0Santa Monica Daily Press, February 17, 201421714

Page 1

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Yes, in this very spot! Call for details (310)

458-7737

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2014

Volume 13 Issue 79

Santa Monica Daily Press

BUILDING A WINNER SEE PAGE 3

We have you covered

COMMUNITYPROFILES CHRISTINE WU

No second fiddle Santa Monica resident making mark with talents

THE PLAY IT UP ISSUE

Startup connects fans, entertainers for fundraising BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON Daily Press Staff Writer

BY HEATHER DOWNIE Special to the Daily Press

DOWNTOWN Santa Monica resident Christine Wu is becoming one of Hollywood’s most in-demand musicians. Her most recent collaboration went viral and she’s busier than ever. “One day I’m playing with Demi Lovato and Jason Derulo in the Disney Christmas parade and the next I’m performing with Andrea Boccelli,” said Wu. “My life is unpredictable, but every day is an adventure.” Wu is an accomplished concert cellist, violinist, composer, string arranger and studio musician. She has performed, recorded and toured with artists like Beyoncé, Plácido Domingo, Justin Timberlake, Bono, Usher, Peter Gabriel, Earth Wind & Fire, Paul Anka and Annie Lennox. She has played on soundtracks for movies like “Salinger,” video games like “Assassin’s Creed” and is a regular live performer on TV shows like “American Idol,” “The Voice,” and “Dancing with the Stars.” She also composes commercial jingles and writes her own music. One of Wu’s most recent projects is a hip-hop remix of the country music classic “Achy Breaky Heart” with country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and rapper Buck 22. The music video, which she describes as either sexy or “the kind of Photo courtesy Adrian Sidney/Picturegroup horrific you can’t stop looking at,” was released this week via Larry King’s PLAYING ALONG: Violinist Christine Wu on set during Billy Ray Cyrus’ ‘Achy Breaky 2’ Twitter feed. It’s gone viral and topped music video shoot at Laurel Canyon Stages on Jan. 7. the Youtube charts at No. 1. “We started with a basic hip hop just love his energy. It was a really fun, Wu’s life in Santa Monica is a far cry track. Cyrus did his thing. I did mine on collaborative process and a great way to from her previous job as an orchestral the violin. We’d give each other feedback blend my classical training and love of SEE CP PAGE 12 and bounce back and forth,” said Wu. “I different genres.”

SILICON BEACH For the more digitally inclined, imagine live streaming video combined with Kickstarter or Indiegogo. For the less digitally inclined, imagine a good old fashion telethon but on a computer. That’s kind of like Cogo, a Santa Monica-based startup that helps entertainers raise money for causes. Last week, the fundraising platform rebranded, dropping its old name, Laffster, and broadening to include all types of entertainment — not just comedy. The platform lets fans watch and interact with their favorite entertainers (comedians, until last week) in real time. The performers auction off pre-determined or improvised incentives for charity or to support a project. The cast of the television show “Glee” is hosting a Cogo event on Saturday and fans can donate $35 to download the most recent episode or $975 for a guitar signed by the cast. Fans interact with the stars using hashtags on Twitter. In the case of “Glee,” the cash goes to support youth arts program, The Young SEE FUNDRAISING PAGE 13

Water politics complicate Brown’s decisions JULIET WILLIAMS Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. As California struggles to cope with its historic drought, Gov. Jerry Brown is facing increasing pressure to tackle longstanding problems in the state’s water storage and delivery systems at a time when the politics of the issue have never been more tangled. SEE WATER PAGE 8

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Yes, in this very spot! Call for details (310) 458-7737

Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...

Experience counts! garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com

TAXES ALL FORMS, ALL TYPES, ALL STATES

BACK TAXES • BOOKKEEPING • SMALL BUSINESS

SAMUEL B. MOSES, CPA

(310) 395-9922

100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1800Santa Monica 90401


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.