Category: entertainment

Round 2: Stick Shift.

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Driving
So after my slightly traumatizing first driving lesson I was quite reluctant to once again get behind the wheel and drive.

I was convinced that I’d never be able to drive and that I’d be stuck with a pushbike for the rest of my life. Yes the environment would love that but my legs certainly would not.

So after much thought, a new car, a promised lunch out and some clothes shopping, I thought it was once again time to hit the road.

“Sorry” I cried as I once again stalled, “I’ll remember next time.”

“Don’t hit the curb, remember this is a new car.” Although these phrases were often repeated and may give the impression that it was another dramatic drive, in fact it was quite the opposite.

List of driving skills mastered:

Steering

3 point turns

Hill Starts

Missing cars

Windy Roads

Avoiding near death experiences

The clutch

Going into gears 1 and 2

Parking successfully

Yes, proudly I managed quite a few little skills on my second lesson and I even had a lot of fun. There’s still hope for me yet.

Although encountering numerous monster trucks, naked men (yes both me and my dad were quite shocked with that one), gangs and oh those dreaded potholes, we survived and luckily so did the people of Santa Paula. I could drive!! (Kind of).

As I waved goodbye to the future prospect of being immobile, (except for a pushbike and maybe a Zimmer frame, if I could get a license) I smiled gleefully.

Here’s a video that sums up how I was feeling after my second driving experience.
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Los Campesinos!

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Los Campinos!

Los Campesinos! are a relatively unheard of Indie band from Cardiff, Wales. The seven pieced, mixed gender, indie crew combines together to make music that is unique, different and quirky.

With song titles such as “You! Me! Dancing!” and “We Throw Parties, You Throw Knifes” the band reveals it’s unconventional yet loveable sounds through their titles.

The ensemble of voices, instruments and lyrics mix together to make the perfect recipe for songs, yet the band have not headlined in the charts.

Today those joining the music industry struggle due to the fact that a constant influx of new sounds generates much competition. It takes a dedicated Indie lover to come across a completely different sound and a rare talent that will really survive and conquer competitors in the charts.

With acts such as Florence and the Machine and Cold War Kids many music lovers still have faith that the ‘good stuff’ will get sieved out from the bland.

I guess everything has it’s time and I can only hope that Los Campesinos’s loyal fan base will help increase the band’s success amongst Indie lovers across the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj6SO_yKMe8

The Music Behind The Superbowl

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By the time my editor gets to this, the Superbowl may have come and gone, and this story may seem extremely outdated. However, at the time of its conception and all the while that it was being written, it was extremely up to date, and by that I mean the day before the Superbowl. The story, which I have so elusively spoken of up to this point, is a story about a song that has come to define this 2010-2011 sports season. Steeler’s tribute “Black & Yellow.” The song by up and coming rapper Wiz Khalifa has received quite a lot of attention, peaking at number three on the billboard hot 100, going double platinum, and having nine remakes made about other sports teams alone (with countless other remakes and remixes done as well). Most predominately Lil’ Wayne’s newly released Packers tribute “Green and Yellow,” which marks the coming Superbowl (which, for those who don’t yet know, features both the Steelers and the Packers). The buzz these songs have caused has brought a new intensity to sport’s fans love of their hometown and its teams.

The style of these songs has changed the way people relate to sports, or, more accurately, broadened the way people relate to sports. The idea of using the influence of a musician to promote a cause of theirs is becoming a trend, and more and more people are catching on. When it comes to so many people using his song, Wiz doesn’t seem to be complaining. The extra press has only sent the song upwards on the charts as has the Steelers success this season. When interviewed by VIBE, he said, “People can’t box my sound in anymore… I’m just happy that my music reflects that.”

Here’s tonight’s starting lineup for cinema

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Good evening ladies and gents, this is Ryland coming at you once again with another rocking review of life, cinema, and sports. Today, I will be combining all three for your reading pleasure. How awesome is that? Now as you all clearly know by now, I am a supreme movie buff who loves his sports teams and loves to describe things at length. First though, let me give you some background information. Not this one, but the coming Monday is Valentines Day. You know about that famous day that is known for chocolate, the color red, and hearts as far as the eye can see, giving Hallmark a bump up in the stock market for a day and reminding singles of their sad truths? It also brings the beginning of Ojai Valley School‘s baseball season. I thought it would fit well considering I love baseball so very much. So tonight, I thought it’d be fun to recap my top 5 favorite baseball movies of all time. Read up and I’ll be back in time for the 7th inning stretch.

5: Beer League
This one probably will not belong with the proceeding heavy weight talent, however this one is the brain child of one of my favorite comedians, Artie Lange. This is the story of Artie DeVanzo, a classic underachiever with a slow pitch softball batting average of .450 and a blood alcohol content of .16. Through the companionship of his love interest and determination to defeated the hated rival, Artie leads his rag tag group of teammates from softball ineptitude to the championship game leaving a ball busting trail of laughter and memories along the way.

4: The Natural
This movie simply shows that age is merely a state of mind. The classic tale of Roy Hobbs tells the story of a once promising baseball player derailed by a gunshot wound. His comeback and resilience in the face of constant sabotage is admirable and inspiring to say the least. His persistence through pain and tape measure home runs will leave any baseball player telling their bat boy to “pick them out a winner.” This coming season, I am going to name my bat “Wonder Boy” thanks to this piece of cinematic excellence.

3: Field of Dreams
The only Kevin Costner performance I have ever sat through 100%. This movie makes the list not necessarily because of the action, but because of the passion, the heart, the light hearted absurdity, the attractive impulsivity, and most of all the belief that the amazing can come true. The scene at the end can drive those who have a similar father/son bond to tears and if not, a lip quiver and the 1919 Whitesox were as real as could be pictured. Not to mention the classic speech delivered from the timeless wisdom of James Earl Jones. The speech I will admit I have on my ipod, and for good reason too.

2: The Sandlot
This is a story of friendship and about the summer of a life time. A memoir of the summer of 62′, Scotty Smalls moves to California with no friends and no baseball IQ whatsoever. When he sees the kids at the sandlot, he is driven away in embarrassment. Thanks to the leader of the gang Benny however, Scotty slowly but surely learns the game, about baseball, and what it is to be included. This movie will leave you reciting lines over and over again and the way Squints made the move on the lifeguard will go down in history. An absolute classic movie indeed, The Sandlot is the whole package, drama, comedy, romance, baseball. What could be better?

drumroll please………..

1: 61* Trust me, I didn’t pick this for number one just because I’m a Yankee fan. This made for TV movie was made with all the passion a life long Yankee fan like Billy Crystal could muster up. Filmed during the peak of Baseball’s infamous steroid era, this film offers a positive, informative, and action packed history lesson as it accurately captures the 1961 season and the tale of two Yankees. Mickey Mantle (a living legend who is loved by all and has all the charm and talent one could ask for) and Roger Maris (a soft spoken family man from North Dakota who was one of the most misunderstood people in sports history) both chasing Babe Ruth’s home run record of 60. This film does such a wonderful job of capturing every possible nuance of what it was like day after pressure packed day for both of them, that you will truly feel genuine emotions for all involved. The action is fast and realistic, the history is accurate to every last detail, and you could tell the director was a fan. 61* is number 1 in my book.

X Games 15: Git Some.

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Today I found out that the winter X Games just happened. Starting on January 27th and ending the 30th, they went down almost exactly as expected. Shaun White won the gold in men’s half pipe competition, with his worst run in the elimination round scoring five points higher than the second place Scotty Lago’s best run and being the only person to have any runs in that round that scored in the 90’s (both of his were in that range with run 1 scoring a 90.33 and run 2 scoring a 92.00). His second finals run scored him a 97.33, which tied the previous X Games record, also held by White, making this his fourth consecutive X Games gold.

The rest of the events were relatively similar, with an American winning a medal in almost every event and many athletes winning what they were predicted to win. The biggest surprise of the Games was when Norway’s Torstein Horgmo, with multiple broken ribs from an earlier crash, landed the first triple cork in X Games history. “It’s probably the stupidest thing I’ve done in my whole life,” he told ESPN after the jump. After landing the triple cork, he unstrapped from his board and removed his helmet, which he then punted into the crowd. With a score of 80 for the run, he won the gold, the only one this year for Norway.

The X Games remained a fun and exciting showcase of extreme winter sports, with Shaun White recently being rated the second most marketable athlete in the world after Peyton Manning, and Torstein Horgmo landing a trick never before done in the X Games. This was the kind of X Games you didn’t need to watch a lot of, but in the end, still had some parts that made the featured sports, well, extreme.

Other than that…..

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I had to see Black Swan again. I’m sure for all those who did not pay attention to the title as shown above that you’ll be thinking I saw it merely for that scene with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. You know, that FAMOUS scene that is sure to win best kiss at the MTV video awards. Well I’m here today to mention that scene, and the fact that it was one scene among many.

The truth is that I had not seen a psychological thriller like this one in a long time. I thought that the plot within the plot idea was very amusing in a positive and engaging way. What I mean by this is when Natalie Portman says her performance was “perfect” in the end, she alluded to the idea that the film in itself and the plot of her life for the weeks the script covered were identical with her performance in Swan Lake as the Swan Queen.

Natalie Portman plays Nina Sayers, a shy and innocent ballet dancer who is, as her mother describes, “a sweet girl” and “the most dedicated dancer in the company.” She’s been there the longest and the company, by my understanding very renowned and the best in New York City (a city dedicated to culture), is performing a rendition of Swan Lake.

The plot of the piece involves a prince who falls in love with a girl trapped in the form of a white swan. Only true love from the prince can set her free. The white swan embodies innocence and beauty which can be interpreted by our society as what guys call “cute” rather than “hot.” Enter the black swan. The black swan embodies the “bad girl” type of vibe. She is sexy, outgoing, and uses charm in a seductive way. Their movements are different in the dance as they should be. The black swan seduces the prince causing a devastated white swan to kill herself.

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Gregg Allman

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A big surprise came this month when Gregg Allman came out with his new solo album, “Low Country Blues“. This album is a mixture of blues and, well, country.   The key track is “Floating Bridge”. This is a slow smooth southern blues song, that, of course, is about someone drowning. It’s pretty happy stuff.

Another key song is “Rolling Stone.”   The producer, T Bone Burnett did a great job with the album, but especially this song. The drums are great at the beginning, and add to the tense effect.

All in all, this is a great album. It shows Gregg Allman’s talent as a solo artist. Allman’s voice is key to the success of this album. So if you are in a Barnes & Noble or a Starbucks anytime soon, be sure to pick up this album.

From the Top

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I smile over my left shoulder at my friend who is hunched over his bass guitar, creating a progression we had only dreamed of. He stops for a moment after letting the last E note ring out from the depth of his instrument. Glancing up at me quickly, a huge smiles envelops both of our faces and we know: We’ve got it.


Mackin playing bass during a soundcheck.

I quickly put my guitar down on the stand next to the amplifier I was sitting on and dive for the open notebook and pen that are lying on the floor.

“What was the progression you just did, Mackin?” I ask, my eyes gleaming with excitement.
“E, E, G, A and on the fourth I added the high D,” He said, playing the notes as he dictated them for me.
“Brilliant,” I tell him, sitting down with the paper in front of me, “I’ve got all the lyrics down, should we take it from the top?”
“Absolutely,” he says, placing my microphone in front of me before he grabs his own.

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Adele.

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Adele
Many are familiar with Adele for her debut song Hometown Glory and the numerous remixes that have presented themselves in the past years.

In 2009 her first album 19 was a raging success with critics and listeners loving her strong voice and melodic symphonies. Becoming number one in the UK album charts and winning two Grammys, people thought that Adele really could not get any better.

After a break away from the charts Adele has once again returned with her new album 21. The new album reflects the transformation of the singer and the changes she has incurred after her past success.

Her warming tones and emotional lyrics are still evident but with new confidence and passion. She has a “crystal clear” perspective on her life and this is shown through the new material.

Although Adele believes in ‘hometown glory’ her new album has many tracks that are based around the old sounds of America.

This album is truly inspiring and Adele has not failed to disappoint.

Remember me.

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September the 11th, 2001 impacted the globe greatly. The tragic events what occurred changed the world and those who remained. Although serving many by enlightening the masses about the dangers of terrorism, the deaths that occurred will never be forgiven.

In these circumstances it is the ones that are left behind that suffer the most. The ones that are tormented by the loss of there loved ones and left to deal with a burden of grief that haunts them on a daily basis.

Losing a loved one is never easy and in the 9/11 attacks this was no exception. The grief felt was magnified on a global scale, devastating the masses.

We will always mourn for the lives that were lost in the attacks. We will always remember the individuals whose existence was taken prematurely and the aptitude and courage they showed. 9/11 will never be forgotten.

9/11

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