It takes two (festivals) to kick off Oscar season


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As the summer of sequels, blockbusters and billion-dollar franchises comes to a close, studios now look ahead to the fall festival circuit, a leading indicator of their films’ awards and commercial potential. Two of these festivals — Venice and Toronto — take place within the next few weeks and feature everything from period films to […]

Free-to-play games are a win-win for all


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Instead of selling games as a pay once, play forever-type model, many online games are being offered as free-to-play, with additional charges for extra features. One such highly successful models is League of Legends. Just last year, Brandon Beck, co-founder of the company that makes League of Legends, visited USC to speak at the 2011 […]

Sanya provides affordable, delicious Korean BBQ


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College students enjoy having a multitude of options when it comes to dining, but it is can be hard to find affordable dining ins Los Angeles. Venues have to meet the criteria of being close by, inexpensive expensive and worth the money in the deliciousness meter. Fortunately, there are many options only a few minutes […]

Crown of India worth the drive


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After a busy afternoon of shopping on Melrose Avenue, my mother and I came across Crown of India, quite unexpectedly. From past experiences of eating Indian food in my hometown, New York City, it seems to be a cuisine that either induces stomachaches or satisfies all the right cravings. Crown of India is the latter. […]

Japan’s prime minister resigns amid continued economic problems


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Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan formally resigned last Friday after considerable criticism on his policies dealing with the March 11 tsunami and the subsequent crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Kan resigned under the condition that parliament approved two pieces of legislation: the deficit-financing bond bill and the new energy promotion bill. Both were passed […]

Stat to watch: third down conversion rate


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From 2006 to 2009, the Trojans’ defensive third down conversion rate ranked among the best nationally, regularly stifling opposing offenses on third downs. That success, however, ended in 2010, as USC allowed its opponents to convert on third down more than 43 percent of the time. USC’s Opponent Third Down Conversion Rate: 2010: 43.82 percent […]

Students tweet their way to a better semester


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It’s barely a week into the fall semester, yet the university is already getting people excited for this year. On August 22, the school Twitter account (@USCedu) posted the question, “First week! #uscclass to tell us about the class you’re most excited about. Follow the hashtag & get recs from your fellow students.” Dozens of USC […]

United Stated hopes to repeat successful Libya strategy


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The Obama administration has the chance to claim a much-needed victory in the Middle East, where Libyan rebels were finally able to take control over their capital city of Tripoli. Even though former Libyan dictator Qaddafi is still thought to be at large, the combined efforts of the NATO coalitions’ air attacks seem to have […]

USC 2011 season outlook


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USC released its first depth chart for the 2011 season Sunday. Listed below is the offense.   LT:   Kalil; Guertler RG: Johnny Martinez OR Aundrey Walker OR Cody Temple LG:   Galten OR Coleman OR Martin OR Markowitz C:      Holmes; Martinez OR Markowitz OR Hobbi RT:   Graf; Garness TE:   Telfer OR Grimble OR Thomas Flanker:  Lee OR […]

VMAs show all that glitters


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MTV has been criticized for its lack of actual music programming these days. However, the music was spot-on for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. Lady Gaga (or Mister Gaga, to be precise) opened the show with “You & I,” dolled out in drag and backed by an ensemble of greasers. Her vocals are so […]