You’ve probably seen the abusive parent film before. You’ve also probably seen the inner city inspirational teacher film before too. There are certain conventions of postmodern dramas that keep cycling back, the previous two among them. In fact, you’ve likely seen both of these tropes in the same film. But you haven’t seen Precious (2009). Precious is something else. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire is a difficult film to sit through. Probably the most difficult I’ve seen since Million Dollar Baby (2004). It follows Clareece “Precious” Jones, an illiterate Harlem teen pregnant with her second child. At the suggestion of her principal, she enrolls in an alternative school that helps students get their GEDs, but this alone is not the solution to all her problems as she hoped it might be. Continue reading...

Paranormal Activity (2009) has been slaughtering--pardon the verb--the box office lately! Granted, This Is It (2009) won last weekend, but that’s not being reviewed because that’s not a real film. According to Box Office Mojo, Paranormal Activity, which only cost $15,000 to make, has raked in upwards of $80M domestically--a big win for Paramount. I’ve already made my opinion of the film clear, but regardless, that’s the horror film Halloweeners chose to see this weekend...which is unfortunate, but this is the film they should have seen. Continue reading...

Los Angeles is a scary city. Angelenos and visitors have a smorgasbord of neighborhoods to choose from in which stereotypes and reality collectively instill the fear of physical endangerment. Finding a place that plays on the mind’s more irrational fears, however, seems much less doable. Of course, there are the annual Halloween iterations of local theme parks, but less contrived and expensive experiences exist few and far between. Being the cheapskate I am, though, I said to hell with paying for actors and décor to spook me, did a little research, and embarked on a mini-tour of creepy LA locales that require no entry fee. Continue reading...

The fragrance of rising bread and delicate pastries does not emanate from Hygge Bakery as it does from other establishments of this sort. Hygge (that’s hoo-geh) has no need to resort to such aromatic pretexts. The clean, modern lines and high ceiling inside Hygge may assimilate it inconspicuously with the sleek residential towers in South Park. Continue reading...

The dust has settled. The swarms of stiletto-clad individuals have vacated Paris as quickly as they came. It’s back to ballet flats and quotidian black-and-white reserve on the Parisian metro. And yet, the Carrousel du Louvre seemed just a tad too empty last week without the recent mass of fashionistas in perpetual mid-Tweet. Their frenzy and undeniable ferocity seemed so out of context in Parisian two-hour café society. Needless to say, I was inspired: why not imagine a completely different way to relive the collections, sans Style.com (as comprehensive as it is)? The ticket, if I may, comes courtesy of the RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens): an 8.80 euro metro day pass. Consider the spring-summer 2010 shows as your unexpected, impeccably packaged program for rediscovering Paris in all its glory; with rust-colored leaves sprinkled on the streets and a festive nip in the air (plus a panoply of not-to-be-missed exhibitions), there’s no better time to fall in love with the City of L’Amour. Continue reading...

Paranormal Activity (2009) is like a 1 1/2 hour YouTube video. Not to say there will be sneezing pandas or overtly intrigued chipmunks, but rather that you can’t expect high production values. The exposure sucks, the acting is nonexistent (to the film’s credit), and there seems to be little, if any, editorial hand at work here. But instead of being to the film’s detriment, these YouTube-esque qualities create quite a set up. The audience’s guard is down. They’re completely open to the utter worst of scares. If director Oren Peli had just pushed a little harder, this could have been the most frightening film of all time. Continue reading...

Step aside, sex slave trafficking. There’s a new breed of for-profit youth exploitation to hit the scene and it’s perfectly legal! That’s right: child-driven publicity stunts! Traditionally, when people think of publicity stunts, they think of celebrities—Britney Spears’ infamous one-day marriage or Paris Hilton’s sex tape, for example. Only today, however, are non-celebrities rocketing their way to stardom via the technique. You need only watch one episode of Toddlers in Tiaras to know what I mean. Enter the Exploitation of Offspring and their Parental Pimps. Continue reading...

Don’t let the title of this article alarm you. I am not talking about the newest “Team Jacob” hoodie from Hot Topic. No, I am referring to a new book coming out next Tuesday entitled Nightlight, the newest parody from Harvard Lampoon, the university’s undergraduate spoof publishers. The book revolves around characters Bella Goose and Edwart Mullen (loosely based on Bella Swan and Edward Cullen). Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself by saying that this book is awesome. I really don’t even need to read it to know that this is true. I certainly plan on reading it, but nonetheless, the mere thought of something making fun of Twilight in book form leaves this bookworm giddy. Continue reading...

Before you read this review, I want you to watch this trailer. I've been pretty hard on a lot of film ad campaigns this year, because a lot of them have misrepresented their films so poorly, it's been impossible to ignore. So, for the first time, I'd like to applaud one for getting it right. This trailer is a symphony of sounds and feelings, frustrations and cacophonies that echo the frustrations and cacophonies of the film. A Serious Man (2009) is an utter symphony of tragedy, and this ad got it just right. Continue reading...

As a proud citizen of the New Orleans area for the last 11 years, I was rather disturbed by Miss Duckett's article depicting the "passage of 1,461 days" that have "made little to no difference for many [New Orleans] areas." Continue reading...

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009) is very loosely based off of a Tucker Max book of the same name. The book is a compilation of short, unapologetic "autobiographical" stories about the author's insane sexual exploits in graphic detail. They're crude. They're misogynistic. And they're hilarious. The film is not. Well actually, the film is the first two. It's just one of those concepts that works in literature and absolutely doesn't in cinema. Allow me to explain: The film I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell makes its first mistake by even attempting to tell a story. Were it a string of short vignette's about Tucker Max (Matt Czuchry), it might might work. But it's not. Instead, it's about Max as he takes his buddies Dan (Geoff Stults) and Drew (Jesse Bradford) up to Salem for Dan's bachelor party, as--of course--Max needs to find a strip club without a "no touch" policy. And they do. Continue reading...

A recent episode of Saturday Night Live featured an opening act which placed Fred Armisen in his most notable role as President Barack Obama. The skit situated President Obama at his desk in the oval office, speaking to America about the “change” that he has brought since coming into office almost nine months ago. The skit poked fun at President Obama’s recent failure in trying to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago. Furthering this type of result, the President gave a checklist about the successes or failures of the policies that he has tried to enact since getting into office. The list showed that none of the President’s policies or promises has been carried through as of yet. Healthcare reform…no. Troops out of Iraq…no. Gays in the military…no. And, the list goes on and on. Continue reading...

Downtown LA is the center of one of the largest metro revitalizations in the United States—are you missing out? The Dish Dash has got it all taken care of. Get the Dish on all of our Dashes around the city, and the Deals that we nab for you at each place. And trust us, because we’re led by two things: a passion for adventure, and an abiding love for food. Eat on. Continue reading...

Unless you detest everything on TV or are an angry Republican who refuses to watch The Daily Show, you know who Aasif Mandvi is. He’s the token correspondent that generally covers stories dealing with India (where he was born) or the Middle East. In a recent episode, he yelled at Jon Stewart for not referring to him on the story dealing with the famous Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan: “I’m your Indian guy!... How could you not have called me on this?!” He’s been referred to as the “Senior Foreign Looking Correspondent” when reporting a story, although his official title changes often. While most of us know him in this role, he has actually done a lot outside of that comedic sphere. Continue reading...

One thing I’ve noticed about people here is their urge to be “cool”. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind seeing guys around wearing Smalls when they really should be wearing Large. In fact, I applaud them for taking initiative in conserving fabric. God knows how many girls don’t have enough of it. But after witnessing people trip for the umpteenth time at night while wearing D&G shades, I have had enough. Somebody once said, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” So I did. I went and got myself a scooter. Continue reading...

“Where were you $464 ago?” It was not the response I was expecting. Particularly not talking to a complete stranger—it comes off a little too accusatory for casual first impressions. And yet, that’s exactly how it was said. By a student’s mother. Whom I had never met before. And I think it was at that moment I realized I was doing something kind of cool. I, like many of my foolish peers, had an unpaid internship this summer. It was essentially all the work of a part-time job and none of the pay, with a 1-2 hour commute (depending on the traffic) from Palos Verdes to West Hollywood, three times a week. So after 3+ months of sugar coated slave labor, I got back to USC’s campus needing money. Badly. This is where CourseSmart stepped in. Continue reading...

First off, let’s get this straight: I am all for American innovation. But I also think that when our dear old forefathers scribbled up the Constitution, akin to a hastily written note left on the kitchen counter, like any parents they had absolutely no idea what kind of crazy stuff their kids would get into. Automobiles, baseball and boy bands: not too bad. Sweatshops, pollution and genetically modified foods? We would be so grounded. In a time when people can actually trademark living things (ponder that one morning over your Starbucks TM coffee) Americans seem suspiciously ambivalent. Sustainable, mindful and environmentally conscious doesn’t have quite the same ring as bigger, better, faster, stronger, and scientists, with a generally mute conscience, have been using biotechnology to manipulate foods for decades. Continue reading...

It has been four years since Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Teenagers have lived their entire high school lives in that time. The Olympics have happened. A new president was elected. Yet, in New Orleans, the passage of 1,461 days has made little to no difference for many areas. Houses are still in ruins from flooding; churches and schools have yet to reopen, instead standing as empty buildings that represent lives that will never be the same. Professor Andrew Curtis of the Department of Geography visits New Orleans about every two months. “It’s a shame what’s going on,” Curtis says as he clicks through a slideshow of his most recent trips. Continue reading...

As the semester comes to a close The SeeSaw is tipping over. This fourth issue marks a memorable milestone as the co-founders step aside to let a new crop of leaders fulfill their visions with this special issue. We are recruiting a new kind of leadership, from the farmer boy on Tatooine to the princess on Alderaan. We are breeding a new hope. We have a few Jedi Masters staying on, to impart the Force on our new rebel team. Continue reading...

Mobs gathered at the tables, anticipating. We were screaming, shouting, performing like circus animals—all for a morsel smaller than our outreached hands. Was this ripped from history, a Depression-era image of food ration lines? Hardly. We paid $5 admission for this. Another key difference: we all had smiled plastered on our faces. That didn’t make the competition for food any less Darwinistic. Welcome to the 1st 7th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational. Held last Saturday, April 25th in Los Angeles State Historic Park in Chinatown, this competition calls itself the “Grilled Cheese Sammich cooking competition.” And how exactly does a mere mortal like myself get to judge such a competition? It only took the hard work and perseverance…of an internet search. Don’t ask me how and the other hundreds of people found out about this niche of a cooking contest. Call it divine guidance. Continue reading...

By the dawn of 2010, you will probably never see a film again—at least, not in the strictest sense. Though digital cameras have long been a staple of home movies and amateur films, technology has advanced to a point that independent filmmakers and professional production companies are looking to digital for current and upcoming projects. And if they aren’t yet, they will soon. Say “goodbye” to celluloid and “hello” to the RED-volution! Continue reading...

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is forcing students who are getting their MFA in directing to sleep outside the school so a selected few can receive D-clearance the following day! Over a hundred students need to take classes that can only hold 32 to 50 students. Cinema students, who are paying over 40 thousand dollars in tuition per year to the school, hauled mattresses and sleeping bags to USC and slept outside the cinema building on the night of Thursday, April 23rd in order to receive D-clearance on Friday, April 24th. The school will only accept D-clearance in person, and not online or on the phone like other departments. This is horrific! It looks like Skid Row out there! Sincerely, An outraged USC student Continue reading...

Muscles ripple like tidal waves beneath skintight tanks. Sweat trickles down bulging biceps and hairless torsos. The breath becomes heavier by the minute. Moans of exertion are heard ever now and then. No, this is not the opening scene of “Cockpit II”, but an everyday scene in our very own Lyon Center. There are many reasons why we would want to regularly attend the gym. As a gay couple with probably the most boring bodies in the world (think patches of hair between the nipples, abs-less stomachs and love handles), it would be a great opportunity to grow some muscles. Furthermore, as individuals with a stress-level that might make the most studious student pass for a pothead, we could seriously use the endorphins. Finally, we defy anyone to contradict us on the fact that this is probably as homoerotic as a place can get. Continue reading...

Writing 140 has become the bane of my existence. I was not prepared for what this seemingly simple college writing course would entail. As a transfer student, I was frustrated when the writing course I took at Bryn Mawr College was not accepted, but I assumed that this class would be no sweat. The issue I have with the course isn’t that it is difficult, or that my teacher is bad (she’s actually really nice…please give me an A). The problem is that the grading rubric has clearly been put together by a close friend of the Devil if not the Devil himself. Continue reading...

What’s the difference between WRIT-140 and WRIT-340? The students? The professors? The expectations? Well, yes—yes to all of them. Though both writing classes have a similar goal, the difference lies in theory and practice. Usually, WRIT-140 is linked to a social issues course, helping the countless wandering freshman and sophomore transfers learn the tricks of the trade—you know, logos, pathos, ethos—the glorious skills of rhetorical writing, all intertwined with an academic context. The rhetoric is: these students have no idea what good writing is. Continue reading...

What comes to mind when you think of Downtown LA? Words like “grungy,” “poor,” and “ghettolicious” are common for USC students. But don’t we owe it to our alma mater and the community to break free from the dark cloud of the University of South Central? Luckily, we’ve got some venues that are helping us solve Downtown’s poor image—think LA Live, the new hub of dining and soon-to-be-hotel venues that surround the powerhouse of the Nokia Center. With a vision of Downtown as a place to take a leisurely stroll, the creators constructed a “Times Square of the West.” They even lobbied to repeal the “traffic-reducing” law forbidding taxis from being hailed on the sidewalk (which, one must admit, was not one of the smartest solutions to LA traffic). Continue reading...

This might not come as a surprise to the student body of the University of Southern California, but it seems that we have our very own actor in the gay adult entertainment industry. Though he tries to maintain a low profile on campus (understandable), he agreed to speak with me about what it’s like juggling student life and an illustrious career in the industry. Because he has asked to remain anonymous, both in real name and professional alias, I will be referring to him as Tyler Beau— an alias I’ve devised to protect his identity — to share with you exactly what it’s like to balance full-time schooling with a job in adult entertainment. Continue reading...

If you are interested in Spanish culture and music or want to learn more about it while helping a good cause come to “Spanish Music and Culture Fighting against Cancer” at Bovard Auditorium on Saturday, May 3rd at 6:30pm for the free concert. Continue reading...

It's Halloween night. You are inside a darkened house, strung up with cobwebs and severed limbs, surrounded by a suffocating crowd of costumes and spectacles galore. To call it stuffy would be an understatement. In the living room, college students are trying to dance, but between the drunkenness and claustrophobia, there really isn’t much room for anything but a rhythmic grind. Where are you? You’re at the SoCal VoCal house for their annual VoCalloween party. The SoCal VoCals, USC’s oldest a cappella group, are known for hosting large-scale parties at its house throughout the year, bringing together a mix of theater, Greek, music, and other diverse crowds. The term "a cappella" means "without instruments"; as an a cappella group, the VoCals perform with just their voices. Continue reading...

Many students on campus use a contraption called the bicycle; however, a small percentage of said students actually exhibit an ability to properly use the two-wheeled mode of transportation. I, for one, find the whole idea far too frightening. Trying to navigate my way through a sea of students, whilst balancing? No thank you! I have decided to stick with the old school way of moving about. You may have heard of it, it’s called walking. Continue reading...

I recently sat down with Carey Drayton, the man more affectionately known as “Chief” by USC students, faculty and staff. Between talks of New Orleans gumbo, Rawls’s theory of relative morality and childhood anecdotes, Drayton offers his thoughts on leadership gathered from a career in law enforcement that has spanned thirty years and both coasts of the United States. The SeeSaw: Why campus law enforcement? Drayton: God chose it for me, I didn’t choose it. That’s as honest of an answer I can give you. I started out as an electrical engineer. It’s like the saying – I was a Jack of all trades, master of none. I wound up in [campus law enforcement] because it was a way to make extra money. I’m a kid from New Orleans, my parents were lower middle class…I needed a way to support myself in school. And that’s how I did it – in this job. I can’t imagine doing anything different. Continue reading...

As graduation looms near, I realize that for better or for worse, my college experience has been different than that of the average undergrad at USC. Every Friday night, instead of dolling up for a house party or catching a drink at a local bar, I head to South Los Angeles and meet with my favorite accomplices: the women of Women’s Creative Collective for Change (WCC). Founded in 2006 by USC students Tani Ikeda and Marissa Sellers, WCC is an student-led organization dedicated to creating a safe, supportive space where women of all backgrounds, colors, and sexual preferences can share their stories through artistic expression. Coming together with the understanding that art represents a vital tool for the empowerment and healing of women and their communities, every Friday women are given the opportunity to become poets, visual artists, filmmakers, dancers, and actors, and are also encouraged to facilitate their own workshops based on their skills and interests. Continue reading...

Despite production largely being restricted by oppressive governments and unstable filming conditions, a new movement appears to be gaining momentum in the Middle East. “There are plenty of up-and-coming filmmakers [in Palestine], but it feels as if they are noteworthy because they are Palestinian, [which] is controversial,” explains Amanda Georges, a junior double majoring in critical studies and print journalism. Films like Persepolis and Paradise Now—both recently screened at USC—are Iran and Palestine’s answer to Hollywoodian stereotypes of the region. In the midst of violence, Lebanon and Iran have a blossoming art scene: the underground art movement appears to be keeping Middle Eastern films alive. Continue reading...

FADE IN: EXT. TROUSDALE WALKWAY - NIGHT STARBUCKS, 38, a twin-tailed siren with a starry crown on her wavy black and white hair, slithers behind a table on the campus walkway. The stall is stacked with different coffee bags. She munches on a coffee bean. STARBUCKS (munching) Mmmm. Remarkable coffee with a depth and versatility - a perfect pairing with a variety of gourmet entrees and desserts. (pause) I give the world - Guatemala Casi Cielo! Continue reading...

It was pitch black. I was sitting in the lighting booth in Bovard Auditorium, holding the God Mic, and I gave the cue. The house lights went back on and a thunderous applause ensued. The 17th Annual Pilipino American Culture Show ended and the audience roared with applause. With that, the most ambitious USC culture show season had come to a close, and I was part of it. I ran to the back of the Bovard, entered through the doors, heard my name called as Skit Director and took a long bow. But then it hit me. The colorful lights, the booming audio, the crowds of people — how much did it all cost? Do these shows really connect a group of people with their culture? Continue reading...

Attention Business Students! With finance jobs down the tube, odd jobs are receiving some more credibility—and an influx of job applicants. Disgruntled with your boss, freshly laid off, or just looking for extra dough? Check out these jobs, and see if your calling was just a little too odd to be listed on Monster.com. Continue reading...

The year 2009 has seen a pattern of action movies producing returns that fall far short of their oversized production budgets. At least, it appeared that way until Monday, April 6th changed everything. Fast & Furious (2009) the fourth film in the “The Fast and the Furious” series, rounded out its opening weekend with a gross of $72.5M—the biggest opening of 2009 thus far, the biggest April opening of all time, the biggest in the franchise thus far, and the biggest opening for Universal of all time, says Entertainment Weekly. According to the $800M production budget reported by USA Today it looks like it will actually turn a profit! Continue reading...

I deleted my Facebook account back in December. I’m not exactly sure why I did it, probably to test out my endurance. Perhaps I also did it to feel a sense of pride when saying “Oh, I don’t have a Facebook,” as if I were too cool for the social phenomenon. I still find myself sitting at my computer after having read my e-mails, wondering what it is that I forgot to do. My mouse hovers over the web browser. It usually takes me a couple seconds before I realize that I have nothing else to do on the Internet and my pile of work is waiting for me. I sometimes wish that I still had Facebook to check obsessively to feel like I am procrastinating for a good reason. Sophomore David Mikulka recognizes that Facebook “is a way of wasting time,” but he still believes “it’s useful.” Continue reading...

“Let’s party it up tonight,” Gary suggested, trying his best to sound smolderingly dangerous. After all, we had spent the previous evenings watching movies at home (a flimsy excuse to stuff our eager faces with pie) and sharing knitting tips with Jeremy’s grandma. We needed to be dangerous in order to maintain a sense of college normalcy. On the agenda: going to a cool underground bar, befriending Seattle’s it-people, and dancing the night away. It didn’t really matter if it was only a Wednesday night, if Gary was under 21, if our dance moves could be mistaken for muscular spasms, or if we didn’t drink... right? Wrong. Continue reading...

I recently decided to become a locavore. For all of you unfamiliar with the term, a locavore is someone who eats only locally-grown foods. All week I have been eating leaves and I must admit, I feel like one of those preachy health fanatics whose idea of fun is downing shots of wheatgrass juice on Friday nights. The greens I’ve been eating are crisp, organic, and locally-produced, but I have about eight pounds to eat before next week’s farmers market and there are only so many ways one can rethink the salad. I am quickly realizing that it may have been wiser to become a locavore in mid-summer when practically everything is in season, but I am not one to abandon a worthy cause so readily (except for the time when I gladly abandoned my month of vegetarianism for a plate of Roscoes Fried Chicken and Waffles). Continue reading...

Jazz in the Park, a weeklong event from 12-1pm everyday at Alumni Park, features our very own Thornton School of Music students. Three of the five groups performing are student-run, and every group has a fresh, unique sound ranging from funk to Latin to even esoteric. Continue reading...

Unless you already knew it was there, you would never suspect that a kaleidoscope of color and flavor was nestled onto a side street off Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood every Sunday morning. The Hollywood Farmers’ Market, an open-air street market with more than 90 farmers, 30 local artisans, and 30 bakers and food vendors, is a vibrant hub well worth the early-morning trek across town. Continue reading...

Williams Sonoma. Nordstrom. Crate & Barrel. Abercrombie and Fitch. This was San Francisco’s Union Square, a spot we had been told was a must see. Thank goodness we came here. We had never seen a Williams Sonoma or an Abercrombie and Fitch before. As a liberal gay couple, San Francisco seemed like a logical and obligatory place to sojourn en route to Seattle for spring break. And so there we were, sipping cappuccinos in the middle of the city’s prized landmark. As enthusiastic as we tried to act, we couldn’t help but feel that we had traveled hundreds of miles only to end right back up at Rodeo Drive or New York’s Fifth Avenue. Continue reading...

“Today, my girlfriend dumped me proclaiming she wanted someone more like her ‘Edward.’ I asked her who Edward was. She held up a copy of her ‘Twilight’ book. She was talking about a fictional vampire. FML.” Continue reading...

Contrary to my thoughts going in, Observe and Report (2009) has absolutely zero involvement from super-producer/director/writer Judd Apatow, though it has the feeling of an “Apatow” film. And as much fun as these films were at first (I could watch The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) on repeat for week), the jokes are getting old and the main players are getting older. Continue reading...

At 4 a.m. we were to commence enforcing passive-aggressive, international policies of note-taking nonintervention. I’m fine, I contemplated on the toilet, you have bowels of steel. Continue reading...