HBO brings popular series to life at UCLA with themed escape rooms

A secret service agent stood at the front of the door to the Oval Office, explaining to a group of students that they would only have five minutes to escape the room – or else fail. HBO welcomed students back from spring break with “HBO: The Escape,” an escape room experience that students could sign […]

Students’ commercial places second in Coca-Cola, Regal Films’ contest

Coming soon to a theater near you: a hungry hacker trying to steal your popcorn. Cinematography graduate student Xinzhong “Golden” Zhao directed a 30-second commercial to promote the movie-going experience and became a finalist for Coca-Cola and Regal Films’ commercial contest. In Zhao’s commercial, an on-screen character frantically types on a computer and hears the […]

Opera review: ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’

A lovesick poet, a goddess disguised as a man and a slew of drunken students walk into a tavern. So begins Los Angeles Opera’s current production of Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann,” the story of an oft-inebriated writer named Hoffmann (Vittorio Grigolo) recounting his failed experiences with three past lovers before realizing that his […]

Boulevard Bites: Make Out’s pricey plant-based dishes offer glimpse into LA culture

Finding a delicious restaurant in Los Angeles can be difficult among the city’s thousands of dining options. To help readers narrow down their search, the Daily Bruin will review restaurants located along main streets near UCLA each week. Wanna go to Make Out? Uh, that came out wrong. It’s a plant-based cafe and juice bar […]

Album review: ‘Star Stuff’

Side projects by musicians are often hit-or-miss, musically exploring either too little or too much. Chaz Bundick is no stranger to this balance, since a majority of his recent musical activity stems from side projects. Bundick most recently paired up with the psychedelic-jazz duo brothers, The Mattson 2, to release the album “Star Stuff” Friday […]

A Taste for Adventure: Foie gras a tasty introduction to the world of fancy eating

The melting pot of Los Angeles brings together cultures and cuisine from all around the world. The city’s markets and restaurants offer menus that may be a little different from the typical dining hall menu. Each week, columnist Matthew Fernandez will plunge into LA’s culinary scene and warily try food he’s never eaten before. Random […]

Alum’s podcast ‘Digits’ explores relationship between humans, numbers

This post was updated on April 2 at 2:10 p.m. James Simenc spends a lot of time in his car, which helped inspire his new podcast. While driving, Simenc often listened to a variety of podcasts that varied in genre and format, helping to familiarize him with the medium and motivating him to explore it […]