Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic

Nov. 10
10,, 2005
Music, Movies and More
‘Sarah
Silverman:
Jesus is Magic’
MUSIC
USIC:: The Daily Titan talks with The English Beat and other bands
MOVIE: The Rza talks about ““Derailed,
Derailed,” Silverman talks about her act
MORE
ORE:: Read about new music
music,, plus the latest entertainment news
2 THE
BUZZ
Contents
02
03
04
05
06
The Inside Buzz
New Music Reviews
New Movie Reviews
New Movie Reviews
The States Interview
Concert Calendar
07 The Juliana Theory
Interview
Concert Calendar (cont.)
08 Flash
Flashback Favorite –
The English Beat Interview
ON THE COVER: Sara Silverman
performs her standup routine in
her new movie “Sarah Silverman:
Jesus is Magic,” which will be released in select theaters tomorrow. Silverman talks about race,
sexuality and other provocative
issues throughout the movie.
(Photo provided by Roadside Attractions)
THE BUZZ
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
AMANDA PENNINGTON
A
ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
MAHSA KHALILIFAR
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
NICOLE M. SMITH
DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING
CAN SENGEZER
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING
EMILY ALFORD
PRODUCTION
AMANDA PENNINGTON, MAHSA KHALILIFAR
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
LESLEY WU, DERRICK SALATNAY,
VANESSA RUMBLES, RICH BOYD,
KIMBERLY LEUNG, JACKIE KIMMEL
The Daily Titan 714.278.3373
T
The Buzz Editorial 714.278.5426 [email protected]
Editorial Fax 714.278.4473
The Buzz Advertising 714.278.3373 [email protected]
Advertising Fax 714.278.2702
The Buzz , a student publication, is a supplemental insert for the Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan. It
The
is printed every Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, College
of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSU system. The Daily Titan has functioned
as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated,
advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written
or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises.
Copyright ©2004 Daily Titan
THE
INSIDE
BUZZ
By MAHSA KHALILIFAR
Daily Titan Asst. Entertainment Editor
Hollywood offers one of the
best perks in the world that us
regular folks only dream of. But
Hollywood has its dark side. It
can offer the world only to spit
you back out and feed you to the
wolves, or it could take you back
with open arms … one person
feeling the wrath of the business
is 28-year-old actor Page Kennedy, who was fired from the popular show “Desperate Housewives”
last Friday, according to People.
Spokespeople for the show said
he is being investigated, but refused to say exactly why. Kennedy has a memorable, but so far
minimal, part playing Caleb in the
series. To people familiar with the
show, he was the man locked up
in the basement on Wisteria Lane
… Kate Moss comes back from
her short rehab stint. The 31-yearold supermodel, recently posed
for famed Italian Designer Roberto Cavalli for upcoming 2006
fashion magazines, checked into
rehab after photos of her snorting
cocaine surfaced … Lakers star
Kobe Bryant and wife, Vanessa,
have confirmed they are expecting baby No. 2 ... Successful Destiny’s Child members, Beyonce
Knowles and Kelly Rowland donated $1 million in total to various
charities to assist in relief contributions toward Hurricane Katrina
victims, according to BET news …
It’s all about duets for this year’s
American Music Awards. Cyndi
Lauper and Sarah McLachlan,
Gwen Stefani and Pharrell, and
Bow Wow along with girlfriend
Ciara are going to perform at this
year’s annual show, which will air
live on ABC on Nov. 22 … On
Dec. 3, Showtime will air ‘Eminem Live From New York City,”
a taping from a Madison Square
Garden show during the Anger
Management 3 tour last August,
according to MTV news online ...
New York City will play host to
“The 39th Annual Country Music Association’s Awards” show
on Nov. 15. The show, hosted by
Brooks and Dunn, has Joaquin
Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, who star in the upcoming
film based on the life of Johnny
Cash, “Walk the Line”, scheduled
to appear. D. Ford Bailey will
also become only the second black
musician to ever be inducted into
the Country Music Hall of Fame
during the show, airing at 5 p.m.
on CBS ... New mom and former
pop diva Britney Spears releases
B in the Mix: The Remixes in two
weeks, according to MTV news
online. Her new remix LP has
been kept hush hush until now …
After rumors of Backstreet Boy
Nick Carter being engaged to actress Bai Ling, the singer denied
reports on KIIS F.M. Answering
“hell no” to the false news, Carter
denied the story and said he was
single, to the shock of morning
radio show host Ryan Seacrest
… New notable CD releases that
came out Tuesday were Kenny
Chesney The Road and the Radio … Cyndi Lauper The Body
Acoustic … Neil Diamond 12
Songs … Floetry Flo ‘Ology
… The Mars Volta Scab Dates
[Live] … new DVD releases this
week include … hottie Johnny
Depp’s “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory”… “Home Improvement” dad Tim Allen in “Christmas with the Kranks” … an old
favorite of the crazy duo “Beavis
and Butt-head, Vol. 1 – The Mike
Judge Collection” … Celebrity
sighting of the week: Kirsten
Dunst hanging out at The Grove
in Los Angeles chatting with a
friend … Celebrity gossip of the
week: Is Snoop Dogg selling
again? Hot dogs? … Stay tuned
for more news and gossip in the
next Inside Buzz …
MUSIC
REVIEWS
3
The
Brook Lee
C
The Buzz
Music Reviews
Mistakes PT. 1
PHOTO BY BERNARD BAUR
Dig Jelly
For Your Inner Angry Child
My sister took me to Target to get some necessities
when I was about five, and refused to let me wander
around the toy section. Holding my hand, she walked
me past the jewelry and watch counter while my eyes
became fixated on a black watch with pink scuba fins
on it. The plastic fins split to either side to view the
digital time. It even came with a free pad of paper that
was shaped like a life-vest. Obviously I had to have this five-dollar jewel.
Before it was too late, I wriggled my fingers out of her hand’s grip hold,
and took off for the watch counter.
I snagged the watch and showed her how great it looked on my little
wrist. She told me she wouldn’t buy it for me and to put it back. I instantly
began flailing my arms and twisting my body like a washing machine.
Tears streamed down my red face as a high-pitch scream exploded from
my mouth. Enter Dig Jelly.
Dig Jelly captures the essence of every angry child, and cleverly stuffs
it onto a 44-minute album. For Your Inner Angry Child (how appropriate),
somehow melds Evanescence-style modern rock, Gwen Stefani-influenced
vocals and a rapping style like Zack de la Rocha’s to completely reflect every child’s angry fits. Of course, it’s much easier to listen to.
“Inside Out,” “Dramatic Suicide” and “Alive” bring back flannel shirts
and Doc Martens with their ‘90s grunge sound, but most of the album is
more intense.
Some songs on the album are modern rock (think Linkin Park, with a
female singer), while others add more hip-hop.
If for some reason, you don’t have a screamy, little brat around you and
you want one, buy Dig Jelly’s For Your Inner Angry Child.
– Christina Schroeter/Daily Titan
T h e
Brook
Lee Catastrophe
is a kind
of sound
that gets
the attention of all those within
ear-shot.
Brook Lee, who is based out
of Long Beach, released his
third studio endeavor, Mistakes
PT. 1 Tuesday, an eclectic mix
of talent offering a new sound
and feel. The Brook Lee Catastrophe has a sound all its own
and isn’t a slave to established
genres. Each song offers a different feel than the one before.
“Lover Come, Lover Go”
and “Details” open the album
with mellow sounds that could
be compared to Jack Johnson,
Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan.
“Buy The Way” completely
shatters that notion. Bizarre
electronic sounds are accompanied with the soft strumming
of a guitar, which surprisingly
complement one another.
The album has a soulful
vibe. Heartache and hardship
ooze from the words and the
interjection of the harmonica
harmonizes it all together.
Odd instrumentals make
the album unique. In “She’s
An Anchor” the integration of
beats made by a cake mixer,
cheesegrater, cutlery and a
wall heater. The untraditional
instruments are juxtaposed
against beautifully played
string instruments.
The simple sound exuded
is a rare treasure that listeners
should hunt down. Visit www.
brookleemusic.com for information and embark on an unusual but fun musical journey.
-Danica Hart/Daily Titan
4 MOVIE REVIEWS
The Buzz
NEW MOVIE
REVIEWS
REVIEW
S
Word
On The Web
Want more Buzz movie
reviews? Log on for commentary about Disney’s
“Chicken Little.”
www.dailytitan.com
WALT DISNEY PICTURES
The Rza makes acting
debut in thriller ‘Derailed’
By DIANIKA ABBOTT
Daily Titan Copy Editor
The self-proclaimed Abbot of the
Wu-Tang Clan can now add serious
actor to his professional resume.
The Rza, whose aliases include
Bobby Digital and RZArector,
makes his acting debut in Miramax’s suspense thriller, “Derailed.”
The film is about advertising director Charles (Clive Owens) who
has an affair with a woman (Jennifer Aniston) he met on a Chicago
commuter train.
The illicit affair turns dangerous when they are blackmailed by
a violent criminal seeking to profit
off their infidelity.
While artists like 50 cent, Ice
Cube and Ludacris try to make
smooth transitions from rapping to
acting, Rza said he wants to bridge
the gap between the two worlds.
“I don’t want to be one of Hollywood’s type-cast actors,” Rza said
during a telephone press conference Tuesday. “I want to be known
as a good character actor.”
The Rza plays Winston Boyko,
a money hungry mailroom clerk
who befriends
Charles
and
finds
himself
trapped in the
dangerous triangle. Rza said he
is nothing like
his character.
Rza said everyone stayed
to themselves
on set, including Aniston and
THE WEINSTEIN CO.
Owens. He said
he connected The Rza stars in Miramax’s thriller “Derailed”
with Owens,
however.
available through his record label,
“I hung out with Clive off-set a 36 Chambers. Rza, who began his
lot,” Rza said. “He would call me hip-hop career in the late ‘80’s, said
on Saturday and ask me if I wanted the state of hip-hop is growing.
to go to the races or ask if I wanted
His only wish is that hip-hop moto go clubbing.”
guls would be a little more creative
Rza was originally brought on to when producing music.
score the film.
“A lot of producers are not com“I was actually reading the script ing up with brand new ideas,” Rza
for ‘Four Brothers’ and my agent said. “There’s no song that makes
called and said ‘you have to read you say, ‘what the fuck was that?’”
[‘Derailed’s’] script,” he said. “I
While Rza’s resume includes rapread it and couldn’t put it down.”
per, producer, film composer, actor
Rza said he only produced one and author, he said his ultimate goal
song on the soundtrack, which is is to be a movie director.
MOVIE
REVIEWS
5
Sarah Silverman live onscreen
By JORDAN MASTAGNI
Daily Titan Staff
“So there I was licking jelly off
my boyfriend’s penis,” comedian
Sarah Silverman paused. “And I
thought, ‘Oh my God I am turning
into my mother.’”
Silverman’s provocative concert film, “Sarah Silverman: Jesus
is Magic,” opens in select theaters
tomorrow.
The pause, of course, is what
makes her so funny because of anticipation building. When the punch
line does come, it is brilliant.
The film is the jouney of Silverman’s off-Broadway act, which
sold out to audiences in New York
and Los Angeles.
She tackles a variety of subjects
including race, sexuality, family,
childhood and religion. She also
infuses original songs, performed
with her band, The Silver Men.
The no-holds-barred comic isn’t
afraid of what the audience finds
offensive and sometimes has to be
escorted out the back door by security after the show.
“I never defend my material
because it is totally subjective. If
you don’t think it is funny than it’s
definitely going to be offensive,”
Silverman said. “People are hearing it in the context of their experience and I can’t cater my stand-up
to each individual person’s experience.”
The sharp-witted and politically
incorrect comedian has almost no
limits to what she finds offensive;
but she draws the line at jokes
about overweight women.
“Fat jokes about women bum me
out because I think that all women
in America feel that they are fat inside,” Silverman said.
The movie is directed by Liam
Lynch, the mastermind behind
the MTV hit “The Sifl and Olly
Show.”
Lynch and Silverman exchanged
ideas for several months prior to
filming “Jesus is Magic.”
“When I heard she wanted me to
do a concert film for her, I freaked
out,” Lynch said. “When I learned
that she wanted to include musical
stuff as well, I was in heaven.”
Lynch, who never met Silverman before filming, was familiar
with her work on “Mr Show” and
“Saturday Night Live.”
“She mixes the sweet with the
bitter, making fun of racists, perverts, the materialistic, the twofaced and the self-centered by acting like them all herself,” Lynch
said. “Oddly enough, if any of
those things bother you, then you’ll
love Sarah’s work all the more.”
Silverman is known as one of
the most provocative people in
comedy and has been compared
to pioneer comedian Lenny Bruce,
who paved the way by advocating
free speech and battling censorship
issues.
Silverman is an optimist and
proves so in the film when she
reminds the audience “when God
gives you AIDS, make lemonAIDS.”
ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS
Sarah Silverman stars in Roadside Attractions’ “Sarah Silverman: Jesus is
Magic.” The movie combines Silverman’s provocative, offensive and hilarious standup comedy bits with skits to create the concert attraction.
The film will be released tomorrow in select theaters.
6 MUSIC INTERVIEWS
Ivy League rockers get
big old fashioned way
By BRIAN FOY
For the Daily Titan
Chicago. Los Angeles. New
York. Cambridge, Mass.
Which of these doesn’t belong?
If you said Cambridge you’d
be mistaken.
As strange as it may seem,
Cambridge is becoming quite a
force in the world of rock music,
thanks to Harvard University.
The same Harvard University
that turned out John F. Kennedy,
John Adams and John Hancock
is now leading the world in rock
music education.
The Crimson previously produced Tom Morello, former Rage
Against the Machine and current
Audioslave guitarist as well as
Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo.
It appears as though Previn
Warren and Chris Snyder, founders of rock group The States, will
continue the storied tradition begun by their rock forefathers.
Warren, Huntington Beach native, and Snyder, from Woodland
Hills, met through a mutual friend
during the fall of their junior year
at Harvard. Warren heard demos
that Snyder cut the previous summer, but “it took half a year to figure out a way to play together,”
Warren said.
They began writing songs together and solidified their lineup
when they tabbed drummer Ian
MacKenzie to form The States.
After winning Buzzplay.com’s
“Best Unsigned Band Contest”
that summer, destiny’s wheels
were set in motion.
The trio set up shop in Brooklyn, N.Y. shortly after with an
agenda.
The band promptly flew to
Hollywood to record its debut EP,
Moons and Magnets. The States
ended the California adventure
by selling out its first West Coast
show at the Knitting Factory in
Los Angeles.
Shortly after they finished
production work on the album,
MacKenzie quit the band. When
Warren and Snyder returned from
California, they scrambled to find
another drumnmer and assure
Buzzplay.com that the band was
legit.
The twosome found exactly
the sticksman they were looking
for in Joe Stroll. Warren and Snyder spent the better part of two
months teaching Stroll much of
The States’ catalogue of songs. It
was then that the band evolved.
“[The band] lost the Coldplay
and got the Zeppelin,” Warren
said.
Last fall, the guys played their
first show and a few weeks later
released Modern Medicine. Warren said the first EP with the current lineup “really got the ball
rolling.”
The new album introduced the
band to management, a lawyer
and plenty of gigs in the Northeast.
Thanks to Modern Medicine,
The States was suddenly in demand. Warren, Snyder and Stroll
spent the remainder of 2004 and
the early portion of 2005 perfecting the live show and becoming a
cohesive unit.
They toured relentlessly from
Washington, D.C. to Maine and
all places in between to build
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE STATES
The States hope to bring Harvard-tuned music to the whole country.
their fan base.
This summer the guys headed
to Carriage House Studios in
Stamford, Conn. to begin work on
their debut LP. “Everyone was on
board,” Warren said of the L.P.,
Multiply Not Divide.
The entire recording process
took three days.
“We wanted to do it like it was
done in the ‘70s,” Warren said.
“We did a lot of research, and
bands like Led Zeppelin, Black
Sabbath and the Beatles all recorded albums pretty quickly.”
If this seems like pretty amazing company to keep, it’s only be-
cause The States appear to have
the talent to back it up.
The band has played a handful
of industry showcases over the
past few months and has interest
from some major record labels.
The States are working to secure
a major record deal by the end of
the year.
The possibilities are endless for
this Brooklyn-based rock outfit,
and an opportunity could knock
at any time.
“One minute you are playing
in a bar, the next you are doing
a national tour,” Warren hopingly
said.
Concert Calendar
Fri. Nov. 11 7 p.m.
Allister
El Rey Theatre
Los Angeles
Fri. Nov. 11 – 12 8 p.m.
Death Cab for Cutie
The Wiltern LG
Los Angeles
Fri. Nov 11 8 p.m.
Paul McCartney
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim
Sat. Nov. 12 7 p.m.
Def Leppard and Bryan Adams
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Irvine
Fri. Nov. 11 7:30 p.m.
Damian “Jr. Gong” Gong
House of Blues – Anaheim
Fri. Nov 11 8 p.m.
Lisa Marie Presley
House of Blues – Hollywood
Sat. Nov. 12 7 p.m.
Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley
House of Blues – Hollywood
Sat. Nov 12 7 p.m.
Free Aid: The Event
Key Club – Los Angeles
MUSIC
INTERVIEWS
7
East Coast band talks about inspiration, music
By KELLI FADROSKI
Daily Titan Staff
Pennsylvania’s
emo-rock
band, The Juliana Theory, has
been working hard since the release of its new album, Deadbeat
Sweetheartbeat.
The five-man band took its
new songs on the road along with
Jamison Parker and June.
Making a few stops in SoCal,
Juliana Theory is feeling the burn
of a long U.S. tour.
“Some of us are under the
weather a little bit with colds,”
Vocalist and guitarist Brett Detar
said. “I just went to Jamba Juice
and got myself a Cold Buster so
I should be better within minutes.”
Detar, along with bassist Chad
Alan, drummer Josh Walters and
guitarists Joshua Fiedler and
Joshua Kosker, has put a lot of
time in on the road.
Although touring is essential
to support a new album, Detar
admits it’s not always as easy or
glamorous as it may seem.
“The hardest thing is driving every night and not getting
enough sleep and getting sick and
feeling like you’re in a time warp
and not knowing what is going
on,” Detar said.
For someone who’s not sure
PHOTO BY ROSE JEROME
The Juliana Theory stopped in Southern California to talk to the DT.
what’s going on, Detar and the
rest of the band poured their souls
into the new album, spending
nearly two years writing lyrics
and coming up with the music.
“Sometimes we take time off
and we don’t write for a while,”
Detar said. “With this record we
... would write during our downtime ... get a little exhausted.
Since then we really haven’t written as a band. I know some of us
have written individually in our
own time.”
The album, two years in the
making, has fans positively responding as the band performs
a mix of newer songs and older
ones during sets, Detar said.
The band can assess on just
where the best crowds reside by
hearing if anyone asks, “Juliana
Theory who is she?”
Keeping in mind that the fans
are really what it’s all about, Detar is accepting of any type of
crowd because they are the ones
that support his band and his love
of music.
Detar casually mentions that if
he weren’t singing into a microphone on the big stage for a living, he would undoubtedly be the
worst professional hockey player
ever.
“I would play for the Pittsburg
Penguins,” Detar said.
It may sound cliché, but the
band agrees that the forces that
be smashed them together simply
because of their love of music.
Although Detar can’t quite pinpoint a specific moment in time
when he wanted to grow up to be
a musician, he does remember
who made him passionate about
playing guitar.
Sun. Nov. 13 8 p.m.
Jethro Tull
Kodak Theatre
Hollywood
Wed. Nov. 16 8 p.m.
Rob Thomas
The Wiltern LG
Los Angeles
Thurs. Nov. 17 8 p.m.
Veruca Salt
Galaxy Theatre
Santa Ana
Thurs. Nov. 17 7 p.m.
A Static Lullaby
Troubadour
West Hollywood
Mon. Nov 14 8 p.m.
Paul McCartney
Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim
Wed. Nov. 16 7:30 p.m.
James Brown
House of Blues – Hollywood
Thurs. Nov. 17 8 p.m.
Ozotmatli
House of Blues – Anaheim
Thurs. Nov 17 7:30 p.m.
The Dead 60’s
Chain Reaction – Anaheim
“The first time I listened to an
Iron Maiden album it made me
decide that I wanted to play guitar,” Detar said. “If anything, we
can blame Iron Maiden for me
playing rock music.”
The guys have embraced their
new do-it-yourself way of working.
Since Juliana Theory’s departure from the big-time label Epic
Records, the band signed on with
smaller label Abacus Records for
the release of Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat. They even contemplated a name change.
“It means absolutely nothing,”
Detar said. “It comes from nothing at all and it’s a random name
for a group of people who were
not serious about their band at
the time and thought they had to
play one show and come up with
a name. Here we are 1,000 shows
later and it still has no meaning
whatsoever. At this time it probably wouldn’t hurt to change it.”
For a band with a made-up
name and describes itself jokingly as “breathtakingly awesome”
and “jaded,” the buzz surrounding the live show and album is a
loud one.
“We are the best band that nobody ever heard of,” Detar said.
“We are the best band in our
basement.”
8 MUSIC
iNTERVIEWS
Flashback Favorite
The voice behind
The English Beat
The English Beat was one of
the most formative bands of the
1980s. The band’s fluid blend of
punk rock and reggae creates the
purist form of ska, before it was
ska.
With mega-hits like “Mirror in
the Bathroom,” “Save It For Later” and “Tenderness,” the band
stuck together as long as they felt
was needed – for only three albums from 1979 to 1984.
Dave Wakeling, the original
lead singer for The Beat, sat down
to talk with the Daily Titan during a show in Gardena. Although
it was billed “The English Beat,”
Wakeling was the only original
member.
But even though Saxa, Ranking Roger and the rest were not
there to perform with Wakeling,
he still got shreaks and screams
from fans.
When asked about the pop
music available to the masses
now, Wakeling acknowledges the
qualm many music lovers have.
“It’s almost kind of manufactured now,” Wakeling said. “Probably people said that about us.”
Although the state of pop music may seem grim, Wakeling said
that in the post-Sept. 11 country,
people are looking more for a
sense of community in a pop concert, not just the music.
“When [people] come to a concert, if they manage to ... they
make a sense of community with
the rest of the audience,” Wakeling said. “It seems to be of even
more value to them than it used to
be, even when The Beat was at the
top of its fame.”
And, although The Beat may
not be at the top of the new music charts today, they have maintained a legitimacy because of the
wide influence they had on the
music world and the band’s wide
fan base.
“The people who were in college and doing college radio at the
time are now vice presidents of
most everything ... including radio stations,” Wakeling said with
a laugh. “I’ve got more radio play
now than when record companies
were desperately bribing for it 25
years ago.”
For those who missed the boat
in the 1980s, now’s the time to
hop on.
-Amanda Pennington/Daily Titan Entertainment Editor
NICOLE M. SMITH/Daily Titan Executive Editor
Dave Wakeling, lead singer of legendary 1980s band,The English Beat,
rocked the band’s original hits on Friday night in Gardena.