[email protected] Technique Entertainment Editor: Jennifer Aldoretta 13 Friday, Assistant Entertainment Editor: October 23, 2009 Entertainment Richard Otis Third Eye Blind reminisces with ‘90s pop hits
Photos by Kelvin Kuo/ Student Publications By Richard Otis Third Eye Blind paired with Hot Chelle Rae at the Burger Bowl last Friday for a concert that made to hear you, not to "nd out which Assistant Entertainment Editor memories of our favorite ‘90s hits to come !ooding back. They played new songs and old favorites. twelve of my fellow classmates can scream “I would understand!” the Last Friday an old Homecom- for the event, which, despite the “awesome” knob, with the victim table. !e crowd mostly seemed loudest. For the record, it was a tie ing concert tradition was brought threat of rain, went o# without being people’s hearing. Rock con- interested in getting the headlin- between everybody. back to life with !ird Eye Blind any major weather problems. !e certs don’t have to be loud to be ers on stage anyway. After an hour “!at guy,” also apparently in supported by the Nashville-based night was chilly but manageable great, especially with a talented plus some additional setup time, attendance, was the one that felt Hot Chelle Rae at the Burger with the appropriate attire. !e group like !ird Eye Blind. !ird Eye Blind was ready to per- the need to remind Jenkins and Bowl. ground, while damp, avoided the Opening act Hot Chelle Rae form. the rest of the band between ev- Fresh from the release of their outright muddiness that could did an admirable job of warming Lead singer Stephan Jenkins ery song to “Play ‘Jumper!’ Play "rst studio album in six years, have turned the concert into a up the crowd. !ey weren’t re- went so far as to announce early ‘Jumper!’” until they mercifully Ursa Major, the three-piece alter- mess. ally anything particularly special, on, “I love it when you sing along. did. !anks, “that guy,” for re- native rock band from San Fran- On a subtle note, credit goes to but they weren’t bad either. !ey We’re all in the band tonight.” minding them. I’m sure they were cisco has been on tour promoting the concert organizers and stage sounded like the kind of band that Sorry Stephan, but if we’re all planning on skipping one of the the album as a comeback from the crew for keeping the sound levels rock music fans would not mind “in the band,” then the average perennial songs of the ‘90s until lukewarm reception their last al- from the speakers at a reasonable having on in the background. talent level of a !ird Eye Blind you heroically stepped in. bum received in 2003. level. Far too many venues con- !eir music was well performed, band member just went into the Several hundred turned out fuse the “volume” knob for the well played and completely forget- toilet. !e price of admission was See !ird, page14 Jonze’s Wild !ings vision strays from innocence with no dinner. !ere he allows portrayed. Instead it is one full of FILM his imagination to roam free, and childhood angst. Where the Wild Things Are imagines he travels by boat to a To escape from his problems at far o# island where he meets wild home, Max sails away to an island GENRE: Adventure, Fantasy, things who make him their king. of monsters. !ese wild things Family He eventually misses his mother themselves also have a lot of issues. STARRING: Max Records, and travels back to his room, Unlike in the book, where they Pepita Emmerichs, James where he "nds dinner waiting. are simply wild creatures, in Spike Gandolfini and Paul Dano !e movie is a bit di#erent. Jonze’s adaptation they come o# While it does have the boisterous as whiny, with their own personal DIRECTOR: Spike Jonze young boy Max, played by Max issues and con$icts amongst each RATING: PG Records and his frazzled mother other. !ey are constantly "ght- played by Catherine Keener, his ing, and it gets tiresome as the RELEASED: Oct. 16, 2009 problems seem to run deeper than movie goes on. just a young boy being too ram- Max is able to convince the OUR TAKE: !!!"!! bunctious. His sporadic mood monsters to make him king in- swings from happiness to sad- stead of consuming him. !ey By Patricia Uceda ness to fury make it appear that look to him as someone who can Contributing Writer he needs some real therapy. !ese bring happiness to them, and are erratic mood shifts most likely upset when he can’t. Max grows Where the Wild !ings Are is a spring from feelings of neglect and tired of trying to control them movie based on the classic chil- resentment toward his mother and and misses his mother, so he jour- dren’s picture book of the same sister, who don’t really pay much neys back home. name by Maurice Sendak. attention to him. While some parts are a bit slow !e book is short, running His mother is divorced and because of tedious con$icts and only 338 words, and tells the story single while his sister is indi#er- continuous outbursts of "ghting, of a young boy named Max with ent to him. Max’s struggles early it is interesting to note how this an overactive imagination who in the movie with both of these alternate universe seems to par- loves being wild and adventurous. characters make it clear that this allel Max’s world at home. !e One night he goes too far and is not a light-hearted children’s his mother sends him to his room movie, like most of the previews See Wild, page 15 Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures t0DUPCFS tTechnique ENTERTAINMENT
Third from page 13
At least no one was clamoring Underrated comedy found in 30 Rock for “Semi-Charmed Life” because TELEVISION Fey, 30 Rock is grounded comi- no one can remember the actual 30 Rock cally in the tradition of Saturday name of that song and I’m sure it Night Live (SNL) as the show is would have been “Doo doo doo! NETWORK: NBC produced by SNL executive pro- Doo doo doo!” all night long until WHEN: Thursdays @ 9:30 ducer and entertainment giant they played it. Clearly, !ird Eye p.m. Lorne Michaels and stars SNL Blind’s penchant for catchy music favorites like Alec Baldwin and is a double-edged sword. GENRE: Comedy Tracy Morgan. Crowd pandering is a big part STARRING: Tina Fey, Alec Furthermore, the stories re- of being successful, and I recog- Baldwin and Tracy Morgan volve around the cast and crew nize that in this post-Bit Torrent of a televised sketch comedy pro- economy, showing people a good OUR TAKE: !!!!! gram, !e Girlie Show, and the time during live shows so they show’s head writer, Liz Lemon buy your schwag is more impor- (Tina Fey). Because the show so tant than ever, but if it’s gotten to By Zheng Zheng shamelessly hearkens back to Fey’s the point where you’re not even Sta! Writer own days as SNL’s head writer, singing whole verses of your most the show often contains political popular songs because the crowd’s Despite winning the Emmys in remarks as well as reference to already doing it, what’s the di#er- the “Outstanding Comedy Series” pop-culture in order to enhance ence between a !ird Eye Blind category three years in a row along the show’s humor value. concert and a $ash mob of !ird with a plethora of major presti- !e unique humor is notice- Eye Blind fans? $8, apparently. gious awards for the show and its ably di#erent from that of other Jenkins even showed o# his cast members, NBC’s 30 Rock is comedy series, which could ac- sense of humor with a musical in- one of the most underappreciated count for both of the show’s lack terlude of Nelly’s “Ride wit Me.” programs on television (if ratings of a substantial audience and its Considering the crowd noticed are any indication). critical acclaim. and still sung along, students ei- !e fourth season premiere Rather than over-the-top slap- ther have a highly developed sense of 30 Rock, which aired last week stick humor often found within of irony or people will do any- during its regularly scheduled many contemporary comedy pro- thing that a person on stage with a time (!ursdays, 9:30 p.m.), con- grams, it takes a relatively subtle band and microphone tells them. tinued the thankless e#ort of en- approach in achieving smart and !at’s not to say that it was a tertaining while hoping one day relevant comedy. bad show by any stretch. !ird of receiving its deserved attention. Instead of ridiculing stupid- Eye Blind is still !ird Eye Blind, Traditionally, 30 Rock has al- ity or absurdity in a way that is and anyone who remembers lis- ways fallen under the shadows of condescending to the show’s au- tening to their 1997 self-titled that other, more popular !urs- dience, the tales are instead in- debut or even just tuned in to an day night comedy series, !e Of- spired by the ironies in life, love, American radio station any time "ce, which comes on in the time and friendships. As a result, the in the late ‘90s will recall the slot right beforehand on NBC. In characters are laughable but not Image courtesy of NBC Studios band with the distinctive singer fact, many speculations led to be- looked down upon by the audi- memories, clever insightful re- It is a fantastic comedy series, that produced catchy, classic hits lieve that the show’s original fans ence as they are very relatable. marks will last much longer and one that is severely undervalued like “Jumper,” “Narcolepsy” and were those who left the television However, the show’s quick wit be much more impactful. and de"nitely recommended to “Semi-Charmed Life.” on for too long after watching can be easily missed as most of If the other comedies series out those who can indulge themselves !at was the same caliber that Steve Carrell’s 30 minutes of mis- the humor takes more work than there are popular fast food chains, in clever jokes rather than hu- the campus was treated to last Fri- chief. just that cursory "rst glance to it is a fresh home-cooked meal. mor inspired from absurdity and day night. All the right notes were However, the simple truth is fully understand. !is has proven While it may take much longer to chaos. struck both literally and meta- that the show is more than just a unpopular with today’s audience prepare, it is always di#erent and Even so, for those others who phorically. Jenkins sounded just closing act. It is a great comedy se- who seems to be solely interested much more substantial in the end. think that they prefer more popu- as good as he did on !ird Eye ries perfectly capable of standing in instant grati"cation when it Overall, the unique style of the lar forms of entertainment, 30 Blind’s studio albums ten years on its own and earning the recog- comes to their comedy. show, not found much elsewhere Rock might just change their ago. By any tangible measure it nition that it rightfully deserves What they fail to realize is in today’s televised comedy shows, mind and introduce them to a dif- was a great night for music and a from viewers. whereas those great one-liners is both its greatest strength and ferent style of slow-cooked, $avor- great night for the band. Created by and starring Tina will quickly fade away from their weakness. ful comedy.
making friday lectures more interesting lectures friday making
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Wild from page 13
Caillat stays in shell at Variety concert monsters enjoy doing the same By Chris Ernst Howie Day was second on moment. were somehow strained. She never things he does for fun, on a much Sta! Writer stage. He too plays pretty bland Caillat did not immediately really seemed to mean much of larger scale. acoustic music, but he is very come out on stage and instead let what she said. He enjoys building forts and Singer-songwriter Colbie Cail- aware of his medium, which he her band play around for a while She also seemed uncomfort- having snowball "ghts, and on lat played at the Variety Playhouse exploits very well. He played an "rst. !is was a very pronounced able with what she was wearing. the island they all decide to build on Oct. 19, with opening acts electric acoustic guitar, which he characteristic of her show; she did She acted like she usually wears a huge fort together and also have Trevor Hall and Howie Day. knows is di#erent than an acous- almost anything to distract the casual, comfortable clothes with- mud-clod "ghts. It seemed the crowd was mostly tic guitar. He played with the audience from herself. out makeup. She seemed dolled- Some of their relationships thirty-something women and the electric part of the guitar by hit- She included her band as much up and not really representing her also mirror his at home, such as people who love them. Caillat’s ting the guitar itself in di#erent as possible into the act so she personal style. Her uncomfort- the character of KW, voiced by music is not speci"c to the female places to make a drum-like sound. could hide. During instrumental ableness in her clothes, coupled Lauren Ambrose, who is distanc- experience, but it de"nitely speaks Just by making loops with the breaks, which were very long, she with her awkwardness made her ing herself from the group of wild to women more than men. guitar, he can make music beyond would wander around the stage whole performance seem surpris- things in favor of new friends she Trevor Hall’s half-baked what a regular acoustic guitar can. and almost physically hide behind ingly long. Her movements and has made, much like his own sis- dreadlocks and a#ected speech are He recorded short loops of him her band. dancing seemed practiced and ter back at home. only appreciable in a small niche. playing and banging on his guitar She said she used to hate per- routine, and her banter with band Additionally, each wild thing He never musically did anything and layered them. forming, but now she loves it and mates seemed tired, all leaving seems to represent a part of Max’s particularly interesting. !e !is was very entertaining and “looks forward” to each concert. that something special to be de- own personality, with Carol, sound of his music is rather bland it was really neat to be able to see She does not seem to genuinely sired. voiced by James Gandol"ni, being and unoriginal. He plays acoustic, him record a brand new song, live, enjoy herself very much, though. !e audience wants a unique Max’s own basic self without any island-inspired music proli"c in and hear the "nal product. He Whenever she was not speci"cally experience, but instead was cultural restraints. tropical areas. His voice is surpris- used the electric acoustic guitar talking to the audience or react- served an iteration of a show well- What makes up for this mov- ingly good, albeit limited. What and the speaker system to record ing to something unpredictable, planned and heartlessly executed. ie’s slow depressing moments are he can do he does well, but there is and play a song that would oth- her entire presence seemed forced. Whenever she was in the spot- its wonderful cinematography and not much that he can do. erwise not exist. It was a cool art Even the heartfelt confessions all light, she never really came out of scenery, as well as the few mo- her shell. She always seemed to ments of complete elation. !ere be just a little too far away. She are several moments where he is failed to connect with the audi- having so much fun that you can’t ence. Some audience members, help but smile, such as when he is however, really wanted that con- throwing snowballs at his sister nection and would have been sat- and her friends, or when he and is"ed with anything. So unless the the wild things are running wildly audience met her more than half- through the woods. way, there was too great a distance Unfortunately, they are too between Caillat and the audience quickly followed by moments of to really bring her across the foot- unhappiness and discord. Anoth- lights. er wonderful aspect of this movie She had a lot of trouble sing- is the amazing sound track. All of ing. She sang by listening and the songs were carefully chosen blending. She was helped several by Jonze to accurately convey the times by backup singers back onto whimsical nature of childhood. track. She was all over the place Overall, this movie does a de- and was most con"dent when she cent job of bringing Maurice Sen- was with the band (behind them, dak’s classic to life. !e acting, really). cinematography and sound track Caillat played guitar on one are all commendable. Jonze is able song and ukulele on another. to accurately portray what child- Here, she excelled, and could have hood is, from the quick emotions easily hid her weak vocals and to tantrums to imagination. stage presence with her playing Despite the marketing cam- ability, rather than randomly ac- paign aimed towards young au- centing her performance with a diences, this movie is undeniably brief respite of comfort. Behind more of an adult movie than a the wall of an instrument, Cail- children’s movie. Adults will be lat seemed to open up a bit more, able to use it as a means to re$ect and it was disappointing when the on their own childhoods, whereas show ended after only two such children will just be bored in its performances. depressing parts and scared in the !e real performer of this show more frightening parts. was Howie Day. He was solid mu- What bogs this movie down sically and interesting personally. are its tedious con$icts and long He genuinely talked to the audi- periods of staring that directors ence and gave them a unique ex- often add to deepen the e#ect of Photos by Joey Cerone/ Student Publications perience. Colbie Caillat was shy an emotional scene, but in the Colbie Caillat performed at Variety Playhouse on Oct. 19. Her opening acts Howie Day and Trevor and reserved and is not a show- case of this movie, it just makes it Hall opened up, while Caillat never seemed to quite come out of her shell and open up to the crowd. man by any means. more dull.
The economy sucks. Free pizza rations on Tuesdays.
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THEME CROSSWORD: DON’T MENTION IT By Robert Zimmerman United Features Syndicate
ACROSS 47. Vetoes 85. Homophone for seize 1. Pack 48. Talk 86. Plastic - Band 5. Red wine 49. Privileged one 87. Beast 10. Conspiracy 50. Well done! 88. Part 5 of quip: 2 wds. 15. French cleric 51. Swirled 92. Party mem. 19. Church part 53. Nimbus 93. Exactness 20. Opera by Gioacchino Ros- 54. Word in a palindrome 94. Crowbar sini 55. George - Welles 95. Stat in baseball 21. Character created by 9 57. Molding edge 96. Relative of a pearl Down 58. Gawked 98. “Beau -” 22. Horse’s color 59. Moniker for a brain 101. Clever remark 23. Start of a quip by anony- 61. Bangkok native 105. Savage mous: 6 wds. 62. Awn 107. Grade 27. Something mined 63. Part 3 of quip: 2 wds. 108. River in England 28. Sketch 65. Part 4 of quip: 2 wds. 109. - Lilly and Co. 29. Gypsy gentlemen 68. Separate out 110. End of the quip: 7 wds. 30. Fries 71. Angers 115. Lip 31. Appears gradually: 2 wds. 73. Of a continent 116. !e Little Mermaid 33. Soil deposit 77. Cloudless 117. Sheets of stamps 34. Exhaust 78. - macabre 118. Pome 35. In medias - 80. Wand 119. Graphic representation of 36. Attar 81. - -Magnon lineage 37. “To form - - perfect union” 82. Make unstable 120. !ugs 39. New Deal org. 83. Gloomy Gus 121. Unmatched things 42. Part 2 of quip: 3 wds. 84. Kind of historian 122. Gaelic
DOWN 1. - - averages 14. Like the idle rich 40. Manservant 2. La Scala presentation 15. Contend 41. Footless creatures 61. Laconic 78. Moolah 101. Down source 3. Inquired 16. Pull up by one’s - 42. “What fun!” 62. - -American 79. Horseless carriage 102. Direct 4. Hideout 17. Bundle 43. Mata - 64. Plant also called teaberry 80. Rail in a dance studio 103. New name 5. Maudlin 18. Tips 44. Regular 66. Neighboring 83. Cost: 2 wds. 104. Bishop’s headdress 6. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin 24. Certain Georgian 45. Fluorescent dye 67. - -frutti 85. Carpet pile 105. Hand over - 7. Doctor’s order 25. Ocellus 46. Slangy a%rmative 68. Young haddock 87. Plant part 106. River in the Tyrol 8. Turn - - dime 26. Identi"es 52. Outlines 69. Unauthorized copy 89. Lively: hyph. 108. English queen 9. Charles Dodgson 32. White-tailed eagle 53. Something sometimes split 70. Payment 90. Bottle up 111. Spanish gold 10. Con"nes 33. Kind of "ne paper 55. Di#erent 72. Architect - Saarinen 91. - and true 112. Story of a kind, for 11. City in Italy 34. Vulpine creatures 56. Check 74. Frosted 97. Having a notched edge short 12. Kind of player 36. A tea 58. Creaking sound 75. Bailiwick 99. Noblemen 113. Form of “John” 13. Edict 38. DI + DII 60. Cookout fare 76. Like busybodies 100. Jeanne d’Arc, e.g. 114. Unclose: archaic t0DUPCFS tTechnique COMICS
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NON SEQUITUR BY WILEY DILBERT ® BY SCOTT ADAMS