Seussical the Musical p.4 Reggae in TSU Pub p.6
Student talks on his Aspirations p.5
Employee of the Month a Mindless Watch p.6
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Inside Buzz Seussical is Musical Student Guitarist Profiled 05 Chris Murray Plays Reggae Buzz Fashion Buzz Travel 06 Employee of the Month Reviewed Buzz Book Review 07 Classics at the Movies at Meng Buzz CD Review: The Killers
COVER:
Dr. Suess gets musical in Seussical, the new play starting tomorrow in CSUF’s Little Theatre.
........................................... Weekly Web Poll Log on to www.myspace.com/dailytitanbuzz to vote The question: “Who is the best reality show host?” Is it Survivor’s Jeff Probst? Amazing Race’s Phil Keoghan? Someone Else? You tell us! www.myspace.com/dailytitanbuzz
Editor’s Letter Hi everyone, thank you for reading The Buzz this week. I have some sad news ... our male turtle, Lox, passed away last week. We don’t know what happened. One day he was sick, the next day he was gone. Bagles is healthy, though, so we’re just hoping she stays that way. I am done with midterms, finally. After studying way too much for
my final midterm, which was Tuesday night, I realized as soon as I got the test, it was a lot easier than I had expected, and I ditched my class earlier that day to study for no reason. I’m not upset about it though, just very surprised. I’m going to Houston, Texas this weekend for my mom’s birthday. After I graduated from high school, my parents moved to Florida. While they were there, my dad started working in Alaska, then Tennessee and finally, Laguna, right down the freeway – flying to Florida every few weeks to relax. During this time, they decided
to get a house in Texas because the price is so good, and because it’s closer to California, where my sister and I live. My dad will be in Orange County until the end of December, then he will join my mom in Texas and probably sell the condo in Florida. It’s all very complicated but the point is, I’m going to Texas this weekend, and I’ll be coming back with a cowboy hat on. – Kirsten Alto
Lox Turtle ??/06-10/06
p.4 Photos by Ian Hamilton
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Kirsten Alto
on Saturday, September 23rd, enjoy Starting this Oktoberfest in Orange County without the jetlag!
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Julie Anne Ines DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Emily Alford BUZZ AD MANAGER Lesley Wu PRODUCTION Kirsten Alto ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Layla Hahka, Kathleen Cisneros, Stefanie Binditt, Sarah Oak, Beth Stirnaman The Daily Titan 714.278.3373 The Buzz Editorial 714.278.5426 thebuzz@dailytitan.com Editorial Fax 714.278.4473 The Buzz Advertising 714.278.3373 ads@dailytitan.com Advertising Fax 714.278.2702 The Buzz , a student publication, is a supplemental insert for the Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan. It is printed every Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSU system. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. copyright ©2006 Daily Titan
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Inside Thursday Electric Six Galaxy Theatre Santa Ana Friday Def Leppard/ Journey Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles Saturday Adema Knitting Factory Los Angeles
Apparently Donald Trump loathes Angelina Jolie ... which he should, that homewrecker. Speaking of which, Lindsay Lohan’s mother said she’d like to see her daughter star in an action movie like Angelina Jolie ... did she see Just my Luck? Was that not enough proof that Lohan can’t act? Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are reportedly friends again ... yippee. The two twenty-something creators of Youtube.com just sold the
website to Google for $1.65 billion dollars .. why couldn’t I think of something like that? K-Fed is going to be on CSI in his acting debut today ... be sure to tune in for that, folks. John Mayer loves to blog and has recently discovered that according to MyHeritage.com, he only has a 62 percent resemblance to John Mayer. ... I wonder who I resemble. And we can’t forget to mention actual news that may have an effect on all of us, even the celebrities ... North Korea announced the successful testing of nuclear weapons. So what’s the plan now? I’m thinking a nuclear war is coming.
Lake Havasu Rock Fest, Oct. 6
Sunday Samiam Troubadour Hollywood Monday Method Man House of Blues Anaheim Tuesday Ziggy Marley House of Blues Anaheim
WEdnesday Less Than Jake House of Blues Anaheim
THURSDAY Bo Bice Ventura Theatre Ventura
Photo by Carlos Delgado/for The Daily Titan Lake Havasu City, Ariz.: Fans in the front row reach out as the band Cheap Trick performs.
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CHECK ONLINE
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Friday She Wants Revenge Greek Theatre Los Angeles CHECK ONLINE
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WATCH ONLINE
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10.12.06
........................................... The Cat in the Hat is Musical in Seussical 10.12.06 p.4
By JULIANNA CRISALLI
Daily Titan Staff Writer thebuzz@Dailytitan.com
While the stage is covered with people in black, checking the sound in the front and the back, bright colored costumes hang on racks long and tall, preparing for actors as they wiz down the hall. For the past six weeks, theater students have been singing and reciting their way through the works of Dr. Seuss in preparation for the opening of Seussical: The Musical tomorrow. “I am interested to see the audience’s response because of the show’s history,” said William Lett, co-choreographer for the production and Cal State Fullerton professor. “The show had an unexpected life outside Broadway. It actually became more popular.” The Cat in the Hat acts as a guide throughout the show introducing the audience to some of the most famous characters of Dr. Seuss, including Morton the Elephant and the Whos of Whoville. Tuffy, the Titan mascot, is even given a guest mention in one of the songs. The majority of the production crew is students. The show’s director, Patrick Pearson, is a graduate student at CSUF and has directed campus productions before, but he said this is by far the biggest. “This wasn’t completely foreign territory for me, but there were so many new elements to work with,”
Pearson said. Lett said Pearson adapted to the position with professionalism. “He is clearly not a student; he is clearly a director,” Lett said. Students are directing the costumes, makeup, hair, scenery, music and choreography. “This allows the students to take on an authoritative position. When the students leave here, they have had the opportunity to design a show,” Pearson said. During the past week, all the elements of the production have come together. Ryan Nearhoff, who plays the Cat in the Hat, said that working with the live orchestra and wearing the costumes gives the actors a boost after a tiring six weeks.
“It has been a roller-coaster ride. It has been fun, exciting and tedious,” Nearhoff said. “This is an exciting week when it all comes together.” With the correct lighting and scenery in place, Lett said some of the dancing had to be “fine-tuned.” One scene involves the actors on roller skates, and if the choreography is off, they could end up in the orchestra pit, Lett said. “When all the elements start coming together, then everyday there is a new obstacle,” he said. Lett said the final week of a production always has its ups and downs, but they will be ready by show time. Seussical: The Musical runs until Oct. 29 in the Little Theatre.
Wearing a Familiar Hat By Erin Tobin
For The Daily Titan
thebuzz@Dailytitan.com
Photo by Ian Hamilton
In high school, Ryan Nearhoff wanted to be a rock star. This Friday he will take the stage, not as a drummer, but as one of the most well-known characters in children’s literature, the Cat in the Hat in Seussical: the Musical. Last April, Nearhoff won the Williamstown Theater Festival Apprenticeship, and he considers the win quite a gift. “It was an amazing glimpse at professional life,” Nearhoff said. “I feel like I really matured there.” One moment that really struck him during the apprenticeship was when actress Kathleen Turner instructed to the master class that
Photo by Ian Hamilton
The Whos of Whoville introduce themselves through a song in the production.
one important thing to do was to buy yourself one treat a week to remind yourself you’re special. “It was something you didn’t expect her to say,” Nearhoff said. The trip marked a huge change from someone who wasn’t happy about theater at first. Nearhoff said he wasn’t thrilled when his mother enrolled both him and his sister in theater at age 15, but, eventually, he found his niche. “I always liked to sing and perform,” he said. The balance between singing, dancing and acting at CSUF is one Nearhoff says he admires. “They really care about
professionalism,” he said, “It is not quite just doing it because its fun. It is more about the art.” During his time at CSUF, he has had both dramatic and comedic parts, but he said he honestly doesn’t have a least-favorite role. “Everything has been a great experience,” Nearhoff said. Nearhoff said he didn’t expect to get the role of the Cat in the Hat but now it’s one of his favorites. “There’s no holding back,” he said. “I get to be a child.” Jim Voltz, a professor in the theater department, said The Cat in the Hat could very well be Nearhoff’s best performance at CSUF so far.
By Karen Aman
Daily Titan Staff Writer
TheBuzz@Dailytitan.com
Daniel Ramirez was 10 years old when he and his father drove by a music store. “I saw a green guitar, and at that time [green] was my favorite color,” Ramirez, 23, said. “So I just asked him to buy me a green guitar.” Ramirez’ father took him into the music store and signed him up for guitar lessons. “I never really found any interest in playing until I saw that guitar,” Ramirez said. As Ramirez held his first guitar, though not the green one, his thoughts were, “Wow, I’m going to play music.” He’s been playing ever since. Ramirez sits outside the
performing arts building at CSUF strumming a beautiful ballad. “It’s hard to portray those emotions out to the public,” he said. “I’m so nervous because I have to play just by myself and be able to support myself musically.” Ramirez would like to teach guitar and perform at weddings, parties and whatever gig he can find after he graduates. He said no matter what happens, it’s going to be a hard road. “I’m already in a couple bands,” he said. “I have a hip-hop band that I’m doing, a cover band, and a trio group.” Ramirez’ hip-hop band is called Illagan. The name is derived from the television show “Gilligan’s Island.” And the cover band is for parties and weddings, Ramirez said.
“The rock band is just for fun-we’re still looking for singers,” he said. The song Ramirez enjoys playing the most is “Figueroaa,” a song that his rock band wrote. “It’s about living in L.A. and the people that are used to that kind of life,” Ramirez said. “Everyone has their own little things that set them apart and make them special or different.” Ramirez said guitar is his first love, and what he likes about it is the reaction he gets. “It’s become such a part of me, it feels just like a natural thing now,” he said. “I like to play in front of people.” “When it comes down to it, I don’t really like attention, but it’s just fun when people really like what you’re performing or what you
Photo by Karen Aman
CSUF Student Guitarist Dreams of Touring Country
are trying to experience.” Ramirez’ wildest ambition is touring. “Playing music, going out, actually touring three months around the country, ” Ramirez said. “Just traveling and just doing it.” Ramirez said he would be happy just being the guitarist in some band
where the public knows only the singers. “My dream is not to become famous,” he said. “I’d be happy doing something and not making as much. As long as I’m happy, that’s what I care about.” And, if you’re curious, Ramirez never did play that green guitar.
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10.12.06
By jonathan saavedra
Daily Titan Staff Writer alevy@dailytitan.com
Chris Murray has hopped from continent to continent, including Europe, Asia and South America, playing different shows throughout his music career. Last Thursday, he found himself at Cal State Fullerton’s TSU Underground Pub where he performed some Jamaicaninfluenced ska and reggae in a lax, campfireesque atmosphere mixed with some students ordering their lunches and leaving the show early to get to class. “I understood more or less what the situation would be, and I’ve played this kind of show before where I’m playing in an eating area, and people are having lunch, coming in and coming out,” Murray
said. “But it’s really a healthy thing to play to people who may have not heard reggae before, so I really welcome that kind of opportunity.” Prior to becoming a solo artist based in Los Angeles, Murray was a part of now-defunct, influential Canadian ska band King Apparatus. What drew the Canadian singer/ songwriter to Los Angeles was the fact that the bands in the area played a more authentic style of reggae, rocksteady and ska, he said. “When I saw what was happening out here, that got me really excited,” Murray said. “There’s a large community of people who are very arts, music, entertainment oriented, so it’s a nice place to be as a musician because there’s a lot to do, a lot of places to play, and a lot of people who are really talented that have come here or were here originally.”
Los Angeles can also a very competitive place to be a musician. “Of course it’s competitive because so many people come here, any band who tours will come here, but I think it’s a healthy competition,” he said. Another thing that separates Los Angeles from other parts of the world is the audience. “People here have been exposed to the best, so it’s hard to impress people,” Murray said. “You have to be really good to win a crowd because they’ve just been exposed to everything, and if you’re kind of in the middle, they’re not that interested.” Whether Murray is performing in a club in Los Angeles, a pub at CSUF or a venue in a different time zone on the other side of the world, there is one thing that is always there – music. “I think music is just one of those
Buzz Travel
Walk Like the Egyptians A one point during the two-hour long camel ride to the pyramids, the guide stops and all three of the great Egyptian pyramids are in view.
Photo Courtesy Angie El Sherif
By Angie El Sherif
Daily Titan Staff Writer
TheBuzz@Dailytitan.com
Only one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World still stands today: the pyramids of Egypt. Built on the west bank of the Nile River in Giza during the fourth dynasty, they are also the oldest of the seven wonders. It’s one thing to see countless pictures of the pyramids, but it’s another to stand at the foot of one. They’re simply stunning up close. There are three great pyramids: Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. The largest of the pyramids is that of King Khufu, which is sometimes called the Great Pyramid. It covers an area of over 12 acres, and, according to the Greek historian Herodotus, 10 years and 100 thousand laborers were required to prepare the site. The trip to the Giza Pyramids takes about six hours and no more than $13 per person. When you first arrive at the pyramids, it’s best to go straight to one of the horse stables and rent a horse or camel. During the horseback or camel ride, a man guides you for about two hours to the best site-seeing spots on the Giza Plateau.
The guide will, in the best English he can, tell tourists little details about the history of the area. On the way inside the pyramids, there is a long, narrow walkway that leads to the tomb of the king. The walkways are also short, so you walk crouched over for about 10 minutes. Not to mention, the air inside is hot and stuffy. For those who can stand the heat and contracted walkways, it’s quite an adventure to walk in the footsteps of the ancient Egyptians. The Giza Plateau is home to a number of other important early tombs and other structures that are almost always bypassed. There are two boats placed in
a building about 100 yards from the pyramids. They were made to carry the pharaoh’s body to the pyramid – the Nile flooded to the foot of his tomb in those days. To help preserve them, they make tourists wear dust-free booties. The famous Sphinx of Egypt on the Giza Plaeau also must be visited. With the head of a king and the body of a lion, this colossus is carved out of the very bedrock in which it sits. You can get so close to it that you can even see between the paws. In Egypt, the pyramids are the one stop tourists can’t miss. Visiting Egypt without seeing them is like going to Disneyland without seeing Mickey Mouse.
Photo Courtesy Chris Murray
Traveled Artist Performs Reggae in TSU Pub
things that connects with people in any kind of setting,” Murray said. “It could be in a backyard or on a stage in a big, formal production. But really what connects music and people is the same, whatever scenario you’re in, and I think that is, for an
Buzz
artist or musician, the thing that really gives you the momentum to keep going and going.”
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Fashion
The CSUF Dos and Don’ts By alicia david
For The Daily Titan
TheBuzz@Dailytitan.com
DO support Cal State Fullerton by wearing CSUF apparel.
DON’T wear Ugg Boots when it’s over 60 degrees out. When we know your feet are sweating up the shoes, they just aren’t as cute anymore.
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DON’T wear legwarmers and flip flops. it’s confusing and you’re contradicting yourself.
DO get fun-patterned purses/ bookbags to match your outfit.
10.12.06 p.6
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Employee of the Month Weak, Predictable, Mindless By christina martinez
Daily Titan Staff Writer TheBuzz@dailytitan.com
In an attempt to re-create an Office Space-type of movie, Employee of the Month falls short, but does have some comedic high points. The movie’s main character Zack (Dane Cook), is a 30-something slacker who lives with his grandmother and works as a box-boy at a Costco-like superstore. Zack has given up on responsibility and cares more about his daily poker game in his secret clubhouse at work than he does about his job. Throughout the movie, Zack is on a quest to become the employee of the month to impress a new cashier of few words, Amy (Jessica Simpson). Rumor is that Amy has a thing for employees of the month. However, Zack’s co-worker and nemesis, the egotistical Vince, (Dax Shepard), is an overachieving cashier who’s been employee of the month for many months running. He has the “fastest hands in the southwest” and is also vying for Amy’s attention.
In the beginning, there is an immediate awkwardness between Zack and Amy but, for some reason, it’s portrayed as chemistry. Apparently, they have so much in common. The relationship between Vince and his box-boy Jorge (Napoleon Dynamite alum Efren Ramirez) is a little hard to watch. The chemistry is weird and didn’t hold my attention. Amy doesn’t really talk throughout the movie except when she tells Zack she has dinner plans with Vince. She is just there as a “prize to be won” for Zack and Vince. The move is funny if you’ve ever worked in retail or had overexcited bosses who live off of customer satisfaction and inventory numbers. Zack’s friends make the movie entertaining as well, especially Lon (Andy Dick). This optometrist specialist is almost blind himself. His one liners and physical comedy due to his eyesight trouble makes parts of the movie really amusing. However, if it wasn’t for the
Book
Photo by: John Johnson / Courtesy of Lions Gate Films
Russell (Harland Williams) and Lon (Andy Dick) in a Greg Coolidge comedy,“Employee of the Month.”
jokes and the characters that deliver them, Employee of the Month wouldn’t have held my attention. The story line is weak,
Review
Drew Karpyshyn’s “Darth Bane: Path of Destruction”
By Aaron Holtsclaw
Daily Titan Staff Writer TheBuzz@dailytitan.com
In May of 1999, Star Wars fans were granted little information about the Sith they would not fully understand until now. “Always two there are. No more, no less. A master and an apprentice,” Master Yoda said at the end of The
Phantom Menace. Where did the rule of two come from? This question has been speculated over for the last seven years, and now the answer is here. Drew Karpyshyn’s new novel “Darth Bane: Path of Destruction” takes us into the mind of the Sith Lord that created the rule of two from the chaos which was the original Sith order. Karpyshyn unfolds the journey of Dessel, the future Sith Lord, starting from a mining colony where his drunken father called him the “bane” of his existence, to his life in the Sith army and then to his ascendance to become a master of the dark side of the Force. As lead writer of the successful “Knights of the Old Republic” video game, Karpyshyn learned about the Sith and was respected enough to be called upon to write a book about
the most famous dark force user the world doesn’t know about. The book explores a character that most people would despise, but tells his story in a way so the one can understand why he chose the path he did. While perhaps unable to sympathize with Darth Bane, one can empathize with the decisions he made to cope with the life he was dealt. The book explains that using the dark side in and of itself is not evil, but the motivations of the user dictate the good or evil of the act. Fans of science fiction or the Star Wars universe will want to pick up this book to see the history behind the dark side of the force, and read a good story. Karpyshyn will be answering questions from fans and signing his book tonight at Barnes and Noble in Huntington Beach at 7 p.m.
uninteresting and predictable. Everyone watching knows who is going to win in the big finale finish.
However, if you’re in for a mindless piece of entertainment that has some good moments, Employee of the Month is the movie to see.
........................................... p.7 Meng Hosts Orchestral Classics By Kevin cole
Daily Titan Staff Writer TheBuzz@dailytitan.com
It was Classics at the Movies at Cal State Fullerton’s Meng Concert Hall. The idea for the theme was arrived at after discussions between the conductor and the chair of the music department. The performance was sold out in the 800-seat hall, which can be tuned by moving the acoustic canopy up and down in addition to the curtains on the side, chair of the music department Marc Dickey said. The acoustics are designed to have the hall sound the same no matter how many seats are filled. The sellout crowd first heard the overture from the Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Among the movies it was used were 1983’s Trading Places, and 1993’s Last Action Hero. It’s also a very good study of Mozart’s work, concert master Daniel Noh said. “It helps us to get involved musically and technically,” he said. Noh was the first chair among
the violinists. By his side for the next piece, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 by Sergei Rachmaninoff was Rob Watson, professor of music and keyboard area coordinator. The work was used in 1953’s The Three Loves and 40 years later in Groundhog Day. It took 90 days to practice and memorize the piece, Watson said. He selected it after a discussion with Kimo Furumoto, music director and conductor. “Rachmaninoff himself was a superb pianist, and he actually had recordings of it as well, which were excellent. I enjoy hearing those,” Watson said. Noh said the orchestra never gets bored with what he described as a great piece all by itself. “I don’t think there was one moment when you lost the crowd, it was just so intense, and I think it was a lot of fun, very musical stuff,” Noh said. Fun and valuable experience was what the conductor and music department chair thought the orchestra would gain from playing with a pipe organ.
Dickey said he plays the organ at the First Congregational Church in Long Beach. The organ part of the Symphony No. three in C minor Op. 78 by Camille Saint-Saens was played by Dickey. It was adapted and used in 1995’s film Babe. While it’s not a big solo piece, it plays a prominent role in the symphony as one more instrument in the orchestra, and that’s why it’s called the organ symphony, he said. It was a wonderful experience for the students to play with a pipe organ, Dickey said. Furumoto said though he’s a violinist himself, his focus is on the entire orchestra. “I am always interested in the full orchestral color and fabric. [...] I love the violin part, but I also like to hear the harp, clarinet and trombone solos. I am interested in all of those colors, not just the violin,” Furumoto said. The next musical performance at the Meng Concert Hall will be A Celebration of the Piano with Rob Watson, Alison Edwards & Sergey Martinchuk on Oct. 28.
Killers Sam’s Town Strays from Hot Fuss neo-’80s By Paolo Andres
Daily Titan Staff Writer TheBuzz@dailytitan.com
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Killers’ new album, Sam’s Town, has deviated so much from their original sound that their music just becomes a faint pigment of the neo-’80s pop that made their first album, Hot Fuss, a multiplatinum hit. Technically, the band seems grown up with new elements derived from musical giants U2 and Bruce Springsteen.
But, unfortunately, the band has deviated so much from Hot Fuss that their new album is really more of a Killers-esque sound than a genuine Killers flair. The album, by itself, is not badly made. It’s actually far from it. Lyrically, the album is quite superb with tracks that highlight vocalist Brandon Flower’s poetic capability with lyrics like “They say the devil’s water, it ain’t so sweet / you don’t have to drink right now / but you can dip your feet / every once in a little while” in “When You Were Young.” Many of the songs are actually quite catchy and are full of impact and energy, reminiscent of the same brilliant, up-tempo tunes from Hot Fuss. With elements from the music giants emanating from each rift and chord, some of the songs, though different, can be quite appealing and catchy. The track “Why do I Keep Counting,” for example, has
a rock-opera feel that is akin to Queen’s glam-rock style. Sadly, this same inspiration can be quite detrimental since the band incorporates some of the more outdated styles of past bands. Though Hot Fuss also integrated an old school sense to it, their ’80spop feel actually mixed well because of the country’s recent appeal to the ’80s culture. This time though, the band has gone even further back with their use of Springsteen-style melodies. Unfortunately, the Killers have missed their mark on this one since it seems that people are not yet ready to head that far back in the musical timeline. All-in-all, their new album is a hit-or-miss kind of affair that will both titillate and frustrate new and old fans alike.
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10.12.06
TSU Pub Serenaded Oct. 4
Photo by Suzanne Sullivan Marcus Johnson drums durng Serenade Me Cadence’s Becker Ampitheatre performance at CSUF while Trevor Ford plays guitar in front of him.
