Rebecca Black similar to most of today’s hits


By now you’ve probably heard about Rebecca Black, the new teen pop singer who’s been terrorizing the Internet with her auto-tuned, android-like voice on the relentlessly mocked viral video for her song “Friday.” I’ve been doing my best to refrain from chiming in with my own opinion on the singer, mainly, since my opinion greatly […]

Food Revolution only trying to help LAUSD


Months ago, British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver brought a proposal to the Los Angeles Unified School District. He wanted to shoot the second season of Food Revolution, a show focused on reforming school lunches to be healthier, in Los Angeles schools. LAUSD said no. The show is an evolution of Oliver’s British programs such as […]

Festival sales could save the failing live music industry


It seems like the live music industry gets a little worse every year. At least, that’s the way prominent music publications make it seem. During its end-of-the-year report, Business Wire reported “2010 was a volatile year for the music industry, which saw many tours canceled and a decline in overall concert ticket sales.” Popular artists […]

Charlie Sheen buzz distracts from more important issues


A new drug is sweeping the nation. The name of that drug: Charlie Sheen. We’ve been told, straight from the warlock’s mouth, that the drug is “not available because if you try it once, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.” Yet, the American public […]

Video games can help create an effective and fun workout


D o the words “fitness” and “video game” really go together? According to the recent craze in exercise video games, the answer is an indisputable ‘yes.’ Over the years, improved motion sensor technology has allowed the video game world to transform our lazy living rooms into gyms and dance floors. The idea of integrating exercise […]

World of comic books continues to expand


Our culture seems to be built around barriers. For the past few decades, these barriers have divided entertainment media. Television was television; film was film. The barriers divided people, too. There were geeks, there were jocks, there were rebels and there wasn’t any crossover. Things are changing. These barriers are breaking down and different media […]

Criticism toward first lady’s obesity campaign unfounded


As we all probably know by now, the key to a happy and healthy life is to enjoy food in moderation and eat fewer processed foods. Michelle Obama knows this as well as anyone, and has used her prominent position to promote healthier eating and fight childhood obesity in America with her “Let’s Move!” campaign. […]

Importance of scores and soundtracks often overlooked


Imagine Inception or The Social Network without a soundtrack. Inception would be a slow-moving, boring film with too many Leonardo DiCaprio close-ups, and Jesse Eisenberg and Co.’s fast-paced whines would be much more audible, and thus annoying, in The Social Network. Both of those movies feature intense, prominent and well utilized scores, and both were […]