Category Archives: Uncategorized

Listen to Azeri professor Goyushov Altay introducing himself in his native language, and view some snapshots from his visits to Azerbaijan

Beneath a quirky collection of mismatched light fixtures and deer statuaries, the lounge-like lobby of The Music Box was abuzz Tuesday. I was pleasantly surprised to see an audience that ranged from plaid-clad hipsters to brace-faced children and those old enough to be their parents.

The intimate vintage venue was a full house for a triple set of artists ““ openers Funeral Party and Generationals provided the evening’s introductions with a powerful pop before the evening’s stars, Two Door Cinema Club.

Los Angeles locals Funeral Party took to the stage first, faces painted with white stripes that they noted were in recognition to the Day of the Dead. The band presented a sound as paradoxical as their name, flitting between pop punk-inspired chords of sheer angst and dance-able rock melodies like standout “Where Did It Go Wrong?”

Listen to professor Kendra Willson reciting a poem in Old Norse, and view some snapshots from her visits to Iceland.

Courtesy of MGM
Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in “North by Northwest.”

If all you know of Alfred Hitchcock is the shower scene in “Psycho,” or the sadly dated avian attack sequences in “The Birds,” there is no better direction to head than “North by Northwest.” Based on an Oscar-nominated original screenplay by Ernest Lehman, it is the story of Roger Thornhill, an adman who gets kidnapped by spies who mistake him for a CIA agent. Thornhill is played by the peerlessly suave Cary Grant, enough reason to watch any movie, except maybe “Bringing Up Baby.” And “North by Northwest” includes two of Hitchcock’s most famous and enduring scenes: the first when a crop duster plane chases Thornhill through an empty cornfield; the second, in the film’s final moments, when Thornhill and Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) cling for dear life to the faces of Mount Rushmore. Faster, louder suspense movies have been made since 1959, and certainly scarier ones ““ this is no “Paranormal Activity” ““ but there is still no other filmmaker as stylish as Hitchcock. “North by Northwest” will screen at the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art this Thursday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m.

Like many books, food trucks are often judged by their names alone. Many have names related to their specific style of cuisine, like India Jones, while others have names that relate to their specialty item, like Frysmith. Then there are some trucks that choose to be more vague about the specifics of their cuisine. Gastrobus is one of these trucks. It also happens to be one of my favorite trucks that visits the Court of Sciences.

While its name often accidentally puts people off (having the word “˜gas’ as part of your name isn’t always the best way to attract customers), make no mistake, Gastrobus, which will be stationed at the Court of Sciences on Thursday, Nov. 4, consistently delivers all-around delicious food.

For a few moments, it looked like the UCLA football team had found its old stride. By halftime, the Bruins reminded everyone why the second half of their season will have lowered expectations.