Monday, April 27

8 p.m. “Greek” on ABC Family. Casey challenges the IKIs to a game of inter-sorority dodgeball to show the strength of ZBZ sisterhood and win over Jordan. How does this make any sense? Dodgeball doesn’t mean anything outside of sixth grade P.E. and Vince Vaughn’s career.

8 p.m. “Gossip Girl” on the CW. Chuck and Nate fight (hopefully fist fight) for Blair’s affections. Georgina returns–has she changed? Million dollar ratings question.

8 p.m. “Chuck” on NBC. Ellie and Awesome are getting married, but first Chuck has to fight Chevy Chase to the death–or something like that. Violence seems to dominate this Monday.

8 p.m. “House” on Fox. A deaf teenager says his hearing worsened during a boxing match. (Violence, see?) His mother won’t allow the doctors to make him better.

8:30 p.m. “How I Met Your Mother” on CBS. Ted starts texting some lady he’s dating, which breaks one of Barney’s cardinal rules. You’d think Barney would like any method that simplifies the booty call. (Click here to read more…)

There’s something about films revolving around children that gives them lasting appeal. Even if you don’t admire the intensely personal quality of their narratives or the inspired backstories of their conceptions, their penchant to move and stimulate remains incomparable. Childhood and cinema: it’s a marriage that sustains itself beautifully.

I present to you So Young Kim’s “Treeless Mountain,” coming to a theater near you this May.

Take note: Spike Lee has something to say about American sports. Following in the footsteps of the 2006 French documentary “Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait,” the controversial filmmaker has teamed up with reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant to create a day-in-the-life style study of one of the sport’s most recognizable stars.

How did they do it? With cameras, of course–30, to be exact. Lee’s documentary follows the Los Angeles icon through the course of one 48-minute basketball game, charting everything from Bryant’s locker room rituals to his on-court interactions and banter with teammates and rivals alike. The setting is the final game of the 2008 NBA regular season, with the playoff atmosphere already brewing and players’ mindsets driven by dreams of championship glory.

The film, aptly titled “Kobe Doin’ Work,” airs on ESPN commercial-free on Saturday, May 16 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time; in the meantime, take a look at the official trailer here. Bottom line: If you’re a fan of either man’s work, don’t miss it.

Interestingly, Lee himself shot some of the footage from his courtside seat!

Image Sources: Associated Press, Freshness Mag

Ron Howard’s “Frost/Nixon” was an Oscar nominee for Best Picture.

After hearing many complaints about how “Frost/Nixon” isn’t worth the hype, I was convinced by my father to watch it. I walked in the theater reluctantly and left even more so. The film unexpectedly engaged and intrigued me on several points: its significance that this historic event should be discussed now, the composed depiction of extreme loneliness and the changing role of media and its place in society.

Watergate is an ugly scab in our country’s history. Why do we rip it open again? And again? And again? In context of the film, David Frost (played by a charming Michael Sheen) demands something close to Nixon’s confession to expose the lost justice that the American democratic system deserves and requires for its very existence. Nixon’s admittance would never justify the illegal acts he committed, but it would show the American people that corruption had been recognized. (Click here to read more…)

Whether you play basketball there, go with friends for a picnic or entirely avoid the sometimes-shady locale after dark, People’s Park is one of the most famous and historic patches of land in Berkeley.  And it’s been here for about twice as long as most Berkeley students have been alive, so I guess we owe it some reverence.  The park has been celebrating its fortieth birthday for the past week, and the culminating event is a big, free concert tomorrow from noon to six.

The show doesn’t seem to be very well publicized–I only heard of it because I wasn’t smooth enough to dodge a flyering guy in front of Rasputin last weekend–but it features some impressive names.  Among the performers are Bay Area psychedelic hero Country Joe, proto-punk godfather Jonathan Richman, folk/jazz singer and guitarist Terry Garthwaite and even Berkeley High’s own Is. (Click here to read more…)

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s new Artistic Director Bill Rauch has truly brought something different to Ashland: a raucus, crowd-pleasing classic American musical. Written by Meredith Willson, “The Music Man” is an optimistic, light-hearted comedy about con man “Professor Harold Hill” (played by the perfectly charming Michael Elich) coming to a small town in Iowa in 1912 to make his fortune and get out before getting caught. At least, that was his plan until he met the hot librarian, Marian Paroo, played by Gwendolyn Mulamba. Hilarity ensues.

(Click here to read more…)

I just got back from seeing Wole Soyinka’s “Death and the King’s Horseman.” It was beautiful, which is hardly surprising. Non-beautiful plays don’t make it to the Angus Bowmer Theatre. To add to the night’s thrill, understudy Peter Macon took over for Derrick Lee Weeden in the leading role of Elesin, the Horseman of the King. Macon was phenomenal. Even weilding a script in one scene, he was an embodiment of passion and professionalism. Tomorrow night I’ll get to see him again as Macbeth. What a boss.

To make a long story short, better explained here, “Death and the King’s Horseman” is about what happens as a result of “a presumption on the part of a dominant culture about what is right and good for another,” in Soyinka’s words. A tribe of the Yoruba of Nigeria were carrying out a ritual suicide, vital to the future of their people, when a British official stepped in to stop what he saw as wrong. Or rather, what he worried could make him look bad to the higher-ups in the colonial structure.

(Click here to read more…)

Ladies and Gentlemen, commence your feelings of jealously. I’ve skipped the last two days of classes this week and moseyed on up to Ashland, Oregon to see a few plays in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) and buy some tie-dyed clothes from trendy boutiques. Because there really isn’t enough of that in Berkeley.

Ashland is a quaint little town just over the border from California built around its theaters. Full of tourists, used book stores and barefooted hippies, Ashland is a haven for all who love theater.

While I’m here I’ll also be shepherding a busload of sassy 8th graders to and fro. My job has so far involved saying “shh” and pretending I know my way around town. I got the gig through my middle school drama teacher, who led the same trip when I was a hormonal, giggling 13-year old. Now I am one of the venerated “grown up” chaperons, which means I get better food, my own room and delusions of power. Best of all, I get to see 3 (hopefully) incredible plays. FO FREE.

(Click here to read more…)

This week’s Krony is a lot of fun. I won’t lie to you- I stumbled across it, like so many good things, in my Facebook mini-feed.

It’s another good example of an individual-who I’m calling the “artist”-creates a simple system and releases it for people to express themselves through. In this case, it’s a simple grid of gray boxes. Clicking on one lights it up and activates a sound. The music moves from left to right in a loop and higher boxes have higher pitches than lower boxes. Music has essentially been mapped to a grid.

It’s a great toy, and it’s fun to see what different shapes sound like.

This week’s Krony: The Tone Matrix

The picture is because I’m honestly not especially pumped about any one show in particular. So I’ll be excited about all of them!

Monday, April 20

8 p.m. “Chuck” on NBC. Chuck and Sarah go off the grid trying to find Orion a.k.a. Chuck’s dad. They also get closer romantically until Chevy Chase’s gruesome shadow looms its ugly head.

8 p.m. “Greek” on ABC Family. Rusty is angry because Andy hooked up with Jordan, so he’s reluctant to be the freshman’s big brother. Unfair much? Rusty didn’t even make a move!

8 p.m. “Gossip Girl” on the CW. Okay–the episode’s called “Seder Anything,” and yeah, respect that “Gossip Girl” is (sort of) honoring the Jewish high holidays and John Cusack’s most romantic movie … but really? Combining the two names? It’s freaking me out a little. (Click here to read more…)