August 11-17, 2010 \ Volume 20 \ Issue 30 \ Always Free Film | Music | Culture GO VEGAN Turn Over a New Leaf JULIA ROBERTS in Eat Pray Love © 2 010 CAMPUS CI R C L E • ( 3 2 3 ) 9 3 9 - 8 4 7 7 • 5 0 4 2 WILSHIRE BLVD., #600 LOS ANGELES, CA 90036 • WWW.CAMPUSCIRCLE.COM • ONE FREE COPY PER PERSON “SCOTT PILGRIM IS A GAME-CHANGER. A BREA THLESS RUSH OF A MOVIE THA T JUMPS OFF THE SCREEN, SPINS YOUR HEAD AROUND AND THEN WORKS ITS WAY INTO YOUR HEAR T.” Peter Travers “AWESOMESTMOVIE DECADE . CLASSIC. BRILLIAN TLY DIREC TED.” AN INS TAN T OF THE “ THE YEAR ‘S Steve Oldfield, FOX-TV YUMMIEST, SWEE TEST CINEMA TIC MILK SHAKE. IF YOU DON‘ T LOVE THIS MOVIE TO PIECES, I DON'T WAN T TO KNOW YOU.” “ONE - OF -A -KIND, FULLY REALIZED, SMART, SENSITIVE AND SATISFYING EDGAR WRIGHT‘S BEST FILM YET. SUPER HIP AND COOL!” Jami Philbrick, MOVIEWEB STARTS FRIDA Y, AUGUS T 13 CLASSIC! STANDS A CHANCE GENERA TIONAL Todd Gilchrist, CINEMA TICAL AWESOME! “AN INSTAN T AT BECOMING A WORK OF CINEMA.” “ TOTALLY Jeff Jensen, EW MILESTONE." Ka tey Rich, CINEMABLEND “FLAWLESS VICTORY. A GENUINE, NO -JOKE, Drew McWeeny, HITFIX OUT- OF-THE- BALLPARK MASTERWORK.” CHECK L OCAL LIS TINGS FOR THEA TRES AND SHOW TIMES MOBILE USERS: For Showtimes - Text SCOTT with your ZIP CODE to 43KIX (43549)! Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com campus circle Aug. 11 - Aug. 17, 2010 Vol. 20 Issue 30 inside campus circle 8 Editor-in-Chief Jessica Koslow editor.chief@campuscircle.net Managing Editor Yuri Shimoda managing.editor@campuscircle.net Film Editor Jessica Koslow film.editor@campuscircle.net Cover Designer Sean Michael Editorial Interns Lynda Correa, Christine Hernandez, Arit John, Marvin Vasquez Contributing Writers Christopher Agutos, Geoffrey Altrocchi, Jonathan Bautts, Scott Bedno, Scott Bell, Zach Bourque, Erica Carter, Richard Castañeda, Joshua Chilton, Cesar Cruz, Nick Day, Natasha Desianto, Sola Fasehun, Denise Guerra, James Famera, Mari Fong, Stephanie Forshee, A.J. Grier, Zach Hines, Damon Huss, Danielle Lee, Becca Lett, Lucia, Ebony March, Angela Matano, Samantha Minton, Stephanie Nolasco, Samantha Ofole, Brien Overly, Ariel Paredes, Sasha Perl-Raver, Dov Rudnick, Melissa Russell, Mike Sebastian, Doug Simpson, David Tobin, Kevin Wierzbicki, Grady Winn, Candice Winters, M.M. Zonoozy Contributing Artists & Photographers Samantha Minton, David Tobin ADVERTISING Sean Bello sean.bello@campuscircle.net Joy Calisoff joy.calisoff@campuscircle.net Jon Bookatz Music Sales Manager jon.bookatz@campuscircle.net Ronit Guedalia ronit.guedalia@campuscircle.net Calendar Editor Frederick Mintchell Campus Circle newspaper is published 49 times a year and is available free at 40 schools and over 800 retail locations throughout Los Angeles. Circulation: 30,000. Readership: 90,000. PUBLISHED BY CAMPUS CIRCLE, INC. 5042 Wilshire Blvd., PMB 600 Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 939-8477 (323) 939-8656 Fax info@campuscircle.net www.campuscircle.com © 2010 Campus Circle, Inc. All rights reserved. 6 14 04 NEWS CAMPUS NEWS 04 BLOGS D-DAY 05 CULTURE TV TIME 06 FILM ANIMAL KINGDOM The Wild World of the Cody Brothers’ Gang of Armed Robbers 06 FILM PROJECTIONS 07 FILM DVD DISH 08 FILM JULIA ROBERTS Lets Go in Eat Pray Love 08 FILM SCREEN SHOTS 10 FILM MOVIE REVIEWS 12 MUSIC VERSAEMERGE Florida trio put the fix on Warped Tour. 12 MUSIC EVERY TIME I DIE Remind Us That “Shit Happens” 14 MUSIC OZZY OSBOURNE Screams into SoCal with Ozzfest 14 MUSIC CD REVIEWS 15 MUSIC LIVE SHOW REVIEWS 16 MUSIC FREQUENCY 16 MUSIC REPORT 17 CULTURE L.A. MOVES 17 CUTURE EXHIBITIONS 18 CULTURE ON THE MENU Vegan Dining in Los Angeles 22 SPORTS THE DIAMOND DISPATCH 22 SPORTS GALAXY KICK 22 CULTURE BEAUTY BEAT 23 BLOGS THE ART OF LOVE 23 EVENTS THE 10 SPOT Cover Photo By: Niko Guido; nikoguido.com Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 3 MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS Campus News College Central Local News U.S. News CAMPUSNEWS DITCHING DORMS For Home Ownership by ebony march, NEWS EDITOR Sharon Nilsson has twin sons entering college this fall. One son is attending New York University; the other won a partial scholarship to study at Fordham University uptown. Although the family is elated that both boys have accomplished academic success, one thing really threw Nilsson for a loop. “God, it costs a fortune to pay for college,” she says. “There’s books and tuition, for sure. But there’s the other stuff – the room and board and the food costs. My boys can eat you out of house and home.” Nilsson is like many parents who are faced with the tough cost of financing a high-end education. Only instead of the fears and worries that most moms and dads experience with one college-age child, she has to budget for two, as well as a daughter who is about to enter her junior year of high school (and will be starting college in 2012). “I’m thankful that my boys decided to pick schools in the same city. It makes things a lot easier,” she says. Nilsson decided to take a proactive stance and cut corners by any means necessary. Instead of paying the hefty $6,000 to $15,000 per year cost of undergrad housing, she and her husband decided to cut costs in a rather unorthodox way. Campus Circle > News > Campus News “We spend a lot of time out that way and my boys know their way around fairly well, so we went ahead and got them a place in Jersey City,” she says. Nilsson, her current husband and ex-husband (the boys’ father) pooled their resources and purchased a twobedroom, 1.5 bath within a brownstone in the historical city located less than 10 minutes outside of Manhattan by way of the PATH train. “It was listed for $215,000, but we got it for $194.9,” she says. That’s smart math in today’s economy. The projected cost to house Nilsson’s sons for four years of undergrad study could run upwards of $120,000, depending on which dormitory they draw at their respective schools. For this family, keeping an apartment that the entire brood can enjoy during holiday visits to the Big Apple as well as providing her sons with a home as they brave the (post-graduate) job market was a gift she couldn’t resist passing on to them. “They’ll take over the mortgage when they get jobs and pay roughly the same amount each month that they’d have to pay in rent. Not only that, but we aren’t throwing away all that money. This stays in the family and can be sold should we need the money.” As innovative as Nilsson is, she’s not alone. Parents have been crunching the numbers and coming to similar conclusions about cutting college costs for their children. The movement is so popular that it has sparked several books, including Profit by Investing in Student Housing: Cash In On the Campus Housing Shortage by Michael Zaransky. Zaransky notes that the current system of on-campus housing has its drawbacks, such as full-capacity rooms and suites as well as unexpected lodging cost increases. But cost-cutting isn’t the only impetus for forging into D-DAY A LITERAL BUG-A-BOO by denise guerra A couple of nights ago, I moved into my new apartment in the semi-trendy Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz. My new place isn’t quite an apartment attached to several other buildings raised above the ground. Instead, it acts more like a stand-alone studio on a somewhat slanted hill near fruit trees, squirrels and neighborhood cats. My very first night staying in this place didn’t start off so well since I had to move in late at night. People were asleep, no cars were passing by and I was left to move in and out amidst the dark shadows of brush and trees. As I turned on the light, I quickly saw a spider spinning its web on a bag of clothes I had left while trying to slowly move in my stuff little by little. I’m not usually afraid of the occasional Charlotte’s web, but I did get a little nervous, being in such a quiet, secluded place, in a part of town I barely knew. As I shut the door and wandered around the place, I saw something near my bed that looked small and intricate. About two inches long, flat and spread out like a sunburst. I stared at it for a while until it scurried under my mattress. “HOLY (expletive, expletive, expletive).” It was like hearing the huge booming sound when you spot the killer in a horror movie. I turned around and another one of the creepy crawlies scuttled through the floor under the bed. 4 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 Michael S. Wirtz/Philadelphia Inquirer/KRT FILM Think of all the fun you could have – and money they would save – if your parents bought you a house/condo! the real estate market. While many students enjoy the fun and camaraderie associated with residence hall life, for some, it can be overrated and rife with distractions. “I hated the dorms,” says Sherika Johnson. “Mine were co-ed. All they ever did was party. A girl almost died down the hall from my room. I’m serious! Ooh, it was bad.” Johnson would have loved having the opportunity to move into a private residence as she completed her degree in accounting. “It would have made a big difference, I assure you. I remember calling my mama and just crying because I couldn’t get any sleep and I was stressed out and couldn’t get peace and quiet. That’s probably why I live by myself now,” she says, laughing. “I am not about sharing my private space these days.” Meanwhile, Nilsson and her family have said their goodbyes. She and her husband moved the boys into their new digs in July, giving them ample opportunity to enjoy their new town before their freshman years get underway. Campus Circle > Blogs > D-Day “How many of these things are in here, bloody hell!” I started dialing the phone as if my best friend 70 miles away could possibly do something about this situation. As I stood there, still as a rock, crying, she seemed annoyed. I was paralyzed, and she was telling me to go to the store and buy bug spray, as if that’s all I needed, ending the call with, “Well, umm, I have to go take a shower.” How did this person become my best friend? I’m about to get chewed and molested by two-inch bugs with 100 legs and all she wants to do is take a shower? Since that person wasn’t going to help me, I tried calling my sensible sister in San Diego, who would probably be up at this time of the night. Her advice, “Why don’t you just move out?” Yeaah ... it’s midnight. I’m going to take all my stuff and drive, where? So what did I end up doing? In all its hilarity, I turned on the lights and fans, and basically had to tough it out. Mind you, I did not sleep that night. I needed something to make me happy and distracted, so a marathon of “How I Met Your Mother” brought me back to a more comfortable place. The paranoia was still there, but so was Neil Patrick Harris. The next morning, I woke up to bright sunshine and to a cold, crisp morning. I HAD SURVIVED. I was so happy to be leaving my new home (and “roommates”) to go to work, but even there the remnants of last night haunted me. As a girl, it may be natural to stereotype me into the category of an elephant seeing a mouse, but in reality, spiders, ants, roaches, these insects suck but they don’t scare me. The creatures I saw the night before would probably scare Alfred Hitchcock’s Birds into submission. I was shaking and afraid, but I needed to know what it was I was afraid of. Though I should have been working, I researched online and found Chris Ware/Lexington Herlad Leader 2010/MCT NEWS exactly the type of insect I was dealing with. This insect was a house centipede. Talk about freaky. No seriously. Short of moving out after just signing a lease, I needed to be logical about this situation. What I was really afraid of (besides ugly things) is if I would be physically harmed: Would it bite me or rape me or whatever (a million thoughts ran though my head)? It turns out that a house centipede is classified as a beneficial pest (pest because really the only thing anyone can really say about it is that its fugly, and no one wants fugly things in their house). It’s paradoxical because this pest is actually a natural form of pest control, with its main diet being other insects. So this calmed my nerves a bit, but it’s still not enough for me to go Bruce Lee if they decide to show their face again. The sad thing about this tale is that in the end, I’m just going to have to learn to get along with my new “best friends.” Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com TVTIME Michael Chevas JOEY LAWRENCE by stephanie forshee Joey Lawrence is heading back to the sitcom world. Fittingly, he’s co-starring with ’90s teen sensation Melissa Joan Hart in the ABC Family comedy, “Melissa & Joey.” On returning to a sitcom, Lawrence shares, “It was something I wasn’t sure I was ever gonna do again.” “Melissa & Joey”’s storyline is complex yet enticing. When Wall Street whiz kid Joe loses his job, he seeks answers from his former boss’ sister, Melissa. Upon meeting, he discovers she has two kids and is in need of a little help. And so the story unfolds. “I don’t think there’s anything like it on TV. There’s no young romantic comedy on TV right now,” says Lawrence. Lawrence describes his character as “a little cocky, but for some reason you like him. He’s a fun character.” The casting for this cute duo came to be thanks to their hit TV movie on ABC, My Fake Fiance. Lawrence is also the executive producer for “Melissa & Joey.” “It’s something that I have a lot of creative control over. Whether it fails or succeeds, you had a little more control over what it ends up being than if you just got hired,” tells Lawrence. In addition to his new sitcom, Lawrence also stars in the upcoming film Hit List, about a hit man who can’t find true love. Leading lady Charlotte (Shirly Brener) goes online and comes across Lyle (Lawrence), but she doesn’t know what he does for a living. “It’s pretty quirky,” Lawrence says with a laugh. “It’s a pretty wicked little dark movie.” He appears in Sinatra Club, a brutal tale about the night in 1973 ex-mobster John Gotti took over New York. “Melissa & Joey” premieres Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. on ABC Family. CONSIDERING A CAREER IN THE HAIR INDUSTRY? If you dream of owning you’re own salon, working behind the scenes on motion pictures, fashion shows or magazine shoots, then the Sassoon Academy Cosmetology program is the finest start to help you realize you’re goals. Choosing to study Cosmetology at Sassoon Academy provides you the unique opportunity to access the Sassoon culture, with its world renowned reputation and over 50 years of experience in Cosmetology education. After finishing the Sassoon course, you will be fully prepared for the realities of business and ready to begin your career in hairdressing. At the Sassoon Cosmetology School, we prepare you for a career in the real world. For this reason, hands on learning with male and female clients are a key part of the curriculum. This includes consultation, cut and color, finish and product recommendation. The knowledge that you gain from this will go far beyond what you learn from textbooks and working with mannequins. With the strong personal attention of our professional teachers, you will fully develop your skills. NIGHT SCHOOL | The Sassoon Cosmetology Program can now be studied as a night course for anyone who has prior commitments during the day, such as work, childcare or study. STudeNT PrOFILe | No formal experience is necessary, although you will be required to be hardworking and passionate about hair. durATION | 44 WeekS COST | $22,000* * PAYMeNT PLANS | Sassoon now offers comprehensive payment plans to suit any budget and payment term – please ask one of our Administrators about our various options. FOr MOre INFOrMATION ANd TerMS & CONdITIONS, PLeASe SPeAk TO Our AdMINISTrATION dePT AT 888 757 5100 SASSOON ACAdeMY | 321 SANTA MONICA BLVd SANTA MONICA | CA 90401 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 5 FILM MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS DVD Dish Interviews Movie Reviews Projections Screen Shots Special Features TV Time FILMINTERVIEWS ANIMAL KINGDOM David Michôd’s Pet Project by sasha perl-raver Pound for pound, Animal Kingdom is the best film of 2010. Made for a fraction of Inception’s catering budget, writerdirector David Michôd’s gritty, enthralling, casually brutal Australian crime drama took top honors at Sundance earlier this year and opens this week amid a cluttered summer weekend. But don’t let this indie get lost in the shuffle because missing out on Michôd’s debut feature would be to deny yourself one of the year’s best filmgoing experiences. Entrenched in a family of Melbourne criminals, Animal Kingdom stars a slew of exceptional Australian actors, including Guy Pearce, Jacki Weaver, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Luke Ford and Sullivan Stapleton, but the film centers around newcomer James Frecheville, who was cast through open call auditions after competing with over 500 kids. Plucked out of high school in the last semester of his senior year, Michôd knew the success of his project hinged on finding a young unknown who would be the film’s nucleus. “When you cast a kid at the center of your film, it feels a little like you’re on a high-wire when you go into [the auditions] because you have no idea if you’re going to find the kid that you need,” Michôd explains. Campus Circle > Film > Interviews Michôd says he was searching for someone who was capable of creating a character so emotionally stunted they seemed autistic. “I needed an actor who could create that blankness [and still be] interesting to watch,” he says. “It wasn’t like with James there were 12 close contenders and we had to make a decision. It became quite apparent early on that James was the only contender. It was the level of detail in his performance that thrilled me.” The details of Animal Kingdom are well-tread territory for Michôd, who has been working on the film for almost a decade. While 2010 is a big year for him, with both Animal Kingdom and Hesher (a film he co-wrote that stars Natalie Portman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) debuting at Sundance and making their way into theaters, Kingdom has been his pet project since he graduated from film school. “It took eight years to write,” Michôd admits, smiling a little sheepishly. “I taught myself to write over those years. I was fresh out of school when I started writing, and I just had this idea of a big Melbourne crime film. That first draft is laughably infantile. It’s just full of cool, crime-y shit. I look back on it now and there’s not a single line of dialogue, not a single scene, that’s still in the movie. I can observe how the script improved as my writing matured and as I matured personally.” Part of that maturation was realizing no one was going to let him direct his own script simply on the merits of his eager charm or screenwriting abilities, so he directed a short film to prove he had the visual chops as well. “I went and made a short film called Crossbow, which, like Animal Kingdom, was an attempt to represent a world that was sort of dark and dangerous but yet had a poetry to it, a contemplative beauty,” he says. PROJECTIONS LATIN AMERICAN SHOWCASE Aug. 13-19 @ Sunset 5 by candice winters I’m not sure what has gotten into me. YOU know when you go to see a movie just because you like to watch the previews of films coming out soon? No? Well, I do, and lately nothing has made me look ahead at release dates and become giddy with anticipation. Last year’s Academy Awards was disappointing enough. The summer season scraped by on the skin of its bad comedy. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 won’t be released until November, and The Social Network is the only one in between that will get me through the rest of summer and most of autumn. More and more, foreign films have been the staple of my week, the stuff that my waking dreams are made of (yes, I loved Inception), and it seems to have become more than just subconscious because I can’t help but drag these subtitled audience winners kicking and screaming from the small arthouse theaters into my columns. A few weeks ago I mentioned The Secret in Their Eyes, the movie from Argentina that, it’s no secret, kept my eyes glued to the screen for the never-ending, one-shot scene of skill and perfection. 6 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 Tony Mott, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics NEWS Guy Pearce and David Michôd on the set of Animal Kingdom The short was a huge hit at film festivals, including Venice and Sundance, and Michôd quickly found his career taking off. “One of the beautiful things about Hollywood is that when you’ve done something new that gets attention, it can transform your career overnight, even if it’s a short film. On the back of [Crossbow], Animal Kingdom started to feel inevitable, which was scary in itself. From that point, everything happened really quickly.” He says throughout the pre-production and filming process, it was fear that propelled him and made him a better filmmaker. “The terrifying thing and the exhilarating thing about shooting,” he smiles, “is you live in a state of adrenalized semianxiety for the whole duration of the shoot. But it’s kind of necessary. That anxiety produces a kind of critical rigor from which better work comes.” Animal Kingdom releases in theaters Aug. 13. Campus Circle > Film > Projections Yesterday, I re-watched City of God from Brazil, a movie that swept numerous international awards back in 2002. In a gritty depiction of life in the lower class quarter of Rio de Janeiro, the film’s quick-cut editing and scorching imagery makes it a real classic, one I would watch leisurely on my couch over hitting the theaters for The Revenge of Kitty Galore. And have you met the Trio? Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro are the three lovers in my life whom I can trust with everything, particularly any given two-plus hours of my day. Del Toro helmed one of my favorite films of all time, Pan’s Labyrinth, which was robbed of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film a few years ago. He’s also notorious for the Hellboy franchise and for dropping out of production of the highly anticipated The Hobbit. Cuarón directed my favorite of all the Harry Potter films, the Prisoner of Azkaban, as well as a childhood fave, A Little Princess. And Iñárritu is famed for hard-hitting, award-happy films like Babel and 21 Grams. All three directors extraordinaire are from just south of the border in the land of Mehico. I could convincingly argue that the quality of foreign film has noticeably gone up thanks to the efforts of these three cine-gods. But it’s not just Mexico that is producing the talent. All of Latin America is severely underrated and lacking North American recognition for their recent endeavors. This naturally leads to my projections for the week. (Isn’t it convenient how that happens each week?) Well, the Latin American Showcase consists of two films from Argentina, one from Mexico and one from Colombia. Presented by Laemmle Theatres and Outsider Pictures, the showcase screens each film once a day starting Aug. 13 at the Sunset 5. Mundo alas is a concert movie from Argentina that is León Geico performs before each evening screening of Mundo alas. the only film to screen twice per day. The evening screening is preceeded by a half-hour performance from Argentinean folk-rock legend León Geico. Meet the Head of Juan Perez is a comedy from Mexico about a low-life magician who inadvertently decapitates himself in the hopes of surviving the current economic crisis. Music On Hold is an Argentinean romantic comedy about a guy who finds the answer to his writer’s block on the phone with the assistant manager of the bank. Finally, Crab Trap is set in the Afro-Colombian community of La Barra on the Pacific coast and depicts the clash of modernity and tradition in the constantly growing South American country. Jump on the bandwagon I’m forming in support of our neighbors to the south. Es muy bueno. Laemmle’s Sunset 5 is located at 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. For more information, visit laemmle.com. Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com DVDDISH SPECIAL FEATURES by mike sebastian Funny Business: Two of the funniest people in Hollywood, Steve Carell and Tina Fey, team up for a disastrous night out in Date Night. Taking a page from The Out-ofTowners and After Hours nightmare book of comedy, nothing goes right as the New Jersey parents try to enjoy a night in Manhattan. Also available: Multiple Sarcasms with Timothy Hutton, Loose Screws: Screwballs II, Finding Bliss The Idiotbox: Eighties pop culture icon Max Headroom finally comes to DVD in Max Headroom: The Complete Series. This ambitious, ahead-of-its-time cyber punk comedy takes place 20 minutes into the future, where TV viewing is mandatory. An investigative reporter, with the help of his computer generated clone, fight crime and get the story. Robert Carlyle and Lou Diamond Phillips lead a crew of civilians and military personnel stranded in deep space aboard an aging ship programmed to explore the farthest reaches of the galaxy in Stargate Universe SG-U: 1.5. An FBI Agent (Rob Morrow) teams with his genius mathematician brother (David Krumholtz) in combining traditional investigative methods with number theory to track down criminals in the continually inventive Numb3rs: The Sixth Season. In Toon: From the creators of “Robot Chicken” comes “Titan Maximum,” a hilarious parody of animated Japanese imports from the ’80s like “Voltron.” Seth Green leads a cast of teens who pilot a giant robot in fighting evil. Season One is now available. Fifteen previously unavailable theatrical shorts are remastered for the Looney Tunes Super Stars collections, Bugs Bunny: Hare Extraordinaire and Daffy Duck: Frustrated Fowl. Stranger Than Fiction: The ugly truth about the bottled water industry is exposed in Tapped, a new documentary from the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car? From the environmental effects to the lack of regulation to the raping of communities and absurd price gauging, there’s plenty of evidence here to make you think twice before buying that Evian. Michel Gondry crafts an intimate and highly personal documentary with The Thorn in the Heart. Combining old Super 8 home movies, new interviews and animation, Gondry paints a portrait of the fraught relationship between his aunt, a former schoolteacher, and her son. Based on the best selling book The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism shows how neoliberal capitalism exploits war, terrorism, and natural disasters to survive and flourish. Blu Notes: Peter Bogdanovich was doing genre pastiche long before Quentin Tarantino. His ode to the screwball comedies of the ’30s, What’s Up, Doc?, stars Ryan O’Neal and Barbra Streisand as a comically mismatched pair. The misadventures of everyone’s favorite family, the Griswolds, come to hi-def in National Lampoon’s Vacation and the sequel, European Vacation. Chevy Chase stars as the hapless patriarch leading his family on an ill-fated cross-country road trip to Wally World. John Candy and Randy Quaid co-star. John Hughes wrote the script, while Harold Ramis directed this modern classic. The Horror! The Horror! Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci star in the macabre psychological thriller After.Life. Ricci wakes up from an accident to find a funeral director (Neeson) preparing her body for her funeral. Is he really transitioning her soul or is he burying her alive? COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS A PLAN B ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION “EAT PRAY LOVE” JAMES FRANCO RICHARD JENKINSMUSICVIOLA DAVIS BILLY CRUDUP MUSIC AND JAVIER BARDEM SUPERVISION BY PJ BLOOM BY DARIO MARIANELLI BASED ON EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS BRAD PITT STAN WLODKOWSKI JEREMY KLEINER THE BOOK BY ELIZABETH GILBERT PRODUCED DIRECTED SCREENPLAY BY DEDE GARDNER BY RYAN MURPHY BY RYAN MURPHY & JENNIFER SALT Under the Radar: Colin Farrell stars in Triage, a harrowing drama about a photojournalist who travels to war-torn regions, but returns home scarred after one trip. Danis Tanovic (No Man’s Land) directs. Sam Neill stars in Under the Mountain, a special effects fantasy epic about two kids who discover a family of shape-shifting creatures living in the creepy old house next door and set out on a perilous adventure. Also available: Helen with Ashley Judd SOUNDTRACK INCLUDES “BETTER DAYS” PERFORMED BY EDDIE VEDDER STARTS ,FRIDAY, AUGUST 13 HOLLYWOOD At Sunset & Vine 323/464-4226 CENTURY CITY AMC Century 15 888/AMC-4FUN WEST LOS ANGELES The Landmark At Pico & Westwood Blvd. 310/281-8233 SANTA MONICA SHERMAN OAKS AMC Santa Monica 7 At The Sherman Oaks Galleria 888/AMC-4FUN 818/501-0753 L.A./BEVERLY HILLS Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14 323/692-0829 #209 WESTWOOD The Majestic Crest 310/474-7866 DOWNTOWN L.A. Regal Cinemas UNIVERSAL CITY WEST LOS ANGELES L.A. Live Stadium 14 CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX® Rave 18 800/FANDANGO #4046 888/AMC-4FUN 310/568-9950 3 COL. (4.875") X 12"= 36" CAMPUS CIRCLE AND AT A THEATER NEAR YOU CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES WED 8/11 7 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 FILM MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS DVD Dish Interviews Movie Reviews Projections Screen Shots Special Features TV Time FILMINTERVIEWS EAT PRAY LOVE Julia Roberts finds more than puppy love. by candice winters Julia Roberts is getting a puppy, and she’s christened him Javier. No, not really, but working with sexy Spanish hunk Javier Bardem might be a comparative experience. “It was like deciding to get a puppy,” says the dark-haired actress. “[You think], ‘Oh my life is so settled, so fixed. I will get that puppy.’ Then the puppy comes in, and you’re like, ‘OK, I’m too tired to have a puppy.’ He came in with all this gusto and enthusiasm. His excitement was so contagious.” Like any good doggy trainer, Roberts has Bardem following where she walks and licking her face in Eat Pray Love, which is based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert, who accounts her quest to find herself in Italy, India and Indonesia. But don’t assume that it was all beaches, pasta and puppies on set. “It was well reported that I was terrified to be around him after No Country for Old Men,” recalls Roberts about Bardem. “He pulls out a picture from [the movie], and I was like, ‘My eyes, my eyes!’ I had just got a really good grip on the way he really looks, and then he gets it back in there.” Roberts stars as on-screen Liz, whose marriage crumbles when she realizes she’s out of love with doting husband (Billy Crudup). After an unsuccessful tryst with a younger Campus Circle > Film > Interviews man (James Franco), the New York writer finds herself in her bathroom on her knees, praying to a God with whom she has never had a working relationship. And so she’s off to Italy first, where images of pasta and gelato tantalizingly flood the screen. Director Ryan Murphy hopes to inspire an appetite in an audience of the undernourished public. “In our culture, there’s so much guilt around food,” he enthuses. “Everyone’s on a diet. Just to have a scene where a woman eats with unabashed joy is amazing and lovely.” Roberts was all for the full-bellied sentiment when she was shooting in Naples where real-life Gilbert visited. “We got there at 8 a.m. and proceeded to start my day with eight slices of pizza in 45 minutes,” says Roberts. “The deliciousness of something wears a tiny bit after piece seven.” Like the novel, that even Bardem has read and admits, “wasn’t a woman’s book at all,” the film has something for everyone. Because it was shot in chronological order, the actors were given room to enjoy the journey that was so beautifully described in text. It was also shot entirely on location, which made for an interesting experience. “Wherever Ms. Roberts goes are the screaming throngs and paparazzi,” jokes Murphy. “That’s what happens with a movie like this that was shot so much outdoors in real locations. It was challenging at times, but I don’t think there were any obstacles. I gained seven pounds. I think that was an obstacle. I was drunk every night in Rome; that was an obstacle.” In India, Gilbert learns the power of prayer. She befriends Richard from Texas (Richard Jenkins), who has an amazingly lengthy and emotional one-shot monologue on the rooftop overlooking the scenic country. For the actor who was raised in small-town Illinois, this is what moviemaking is all about. “I grew up watching movies, and that’s how I saw the SCREENSHOTS NAME THAT FILM by zach hines Hey, boys and girls! You know what time it is? It’s time to play NAME ... THAT … FILM! The exciting, new game show about America’s only remaining quality export: movies. The rules are simple: Answer the questions by naming the title of the film. If you’re correct, you get to keep your wicked life. If you answer incorrectly, it’s off to the chopping block for you (and I don’t mean that figuratively)! In addition to getting to walk out of here alive, whoever answers the most questions correctly gets a partial-expenses paid vacation to Mission Viejo, Calif., and two discounted tickets to a double feature of Gigli and From Justin To Kelly. Now, without further ado, it’s time to play NAME … THAT … FILM! 1) Which one of these films about the Vietnam War was not based on a book? A) Casualties of War B) Platoon C) Full Metal Jacket D) Apocalypse Now 8 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 Francois Duhamel NEWS Javier Bardem and Julia Roberts star in Eat Pray Love. world in a small Midwestern town,” says Jenkins. “When I became an actor, I thought, ‘Man, I’m going to go everywhere!’ I ended up seeing Toronto and Vancouver. This [film] is what I thought it would always be like. You would go everywhere, not just the sound stage.” Bali is the last stop and, fittingly, where she finds more than puppy love in the form of Bardem. Although each stop in the journey is different from the next, Roberts has found (or stolen) the tie that binds them together, a message that ultimately wins over the reader and audience member alike. “I think that if you have gotten to a place in your life where you have found a capacity to eat and nourish yourself in that way, and love and nourish your life in that way, that somewhere along the way you’ve figured out your own identity and how to pray and relate to an energy or creation that’s more than you. Or else you can’t accomplish those other things. And Javier told me that once. I’m just repeating it.” Eat Pray Love releases in theaters Aug. 13. Campus Circle > Film > Screen Shots 2) Which film does not feature one of Batman’s vehicles getting destroyed? A) Batman B) Batman Returns C) Batman Forever D) Batman Begins 3) What film does Quentin Tarantino borrow the opening credit sequence from for 1997’s Jackie Brown? A) The Graduate B) Psycho C) Le Samouraï D) The 400 Blows 4) What film by the Coen brothers is loosely based on one of Homer’s epic poems? A) Miller’s Crossing B) Barton Fink C) O Brother, Where Art Thou? D) Raising Arizona 5) What film was almost directed by Sergio Leone? A) Mean Streets B) The Deer Hunter C) The Godfather D) Chinatown 6) Which film was passed on by several studios as a completed film, then went on to win multiple Academy Awards? A) Slumdog Millionaire B) Little Miss Sunshine C) Juno D) The Hurt Locker 7) Which Marvel superhero film did not get a sequel? A) The Hulk B) Daredevil C) The Punisher D) Blade 8) Which film by Steven Spielberg was originally going to be directed by Stanley Kubrick? A) War of the Worlds B) Minority Report C) Catch Me If You Can D) AI: Artificial Intelligence 9) Which Alfred Hitchcock film takes place in real time? A) The Man Who Knew Too Much B) Strangers on a Train C) Rope D) The Birds 10) Which one of these films directed by Tim Burton does not star Johnny Depp? A) Sleepy Hollow B) Big Fish C) Ed Wood D) Edward Scissorhands Tune in next week for the answers, and to see if you get to keep your wicked life and win a trip to Mission Viejo, Calif. Send feedback to screenshots@campuscircle.net. AND INVITE YOU TO SEE To Enter to Win Tickets to an Advance Screening of Wednesday, August 18 7:30 p.m. in Los Angeles, Register at CampusCircle.com/screening/ LotteryTicket Register for a Male Makeover at ALCON ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS A BURG-KOULES PRODUCTION A CUBE VISION PRODUCTION BOW WOW “LOTTERY TICKET” BRANDON T. JACKSON MUSIC AND ICE CUBE BY TEDDY CASTELLUCCI NATURIMUSIC NAUGHTON KEITH DAVID CHARLIE MURPHYCOSTUMES GBENGA AKINNAGBE TERRY CREWS LORETTA DEVINE EDITED PRODUCTION BY HARVEY ROSENSTOCK , A.C.E. DESIGN BY ROSHELLE BERLINER SUPERVISORS DAVE JORDAN AND JOJO VILLANUEVA DESIGNED BY SANDRA HERNANDEZ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COPHOTOGRAPHY PATRICK CADY PRODUCERS BRAD KAPLAN ANDREW WILSON YOLANDA T. COCHRAN PRODUCERS ICE CUBE TIMOTHY M. BOURNE STEVEN P. WEGNER PRODUCED STORY BY MARK BURG OREN KOULES ANDREW A. KOSOVE BRODERICK JOHNSON MATT ALVAREZ BY ERIK WHITE & ABDUL WILLIAMS SCREENPLAY DIRECTED BY ERIK WHITE BY ABDUL WILLIAMS CampusCircle.com/sweeps/ LotteryTicket www.lotteryticketmovie.com No purchase necessary. While supplies last. No phone calls, please. Late, misdirected or incomplete entries will be invalid. Screening is overbooked to ensure capacity. Please arrive early. Ticket does not guarantee admission. All seating is first-come, first-served. Employees of Warner Bros. Pictures, Campus Circle and their affiliated agencies are not eligible. IN THEATERS FRIDAY, AUGUST 20 4c CAMPUS CIRCLE PROMO AD Revise1 NEWS FILM MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS DVD Dish Interviews Movie Reviews Projections Screen Shots Special Features TV Time FILMREVIEWS Campus Circle > Film > Movie Reviews Kerry Hayes Natha becomes bombarded with lavish gifts that serve no purpose in helping to save his farm and do not deal with the real issues at hand. Why are farmers resorting to suicide in order to save their land? Natha is a man of few words, but there is something very relatable and accessible about him. No one really seems to actually care about rectifying the root problem to prevent farmers from killing themselves. This film looks at a group of society that has not been valued and tossed aside. The film opens your eyes to a country that has many social and economic problems with overpopulation, while showing you a part of society that has been completely disenfranchised. Peepli Live doesn’t pound you over the head with a message but accurately gets the point across and makes you think. Grade: A—Ariel Paredes Peepli Live releases in select theaters Aug. 13. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in one romantic slacker’s quest to power up with love: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Lebanon (Sony Pictures Classics) Once you’ve seen Lebanon, you’ve seen war. The film gives a stunning glimpse into the First Lebanon War in June 1982. Lebanon follows four young men in one lone tank: the gunner Shmulik, the commander Assi, the driver Yigal and the loader Hertzel. They are sent to search a town that has already been attacked by the Israeli Air Force. Because all four men are novice soldiers, the film shares the oft-overlooked perspective of the new soldier confronted with a multitude of uncertainties. The men must not only survive war, but each other. As pressures elevate, more hardships arise with their fellow crew. Yoav Donat (Shmulik) gives a stellar performance as a gunman who is struggling to make right from wrong. He invites you in to the crucial moments that open your eyes to the courageous strength of a soldier. Itay Tiran (Assi) stands out as the conflicted leader fighting for his life and integrity. Oshri Cohen (Hertzel) and Michael Moshonov (Yigal) also capture the harshness of their characters magnificently. The film’s cinematography is original and brilliant. Writer-director Samuel Maoz effectively chose to show only the perspective of the four crewmen. In the film, the viewer only sees the interior of the tank; anything shown outside is seen through the lens of a periscope gunsight. Maoz provides a realistic account for those who will never face the cruelty of combat. He fought in the 1982 Lebanon War as an Israeli soldier and began writing the script 25 years after the start of the Lebanon War, basing the film on his experiences. Grade: A —Stephanie Forshee Lebanon releases in select theaters Aug. 13. Mugabe and the White African (First Run Features) Can you survive losing everything – your friends, family and all your worldly possessions? Yes, provided you don’t lose hope and dignity. That’s the message of this emotional documentary, which follows a white Zimbabwean farmer who challenged President Robert Mugabe. A notable piece of filmmaking, Mugabe and the White African tells the story of Michael Campbell, one of the few white farmers left in Zimbabwe since President Mugabe began his land seizure program in 2000. Initially a policy instigated to reclaim white-owned land and redistribute it to the poor blacks in Zimbabwe, Mugabe’s land reform – according to the documentary – has violently evicted 400 white farmers, displaced local farm workers and illegally distributed many of these lands to his loyal supporters instead. 10 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 Through the personal account of Campbell, the 75-yearold mild-mannered grandfather, and his son-in-law, Ben Freeth, filmmakers Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson covertly follow the plight of this resilient family who are determined not to lose the land that Campbell claims to have rightfully owned since 1974. Armed with his title deed, a dose of Dutch courage and, on one occasion, a camcorder, Campbell takes on the Zimbabwean president in an international court citing illegal racial discrimination and a violation of basic human rights. Filmed over 12 months, the film follows Freeth and Campbell back and forth to an international tribunal court in Namibia in constant fear of retaliation from Mugabe’s henchmen. It’s a case that has made national headlines in Southern Africa. A story of resilient people fighting under conditions few of us could imagine in a country where people are playing by their own rules, it’s a moving portrayal of a family who had the vision and courage to fight the Zimbabwean regime. “Is it possible to be a white man and an African?” questions a defeated Freeth as the case is postponed yet again. “If you ask Mugabe, the answer is no. And there is something very wrong in that.” Grade: B —Samantha Ofole Mugabe and the White African releases in select theaters Aug 13. Peepli Live (First Look) When we think of Indian films, we picture a lavish Bollywood set with people breaking into song and dance in the middle of a conversation. Peepli Live is an Indian film that is anything but that. The film takes a satirical look at bureaucracy, media, politics and Indian life and culture today. Peepli Live, produced by famed Bollywood star Aamir Khan, begins with two brothers, Natha and Budhia, coming back to their small Indian village of Peepli feeling distraught. They just found out that their farm will be auctioned off because they are unable to repay a loan. Natha supports not only his wife and three children, but also Budhia and their elderly, crotchety mother. They reach out to their local politician for help only to be rejected. They are told about a government program that is offering 100,000 rupees ($2,000) for every farmer that commits suicide. Budhia convinces his younger brother to take up this offer in order to save the farm. A local reporter catches wind of Natha’s plan and it garners more and more attention. Large media outlets, local government, politicians and the state government all take notice, placing Natha at the center of a much larger debate. The film gives you real social insight on Indian society. (Universal) If the words “Zelda,” “Tetris” or “Duck Hunt” have ever held a special place in your heart, then Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the movie for you. From the moment Universal’s logo appears, roughly animated into glorious 8-bit pixilation, the kind known all too well by members of a generation who once thought “Pong” was the pinnacle of technology, it’s clear that you’ve stepped into a film that embodies the ultimate in hipster chic; a hyper-referential genre piece that has perfected the affect of nonchalance despite exerting exhaustive efforts to be cool. Hipster poster boy Michael Cera stars as Scott Pilgrim, a 23-year-old wannabe rock star meandering through life in Toronto, dreaming of greatness with his band, Sex Bob-omb, and dating the trifecta of porn fantasy girls: an underage, Asian catholic school girl (Ellen Wong). But after meeting the girl, quite literally, of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Scott finds himself under siege. In order to win her heart, and keep his beating, he must battle Ramona’s seven evil exes – who range from a studly vegan rocker (Superman Returns star Brandon Routh, ’member him?) to an experimental lesbian fling (Mae Whitman) – to the death. Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s beloved six-volume graphic novel, Scott Pilgrim is an allegory for all romantic relationships. You may not physically fight anyone’s exes when you start dating, but there’s no denying that psychological warfare is always waged with your partner’s past. It’s a simple concept, dynamically captured by director Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead), who festoons the movie with adorable hallmarks, visual witticisms and cinematic in-jokes for Generation Xbox. In many ways, Wright has created what might be this decade’s Reality Bites, a time-capsule film fluently speaking the language of a generation, couched in what appears to be a fluffy romance. Similarly, this movie is an assembled legion of some of the most talented young actors working today. Cera is predictably a-dork-able, leaving the door wide open for scene stealing from the supporting cast who jump at the chance to dazzle. Up in the Air’s Anna Kendrick crops up briefly as Scott’s sister, proving her Oscar nod was no fluke. An exceptional comedienne, even her most momentary appearances are commendable. Similarly, Alison Pill, Mark Webber and Johnny Simmons as Scott’s Sex Bob-omb band mates turn minimal screen time into memorable, tasty side dishes. But the largest heaping of praise goes to Kieran Culkin as Scott’s gay roommate, Wallace Wells. Pitch perfect in every way, Culkin has barely acted since his attentiongrabbing turn in 2002’s Igby Goes Down, a lamentable absence as proven by this performance. With any luck, next time audiences might get to see Wallace Wells vs. the World. Grade: B —Sasha Perl-Raver Scott Pilgrim vs. the World releases in theaters Aug. 13. WINNER WORLD CINEMA JURY PRIZE • 2010 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL “A BROODING, OPERATIC CRIME STORY. AN ACCOMPLISHED FIRST FEATURE.” -Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES “JACKI WEAVER PLAYS ONE OF THE MOST DIABOLICAL MOTHERS IN CINEMATIC HISTORY.” -Roger Friedman, SHOWBIZ411.COM BEN MENDELSOHN JOEL EDGERTON AND GUY PEARCE LUKE FORD JACKI WEAVER SULLIVAN STAPLETON AND INTRODUCING JAMES FRECHEVILLE WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY DAVID MICHÔD A SONY PICTURES CLASSICS RELEASE SCREEN AUSTRALIA AND PORCHLIGHT FILMS PRESENTIN ASSOCIATIONWITH FILM VICTORIA SCREEN NSW FULCRUM MEDIA FINANCE AND SHOWTIME AUSTRALIA A PORCHLIGHT FILMS PRODUCTION BEN MENDELSOHN JOEL EDGERTON AND GUY PEARCE “ANIMAL KINGDOM” LUKE FORD JACKI WEAVER SULLIVAN STAPLETON ANDINTRODUCING JAMES FRECHEVILLE CASTINGDIRECTOR KIRSTY MCGREGOR COSTUMEDESIGNER CAPPI IRELAND SOUNDDESIGNER SAM PETTY COMPOSER ANTONY PARTOS PRODUCTIONDESIGNER JO FORD EDITOR LUKE DOOLAN CINEMATOGRAPHER ADAM ARKAPAW EXECUTIVEPRODUCERS BEC SMITH VINCENT SHEEHAN PRODUCEDBY LIZ WATTS WRITTENANDDIRECTEDBY DAVID MICHÔD ©2009 SCREEN AUSTRALIA SCREEN NSW FILM VICTORIA THE PREMIUM MOVIE PARTNERSHIP ANIMAL KINGDOM HOLDINGS PTY LIMITED AND PORCHLIGHT FILMS PTY LIMITED WWW.SONYCLASSICS.COM STARTS FRIDAY, AUGUST 13TH IN NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES! E TE DIO VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.ANIMALKINGDOMFILM.COM NEWS FILM MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS CD Reviews Frequency Interviews Live Show Reviews Music Report Special Features MUSICINTERVIEWS versaEMERGE Turning Zero up to 11 by brien overly “‘What’s it feel like being compared to other girl bands?’” says VersaEmerge frontwoman Sierra Kusterbeck in a mocking tone followed by a laugh, a teasing jab at the interviewers who have made the question an interview staple of late. Though she jokes that she’s sick of hearing it asked, and it was most definitely not asked during this interview, the significance of the question remains. Not so long ago, the goto question for band-fronting songstresses was, “How does it feel being a girl in a band?” Nowadays, members of the fairer gender are as commonplace on stage as they are in audiences within the modern rock scene. In a genre where seemingly any girl can pull on some Chucks, weave in some platinum extensions, hire backing musicians and call herself a band leader, it takes a special one to stand out from the pack. Kusterbeck is indeed one such frontwoman. “I want to be a good lyricist,” she says. “I think that’s lost a lot now, so I really want to work hard on getting better, and I think trying new things is what makes you better.” The Florida-bred melodic pop-punk band’s debut fulllength, Fixed at Zero, sees Kusterbeck putting the proverbial money where her mouth is, with a collection of songs that are anything but the usual pop clichés. Kusterbeck specifically cites the slow-building track “You’ll Never Know” as a personal favorite on the album for challenging her Campus Circle > Music > Interviews songwriting ability. “I kind of stepped out of my box and went a little more vulnerable with writing lyrics,” she says of the song. “I’m usually very coded. I use a special ‘Sierra-code’ of writing so people can take it out of context and make it mean whatever they want for them, so I feel kind of proud of that one.” Not to be outdone, the album likewise showcases guitarist Blake Harnage and bassist Devin Ingelido as skillful musicians of their own right, creating a songwriting trifecta with Kusterbeck of widely varied influences and technical approaches. From the anthemic lead single, “Fixed at Zero,” to the car-chase-soundtrack choruses of “Fire,” to the dark and haunting grittiness of “Redesign Me,” each of the three shows the full expanse of their capabilities on the album while maintaining the songs’ cohesiveness. “Each song on the CD I think has its own purpose in making the album full-circle, making all the songs tie together rather than just having the same song over and over again,” says Harnage. “We started writing and demoing before Warped last year, so it was a pretty long time ago, over a year ago,” Harnage says of beginning the process for Fixed. “We were kind of afraid, like, all the pressure’s on us. This is our debut full-length and the first time we could define what our band is.” With a final product that proves to be as sprawling and cinematic as it is hard rocking, though, the key to the album’s success was in the sonic dynamics. “When I first met Blake and Devin and joined the band, they made it very clear, even for the EPs, that we want this to be a whole, to have a flow, to have its ups and downs, no flatlining,” says Kusterbeck. “It’s like, you’re driving down the road, and then, bear right. Actually, it’d be ‘bear left,’ because we’re more left of VersaEmerge are only going to get bigger from here. center,” she says, adding with a laugh, “Screw the right.” Truly, a girl after our collective hearts. Just as the mood and tone of their songs can veer from dark and emotive to aggressive and high energy at a moment’s notice, so too has audience response been all over the map. Not that such a thing would discourage either Harnage or Kusterbeck, though. “You can’t cater to everyone’s likings in the end,” says Harnage. “I think you need to have just as many people hating your band as liking your band. Because the people who like your band are going to like you a lot more than if everyone kind of likes your band.” Luckily, the numbers seem to overwhelmingly favor those in the former category, rather than the latter. And they’re only getting bigger from here on. Fixed at Zero is currently available. VersaEmerge perform Aug. 11 at Warped Tour Pomona. For more information, visit versaemergemusic.com. MUSICINTERVIEWS Tim Harmon EVERY TIME I DIE When in Rome... by brien overly Every Time I Die play it fast and quick. For those familiar with Every Time I Die, the band’s name has come to be nearly synonymous with “party.” They like cheap beer, they ride motorcycles and they thrash and shred harder than you do. So what’s frontman Keith Buckley’s latest indulgence? “I pride myself on my tweets,” he says. Oh, OK. “[Twitter] was just a good forum to write random thoughts and have them all saved. If you have attention deficit disorder or are a narcissist, it’s perfect.” One listen to the band’s sixth album, last year’s New Junk Aesthetic, and some of Buckley’s more long-standing vices are more readily available. “Maker’s Mark and water is what got me through writing the record,” he says. Unlike Twitter, however, this habit ended up yielding some of the album’s best tracks. “I was drinking in my living room, and the first line of ‘Marvelous Slut’ just came to me,” Buckley says, “It all followed real quick afterward and kind of wrote itself, but that was one that kind of came out of nowhere thanks to alcohol.” With New Junk quite possibly being their most raw, gritty and ambitious to date, Buckley’s fast-living approach to life and music seems to be the key to his band’s success. “People that care less about their lives have the best ones,” he says. “If you’re willing to give up everything to pursue what you love, even if you’re sleeping nine deep in a van, it’s the best way to make memories and get life experience.” Every Time I Die perform Aug. 11 at Warped Tour Pomona. For more information, visit everytimeidie.net. 12 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com G O L D E N VO I C E P R E S E N TS tokyopoliceclub.com FREELANCE WHALES • ARKELLS august 12 » el rey theatre THE MIMICKING BIRDS LONE WOLF august 13 » el rey theatre with special guest NATHEN MAXWELL & THE ORIGINAL BUNNY GANG WITH ALEX CUBA & matisyahuworld.com twitter.com/matisyahu august 15 » Club Nokia RY CUMING september 9 » el rey theatre AN ACOUSTIC EVENING WITH THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT (OF BLOC PART Y ) FEATURING THE CALDER QUARTET september 21 » the music box goldenvoice.com september 22 » john anson ford SELECT MACY’S / ALL RITMO LATINO STORES CHARGE: 800.745.3000 • TICKETMASTER.COM ADVANCE TICKETS FOR MOST SHOWS ARE AVAILABLE TO AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDMEMBERS VIA WWW.TICKETMASTER.COM campus circle • half page vertical FC • 8-4-10 • m Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 13 NEWS FILM MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS CD Reviews Frequency Interviews Live Show Reviews Music Report Special Features MUSICINTERVIEWS OZZY OSBOURNE Returns with Ozzfest by mari fong “I had my transistor radio by the side of my head, walking down the street and I heard ‘She Loves You’ for the first time,” says Ozzy Osbourne about a musical inspiration that changed his life. “That was such an amazing experience for me. From then on, I wanted to be a Beatle.” A Beatle he wasn’t, yet Ozzy Osbourne’s success rivals the Fab Four, having sold over 100 million albums during his solo career and with Black Sabbath. Top it off with Grammy Awards, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and garnering a whole new generation of fans by starring in the popular MTV show, “The Osbournes.” In 1996, Osbourne and wife, Sharon, kicked off the first national heavy metal music festival, Ozzfest, now in its 14th year. “We had no idea, in the first place, it was going to take off as big as it did,” he shares. The idea was inspired when Osbourne was rejected by Lollapalooza. In true Ozzy style, he and Sharon developed their own touring festival, infused with heavy metal bands and promising up-and-comers. In the past, Ozzfest featured names like Pantera, Tool, System of a Down, Slipknot, Incubus, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Rob Zombie. Ozzfest 2010, which hits the San Manuel Amphitheater Aug. 14, boasts more stellar metal gods such as Osbourne’s former guitarist Zakk Wylde with Black Label Society on the second stage and Osbourne, Rob Halford, DevilDriver, Nonpoint Campus Circle > Music > Interviews and rock’s bad boys Mötley Crüe on the main stage. “I haven’t been on set with Mötley Crüe since 1984,” says Osbourne with a nostalgic glint in his eye. “It was one of the most intense tours I ever did, in the respect that we were all fucking crazy, you know?” Being the poster children for rock’s “sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll,” both Mötley Crüe and Osbourne were kindred spirits; spirits being in the form of alcohol and other addictive drugs. “When I discovered alcohol and drugs, it lifted me up. It made me feel better,” recalls Osbourne. Yet drug addiction has led to some of his most imagesearing moments. Who hasn’t heard of the time when Osbourne bit off the head of a dove during a record label meeting? Or when he bit off the head of a live bat during a show? And how about when he, in a drunken stupor, urinated near the famed Alamo in Texas, got arrested and was subsequently banned from San Antonio for a decade? All true. Osbourne is painstakingly honest about his battle with addiction and its horrendous consequences in his autobiography, I Am Ozzy. “I have an addictive personality, but I don’t do that anymore,” he admits. “I want to live a little longer.” Osbourne now gets his best high from playing live. “When everything’s in its right place and my voice is on form and the crowd is giving me some craziness, there’s nothing in the world to come close – love, sex, drugs – there’s nothing that can touch it,” he says of the euphoric feeling when a show goes off. “It’s just amazing. It’s the best feeling you can ever have in your life.” Performing for the first time at this year’s Ozzfest are songs from Osbourne’s latest CD, Scream. His set also CDREVIEWS Elsinore Yes Yes Yes (Parasol) Yes Yes Yes snatches you from track one with “Landlocked,” a fast-paced, sunny tune that immediately gets you up on your feet. Elsinore keeps their lyrics visual, and by the time you arrive at track 10, it feels as though you’ve listened to a short audio book – its beginning is the delightful intro, and its ending reveals the unexpected conclusion. Elsinore have been out of the music scene for a while, and it seems to have done them good. They sound more refined. Ryan Groff ’s voice is clear, controlled and full of impact. Dave Pride (drums), Mark Woolwine (piano) and Chris Eitel (bass) also help with vocals, and when they do, they show how easily they can step up their game. During the slow songs especially, the band holds it neatly together with crooning harmonies and detailed arrangements. Should you grab a copy if you listen to the likes Augustana or the Pains of Being Pure at Heart? Yes, yes and yes. Grade: B —Christine Hernandez Yes Yes Yes is currently available. Snake! Snake! Snakes! Self-titled (Common Wall/Modern Arts) For some, songs tend to call forth hidden emotions, and the indie, folk rock band Snake! Snake! Snakes! are certainly on top of that. One run though their debut self-titled EP and 14 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 Ozzy Osbourne Screams into Devore with Ozzfest Aug. 14. includes favorites like “Crazy Train” and “Paranoid,” along with songs from his Black Sabbath days. Speaking of his former band, Osbourne says they are in talks about possibly doing another record together. “To be honest with you, I would love to do a killer Black Sabbath album. It would make my life! The whole thing would round up perfectly for me. I’m not saying it will or it won’t [happen]; I don’t know. But if it did come together, it’d be great.” After surviving almost four decades in the music, what more could the Prince of Darkness want to achieve? “I’ve never had, believe it or not, a No. 1 record in the United States ever, even with Black Sabbath,” he says. “That’s about the only thing I’ve got to achieve.” Yet after a moment in thought, Osbourne shares a secret. “One person I’d like to do a song with, you’d probably be surprised,” he says. “And that’s Lady Gaga. I’d love to do a song with her.” Scream is currently available. Ozzfest is Aug. 14 at San Manuel Amphitheater. For more information, visit ozzy.com. Campus Circle > Music > CD Reviews Jonathan Messenger (vocals/guitar), Christopher Sanchez (vocals/bass), George Rodriguez (piano) and David Cooper (percussion) get you right in the gut. Their music is a potent force to twist loving thoughts and shake up fragile hearts. The Arizona band lists Interpol, Bob Dylan, Muse, Radiohead, Bloc Party, Bright Eyes and Death Cab for Cutie as influences. If you like any of the aforementioned musicians, then let Snakes! slither their way into your heart. Just listen to “City on Fire” and “We Come Out at Night.” These songs show that this band, much like the limbless creature, is capable of considerable extension. They’ve produced an EP with mesmerizing, provoking melodies and expressive lyrics that might even get Indiana Jones to reassess his reptilian phobia. Grade: A —Christine Hernandez Snake! Snake! Snakes! is currently available. Toadies Feeler (Kirtland) Feeler is the great “lost” Toadies album; it was supposed to drop 15 years ago as the follow-up to the band’s breakthrough effort, Rubberneck. But Interscope didn’t like Feeler and refused to put it out, nearly causing the end of the band and putting the rejected material into limbo. Now, Toadies have re-recorded most of the songs from the original recording sessions, added a few tunes and finally turned Feeler loose. Has it been worth the wait? Absolutely. The overall feeling of the album is grunge-y; no surprise since that is the era in which the songs were written. Opening cuts “Trust Game” and “Waterfall” in particular reflect the ’90s sound, but there are lots of songs here that’ll quickly resonate with fans who are looking for something like the big Toadies hit “Possum Kingdom.” The guys thankfully don’t recycle “Possum”’s riffage but strike similarly playful chords with the instantly catchy “Dead Boy,” “City of Hate” and “Mine.” A couple of the tunes probably should have remained lost, but for the most part, Feeler certainly deserves this second chance. Grade: B —Kevin Wierzbicki Feeler is currently available. Claudio Valenzuela Gemini (Accidental Muzik) Claudio Valenzuela has begun his solo career with Gemini. A former vocalist of rock group Lucybell, Valenzuela offers the disc in English and Spanish. The Chilean wrote the songs over the course of three years in three different countries: Chile, Mexico and the United States. “It is a way of transforming myself,” he says of the 11 featured tunes. Valenzuela utilized a variety of instruments, but the acoustic and electric guitars are most prominent. “After creating the songs, I used as many instruments as I could,” he states. “La Aguja En Tu Ropa” is the CD’s first single, and it displays a romantic view from Valenzuela. “Si El Rio Suena” is perhaps the most intriguing, both musically and lyrically. “It was the first song of the disc I worked on,” Valenzuela points out. “We need to be attentive about certain things that happen. It is about making decisions and change.” Grade: A—Marvin G. Vasquez Gemini is currently available. Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com LIVESHOWREVIEWS J. Tillman July 27 @ The Troubadour J. Tillman is enrapturing when you give him the chance. But when you place him in between a high-energy indie party like Grouplove and the toe-tapping bluesinspired Phosphorescent, Tillman’s style seems like a complete halt to the party. However, take his performance by itself, and there’s something entrancing and beautiful in the way he plays a solemn guitar with only a microphone and stool as his companions. J. Tillman can completely transform a His first tune, “Three Sisters,” takes moment with a song. on a very slow rhythm with long beats of silence to accompany a modern take on what I interpret as the Greek myth of the judgment of Paris, the sisters being a metaphorical premonition of Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. As the unimpressed seem to dwindle backward behind the crowd to mingle and chat, those who remain with Tillman seem to understand the story-like quality of his musical tales with philosophical queries like, “How do you love a loveless thing?” While the other acts on the bill rely heavily on the power of their instruments and lung capacities, Tillman stands like a lone wolf telling tales of lost loves and cabin fables. His voice transforms him into a traveling storyteller – reminiscent, weary and brooding. There’s a reason why his music resonates with some and not with others; to truly enjoy his music requires resigning yourself to the songs’ passionate and mystical lyrics, almost as if putting on your headphones to get away from the world. The problem is that many in the audience need something to dance to, and Tillman grinds the crowd’s rhythm to a steaming halt. Tillman’s solo work is smart and reflective just like his contributions as a member of Fleet Foxes. Like all great musicians, he is able to completely transform the moment, to which everyone at the venue can attest. —Denise Guerra Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 15 MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS CD Reviews Frequency Interviews Live Show Reviews Music Report Special Features FREQUENCY by brien overly Vans Warped Tour Aug. 11 @ Pomona Fairplex It already came and went just a couple weeks ago, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still do round two of Warped. Or three, if you’re that dedicated. If this is round four or greater, though, you may or may not be bordering on excessive. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, just as long as you don’t take the next step and post videos on YouTube of you trying to break into Ollie Sykes’ house or something while there’s construction going on. Or something. Point being, there are a whole lot of bands on the second half of the tour who weren’t around for kick-off at the end of June. So even if you were totally un-stoked about the lineup then (not that you could’ve been), there’s a plethora of reasons to get re-stoked on this date. Most importantly, the Buffalo-native shredders of Every Time I Die are back in SoCal this time. If you remember from my essential Warped guide, these dudes were my top-ranked band on the lineup, and you’ll see exactly why that is if you make the trek out to Pomona. They and old school punk icons Dropkick Murphys are reason enough to skip out on work for a day, but a second helping of bands like Alkaline Trio, Fake Problems, Mayday Parade, Dillinger Escape Plan and VersaEmerge doesn’t hurt either. Lady Gaga Aug. 11, 12 @ Staples Center If you don’t love Gaga, you are a soulless, hollow, blackhearted shell of a person who doesn’t like happiness or fun in any form. If you disagree, please, attempt to refute this statement of truth. Campus Circle > Music > Frequency Queens of the Stone Age Aug. 12 @ Club Nokia If there’s a Josh Homme project that isn’t rife with badassery and cooler-than-you-ness, I’ve yet to hear it. And if there’s a musician who can front such a band without coming off like a d-bag better than Homme, I’ve yet to meet him. The dude is just quintessential rock ’n’ roll. My Morning Jacket Aug. 12 @ The Greek After many attempts over the years, I’m still a bit at a loss for how to attempt to pin down this band’s shtick for anyone who’s not already familiar with their work. Psychedelic-jamindie-folk … ish, kind of …? These guys are all over the place with their sound, but somehow manage to make their genre-hopping legitimately cohesive. Whether you like your rock Southern-fried classic style or progressively spacey and atmospheric, these guys have a jam for you. The Ataris Aug. 12 @ Chain Reaction Aug. 13 @ The Whisky There was a time when pop punk was simple. A time when it was pure, where bands mastered the art of the on-stage sing-along jam, rather than the on-stage asymmetrical hair flip and guitar swing. A time when there was no neon involved. A time when it and Disney pop were diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive genres that would’ve been blasphemous to mix. A time when it wasn’t terrible, basically. The importance of the Ataris for being a part of those early days may be lost on current youth culture, but that means there’s all the more reason to see these dudes live and prove that no one should have to endure a Demi Lovato duet MUSICREPORT by KEVIN WIERZBICKI Lady Gaga Leads VMA Noms The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards show will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre Sept. 12, and you’ll probably be seeing a lot of Lady Gaga during the ceremonies. And I’m not talking about the fact that Gaga’s outfits often reveal plenty of skin. The singer has been nominated in an unprecedented 13 categories, including Best Pop Vocal, Best Female Vocal and Best Dance Music Video. “I’m so honored for all the little monsters and selfprofessed freaks of the universe to have more VMA nominations in a single year than any other artist in MTV history,” says Gaga. “Ironically, I’m even more proud it’s an unlucky number 13. God put me on Earth for three reasons: to make loud music, gay videos and cause a damn ruckus.” First-time nominees this year include Justin Bieber, Drake, Ke$ha, B.o.B, Florence + the Machine and Mumford and Sons. Fans can cast votes in many VMA categories, including Best New Artist at vma.mtv.com. Remembering Patrick Swayze The one-year anniversary of actor Patrick Swayze’s death is only about a month away now, and the date will be commemorated with the release of previously unheard music from the recording sessions for the soundtrack to the film Dirty Dancing. Dirty Dancing: The Original Demos contains two alternate versions of the No. 1 smash hit “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” a demo version of “Hungry Eyes” and a vocal version of “Someone Like You,” a tune that’s used in instrumental form in the Broadway-bound Dirty Dancing: The Musical. The release has the blessing of Patrick’s wife, Lisa Niemi 16 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 Lucy Hamblin FILM Brandon Flowers flies solo at the Troubadour Aug. 17. with their pop punk. Nearly 15 years after starting up as a band, and their early work still sounds as epic and anthemic as ever. How many of these new schoolers will be able to say the same 15 years from now? Brandon Flowers Aug. 17 @ The Troubadour Is it bad that I kind of like Brandon Flowers’ “Crossfire” song better than some of his Killers work? No? Well … is it bad that I like the singular song better than the last two Killers albums combined? It kind of is, isn’t it? It just feels so straightforward and simple, in a good way, almost harkening back to the Killers’ Hot Fuss-era days. No posturing, no pretension, no gloss, no campy schmoozy-ness, just stripped down indie vocals mixed with big-sounding melodic rock instrumentation. If B.Flo can get me this stoked on his work again on only one listen of one song of his upcoming debut, I’m willing to go out on a limb and reinvest my faith in him. The fact that he’s playing one of the best small club venues Los Angeles has to offer isn’t hurting his chances of recapturing my good will either though. Campus Circle > Music > Music Report Swayze, and proceeds help support the Patrick Swayze Pancreas Cancer Research Fund at Stanford. Swayze died of complications from pancreatic cancer Sept. 14, 2009; Dirty Dancing: The Original Demos drops Sept. 8. GuitarTown Did you happen to see a 10-foot tall guitar on the Sunset Strip lately? No, you weren’t hallucinating. The giant fiberglass instruments are part of Gibson Guitar’s GuitarTown public arts project, an effort to showcase the Strip and unify businesses. About 25 of the sculptures, all created by local or nationally acclaimed visual artists, are placed along a mileand-a-half stretch of Sunset, including adjacent to landmark businesses like the Whisky A Go-Go, the Roxy Theatre and Sunset Marquis. Each guitar celebrates a musician, personality or artist unique to the Sunset Strip’s history and will be auctioned off for charity after the exhibit ends. Slayer DVD X 3 When it rains (blood), it pours! After a long dry spell with no Slayer DVDs in print, the band is popping with three titles: reissues of 2003’s War at the Warfield and 2004’s Still Reigning, and for the first time on DVD, 1995’s Live Intrusion. Still Reigning features a performance of the Reign in Blood album in its entirety, including the infamous set-ending stunt where the band, their instruments and the entire stage is drenched with a downpour of 150 liters of “blood.” Live Intrusion has been digitally remastered from its original VHS release and features fan favorites like “War Ensemble,” but also some of the band’s early repertoire like “At Dawn They Sleep” and “Captor of Sin.” The DVDs, available individually or in the limited edition Slayer Live DVD 3-Pak, drop Aug. 17. Half Notes The new My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult compilation, Sinister Whisperz Volume One: The “Wax Trax” Years (1987-1991), gathers music from four of the band’s early releases and includes the pre– viously unreleased “Satana Rising.” A very limited box set edition contains the bonus CD Live in San Antonio 6/10/90. The new one from Secondhand Serenade (singer John Vesely) has dropped and you can hear music from the appropriately titled Hear Me Now when Gaga leads the 2010 VMA noms. Vesely appears at the Anaheim House of Blues Sept. 4. The Ghetto Blaster E.P. is the new release from Street Sweeper Social Club; the Tom Morello/Boots Riley collaboration is out now, and SSSC plays the Rock the Bells Festival Aug. 21. Tay Dizm has a new mixtape called Point ’Em Out; grab a download exclusively at grooveshark.com. Hedi Slimane NEWS Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com L.A.MOVES EXHIBITIONS CATCH ME BIRD’S ‘IRON’ Rebecca Kim Aug. 13 @ Ford Amphitheatre Bobbie Rich is one of the artists featured in VOCA’s upcoming exhibit. by danielle lee Martin Cohen Nehara Kalev and C. DerRICK Jones are two extraordinarily artistic people who express themselves beautifully as a unit. They stray from the norm of the 21st century couple. There are many C. Derrick Jones and Nehara Kalev couples in which each party works in a very different setting. Then there are couples like Jones and Kalev, who spend their days collaborating, creating and honing the crafts they learned as singulars until they’re fully ready to debut these works to awaiting audiences. “In our work, we cross the genres because we are not solely dance, theater or aerial dance,” explains Jones. “We are very much multidisciplinary, and it’s hard to pigeonhole us. We call ourselves dance, theater and reality performance as a name that we know people will have questions about.” The craft they show to the world is also an aerial act. Their performances at times involve either party acting as a counterbalance to the other, which can be a daunting feat in itself. Kalev is a New York City native whose mother immersed her and her sister in the arts at a very young age. Kalev went on to study dance during her formative years at the High School of Performing Arts, renowned for cultivating scores of young students into professional stage performers and artists. Though Kalev had given up dance upon leaving New York, she continued her academic career at Oberlin College, a small liberal arts college in Ohio, and found the environment to be supportive of contemporary dance, thus reigniting her passion. Jones is a Pasadena-born product of the Berkshires in Massachusetts, known for its cultural and artistic life and culture. Jones’ life was enriched at a young age via trips to ballets, theater, Shakespeare plays and orchestra performance, which sparked his interest in dance. He began studying dance at the University of Vermont, moving into movement and theater. He then came to Los Angeles and fell under the tutelage of Rachel Rosenthal, who would serve as a mentor to the couple. After meeting Kalev at the UCLA’s MFA program in dance choreography, the duo went on to travel and work together with Diavolo Dance Company. “We create aerial dance, and we like the aerial spectacle because it speaks so truthfully and honestly about the focus that two people have to have externally and internally towards each other,” says Jones. “That’s such a strong metaphor for relationships and for our marriage.” The couple proves to their audiences yearly how dedicated and syncopated two people can be with their wedding anniversary shows serving as public demonstrations of their enduring love for each other and the crafts they spend their lives perfecting. Their current show, “Iron,” not only serves as a presentation of their work, but also as the sixth wedding anniversary for the couple. As an aerial act, Jones and Kalev incorporate their respective expertise, which can be an overwhelming task to accomplish for some, but not a power couple like this. “People understand how much we trust each other,” Jones starts, “but the depth to which we have to be in tune with each other is not really spoken about.” There is a definite level of trust that is needed when your loved one is hovering yards above your head and the only thing keeping them in balance and suspended is you. “These two people need to really trust each other, and to trust themselves, to take care of everything in every moment,” assures Kalev. The performance of “Iron” is a beautiful amalgamation of two beyond-talented people who would probably be creating and brainstorming ideas even if there wasn’t an audience anywhere in sight. Kalev and Jones’ show is a beautifully crafted performance incorporating theater, dance and reality pieces. It is definitely a show that is not to be missed. However, please try not to recreate any of the maneuvers you see on stage. Leave that to the professionals: the loving, dynamic duo of Jones and Kalev. Ford Amphitheatre is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood. For more information, visit catchmebird.com. WOMEN PAINTERS WEST GROUP EXHIBIT Aug. 14-Sept. 12 @ VOCA Gallery by danielle lee After calling cities like Duluth, Ga., Richmond, Va., Barrington, Ill., Amherst N.H., and Clinton, N.J., home, Bobbie Rich has carved out quite a niche for herself as an artist in Los Angeles. She collaborates with and draws inspiration from Women Painters West, a group of women artists who are based in the L.A. area. Rich began to express herself artistically at a young age. She even won a drawing contest with the crazy submission of an amalgamation of two of the most unlikely animals: a unicorn head on a crab’s body. During high school, when Rich wasn’t creating artistic works, she was participating in musical theater and performing in classic productions like “Fiddler on the Roof.” Though she enjoyed the stage life, there was no denying she gravitated toward her artwork. She began to take interest in all types of art and a plethora of artists, settling on surrealism and Dali. “I remember I would make these trees really detailed with pen and ink, but the trees would just be made up of body parts, like eyeballs. It wasn’t gory at all. They were very refined and made out of little dots that took patience,” she says. After completing high school, Rich attended USC, which allowed her to study both of her interests: art and broadcast journalism. As a broadcast journalism and fine arts major, Rich attended USC’s prestigious Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism for one semester where her interest for advertising was peaked. “I thought advertising would be the more intelligent way to go about art, so I studied advertising as well as art,” she says. “I worked in advertising a little, but I was not cut out for a desk job. I liked coming up with the ideas, doing the thumbnails and pitching to clients, but I did not like sitting at the computer and doing it on my own.” Before graduation magna cum laude from USC, Rich volunteered her time to the Hollywood Beautification Team, painting murals with children at inner-city schools. “I enjoyed interacting with them, how excited they would get about the art and that’s what they would look forward to in the day,” she says. “I liked working with people and sharing art.” Not only is Rich an artist and painter; she’s a teacher. She offers in-home private and group art classes to adults as well as kids. Diane Karpel and Andrea Raft are Rich’s mentors at Women Painters West. They took Rich under their wings when she joined, and now she is part of this very thriving, creative, close-knit group of women who come together to lend support, discuss and mentor new entrants into the 90-year-old legacy. Each woman has submitted two pieces for a collective exhibit that opens Aug. 14 at VOCA Gallery on the Venice Boardwalk. Rich’s style of painting is a beautiful mixture of the two focuses she had during her college years: She blends photographs with art. She also incorporates beautiful patterns, vibrant colors and friends of hers in her paintings, which adds a personal touch. Rich gives the best advice to those attempting to break into the art field or just wanting to dabble in it. “It’s important to try all different styles so that you know that you can do them and that you’re confident,” she says. “There’s no way you can know what you’re best at or what you enjoy the most if you haven’t tried the spectrum yet. Be persistent about trying to show your work. Keep putting yourself out there.” The opening reception for Women Painters West Group Exhibit is Saturday, Aug. 14, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at VOCA Gallery. VOCA Gallery is located at 215 Ocean Front Walk, Venice. For more information, visit bobbierich.com. Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 17 NEWS FILM MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS Art Beauty Books Fashion Food Gaming Theater Travel SPECIALFEATURES Campus Circle > Culture > Food B.L.T.A. (A for avocado and B for tempeh bacon). They have traditional deli style food, some Angeleno-flaired Mexican items and quite a few raw shakes and smoothies for the healthy vegan. Follow Your Heart 21825 Sherman Way, Canoga Park (818) 348-3240; followyourheart.com This long-standing market and restaurant has been a mecca for vegans and anyone seeking natural remedies, ingredients, care products and guidance. Follow Your Heart is also a homegrown brand featuring the famous natural flaxseedinfused Vegenaise, which is distributed to health food stores nationwide. There are four versions of the egg-free mayonnaise substitute, and each has a unique oil base that accounts for the different flavors and health benefits. Shopping here is educational and taking a moment to absorb the atmosphere in the restaurant is quite an experience. The original wooden architecture from the ’70s coupled with the casual atmosphere of people in organic cotton attire and hemp jewelry makes going green seem like the norm rather than a newly discovered last resort for saving the planet. Follow Your Heart is one of the few places to offer vegan breakfast. Make your first meal of the day Mexican with their vegan version of chilaquiles: organic corn tortillas sautéed with scrambled, seasoned tofu and topped with Mexican salsa, vegan guacamole and their homemade dairyless sour cream that hints of onion. During lunch and dinner, soy, seitan, mushroom and tofu are offered as alternatives to meat. Samantha Minton Green Earth Vegan Cuisine Follow Your Heart offers many vegan dishes, including a Wok Stir Fry, meatless chili and nachos with dairy-less sour cream. THE VEGAN DINING GUIDE TO LOS ANGELES BY samantha minton Vegan. The sheer mention of the word often provokes controversy and confusion for the average person and even vegans. Someone who follows a vegan diet does not eat meat or animal products. Yes, that means no poultry, dairy, fish or honey can be eaten by a true vegan. But a vegan’s diet can waver when you take into account the individual’s reasons for choosing veganism and their practicing lifestyle. Consider who would choose such extreme dietary limits. There are those dedicated to the lives and rights of animals, those against inhumane farming and slaughter practices and those who want to be healthy by eating more vegetables, hence eating less animal fat. Don’t forget about the vegan-minded group who do it to save resources. After all, it takes less money, time and effort to grow and harvest a garden of fruits and veggies than to raise an animal and butcher it. 18 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 So depending on a vegan’s purpose, some vegans may have exceptions as to what they eat. For example, bees aren’t harmed when making honey, so some “vegans” may eat it. However, an animal rights activist vegan may not eat honey to protest the farming of bees. Regardless of purpose, a true vegan by definition of the word refrains from eating any animal or animal byproduct. Being a vegan can be a form of self-discipline that becomes very rewarding. Famous vegans like comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and various athletes have said they have more energy since going vegan. “Digesting most produce is easier on the insides than processing many carbohydrates, tough meat and dairy,” DeGeneres has said on her show. Many vegan dishes are light and steer you away from a sugar coma or feeling too full. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of junk food, breads and imitation meat and seafood to calm your cravings as you make the transition. Just one trade-off of enjoying a faux beef and fakin’ bacon burger is that you get great taste with fewer calories. If you’re interested in being vegan and exploring the hot spots and new places that cater to vegan taste buds, check out these L.A. restaurants. Flore Vegan 3818 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles (323) 953-0611; florevegan.com This restaurant and delicatessen looks very inviting and puts a new twist on an old-fashioned candy shop. The brown and bright red counter out front combined with a matching awning overhead and glass canisters along the wall inside add intrigue to this place. The extensive menu makes it difficult to decide what to try – wraps, salads, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, breakfast or soup? It’s comforting to know they can’t go wrong with their 37 South Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena (626) 584-0268; greenearthveggie.com This place gives off a modern and serene vibe as it celebrates its grand opening in Old Town Pasadena. It proudly debuts Asian- and Thai-inspired plates that use protein-packed veggie and soy-based faux meats and little to no seitan. Co-owner Thuong U says their most popular dishes include the Grilled Portabella Burger with avocado and pesto made with organic pine nuts, the Tom Yum spicy Thai soup with basil, lime, lemongrass and chilis and the Chick’un Parmigiana featuring soy imitation breaded “chick’un breast” served with brown rice. To drink, choose from an assortment of tropical fruit smoothies, fresh squeezed mixed veggie juices or agavesweetened lemonade. Green Earth is very affordable, even compared to a non-vegan menu, and offers agave-sweetened desserts, such as a popular chocolate cake, two types of cheesecakes and even Thai Banana Rolls with ice cream. Juicy Ladies 22423 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills (818) 716-0800; juicyladies.com This juice bar and lunch café proudly serves everything vegan, tasty and organic. It’s tucked away and almost hidden except for its hilariously cute sign that boldly showcases the three “juicy” ladies over a patio with bright orange chairs, green umbrellas and a beautiful garden. The inside is like a colorful clash of Jamba Juice and Starbucks, but their menu offers more than those two combined. The Un-Tuna Salad looks fresh with dark mixed greens, and its tuna disguise on top works. The perfectly rounded heap is concocted of raw nuts mixed with seaweed and other “sea vegetables,” carrots, tomato and raw tahini dressing. The Juicy Ladies get a plus for developing a creative kids’ menu with French fry cut apple sticks and vegan PB&J. They don’t stop there. They cater their food and drinks at a bargain price and hold events like their upcoming Detox Retreat. LA Vegan 4507 S. Centinela Ave., Los Angeles (310) 574-9888; laveganthai.com LA Vegan is a trendy, green joint with all types of hot and spicy curry on tofu, seitan, soy fish and imitation chicken or steak. Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com SPECIALFEATURES - CONTINUED Samantha Minton Samantha Minton Campus Circle > Culture > Food Green Earth Vegan Cuisine offers Vietnamese, American and Mexican dishes. Each curry is served mixed with a sweet hint of either coconut milk or pineapple and sometimes is given an extra kick with chili paste. The grilled mock salmon is a rare vegan treat if you’re missing your seafood fix. Be sure to try one of their generously decorated American pancakes or their Latin-motivated guacamole burritos, lentil burgers or tempeh alfalfa wrap. Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss Ice Cream Various health food stores; coconutbliss.com This pint-sized “nondairy frozen dessert” is code for coconut milk ice cream that lives up to its name of all-organic Coconut Bliss. The Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor is primarily coconut milk with agave syrup, peanut butter and fair trade cocoa with a hint of vanilla for balance. All Coconut Bliss desserts use coconut milk from Thailand as a creamy base that makes it freeze exceptionally well, giving it a much smoother and more dense consistency when compared to a traditionally more sloppy and quickly melting ice cream. The coconut milk provides a burst of flavor at first lick and then becomes subtle behind the chocolate taste as you discover the thick swirls of natural peanut butter. M Café 7119 Melrose Ave., Hollywood (323) 525-0588 9343 Culver Blvd., Culver City (310) 838-4300 9433 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills (310) 858-8459; mcafedechaya.com The M stands for macrobiotic. This “contemporary macrobiotic cuisine” created by chef Michio Kushi is another name for simple, wholesome food that pays tribute to Chayastyle cooking by using unrefined sugar and vegan ingredients. M Café calls itself a “chic yet casual European style deli.” It proves itself to be modern and clean cut with exceptionally good-looking and equally appetizing creations that could pass for food at a wedding. You can fill your plate cafeteria-style or pick a pre-filled The Juicy Ladies’ Un-Tuna Salad blends the right texture of nuts with sea vegetables. bento box or salad from the cooler and dig in on their snazzy outdoor patio lined with plants. You can tell a professionally trained chef with love and passion designed each meal meticulously. Whether at breakfast, lunch or dinner, food is never boring at this place. Madeleine Bistro 18621 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana (818) 758-6971; madeleinebistro.com This truly vegan, classy bistro serves brunch, lunch and dinner from three long menus designed by the Oprah-acclaimed Chef David Anderson. Each menu highlights a sweet section that suggests such goodies as Bananas Foster with Belgian waffles, caramel sauce and whipped cream or a yellow carrot cake Twinkie with raisin puree and cinnamon ice crème à la carte. Chef Anderson makes anything seem possible because he can make cappellini from raw cucumber and a tartare with red beets. Madeleine Bistro has had much success in its first five years, and you won’t be disappointed. The Meet Market 3206 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake (323) 667-0116 The trendy and hip little diner and market is known for its all-you-can-eat vegan brunch buffet for only $10 per person. Feast on sweet cinnamon pancakes, French toast, thick tempeh bacon, sausage, scrambled tofu, chewy waffles and sautéed potatoes complete with fresh squeezed orange juice and ripened fruit. The menu is quite affordable and has delicious vegan hot or cold sandwiches. For example, they serve a panini-like focaccia grilled cheese with Daiya brand mozzarella, grilled onions, fresh basil leaves and tempeh bacon. Gorgeous, gourmet cupcakes line the glass cases inside where a few popular vegan and health food sauces, drinks and snacks are sold so diners can keep it vegan at home. Mrs. Winston’s Green Grocery 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Ste 132, Century City (310) 553-4100 2450 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica (310) 315-2777 3150 Ocean Park Blvd., Ste A, Santa Monica (310) 452-7770 This market advertises that it has the best salad bar in town. And it is definitely a contender. The pay-by-weight salad bar is truly a genuine and unique offering – not just your typical salad bar that exists to halfheartedly satisfy the lone vegetarian at any given restaurant. They put forth non-vegan and vegan pickings such as yellow tomatoes, artichoke hearts, pepperoncinis, a variety of nuts and grains like cashews and quinoa, various marinated tofu, chipotle ranch dressing, soy chips, plantain chips, fresh-cut herbs, just torn bits of bready croutons, mandarin oranges and more organic goodness. There is an equally satisfying sandwich, burger, juice and smoothie bar – each with naturally vegan and imitation vegan offerings. This market and lunch hot spot has three locations with two in Santa Monica and another in Century City. Pizza Cookery 6209 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills (818) 8874770; pizzacookery.com This Pizza Cookery is proud to provide enough vegan options to have a three-course meal, including oversized salads tossed at the table. The Vegan Philly actually features vegan chicken rather than steak with traditional Philly-style green bell peppers, thinly sliced onions, mushrooms and casein-free, soy cheese on your choice of whole wheat or a French roll with sesame seeds. The same cheese tops the vegan pizza crusts with either creature-free pepperoni or smoked “chicken-free chicken.” Also available are a mix of vegan cookies from the Sunflour Bakery and natural drinks by Zevia and Honest Kids. Be sure Continued on Page 20 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 19 NEWS FILM MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS Art Beauty Books Fashion Food Gaming Theater Travel SPECIALFEATURES - CONTINUED Samantha Minton Samantha Minton Campus Circle > Culture > Food Coconut Bliss is smoother than your average ice cream. Continued from Page 19 you go to the Pizza Cookery on Topanga because others with the same name are actually operated by a different company and don’t offer vegan selections. Pizza Fusion 7950 W. Sunset Blvd., Suite 104, West Hollywood (323) 3753390 2901 Ocean Park Blvd., Suite 123, Santa Monica (310) 5812901; pizzafusion.com This organic and eco-friendly restaurant is green from the ground up and tries to be as natural and accommodating as possible with gluten-free and vegan options from drink to dessert. You can style your own vegan pizza with soy, caseinfree cheese and venture from traditional tomato sauce with barbecue sauce, pesto or olive oil. Their original Very Vegan pizza boasts a fresh, thin crust pizza layered thick with organic crimini mushrooms and roasted garlic slices on top of soy cheese and organic tomato sauce. This isn’t the first time Campus Circle has tasted their trademark oval pizza. It’s that good. Be sure to finish with their vegan and gluten-free brownie. It’s warm from the oven and is the best vegan brownie I’ve tasted. 20 Sugar Beets Bakery officially makes beets irresistible. fruit in place of meat. Their unusual Tacos de Platanos are stuffed with fried plantains, onions and sweet cream leaving you with a sweet yet hearty crepe-like taco. A funky side of sweet potato fries or not-so-sour fried pickle chips are a nice change from raw veggies. Pure Luck is a microbrewery that shows off several local beers and ciders. It caters to the sweeter taste buds with Iced Oolong Tea, cane sugar-sweetened Coke from Mexico and organic fair trade coffee for when you stay until midnight. Purgatory Pizza 1326 E. 1st St., Los Angeles (323) 262-5310; eatpurgatorypizza.com This vegan-friendly pizza place has some memorable specialty pizzas named to personify themselves, like the Sloppy Pig with ripped pepperoni and splashed sauce. Pay extra for vegan ingredients like Daiya cheese and faux-Italian sausage, sundried tomato loaf and Gardein Chicken. They have a traditional and simplistic house salad, but be sure to try it with their hot, vegan Grilled Cheddar Cheese and tomato sandwich on sourdough and the vegan Pesto Gardein Chicken Sandwich with cheese, tomato, spinach and basil leaves and creamy Vegennaise. You can avoid Purgatory by having them deliver to your place for free with orders over $10. Pure Luck Restaurant Real Food Daily 707 N. Heliotrope Drive, Los Angeles (323) 660-5993; pureluckrestaurant.com A smiling, lucky pig is the logo for this restaurant and pub that’s hidden in a neon green hippie-style house. It doesn’t bring much luck though as the front sign is left to only illuminate “uck”. Vegans adore the signature jackfruit used in the carnitas tacos and barbecue sandwich filling – ingeniously utilizing 514 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica (310) 451-7544 414 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood (310) 289-9910; realfood.com RFD is the premiere place for first-time vegans to get a tasty first impression of “organic vegan cuisine.” This beautifully decorated, chic and sustainable sit-down restaurant was started by the personal chef Ann Gentry, who now is internationally recognized and has written a cookbook named after the place. Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 The cleverly named menu is always changing. The creative specials change weekly from Mexico City Tacos with tempeh, red chili beans, smoky chipotle cheese and jicama slaw to their Naples-inspired Caponata Estiva bean and roasted eggplant dish with fresh basil, greens, toasted pine nuts and olive vinaigrette. The food is as real as it gets with almost all of it being locally grown, unprocessed, natural and preservative free. The Sensitive Baker 10836 1/2 Washington Blvd., Culver City (310) 815-1800; thesensitivebaker.com New ownership from the Follow Your Heart family has revamped this kosher and gluten-free bakery to offer more of a selection, and soon it will offer a quaint sit-down café. All of their bready goods are casein and peanut free, and some are purely vegan. Make a meal out of their soft Sliced Vegan Oat Loaf made from amaranth, millet and hearty brown rice or take home their personal-size vegan pizza crusts. For a snack, try their vegan Morning Glory or pumpkin muffins or their glazed Vegan Snickerdoodles with cinnamon sugar topping that’s reminiscent of a fresh churro. Take advantage of the economical “Take & Bake” products like the vegan sugar cookie dough by the pound or the oat loaf mix. The Sensitive Baker is a refuge for those with multiple dietary restrictions, but check the hours before you go. Starbucks Coffee starbucks.com Believe it or not, Starbucks offers vegan frappuccinos and packs of pre-made vegan friendly cookies! Simply request your frap to be made with soy milk and refuse the whipped cream. Avoid the “light” low calorie frap or any caramel drizzle Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com SPECIALFEATURES - CONTINUED Samantha Minton Samantha Minton Campus Circle > Culture > Food A Taste of Life’s breakfast sandwiches rival a McDonald’s Sausage Egg McMuffin. topping and java chips. Double check for an “S” on the side of your cup before gulping down that sweet and infamous caramel, mocha, strawberry or vanilla blended iced coffee. You may want to dunk a few vegan cookies in there just because you can. Lucy’s cute little packets each contain four mini crunchy chocolate chip, sugar or cinnamon thin cookies for only $1.50. Lucy’s products have also taken up the shelves at Whole Foods and other alternative grocery stores. Stuff I Eat 114 N. Market St., Inglewood (310) 671-0115; stuffieat.com Stuff I Eat doesn’t list much on their menu, but it’s all they need to keep diners coming back for more. The breakfast on the weekends serves up rustic, organic yellow corn polenta and sweet raisin toast in addition to more commonly known breakfast options like scrambled tofu and tofu sausage. This Inglewood gem is known for its hefty portions of Soul food and Mexican fusion style kale quesadilla, soul food platter, nacho salad and UnTuna & Chips. Try the gourmet sweet corn or sundried tomato pâté and black eye pea soup with a cornbread muffin for an eclectic experience. Sugar Beets Bakery (909) 731-5562; sugarbeetsbakery.com You can find goodies from this new faraway vegan, gluten-free and organic bakery being sold in health food stores and cafes like Juicy Ladies and Mrs. Winston’s Green Grocery. Their very moist Chocolate Chip Brownie is topped with a thin layer of chocolate fudge-like frosting and tastes great with any type of milk. It creatively masks the often-strong flavor of fava bean and arrowroot flour by using potato starch as a base and organic agave to sweeten. The applesauce, coconut and sunflower oil make it fluffy, soft and fresh tasting. Tofurkey and Yves are popular alternative meat brands. As if their sugary snacks don’t make you feel good enough, the “certified vegan” bakery donates to the Best Friends Society & Endangered Species Preservation. Follow them on Twitter (@russog22) for the latest retailer updates in Los Angeles. A Taste of Life grilled ham and chicken nuggets from scratch by using soy, gluten or tofu. There are a ton of different vegan and glutenfree noodles to choose from, too: rice, flat rice, spinach wheat, clear mung bean, yellow wheat, dry and udon. You must try the homemade green-tinted soymilk. How rare is that? Hollywood Farmers’ Market (at Ivar Ave. and Selma Ave.) Sundays 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (424) 209-0017; atasteoflifellc.com This beloved vegan hot spot closed their dining room doors and switched to distribution, catering and weekly farmers’ market sales for now, and they still have quite a following. Their well-known Breakfast Biscuit sells out quickly every Sunday morning along with their warm chocolate cookies that are only a dollar each. The biscuit has been compared to a McDonald’s Sausage Egg McMuffin, except it’s made from grilled imitation sausage that even looks greasy, a grilled tofu patty in place of egg and a thick yellow slice of creamy, melted soy cheese sandwiched between a fluffy, homemade vegan biscuit. Ever heard of vegan soul food? They have that, too. Try a plate of black-eyed peas, kale cooked collard green style and sweet potato pie with thick nutmeat chili or moist chunks of barbecue tofu. A Taste of Life can provide a hearty full feeling with their heavy, meaty and American-style food. Their Web site lists about 20 places (including Whole Foods) where you can buy their creations. For more information about living a kind of vegan lifestyle beyond your diet, consider the Web sites listed below for guidance. Learn about seitan, tofu, gluten, soy and rice imitations and vegan nutritional yeast. They can steer you toward a greater purpose and really make you think. For example, if you don’t eat beef in order to keep cows alive and happy, then you must try to avoid buying leather or milk from caged cattle or contribute to any company who supports such an industry. A personal choice can lead you to a greater cause joining others who may agree with you. Remember to be safe and make your health a top priority. Be good to your body, and it will be good to you. Vinh Loi Tofu Blogs/Reviews: quarrygirl.com, famousveggie.net, vegan.com 18625 Sherman Way #101, Reseda (818) 996-9779; vinhloitofu.com This busy place is almost always open and is known for their authentic vegan take on gourmet Vietnamese that pinpoints unbelievable meatless meat flavor. Their mock meat specialties imitate prawns, abalone, shrimp, beef pork, barbecue duck, Recipes: veganbaking.net, livingwithout.com and also try veganfamily.co.uk.kitchen.html Lifestyle and Communities: vegspace.com, wellsphere.com/ vegan-community/375 and coolvegan.com/comm.html Dining and Grocery Directories: veggieparadise.com, peta. org/accidentallyvegan, lizlovely.com and mothersmarket.com Associations & Information: goveg.com, famousveggie.com/ news, peta.org and veganoutreach.org Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 21 FILM MUSIC CULTURE EVENTS DVD GAMING SPORTS MEDIA BLOGS Baseball Basketball Football Hockey Soccer Special Features GALAXYKICK BEAUTYBEAT REAL MADRID OUTLAST GALAXY DTOX DAY SPA by marvin g. Vasquez Real Madrid proved to be too much for the L.A. Galaxy Saturday night at the Rose Bowl after coming back from two goals down en route to a 3-2 victory. The Spanish club has been on a preseason tour through California for the last two weeks, and this was their second match after having beaten Mexican club squad América by a similar score. Everything seemed right for the Galaxy in the first half. Both defender Todd Dunivant and midfielder Landon Donovan collected goals, but the second half was a different story. “For me, the second half was fantastic in every aspect,” indicated Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho. A revitalized Real Madrid appeared determined to capture the victory, and they started right away, six minutes into the second period as Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuaín scored off of substitute Cristiano Ronaldo’s pass. Higuain then matched the score 10 minutes later. “His pace surprised me. He outran a couple of players who could at least run well. He went right by them,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena remarks. “I was impressed with him in the World Cup, but after watching him tonight, I’m much more impressed.” Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso fired the game-winning shot and recorded the goal in the 72nd minute to lift the merengueros. “We went down by two [goals] and were able to turn the game around, and we are very pleased with the victory,” Real Madrid midfielder Pedro León says. “For this trip, everything was perfect. We trained hard, the players were together 24 hours and the environment was perfect for them to grow as a group,” Mourinho states. “Tactically we cannot be perfect, but they are growing step by step” After the international club friendly, Los Angeles now returns to MLS action. They face the Red Bulls in New York Saturday, Aug. 14, at 3 p.m. 17401 Ventura Blvd., Courtyard B13, Encino by erica carter BY dov rudnick With the Dodgers struggling to stay out of fourth place in their division and a whirlwind of bad press about the ownership in recent days, it seems only natural to have thoughts about the end days and be troubled with existential crises. You find yourself asking, what does it all mean to be a Dodger fan, or simply even a baseball fan in this world of gluttony and greed, waste and want. At a recent ballgame, the thought struck me: Being a fan of Major League Baseball is a lot like eating meat. You know there are heinous practices behind the product you consume, but it tastes so damn good. There is cruelty, heartbreak and moral outrage, and yet you can’t resist. A good ballgame is like a strip of filet mignon or a seared tuna steak; rich in flavor, savory to taste, physically fulfilling. And yet every meal is tainted by lurking thoughts of environmental decay, of burning rainforest, of depleted fish populations. The world is in peril you know, but you go right on eating. The question is: How do we reconcile our passion for the game 22 Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 Unwind on dtox’s outdoor patio. Encino just got more relaxing with the arrival of dtox day spa. The name may sound familiar to Eastsiders since the flagship haven is nestled in Los Feliz (3206 Los Feliz Blvd.), and the amenities have been taken up a notch in the Valley. If you’re new to the dtox story, it began with two spa aficionados with in-the-know experience. Cary Mock, a reputable interior designer, and entrepreneur Kenneth King put their heads together to create the luxury a lot of spas seemed to lack. The duo set to create their spas with renewable and eco-friendly textiles and textures, as well as provide an experience that is not only inviting, but also memorable. They did a great job of extending this vision into the Encino space. Located on busy Ventura Boulevard, if you blink you’ll miss it, so make sure you pay close attention. Once you arrive, the ambiance is light and airy, perfect for settling down after a long day. It gets hotter in the Valley than anywhere else, except the Inland Empire, and dtox has you covered with a refreshing cucumber elixir to start your spa experience. Once you receive your locker, change into your robe and sandals and then head over to the lounge, or if you prefer to get really relaxed, the sauna or steam room. Treasures abound at dtox, be it a tub treatment of green algae, skin rejuvenating goat’s milk, an organic mud wrap or the always-needed massages, dtox provides almost anything you could want in a spa. After you are done with your spa experience, go out and lounge in one of the cabanas in the outdoor patio. You will be treated with refreshments like hot tea and brownies, especially satisfying while watching the sunset over the San Fernando Valley. For more information, visit dtoxdayspa.com. THEDIAMONDDISPATCH BASEBALL IN THE AGE OF APOCALYPSE, PT. 1 Donato Sepulveda NEWS Campus Circle > Sports > Baseball with those ugly practices of major league sports, which are destroying our planet? Baseball is unique among sports. Is there any other game that excites the imagination and inspires visions of glory quite like it? It is a strange game involving so much anticipation, so much steady worry; a game of patience, of waiting, a game that some mistake for being slow. When things happen in the game, they happen lightening quick – the 95-mile-perhour pitch, the 120-mile-per-hour ricochet of the ball of the bat. In these moments of sudden action, the attention of all is focused. Baseball is, above all, a game of fixed points of attention. When dozens, hundreds, thousands or millions of people focus their attention simultaneously on a little white ball, there is a mysterious unity. Then there are the curious rituals of the game: the singing of the anthem, the rules of engagement carefully observed by the players and upheld by umpires in dark suits. If an alien were to stumble upon a game in play he/she/it might mistake it for a religious ceremony. Indeed, there is something about the game that inspires a kind of religious mania, a sensation of something sacred at hand. Fans can resemble zealots complete with a desire to convert the uninitiated. I know that whenever I go to a ballgame with friends, I am secretly hoping they will be as captivated as I am, that the game will come to one defining climactic moment and seduce yet a few more fanatics. The Dodgers have a history of using religious references to describe their home field. The road that travels around the stadium is called Elysian Park Avenue, a reference to Greek mythology’s notion of paradise. The inner confines of the stadium are commonly referred to as “Blue Heaven on Earth.” Even the stadium itself, with its highly praised classic design, has been playfully called the Taj Mahal of ballparks. There is something sublime about the game that calls to mind a vision of paradise and was not lost on the people who built Dodger Stadium. The point seems particularly urgent today as corporate interests increasingly dominate the game and the modern stadium. Dodger Stadium is a perfect case in point. I can still recall my first impressions of the stadium as a child and pinpoint the moments I was converted to the baseball faith. Like a peasant in medieval Europe stumbling into a gothic cathedral, I was dumbstruck by the grandness of it all. The massive green field, the multiple levels, the hills around the stadium. Dodger Stadium was a very different place back then. Looking out toward the outfield you could count exactly two circular orange logos for 76 Gasoline above the scoreboard and big screen. At present there are 43 fixtures of advertising selling everything from Kaiser health insurance to gambling at San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino. These don’t include the two screens built into the fences, which shine in bright lights multiple adds throughout the game. There is an electronic strip over a thousand feet in length that wraps around the field along the length of the grandstands above the field section seats. Brightly lit graphic ads run all throughout the game. LED screens have even been installed on the sides of the field and behind home plate. These also run during the game. Then, of course, there is the big screen television that runs its ads continuously. To watch a game at Dodger stadium these days is to be bombarded by advertising on all sides. The sacred unity of attention which baseball possesses is disturbed by all the noise of advertising. In this time of change, when questions abound about the future of the Dodger organization, it seems worthwhile to remember where they’ve been, see the present for what it is and dream a little about what the future might be. Join CAMPUS CIRCLE www.campuscircle.com CALENDARTHE10SPOT Going on Now! BY FREDERICK MINTCHELL Specially marked discounts on Toys, Apparel and Lubes throughout the store! Ralph Lauer/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT FRIDAYAUG. 13 Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Festival Sunland Park, 8651 Foothill Blvd., Sunland; lionswatermelonfestival.com A watermelon carving contest, carnival rides, waterslides, contests, games, prizes, food court, marketplace, pony rides, petting zoo, clowns, face painting, laser tag, sports cage, music, dancing, poetry and, of course, free watermelon! Runs through Sunday. $2. THURSDAYAUG. 12 L.A. Connection Live Film Dub SUNDAYAUG. 15 Martin Scorsese Double Feature Laemmle Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles; laconnectioncomedy.com The actors sit in the front row armed with microphones and a live sound musician. LAC then eliminates the original soundtrack, and the actors dub in a brand new hilarious comedy soundtrack live. Tonight’s film is The Blob followed by a half-hour episode of the cult hit TV series “Mad Movies with the L.A. Connection.” 10 p.m. $10. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; newbevcinema.com Two of Scorsese’s classics – the 20th anniversary of Goodfellas and Mean Streets. Also Monday. $7, $6 w/student ID. FRIDAYAUG. 13 IMAX Grand Opening AMC 30 at the Block; 20 City Blvd. West, Orange; amcentertainment.com/theblock The inaugural film is Inception: The IMAX Experience, which has been digitally remastered into IMAX’s format. The IMAX theater at this location has been custom designed for a multiplex. FRIDAYAUG. 13 Mundo alas Laemmle Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; mudoalas.com.ar Mundo alas is playing as part of an awardwinning, four-picture Latin American Showcase. Mundo alas is a concert/road movie depicting a journey of initiation by a group of young musicians, singers, dancers and painters who present their work accompanied by León Gieco – Argentina’s most important folk-rock singer-songwriter – on a tour through Argentinean provinces, culminating with a big concert at the Luna Park in Buenos Aires. Screens daily at 1 p.m. & 7 p.m. through Thursday. Gieco performs a 30-minute set before each nightly screening. SATURDAYAUG. 14 Ink ’n’ Undies Ecco, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood; undershare.org/events/inkn-undies This SuicideGirls lingerie fashion show event benefits UnderShare, Inc., which provides new undergarments and toiletries to L.A. shelters that assist the homeless and women and children escaping domestic violence situations. 7 p.m.-10 p.m. $20. Summer SALE MONDAYAUG. 16 WWE Monday Night RAW Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., Downtown; wwe.com/shows/ smackdown The weekend’s WWE festivities at L.A. Live culminate tonight when you can witness, live in-person, the fallout from WWE SummerSlam. Plus, tonight features two Monday Night Raws. 5:30 p.m. Tix start at $20. TUESDAYAUG. 17 Matt Kemp Bobblehead Night Dodger Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Ave., Los Angeles; losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com The first 50,000 fans in attendance receive a Matt Kemp bobblehead as the Dodgers take on the Colorado Rockies. 7:10 p.m. Tix start at $12. TUESDAYAUG. 17 Girls Night Out Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., Downtown; wnba.com/sparks Enjoy free manis and pedis while watching the Sparks play the Phoenix Mercury. 7:30 p.m. Tix start at $5. TUESDAYAUG. 17 Tim Kring and Damon Lindelof Book Signing Renberg Theatre at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, 1125 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood; booksoup.com The “Heroes” and “Lost” creators discuss Kring’s new novel, Shift. Admission price includes entry into the event, a signed copy of Shift and a photo op with Kring and Lindelof. 7 p.m. $35. For more events, visit campuscircle.com/calendar. To submit an event for consideration, e-mail calendar@campuscircle.net. Your Pleasure is Our Passion 19 CA Locations — 1.800.34.adult Call for locations or visit RomantixOnline.com to find a store near you! THEARTOFLOVE Q&A by lucia I have been [talking] online with a gentleman for about five weeks. We have sent hundreds of e-mails, photos, music etc. We talked about finally meeting, but because he travels two and a half weeks per month we haven’t yet. A week ago we got into an argument because I told him I didn’t want to answer any more questions, and I had been burned before online. He made it all about him and said that I was comparing him to a loser. I really feel that he wasn’t ready to meet and since then I apologized and I sent him a song and him several to me ... but no real e-mails and no plans. I have decided to not comment on his songs anymore, and unless he is ready to meet me and go forward there is no point. Am I correct? —Lynn You are 100 percent correct. I see many red flags here. First, what’s with the “hundreds of emails, etc.” in only five weeks? Is he looking for an “e-pal” or someone to date? Secondly, instead of being understanding when you let him know you didn’t want to be burned again, he got inappropriately defensive. This usually means someone is trying to deflect the attention from the truth – that is: He’s still not willing to meet you. Finally, if someone is willing to chat, e-mail, etc. but doesn’t want to meet, it’s not because they’re not ready. More often than not, it’s because they’re already involved – married, living together or girlfriend. So, it’s ultimatum time. Tell him that if he wants to communicate with you, it will have to be in person. Don’t fall for any, and I do mean, any excuses. I’m willing to bet you’ll never meet. Write to Lucia at theartoflove.net. Read an excerpt from Lucia’s Lessons of Love at lessonsoflove.net. Listen to Lucia live every Sunday at 3 p.m. PST on latalkradio.com. Remember: Love inspires, empowers, uplifts and enlightens. Campus Circle 8.11.10 - 8.17.10 23 CAMPUS CIRCLE • FULL PAGE • 4c • 10” X 13”
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