Artsweek

Nic Cage Is the Good, the Bad and the Utterly Insane “Lieutenant” ****

A man drives down a dark, empty Louisiana street in an unmarked sedan. He spots a couple coming out of a nightclub heading toward the car. He flips on his red and blue lights and pulls up to the coupl...
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Timbaland’s “Shock Value” Fizzles Out **

Following up the first successful installment of the Shock Value series, hit-making producer Timbaland presents his new collection, Shock Value II. The 16-track LP includes new collaborations with the...
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See What All the Madness Is About

Last month, AMC wrapped up its third season of the critically acclaimed series, "Mad Men" with one of the best episodes to date. So, if you've flipped past it on a Sunday night or heard rave reviews f...
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“New Moon” Rises Slightly Above Low Expectations

It is a generally agreed-upon fact that Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novels are absolutely god-awful. Through the character of Bella Swan (She's a totally average girl! Really! Except that everybody in ...
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DV8 Veers From Straight In Santa Barbara

Melding technology, dance and theater forms into their own, distinct performance genre, DV8 Physical Theatre creates a new picture of homosexuality with its production of To Be Straight With You.
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UCSB Theater Dept. Presents

Last weekend saw the very successful opening of David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole, the first main stage production for the Department of Theater and Dance 09-10 season.
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Annual One-Act Plays Provide Quality Entertainment


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“2012” Is the End of the World as We Know It ****

Writer/Director Roland Emmerich is sick, sick man. How he comes up with new ways to kill off the human race is beyond me. Whether it's through an alien invasion, a giant mutated iguana, or global warm...
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Lady Gaga Gives Birth to Fame Monster ****

Receiving both critical acclaim and commercial success with her debut album The Fame, pop phenomenon Lady Gaga looks to prove that she’s no one-trick pony with her sophomore effort, The Fame Mon...
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Norah’s Fall Is No Misstep ***

Singer/songwriter Norah Jones, a modern Billie Holiday who started rocking the modern jazz world in 2002, is back with her fourth album which debuted on Tuesday, November 17th. Ever the eclectic music...
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“Pirates” Is Captivating ****


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Betties Battle It Out

I found out about last Saturday's season-closing bout between the Mission City Brawlin' Betties and the West Coast Derby Knockouts entirely by chance. At dinner with a VP at Citrix, she casually menti...
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Pixies at the Palladium

Pixies, widely held to be grunge's progenitors as well as early '90s alt-rock darlings, kicked off its Doolittle tour in rollicking style last Wednesday at the Hollywood Palladium. The band's members ...
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Ordinary “Men” ** (and 1/2)

Maybe it's the way the author of the novel, Jon Ronson, wanted it. Maybe it's the all-star cast with the less-than-stellar script from screenwriter Peter Straughan. Either way, Grant Heslov's "The Men...
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Mickey Avalon Really Is Mr. Right

When Mickey Avalon took the stage Sunday at Velvet Jones co-eds started making out, tattooed women began to dance on their beau's shoulders and spastic groupies began to writhe and grind up against an...
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