"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. They were looking for "Student Ambassadors" to help represent their product and I was looking for a source of income. They wanted students who were passionate and involved on campus. I am passionate about anyone and anything that is willing to send me a check. CourseSmart and I were going to get alone just fine.

They sell eTextbooks, which are pretty neat in and of themselves, so it wasn't too hard getting "passionate" about the product. See, eTextbooks are a lot like print textbooks, but kind of superior in every way. They have the exact same layout and "page numbers" as their print counterparts, but they're digital, so they save the environment and weigh whatever your laptop weighs, and they cost about half of what the USC Book Store charges for the physical versions (about $60 off on average).

What's more is you can still highlight and take notes, and the texts are fully searchable and can be copied and pasted onto other documents easily.

The only real conceivable drawback is having to read off of a computer screen, but I've found that so many professors and TAs send PDFs anyway, I'm reading off my laptop regardless. Not to mention I had gotten rather used to reading things on my computer by then-namely terrible screenplays that I then received nothing for writing coverage on. Oh, the memories of my summer internship.

So I was trained in how to use an eTextbook, and how to show others how to use an eTextbook. And when move-in day rolled around, I put my training to the test...by handing out flyers on Trousdale and talking to exasperated mothers about how to save a buck.

The hook was: "Can I talk with you a minute about saving a bunch of money on textbooks this semester?"

The response, almost invariably, was: "Sure." It's what came after that varied.

One man wanted to know, "What's the catch?" He was pleased to find there was none. (Another woman used the interaction as an opportunity to sell me her magazine and coax me into attending a screening of H2 with Rob Zombie.)

But my favorite exasperated response was, "Where were you $464 ago?" By the end of my sales pitch, I'd convinced this woman to return all of her son's books in favor of digital copies (not without checking to see if they were available at coursesmart.com first, of course).

At the end of the day, I felt pretty good about myself. I played this enigmatic environmentalist and financial hero for penny-pinching parents everywhere-for a day-and it felt kind of cool.

Since then, I've continued with the position, talking to students and presenting in front of classes. There are no more cougars to woo with my indelible charm, but students themselves seem pretty receptive to the sales pitch as well.

The company recently released an iPhone and iPod Touch application that lets users read on the go, so I've integrated that into my spiel, demonstrating on my own iPhone 3G.

And ultimately, I'll walk away from the program, my wallet a little heftier, having accomplished something I didn't exactly set out to do: help fellow college students save some money, whilst decreasing their carbon footprint

Nifty.

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

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 every 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.

When the school year began, we envisioned ourselves working side by side, courageously supporting each other in the fight towards becoming Greek Gods. One drop of sweat after another. Surely, being gym buddies wasn’t a far cry from being boyfriends: it was all about support, encouragement, and meeting on a regular basis for physical activity. We could already picture a montage set to James Brown’s “I Feel Good”, with our puny selves running, lifting, and bench-pressing our way to the cover of Men’s Health or Playgirl.

So here we were, on a hot August day, wearing what could easily have passed as pajamas, and more than ready to begin our physical transformation. The lady at the desk swiped Gary’s card cheerfully, her face filled with optimism. Jeremy’s card made a very discouraging sound.

“Have you registered online?” the employee asked.

Jeremy shook his head no, bewildered.

“Oh, it’s okay honey, I always have to remind you freshmen.”

As Gary was about to rectify her mistake by telling her that Jeremy was in fact a Junior, Jeremy glared at him with menacing eyes that said: “If you love me, just shut the hell up.” That glorious first day ended with the two of us exiting the building, dejected but still feeling smug as we walked down the street in our workout appearance. At least, the people in the street would think that we were two smoldering young men back from the gym.

Try number two: a week later, after Jeremy had reluctantly visited the Lyon Center website (all the while muttering under his breath “Stupid card girl – I went to the gym ALL the time my freshman year”), we headed back to the lifeless block of a building, more determined than ever. We had noticed lots of gym buddies in line at Jamba Juice, and since we were very keen on following workout protocol, we guiltlessly snarfed down Aloha Pineapple and Caribbean Passion smoothies. It only occurred to us much later that this ritual was supposed to follow an intensive workout, not precede it. Full of more calories than we could possibly hope to burn in ten Pilates sessions, we entered the ground floor weight room and took it all in.

The joyful expression on our faces faded rapidly, and we could feel the color draining from our cheeks. Instead of the four inviting machines we had imagined (one for the arms, one for the torso, one for the abs, and one for the legs), we were stopped dead in our tracks by a wall of frightening contraptions for each and every limb we possessed. Yes, there were even some conceived to strengthen muscles we had yet to develop. Where to begin?

Then there were the people: men with chests bigger than our entire bodies, arms able to crush us upon contact, calves that looked liked baseballs were stuck in them, and abs that we could grate our finest mozzarella on. It took us a moment to shake off the image of us devouring the delicious cheese eagerly waiting for us in our fridge before we realized we had to get to work. We wondered where those people got the courage to spend their afternoons in this place. Well, that was impossible to tell: the people working on the machines looked like they were in excruciating pain, and the people who were resting just looked constipated. The people stretching had reached a perfect equilibrium between those two expressions. While we had arrived with a grin on our faces and a bundle of hope in our smoothie-filled stomachs, our hearts started pounding uncontrollably in our chests. We hadn’t felt this inadequate since those days in the schoolyard, stroking our Little Mermaid dolls’ luscious red hair rather than playing with cars.

We could feel our feet quake with fear as we approached a machine defiantly and stared at it. Even though it was meant to strengthen a part of our bodies we hadn’t dealt with since our 9th grade biology class, it couldn’t hurt us, right? We would never know. The only exercise we got out of that machine was stooping down to read the ridiculously small instructions, and successively pushing, pulling, lifting, and prying the menacing black bars in order to figure out how this thing worked. The only resemblance we had to our fierce neighbors was the drops of sweat rolling down our foreheads violently as we tried to locate the “axes of rotation.” The girl jogging next to us couldn’t help but stare with a face that seemed to scream: “Morons! Morons!”, as she completed her tenth mile. As we left the Lyon Center defeated that day, having accomplished nothing except drinking out of every water fountain, we consoled ourselves by picking up another round of Jamba Juice confections, much more justified this time.

That’s when we understood. We were in the wrong gym! Surely, there was a place for beginners like us who had no care for strengthening their Gastrocnemius, but who just wanted a firmer ass. It was an underground club where all the normal USC students ran for five minutes before taking a break, smiled and encouraged each other as they completed their series of three push-ups, and lifted Hershey’s bars instead of weights.

Unfortunately for us, there was no such place. And until USC decides to build such a wonderful gym, we decided that we would not be coming back to the Lyon Center. It was just like a hunger strike, but with our muscles.

They say that there’s no time like your first time. Well, truer words couldn’t be spoken: there hasn’t been another one. And if one day you do happen find us there, miserably attempting to climb those stairs or to lift those weights, there is only one possible explanation for it: those smoothies are too damn good.

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.

Tyler tells me that after three years in the adult film industry, he’s ready to call it quits. He’s withdrawing from adult film work — but not all at once, of course.

“I’m shooting a movie in Europe in early August,” he tells me.

Europe?! Porn stars get to travel?

“All over,” Tyler says. “I have three scheduled [club visits] for the summer so far, in Pitsburg, Dallas, and DC, but chances are I will also do two more in Providence and New York City.” Apparently, club visits are all part of the biz, though he keeps them “to a minimum during the school year.”

I have to admit, Tyler makes it all sound so glamorous — which is not an adjective I ever expected to use to describe the adult entertainment industry. And if the touring alone doesn’t give off that impression, surely the pay does: “If you’re completely fresh to the business, and are straight, and sign an exclusive contract, you can make between $5K and $8K per scene on the Internet.” According to Tyler, the Internet pays more because there are no non-model fees are waived, like directors and writers. These films tend to be just actors and a salaried cameraman from the film company.

But some gigs don’t pay quite as well: “A film company may only pay $2,000 for somebody who isn’t under contract … anything under that, though, and the model is potentially being ripped off.”

Tyler's work doesn't appear exclusively on the Internet. He described for me a day on set working on a pornographic film the way most people think of them, crummy dialogue and all. “First, you show up,” he began. “People are setting up all sorts of things around you like lights [and] cameras…there’s a make-up person who fixes everyone’s flaws one at a time.”

By looking at him, you’d be hard-pressed to find any flaws to fix. Tyler is a muscular, tan, fit blond, so it’s not hard to believe he was “discovered” one evening while clubbing at Hollywood’s Tigerheat.

“Usually a photographer shoots a model solo as he/she comes out of make-up before the shoot,” he continued. “There’s a lot going on all over, especially if it’s a scene for a movie. Movies are a lot more intense, logistically.” This seems reasonable. “So after everyone has worked with a photographer, we shoot dialogue, which is usually the most ridiculous part.” Also reasonable. “And then we jump into the scene,” he concluded.

But what about when you’re wrapped and done? “We jump in the shower,” he responded.

Together?! He laughed, “[It] depends on who I’m working with.”

That covers the process of the shoot itself, but I wanted to know what goes into the shoot’s preparation, mentally and physically. “Physically, I do as much as I can to make myself look great.” By this, Tyler means tanning, going to the gym, and personally grooming. Though this seems very time consuming, especially for a college student, he says these are things he would allocate time for whether he was in the industry or not.

“Mentally, I acquaint myself with what my partner looks like and build up a false attraction to make the scene go smoothly.” I asked him what he meant by “false attraction.” “I focus on attractive features, [and] sort of try to build up a small crush on the person.”

“It’s a lot like acting,” he continued. “You put yourself into a character, and that character is really attracted to this other person, hence why they are about to sleep with them.”

But not every situation is so cutand- dry. For example, Tyler admits that he is “deathly afraid of water sports,” or sexual acts involving bodily fluids that aren’t typically associated with traditional sex. He once found himself in a situation where he was asked to participate in such activities, but fortunately, he had someone on his side: “I just called my agent and he dealt with it.” Tyler said he has a very good relationship with his agent. “He’s a very awesome guy … I have dinner with [my agent and his partner] all the time here in LA.”

Tyler's mantra is, “I won’t do a scene if I feel, in the long run, I’d look back on it with embarrassment,” and his agent believes “performers don’t work for agents, agents work for performers.”

Tyler ended the interview on a somewhat cautionary note. He said that “a lot of people get into it with high expectations,” but to anyone thinking about pursuing the lifestyle, know that “you’re not ever going to make millions … and there’s no guarantee as to what projects you’ll get and who you’ll work with.”

“It can be glamorous, but it can also be unglamorous and embarrassing—you just have to be careful.”

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 say that it’s stuffy is an understatement. In the living room, college students are supposedly dancing, but between the drunkenness and claustrophobia, there really isn’t much space 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 cappella group, are known for hosting large-scale parties at their house throughout the year, bringing together a mix of theatre, Greek, music, and other students.

The term a cappella means "without instruments," so as an a cappella group, the VoCals perform with just their voices.

“I perceive them as this big family,” said sophomore Juliana Daniil of the VoCals. “All these great people in one tight-knit group, singing and dancing…I’m kinda jealous.”

The VoCals are only one of hundreds of collegiate a cappella groups in the United States, each with its own tight-knit communities and fan bases. Right now at USC, there are six a cappella groups on campus: The VoCals, Reverse Osmosis, Trojan Men, Sirens, Troy Tones, and Kosher Pig.

Six groups, all with very different sounds, looks, and personalities. What binds them together (aside from the partying) is their love of music, and that by itself is enough to create a community.

But with that community, there lies the ever-present threat of Gossip Girl-esque drama.

“The inter-group relationships are fine 99 percent of the time," said Joe Sofranko, a senior in the VoCals. "The only time that rivalry rears its ugly head is during fall auditions."

He’s right. Each fall, the USC groups join together for a concert in Bovard, the primary purpose being to recruit new singers. After the concert, groups hold a weeklong series of auditions, and by the end of that week, each group must choose their potential newcomers. The scramble for singers brings out the worst in every group since each one is searching for a specific voice, and oftentimes, two or more groups want the same person.

I experienced this tension last spring, when, as music director for the VoCals, I went over to the RO (Reverse Osmosis) house after auditions. In order to foster better relations with the other groups, each group had to notify their crossover picks through a third-party and wait together for the coveted singer's final decision. We were all very nervous because no one wanted to lose their pick, but the fortunate part was that we were not merely cordial — we were all legitimately enjoying each other’s company.

Sofranko, who was president of the VoCals, recalls a time when this amiability did not exist.

“We were all very competitive,” Sofranko admitted. “There was always talk about being better than and feeling threatened by RO. But now, it’s funny, because [the fact that they are so good and work so hard] was the very reason why we hated them and is the same reason why we love them now.” Sofranko experienced this shift in mentality when the competition faded into mutual support, he said.

This shift began when VoCals and RO worked together in theater productions and musicals. Friends and siblings joined separate groups, and “rival” members even began dating each other.

Then, in the spring of last year, the VoCals competed in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Michael Alfera, now the music director for RO, along with other RO members, sat in on VoCal rehearsals and gave notes. RO and VoCals worked together because they realized something that changed the playing field: If the VoCals won the ICCAs, they would bring a level of prestige that would only boost recognition for all USC a cappella.

“Once people in our groups began to realize that we were friends and not enemies, we found that we had a lot to share with each other,” Alfera recalled.

And we do. Will Harris, who has been a VoCal for three years, regularly hangs out at the RO House and invites RO members to spend time with the VoCals. It’s not that there is no drama, but at parties like VoCalloween you can spot an RO, a Troy Tone, a Siren, and others supporting and enjoying each other.

“We’re all such good musicians," said Natalie Storrs of Reverse Osmosis. "Why don’t we unite over our love of music?”

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?

Countless of cultural organizations, like Troy Philippines, USC Nikkei Association, Chinese American Student Association and Southern California Indo-Americans, produce ambitious culture shows, but the amount of money put into them can reach more than $50,000.

This year alone, the bigger culture shows (like CASA, Troy Philippines and SCIA) spent $12,000 to $30,000, and the smaller culture shows (like VSA and Nikkei) around $4,000 to $6,000.

The cost to rent Bovard Auditorium’s first floor is roughly $4,000 (not including staffing and special effects, like lighting and a projector), and the price goes up to $7,000 to rent the whole auditorium. To offset the costs, culture clubs can apply for school funding through organizations like Asian Pacific American Student Assembly (the umbrella organization for all the individual Asian Pacific American organizations) or the Discretionary Board Fund, for up to $4,000. But that’s only half the price tag.

“Cultures shows are self-funded from org members or fundraisers by the organization, like an E-Board auction. The rest would be funded by sponsors and program ads,” said USC Alum Jeffrey Okita, last year’s Troy Phi skit writer.

When University Student Government gives out money through the Discretionary Board Fund, it wants the money to be spent on the undergraduate population.  They expect that if $4,000 is given to an organization, it will serve at least 400 undergraduate students.

“The audience is filled with family and friends from other schools, and usually culture orgs don’t’ know how many USC students attend,” Okita said. “Demographics are never taken at these shows.”

APASA budget’s is the second largest to Concerts Committee, and if students aren’t attending events funded by APASA, are they worth their price tags?

“For culture shows produced by cultural orgs, there have a for sure audience because they are set in tradition — there’s an alumni base and family base they can target for marketing. Since there’s more people involved, it’s easier to draw an audience,” said APASA Events Coordinator and Troy Phi External Vice President Julia Reyes.

“If we count about 70 students participating in the culture show itself, only 330 students have to be in the audience,” Okita said. “I would say that it’s not farfetched to think there are that many students in attendance.”

But there was no such audience at APASA’s first annual culture show, also the first USC culture of the season.

Only about 60 students attended APASA’s culture night, said APASA Executive Director April Ta. And that number includes the students who performed on stage.

Why did APASA feel the need to produce a show in addition to all the others?

“APASA wanted to put on a production that would show USC how big our Asian community is — we’re 25 percent of the student population,” Reyes said.

“We wanted to bring all the organizations together, not just the ones with culture shows,” Ta said. “But also to include orgs who don’t put on culture shows.”

But why did it fail, compared to their umbrella organizations’ highly successful (and profitable) shows?

“It was disappointing. APASA’s show had great performers and a good intention behind it, but the timing was off because it was a date before all the other cultural orgs’ shows; it was hard to make people care about aside their own shows,” Reyes said.

There are problems with leadership in APASA’s executive board, especially when it comes to planning events. Events are planned either in pairs or by one person on board. Though APASA already had the funds, they had the marketing power, and they had the student base. But what they didn’t have was the family and alumni base that’s behind the cultural orgs.

With Troy Phi, we planned events together and had a set goal we were all reaching for,” Reyes said. “With APASA, it was so compartmentalized — it was like, ‘you’re in charge of this,’ and ‘you’re in charge of that,’— there wasn’t a sense of camaraderie,” Reyes added.

The number of culture shows college clubs produce raises the question: why are we spending all that much money on another culture show? Every year, we run the risk of getting the same culture show as the year before— it’s another three-hour melting pot of songs and dances, meshed together with a cute skit.

“With repetitive themes in culture shows, Japanese American identity becomes only about World War II camp history and Filipino American identity becomes only about large, quirky families,” said Sean Miura, a communications major and co-writer of USC Nikkei Association’s Japanese American skit.

Culture isn’t as compartmentalized as our shows suggest.

“Culture isn’t a singular thing; it’s many things. We tend to think that culture is made of these elements: religion, language and food,” said Leland Saito, professor of sociology and American studies and ethnicity. “When I think of culture, I think of all those elements, but also what makes them a community, and their importance and history as group.”

The danger of culture shows is they risk meshing all identities and making it one big generalization of Asian-American identity. Maybe this is why APASA’s culture show failed.

Since students produce and create these expensive and ambitious shows, each performance reflects what they think and know about their culture.

“What they’re putting together is a reflection of how they view their culture and themselves,” Saito said.

“Songs and dances are powerful traditions that can resonate with students and help them fold what their culture means to them into their identity,” said Jade Agua, assistant director of APASS.

Culture shows do have an influential power that a class setting does not; a show give an audience a unique glimpse into a culture that they may not be a part of.

“Shows that leave you with a message makes you think about what it means to be Japanese, Chinese, Filipino or whatever American, if you’re Asian or not,” Wang said.

“The whole point of cultures shows is to share what is different and the same about us,” Saito said.

Great culture shows should captivate you, and change your previous conceptions about a culture. They are unique expressions of the human experience, but…

“Unless students understand how symbolic these motions are and how powerful they are, like how Taiko drumming was used as a political symbol in the ‘60s, then they are ignoring what their community has given them,” Miura said.

APASA and cultural orgs, before producing their shows, must remember that culture cannot be encompassed in just a production; if they forget their roots and why they’re doing it in the first place, so much money will go to waste.

It’s lunchtime at USC. Where are you going to eat today? You could head over to The Lot, have some Kung Pao Chicken at Zao Noodle Bar or a very wet bean and cheese burrito at Baja Fresh. Or, in the name of change, try something different this week: Gourmet sandwiches ($5), salads ($3) and free drinks from Lemonade, a new trendy food stand downtown. Best part about it (except for saving some money)? You’ll also find some amazing entertainment while you’re at it!

USC Spectrum, the division of Student Affairs that is responsible for bringing artists like Roberta Flack, Rufus Wainwright, and Yo-Yo Ma on campus, is featuring several artists that are a little closer to home this week. 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. But who are these artists I’m so blatantly plugging anyway?

Monday, April 13: Cassie Peterson (Singer/Songwriter). A graduating senior studying vocal jazz and architecture, Cassie Peterson has a sound like no other. With her distinct and rich voice, she paints cotton clouds upon the soft evergreens of her Nashville roots, evoking the rawness of Bob Dylan with the buoyancy of Sara Bareilles. Pianist Emily Intersimone says of Cassie, “She is not just a singer. Cassie is one of my favorite musicians at USC.” Unfortunately, by the time you read this, you may have already missed her. You can still listen to her music on her MySpace at www.myspace.com/CassielPeterson

Tuesday, April 14: CreSCendo (Vocal Jazz). USC’s own vocal jazz ensemble is more than meets the ear. Under the direction of Kathleen Grace, CreSCendo explores genres beyond jazz, singing tunes from Randy Newman to Bela Bartok. A CreSCendo signature: Singers will make up a song right on the spot, with harmonies and moving bass lines.

Wednesday, April 15: ALAJE (Afro-Latin). You better wear your dancing shoes, because ALAJE will get you on your feet. Under the direction of Aaron Serfaty, this Afro-Latin ensemble’s sole purpose is to make its audience dance. Sophomore Theo Menau, who plays trumpet in the band, jokes that “all the players in ALAJE are really just there because of all the girls that are drawn to the music.”

Thursday, April 16: Nebula Explosion (Indie/Experimental). I’m warning you: exposing yourself to the incredible genius that is Nebula Explosion may change your life forever. These four seniors have created a sound that incredibly danceable but mind-blowingly epic. They’ve experimented with loops, pedals, and even bowed electric bass. Sophomore Ben Rose, the drummer for Cassie Peterson, says that Nebula Explosion is “cerebral ecstasy. It’s an Explosion of Emotion.” Check them out at www.myspace.com/nebulaexplosion

Friday, April 17: Sock Oom Pow (Funk): It’s time to funkifize! The eight members of Sock Oom Pow formed together over a year ago as a simple Stevie Wonder cover band. Now, these players are performing their original funk and soul. The best part, these individuals are so in demand that four of them are playing in other bands this week as well. Emily Intersimone, who plays the keyboard for Sock Oom Pow, says “It’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing.” They are, in my humble opinion, some of the most fun I’ve ever had listening to. You can check out their new EP on CD Baby or on their Myspace at www.myspace.com/SockOomPow

Whether you come for the incredible music or the delicious gourmet sandwiches, you are going to enjoy yourself this week at Alumni Park. Being a part of USC Spectrum I would really recommend exploring this event and at least stopping by to hear your talented fellow Trojans. Just to recap:

This week, April 13-17 from 12-1 pm at Alumni Park. Food will be for sale from 11:30-1:30 right across from the VKC arches. And don’t be surprised if you find some crazy Asian kid trying out some questionable dance moves next to the stage. If anybody asks, it’s not me.*

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.

1. The Hollywood Farmers’ Market is certified market run by the Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA), a nonprofit community development corporation that also operates six other farmers’ markets in the city each week. The market in Hollywood is its biggest accomplishment.
2. The volume and variety of vendors makes Hollywood’s one of the elite — an abundance of organic produce flourishes on both sides of the street, and in early spring you can expect to find crisp greens of all kinds, including rainbow chard, bok choy, broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, radishes, kale, kohlrabi, spinach, turnips, and salad and herb greens.
3. Taste-testing for the best citrus among mounds of pomelos, lemons, grapefruit, tangerines, blood oranges and limes allows you to find sweet, tender wedges with lots of juice. Elsewhere on the fruit horizon, strawberries are just coming into season, with three cartons available for $6 or $7. And keep an eye out for creamy avocado and cherimoya — an unusual fruit with a peel of green scales and cream-colored flesh that tastes like a piña colada and plays a vital role in many Middle Eastern desserts.
4. In addition to fresh vegetables and fruits, the Hollywood Farmers’ Market offers an array of cheeses, eggs, bread, dried fruits and mushrooms, flowers, honey and jams. Honey Pacifica offers glowing jars of orange blossom, eucalyptus, and sage honey, for instance, and Ha’s Apple Farm offers a Fuji apple jalapeño jelly that is fantastic spread on sandwiches. And if you’re not in the mood to cook but you’re in the mood to eat, you may be tempted by stands offering kettle corn, crepes, pupusas, lemonade, tamales, organic coffee and Peruvian chocolates.
5. To satisfy your cheese craving, venture over to Soledad Goats and melt into fromage paradise. Carol Pearce, the sunny and energetic cheesemaker, provides tastings and background information about her fresh cream goat cheeses and hard cheddar and aged jack cheeses, produced by the 150 goats on her Mojave farm. Available flavors vary depending on seasonal herbs and Pearce’s own inventive whimsy, but be sure to try her popular lemon lavender goat cheese, a unique blend for which she won the gold medal at the World Cheese Awards in London, besting 1,800 cheeses. She also offers pale blue and green araucana Easter eggs, as well as sweet tomato chutneys that would pair well with her savory cheese options.

Hollywood Farmers’ Market
Sunday, 8 am – 1 pm
Ivar & Selma Avenues, Hollywood
Parking:
All meters free on Sundays
Cinerama Dome, $2 for first 2 hours with Market validation
Doolittle Theatre, limited free parking
LA Film School, $2 parking, at NE corner of Ivar & Sunset

[The Hollywood Farmers’ Market is certified market run by the Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA), a nonprofit community development corporation that also operates six other farmers’ markets in the city each week. The market in Hollywood is its biggest accomplishment.]