Author Archives: Alfred Lee

It’s a little early, and it probably won’t be recognized in most states, but Nov. 13 should be designated Ol’ Dirty Bastard Day. Since he passed away on Saturday, ODB fans across the country have been reminiscing not only about his contributions to the musical world, but also about how endearingly crazy the guy was […]

This year’s UCLA Wind Ensemble is the best one yet ““ at least that’s the claim made by conductor Dr. Thomas Lee. But students will get a chance to find out for themselves on Nov. 17 in the wind ensemble’s first concert of the year. “It’s the most artistic, virtuosic wind ensemble we’ve ever had. […]

Not too long ago, I found myself participating in a history-steeped college tradition”“ sitting around with a bunch of guys doing nothing before a night out ““ when someone’s cell phone went off. For those of us who didn’t know the lucky owner so well, the immediately recognizable ring tone, the theme from “The Fresh […]

Exactly a week ago, I saw Alexander Payne’s “Sideways,” which opened with exceptionally rave reviews ““ mostly because it’s a great film, and partly because movie critics are old people who identify all too painfully with its themes of mid-life insecurities. It’s exactly the kind of movie that would otherwise strike a chord with any […]

For those who haven’t heard, the biggest laugh of last week’s “Saturday Night Live” didn’t come during a skit. Ashlee Simpson’s second “performance” of the night went awry. In a moment she’ll never be able to live down, Jessica Simpson’s so-introspective-she-has-fake-dark-hair sister stood on stage, ready to perform introspective rock song No. 2, “Autobiography,” when […]

At a recent New Yorker magazine panel discussion, rap legend KRS-ONE applauded the events that happened on Sept. 11, 2001 “because it doesn’t affect us, or at least we don’t perceive that it affects us. 9/11 happened to them. … We cheered when 9/11 happened in New York. “When the planes hit the building,” he […]

An excruciating injustice happened to me this past weekend. No, a friend didn’t drag me to go see “Taxi.” Nor was I sued by our good friends at the Recording Industry Association of America. Something far, far worse happened: The University of Texas football team lost to arch rival Oklahoma for the fifth year in […]