we were making Mystic Pizza meets The Traveling Sisterhood of Ya-Ya,” he chuckles. Considering if you remove the first letter of the two words in the title, you’re left with All Ass, and there are multiple scenes featuring feces, a Farrelly brothers chick flick walks a very fine line between shock and humor, but that never made the actors uncomfortable. “Maybe from growing up with brothers, [that’s] the type of humor I respond to,” Wilson shrugs. “When you’re a little kid and you daydream about what making a movie would be like, what you’re daydreaming about is a Farrelly brothers movie,” Fischer says. “Their set is so fun and easy. And, luckily, I didn’t have to do anything too insane.” Once the men in the film are granted a hall pass, they head to Applebee’s to try to pick up chicks. In real life, where

PROJECTIONS

PHILIP GLASS FESTIVAL Feb. 27-March 27 @ Various Locations by candice winters Several weeks before the Golden Globes I got into a small tiff with a friend about a certain category, its nominees and whom we both thought would win. The category was Best Original Score. I was rooting for the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network (2010), and my friend tried his hardest to convince me that the highly regarded Hans Zimmer would win for Inception (2010). To give him credit where it is most definitely due, Zimmer is an amazing composer who has created the iconic music for so many films; it would take too long to list them all here. He won his Oscar for composing the score for The Lion King (1994). That should say it all. However, the race this year has been tough. You may, like my sister who is not very film savvy, think that you don’t even notice the music, that if there wasn’t any score playing under the action, that you may not realize a difference. It’s a common misconception that the majority of moviegoers make. Because, as it turns out, music is almost as important as dialogue and most definitely more difficult than action. Composing a score is not just time-consuming, frustrating

Campus Circle 2.23.11 - 3.1.11

Peter Iovino

NEWS

Fred (Jason Sudeikis) and Rick (Owen Wilson) in Hall Pass might the cast go trolling? “Olive Garden,” Wilson deadpans. “Go to Bed Bath & Beyond or Target!” Fischer interjects with mock exasperation. “Go where women go. Whole Foods! The slutty women are at Whole Foods!” Once the group’s laughter subsides, they offer their suggestions for places to meet men, including Home Depot, the golf course, or Sudeikis’ pick, “strip clubs.” If they were granted a hall pass, who might they use it for? “Hmmmm, 1967 Raquel Welch?” Sudeikis offers. “Can I use it that extensively? Can I use it with a time machine? Oh, who am I kidding? I’d take 1997 Raquel Welsh. I’d take 2007! Not today though, not today. That would be disrespectful. I’d take Helen Mirren now.” Only Fischer balks at the suggestion. “I’m a newlywed,” she shrugs, “so I don’t want a hall pass right now.” The guys groan. “I’d use mine with [your husband] then,” Sudeikis says. Hall Pass releases in theaters Feb. 25.

Campus Circle > Film > Projections and hard work. It’s a job that won’t get any recognition for the integral element you alone conceived and brought to the film unless you compose enough award-quality scores over the span of decades. Then, maybe, you’ll become a household name, but most likely not. Reznor and Ross took home the Golden Globe as I predicted. But as I said before, there’s not always a clear-cut winner. In fact, before last year, I was a huge film fan who didn’t have a favorite score. I enjoyed Thomas Newman (cousin of Randy) who composed music for “American Beauty” (1999) and Wall-E (2008). But in 2009, a music god entered my life and changed the way I relate to music. As my close friends will tell you, I am addicted, yes addicted, to the soundtrack to Pixar’s Up (2009), which won Michael Giacchino the Academy Award. Up is one of my favorite films of all time and really proved to sophisticated audiences what animation could do for adults as well as kids. Its soundtrack and award-winning score is a sure-fire way to instantly get me out of any foul mood. The melody is light and lofty, but there are, like the film itself, serious undertones to it as well. Giacchino, Newman, Zimmer, Reznor and Ross are our contemporary masters of score, but all of them have been at one time or another influenced by Philip Glass. Known for his minimalist and contemporary classical scores, Glass has not limited his artistic endeavors to just film. He has written operas, musical theater works, nine symphonies, 10 concertos, chamber music and work for his own musical group, which he founded. On Sunday, Feb. 27, the Long Beach Opera is kicking off its production of Glass’ opera with a screening at 11 a.m. at the Art Theatre Long Beach of Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance (1982), which is the first film in the Qatsi trilogy. The other two,

Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance screens Feb. 27. Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation (1988) and Naqoyqatsi: Life as War (2002) will be screened in the following weeks (March 6 and March 20, respectively). The titles of all three films are words from the language of the Hopi people; the word qatsi means “life,” and the word koyaanisqatsi means “crazy life, life in turmoil, life out of balance, life disintegrating, a state of life that calls for another way of living.” Fittingly, Glass composed the score for all three films. Koyaanisqatsi consists primarily of slow motion and time-lapse stock footage of cities and natural landscapes across the United States. Glass has done some solo work in the form of musical poetry, and this film is typical of the type of work he tends to do. Glass’ opera “Akhnaten” will be performed March 19 and 27, and LBO has incorporated several ‘Glass-centric’ events throughout the L.A. area with the Pacific Symphony for the Philip Glass Festival. What is so special about this screening is that Koyaanisqatsi is rarely screened in a theater, much less in our neck of the woods. What is guaranteed about this film: The score will be to die for. For more information, visit philipglass.com.

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BAT-SH#T-WONDERFUL”.

“

- Karina Longworth, LA WEEKLY

FULL ‘O ‘SCANNERS’-STYLE ERUPTING CRANIUMS “ CHOCK AND MINDF##KERY GALORE...YOU'VE NEVER, EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. ”

- Marc Savlov, AUSTIN CHRONICLE

by mike sebastian The Majors:

Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr. are on the road trip from hell in Due Date. Taking a page from the Planes, Trains & Automobiles school of mismatched buddy comedies, the film follows a father-to-be who is relying on an obnoxious failed actor to get across the country in time for his child’s birth. Bill Murray, Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek star in Get Low, based on a 1930s folk tale about a hermit who threw his own funeral party while he was still alive. After defeating his archenemy, a supervillain (Will Ferrell) finds himself in an existential funk in the animated Megamind (available Feb. 25). Joining the star-studded voice cast are Brad Pitt, Tina Fey and Ben Stiller.

Under the Radar: If Ed Wood had directed The Birds, the result might be Birdemic: Shock and Terror, the biggest cult hit since The Room. If films so bad they’re good are your thing, you have come to the right place. Tippi Hedren makes a cameo. Fans of Shaun of the Dead will dig the horror-comedy The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu. The last living descendant of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft finds himself humanity’s last hope when otherworldly monsters straight out of the Cthulhu mythos start wreaking havoc. Also available: French crime epic Mesrine: Killer Instinct From Criterion With Love:

Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster each gave one of their best performances in the pitch black Sweet Smell of Success, a damning portrayal of schemers and hustlers in the dog-eat-dog world of late ’50s Manhattan. Ahead of its time in its relentlessly bleak tone, it paints the American pursuit of status as a classically tragic tale of hubris.

Blu Notes: Christopher Nolan exploded onto the indie film scene with Memento, a mind-bending modern noir about a man with brain trauma (Guy Pearce) who is unable to make new memories. Writing himself notes and tattooing clues onto his body, he attempts to track down his wife’s killer, but whom can he trust? This 10th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray features a remastered picture, retrospective featurette and more.

ON DEMAND EVERYWHERE FEB. 25TH COMING TO THEATERS APRIL 1ST W W W. R U B B E R T H E M O V I E . C O M

“uninhibited sexuality taken to a new level and the result is one of the most passionate pieces of cinema I’ve ever seen.” - Tim Rhys, MovieMaker Magazine “an unabashedly sexual yet ceRebRal film…a must-see film for mature audiences.” - Gerald Wright, Film Showcase

“i loVed this film …the sexuality feels totally natural.”

- Shelli Sonstein, Clear Channel

In Toon:

All-Star Superman is an animated adaptation of Grant Morrison’s classic graphic novel. Lex Luthor has a diabolical plan for world domination and the Man of Steel is dying and without powers. Extra features include a behind-the-scenes look at Morrison’s writing process.

Stranger Than Fiction: Rocaterrania follows the visionary artist Renaldo Kuhler who invented an imaginary country during his unhappy youth and for the last 60 years has brought its elaborate history to life through his art. The Idiotbox: Kevin Nealon and Mary-Louise Parker return in the suburban potdealing comedy Weeds: Season Six. Two classic episodes of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” are now available individually. Join Mike Nelson and his robot pals as they lambaste the dregs of cinema, The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-up Zombies (one of the show’s finest moments) and Beginning of the End. Three adrenaline junkies drive the hottest cars and perform the craziest stunts around the world in BBC America’s Top Gear: Complete Season 14 and 15. Celebrity appearances include: Tom Cruise, Martin Sheen and Cameron Diaz. Based on the best-selling book by Sasha Paley, Huge: The Complete Series follows the residents of a fat camp. Hairspray’s Nikki Blonsky stars in the funny and touching series from the creator of “My So-Called Life.” Also available: classic western Have Gun – Will Travel: The Fifth Season, Volume Two, reality show Ice Road Truckers: The Complete Season Four Also Available: Nick Jonas in the 25th anniversary performance of Les Misérables, the animated Luke and Lucy: The Texas Rangers

When noW is All You’ve Got

DuE TO THE ExTREME gRAPHIc SExuAL cONTENT Of THIS fILM, NO ONE 17 AND uNDER WILL bE ADMITTED.

When noW is All You’ve Got

JAMES WORTHAM SHARI SOLANIS in a film by PHILIPPE

DIAz

CINEMA LIBRE STUDIO presents an IMAGO-CREATA production JAMES WORTHAM SHARI SOLANIS in “NOW & LATER” with LUIS FERNANDEZ GIL ADRIAN QUINONEZ MARCELLINA WALKER director of photography DENISE BRASSARD sound KENNETH JAMES editing ALBERTO GOMES produced by BETH PORTELLO written and directed by PHILIPPE DIAZ

ALSO FEATURING: UNRATED: A WEEK OF SEX IN CINEMA Films that pushed boundaries of sex in cinema Playing concurrently all week at Laemmle’s Sunset 5

9 Songs • Antichrist • Hustler White • Betty Blue • This Film Is Not Yet Rated • The Price of Pleasure • Shortbus Check WWW.NoWANdlATeRTHemovIe.com for specific dates & showtimes

eXclUSIve eNGAGemeNT STARTS FRIdAY FeB 25

lAemmle’S SUNSeT 5 •

8000 W. SUNSET BLvd. • WWW.LAEmmLE.cOm ShOWTImES: 1:30 3:50 7:00 9:55

• 323.478.3836

SPecIAl Q&A w/ cast on Fri 2/18 after the 7Pm show and w/ director & cast on Sat 2/19 after the 7Pm show

Campus Circle 2.23.11 - 3.1.11

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LIVESHOWREVIEWS Feb. 11 @ Ukranian Cultural Arts Center At 12:40 a.m. Thursday morning, two buddies and I decided on a whim to wait in line in front of the El Rey Theatre until noon for Arcade Fire tickets. It was a secret show, and they had announced hints via Twitter of where the tickets might be on sale. I had already been up since 9 a.m., but I decided, what the hell, you only live once. We knew we were in for an adventure. How could we miss an opportunity to see Arcade Fire in an intimate setting? Oh yeah, and it was only $30! So we arrived at the El Rey at approximately 2:30 a.m., when the delirium and blissful anticipation began to set in. I was 60th in line, next to some really cool dudes from USC and UCLA. We talked all night – music, football, fútbol, literature, school, politics, life, aspirations – shared munchies and drank wine. The weirdest part was the mutual friends I discovered that I had with at least three of the people in line. I guess it’s a small world. To think that 60 people alone would show up to camp on a sidewalk to buy tickets for a concert, two hours after it had been announced where the tickets would be on sale. I found it pretty incredible that wherever you are, you’ll find that one person is not that different from another. The best part about the way the show was run is that the ticket booth asked for your name and ID, and put it on a list to confirm your identity when you tried to get into line at the show. So the legitimate fans that waited in line couldn’t get robbed or bought off buy scalpers, no matter what they offered, because the true fans’ names were on the list. Besides, nobody who waits in line for 11 hours, without sleep for 30, is about to waste his time or energy on giving a scalper his ticket, when he could see the greatest concert of his life for himself.

So around 10 a.m., I watched the line quadruple around the block and started getting roasted alive. Finally at 12:30 p.m., I was assured that a guest and myself would get into Arcade Fire at 7:30 p.m., location: Ukrainian Cultural Arts Center(?!) – a building the size of where your friend’s Bar/ Bat Mitzvah was held or your local YMCA basketball gym. The point is, we got in at 7:45 p.m., and we were finally 15 feet and an hour and a half away from seeing Arcade Fire. They immediately started at 9:30. Every second I waited in line was worth the hour and 45-minute set. The sound was incredible. Everybody in the band played perfectly in sync and sounded more energetic than on the record. The band mates were going crazy on stage, just as the crowd danced and sang along to every song. The energy was incredible (My eyes got watery during “Wake Up.”). Overall, the experience was unforgettable, and if I had the chance, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. —Cullan Shewfelt

The Pretty Reckless Feb. 11 @ The El Rey Theatre Shedding her “Gossip Girl” persona for hardcore rock queen, Taylor Momsen of the Pretty Reckless kicked off her nationwide tour Friday at the El Rey. While many may be quick to write off the 17-year-old newcomer to the music world, fans at the sold-out show knew that Momsen could hang with the best of them. Judging by Momsen’s eyes – drowned out by black eye shadow with bleached locks masking her face – there’s nothing pretty about the band’s sound. Momsen is a real deal rocker with a phenomenal look, captivating stage presence and a haunting wail that will leave you standing cold. Clad in her signature outfit consisting of red lingerie, stockings and a leather jacket, Momsen strutted on stage

Jacob Gaitan

Arcade Fire Pre-Grammy Secret Show

Campus Circle > Music > Live Show Reviews

Chris Velan’s passion for music shined at Room 5. to deliver the opening number “Since You’re Gone,” an aggressive tell-off bash to an ex-lover. Power surged through the night. On “Just Tonight,” the band’s first U.S. single, Momsen showed not only raw vocal maturity but commanding, gut-wrenching lyrics wrapped up in the most perfectly tortured love song. On second glance, Momsen’s age is perhaps what’s most shocking about this authentic young talent. Already hitting overseas success in Europe, the Pretty Reckless’ takeover in the States is inevitable. —Christopher Agutos

Chris Velan Feb. 12 @ Room 5 Montreal-based Chris Velan performed in front of a limited and intimate Hollywood crowd. As he removed his shoes on CONTINUED ON PAGE 17 >>>

CDREVIEWS The Cave Singers No Witch (Jagjaguwar) Seattle band the Cave Singers’ third effort, No Witch, adds full color to the dappled grays of previous records. The group has not abandoned the sepia-toned folk influences that permeated earlier efforts, but it’s obvious the Cave Singers have infused the bright pigments of rock and related genres. The blues-blustered “Black Leaf ” has a touch of the North Mississippi AllStars. The harmonica-heightened “Haystacks” is reminiscent of the late ’60s Rolling Stones. Lightly psychedelic “Outer Realms” has an Indian lilt merged with a blues-rock foundation. Representative rocker “Clever Creatures” has whiffs of John Mellencamp and Ryan Adams. Fans, however, will no doubt drift toward stripped-down songs like acoustic gem “Swim Club” or country-seamed “Distant Sures.” Unlike most albums, the second half is ironically the strongest. The result is that listeners will be inescapably drawn in and will stick around to the end, and once there, they will most likely start the music again from the start. Grade: B —Doug Simpson No Witch is currently available.

Colin Stetson New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges (Constellation) Saxophonist Colin Stetson makes sad, mad and devastatingly original music filled with ambitious sonic landscapes, which often suggest a post-apocalyptic empathy comparable to a Cormac McCarthy or Don DeLillo novel. On his sophomore album, New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges, Stetson uses circular breathing techniques to craft overlapped lay– CONTINUED ON PAGE 17 >>>

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THE PRETTY RECKLESS Prove To Be More Than Staged Project by eva recinos Lauren Dukoff

Cindy Lou Who is quite grown up. Friday, Feb. 11, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and “Gossip Girl”–famed Taylor Momsen blared her frustrations and sexual experience into a microphone that spread her voice to the Taylor Momsen of the Pretty Reckless attendees of the El Rey Theatre show. The girl showed up in red lingerie and talked about everything from sex to alcohol. But she’s only 17. What could have prompted this blossoming teenager to leave behind the screen and tumble into the rawer world of the music biz? Momsen’s transition into the music world was marked by her assertion that music was her escape from a tumultuous life. And Friday night she proved she’s not just an actress, and her new band the Pretty Reckless is not just an act. Not every move from movie or television stardom turns out so well. Back in the early 2000s, Juliette Lewis, who starred in Natural Born Killers and most recently Due Date, took to the stage with her band Juliette and the Licks. The band toured in various locations, working their way from a small set at the X Games to a show with Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age in Hyde Park, London. And for Zooey Deschanel, meeting Matt Ward on a movie set and working with him on a duet eventually led her to grace more and more music stages and make a new name for herself in She & Him. But the success of any actress in a band depends on more than their usual typecast and roles on the screen. Lewis was certainly able to let loose on the stage, throwing herself on the floor in strange positions and belting out notes like she was alone at home with no one watching. But the band lasted only a few years before Lewis released a solo album in 2009. Deschanel and Ward’s band She & Him built a fairly strong fan base once their sophomore album came out last year, while Deschanel’s sister Emily stayed on board for the sixth season of Fox’s successful forensic science and action series “Bones.” With the possibility of more roles practically secured, why would an actress opt to trade in scripted lines for verses they most likely have to write themselves? If the music world was an opportunity to let free a little, all of the above women took it. But finding your own personal freedom isn’t enough in the music world – and that’s the battle Momsen has to fight. Image is everything, but when an actress lacks the proper pipes to back up her cutesy image, it shows. Whether it be at the El Rey Theatre or the Staples Center, there are no teleprompters or directors to lead you along the way. The techs set up the show, and the performer is left alone to do what she will with the hour or so during which hundreds, or thousands, of eyes watch her every move. Unlike Lewis and Deschanel’s shift from actress to musician, Momsen’s performance feels rawer. Sure, the girl kept a few tricks up her sleeve, calling out to the audience and swaying her hips at appropriate moments, but in the moments when she sang, you forgot she started out as an actress. Despite the nervousness that was at times evident, Momsen’s unique voice and intuitive sense of musical aesthetics was obvious from the get-go. Other male band mates may often be thrown into the background, but this is no act being put on by a rebellious teenager. What Momsen exudes in her tracks is the confidence of someone older than 17 who doesn’t care much about what anyone else thinks. If Momsen manages to break free of the constraints of acting, in which the audience’s gaze is constantly in control of the actress’ actions, there will be something truly dynamic and freeing in the band. Momsen’s live performance showed her vocals are far from subpar, and the ripples of emotions proved the show is for more than the money. Momsen drops into the world at a time when strange antics and eye-popping outfits reign supreme, a time in which her raccoon-eyelined eyes and Runaways-reminiscent lingerie pieces may be scoffed at. But her genuine musicality and sincerity make the Pretty Reckless much more than a well-played act.

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MUSINK TATTOO & MUSIC FESTIVAL

March 4-6 @ OC Fairgrounds

by brien overly It just seems logical that tattoos and punk rock go hand in hand together. In the cultural Venn diagram, there is of course significant overlap between the two, but as far as festivals catering to them as lifestyles, it seems it’s either one or the other. Luckily, the annual Musink convention, now in its fourth year, is bringing some of the biggest and best names from both industries together for a weekend. The three-day festival, which started in 2008, sees traditional tattoo conventionstyle demonstrations and exhibits from renowned and up-and-coming tattoo artists, alongside performances from both iconic and contemporary bands across the punk, hardcore and metal scenes. This year’s lineup includes the likes of the Used, Thrice, Circa Survive and Suicidal Tendencies headlining on the music front, as well as such greats in the tattoo scene as Mark Mahoney, Oliver Peck, Kari Barba, Nikko Hurtado, along with over 300 other ink-slingers. “We tried to find bands this year that tattoo culture could identify with and who fit together, and to go for bands that are a little bit younger this year,” says fest promoter Bill Hardie, who himself got his first tattoo from Mahoney 25 years ago. “Maybe we can educate some of those younger audiences who have a few tattoos, but don’t know who the great tattoo artists really are yet.”

For more information, visit musink.org.

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Campus Circle > Music > Special Features

Thrice alone is worth the ticket price for Musink Tattoo & Music Festival. The Orange County natives know how to put on a show.

MUSINK BANDS NOT TO MISS Suicial Tendencies: So many kids today have no idea where their punk came from. Back when we all had to walk to hardcore shows barefoot in the frigid L.A. snow. Exactly. Point being, perhaps it’s just the nature of music in general, but so much of the modern punk and hardcore scenes have little concept of their genres’ early days, who the progenitors were or what their movements started and stood for. Given the rich history of punk rock that Los Angeles has to offer, think of it as part of our civic duty to really get a grasp on it by seeing one of the great thrash icons play live. Given that these dudes have been shredding together for longer than most modern bands have been alive, you can have some assurance that they’ll give you a memorable show. How else are you ever going to be an industry elitist if you can’t rattle off Suicidal Tendencies trivia in between professing your undying love for Fugazi and Promise Ring.

at some point this year, so it wouldn’t be entirely unreasonable to think there might be some new material that gets previewed. Granted, that may be more wishful thinking than anything, but hey, it’s never too early to start dropping hints, right Dustin … ? And if you want to see some seriously awesome tattoo work on a band while you’re, y’know, at a tattoo festival, these guys have some very legit ink of their own. Circa Survive: Now from one of the inevitably best albums of this year to what was arguably one of the single best albums of last year, Circa Survive is another band that is entirely worth the ticket price by themselves. The fact they happen to be playing the same day as Thrice means that, essentially, not going on Saturday can be filed under the “#baddecisions” hashtag. Another band that also continues to outdo themselves with each album they release, Circa has likewise evolved from strictly defined scene parameters into so much more. While genre pigeonholing ran rampant in their early days, the band has a proven track record of artistry in their musicianship that cements them as something more timeless than the other bands in their scene. With a vocal range you’d swear wasn’t humanly possible if he didn’t pull off every single note live, frontman Anthony Green goes above and beyond in all aspects of his musical being. From musicianship and lyricism to his stage performance, Green is a master of creating a visceral mood for an audience when he’s got a mic in his hand.

March 5

March 6

Thrice: This band alone is worth the ticket price, but hey, don’t take our word for it. Just go listen to any of the band’s albums from the last 10 years if you want to hear a stand-alone masterpiece of a song collection. With seven studio albums under their belts now, the band has evolved from post-hardcore pack leaders into something much more over the last many years. Without losing sight of their hard rock roots, frontman Dustin Kensrue, guitarist Teppei Teranishi, bassist Eddie Breckenridge and drummer Riley Breckenridge have continued to push the boundaries of what defines their sound. Playing the role of mad scientists in their scene, the foursome have effortlessly managed to integrate elements of indie, folk, soul, classical and electronic into a genre that is typically strictly piss and vinegar. That said, just because they bring a little artfulness and class to a rough-around-the-edges genre doesn’t mean they aren’t still melting faces. Kensrue can go from soulful crooning to gut-wrenching yells without the slightest hesitation. A master at invoking both the deepest of your inner motions and the most chaotic of circle pits, Kensrue can do it all with little more than his voice. Now, when backed by Teranishi’s equally as emotive shredding, the band is all but unstoppable. Given that the band members are all Orange County natives by way of Irvine, this is practically a hometown show for the band, and if there’s one thing this band can do, it’s put on a hometown show. Even better, the band is slated to have a new album out

The Used: Though they’ve been out of the public spotlight for a little bit, it doesn’t change the fact that the Used still make for one of the most intense live shows in modern rock. Though they may not be as eccentric, or as self-destructive, as they were known for being on stage in their early days, these guys still bring the chaos on stage like nobody’s business. Frontman Bert McCracken’s signature whiskey-soakedsandpaper howls and yells capture that unique emotionality as only he can, taking his audience on the proverbial roller coaster with him every step. With lyrics that read more like diary entries, it’s near impossible to not get sucked into the band’s music and hang on each of McCracken’s words. Hot Water Music: Just so everyone knows, there is no such thing as a bad Chuck Ragan performance. And by extension, there is thusly no such thing as a bad Hot Water Music performance. Even at their rawest, most grittiest, most concussively earexploding, Ragan somehow manages to emote in a way that you don’t even know he’s doing it until it really hits you. A lyrical ninja, in terms of making his songs resonate, if you will. Intelligently written and arranged, but still somehow infectiously catchy, the Florida-bred punk band is one of precious few bands who can seamlessly reconcile the two styles while still feeling decidedly edgy. Also capturing that timelessly anthemic quality, the band evokes a classic punk vibe while still feeling very much at home with the younger up-and-comers in their genre.

by brien overly March 4

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by brien overly Glassjaw Feb. 25 @ El Rey Feb. 26 @ The Glass House As much as I love Head Automatica, I’m not going to lie: Glassjaw is Daryl Palumbo at his absolute finest. Uninhibited and unpre– dictable, the Long Island-bred post-hardcore band’s live show is one of the best around, and not just because of Palumbo’s wild on-stage theatrics. The band has been around for nearly a decade and has been able to effortlessly make progressive, edgy and gritty rock music for the entirety of that time, to the point they’re practically modern-day icons within their genre. For those who aren’t as well versed in scene history, as soon as Palumbo lets loose with his signature wailing and howling on stage, he’ll make you a believer too.

BAYSIDE

Killing Them Loudly by BRIEN OVERLY

Panic! At the Disco return to the scene March 1 at the Roxy.

Stone Temple Pilots Feb. 26 @ The Fox Theatre Speaking of modern-day icons, the members of Stone Temple Pilots may look like the icons of yesteryear, but much to their credit, they’re still keeping themselves relevant in a rock scene that seems increasingly geared toward the underaged. We all grew up learning their discography (well, most of us did) and lyrics, and as much as we might like to treat the ’90s like some fabled pre-social media, dark-ages era where everything was awful and flannel clad, some music still holds up today. And STP is one of those bands. Standing the test of time against modernity, Weiland and his band mates are a quintessential there-and-back band that have dealt with every hurdle a band can encounter. Show a little respect, yeah?

Panic! At the Disco March 1 @ The Roxy I can already tell I’m probably going to regret including this show in here, but if I worried about what people thought of me when they read Frequency anymore, I’d never get this column out every week. There are probably guiltier musical pleasures I’ve written about anyway, but this one’s something of a personal defeat. I lost. I gave into the man. I don’t hate Panic! At the Disco anymore. There was a time when I would sing their flaws and faults so gloriously and with such superiority. I was riding high on the hater-train, I admit. But then something happened along the way. I can’t place my finger exactly on what or when, but all of a sudden, I lost all that rage. It was like the red fog just lifted one day after they split down the middle. I didn’t particularly dislike either of the two groups that the former band splintered into, but when the four were together, for some reason, the venom flowed freely in my Word documents. Now that they’ve matured, endured a little hardship, aren’t so oversaturated, I feel a little more comfortable giving them a fair shake. I mean, I’m still 100 percent OK with not being around for the teen girl Panic craze that happened when they started out, but now that their fan base is likewise a little older, I might be will to venture out to this show. The few times I have seen them in the last many years, they … might have impressed me. Just a little. Despite my skepticism and cynicism. Much to their credit, remaining members Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith have always been the best parts of Panic’s live show as the most visually dynamic half. It seems the musicianship has only gotten better lately, so it might be fair to assume that their live show has likewise been stepped up as well, making them one of few bands from their scene that might actually be able to outlast their trendiness.

‘We spent a long time grinding it out in vans, playing to nobody. If we were going to sell our souls, we would’ve done that a long time ago. I don’t think anyone needs to worry about that,” says Bayside frontman Anthony Raneri. Taken out of context, Raneri’s words may sound ever so slightly defensive, but the singer is nothing if not secure with his band’s success. With 10 years together under their collective belts, the foursome of Raneri, bassist Nick Ghanbarian, drummer Chris Guglielmo and guitarist Jack O’Shea have a long list of accomplishments and have established themselves as one of the staple bands of the modern punk scene. So they did what any logical band would do and decided to shake things up a little bit. After completing their contract with Victory Records, the band found their next home on Wind-Up Records, known for breaking other punk rock icon bands such as … Nickelback and Evanescence? Counterintuitive as it may seem, the task of label hunting was as weighty as any other band decision. “We wouldn’t play demos for the labels when we were shopping around, even though we had them ready,” says Raneri. “That was our thing. We didn’t want someone to sign a song or sign a record. We have a 10-year history with four records and thousands of shows on our resume. Sign us for who we are, or don’t sign us at all.” With a label head and backing team that were already in the Bayside camp beforehand, Wind-Up proved to be the right fit for Raneri and his band mates, which is why he’s so vocal in shooting down the concept of label associations. “We don’t really know what kind of band we are,” he says. “We never really felt like we fit in on Victory despite it being an indie punk label.” Along with their new label, the band opted to take a new approach to writing when they began working on Killing Time, their fifth studio album and follow-up to 2008’s Shudder. “We spent the entire last year working on our record, which is kind of nuts because we’ve always only spent six weeks working on a record whenever we could find gaps in our touring schedule,” says Raneri. “This time we just said we were writing and recording indefinitely, not booking any shows or tours until the record’s finished, and we made the best record we’ve ever done.” Given that they were taking significantly more time on the album than on any previous one, there was no doubt that it would have to be an ambitious one for the band. “We just knew we didn’t want to bite off more than we could chew and half-ass it with this album, so we decided to go back to what Walking Wounded was with instrumentation and lots of left turns and surprises in songs,” says Raneri. “Being able to spend this long on it, we were able to write a song, demo it, live with it for a while, decide if every part was the best it could be, then rewrite it if it wasn’t.” Songwriting, that was the easy part. Now the issue remains of where the album even fits into the genre, as the fact isn’t at all lost on Raneri that the face of punk has changed since Bayside first started. Though he and his band mates are the elder statesmen of the Warped Tour circuit these days, they’re also something of odd men out stylistically. But Raneri is unfazed. It’s just the nature of the industry. “Punk isn’t mine. Warped Tour isn’t mine. Who am I to get pissed that we don’t fit in on Warped anymore because we’re too punk? We did Warped for the first time in 2002 and we were too pop back then, because pop punk and emo were the devil at the time,” he says. “It’s easy to get pissed off about where the scene has gone when you’re looking at all these pop bands that have overrun it. But punk is still happening. You’re just not looking in the right places,” he says. Luckily, the members of Bayside make for a good place to start. Killing Time is currently available. Bayside perform May 10 at House of Blues Anaheim and May 12 at House of Blues Sunset Strip. For more information, visit baysidebayside.com.

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MUSICREPORT Julianna Barwick: The Magic Place According to Julianna Barwick, the magic place that is the namesake of her just-released album was a tree on the family farm. “It was in the back pasture,” says Barwick. “You had to crawl inside, and it was like there were different rooms; it was really magical, and that’s how I feel right now.” No doubt she’ll still be feeling that way when she performs at the Bootleg Theatre on March 22.

Sozay Joins He Who Breaks the Law Tour Rapper Sozay has earned a slot on the He Who Breaks the Law tour starring House of Pain. The Los Angeles native is busting out of the underground hip-hop scene on the strength of his debut EP, Who is Sozay? Life is good now, but it has been a bumpy road to success for Sozay; he comes from a broken family and has struggled with drugs, situations that combined to put him behind bars locally and in federal lock-up. Expect to hear all about those past exploits in the form of the song “High Hopes” if you check out Sozay’s show at the Los Angeles House of Blues March 18. The He Who Breaks the Law tour also stops at the HOB Anaheim March 19.

Get Defaults by Hard Mix For Free South Carolina’s hazy-electronic producer Noah Smith, aka Hard Mix, is about to drop his debut, Defaults, on March 1. In even better news, Dovecote Records likes the album so much that they’ve decided to give it away for free so you can like it, too. Grab your copy when March rolls around at hardmix. tumblr.com, and keep your eye out for a 12-inch vinyl single

of “Memories” to follow shortly after. The prolific artist plans on releasing a second album later this year.

I’ll Have Heady Nuggs, Please The latest collectible for fans of the Flaming Lips is a vinylonly box set containing the band’s early albums called Heady Nuggs: The First Five Warner Bros. Records 1992-2002. The set – featuring the titles Hit to Death in the Future Head, Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, Clouds Taste Metallic, The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots – is going to be available in two different versions. The standard issue drops on Record Store Day, April 16, and will be available at indie record stores only. That version comes on 140-gram black vinyl. If you’d like the extra special version of Heady Nuggs where each disc is pressed on a different color vinyl, you’ll need to order directly from the band at flaminglips.com/store. Both box sets will be limited editions, but if you miss out you can take consolation in the fact that the Lips have promised many more surprises as the year goes on.

The Dropkick Murphys Banjo Known for the use of traditional instruments and worldrenowned, high-energy live performances of Irish punk, the Dropkick Murphys have taken the banjo into a new genre. In songs like “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” performed live, audiences get to see what can be done on a banjo that is out of the ordinary. With the band hailing from Boston, once the home of several top banjo manufacturers, it seems only natural to bring a limited edition Dropkick Murphys Banjo to musicians and fans. Enter the Deering Banjo Company’s Dropkick Murphys Banjo, complete with the band’s shield crest of

TVTIME

‘THE DAILY HABIT’

Like Chilling at a Party with Pals by dana jeong It’s a typical guys’ night. You called your girlfriend to let her know you’re busy. You have packs of beer sitting in the fridge and various munchies popped open on the table. All of your boys are gathered in the living room in their gym shorts, flicking through every channel for the third time. Now what? For those of you who need a fresh source of entertainment to mix up your guys’ night, Fuel TV is here to present you with the perfect option. Hosted by renowned sports broadcaster Pat Parnell and produced by Scott Paridon, “The Daily Habit” is here to satisfy all of your hunger needs – whether it be sports, music, good laughs or hot girls – to go perfectly with that beer in your hand. “It’s like a good weekend at the 901,” says Parnell. “It is a hangout, you feel like you’re hanging out at a bar with your good friends. It’s a Molotov cocktail, but it tastes like a Mai Tai and is super entertaining.” Sure enough, as a combination of extreme sports, music and comedy, “The Daily Habit” feels more like a chill conversation at a low-key kickback than a formal, host-versus-guest show.

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Julianna Barwick invies you to The Magic Place. anchors, shamrocks and leaves on the banjo headstock. Italian Pearloid inlay spells out the band’s name on the fingerboard, also decorated with two shamrocks and a banner that reads “Boston.” Deering also offers a version of the banjo in its Goodtime line; that one comes at a reduced price while still being a professional-grade instrument. deeringbanjos.com

Get Some Floating Action Speaking of instruments and band names, Park the Van recording artist Floating Action (real name: Seth Kauffman) took his stage name from a musical accessory: a vintage Gretsch bass drum pedal. More trivia, FA purposely wrote and recorded his latest album, Desert Etiquette, in a hurry (It took a total of four days.) so that he could capture creative spontaneity. Hear those songs live when you spontaneously decide to go see Floating Action perform at the Hotel Café on March 11.

Campus Circle > Film > TV Time Every night “The Daily Habit” features different guests from various fields such as extreme sports athletes, up-andcoming bands and famous actors and comedians. So far, popular celebrities like Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Blink 182 and Far East Movement have left their footprints on the set. As a SoCal native, Parnell is the perfect host for the show because of his interest in both extreme sports and music. He combines his previous experience as a sports commentator and as a host for MTV to bring together somewhat unusual yet equally fascinating topics revolving around sports and music. In addition, he was one of the co-producers and host for a youth culture show called “Paved New World” for ESPN, which explains his ability to smoothly introduce a pop culture element to the show. “‘Daily Habit’ for me is a complete dream job,” Parnell laughs. “I get to kick back and have conversations with my heroes growing up, whether it be pro surfers or pro skaters. I hope it lasts forever.” What adds to the cool party vibe of the show is the panel. Comedians and panelists Jordan Morris, Hal Rudnick and Chris Fairbanks act as co-anchors with Parnell, cracking jokes here and there to lighten up the mood with comedy. “We’re like joke providers,” says Fairbanks, who is also launching his own comedy special, “Fairly Uncertain,” this month on Fuel TV. Morris hopes that, with the panelists, the audience feels like they’re at a cool party with some friends. The creation of the panel is not the only thing that changed since the relaunch of the show. Beginning last October, “The Daily Habit” has been taped in a brand new studio located on the Fox lot with much more space and facilities. Add to that, a live audience, “hot chicks,” funny video clips and abundant doses of comedy, and you have the perfect alternative for your guys’ night instead of watching that awesome Lakers game

Fuel TV

by kevin wierzbicki

Campus Circle > Music > Music Report

(l to r) Pat Parnell, Jeremy Stenberg, Nicole Johnson, Jordan Morris and Amy Paffrath on “The Daily Habit” you recorded one more time. “We don’t take ourselves very seriously,” chuckles Paridon. “We have girls in bikinis, we have clips that are funny, we make fun of ourselves, we make fun of other people. We can do funny things that people don’t normally do.” It seems like all fun and silly, but the team works extremely hard to make “The Daily Habit” into a one-stop shop for all of the information that five different shows would normally contain. “Most of the people you see on the show also work behind the scenes,” explains Morris. “We’re always messing around on the Internet and saying what we want to talk about. It’s very democratic.” So, if you are a “dude” looking for a fun break from work, make sure to catch “The Daily Habit.” It is a perfect chips-andsalsa combo to complete your midnight cravings. “The Daily Habit” airs weeknights at 11:30 p.m. on Fuel TV.

Become a CAMPUS CIRCLE Fan on Facebook http://bit.ly/dhFhEE CDREVIEWS <<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 ers of notes on various instruments – alto, tenor and bass sax as well as French horn – and otherworldly vocal effects to create uninterrupted tones, which seem as if they were looped and overdubbed but were all done live in a studio with 20 microphones and then precisely mixed. Sometimes Stetson sounds like an avant-garde quartet or a free-jazz group; other times he resembles a Philip Glassesque minimalist ensemble. Stetson’s material is enhanced by contributions from Laurie Anderson, who adds abbreviated, abstract poetics to four songs, and My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, who brings a mournful mood to a traditional gospel piece. Grade: B —Doug Simpson New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges is currently available.

Holcombe Waller Into the Dark Unknown (Napoleon) Holcombe Waller is often compared to Sufjan Stevens. It is an apt association. Like Stevens, Waller is an overachiever who has created musical theater, worked on multimedia projects and writes songs that muse on life, love and belief, which map out the heart’s and soul’s topography. Waller’s latest venture, the sparse and acoustic Into the Dark Unknown, is a rearrangement of his recent, international touring theatrical-folk show, “Into the Dark Unknown: The Hope Chest.” Waller’s hourlong, partially live album features a dozen tunes, which represent Waller’s thoughts on social stigmatism, his dream-like surrealist portraits of friends and fellow travelers and ideas on artistic responsibility. Waller uses piano, percussion, guitar and an amazing fouroctave voice to eloquently tackle themes such as mortality, depression and fleeting moments of affection and passion. Play this alongside Stevens’ Seven Swans, take some time for the lyrics to settle in and you might find yourself transported from cynicism to optimism. Grade: A —Doug Simpson Into the Dark Unknown is currently available.

Kasey Anderson and the Honkies Heart of a Dog (Red River) Portland, Ore., singer-guitarist Kasey Anderson has a reputation for creating gritty Americana roots rock akin to Ryan Adams or Steve Earle. But Anderson decided roots rock was a headlock he needed to escape, thus his new band, the Honkies, and latest album, Heart of a Dog. This is a 44-minute powerhouse of pure rock ’n’ roll that swaggers like the late-’70s Rolling Stones on the charged-up “Sirens and Thunder” and goes grungy during the distorted cut “Kasey Anderson’s Dream,” which has a bite similar to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Key songs include aptly named punchout “My Baby’s a Wrecking Ball” and a red-hot reinterpretation of the English Beat’s “Save It for Later,“ which is tacked on as a hidden bonus track. Thankfully, Anderson has not forsaken his traditionalist impulses, which emerge during “My Blues, My Love” and the memory-laced “Your Side of Town.” If Steve Earle was running a bar band, this might be the stellar result. Grade: B —Doug Simpson Heart of a Dog is currently available.

Campus Circle > Music > CD Reviews The Luyas Too Beautiful to Work (Dead Oceans) The title of this album could be derived from any number of things, but since the music the Luyas perform here is a sort of dreamy experimental pop, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to think that someone took a listen and commented, “That’s too beautiful to work!” Actually everything here works quite nicely, thanks to always-interesting soundscapes and delicate vocalizations from Jessie Stein. Stein adapts her voice to sound like a happy pixie, singing on the rhythm of the percolating title cut, occasionally getting stuck in a particular phrase, repeating it like there’s some sort of glitch in her animatronics brain. “Worth Mentioning” finds Stein’s voice floating in the ether – of some other planet – until the song eventually dissolves in a flurry of Sgt. Pepper’s-style psychedelia. “Tiny Head” is even trippier, “Moodslayer” invokes the spirit of Frank Zappa and “I Need Mirrors,” still a long way from the norm with Stein singing in little girlish tones, is about as close to traditional pop as Too Beautiful to Work gets. The appeal here is definitely an odd one, but there’s no denying its potency. Grade: A —Kevin Wierzbicki Too Beautiful to Work is currently available.

Paris Suit Yourself My Main Shitstain (Big Dada) Paris Suit Yourself brings their debut album My Main Shitstain from across the pond. From Big Dada Recordings, the album offers up interesting mixtures of sound. Composed of band members Luvinsky Atche (vocals), Marie Boye (bass and vox) and Victor Tricard (guitar, keys and vox), this crew serves up a fresh album ready to knock anyone’s socks off. My Main Shitstain has a constant sound of erratic chaos that carries through each track. Songs such as “Decadanse,” “Rollin’ On” and “Lost My Girl” have no limits, and it’s almost as if they took rock ’n’ roll albums, some Tricky and Basement Jaxx, blended them together and out shot My Main Shitstain. Grade: B —Mary Broadbent My Main Shitstain is currently available.

Toro Y Moi Underneath the Pine (Carpark) Chaz Bundick, the mastermind behind Toro Y Moi, takes “chillwave” to a new plateau in Underneath the Pine. Unlike his pre– vious release (Causers of This), Toro Y Moi recorded this album with full, live instrumentation in every song, but not without the familiar and comforting atmosphere of Causers. Toro Y Moi has progressed his sound forward by bringing us back to a vibe reminiscent of soul and funk from the ’70s (such as in the more standouts tracks like “New Beat” and “Still Sound”). Both of his albums display amazing production value – every instrument tone is unique and contributes to the fun(ky) characteristic of the album as a whole. The variety of dynamic personality in the album makes it a great listen whether you’re in the mood for a little dancing or a little relaxing. Grade: B+ —Cullan Shewfelt Underneath the Pine is currently available.

LIVESHOWREVIEWS <<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 stage, he strapped on a guitar and introduced himself to the welcoming audience. At first glance, Velan appeared shy and modest while informing everyone about a cold he was fighting. But as he plugged in his acoustic and adjusted his microphone, he unleashed a musical onslaught that proved entertaining and exciting. Velan is a one-man band that literally makes every musical sound in his live performance. Equipped with loop pedals for layered elements, he gently taps his guitar, creating simple drumbeats, and bleeds the guitar chords with fire and passion. Each track included variations of folk blues and soothing rhythms that provided mental images of his lyrics. Velan added an introduction to each song while explaining the history of each title. Aside from his talented vocals echoing across the room, his abilities as a guitarist caused loud reactions between songs. The evening included warm rhythms that lingered in everyone’s head long after the song ended. His passion for music shined intensely as he shared his life experience through songs. Velan is currently working on new material that will be released this spring. —Jacob Gaitan

The English Beat – Love Hope Strength Charity Event Feb. 12 @ Zanzibar When is the last time a concert you went to saved a life, much less several lives? Love Hope Strength is a cancer charity that seeks to do just that through the power of music and the support of fans. Begun by leukemia survivor Mike Peters of the Alarm, the charity raises funds for cancer centers around the world and encourages concertgoers to sign up for the bone marrow donor list on the spot while they enjoy the evening. The night’s mission: raise the funds for a new center in Africa for a final stage of cancer care to provide those who travel many miles to receive care a place to stay as they approach full recovery. Two Tone Ska champions the English Beat provided the entertainment in a series of short sets that ignited the audience and quickly set everyone dancing. Although far from the original lineup, the current members are solid, energetic performers who flawlessly ripped through the set, which alternated between newer songs from their soon-to-be-released upcoming album and classic ’80s anthems like “Tenderness” and “Save It for Later.” A finale comprised of “Rankin’ Full Stop” careening into “Mirror in the Bathroom” just about blew the roof off the place, proving that Dave Wakeling still has the charm and charisma to rock the checkered socks off this former rude girl. A memorable night for a noble cause. —Natasha Desianto

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ONTHEMENU

IZAKAYA & BAR FU-GA

111 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles by erica carter There’s something about going out to dinner with a few friends. Sure, one-on-one dining is fun, but when you go out with say, five or six people, the chance of sharing each other’s food is greater, and you really get to experience what a restaurant has to offer without visiting multiple times. It makes dining more pleasurable, especially when you are at a place that encourages sharing. Some places offer family-style dining, where it’s almost like Sunday dinner with the large plates that cover your table, while others serve small plates, or tapas, where you get a little bit of something and pass it along. Both options encourage lively discussions, mostly about the food. In Asian culture, establishments that offer tapas are otherwise known as izakayas, which are very popular in the Little Tokyo area of Los Angeles. A new addition to the art of izakayas, Izakaya & Bar Fuga has arrived and is already gaining momentum in the short time they’ve been open. Located near the “blink and you’ll miss it” Weller Court off Second and San Pedro Streets, Fuga doesn’t really look like much. But once you step through the doors and walk underground into the captivating space, it’s like being transported to a Japanese culinary wonderland with all the options Fu-ga has to offer. For starters, there is a

Campus Circle > Culture > Food resident DJ on Fridays, so you can come and dance all night. You may think this is a bit overwhelming for conversation, but the music actually serves as a soundtrack to your lively conversation. If it’s not to your liking, you can always reserve Fu-ga’s Banquet Room with its large flat-screen television … basketball season is upon us! Once you settle into your dining table and start reading the menu, you’ll see why Fu-ga should be one of your regular hangout spots. From lunch specials like the 21-day aged Rib Eye with vegetables, purple potatoes and your choice of rice for about $10 to the Happy Hour and Dinner menus, Fu-ga has you covered with options. Happy hour runs seven days a week, with nothing on the menu priced over $5.99, so you can easily have a full meal. My favorites include the juicy chicken karaage and fries seasoned with a spicy jack cheese uniformly melted over the medium-cut potatoes. Pair that with a large $2 discounted sake and beer and that in itself is very hearty. Make sure your dining companions order the calamari, I know it sounds a bit ordinary, but Fu-ga’s take on the fried squid is crisp and not in the least oily. Fusion at its best takes form in the pork rib tacos, even though it has been done to death with all the food trucks, the experience of having them can really round out your Happy Hour experience. Now, the trifecta is the Dinner menu, where Fu-ga is at their best. Fried seaweed flakes adorn the nori-tinged garlic French fries; the garlic within a melted compound butter that makes every bite of the fries that much better. The Panko fried-breaded brie is creamy and spot-on with texture. Pair that with a Viognier wine or one of the imported Japanese beers. I am not a fan of crab, but I tried a bite of my friend’s broiled king crab legs and might have to change my mind on that crustacean. Black pork, or Kurobuta sausage, is served

alongside Portuguese linguiça and German Bratwurst, and guess what accompanies that? A nice, simple, whole grain mustard … mmm, that paired with a nice glass of wine still sounds great long after the meal is over. There are noodles, rolls and “prepared to your taste” premium beef served with a tart, hint-of-citrus Ponzu sauce. It was very apparent that the regulars love these steaks, which include a spicy garlic sauce. Fu-ga has so much to offer, check the Web site for shows. Every Thursday night DJ Anthony Adems spins the best lounge, Top of the Pops hits and soulful rhythms. There’s lot of fun to be had at Izakaya & Bar Fu-ga; big group or small, you’ll never run out of things to talk about. For more information, call (213) 625-1722 or visit izakayafu-ga.com.

GRAPHICNOVELS

BEAUTYBEAT

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

LE CHAT NAILS

(DC) Grant Morrison is a master of dreaming up ideas that hark back to the era of adventure serials. It’s a breath of fresh air during a time when prevailing storytelling wisdom is to go as dark as possible – especially in a medium which has always had at its core an element of wish fulfillment. Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne brings to a climax the events that Morrison has been building on for some time in Final Crisis and Batman and Robin. After the showdown with Darkseid, Bruce is sent spiraling backward through time, landing in the Paleolithic era with no memory of who he is. Bruce has to make his way back to the present, unaware that doing so will have catastrophic consequences. Along the way, the Dark Knight journeys through the Witch Hunts, crosses swords with Blackbeard, shoots it out with Jonah Hex in the Old West, matches wits with a noir femme fatale and jumps to the end of time itself. Included in this deluxe edition hardcover is a section featuring Morrison’s character designs and thumbnail sketches, as well as designs by the various artists. Grade: B+ —Mike Sebastian Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne is currently available.

Rat Catcher (Vertigo) Andy Diggle (The Losers) is one of the most consistently entertaining writers working in comics. Rat Catcher is his twisty, hard-boiled debut with Vertigo’s crime imprint. When the agents and witness inside an FBI safe house are killed, rumors begin to circulate within the Bureau of “the Rat Catcher,” a mysterious hit man who somehow manages to get to supposedly untouchable targets. With his partner dead, a seasoned agent teams with a U.S. Marshal to find the fabled killer, but no one is what he seems. It’s an ingenious and gritty Elmore Leonard-esque crime thriller grounded with realworld characters operating in moral gray areas. Grade: A —Mike Sebastian Rat Catcher is currently available.

Izakaya Fu-ga’s crispy tempura beer-battered onion rings

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by erica carter I am all about Gel nails right now. They last longer than a typical manicure, and they keep natural nails from breaking as they grow out. Sometimes, I get nervous with the quality of product used in the gel products, especially the removal process. You do have to soak your nails in an acetone solution, which seems a little toxic and damaging to the skin. So I did some research to find some of the least damaging, yet still durable, nail products new to the market and found Le Chat Nail Care. Le Chat has a great nail system called Perfect Match. This soak-off formula comes in heat-activated, color-changing mixtures with pearl or opal sheen, 3-D colors, transparent hues and more. They glide on easy with no streaks or clumping at the edge of the nail. Under the UV light that dries your nails, you can see how the color settles over the nail bed, grabbing on to the edges of your nails. When it is time to remove the color, you don’t have to use the acetone method. Le Chat makes a Nobility Soak gel cleanser that removes the color quickly without damage to your natural or acrylic nails. Le Chat also offers non-gel nail colors, as well as original nail art and accessories to decorate your nails with a variety of designs like rhinestones, sequins, gemstones and foils. Currently, there is one salon in the East Los Angeles area (Magical Nails, 1883 Daly St., Los Angeles) that offers Le Chat’s Perfect Match gel system at a price of about $17, but check out the Web site to find an authorized dealer near you. Or if you’re interested in learning how to use the Perfect Mobility system on yourself, Le Chat is holding demos every Sunday at Skyline Beauty Supply (skylinebeautysupply.com) and Monday at Starlight Beauty Supply (starlightnail.com). Both stores are located in Chinatown. For more information, visit lechatnails.com.

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LAKERS NEED SOLID SECOND HALF

Travel news, trips and tips

by marvin vasquez

Rose Palmisano/Orange County Register/MCT

L.A.HOOPLA

Kobe Bryant won the NBA All-Star MVP.

The NBA All-Star Weekend that took place in Los Angeles is finally over, and the Lakers need to find focus in their playing. After winning his fourth All-Star Game MVP, Kobe Bryant was laughing, felt great and even joked about being rejuvenated with so much youth around him during the festivities. “Just being around so many young players gave me so much energy to see them bouncing around and all that sort of stuff,” Bryant said to the media during a press conference after the game. “It just re-energized me for the night.” But deep down inside, Bryant knows that the Lakers need a strong second half to finish with a boost in confidence and momentum before entering the upcoming playoffs. Bryant and fellow All-Star teammate Pau Gasol have envisioned their upcoming schedule. “We are looking forward to it,” Bryant said of their second half NBA calendar. “We are up for the challenge. Pau and I have been talking the whole time about looking forward to it and getting back at it. We have been in communication with the rest of the fellas, and we all can’t wait to get started.” The Lakers embark on a three-game mountain ride to close out the month of February. This includes stops in Portland to face the Blazers on Wednesday, Feb. 23, a home contest against the Clippers on Friday, Feb. 25, and a trip to the Midwest to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, Feb. 27.

by kevin wierzbicki

St. Christopher’s Village Hostel in London

A Hostel Site Just For You: If you want to see the world and do it cheaply by staying in hostels but are afraid of what you might be getting yourself into, here’s help. Hostelworld.com separates hostels out by type and what activities are available nearby so you can find just what you want. If you’re interested in partying, the site will direct you to places like St. Christopher’s Village in London where the hostel has its own bar with DJs, karaoke, big screen TVs and good food. Traveling without the guys? Find places like Base Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand, where they have a “girls only” floor with all the comforts of home as well as security measures in place. And if you’re a lone wolf looking only for a place to bed down and be left alone, you can find that too.

You Be Tripping: Tripping is the name of a new social networking platform that helps travelers find locals who want to meet up for a drink, play tour guide or even provide a spare room or sofa, making it no longer necessary to pay for hotel lodging. The site is free to use and has a number of security features in place, including references and ratings, video validation and an emergency hotline number. Tripping already has members in over 100 countries, and many organizations, including universities, have set up networks on the site to help travelers connect with like-minded individuals that are into specific activities like golfing, attending concerts or hitting the best restaurants and clubs. tripping.com

Leisure Passes: If you’re thinking of purchasing a Eurail Pass in order to travel all

THECOLLEGEPITCH

No. 2 UCLA, USC OFF TO HOT STARTS by MARVIN VASQuez

UCLA: The No. 2-ranked UCLA Bruins (3-0) gained a sweep over the visiting University of San Francisco Dons, earning victories by scores of 1-0 (Friday), 4-1 (Saturday) and 3-0 (Sunday) at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Westwood. Pitching in the starting rotation excelled the Bruins’ chances of winning these three affairs, beginning with junior righthander Gerrit Cole’s second career complete game Friday. Cole produced 11 strikeouts and allowed four hits and one walk in just 104 pitches tossed. Junior right-hander Trevor Bauer followed Cole’s impressive opening day performance with a solid showing of his own. Bauer pitched 7.2 innings, fanning 10 batters and allowing just one run on two hits Saturday. Tyler Rahmatulla’s 2-for-3 and two RBI-night propelled the offense. However, the Bruins’ third game showed the strength of another pitcher in freshman Adam Plutko. In his first collegiate start, Plutko threw six innings, allowing two hits and a walk. Three different Bruins collected an RBI each. The Bruins face San Jose State three times at home this week. USC: In their 9-3 win over Missouri on Saturday, two different Trojans went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in. The Trojan offense looked sharp after totaling 14 hits and nine runs, even though they left 12 runners on base, which could have added to their potent scoring. Six pitchers saw action. Later that day, the Trojans tallied another victory, but it came against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 5-2. A four-run first inning practically sent the game to an end since it terminated in five innings due to rain. Pitcher Austin Wood received the victory in five innings of work. USC (2-1) travels to Houston, Texas, to visit Rice for a three-game series over the weekend.

over Europe economically, here’s another money-saving idea for when you get off the train. The Leisure Pass Group has sightseeing passes for major cities, including Paris and London, that gain the pass holder entry to major attractions as well as discounts on dining and shopping. A one-day pass for London costs about $70 and is good for entry to the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Windsor Castle, Wembley Stadium tours, a Thames River cruise, the London Bridge Experience and nearly 50 other attractions. Passes allow for priority access at some sites, come with a city guidebook, are good for one year from date of purchase and are backed up with a 100 percent money-back guarantee. leisurepassgroup.com

Lollapalooza Chile:

This year is the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Lollapalooza Festival, and organizers are rocking out their second decade of existence with a special South American version of the festival in Santiago, Chile. Lollapalooza Chile takes place on April 2 and 3 and will feature headliners the Killers, Jane’s Addiction and Kanye West along with an all-star lineup that includes 30 Seconds to Mars, Deftones, Fat Boy Slim, Ben Harper, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 311, the Flaming Lips, CSS and dozens of others. “We picked Santiago for our first overseas outing because of its open space and its variety of cultural offerings, and because locals have a passion for contemporary music,” says Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell, adding that the idea is for the event to take root in Chile and become an annual affair. A wide variety of Chilean talent will also appear. The full lineup and ticket information is available at lollapalooza.cl/english.

More Music Festivals: The

Ultra Music Festival (ultramusicfestival.com) takes place at Bicentennial Park in Miami March 25-27; confirmed acts include Tiesto, Deadmau5, the Chemical Brothers, Duran Duran, David Guetta, Moby, Empire of the Sun and many others. The Hangout Music Festival (hangoutmusicfest.com) returns to Gulf Shores, Ala., May 20-22 with a lineup that features Foo Fighters, Widespread Panic, Cee Lo Green, My Morning Jacket, Primus, Michael Franti & Spearhead and lots more. Rock on the Range 2011 (rockontherange.com) rolls into Columbus, Ohio, May 2122 with a cast of heavyweights, including A Perfect Circle, Korn, Disturbed, Stone Sour, Danzig, Staind, Avenged Sevenfold and many others with Fuse TV’s Juliya emceeing the whole deal.

Not Going Anywhere? Well, you can still cyber travel. Check out the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, a perfect real-time sunset in Key West or virtually any other place in the world by logging on to webcamtraveler.com. Campus Circle 2.23.11 - 3.1.11

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ANGEL CITY DERBY GIRLS photos by d.E.sign photography

Angel City Derby Girls have invaded los Angeles! Here are photos from the latest match, a 148-129 victory for the Hollywood Scarlets over the Sac City Rollers’ the Capital Punishers, Feb. 19. Angel City Derby Girls present Eat Your Art Out IV, an annual group art show on, Saturday, Feb. 26, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Meltdown Comics (7522 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles). Their next bout is Saturday, March 19, Rocket Queens vs. Bakersfield Diamond Divas at Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium (4117 Overland Ave., Culver City). For more information, visit angelcityderbygirls.com.

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‘ROCK OF AGES’ Now-Feb. 27 @ Pantages Theatre

Joan Marcus

by stephanie forshee

Pantages Theatre is located at 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. For more information, visit broadwayla.org.

CURTAINCALL “33 Variations” Now-March 6 @ Ahmanson Theatre Moisés Kaufman’s brilliantly written “33 Variations” follows contemporary musicologist Dr. Katherine Brandt (Jane Fonda) as she obsessively unravels one of classical music’s most perennial mysteries: In 1819, Ludwig van Beethoven Greg Keller and Samantha Mathis (Zach Grenier) declined an invitation to compose a variation of a simple waltz, but then immediately reversed his decision. He spent the last years of his life going a little crazy, going a lot deaf and composing not just one, but 33 different variations of the waltz. Why the Maestro became so obsessed with these variations has confounded musical scholars for over 200 years. The elaborate set designs traverse locations and eras from the Brooklyn Bridge to Beethoven’s bedroom, an innovative feat well accommodated by the Ahmanson. The constantly dynamic scene changes are pure magic – depicting radically divergent settings with such sudden and clever transitions that a large part of the play’s appeal could be credited solely to its stagecraft sorcery. While showpieces of this production quality are often rife with talent, the stars here were the supporting cast. As Fonda’s character chases her obsession around the world, she is in denial about her deteriorating health. Crippled by her disease, she is pursued by her concerned daughter (Samantha Mathis), who is pursued by her awkward nurse (Greg Keller). Keller’s bumbling flirtation absolutely delivers the production’s best laughs and most memorable performance. While Grenier’s portrayal of Beethoven’s decomposition is masterful, the character would be flat were it not supported by the harmonic chemistry between Beethoven’s personal assistant, Anton Schindler (Grant James Varjas) and the pompous publisher Anton Diabelli (Don Amendolia). These two stories of obsession galvanizing human creativity against – or maybe in spite of – inevitable death dovetail with utterly ingenious savvy. The play’s plot is as interesting as its dialogue is sharp with no shortage of scenic and auditory stimulation – a very fitting sensory experience for a show about, infused with and starring Beethoven’s “33 Variations.” —John Stapleton IV Ahmanson Theatre is located at 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. For more information, visit centertheatregroup.org.

Craig Schwartz

He rocked on ‘American Idol,’ he rolled on over to Broadway and now this rock ’n’ roller has landed in Los Angeles. Constantine Maroulis stars as Tony nominee Constantine Maroulis stars in Drew in “Rock of Ages.” “Rock of Ages” at the Pantages Theatre. “Rock of Ages” is a collaboration of hit songs from the mid to late ’80s that celebrates the best of the decade’s music, culture and lifestyle. The musical features epic songs from ’80s icons Journey, Foreigner, Styx and more. “That’s what’s great about our show,” boasts Maroulis. “It’s a Broadway show but we do appeal to a wide audience, the nontraditional theatergoing audience, and I think it’s awesome. I think it makes for a great dynamic and a great energy.” “Opening night in these cities [on tour], you have subscribers that go to everything from ‘The Sound of Music’ to ‘Wicked,’ and they’re there to see ‘Rock of Ages.’ But by the end of the night, like we say in the show, they’ll be making out with each other and waving lighters and singing Journey songs. So we definitely unite audiences,” he shares. After originating the lead role of Drew on Broadway in “Rock of Ages,” Maroulis stepped straight into the role on tour. He rehearsed for the touring cast during the day while performing on Broadway at night up until the day he left to open in Chicago. “I’m a machine,” said Maroulis. And he isn’t exactly exaggerating. When this rock star finds time to rest his voice is unknown. The singer plays Drew in the touring musical, writes and records original music for his upcoming album and has developed his original solo concert, “A Night at the Rock Show,” which he is developing for a television special. Maroulis’ album could be completed in 2011, but he says, “I’m sort of taking my time with that. I’ve been busy working as an actor.” “It’s nice be in ‘Rock of Ages.’ It has been an awesome extension of my music. I love getting to perform new songs all the time,” he says. “To jump in the studio to work on original music then get on stage at night to do ‘Rock of Ages,’ it’s been a blessing really. I’ve been busy and I’m thankful,” he adds. And while many touring performers can barely find the time to sightsee in the cities they visit, Maroulis performs a whole other solo show on the side of “Rock of Ages.” “It’s my celebration of the rock song bands. There’s no script and characters, but it’s a sort of true-to-form concert extravaganza,” tells Maroulis. The evening is complete with multimedia, guest stars and an orchestra. “The whole experience has been pretty awesome for me,” he says. Maroulis is also a partner and artistic director of Sweetfire Recording Studios in Brooklyn. This “American Idol” finalist-turned-Broadway star will not soon forget just what jump-started his lucrative career. As a finalist on the fourth season of “American Idol,” Maroulis toured with “Idols Live.” “To get out on stage in front of 15,000-20,000 people at the Staples Center or wherever was pretty awesome I must admit,” recalls Maroulis. “And who knows if I’ll ever get back to do that ever again, so it’s something I’ll always remember and cherish.” Although the crowds are somewhat smaller at the Pantages, Maroulis is no doubt cherishing his time with “Rock of Ages.” “My favorite part of the show is every night I get to go out there and perform. And as soon as I hear that overture of rock, I get to go get pumped up backstage with my cast and my mates. I like going out there and feeding off that audience and just letting it rip,” says Maroulis. “The show basically began in Los Angeles, so we’re excited to bring it home for the first time since it has become a big Broadway hit,” Maroulis explains.

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ABSTRACT VISION FEMALE PERSPECTIVE Now-March 6 @ Urban Sanctuary Gallery

by cindy kyungah lee How do you see the world? I look through my contact lenses (which cause me much irritation from time to time). What do you focus on? I focus on what I see and interpret it in combination with my background and thought processes. What we choose to see in our world is determined by who we are as people. On Feb.11, I confirmed this self-proclaimed theory of how people take in the world and circulate it back out in an egotistical manner. Don’t mind the negative connotation the word “egotistical” has, because by all means I’m not mocking anybody. Egotistical is never bad for art … or at least that’s what I think. Seven women of Los Angeles, each very different from each other, have come together in an exhibition at the Urban Sanctuary Gallery in Boyle Heights. Titled Abstract Vision Female Perspective, the theme of the photo exhibition is, duh, abstract. The gallery collects the works of these seven women

Campus Circle > Blogs > Colors of Culture in an attempt to provide them with an opportunity to express their love for photography and the freedom to escape from the boundaries of producing for profit. Each of these women has a very different style and vision in expressing her version of the world. But it’s definitely interesting how there is a sense of unity between the individual artists’ photos. Each of the photographers shoots the things she finds intriguing or appealing to her. After all, isn’t that the reason they wanted to capture the moment? I know I’m contradicting myself when I say that the photos vibrate with a sort of nostalgia and abstractness, yet somehow manage to have some kind of clarity to them, but you will understand this kind of convoluted description if you actually visit the exhibition. There is something so unusual, yet ordinary about the photos displayed that it is enough to make the viewer question what the photographers’ intentions were, while somehow relating to what they present. After all, being abstract is not just about being confusing, but also about being able to allow the receiver to interpret the meaning of a particular subject on his or her own. I think this is probably the reason that these seven women chose to take the photos they did. They are abstract enough, yet somehow understandable. The physical aspect of the gallery, on the other hand, is nothing but typical, except for maybe one aspect. White walls, spacious interior with no obstructions: perfect for a photo gallery. What makes the gallery so interesting, however, is that in the far corner down a hallway the owners are trying to turn a few rooms into a spa. Yes, a spa. Let me say that one more time; a spa! Art, relaxation and music (which happens to suit my taste) – who needs more than this?

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CONTEMPORARY ART

Now-March 12 @ Corey Helford Gallery by cindy kyungah lee Oooh! Teddy Bear! That’s the first thing I screamed, being the child that I am, when I entered the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City with my boyfriend. Some of the guests turned around to look at me and chuckled. Ugh. Embarrassing. Oh well, at least I didn’t get kicked out for making too much noise, right? On Feb. 12, the gallery opened its doors to 16 new artworks by Luke Chueh. Describing Chueh as an ordinary contemporary artist is a bit of an understatement. He is the creator of an iconic character of a bear hailed and transformed into popular art toys by producers such as Munky King, Intheyellow and others. In each of his works for the exhibition, his bear is brought back to life with a new feel. And, of course, the art done by Chueh definitely deserves more than an “Ooh! Teddy Bear!” This second solo show by Chueh has a lot of aspects that the audience can enjoy. The gallery is rather small, comprised of two small floors, but there is much to see. Immediately after stepping into the gallery, you will come face to face with a bigger-than-you sculpture of the iconic character created by Chueh. In the

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Some of the photographers whose work is on display in Abstract Vision Female Perspective The lighting is also complementary to the photos, somehow making them more luminous and inviting. The only minor disappointment I had was that I wished there were more pieces to view than those displayed. Though photos did cover all of the walls in the gallery, somehow the gallery felt a bit empty. Other than that, I think I’m going to go visit again when the spa is ready! Urban Sanctuary Gallery is located at 2026 E. 1st St., Boyle Heights. For more information, visit urbansanctuaryla.com.

Campus Circle > Blogs > Colors of Culture middle of the room, you will be able to see Chueh’s sort of welcome gift to the guests. He created two standup walls with outlines of his character available for the audience to color and decorate as they like. By the time I got there, all of the outlines were filled out. If only I hadn’t gotten lost getting there, I could have enjoyed the same opportunity. This is when I start hating Google Maps for giving me the wrong direction. Anyway, surrounding this massive gathering of guest “art” are the pieces by Chueh. Kind of frightening yet appealing, the 16 pieces delve into psychology, sociology and art history. A weird combination, but he makes it work. His artworks are cocktails of pop culture, street culture and geek culture, approachable even to those who feel they should stay away from galleries because they know nothing about art. The focus of this exhibition is the character created by Chueh. In each of the pieces, the iconic character is interpreted in a bit of a disturbing way. Well, at least to me, they were a bit scary. Some of the pieces seem to communicate to the audience loneliness and a sort of psychotic feeling humans sometimes possess, and some seem to have no relation to the human psyche. Upstairs on the second floor, you will see other pieces, very different from the ones below. After climbing the looonnnggg staircase (Don’t mind the exaggeration, I hate stairs.), you will end up next to the DJ booth. Half the size of the first floor, Chueh’s work really pops here. Way more colorful and making no real sense (at least to me), those who love vivid colors will probably be more interested in the art upstairs. Stylish and well lit, the Corey Helford Gallery is probably one of the top venues for holding solo shows. The perfect size for an exhibition space, it is well suited for artists who hope

“Oooh! Teddy Bear!” to mingle with the guests, or want the guests to mingle with each other. The opening reception of Contemporary Art was bustling with guest energy, and the show continues through March 12. I suggest you make your way over there! Corey Helford Gallery is located at 8522 Washington Blvd., Culver City. For more information, visit coreyhelfordgallery. com.

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COLOR POPS

WEDNESDAYFEB. 23 Docs! Samuel Goldwyn Theater, 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; oscars.org The program includes film clips from each of the nominated documentaries in both categories (Documentary Short Subject and Documentary Feature) and a panel discussion with each group of nominees (schedules permitting). 7:30 p.m. $5.

Hollywood; booksoup.com Dan Charnas discusses and signs The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop, which provides a compelling, myth-debunking view into the victories, defeats, corporate clashes and street battles along the 40-year road to hip-hop’s dominance. 5 p.m.

SUNDAYFEB. 27 Harlem Globetrotters

ESPN Zone at L.A. Live, 1011 S. Figueroa St., Downtown; chrisjericho.com The WWE superstar signs and discusses his book Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps, which covers the glory (and pitfalls) of following one’s dream. 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., Downtown; harlemglobetrotters.com The team introduces the first-ever four-point shot that has everyone talking, located 35 feet from the hoop. As usual, the Globetrotter experience blends tradition with nonstop hilarity, “how do they do that?” basketball skills and a heavy dose of audience participation and inspiration. Noon.

FRIDAYFEB. 25 Meet the Cast of Brotherhood

MONDAYFEB. 28 Save Vidiots!

Laemmle’s Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; brotherhoodthemovie. com Select cast and crew members of the new film are set to appear at several showings on Friday and Saturday. $11.

302 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; vidiotsvideo. com Vidiots needs your help! Rent a movie, tell a friend, take a course, share a story, screen a flick! There is so much more to do these days than just rent a film at Vidiots and Vidiots Annex Film Studies. And for one day only – today – take advantage of their $10 off membership special!

THURSDAYFEB. 24 Chris Jericho

FRIDAYFEB. 25 Icons of the Music Industry: Russell Simmons Grammy Museum, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Downtown; grammymuseum.org Def Jam Recordings creator and hiphop pioneer Russell Simmons discusses his new book, Super Rich: A Guide to Having it All, chats with museum executive director Bob Santelli and takes questions from the audience. 8 p.m. $35.

SATURDAYFEB. 26 Best Picture Marathon amctheatres.com/bps Settle in for a 24-hour marathon of all 10 films up for Best Picture at select AMC locations. Admission includes a $20 AMC gift card. Toy Story 3 is the first film and starts at 10 a.m. $50.

SATURDAYFEB. 26 The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West

by daNA Jeong True, WE California girls have easy winters compared to those in the rest of the continent. No snow, no freezing temperatures, no “I’m so cold I don’t care what I look like” days. But there is always that tingly excitement peeking out of our hearts around this time of the year when spring slowly approaches. Wanna do something about it? Then let us proudly celebrate the coming of warm seasons with bright colors – aka the hottest trend of this year’s resort and spring collections.

The Neon Neon colors are no longer reserved for clowns and ravers. Embrace the attention these flashy colors bring when you cruise down the street exuding sunshine. One very important warning: Always remember to tone down your colors with neutral basics. Otherwise, people are going to think you came straight to class from last night’s backto-the-’80s party. [Alice + Olivia 2011 Resort Collection; model: Natalia Beber]

Courtesy of Alice + Olivia; style.com

goeatla.org Many popular Los Angeles-area restaurants and bars give 15 percent or more of their day’s proceeds to Aid For AIDS and the Serra Project to help prevent homelessness and hunger for individuals and families impoverished by HIV/ AIDS.

The Prints Leopard prints, floral prints, geometric prints – there are so many kinds to choose from! Pick a print of your taste in light materials that would flow nicely with the airy spring breeze. Keep everything else simple in monotone basics, such as T-shirts, classic blazers and tailored shorts. Or, if you are brave enough, go ahead and mix two different prints. You never know, you could be the next trendsetter. [Alice + Olivia 2011 Resort Collection]

Courtesy of Alice + Olivia; Marcus Tondo; style.com

Go Eat LA: Go Eat, Go Drink, Go Out

What’s new, what’s in and what’s hot on young L.A.’s fashion scene.

TUESDAYMARCH 1 “Avenue Q” Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles; broadwayla.org Broadway’s smash hit 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book is a hilarious show full of heart and hummable tunes about trying to make it in New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account – featuring a cast of people and puppets. Runs through March 6. Tix start at $25.

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

The Sprinkles If you aren’t bold enough to go neon or prints, no problem – you can still take full advantage of the pop colors trend by sprinkling them here and there. Pick one or two accessories in bright tones like a red belt or yellow pumps that suddenly bring to life your mundane, everyday outfit. You will feel a lot more cheerful, and your friends will soon pick up on the lighthearted air around you. [Moschino Cheap and Chic 2011 Spring Collection; model: Maud Welzen]

Monica Feudi; style.com

Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times/MCT

THURSDAYFEB. 24

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