Comics offer incentives to maintain readership


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It’s a strange time for comics. It’s a strange time for media. Newspapers and books are struggling with the digital market, while films and music are fighting piracy. It’s not that simple to say the Internet is killing traditional media; new forms of distribution and a rise of independent creators are forcing pillars of any […]

Scandinavian food grows in popularity in US


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If it’s true that the Danes live to eat, the Norwegians eat to live and the Swedes eat to drink, then it must also be said that Americans eat to experience other cultures. And it is with fervor that the restaurant industry has attached itself to the cultures of Scandinavia. It’s not unprecedented. The food […]

TV becomes a celebrated medium


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Three and a half months ago, my first tack in trying to come up with a name for this column involved attempting to riff off some of television’s more colorful nicknames. Dispiriting as it was to discard a slew of admittedly horrible ideas, it wasn’t nearly as disheartening as the realization of what some of […]

Museum spices up Hispanic history


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La Placita Olvera and the streets around it are rich with history, but oftentimes this history might not be apparent to the visitors who flock to the area looking for authentic Mexican restaurants or a unique shopping experience. Thankfully, there exists a year-old museum that casts light on the formation of Los Angeles and the […]

Summer presents exciting concerts


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With the school year coming to a close, students are in the midst of the stresses of final projects and exams, all the while fully aware that the allure of summer is within their grasp. That means internships, jobs, vacations and hopefully taking advantage of the bustling concert circuit. Summer marks a time when the […]

Comics provide space for social commentary


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Comics are the funny books, the home of people in tights fighting each other, yet they are a great medium for social commentary and protest. Since their inception, comic books have challenged the established system and worked to highlight injustice around the world. Comics created the space for activism because they were the underdog of […]

Cookbooks experience growth spurt


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This time of year can be a rainy, awkward transitional period, one that comes months after winter holidays and months before the sunny, beach-filled days of summer. No distinct feature or holiday elicits universal happiness and celebration. But for whatever reason, now is a popular time for cookbook releases. A few weeks ago, this column […]

Girls fosters unapologetic comedy


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As far as showbiz mentors go, independent-filmmaker-turned-HBO-darling Lena Dunham could do a lot worse than Judd Apatow. Apatow, the writer-director-producer variously responsible in one capacity or another for The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Pineapple Express, is prolific, but with so many box-office smashes under his belt, he’s also […]

Museum celebrates eclectic finds of past


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Venice Boulevard, one of the busiest streets in Los Angeles, houses a flurry of restaurants, retail space and other attractions. But one place that’s under the radar for even native Angelenos is a museum dedicated to a mostly unexplored era. The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City offers a quirky look at unusual historical […]

Artist collaborations infuse dynamic firepower into rap genre


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Many successful rap songs feature memorable guest appearances. What would Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” have sounded like without Alicia Keys? Or how would B.o.B’s smash hit “Airplanes” have fared without the assistance of Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams? The hip-hop genre is notorious for eccentric and unexpected, yet highly successful collaborations. They allow rap to […]