Exclusives, OCT 05

SOMMER - An Evening With German-Born Actress Elke Sommer
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, staff writer

"Back in Germany, I received a phone call from Hollywood one day and was asked "Would you like to star in a picture with Paul Newman?"

Sommer's role in "The Prize (1963)" not only brought her international recognition, but also a long-term friendship with Paul Newman who is "a great person," she said. Among other features, Elke Sommer performed in "A Shot in the Dark (1964)," "Did I get the wrong number (1967)," "The Wrecking Crew (1969)," as well as "Severed Ties (1992)."

She has worked with national and international stars, including Hannelore Elsner, Senta Berger, Curt Juergens, Gina Lollobridgida, Joseph Cotton, Dean Martin and Bob Hope.



CARDINALE - Tunis-born Actress attends screening of
Luchini Viscontia's 'Sandra'(Vaghe Stelle Dell'Orsa, 1965)
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, staff writer

For someone like Ms. Cardinale who said that she was very introverted in her early years and refused to accept film roles, "when Omar Sharif asked me if I wanted to play in a film with him, I thought he was crazy," her life seemed to have undergone a metamorphosis when she turned into one of the most remarkable European actresses, a considerable Hollywood-actress and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, helping women to improve their lives by standing up for their rights.

Having played in numerous Hollywood movies, including THE PINK PANTHER (1963) CIRCUS WORLD (1964), BLINDFOLD (1965) LOST COMMAND (1966), THE PROFESSIONALS (1966), ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968), THE RED TENT (1971), ESCAPE TO ATHENA (1979), FITZCARRALDO (1982), A MAN IN LOVE (1987) Cardinale said that one has to be very strong as an actress.

"It was intimidating playing with actors such as Lancaster, Delon, Hudson, Henry Fonda, Bronson and David Niven. It was he who told her once: "After Spaghetti, you are the best Italian invention."



PULLEN - Criticizing the Glamourization and Exploitation of Crime in American Culture
An exclusive interview with the artist.
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, special guest writer

People a lot of the time assume that to create a great movie or still photograph that involves big sets and crews -- that it takes a million dollars, which is just not true. You can make it happen for very little if you have the determination. I think it takes professionalism and drive.

Everyone came on board working on the project for the experience… That’s the great thing about creating art, movies etc. If you’re working on a cool project and don’t have much funding -- people love to contribute. It’s not about the money… it’s about the experience of making something.

I was really lucky -- great people came on board and really made it possible. I worked with the stunt crews from movies and shows like “Kill Bill” and “CSI”, fashion models from large campaigns like Guess to big runway models, there were dedicated students that wanted experience.

There really was never a shortage of great people around completely driven and making it happen.



ROBINSON - Artistry and a Man in Orbit
Interview with an astronaut.
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, special guest writer

Q: Do you have a favorite photograph taken during your trip to orbit?
A: We took several thousands. There is a picture of orbit on earth with thunderstorms at the terminator, the region between light and dark on the earth. The sun is very low on the horizon. The thunderstorms are casting shadows 200 miles long.

Q: What makes the colors in orbit different from the colors on earth, and what’s your favorite one?
A: The colors in orbit are always bright and intense, much more so than on earth. The various shades of blue are probably my favorite, especially at the edge of the atmosphere. The blue is illuminated and transparent. It changes all the time against the deepest black of space.

Features, OCT 05

AMERICA - Exploring A Third World
New Orleans, Louisiana
by RYAN JOE, columnist


The local Six Flags amusement park, family fun, roller coasters, and cotton candy, is also host to constant gang warfare. People just get murdered left and right there. The whole city is basically a carnival gone horribly wrong.

And even from above, looking down from a plane, the place is weird. I remember seeing this huge body of water, like a great brown sea, surrounded by this steaming green mass of foliage. A thin strip of pavement traversed the lake. The sun was setting. You get the picture.

As an example of how odd this place is, until recently, if there were three people driving in a car, up to two open containers of alcohol were allowed. The overriding logic being that at least one person might still be sober.

Another one: New Orleans gave the world the daiquiri. New Orleans also has daiquiri drive-thrus. The law stipulates that if you get pulled-over and have a daiquiri in the car, you just better not have a straw in it. I cannot make this up.

Reviews, MAY/JUN 05

DVD - "Hotel Rwanda"
The Story of an Unlikely Hero in a Modern Genocide
by SHEILA DICHOSO, staff writer

“I think if people will see this footage they’ll say, ‘oh my god, that’s horrible,’ and go on eating their dinner.”

The place is Kigali, Rwanda. The year is 1994. 800,000 people have been killed, and the world does nothing.

1994 marked the year when America, along with the rest of the world, turned their back away on Rwanda. With no help from Western Powers and insufficient coverage from the media, few people knew at the time that genocide was occurring right under their noses.

The United Nations finally addressed the warfare between the Hutus and Tutsis in May 1994, yet about 500,000 Rwandans had already been killed, and the genocide was described using the less-brutal term “acts of genocide.” They claimed that a real “genocide” could not be confirmed. This gave a free pass for people to shun away from it. Eleven years later, the virtually unnoticed story has finally surfaced in the poignant and powerful film "Hotel Rwanda."



DVD Review - "Jologs"
A quirky, non-linear narrative with ethnic Filipino flair
by KATHERINE PARADERO, staff writer

The movie opens, and about midway, you are convinced that you too can keep track of all eleven characters whose stories are inextricably woven together by Ned Trespeces’ screenplay. Gilbert G. Perez directs a young and lively ensemble cast in his 2003 contribution to the comedy-drama-slice-of-life genre.

The movie’s circular plot gives purpose to the story, as each retelling opens from a different point of view of the same set of events, effectively coloring the shared experiences of these characters with what at times does feel like the actual emotional substance of life.

Exclusives, MAR/APR 05

APPLE PIE - A Bite Out of Cultural History
Just how American is apple pie?
by CALIFORNIA KAY, guest writer

We’ve all heard one of the most patriotic and appetite-inducing phrase many times over: “As American as apple pie.” No other idiom stirs the salivary glands, although “That’s how the cookie crumbles” and “There’s the icing on the cake” come pretty close. But just how genuinely American is America’s beloved classic dessert? Of course, questioning the “American-ness” of the American Apple Pie is bound to stir pride of some, but we can’t always have our cake and eat it too. Nonetheless, here’s the tantalizing story of how a great dish became the favorite of a great nation . .



ART GALLERY - Jack Rutberg Runs a Unique 'Museum'
Rutberg's gallery brings poignant pieces of history to Los Angeles
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, special guest writer

A self-made man, Jack Rutberg discovered his love for the arts on "rainy and melancholy days", where he would find himself mostly in museums. Never having received any formal training, he was to learn about the arts, in much the same as he had acquired English, while being a French speaker upon his arrival in the United States. That Rutberg's passion would one day form into a long-lasting career was not intentional. "What at first only seemed to be a hobby, later got out of control", he said. "It was a revelation."



FILMMAKER - A Mendelssohn in Hollywood
The filmmaker Henry Jaglom is a descendant of the great German-Jewish thinker
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, special guest writer

... He has also directed and written the screenplays of films, such as A SAFE PLACE (1971), SOMEONE TO LOVE (1988), VENICE, VENICE (1992), DEJA VU (1999) and FESTIVAL IN CANNES (2002), in which he worked with Jack Nicholson, Maximilian Schell, Anouk Aimee and Greta Scacchi...

Jaglom's films often deal with women's issues – but not in the usual Hollywood manner. "Hollywood so neglects women's real stories and real lives and indulges in male fantasies about women that have little to do with the reality of women's lives," the filmmaker said.



SPANDANA - An Indian Classical Music Concert
by MADHAVI KARUNAKARAM AND N. RAMACHANDRAN, special guest writers

Perfection is like a horizon, the closer you go towards it, the further it moves away. Then why do human beings have this obsessive passion to reach perfection?

In any field to attain perfection is not easy. In Hindu philosophy, we say a perfect person is one who has attained ‘mukti’ or enlightenment. In Indian Classical music it is all about ‘hitting’ that perfect swara or note.

Reviews, MAR/APR 05

MUSIC - La Oreja (de Van Gogh)
"Lo Que Te Conté Mientras Te Hacías La Dormida"
by MICHAEL KAY, graphics editor

Lo Que Te Conté Mientras Te Hacías La Dormida (loosely translated, “What I Told You While You Were Asleep”) is a beautiful and ingenious album in many respects.

Although generally ranked among the rock/pop charts, Lo Que Te Conté has elements of dance, easy listening, and folk to satisfy the tastes of virtually anyone in search of delightful, easy-on-the-ears music.

Once you start up the first track, you can almost begin to visualize the vivid masterpieces of Mr. Van Gogh himself. Lo Que Te Conté is a one-hour escape from the pressures and rushes of everyday life, invoking feelings of nostalgia and romance.




RESTAURANT - Shahrzad
A Taste of Tehran
by ROXY VARZA, staff writer

You cannot leave a Persian restaurant if you have never tried ghormeh-sabzi. This stew takes a ridiculous amount of preparation, trimming cilantro leaves one-by-one from the stems.

Cilantro, onion, kidney beans, juicy beef chunks, and other spices and herbs are blended together with the tangy flavor of fresh lemon and limoo omani (dried lemon) to create a mouth-watering flavor. Iranians take this dish very seriously.

Exclusives, FEB 05

INTERNATIONAL PLASTIC SURGERY
You can’t blame it on Barbie: The Color of Plastic Surgery
by ROXY VARZA, staff writer

If it seems as though the west has set the facial standard, this is not necessarily the case. Humans of all cultures and ethnicities tend to find symmetry and youthfulness attractive. This includes large eyes, young skin, small noses, and full lips.

Therefore, double eyelid surgeries and nose jobs may be the result of a global ideal rather than a western standard.

But it’s probably more fun to blame it on Barbie.




LIVE AID CONCERT
Jammin' Tunes to Save Lives
by ANH V. NGUYEN, staff writer

For one day, this concert united the world with a common goal and raised approximately $110 million for the cause. Never before had anything of such magnitude been organized.

Bob Geldof eloquently stated, “to die of want in a world of surplus is not only intellectually absurd, it is morally repulsive.” To this day, he continues to convince the UN, the EU, and the World Bank to cease the governments’ attempt to spend money to subsidize farmers on agricultural export dumping as millions still die of starvation.

The Live Aid DVD provides over 10 hours of musical satisfaction. The proceeds will go to the Band Aid Trust in Africa, continuing the effort to alleviate the suffering caused by famine.




REMEMBERING THE TSUNAMI - If Symbolism Sets in...
The benefit held by UCLA's International Institute raises funds, raises hopes
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, special guest writer

The first half of the benefit ended with a remarkable performance by the Californian dance group, Sri Dance Company. The three female dancers, Sri Susilowati, Caroline Chang and Sydney Cassatta expressed, in abstract and metaphorical movements, the suffering of women.

Dressed in white shirts, colorful skirts and yellow veils, the dancers moved their bodies in ways that complemented the gentle music of the composer, Albert Chang.




THE CAPTIVATING FADO - and Its Origin
by HABEEB SALLOUM, special guest writer

The name fado comes from the Latin fatum (fate). It is the popular song and music of the Portuguese cabarets and nightclubs - the entertainment par-excellence of that land. A type of urban melodies rather than folk tunes, its origin is not clear to numerous music historians.

A number of Portuguese writers, perhaps still sub-consciously fighting the Crusades, claim that the source of the fado is to be found in Africa, Brazil or the sailor songs on the high seas. However, others more objective in their observations have asserted that it is of true Moorish origin.

In the New Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Theophilo Braga states that the root of the fado lies in Moorish or Arabian tradition. R.Gallop in Portugal, A Book of Folk-Ways quotes Arménio Correia Lopes who claims that not only the fado but the Spanish tango and habaZera are the direct descendants of the Arabian majuri.

Exclusives, JAN 05

SRI LANKA - More than a Tsunami Plagues It
by MEENADCHI GUNANAYAGAM, staff writer


In 1964, the Srimavo-Sashtri pact effected the deportation of 500,000 disenfranchised Tamils. Take the buggers back to India, the gov't said.

In 1983 however, the final straw was lit. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) killed 13 Sinhalese soldiers. On July 23, 1983 the government brought the fallen back in state, leading the coffins on a tour of the capital city Colombo.

It was the Kristelnacht of my country. A governmentally backed, anti-Tamil pogrom began. Tamil homes were looted and crashed, women raped en masse, and people were petrolled and burnt alive. Thousands fled the country and those that didn’t removed themselves from Sinhalese inhabited areas – fleeing to the North and East. The LTTE received cadres by the hundreds. It was the start of the civil war.



THE LEGENDARY SWORDS OF DAMASCUS - Now Only Museum Pieces
by HABEEB SALLOUM, special guest writer


Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth, was for hundreds of years known for its fine swords. ...they were legendary for their sharpness and were considered superior to all other swords.

There were many myths and legends relating to the swords of Damascus... One such tale tells of a meeting between Richard the Lion-Hearted and Saladin. Richard, to impress his guest with his great power, cut through with his broadsword a thick iron bar with a single blow. Saladin, unimpressed, threw a silk pillow into the air and, as it fell, sliced it into ribbons with his Damascene blade.

Another story relates that the Damascene blade is so flexible that a man can take the hilt in one hand and the point of the sword in the other, then bend the sword around his body and when released the blade would spring back to its original shape.

Reviews, JAN 05

MOVIE - A Very Long Engagement
A heart-wrenching tale of war, an up-lifting tale of romance
by ERIKA WHITCOMB, staff writer

The director John-Pierre Jeunet (director of Amelie) holds nothing back to depict gruesome battle scenes. Jeunet makes a point to allow the audience to get to know various soldiers, each one unique from the next. One particular soldier happens to be Mathilde’s (Audrey Tautou) fiancé Manech (Gaspard Ulliel).

The majority of the film shows Mathilde’s desperate attempt to find him, as the war is over and she faithfully believes he is still alive. The viewer gets a feeling of the genuine chemistry or love that exists between Manech and Mathilde but in a refreshing way. Jeunet shows the growth of their relationship from their first meeting as young children, along with all the quirks that came with it.



MOVIE - House of Flying Daggers
“I want to be free...like the wind.”
by Thu Pham, Staff Writer

The film begins toward the end of Tang Dynasty, when the government became corrupted. The movie revolves around a female dancer named Mei (Ziyi Zhang), whose rare beauty is enhanced by her intelligence and her deep perception of life.

Her encounter with two corrupted government officials, Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Leo (Andy Lau) leads to a whirlwind adventure that uncovers many secrets and surprises.




MUSIC - Gunther and the Sunshine Girls
Sweden’s Dance Sensation is Crazy and Wild
By CALIFORNIA KAY, staff writer

The greatest thing about Gunther and the Sunshine Girls is their ability to engage listeners in endless entertainment, musical satire, and the simple relaxation in letting listeners dance to their hearts’ content.

In many hip-hop music videos, girls (aka “hip-hop bunnies”) are scantily clad while the lead singer speaks of serious subjects such as growing up in a rough neighborhood or losing a girl (it goes without speaking, of course, that these subjects require scantily clad hip-hop bunnies).

Gunther, on the other hand, sings of sensual-oriented subjects like girls in string bikinis on a summer night, while the barely-clothed Sunshine girls rub tushes with each other (literally) in the music video of Teeny Weeny String Bikini.

Features, JAN 05

TRAVELOGUE - AMSTERDAM
Things you MUST do in Amsterdam!
by JEANNIE HO, exclusives editor

2. If you like beer, or if you are curious about how beer is made, go to the Heineken Brewery to achieve the Heineken Experience. Don’t worry, the cost is only 10 Euros and you receive three free cups of Heineken.

3. At night time, take a stroll through the naughty parts of Amsterdam to witness the world‘s oldest profession. The prostitutes in the Red Light District don‘t loiter on the street corners, rather they sit in front of huge windows which lead to their rooms. Red lights shine bright.




COLUMN - Twisted
What in the World?
by LAWRENCE LU, columnist
The people hurt by the wave DO very much need help. They have needed help for the longest time, flooding or not, but no one cared. But this time, the world’s media gave them the spotlight and with a wave of their money making wand, made them the next big “thing.”

Do you think a few million from a movie star is anything considerable? It would be more of a statement for an average citizen to give $10. There are those who appear truly genuine in their efforts like Leonardo Dicaprio, who wouldn’t disclose the amount donated, and who wanted to research what the money would be used for.

But for the others, it was like watching a pissing contest.

They just happen to be pissing cash over Asia.