Buzz – Feb. 6, 2006

February 6,2006

Music, Movies and More

Artist Paints To Music Of Her Heart CSUF Student Moonlights As A Rob Robot Entertainment news, 20 questions, Fa

ion tips tips and more...

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WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6, 2006

INSIDE

T H E B U Z Z @ DA I LY T I TA N . C O M

THE BUZZ

CONTENTS

02 Entertainment News 20 Questions 04 Free The Robots Profile 06 Willi Willie Mason Profile Top 10 iPod Download 07 Movie Reviews 08 Seven Things Every Guy SShould hould Ha Have ONTHE COVER: Art illustrationmajorStacyWhite paintstothesongsinher heart.(Photoprovidedby Songha Lee)

THE BUZZ ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Dianika Abbott EXECUTIVE EDITOR Nicole M. Smith DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Can Sengezer ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Emily Alford PRODUCTION Dianika Abbott Danielle Torricelli ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Kimberly Leung The Daily Titan 714.278.3373 The Buzz Editorial 714.278.5426 thebuzz@dailytitan.com Editorial Fax 714.278.4473 The Buzz Advertising 714.278.3373 ads@dailytitan.com Advertising Fax 714.278.2702 The Buzz , a student publication, is a supplemental insert for the Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan. It The is printed every Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSU system. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises.

Copyright ©2006 Daily Titan

INSIDE

By Mahsa Khalilifar Daily Titan Colunmist

L.O.V.E. is not only the title of Ashlee Simpson’s new hit but also the emotional topic this week among celebrities, or at least the lack of it … it’s Splitsville for 34-year-old Lance Armstrong and 43-yearold Sheryl Crow. The Tour de France biker extraordinaire and the singer called off their marriage Friday in a statement confirmed by “People” … another couple saying their goodbyes are actress Heather Locklear and musician Richie Sambora. After

20 Q’S

By Dianika Abbott

Daily Titan Entertainment Editor

Have you ever watched TV and wondered what the heck is going on in Hollywood? Don’t you get tired of hearing the same dish about every celebrity? Shouldn’t someone speak up and ask the questions everyone wants the answers to? If you’re reading this and agreeing, then here’s 20 what that will make you go “hmmmmm.”

1. Is P. Diddy trying to spark a Bad Boys comeback with the

being married for 11 years and having an 8-year-old daughter, Locklear filed for divorce from the Bon Jovi guitarist last week … Former teen actor and singer, Leif Garrett has traveled to the celebrity home away from home: rehab. The 44-year-old, who has had alleged drug charges in the past, decided to voluntarily enter a live-in program, according to the Associated Press … It’s a baby girl for actress Joely Fisher who had her second child last Thursday with husband Chris Duddy. The 44-year-old has been most recently seen on “Desperate Housewives,” playing an obnoxiously rude boss to Felicity Huffman’s character … singer R. Kelly announced last week that he will be going on tour again.

The Light it Up Tour will feature Kelly – who has been doing more performing amid controversy

than in concert love – headlining and referring to himself as “Mr. Show Biz,” MTV News reports … New CD releases of the week include family group, The Corrs’s Home … coincidentally Collective Soul will also release an album titled Home … Sarah Harmer will release I’m a Mountain … New DVD releases include many romantic comedies such as Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo’s “Just Like Heaven” … Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom’s “Elizabethtown (Widescreen Special Collector’s Edition)” … and funny film “Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” …

Celebrity gossip of the week: is Dave Chappelle coming back to our TV sets? Say it is so! …

Stay tuned for that and more in the next Inside Buzz …

Biggie Duets album?

2.Does Kanye West really think he’s Jesus?

3. Hasn’t Jamie Foxx come a long way since his In Living Color days?

4. Speaking of Jamie Foxx, is his album really that good or is it good because it’s his album?

5. Is Jessica Simpson officially back on the market?

6. How long will Eminem and ex-wife Kim’s relationship last this time?

7. What ever happened to Pink?

8. Is Dave Chappelle here to stay or will he be making a disappearing act anytime soon?

9. Doesn’t Ciara look too old for Bow Wow? 10. Should Tommy Lee really re-make the O’Jay’s hit “Love Train”?

11. Does Hilary Duff really deserve a record deal?

12.Did the music industry give the South permission to take over? And if they did, why?

13. Does Brokeback Mountain really need eight Oscar nominations?

14. Now that Angelina Jolie is having her own baby, is she still on a quest to have her own United Nations?

15. Did G-unit hype Olivia up a little too much?

16. Does anybody still watch Real World?

17. Is model Kate Moss finally drug free?

18. Does Cam’Ron feel stupid because his wanna-be beef is only one sided?

19. Will Jay-Z and Beyonce ever get married?

20. Shouldn’t Kevin Federline stick to being Brittany Spears and Shar Jackson’s baby’s daddy?

Does he really need make a rap album?

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6, 2006

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Concert Calendar FEBRUARY O6

MONDAY Coldplay The Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim @ 8:00 p.m.

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TUESDAY Y Yellowcard Avalon Hollywood @ 8:00 p.m.

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WEDNESDAY Sex Pistols Experience HOB Anahiem @ 7:00 p.m.

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THURSDAY The Blender Chain Reaction @ 7:30 p.m.

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FRIDAY Res & Van Hunt Roxy Theatre @ 9:00 p.m.

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SATURDAY Mason Jennings Troubadour @ 8:00 p.m.

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SUNDAY Keiko Matsui Long Beach Covention Center @ 7:00 p.m.

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MONDAY My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult El Rey Theatre @ 9:00 p.m.

OVERALLS KEPT US COVERED

By Kirk Dingley

Daily Titan Staff Writer

Usually fashion trends go in new and exciting directions, but who can forget when we all wanted to dress like farmers and coal miners? Most of us wore them, and those who didn’t simply weren’t cool. Yes, I’m referring to that period in the ‘90s, the overalls years.

Adolescent hip-hop group “Kris Kross” spawned this fashion movement, though this could be debated since a number of hiphop groups also wore overalls.

We really don’t know for sure who started the fad, but it is widely believed that hip-hop culture is responsible for the movement.

The most common way to

wear overalls was to have one suspenderstrap buttoned, while letting the other hang freely.

Some took the look a step further, leaving both suspender-straps unbuttoned, and others bought their overalls two or three sizes too big to show off their boxer shorts. Others still rolled one pant leg up to the knee, and anchored the other down with a turquoise Converse.

Overalls varied drastically in color.

The stonewashed look was probably the most common, but overalls came in just about every color possible. Cross Color overalls were the boldest, favoring bright basic colors, such as school bus yellow, pumpkin orange and fire engine red.

The popular Guess overalls weren’t as loud in color, but they made up for that by using lots of zippers and pockets. You could never have enough storage on your Guess

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overalls.

The comfortableness of overalls is what truly made them great. You had to be comfortable back then because the dance moves at the time required tremendous flexibility.

Imagine doing the “running man” or the “Roger Rabbit” in today’s skin-tight, low-rise jeans. It’s probably pretty dangerous, but in overalls we could all be our favorite Fly Dancer from “In Living Color.”

So let’s hope that overalls come back on the fashion carousel again soon. I’m tired of painting houses as an excuse to wear mine.

Remember, it just takes one revolutionary hipster to walk through the Quad on campus and give us all the green light to strap them back on.

PUTTING THE FORCE BACK IN YOUR WALLET

By Jackie Kimmel Daily Titan Columnist

Last week I discussed parks as a cheap way to have some old school entertainment.

This week I am counter-acting the fresh air, fun-loving time you can have at a park with the fog breathing, strobe light, kill-or-bekilled mentality of laser tag.

I rediscovered this ancient game by accident while hanging out with my friends.

We had gone to Camelot amusement park to play a round

of miniature golf and some arcade games when we noticed we could get a game of laser tag with our golf for an additional $3.

Naturally, we took the deal.

We played our round of golf and proceeded to the laser tag arena for battle.

We listened to the safety instructions, donned our vests and laser guns, and let loose into the maze with nothing more than an adrenaline rush.

Since we had only three players, it was not as exciting as if you had a whole busload of targets.

We ended up spending more time running than we did hunting.

Now I explained that little story because laser tag is an economically reasonable way to get one to shoot at friends without physically harming them, or secretly pretend you are James Bond, Austin Powers or one of Charlie’s Angels.

But, as a word of caution, those who have high levels of competitive spirit must remember laser tag is only a game.

Yes, the objective is to hit as many people without being hit

yourself.

However, there are so many ways to be surprised during your “mission” it can be easy to forget the entertainment of it by replacing the fun with the need for victory.

So, for those looking for something new to do on a Friday night find a local laser tag venue.

On average games cost anywhere from $5 to $10, and range from seven to 15 minutes per game depending on the place.

Perhaps I will encounter some of you on the battleground.

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CSUF STUDENT MOONLIGHTS AS A ROBOT

Photo provided by Chris Alfara

By Dominic Kingdamo Daily Titan Staff Writer

Chris Alfara had been buying records before he even owned a turntable. Whether purchasing from dollar bins at record stores or random garage sales, he somehow knew one day he would have use for his strange obsession.

“I was a big music collector. I always knew that there was going to be something going on,” said Alfara, an entertainment studies major at Cal State Fullerton.

“We used to just dig for records.

We’d be out just buying scratch records and then I’d come up on a Pharoah Sanders record, and I’d be like, it’s a buck, we’re going to use this someday.”

In 1994, Alfara had his first hands-on music experience when his brother came home with a set of turntables. But it wasn’t easy.

“I was kind of like their record boy, and I would try to sneak on their turntables,” he said.

Finally, tired of having to “sneak” onto his brother’s equipment, Alfara, 24, said he saved up his money while working at Mrs. Fields bakery and, at the age of 15, purchased his first set of decks and a mixer.

Around this time Alfara, came to be known as DJ Urth, occasionally using a second alias, DJ Adeo. However, his love of music and vinyl would eventually take him in another direction.

Now his main focus finds him as the sole creative force behind an experimental hip-hop project known as Free the Robots. The sound, which is easier to compare than describe, is in the same vein as DJ Shadow or RJD2.

“When I do music by myself, it’s more open, I don’t have to impress other band members. I have 100 percent creative control,” Alfara said of his music, which he mainly bases on the concept of progressive instrumentals, like jazz.

While the genre label “hiphop” limits the Free the Robots’ sound, it definitely is hip-hop.

But it’s also jazz and down tempo. More than anything, Free the Robots’ pushes the boundaries of what most people think when they think “hip-hop.”

“I think it’s almost like a genre in itself. It is hip-hop. It’s everything really. The way I make it is how hip-hop producers have been making this since way back,” said Alfara, who made his first Free the Robots EP, “The Prototype,” over a four-year period using his keyboard, turntables and computer software.

“I still make hip-hop beats.

It’s always going to be in me, but I’ve just kind of branched into so many different genres throughout my life and I don’t want to limit myself,” Alfara said Alfara considers himself a DJ and primarily a hip-hop musician, though his musical tastes and experiences run the gamut.

He’s played with several rock bands, mostly as a DJ, but also as a bassist, and he has made beats for other hip-hop artists.

Alfara’s inspiration for the Free the Robots sound is usually sparked by his current mood or his latest musical tastes.

“If I find a fresh sample I just want to mess with it. The way I want to make these albums is I just want them to be echoes from another era. A lot of the musicians from back then were just so pure, jazz musicians and the psychedelic rock era. People were just making music to make it.”

Free the Robots does have a heavily sampled sound, a common trait of instrumental hip-hop.

Alfara said that using samples is a good way of remembering artists from the past.

“The sampling thing, people criticize it, but it’s just kind of

preserving what is. I’m not just going to sample something and then call it my track.”

“The Prototype” itself is a 60/40 percent blend of samples and original beats, Alfara said.

“I do a lot of sample-based stuff. I’m really more into the grimy drums,” said Alfara, who sounds more like a music historian than an entertainment studies major. “Anything from jazz records, to classic rock records, to old soul & funk records from the 1960s and 1970s – those have the best drums.”

Alfara added that he prefers the gritty sound of older records as opposed to the polished sounds on many of today’s records.

In the future, Alfara plans to release an official Free the Robots album.

Although Alfara has never performed live as Free the Robots, he has amassed a following primarily by word of mouth and the Internet community on MySpace.

“Most of the Free the Robots audience is not from around here,” said Alfara, an Orange County native. “I have a lot of fans in New York, Texas and Mexico. Texas is a huge audience.”

For his next album, Alfara will keep his same vibe and continue with the same kind of sound, only heavier and more progressive.

He said he would someday like to connect with an Orange County audience as he continues to look forward to what the future holds for Free the Robots.

UNDERGROUND MOVEMENT TAKES HIP-HOP TO ANOTHER LEVEL

By Jon Castillo

Daily Titan Staff Writer

The raspyvoiced underground rapper known as Awol One teams with producer Mascaria in a new 13-track album titled The Chemikillz.

The album is dark themed and eerie textured, something reminiscent of a B-rated horror movie soundtrack.

Awol One’s style of slow, melodic rhyming meshes well with Mascaria’s dark beats. The two have never released an album

together but have certainly found a common ground in expressing self-pity.

First time listeners beware: Awol One is definitely an acquired taste.

He has been a constant in Los Angeles underground hip-hop for 16 years now and not much has changed with his delivery.

His style is unique in that he will break into non-rhyming rapping that will leave listeners scratching their heads about what he is talking about.

The album shines in tracks like “Chemikillz” and “When I’m Dead” with Awol One’s straightforward delivery of everyday life happenings.

In “Chemikillz” the upbeat tempo is accompanied with Awol One lyrics about the talents of other rappers, while Mascaria mixes in a long trumpet and soft acoustics in the middle and end of the song.

But unfamiliar listeners will be turned off with tracks like “Blood Red Villain” in which he sings in a high-pitched voice about being the “scariest face, the scariest villain.”

Overall the album has solid production with nice bass lines created with Mascaria’s beats and eerie sounds. The Chemikillz is an album one can listen to alone and lose themselves deep within the bleak lyrics by Awol One.

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6, 2006

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ARTIST PAINTS TO MUSIC IN HER HEART

By Songha Lee/Daily Titan Staff

By Lisa Chung

Daily Titan Staff Writer

On paper, Stacy White looks good; on canvas she looks even better.

She is a 22-year-old illustration and Afro-ethnic studies major at CSUF, she will graduate this spring, and she’s been the featured artist at many exhibits here on campus and beyond.

After she finishes school, White wants to illustrate children’s books that represent the black people and culture, a part of the population she feels is drastically underrepresented.

“Growing up I knew that I saw the world differently than my friends,” White said.

And that’s where the story of Stacy White, the artist, really begins.

White found inspiration in her mother, a painter and sculptor, who White refers to as her “kindred spirit.”

Another powerful female influence in her life, her stepmother, introduced her to animation and production arts.

Throughout high school, White took painting classes and decided at an early age that children’s

book illustrations would be her chosen career path.

White said her Christian faith and music have been the two factors that have really helped her to develop into the artist that she is today.

Her boyfriend, Sharlok Poems, describes her art as, “exciting, outgoing, loving and funny.”

A trip to Brooklyn last year really opened her eyes to the musicians of today who are continuing to revolutionize society.

White, who said she listens to music while she paints and almost always includes a treble cleft in her paintings, was afforded the opportunity to visit Dead Prez’s music studio, “Warrior,” where she learned the RGB code, which stands for red, green and black, the colors of the black revolutionaries.

White is more than just a girl who enjoys animation and art, She paints for a reason.

“I have always loved illustration, but the more children’s books that I read the more that I began to realize black children, our culture and our stories, are underrepresented,” she said.

During her freshman year of college, White decided to cre-

ate artwork that showcased the uniqueness and beauty of black people.

“Black children need to know why they are beautiful; they need to know about their glorious history, about the beauty of our people,” she said.

Like White said, she sees the world differently, and in that difference, she is able to gather inspiration from a variety of sources.

She uses the influence of God, her mothers, fellow illustrators like Faith Ringgold and Tim Ladwig, and musicians like India Arie and Erykah Badu, and pours it all into her art.

Poems said White has a positive influence on those around her.

“I see her making a change through her loving heart. She loves more than anyone I know,” he said.

“She can find something loving in the worst of things. She shares love every day with family, friends, and everyday people.”

Samples of White’s artwork are available for viewing on her Web site,www.myspace. www.myspace.com/ nubianpaintr. nubianpaint

By Songha Lee/Daily Titan Staff

CSUF’s art illustration and Afro-ethnic major Stacy White uses the songs of revolutionary musicians as inspiration for her artwork.

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WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6, 2006

TOP 10 IPOD DOWNLOADS

By Mahsa Khalilfar Daily Titan Columnist

The Buzz is your source for the latest trends in the music industry and where would we be without the ever so popular and trendy iPod? So for you iPod fanatics out there: shuffle, nano, mini, etc. (we don’t discriminate)… Here is the list of the top 10 downloads for the week, according to Apple iTunes Web site.

There’s some pop, hip-hop and everything in between. Happy Listening!

1.James Blunts“You’re Beautiful”

2. Beyonce’s “Check on it” 3. Gabriella & Troy “Breaking Free” 4. “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield 5. T-Pain & Mike Jones “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper) 6.St. Louis represents, Nelly’s hit featuring Paul Wall “Grillz (Dirty)” 7. Ashlee Simpson’s “L.O.V.E.” 8. TheAll-American Rejects’ “Dirty Little Secret” 9. “Get’cha Head In the Game

by Troy 10. Eminem’s “Shake That”

MUSIC

T H E B U Z Z @ DA I LY T I TA N . C O M

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BRIGHT EYES PROTEGE EMBRACES NEWFOUND FAME my head I was still on a road trip, you know? I had just left school and I was playing gigs and I put out a record for Team Love but it was all very informal and casual. I was still getting around like hitching rides from people, so at that point I was the observer.

Nobody had a fixed notion of me or of who I was. I was just taking in the world because I grew up in such a small town and then all of a sudden I became the observed. It took some quick adaptation.

DT: Did you feel pressure by that at all, that people were so

By Jickie Torres/ Daily Titan Stafffamiliar with your work?

By Jickie Torres

Daily Titan Staff Writer

It’s a difficult place out there in the world of music if you don’t have cash to flash, high powered cribs to flaunt, and high tech boards and power producers that work them to fashion ready made hits that seem destined for the charts.

Willy Mason, a 20-year-old (of all things) folk singer, had absolutely none of these.

In fact, what he did have was a room in a house in Martha’s Vineyard where he recorded his tracks himself and played most of the instruments.

However, what he did have was raw honest talent and a pure, stripped down sound that he took with him to New York, where he struck out to hit the open-mic market. Soon after, the recent high school graduate was discovered by Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and was yanked from his eBay-purchased van where he’d been living and taken on tour as an opening act.

From there Mason landed for an extended stay in the UK where a few pub gigs turned into a three-week tour due to an overwhelmingly positive response.

As Mason sits, ready to perform in Los Angeles at the famed Troubadour, he shares his thoughts on his burgeoning fame, the pressures of being called another Bob Dylan and the weird world of MySpace.

DT: You’ve been so well received over in the UK. You arrived to this preexisting fan base that knew all your lyrics, how did that feel?

WM: It’s weird. It’s surreal. In

WM: I didn’t at first really. It did catch up with me a bit towards the end but, like, I don’t think that was necessary. I don’t think that was conscious. It was weak ego.

DT: A lot of people describe your music and lyrics as honest and stripped down of pretense. Do you agree?

WM: Um, yeah, I mean I’ve never been very good at taking on a role. When I do that, I tend to make a fool of myself. But most of these songs were written before I had a career, they were songs to pass the time, to play with my friends, so I had nothing to gain by trying to fool anyone.

There was nobody to fool. No one was listening.

DT: So is that going to change things the second time around when you lay down a new album?

WM: No, I don’t think so. I wouldn’t worry about it because by the time I started thinking about another album, I realized that I have quite a few songs.

They all came out slowly; I didn’t realize how much I was writing.

It is a little different but … I think that its good that it’s different.

DT: Your song “Oxygen” is quickly being adapted as this anthem for new hope and a more benevolent generation. How do you feel about that being your sort of ID song?

WM: I guess it’s kind of a cool starting point you know, as far as ID songs go. That’s a pretty healthy way of thinking for your-

self.

DT: So I looked you up and you’re on MySpace, do you manage your own site?

WM: I really like the idea of it. It’s a weird feeling to write to like, thousands of people but at the same time things like MySpace and my own site, which I’m working on, those are all independent forums where I can share. It runs parallel to what a record is. A record is a document that represents me and the Web sites are like a forum of not going though any middle men.

DT: By now you must be sick of comparisons to Bob Dylan and Tom Waits, and even Elliott Smith. But what are your expectations of yourself and are you pressured by these predictions of being the next great folk musician?

WM: You know, there’s a quote that Louis Armstrong said, “All music is folk music, ain’t no horse ever gonna sing a song.”

It’s like I guess people call me a folk musician now because I play by myself with an acoustic guitar and my roots are apparent … and I mean that tradition of having clear lines of yourself to past generations is probably something that I’ll always carry with me but my ancestors are not Bob Dylan’s. There are some crazy people back there and I have plenty of different colors to shine. I’m not the kind of writer that can decide what kind of song they want to write. For me I have no choice but to let the songs come out.

DT: So other than touring, what’s next for you?

WM: I’m recording a new record.

I’m building myself a house, a shack. Actually officially, it’s a tool shed because I don’t have the permits yet … And I’m starting to work on a recording studio with some friends of mine. And reading a lot. I just got a new truck to replace the van I had been living in.

DT: Did you buy your truck on eBay too?

WM: (Laughs) No, I didn’t actually, I decided to go official and I went to a dealership.

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6, 2006

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THERE’S SOMETHING NOT SO NEW

By Kirsten Alto

Daily Titan Staff Writer

A white person falls in love with someone of a different race, while his or her family members and friends disagree with the love affair. We’ve all seen it before.

Most recently in Guess Who with Ashton Kutcher and Save the Last Dance with Julia Stiles.

The audience always knows in the end the relationship succeeds, but watching them struggle along the way, whether it’s dramatic or comical, is what the movie is about.

In Something New, directed

by Sanaa Hamri, the focus is on Kenya (Sanaa Lathan), a successful black woman who is a big control freak.

As one of the only black women in a senior managerial position at her accounting firm, “black tax” is major issue. Kenya feels that because she works in a predominately white environment, she has to work harder to be taken seriously.

Because of her racial struggles in the business world, and the world in general, she finds it almost impossible to date anyone who doesn’t meet the requirements on her list: black, established, well traveled, fine and a part of the black upper class.

Her list prevents her from finding a man who can satisfy her desires.

That is, until her colleague sets her up on a blind date with a man who is totally opposite of the IBM (Intellectual Black Man) she’s looking for.

Her love interest, Brain (Simon Baker), a white architectural landscaper, falls madly in love with the real Kenya, not the pretentious woman she pretends to be.

In an attempt to “let go and let it flow,” she throws her list out the window and becomes the free-spirited person she always wanted to be.

Just when she thinks she’s found the man of her dreams, she is introduced to an “IBM” that her family and friends agree is “the one.”

But before it’s too late, Kenya

realizes that the foundation of a relationship is based on love rather than race and allows herself to love Brian, despite their obvious differences.

The movie works well as a romantic comedy (sometimes more with romance than com-

Picture provided by Focus Features for a group of girlfriends who edy).

With occasional spurts of need a pick-me-up or maybe even laughter, the casts’ delivery was a date for Valentines Day. I don’t think this movie is a average and every now and then, Baker’s Australian accent must see wait for this to hit video slipped through his well prac- stores. In fact, bring Guess Who and Save the Last Dance along ticed American dialect.

I recommend Something New too and make a night out of it.

WHEN A STRANGER CALLS ON SUSPENSE

By Jody Cason

Daily Titan Staff Writer

High school student Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle) had no idea what she was in store for when she took an offer for what seemed like an ordinary baby-sitting gig.

It wasn’t that the children were misbehaved; in fact, they

and director Simon West manages to do somewhat the same with his remake of the classic cult-horror film When a Stranger Calls.

Jill’s terror starts almost immediately after Dr. and Mrs. Mandrakis leave her in charge of their secluded house in the country.

At first she thinks her boyfriend and friends are responsible for the creepy phone calls, but soon discovers they are coming from a stranger who is watching her Photo provided by Screen Gems, Inc. every move.

The stranger, who does not were already fast asleep by the appear until the very end, keeps time she arrived. the audience in grand suspense It was the homicidal maniac as Jill constantly struggles to on the other end of the phone find his whereabouts. line that gave Jill her troubles There are many obstacles when he kept asking the same that keep Jill from rescue, like annoying question, “Have you the maid who disappears and checked the children?” the police who don’t take her This disturbing question ter- claims seriously. rified movie audiences in 1979, One of the best aspects of

this film is the fact that the filmmakers make the house one of the main characters.

The house overlooks a large lake and was built solely for the purpose of this film.

Its large glass windows

that assists our heroine as she battles for her life.

Belle does an adequate job portraying this young woman, filled with terror who finds the strength to put up a good fight.

Belle isn’t given much dialogue due to the nature of the story, but makes up for it nicely with great facial expressions that convey her character’s angst.

Overall, I can honestly rate “When a Stranger Calls Calls” as a decent film and a pretty respectable remake.

The filmmakers took good care not to go overboard by making it a typical teenage slasher film. Sure there is a little blood and guts, but it is the lingering suspense in this film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

“Have you checked the children?”

- When A Stranger make Jill a very vulnerable character by giving the stranger incredible vantage points to survey her.

There is also a very reflective glass atrium inside the home with a super-powered mister that helps serve the plot, as well as trick lighting

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WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6, 2006

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7 FASHION TIPS EVERY GUY SHOULD KNOW

By Lauren Padilla Daily Titan Staff Writer

O

K mister: Admit it.

You want to look good. Why wouldn’t you? It is understandable that you might not want to survey your friends on the latest fashion trends, so let this be your outlet. No one has to know your reading this, but a little advice wouldn’t hurt.

Besides the way you dress can either scare off the girl of your dreams or reel her in. Don’t you want to make sure it’s the ladder? So let’s get started…

(1) Casually over-dressed There is nothing hotter than a blazer thrown over a t-shirt with jeans. It’s like your trying to look nice but at the same time being your manly laid back self. Best of all, it takes like zero effort. You can throw a blazer over almost anything and suddenly look so pulled together. To get the whole casual effect try not to match

your shirt to your blazer. The contrast carries this look. If you try to match the two, it doesn’t look so effortlessly sexy and you don’t want anyone to think you tried, right?

(2) Dress the Booty It’s uncool to act like you know all the designers your girlfriends freak out over, but it’s pretty obvious you’re checking out our nicely clad rear ends.

Even more obvious is the rising trend of Clueless boys wearing these same designer jeans. It seems rather rational; if you have a nice rear end, why not show it off? Besides a nice pair of jeans dresses up any shirt. Also, it might show that girl you’ve had your eye on that you do pay attention, and might just supply her with a hot shopping partner.

Just let her continue believing this: You’re the clueless boy.

(3) If it won’t cooperate, cover it up It’s well known that the concept of a girl spending hours blow-drying, curling or straight-

ening her hair seems completely crazy and pointless to a guy, but at the same time he wants to look good too. Although he might only contribute minutes rather than hours to his hair, the concept is the same. Wanting to look hot is gender blind.

Just like girls, there are days when your hair just won’t cooperate. We’re talking bed hair, and not the sexy kind. This is where men have one of the few advantages over women; a man almost always looks hot in a hat. Just cover the unruly hair up, and you will look even hotter, minus the effort.

(4) Stepping in style This is the one fascination men never had to play down.

From the days when you were starting to wobble, you were bombarded with “cool,” flashing footgear or whatever new sneaker your favorite basketball player was endorsing. A man’s shoes speak for him. When something you wear has that much power, you must do it justice. So men, go in every

shoe store, you’re even allowed the privilege of looking at new shoes on the Internet. Find the right shoe that polishes your outfit. You know, the “one” that will make you the envy of all your “macho” friends.

(5) Decorate yourself That’s sound uber-feminine, but it’s the truth. Instead of earrings or necklaces, your focus should be watches and belts. A watch can change your whole outfit. If you want to make your outfit night worthy add some bling; if you prefer a laid back athletic vibe go for the new thicker wrist bans that seems to make a man look so much more muscular. Don’t forget your belts. Please, women have been scared away by way too many plumber butts. Forget what you have heard, it is not sexy! Pull yourself together and find the perfect belt to complete your look.

(6) Be a little shady How can you live in Southern

California and not have a nice pair of sunglasses? Besides the boring but very important reason that they protect your eyesight, they also add a bit of drama and mystery to any man.

What man doesn’t want to keep a girl guessing? Sunglasses have always been sexy, from James Dean to Stephen from Laguna Beach. This is definitely not a passing trend, so be a little shady.

(7) The Classic The T-shirt is definitely the all-time favorite. It is comfortable, and you can never have too many. The cut is the same, but depending on the color or brand they please all different kinds of boys. To be honest it is a little perplexing how a printed brand name can make one T-shirt so much better than another, but men probably feel the same about women’s brands.

Although, the T-shirt may seem a bit dull, the sexy and easy confidence it oozes makes this classic anything but boring.