prime
TECH TOYS inside smart games, the iPod nano and flip cam
*
TREEHOUSE
westwood’s architectural gem
THURSDAY NIGHT clubbing in hollywood
by the daily bruin
JAMES [FRANCO] off campus, on-screen BY THE DAILY BRUIN
november 2008
www.prime.dailybruin.com
ucla student media publication
prime ---------------------------
letter from the editor
by the daily bruin
Anthony Pesce [ Editor in Chief ] Amber Bissell [ Managing Editor ] Edward Truong [ Prime Editor ] Stephanie White [ Prime Art Director ] Sarah Jo [ News Editor ] JJ Yang, Carolyn McGough, Theresa Avila [ Assistant News Editors ] Seda Terzyan [ Science & Health Editor ] Will Weiss [ Enterprise Editor ] Julia Erlandson, Peach Indravudh [ News Staff ] Jessica Roy [ Viewpoint Editor ] Roscoe Elliott, Matt Margolis [ Assistant Viewpoint Editor ] Kate Stanhope [ A&E Editor ] Jake Ayres, Christie McCollum, Paige Parker [ Assistant A&E Editors ] Michelle Castillo, Jenae Cohn [ A&E Staff ] Sara Salam [ Sports Editor ] Matt Stevens, Blair Angulo, Eli Smukler [ Assistant Sports Editors ] Emily Jaffe [ Design/Art Director ] Nicole Vas, Chrissy Lo, Jessica Tan, Tiffany Liu [ Assistant Design Directors ] Elise Swanson, Melanie Wong, Rocio Ayala, Rebecca Fleenor, Courtney Kan, Helen Kim, Theresa Vo [ Designers ] Jessica Lum [ Photo Editor ] Michael Chen, Kimberly Lajcik, Maya Sugarman [ Assistant Photo Editors ] Jennifer Huang [ Photo Staff ] Raymond Moy [ Copy Chief ] Maggie Shine, Kendall Lynes, Mary Kate Ham, Carol Fan, Jennifer Lee [ Copy Deputies ] Christina Robinette, Elaine Lee, Andrea Liou, Susan Kim [ Copy Editors ] Alene Tchekmedyian [ Director of New Media ] Afton Coombs, Esther Park [ Assistant Directors of New Media ] Corinne Crockett [ Daily Bruin Television Executive Producer ] Kattie Lam [ News Producer ] Brandi Andres [ Entertainment Producer ] Alex Wolf [ Sports Producer ] Noah Reich [ Daily Bruin Television Staff ]
Jeremy Wildman [ Business Manager ] Katie Caswell, Mike Day, Greg Gausewitz, Mira Kasliwal, Matt Luskin, Jackie Mayer, Julie Menezes, Adam Miller, Sara Rose, Jonathan Salzberg, Laura Salzberg, Chris Soper, Ali Owens, Justin Wedel, Sara Rose, Chris Soper, Taylor O’Kelly, Rachel Kellman, Cathy Chou, Jing Yen, Jacqueline Brabyn, Raquel Basso, Justina Kwong, Bryan Kurnoff, Josh Loeb, Aaron Manji, Elena Bitinaite [ Display Account Executives ] Alexandra Paul [ Marketing Accounts Manager ] Erich Abellera, Annie Chiang, Kelly Chu, Colleen Clark, Elizabeth Dang, Ashley Griggs, Daniel Heriman, Olivia Kanaley, Jenna Kieselbach, Alex Lee, Megan Smith [ Marketing Account Executives ] Adam Diehl [ Internal Operations Manager ] Marissa Nagler [ National Accounts Manager ] Lauren Lucido, Jenni Diekneite [ University Display Account Executives ] Doria Deen [ Classified Line Sales Manager ] Kirsten Ferreri, Elizabeth Oved, Alyssa Piring, Taylor Seaholm [ Classified Line Sales Representatives ] Liz Magallanes Layug [ Advertising Production Manager ] Erich Abellera [ Management Assistant ] Amber Le [ Senior Student Supervisor ] Jing Jin, Jonathan Dallas, Alyssa Wang, Zenia Wei, Jiaxi Zhang [ Graphic Designers ] Michael O’Connor [ General Operations Manager ] Christopher Bates [ MIS Manager ] Frieda Farrier [ Sales Entry Supervisor ] Rosemary Vu [ Senior Student Supervisor ] Danielle Aceves, Mira Karageorge [ Collections ] Gabriela Cox, Charlotte Purcell, Arie Wong [ Staff ] Amy Emmert [ Media Adviser ] Arvli Ward [ Media Director ]
eing cool is hard work – trust me, I know. I’m kidding about me being cool. My nights are spent home alone watching Food Network and eating Lean Cuisines. (Yes, I’m aware of the parallels between my life and that of Queen Latifah’s character in the 2006 film “Last Holiday,” thank you very much.) But I am not kidding about how hard it is to keep up with the latest trends in fashion, nightlife and technology. “Keeping up with the Joneses” while in college is harder than every before, and that’s why we at the Daily Bruin created prime. Perhaps we may seem all too similar to dB Magazine (which was a weekly publication that was before my time and, sadly, did not survive) or its current incarnation, the Arts & Entertainment section of the Daily Bruin. Our mission is different and our coverage is different, which should show in our pages. I encourage you to give us a try and see how we set ourselves apart. We’re a magazine that caters just to you: the UCLA student. Being a resident of Los Angeles, even temporarily, gives you access to the most exciting and amazing events, places and stores, but being a Bruin means midterms, papers, financial aid and probably being car-less. Our mission statement is to be a fun, practical and interesting resource. We want to be accessible, and we aim to provide useful information, tell the stories of your classmates, and explain how to look good. Sure, we’ll write about James Franco, but we also want to write about Jim Frencho*, a third-year geology student who ironically rides a Razor scooter and secretly enjoys watching Home and Garden Television. We don’t want to be elitist and talk about bands you’ve never heard of or which scarf best matches your girl pants. Beyond the borders of Westwood, there lies an amazing world of stores, restaurants and clubs, just waiting to be explored by you and your friends. Trust us, there is so much more out there than Diddy Riese. We know what it’s like to not have a lot of money or time, but we believe it is possible to take advantage of your location and have as much fun as you can before you throw that mortarboard up in the air. I acknowledge that it may be inappropriate to promote materialism in our economic state, and it may seem off to encourage procrastination among university students. Just do all your reading and don’t get a mortgage. You’re young, you’re hip and, according to your parents, you lack life experience, but this is the only time in your life that you will ever have an excuse to run around campus in your underwear, travel to another country to study, or sleep on the cold, cold Pauley pavement to get a good seat at the basketball game. Let’s face it, you’re in the “prime” of your life. (See what I just did there? Get it?) These are supposed to be the best years of your life, and we hope we can be your guide.
The Daily Bruin (ISSN 1080-5060) is published and copyrighted by the ASUCLA Communications Board. All rights are reserved. Reprinting of any material in this publication without the written permission of the Communications Board is strictly prohibited. The ASUCLA Communications Board fully supports the University of California’s policy on non-discrimination. The student media reserve the right to reject or modify advertising whose content discriminates on the basis of ancestry, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, age, sex or sexual orientation. The ASUCLA Communications Board has a media grievance procedure for resolving complaints against any of its publications. For a copy of the complete procedure, contact the publications office at 118 Kerckhoff Hall. All inserts that are printed in the Daily Bruin are independently paid publications and do not reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the staff. To request a reprint of any photo appearing in the Daily Bruin, contact the photo desk at 310-825-2828 or e-mail photo@media.ucla.edu
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* Jim Frencho not a real person.
hugs & handshakes, edward truong prime editor We welcome your feedback. E-mail us at prime@media.ucla.edu
prime contents
28
november 2008 -----------------------Welcome to our first issue. Inside, we’ll be covering the newest in everything. We’re excited to show you our work and we hope you like what you see.
2--note from the [ed]itor 4--[games] raise your IQ
8
7--[tech] flip cam review
[inside] westwood’s treehouse 14---neighbor[hoods] old town pasadena 16--[style] fall fashion
18
20--[holiday] thanksgiving 28--[looking] to be seen
22
getting to know
james
32
cover photographed by leigh alavrez
* smart games
video / GAMES /
As the quarter heats up around midterm season, gamers have an even better excuse to keep their thumbs attached to their D-pads: educational games. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but why not make work a little more playful? jessica lum
“My Chinese Coach” Nintendo DS / Ubisoft
This August release by Ubisoft is the latest addition to its educational games line, which includes a vocabulary game called “My Word Coach,” “My Spanish Coach” and “My French Coach.” “My Chinese Coach” teaches pronunciation of words in Mandarin, allows you to compare your own speech sounds with the game’s recording and uses the stylus to practice writing Chinese characters. Gamers can also practice what they learn in a series of mini-games. “My Chinese Coach” is a uniquely interactive and useful game, whether you choose to use the game in conjunction with your Chinese 1 course or to teach yourself.
“Brain Age 2” Nintendo DS / Nintendo/Touch! Generations
Flex the muscle that matters: your gray matter. From the makers of the surprisingly innovative DS game “Nintendogs,” “Brain Age 2,” the sequel to “Brain Age,” is a fresh, interactive way to exercise different parts of your brain. While “Brain Age 2” is not exactly educational in a traditional sense, it’s an enjoyable game that keeps your brain sharp. “Brain Age 2” has a variety of activities including simple math problems, a piano-playing mode, memory games and a voice-commanded game of rock-paper-scissors in which you choose the losing or winning hand as quickly as possible.
“Wii Fit” Nintendo Wii / Nintendo/Touch! Generations
With the balance board peripheral, you can find out your body mass index, set a weight-loss goal and set a deadline by which you wish to reach that goal. With this data, you can track your progress and even view the progress of up to eight others sharing the same console. Follow instructions and simulations on the screen to perform yoga moves, aerobics, push-ups and even sports such as soccer and snowboarding.
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“Cooking Mama” Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS / Majestco
Fighting games
Even though most students’ midterm meals consist of oatmeal, instant ramen and TV dinners, with the help of “Cooking Mama,” even the busiest student can find time to whip up a delicious meal! Most cooking rounds last less than 10 minutes, and you can quickly enjoy (looking at) a gourmet meal.
“Rock Band 2” Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii / Harmonix “Guitar Hero: World Tour” Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii / Activision With the newly released “Rock Band 2” and the late October release of the revamped “Guitar Hero: World Tour,” you might not want to play under the career or tour modes. Stick to quickplay in “Guitar Hero” and practice or solo mode in “Rock Band,” and limit the number of songs you play during your study break.
Nintendo, Majestco, Harmonix, Activision and Capcom
game break Most fighting games are broken into short rounds, making it easy to play for an enjoyable amount of time but stop without interrupting any gameplay. Whether taking a solo study break or a study group break, Nintendo’s “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” (or any of the “SSB” games) for the Wii is always a reliably fun fighting game. Classics like Capcom’s “Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix” are offered as cheap downloads from the Xbox LIVE Arcade and PLAYSTATION Network. For a more mature fighting option on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Namco Bandai’s “Soul Calibur IV” has a compelling story mode, which might not be practical for study breaks. However, the arcade mode is always a viable option for a quick play.
For compulsive gamers who can’t ditch the controller even on the sleepless nights before an essay is due, study breaks are good – in moderation. Avoid playing games that will keep you hooked for hours, such as story-based games that have long chapters and several long CG sequences (“Final Fantasy,” “Metal Gear”). Stick to games that are broken into simple, quick-play rounds. 5 / prime / november 2008 / prime.dailybruin.com
REVIEW
jessica lum
Video Games Live
Conductor Jack Wall leads the Video Games Live tour.
With track titles such as “Tetris Piano Opus No. 1” and “Tron Montage ,” the 2008 release of the album “Video Games Live: Volume One” might raise more than a few eyebrows from video gamers and music aficionados alike. “Video Games Live” applies the talent of orchestras and choirs globally to perform classic and more recent medleys of video game soundtracks. The Video Games Live tour began locally in July 2005 at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The international tour returned briefly to Southern California last month and sold out at BlizzCon in Anaheim. But let’s face it: With the increased cinematic qualities of modern video games, it comes as little surprise that game
soundtracks of “Medal of Honor” and “Halo” port well (as gamers would call it) from the console to Video Games Live’s orchestral performances. In fact, Michael Giacchino composed the orchestral soundtrack for “Medal of Honor,” a game series created by film director Steven Spielberg. The powerful live performance of each song serves more than to simply validate the cultural significance of video games through an orchestral medium. Rather, what Video Games Live suggests is that perhaps we have overlooked the cultural value that has always existed in our generation of gaming. Video Games Live is scheduled to return to California in July 2009 in San Diego. The San Diego Symphony is scheduled to perform.
2008 E for All Review We didn’t think anything could make us nostalgic for the 2007 E for All gaming convention, but that was before this year’s E for All. Last year, the big draws were the previews of legitimate blockbusters like “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” and “Super Smash Brothers Brawl,” but 2008’s exhibitors were a somewhat motley assortment of companies whose ties to the gaming industry were tenuous at best. There were vendors selling protective leather cases for your plastic “Rock Band” controllers and girls in neon tracksuits selling handfuls of trail mix (sprayed with stimulants) marketed as “Gamer Grub.”
If you didn’t feel like buying anything, a brief demo of first-person shooter “Far Cry 2” was available at Ubisoft’s booth. You could also take “Guitar Hero: World Tour” for a spin at Target’s booth, though inexplicably all but one of the drum sets lacked bass pedals. IndieCade, a games festival for independent developers, was best of show. The booth’s standouts were “Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars,” a moody adventure game for the Wii with fresh, innovative mechanics, and “Machinarium,” a pointand-click adventure with a jaw-dropping style best described as steampunk meets “Nightmare Before Christmas” in a
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KEVIN LOH
frank shyong
Gaming just got a little more crowded with the new “Guitar Hero: World Tour,” which was exhibited at the E for All Expo. The event was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in early October. Activision’s recent release of “Guitar Hero: World Tour” includes new peripheral instruments such as an improved guitar design, a microphone, and drums with a high hat and cymbal.
postapocalyptic world. But the best measure of a convention’s geek cred is the number of costumed role-players. This year, we
saw just one – a guy in a huge bunny suit on the fringe of the convention. He looked pretty lonely out there.
prime / TECH /
flipping out
-----------
anthony pesce
In June, Flip Video released the latest iteration of its acclaimed pocket-sized camera – the Flip Mino. The camera has gotten quite a bit of press over the past few years because of its size, ease of use and built-in editing and upload features. The Mino is a bit pricier – and skinnier – than previous versions, but it lives up to the expectations of its predecessors. It comes in two colors – black and white – and the design is slick and easy to use. All you have to do is turn it on and hit a large, red button to start recording. It automatically separates all of the videos you record, and they can be easily accessed through the built-in editing soft ware. My favorite feature on the camera is the fl ip-out USB plug located on the top. You plug it directly into your computer to charge it, upload the videos and launch the soft ware. The camera has two gigabytes of built-in f lash memory, which isn’t expandable – meaning that you only have one hour of recording time before you have to upload everything to your computer and delete the video on the camera. Though one hour might not seem like a lot, in the week I spent carrying it around and playing with it, I didn’t fi ll all the space and I only had to charge the battery once. The problem most people are likely to have with the camera is the quality of the video you get: a mere 640x480 resolution (a bit larger than the size of a YouTube video), at a solid 30 frames per second. Because of the low resolution, the digital zoom seriously degrades the quality you get, so you might want to hold off using that feature. But in a package that’s less than a pound, $180 and fits in the palm of your hand, I can hardly see how it could be better. It’s perfect for bloggers, journalists, students and YouTube aficionados alike. My only real complaint about the camera is the editing soft ware it comes packaged with, which I found generally slow and a bit hard to use. I was also upset to learn that not all of the soft ware features worked on my Mac. That’s not really a problem, though, because it’s very straightforward to copy all of the video clips over to your hard drive and import them into iMovie. The software does allow for a quick and easy upload to YouTube or MySpace, and I’m thrilled about the idea of seeing more people able to contribute video content online. I like the camera so much the Daily Bruin is going to buy three for our reporters to use out in the field – so keep a lookout on campus.
flip video
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in / DEPTH /
nesting in westwood -----------
john guigayoma
---------------------------------------------------------------
A few more steps pull a visitor higher, winding around a thick tree trunk and dilapid ated fis hponds . Upon reaching the top – the penthouse, Apt. 6, the largest mushroom of them all – there resides one reason why the L’Horizon Apartments, more popularly known as the Tree House, are known as one of the most alluring pieces of real estate in Westwood.
On Strathmore Drive and Gayley Avenue, there sits a giant mushroom garden. A walk up the steep earthen staircase leads to the first few mushroom dwellings: giant round caps centered atop their own separate pillars, their residents suspended above the street below. A few more steps pull a visitor higher, winding around a thick tree trunk and dilapidated fishponds. Upon reaching the top – the penthouse, Apt. 6, the largest mushroom of them all – there resides one reason why the L’Horizon Apartments, more popularly known as the Tree House, are known as one of the most alluring pieces of real estate in Westwood. Past the wall-sized windows and onto the cantilevered patio, the tree that sprouted from the courtyard bares its leaves, its branches framing the city, from the UCLA campus to the West Los Angeles skyline. Southern California architect John Lautner, the man behind what he once termed the “mushroom” buildings, designed with enough balance for a tightrope walker. As a student of celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Lautner’s buildings diminish the division between architectural opposites: inside and outside space, the natural and the artificial, the individual and the community. His ultimate goal was to strike a balance between the singular lives within each unit and a cohesive family within the whole structure: “to keep the infinite variety of individual life within some kind of total world.”It was a direct challenge to the traditional concept of an apartment complex – individual residences stacked like blocks in a square tower – a method both claustrophobic and isolating. “That’s one of the most interesting things about this project, in the way that it functions as both,” architect Frank Escher said. “It functions both as a project for the whole city, this kind of endless city. He was interested in developing units that would accommodate a small family, and units that would be part of a larger community and allow for social interaction.” Escher and historian Nicholas Olsberg curated the exhibit “Between Heaven and Earth: The Architecture of John Lautner,” which was on display at the UCLA Hammer Museum. The show contained blueprints
and concept sketches of the apartments before UCLA students began storming in. At a passing glance, the Tree House seems far from its origins as a home for bourgeoise artists and intellectuals. Such was the plan when sculptress Helen Sheets first conceived of the building in the 1940s. The building has seen its share of drunken college parties, high turnovers due to shifting residents, and renovations to stuff more students within its walls. But 60 years past the conception of the Tree House, Lautner’s plan has not disappeared. As the present residents of the Tree House can tell you, as much as residents have shaped the house, the house has shaped them. Live together, stay together
------------------------------David Marino, a fourth-year evolutionary biology student, lives in one of the best rooms at the Tree House. He lives in Apt. 2 on the building’s west side, which allows him to take in the ocean breeze and escape the rising sun. The vertical wood paneling along Marino’s walls is unique. Each alternating panel is a small window that opens up onto the path behind his room. They are part of Lautner’s plan for a natuyuri chudnovsky ral cooling system that allows residents to regulate airf low with the sea breeze. Rooms with these slats are spread out around the entire complex. But since Marino’s room is by the path many take to leave the Tree House’s many parties, the windows leave him open to less ideal encounters. “I like to keep them closed for privacy, and sometimes it smells,” Marino said with a laugh. Marino is a member of Sigma Alpha Mu, also known as Sammy, a small fraternity that took up residence at the Tree House after restarting its UCLA chapter. The number of members residing at the Tree House fluctuates throughout the year. Currently, there are about five members at the apartment, but meetings can bring over 20 members to the complex. The slats are not the only thing Marino and his roommates have to
“This house is just full of characters. The craziest people I’ve ever met are from Tree House.”
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complain about in the Tree House. As a building with a high turnover rate due to college students moving in and out and guests frequently passing through, the Tree House has not held up to its original condition, nor have Lautner’s original plans played out for the best. The tall windows, also part of the natural heating system, tend to trap more heat than residents prefer, especially when they find themselves covering up windows with makeshift curtains to block the heat from the sun. “In order to live here, because it’s kind of run-down, you need to adapt pretty well,” said Yury Chud novsk y, a t hird-yea r mechanical engineering student and Apt. 2 resident. Chudnovsky was also a member of Sammy until he left the fraternity a year ago. But despite t he problems, the members of Samm y s e e t h e Tr e e H o u s e as a positive place for their organization. The peculiar architecture is a strong draw for house meetings and open parties, and partygoers stroll through the wide patio and crowd the large open living rooms. Frat brothers smoke hookah or cigars on hot summer nights and cover their shelves in video game gear and Nerf guns, bursting into apartment-wide gunfights.
“It’s pretty ridiculous, the shit that goes on here,” Chudnovsky said. “This house is just full of characters. The craziest people I’ve ever met are from Tree House.” Life at the top
------------------------------It’s hard to distinguish Sarah Sussman’s room from Sarah Sussman. The 2008 alumna’s boots, sweaters, necklaces and jeans are scattered on the floor and cabinets. Posters that cover art and film line her walls. Piles of books surround her bed. The room has been so lived-in that it’s hard to imagine that it was not even part of the building’s original floor plan. It is one of the yuri chudnovsky many renovations made over the years to fit more college students. A discerning eye notices the inconsistency in the design. Upon walking in through the apartment’s front door, Sussman’s room blocks the final stretch of skyline, a design decision out of character with Lautner’s philosophy. Her other door is the last remaining glass window door that leads to the patio, for only her use, though originally an alternative entrance to the outside.
“In order to live here, because it’s kind of run-down, you need to adapt pretty well.”
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photos by jessica chou / jessica lum
But Sussman’s room is not the only space in the apartment with an intellectual bent. Scattered around the house are books on Eastern philosophy, makeshift posters, bicycle tires hanging from the rafters and unfinished art projects. “You can always expect “It’s all a bunch of this ethereal lawlessness,” Sussman said. “It’s all a people hiding from bunch of people hiding reality when they are from reality when they are trying to find reality.” trying to find reality.” Many view the penthouse as the social hub of sarah sussman the building, serving as a meeting place for residents and visitors. This is where much of Lautner’s plan to integrate individual apartments is centered. Residents in Apt. 6 have led Tree House-wide potlucks, parties and camping trips. Residents from Apt. 6 find themselves routinely visiting friends in other apartments, blurring the line between their own living spaces and that of their neighbors. Everyone in the complex greets each other as they enter and leave their apartments. “The dynamics here are just so different,” said Jeff Bonnard, a 2008 alumnus. “Here it’s like a family – the whole Tree House.”
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APPLE
prime / TECH /
color me nano
edward truong
--------------------------------------------------------------
Amazingly thinner than its previous incarnation, the iPod Nano offers a compact multimedia experience, and since it is available in nine different colors, it doubles as a fashion accessory. The newest model returned to a vertically shaped player, ditching the awkward square shape in exchange for a wider screen. Like its bigger brother the iPod Touch and its cousin the iPhone, the orientation of the Nano’s screen adjusts to how you hold it: When you hold it upright, the screen looks normal, but it will flip left or right depending on which way you tilt the Nano. (The technology behind this is called the “accelerometer.”) The screen is cool and really amusing to watch, and the Nano is preloaded with an amusing game called “Maze,” which requires players to rotate the iPod to move a ball toward a goal. But the small size of the screen makes it difficult to share the viewing experience with anyone and the iPod seems awkward for watching long videos. Watching “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” during a break between classes is fine, but it is uncomfortable to sit through all of “Baby Mama” on such a small screen. Also, the screen cuts off part of the picture,
only offering a limited view of the video, which is disappointing but manageable. Holding the center button down will allow you to bring up one of my favorite features, Genius, which compiles similar songs and recommendations. I was surprised to see how accurate it was but disappointed that it wasn’t available for every song I had put on the iPod. The same feature is also available on the iTunes software through a free download on Apple’s Web site. Holding down the center button will also let you browse other songs by the artist or album, in case you wanted to listen to more Rihanna. There a re a substa nt ia l a mou nt of improvements over the last iPod and there is a lot to offer in terms of music, video and games.
The 8GB model goes for $149 and the 16GB model goes for $199, but the iPod Classic is just $50 more and offers seven times more space for all your Rihanna and “Baby Mama” needs.
APPLE
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hoods / PASADENA /
new times in old town * ----------------------------------------------With football season in high gear, Bruin fans will be spending a nice chunk of time around Pasadena, the home of the Rose Bowl. If you want to kill time before or celebrate after a game, hit up these Old Town Pasadena hot spots.
--------------alene tchekmedyian
From the corner of Gayley and Strathmore avenues t ake the Metro Local Line 2 heading south to Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, then take the Metro Rapid 780 to Colorado Boulevard.
BUS
From Westwood, take the 405 North to the 101 South. Merge onto the 134 East and exit San Rafael Boulevard, making a right. Make another right onto Colorado Boulevard, where most of the stores are located.
CAR
710
710
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dashing diva lululemon athletica
raymond ave.
colorado blvd equator
fair oaks ave.
pasadena ave
colorado blvd
union st. st. john ave.
norton simon museum
gordon biersch wishing tree brewery
---------------------------------
get there
*
Wish Tree for Pasadena
Courtyard of One Colorado John Lennon’s muse has now become a muse for all of Pasadena. In a project titled “Wish Tree for Pasadena,” Yoko Ono planted 21 crape myrtle trees in recycled wine barrels to collect wishes on the tree branches from hopeful citizens. Among the hundreds of thousands of wishes she collected are: “I wish my husband would get a vasectomy reversal,” and “I wish for a great lover and a friend with money.” Make a date out of reading the wishes or just making one of your own. Through Nov. 9, temporary sitespecific artwork by Yoko Ono
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*
Dashing Diva: The ultimate nail spa experience
27 N. Raymond Ave.
Ladies, brace yourselves for the ultimate manicure and pedicure experience. With spa treatments titled “Divaroma Manicure” and “Spoiled Diva Pedicure”, Dashing Diva serves complimentary drinks with any service on Thursday and Friday evenings.
(626) 449-3482 Mon-Wed 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thurs-Fri 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sat 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
10% discount for students with valid ID card on Mondays and Tuesdays
www.dashingdivapasadena.com
Ladies, brace yourselves for the ultimate manicure and pedicure experience. With spa treatments such as “Divaroma Diva” and “Spoiled Diva Pedicure,” Dashing Diva serves complimentary drinks with any service on Thursday and Friday evenings.
*
Lululemon Athletica 110 W. Colorado Blvd.
Free yoga: Yoga at the Rose Bowl Tuesdays 6-7 p.m. Yoga for runners at the Rose Bowl Thursday 6:30-7:30 p.m.
*
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant
41 Hugus Alley Stop by Gordon Biersch during its well-known happy hour for its $4 freshly brewed beer and notorious $5 garlic fries, which are incredibly delicious but bad for a date. If seated on the outside patio, you have Yoko Ono’s 21 artistic creations and a world of Sun-Thurs: 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Fri-Sat: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m. wishes to meet your eyes. (626) 449-0052 www.gordonbiersch.com
*
Equator Restaurant and Cafe
22 Mills Place
Famous for its cafe menu, Equator recently received a liquor license. You can now add a shot of Baileys to spice up your favorite coffee. This Asian fusioninspired restaurant is a perfect place to lounge around. The Equator provides a calm atmosphere for those who want to relax.
Sun-Thurs 8 a.m.-1 a.m. / Fri-Sat 8 a.m.-2 a.m. (626) 564-8656 www.equatorcafe.com
*
Norton Simon Museum
411 W. Colorado Blvd.
All levels yoga on the Lululemon Athletica Sundeck in Pasadena Sundays 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
(626) 792-0791 www.lululemon.com/pasadena photos by alene tchekmedyian
Inspired by the fitness of the football team? Or do you just want to get back into a routine exercise schedule after a summer of lounging on the beach? Lululemon athletica offers free yoga classes three times a week: twice at the Rose Bowl and once on the sundeck of the store in Old Town.
Be sure to catch the timely exhibition, “The Art of War: Posters from World War I and World War II.” The exhibit runs through Jan. 26. Continuing through Dec. 8 is “Marcel Duchamp Redux,” to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Duchamp’s exhibition at the Pasadena Art Museum. (626) 449-6840 Open every day except Tues. from noon-6 p.m. & noon-9 p.m. on Fridays. Admission free with student ID card
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seasonal / STYLE /
a double take on
fall fashion
-----------dharmishta rood -------------------------------------------Fall basics can hold up as attire for work. Seasonal sales can be the perfect time to put together some job-interview basics that double as attire for a night out at the (somewhat dressy) bar.
Start buying shoes that are versatile and will hold up well. Suede will always collect dust and also, obscure colors are hard to polish. Patent leather is always a good choice, at least if you’re a woman; the dirt you gather running late to class or the dust that settles on them when you arrive early can be easily removed with a damp cloth. Tiny heels can be functional, but add a smaller and more wearing surface area to worry about in terms of upkeep. For men, loafers work well and can be dressed up or dressed down, but be careful buying too light or too warm of browns – stick to black or a basic dark brown if you want your shoes to hold up and match up with your wardrobe come spring or even next fall.
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Many dressy styles of shirts (V-neck, button-up and polo) work well with more casual clothes such as light-wash jeans. Basics can be dressed up but also aren’t so dressy as to make you feel out of place on a day-to-day basis. With jeans, darker almost always equates dressier. Keep in mind when buying denim that light blue tones are more casual and less versatile, while a darker black wash will always look more classy.
Jackets are an asset to everyday fashion – a good jacket can dress up any look. They become especially important in the fall and winter months, when your outer we a r b e c ome s more prevalent as everyday wear. It’s a lot easier to mix plain, welltailored jackets – even in more casual fabric like corduroy or khaki – with more funky and trendy shoes and shirts. Your wardrobe can become
many pieces to mix and match rather than static outfits. Develop a color palette for your clothes and then, when new clothes are purchased, fit them in with the majority of your clothing. Though a wardrobe should be ever-evolving as we grow older and up and out of our clothes, you shouldn’t let this limit your adventures with new styles, cuts and colors. Subtlety in fashion has a lot to do with color. Keep any irreplaceable or well-loved replaceable clothing in its truest color by never washing it on warm (and definitely not hot!) and letting it air-dry rather than forcing it through the tumultuous heat of the dryer. Natural detergent is not only good for the environment but also easier on the colors in your clothes.
photos by chris wu wardrobe: ellen ho, third-year Asian-American studies student
17 / prime / november 2008 / prime.dailybruin.com
eat / drink / CHEW /
collegiate cafés
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Studying in a coffeehouse is one of the quintessential parts of being a college student, right next to dining-hall food and experimenting with your sexuality. But the cafes in westwood can get tired – not to mention crowded – around midterms and finals. Escape and find some peace and quiet at these L.A.-area cafés.
---------amber bissell
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amadine 12225 wilshire blvd. 90025 (310) 979-3211 Tues-Fri: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
amadine’s minda zhang, a waitress at the restaurant, serves a slice of amadine’s featured pastries. In the vein of an open-air French café, Amandine Patisserie offers an ambience suitable for a pre-shopping coffee stop or a date with Mom. The antiqued wood floors and bistro chairs create an airy atmosphere, yet the seating is cramped and finding a table can be difficult during peak hours. The service is average, though the employees are friendly. The lattes are
photos by derek liu / nathan tyree
traditional and made from quality espresso. The reason, however, that I would continue to go to Amandine is for the array of fresh baked and authentic pastries. The cafe emanates the smell of an old-town French bakery, and the croissants are flaky and light. I would recommend the almond croissant, a light and not overly sweet version of its savory counterpart.
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hamilton deleon, long-time manager of psychobabble, takes a customer’s order.
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Though you may have to tolerate a bit of a high noise level, the quirk y drinks and psychobabble d i ve r s e p opu l at ion 1866 n vermont ave. ma ke Ps ychobabble 90027 a great destination. A (323) 664-7500 def i n ite Hol ly wood Mon-Sat: 7 a.m.-2 a.m. streak runs through the Sun: 8 a.m.-2 a.m. café, which showcases funky art and bright c olor s , m a k i ng t he place fun and relaxing. The variety of loose-leaf teas is wonderful, but for the true caffeinated drinker, nothing beats the Milky Way, an espresso drink with steamed milk, chocolate and caramel and topped with whipped cream. Psychobabble is always busy, however, making seating competitive. Nonetheless, the free Wi-Fi with the purchase of a drink ups the ante for a study-friendly environment, as does the cheerful and efficient service. The location, too – in the same area as a bookstore and a movie theater – offers the opportunity for a great break when the
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david roker, a local who describes himself as a regular, sits infront of a wall of audrey hepburn portraits at
café audrey.
Café Audrey pays tribute to the late actress Audrey Hepburn . However, the setting of the café proves to be rather contrived, and in general, it’s too cutesy. The attention that was paid to every last detail of the décor café audrey is admirable. It’s 6701 hollywood blvd. not just a place 90028 to drink coffee, (323) 465-5359 but a pie c e of Mon-Sun 8 a.m.-8 p.m. art in itself. The open-mic night on Wed ca fé is pla nted live music on Fri & Sat in the heart www.cafeaudrey.com of Hol ly wood and can offer a quiet reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the rest of Hollywood Boulevard, and the few outside patio chairs
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get there
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BUS
Take Metro Local Line 2 heading south from Gayley and Strathmore to Sunset Boulevard and Vermont Avenue . Switch to Hollywood Dash heading north to Vermont Avenue and Melbourne Avenue.
CAR
Take Wilshire Boulevard to Santa Monica Boulevard. Continue until Vine Street and then turn left. Turn right on Sunset Boulevard, then left on Vermont Avenue.
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p
holiday / thanksgiving /
power
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edward truong
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photo by k imberly la jcik
oultry
here is no holiday focused more on food than Thanksgiving. However, it’s fairly common knowledge that the modern Thanksgiving menu is not exactly the most historically accurate menu ever and really, America is all about innovation. An innovative holiday delicacy is Turducken, which is a deboned chicken stuffed in a deboned duck and then stuffed in a deboned turkey. The Southern delicacy’s origin is largely unclear, but it dates back to some point in the mid-1980s, and fans include NFL football analyst John Madden, who admitted to The New York Times that the first time he tried it, he ate with just his hands. We decided to give it a try, but we were not brave enough to make one ourselves, so we had to look elsewhere. (One of our personal heroes, Paula Deen, has a recipe online, which only calls for 8 tablespoons of butter.) Surprisingly, neither Ralphs nor Whole Foods stocks the three-meat treat, so we were forced to go online and purchase one. A variety of gourmet online retailers sell Turducken year-round, and while Herbert’s Speciality Meats is well-known for its Turduckens, selling about 5,000 a week during the peak season, we decided to purchase one through the Cajun Grocer Web site. Ninety-five dollars and a week later, we received a large Styrofoam package, allowing us to take one step closer to a rather unkosher experience. After defrosting it overnight, it took about 5 hours to cook the 15-pound beast. We were nervous: What if we did it wrong? It also looked a bit small – would it be able to feed all the guests? We cut it open and it dawned on us: Deboned means it’s solid meat and stuffing. Our guests would not go hungry that night. Everyone enjoyed the Turducken. It could have been more moist, but that is more an issue of preparation. Although it came seasoned, the flavor was fairly mild, and while the novelty factor was a big appeal, some people were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of meat. Others observed that it was somewhat difficult to distinguish between the different layers, as the stuffing simply blended the duck and chicken together. Based on our research, we knew that it was going to be pretty rich, but it wasn’t too rich, and overall, it was a hit. For comparison, and in consideration of our vegetarian friends, we also prepared a vegetarian turkey alternative. While Tofurky is the most well-known brand, it was also absent from the Ralphs and Whole Foods shelves. Instead, we settled on Turk’y roast, a meatless and soy-free contraption made with mycoprotein and egg whites. Our veggie friends approved, but others observed that it was rather dry and did not really taste like the real thing. Despite having about a dozen guests, we had plenty of leftovers, which translated into sandwiches and pot pies (See our recipe.). It was an expensive experiment in innovation, but it was easy to prepare, and now we can say that we know what it’s like to consume three meats at once. Paula Deen would be proud.
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leftover love
-------jessica lum
If you’re tired of daily turkey sandwiches, Thanksgiving leftovers can be turned into a delicious turkey pot pie. photos by jessica lum
Ingredients: pie crust, premade or see below for a quick college recipe Filling: 2 tbsp butter 1 small onion, chopped (leftover from stuffing) 2 stalks celery (leftover from stuffing) 1⁄2 cup chopped carrot (boiled for 4-5 minutes) 1 boiled, diced potato (optional, I didn’t use it in this recipe) 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup frozen or fresh peas or leftover Thanksgiving veggies 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 3 tbsp all-purpose flour 1 1⁄2 cups shredded leftover turkey 1⁄2 cup heavy cream 1⁄2 cup milk 1 egg Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare the bottom pie crust. In a medium to large saucepan, melt butter, saute the onion, celery, potato and carrots. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add peas and parsley. When the celery is translucent, add chicken broth and flour and stir until the broth thickens. Stir in leftover turkey, heavy cream and milk.
Quick College Recipe: 2 1⁄2 cups flour 2 sticks cold butter, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 4-6 tbsp ice water Combine flour, salt and sugar. Using forks or a pastry cutter, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. Mix gently until the flour looks flaky. Do not over-knead, or the crust will turn out tough. Add 4-6 tablespoons of ice water into the mixture until the dough begins to hold together. Divide the dough into two equal parts. You may need to knead the dough minimally for the dough to stay formed. Roll one half of the dough out on a floured board, to about 1/8 inch thickness. If you do not own a rolling pin, you can carefully roll the back of your hand across the dough. Avoid using hot hands to handle the mixture, as the butter will become too melted. Place the rolled-out crust into a pie pan, and press it into place. Trim the extra dough off the pie edges.
Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust and cover with the second rolled-out pie crust. Pinch the top and bottom crusts together to seal the pie. Put 4-8 slits into the top of the pie crust to allow the pie to vent. Glaze the top of the crust with some egg (don’t use the whole egg). Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes or until the crust is golden-brown.
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prime / TIME /
S E M A J ] O C N A R F [
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James Franco, next seen in the upcoming film ‘Milk’ was a regular fixture in Westwood after returning to UCLA finish the degree he started 10 years ago.
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seda terzyan
ompleting his longest-lasting role yet, James Franco graduated in June and received a degree in English with a concentration in creative writing nearly a decade after he was first admitted to UCLA. His passions for the arts pulled him back, pushing him to complete his education and continue school after first enrolling at UCLA. But making his return also forced him to come to terms with what it meant to be a celebrity while pursuing interests outside of acting. “I don’t like the idea of getting away or feeling like I’m cheating somehow,” Franco said. “If one is already known as an actor, it may be easier to get an art show ... but I wouldn’t get respect.” The impact of the work gets lost in the popularity that you may already have as an actor, Franco said. Franco took more than 40 units in a quarter and was more than a full-time student during his two-year attendance at UCLA after an eight-year leave of absence. “I basically don’t sleep,” he said.
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