Interviews:

Allison Hill tells the story of the history of Vroman’s Bookstore.

Allison Hill describes how Vroman’s has changed over the years.

Joel Sheldon describes how Vroman’s Bookstore is competing despite competition from chain and online bookstores.

Related Links:

Vroman’s Bookstore

Skylight Books

Independent Bookstores in Los Angeles

Industry Book Sales

NBC’s Parks & Recreation premiered on April 9th with a respectable rating and a Pilot that felt eerily familiar. Created by Michael Schur and Greg Daniels of The Office fame, the mockumentary geniuses replicated the critically acclaimed show in Parks & Rec; shaky cameras, talking heads, and a naive, crazy lead character played by the impeccability loveable Amy Poehler.

The SNL alum plays Leslie Knope, a chairwoman of the Department of Parks and Recreation in Pawnee, Indiana, who likens herself to Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Sarah Palin. The writers, obviously playing on Poehler’s strength in portraying political powers to perfection, use the character to represent the stupidly goofy and naïve counterpart to the grounded co-workers surrounding her. It’s no wonder she’s been referred to as the female Michael Scott.

But as I sat down to watch the second episode wondering if the show stood up to it’s mediocre premiere, I realized I wasn’t laughing nearly as much as I do watching reruns of Seinfeld. I mean, Knope just tried to convince a woman that not wanting a park in her neighborhood is on par with 9 out of 10 meth users. Who doesn’t laugh at a good meth joke? Oddly enough, the one-liner had me wondering what happened to NBC’s Thursday night brand.

Huh, meth can help you think.

NBC currently devotes hours to the same type of absurd television comedy. My Name is Earl, The Office, 30 Rock (which has never been as funny as the critics proclaim), and now Parks & Rec, all could have interweaving crossover episodes, and the viewer wouldn’t notice the difference. While Parks & Rec may be an entertaining 22 minutes, and its ratings aren’t nearly as bad as other shows on the peacock network, its recipe is made of the same ingredients as the shows coming before and after it.

Sure, recreating something that works is smart, right? But with NBC’s overall dwindling ratings, and most shows merely garnering critical acclaim as opposed to viewer worship, will the comedies last?

This brings me to Must See TV.

Remember the Thursday night line up of solid half-hour comedies? Where art thou laugh tracks and multiple camera set ups? What used to be an iconic night with such television classics as Seinfeld, Friends, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Will & Grace, Mad About You, and Frasier (Joey never happened, mkay?), has now been replaced with trite and forgettable comedies; shows that have made a quick buck but probably won’t last the test of time. My Name is Earl, I’m lookin’ at you.

I can’t help but miss the quirky, relatable characters of Seinfeld and Friends because they were true to life. Who hasn’t had to deal with the friend who was a shockingly bad dancer (I adore you, Elaine Benis) or a BFF who could only respond to you in snarky borderline insults (Could Chandler BE anymore missed?). Instead, these shows have been replaced with over-the-top comedy; ridiculous one-liners utilized for a quick laugh, and slapstick humor that’s predictable and cheesy. Its characters have been traded with unfeeling, unredeemable caricatures. Does anyone really know a Michael Scott or Leslie Knope in real life? And if you do, my deepest condolences.

The dialogue of Thursday night TV is filtered with sarcastic, unbelievably naïve statements. The storylines are rabidly unrealistic and exaggerated. The half hour shows are filled with shockingly ridiculous scenarios. It wouldn’t matter if this was all showcased in one show, but the night is blocked off with the same type of humor.

“When I was in 6th grade, I was voted best dressed by 87 votes. And there were only 63 people in my class,” says Michael Scott, er… Leslie Knope.

Although Leslie isn’t nearly as offensive as Michael, and the lines are smile-crackin’ worthy, it’s all the same. There’s nothing significant that differentiates Parks & Rec from The Office. The humor, the randomness, and the facial expressions of each character are reminiscent of the characters at Dunder Mifflin and 30 Rock. And it features The Office’s Rashida Jones, who may be beautiful, but the chick sucks the life out of my television.

While it may be too soon to judge Parks & Rec’s entertainment value, it represents the birth of the same, and the death of snappy and sophisticated comedies of years past.

This should be a wakeup call for NBC, as the network has been struggling for years. They’ve significantly lost Thursday night viewership since the series finale of Friends. It’s hard to believe this is the same network where 75 million viewers gathered to watch the series finale of Seinfeld. Although I’m pretty certain they think they’re doing well. Anything can be successful on NBC compared to what they’ve been airing. Momma’s Boys, anyone?

Sure, less American’s are tuning into television overall. Time Magazine reports that only 27% of U.S. households are watching the Big Four network in primetime. More viewers are converting their viewership to cable and online mediums, making it hard to measure if it’s the lack of quality shows or merely the new media reeking havoc that has caused some Nielson ratings to dip so drastically.

The writer’s strike of 2008 definitely didn’t help.

But with American Idol, Survivor, CSI, and Grey’s Anatomy bringing in the viewers in massive droves, it’s clearly not a lost cause to have a hit show.

So I choose to blame NBC.

The Office is one of the funniest shows on television, and I’m guilty of owning all the DVDs and quoting Michael Scott on a daily basis. But while The Office was semi-groundbreaking at the time, there’s no need for a replication in Parks & Rec, or a line-up filled with the same type of comedy. What is needed is a little bit of nostalgia.

One significant question remains. Why would NBC choose to stray away from a proven workable formula? Friends, Seinfeld, and Will & Grace, to name a few, all featured a group of friends and their hilarious antics regarding friendship, dating, and work.

CBS learned, becoming the most successful network in the 2008-2009 season. Airing such hits as The Big Bang Theory, the legen-wait for it-dary How I Met Your Mother, and Two & a Half Men (the highest rated comedy on television today… I’m as shocked as you are, Charlie Sheen), they’ve taken NBC’s previous formula and used it to their own advantage.

So, what do you think? Tired of NBC’s same old Thursday night comedy line up? Disagree? Think viewership is down because technology is changing? Leave me a comment below.

FYI: Aziz Ansari is free to call me to discuss this at any time.

George avoids a phone call with a very catchy answering machine message.

“When you see a kid walk up to the bunny, walk up and grab the basket, it’s amazing. They light up. They light up like a Christmas tree,” said Art Aguilar, vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).

Hundreds of baskets arrived on an MTA bus decorated with stuffed bunnies, plastic eggs, and pastel colored streamers. The children, ranging from 2 to 5 years old, some dressed like princesses, and others in homemade bunny ears, were presented with Easter baskets containing toys, candy, dolls, and school supplies after dancing the bunny hop and singing with real “bunnies.”

The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO’s Community Services Program and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles joined forces to give more than 2,000 Easter baskets to homeless and abused children around Los Angeles. Union members and leaders from various industries, including drivers, mechanics, and Teamsters, raised nearly $20,000 for the baskets, volunteering their time and money.

“We call it ‘From Labor, With Love.’ And that’s our motto because all the unions donate money to this…all the unions donated and helped buy the baskets… build the baskets. And it’s just showing that we care during this time of year,” said Aguilar.

Armando Olivas, the western regional director of AFL-CIO’s Community Services Liaison, originally came up the Easter basket program in 1995.

“Every Christmas and during the holidays, there’s an outpour of support for children throughout the city. So one month after that, I thought, ‘Why aren’t we helping kids throughout the year?’ So we were trying to think of a project that would help children throughout the greater Los Angeles area….and we thought of Easter baskets,” he said.

He continued: “We were very naïve. I thought we would raise enough money for 1,000 (baskets)…but we ended up with 2,000 to 3,000 baskets. And it grew and grew and grew.”

Steven Neal, the director of AFL-CIO’s Community Service Liaison program, said they’ve serviced around 30 different shelters and handed out nearly 2,500 baskets this month.

“A lot of kids are from foster homes, victims of fires, and if we didn’t visit them, they wouldn’t be able to celebrate Easter,” he said.

The volunteers said it’s the underprivileged and neglected children who keep them coming back every year.

“The first time we came out here, the Easter bunny was in tears…and we’ve gotten letters back from children, living in homeless shelters, saying, ‘if it wasn’t for this program, we wouldn’t receive a basket,” Olivas said.

Olivas’ son, Matthew, 8, said it’s “heartwarming” to see the happiness the baskets bring the children.

“Homeless children get what they want, so they now have a good thought in their hearts,” he said.

Glen Rosales, a metro mechanic for the ATU, said he’s been involved with the program for nearly six years. He said the event is worth it just to see the children smile.

“We (went to) Miller’s Children Hospital (in Long Beach) and there was a little girl, maybe 18 months old with cancer… and she ran down the hall so fast to hug the bunny. You think you’re having a bad day and then you see something like that, and it’s all worth it,” Rosales said.

Aguilar agreed.

“When we’ve gone to the cancer unit, that’s really hard because you see how they’re going through their therapy…how they’re going through chemo. And they’re in total surprise to see the rabbit. And it was just so touching to see how a $5 to $8 basket is making the child just…light up,” he said.

Leslie Gersicoff, a volunteer from the Jewish Labor Committee, said it’s gratifying to watch the children become enthralled with the life-size bunnies.

“To watch the children be so exuberant because of the attention and just be treated specially… I really wouldn’t miss it,” she said.

For more than 100 years, the Children’s Institute, Inc., has helped children who have been affected by trauma in their homes. Whether it’s physical abuse or emotional neglect, the program allows for these children to lead normal lives.

Lizanne Fleming, the director of Communications at the Children’s Institute, said they are appreciative of AFL-CIO and the United Ways contributions.

“It’s one thing for the organization to give Easter baskets and toys, but this idea of having a city bus pull up in front of your organizations laden with gifts and Easter baskets and employees being volunteers and the ones to give out the gifts? That’s amazing,” she said.

She continued: “As employees, it’s magical to us. We drop what we’re doing at our desk. We look at the kid’s faces… (you) can’t help it. It’s contagious, you just share their happiness. The excitement when two big bunnies come into your play yard…it doesn’t get better than that,” she said.

Adventureland (photo from buzzsugar.com)

Life is a rollercoaster for James Brennan, but it’s not one he can control or get paid to operate. He’s more of a games guy, anyway.

It’s 1987. Brennan just got his heart crushed into a million pieces after being dumped by his girlfriend of about seven days. He’ll just focus on his summer trip to Europe, right? Wrong. His father, who is drowning his sorrows via alcohol, got transferred to a lesser paying job. Now Brennan can’t afford Europe or Columbia Journalism School in the fall. In order to make enough cash for the latter, though, not only does he have to move in with his parents (yikes!), but he’s forced to get a summer job in Pittsburgh. But wait. He’s finding it difficult to get work off of his extracurricular activities or his degree in comparative literature. He’s not even qualified for manual labor.

To top it all off, dude’s still a virgin.

The only job left for poor Brennan is a menial games operator position at Adventureland, where the games are can’t be won and leftover corndogs from the previous night are still served. It’s like Disneyland without the fabulous rides and the whole dreams coming true part.

Written and directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad), the film is based on Mottola’s own experiences working at an amusement park in the 1980s. Adventureland is run by Bobby and Paulette, a quirky married couple played by SNL duo Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who quickly assess Brennan and determine he’s not cut out to handle the rides. This isn’t a surprise considering Brennan is a skinny, curly-haired gerbil who looks like a Jonas Brother and sometimes reads poetry for pleasure. He’s a romantic. He’s not cutthroat enough for rides. Or something like that.

Brennan is surrounded by an array of crazy park employees, including the beautiful yet awkward and misunderstood Em (Kristen Stewart); too screwed up to deal with her problems, so she spends her off hours meeting up with Connell (Ryan Reynolds), an older, married, rock star wannabe who once jammed with Lou Reed…and is currently working maintenance at Adventureland. This doesn’t stop her from befriending Brennan, however, and he quickly becomes infatuated with her.

She’s joined by Joel (Martin Starr), who rejects any type of social norm, Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva), a self-proclaimed virgin whose ass is a higher truth, and other kids working daily shifts at the park. All adding a daily dose of weird in Brennan’s life. Adventureland may appear to be a cliché coming-of-age story, but it’s anything but your ordinary feel-good “finding yourself” film. And yeah, we’ve all seen the typical boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back saga, but it somehow feels different in Mottola’s account.

Brennan and Em’s romance is playful yet serious. She tells him about her disruptive family life, and he explains his ambition to write travel books. Their relationship is simple and innocent, yet deep and angsty enough for the audience to understand their inability to maintain a real relationship. He falls in love too quickly and she’s barely able to feel anything at all.

“I think you might be the coolest and cutest guy I’ve ever met,” Em says. “I mean, I’m really high, but…”

The script has the typical stoner jokes and sexual humor, but it never feels over-the-top or utilized for a quick laugh. Sure, there are a record number of punches in the crotch and crude one-liners, but don’t expect it to be Apatow-style; Adventureland is too mature and sweet for that.

The soundtrack is filled with ‘80s classic rock (the soundtrack to any skinny-jeaned, Ray Ban wearing hipster), featuring The Cure, David Bowie, The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love,” which becomes a staple song throughout the film, as well as a small gag toward the end.

The real strength is the eclectic cast, led by Eisenberg and Stewart, who are able convey the uncertainty and anxiety of post-college life.

It’s this ambiguity that may contribute to Brennan’s inability to operate the rides.  When Brennan finally abandons his preconceived notions on how things should be, he discovers what he’s wanted all along.

I guess dreams can come true at Adventureland.

“We’re actually pushing the community college a little bit harder than we did last year. Due to the different budget crisis and the kids actually getting letters and stuff now, saying they’re being denied (from state schools),” said advisor David Citizen.

The California State University system will cut 10,000 incoming students for the 2009-2010 academic year despite receiving more than $500 million from stimulus funds. The California Community Colleges, which serves more than 2.7 million students in 110 community colleges across the state, will not be able to provide assistance to these additional students due to a nearly $7.4 billion budget cut to schools and community colleges.

Counselors said that even with this lack of resources, community college is more than a back-up plan; it’s a viable option.

“Community college is just another option for college that people are more aware of now,” said Citizen.

Aurora Martinez, a college counselor at Fremont, agrees that community college selection should be taken seriously.

“No matter if the student applies to a Cal State, or private school, they should apply to community college. We don’t know what’s going to happen, so we always want to have a Plan B or a Plan C,” she said.

Although the counselors are pushing community college applications, Martinez said they are aware of the setbacks facing the institutions.

“The problem with community colleges is the students won’t have the opportunity to take all the classes they need to take because they’ll be overcrowded,” said Martinez.

Overcrowding isn’t the only factor. Community colleges may have to turn student’s away, cut classes and intersessions, or cap the number of students at the school, which would be detrimental to students flocking to community college in the face of rejection from state schools.

“It’s whole lot of pressure on community college system now to actually take the bulk of all these other students. Not just from Cal State but (from the University of California system) also,” said Citizen.

Thousands of students are expected to enroll in community colleges in the incoming months, as the fiscal situation at four-year universities is likely to increase the number of students who may be forced to attend community college.

Los Angeles City College, which serves nearly 23,000 students, has seen a 16 percent increase in the past semester, according to Jamillah Moore, the president of L.A. City College.

“We have an increased number of students but limited resources. So, our challenge is trying to find ways to continue to provide service to students while we have less state funds, less resources overall,” said Moore.

The increase in enrollment and lack of funding caused L.A. City College to reduce the number of classes being offered.

“If the class doesn’t start out the first day full, it’s not a class worth keeping in the schedule, we’ll cancel the course because of the reduced dollars and the budget,” said Moore.

Some students are also seeking more education to combat the growing job competition, said Moore.

“We are finding more students are coming back to get retrained in other careers or come back to college and start earning units to move towards a degree so they have better opportunities when the economy bounces back,” she said.

Moore says that although they’ve seen an influx of students, they haven’t stopped accepting new prospective enrollees.

“We’re already at cap. We just no longer receive state apportioned dollars for the additional students that are over cap,” she said.

Some students at Fremont, a high school with nearly 5,000 students, hope community college remains an option for higher education.

“I heard that the college I want to apply to… they’re dropping thousands of students, maybe I won’t be able to go there, so there’s always community college,” said senior Tyrone McClure.

Martinez said that while students are aware of the financial crisis, it’s difficult to explain the importance of timely applications to the seniors.

“They are 17 and 18 years old. They’re seniors suffering from ‘senioritis.’ They want to have fun. It’s difficult for them to understand they need to take care of business as soon as possible because the situation is different this year,” she said.

So different, Martinez said, that the number of students who applied to out-of-state schools and online universities has increased due to the economy.

But Martinez said this is not the norm.

“At inner-cities schools…not a lot (of student’s) apply out-of-state. They’re the first generation going to college. They’re very afraid of leaving home; going far away. It’s really difficult because they’re afraid,” she said.

Martinez said the economic crisis isn’t merely affecting students on a school-wide level.

“These kids are suffering first-hand from the financial crisis because their parents aren’t working anymore. This gives them more instability and (they have to) plan (for college) in a different way because their parents won’t be able to help at all,” said Martinez.

Students, however, remain optimistic they’ll end up at the university of their choice.

“The economy will work itself out. I hope it works out,” said McClure.

Interviews:
Jamillah Moore discusses why L.A. City College students are at most risk.

Moore speaks on less class offerings, teacher lay offs, and capping the number of students at L.A. City College.

David Citizen, a college advisor at Fremont, describes the students’ worries about college, and how they feel they’ve taken the SAT’s for no reason.

Aurora Martinez, a college counselor at Fremont High, discusses how the economy is affecting the students at home.

Related Links:
California’s community colleges near the breaking point
Los Angeles City College
John C. Fremont High School
Schwarzenegger signs California budget bill
CSU cuts 10,000 students

Everlasting Moments

Like a photograph’s ability to last centuries, “Everlasting Moments” is reminiscent of long-lasting picture, a vivid impression carefully positioned and captured with the precision that allows films to last beyond a Hollywood expiration date.

Set in the beginning of the twentieth century, the Swedish film directed by Jan Troell outlines the difficulties of daily life during a period of uncertainty and female suppression. The film is narrated by Maja (Callin Ohrvall), the eldest daughter of Maria and Sigge Larsson, who recalls the tale of the hardships of her parents’ tumultuous marriage with a sense of nostalgia and anguish of years past.

Sigge (Mikael Persbrandt) is an alcoholic who has a propensity toward treating horses with more respect than his own family. “No one’s died from a bit of a belt,” he tells Maria after beginning to beat Maja with the age-old domestic weapon.

Maria (Maria Heiskanen), on the other hand, is a strong-willed desperate housewife; a mother of a growing number of children (the film ends with a record number of seven kids), the wife of an abusive alcoholic adulterer, and a…photographer.

Maria’s passion for taking pictures is at the helm of Maja’s recollections. Maja recalls the story of Maria winning a Contessa camera at a carnival. Sigge said he should own the camera because he bought the ticket. Maria said they can share it if he marries her.

While the camera may have brought the two together, it tears them apart years later.

Forgotten after years of working to keep her family afloat, and with Sigge’s newfound passion for the socialist party hindering his ability to sustain a job, Maria tries to sell the camera for much needed cash. She visits a local camera shop to see what her Contessa camera is worth. Instead, Pedersen (Jesper Christensen), the shop owner, says he will buy it and Maria can look after it.

From here, Maria’s photography becomes more than a hobby, allowing her to find a sense of escapism through the machinery.

At first, she begins to take family photos of her children, but when Maja’s schoolmate, Ingeborg, dies, Maria takes a picture of the deceased girl. Her mother tearfully admits this is the most beautiful her daughter has ever been.

Afterwards, not only does Maria’s photography bloom into a part-time business, but her growing feelings for Pedersen develop into a full-blown emotional romance. But don’t expect a wild love affair; this film panders toward stolen glances and significant dialogue between the two already married acquaintances.

Although Maria’s relationship with Pedersen never comes to fruition, it’s the unspoken love that propels the film toward its natural fragrance of innocence.

When Pedersen leaves Maria a package with chemicals for her photos, he leaves a tiny rose in the package. Small gestures and smiles caress the relationship to a higher intensity than a mere friendship.

While the relationship never progresses, Maria still struggles with her newfound love of photography and her requited (but never acted upon) relationship with Pederson. On top of that, she must deal with her husband’s escalating abuse, his disdain for her passion of taking photos, and raising seven children without any means of fiscal security.

“I don’t want it. I forget I’m a mother. It turns me into another person!” Maria says of her camera, which has given her a new sense of living.

While the film can be difficult to watch at certain points, especially the physically abusive relationship between Sigge and Maria, the film’s anchor is its realism, with an ending that’s anything but surprising considering statistics surrounding martial abuse.

With photography and visuals being the crux of the film, it’s appropriate for the film itself to be aesthetically beautiful. With natural tones highlighting the depth of Maria’s fragile state, the viewer is able to feel the struggle of her relentless devotion to Sigge or her friendship with Pedersen through the colors perspiring through the screen.

“Just imagine it…we’ll always be here. These moments will be everlasting,” Maria says of the final tangible product of a photograph.

“Everlasting Moments” will forever remain in existence… albeit in motion.

Lindsay Lohan (people.com)

A warrant issued against actress Lindsay Lohan was dismissed on Monday after a Beverly Hills judge ruled the actress had met the terms of her probation from two drunken driving convictions in 2007.

Judge Marsha N. Revel said she received additional information from Lohan’s representatives that proved she complied with the conditions of an alcohol education program. Revel said the program was unaware she had completed certain aspects of the course. Lohan was not present at the hearing.

A $50,000 warrant for Lohan’s arrest was issued by the Beverly Hills Superior Court on Friday after she allegedly breached the terms of her probation from drunken driving incidents in 2007. Revel said the court received a letter from the alcohol education program indicating Lohan had failed to satisfy her sentence.

In May 2007, the 22-year-old actress was charged with drunken driving after crashing her Mercedes-Benz into a curb. After receiving treatment for alcoholismat a rehab facility in Malibu, she was arrested again in July for driving under the influence and possessing cocaine. She pleaded guilty to two counts of being under the influence of cocaine, and no contest to drunken and reckless driving. Lohan was ordered to spend 24 hours in jail, serve three years of probation, enroll in an alcohol rehabilitation program, and complete community service.

To avoid future miscommunication, Revel said Lohan must show proof to the program when she fulfills requirements for the probation. The judge also said there is no indication of “dirty” drug and alcohol tests. In addition, Lohan must prove she’s enrolled in a new alcohol rehabilitation program by April 3.

At a short press conference after the hearing, Lohan’s lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, said the situation is a “misunderstanding.” Chapman Holley said confusion arose when Lohan switched from one alcohol program to another, citing “personality issues.” She said Lohan has satisfied all the conditions of her probation.

“This was all much to do about nothing…I have every expectation that she’ll successfully complete those terms,” she said.

(photo from: people.com)

Trouble for Los Angeles City College?

California approved a new budget forcing schools and community colleges to cut $7.4 billion from their budgets. Now, local high school students may no longer have community college as an option. Or do they?

Watchmen (photo from Apple.com)

1. The creator of the original comic book despises the very existence of the film!

Based on the widely appreciated comic book series by Alan Moore, Moore went to great lengths in order to remove his name from Zack Synder’s (300, Dawn of the Dead) brainchild.

It’s like if your parents don’t approve of your significant other. You date them anyway to prove them wrong, but you eventually succumb to the fact that they were right all along.

2. The most cliché soundtrack since the Now That’s What I Call Music! Franchise

Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” is played over a nothing-left-to-the-imagination sex scene. I don’t know what’s more unfortunate: the fact that a 10-year-old was sitting next to me, or that I was wondering if “Like a Virgin” would have made a better companion to what will soon be released in an extra-large DVD case.

“The Sounds of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel, becoming one of the most overused soundtrack staples since “Walking on Sunshine,” can be heard when The Comedian gets shot with a tranquilizer dart and falls into a pool…oh, wait. That was Old School.

3. It’s “All the President’s Men”… but not!

The film portrays an alternate reality where Richard Nixon is still president after succeeding in Vietnam with the help of superheroes Dr. Manhattan and the Comedian.

Ultimately, thanks to the Watchmen, Watergate never happened.

But it’s okay!

Patrick Wilson (Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II) resembles a younger Bob Woodward, displaying the necessary wired-rimmed brown glasses and matted hair with a side-part.

Malin Akerman plays Laurie, the female version of Deep Throat.

And in true Hollywood form, Nixon’s portrayer (Robert Wisden) wears a prosthetic nose for realism that eventually becomes more distracting than full frontal nudity.

Where’s Dan Hedaya when you need him?

4. Dr. Manhattan’s package

Imagine a member of the Blue Man group. Now picture him nude.

5. Rorschach is Gossip Girl

Rorschach is the eyes of the audience. He sees what others don’t see. He knows what they don’t know. He reads from his journal via voice-overs, guiding the audience through the mystery of the Comedian’s murder. He remains a masked vigilante despite Congress banning the use of these disguises.

He refuses to reveal his true identity to the real world.

He’s Gossip Guy.

Spotted: Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II reunited to uncover the mystery of The Comedian’s death. We hear that’s not all they’re uncovering. Our deepest sympathies, Dr. Manhattan. XOXO Rorschach

And who is he? Well, that’s a secret he’ll never tell. You know you love him.

6. It’s the “He’s/She’s Just Not That Into You” Guide to Dating Superheroes

He’s just not that into you… if multiplies himself by three in order to multi-task during sex.

She’s just not that into you… if she travels all the way to Mars to see her ex.

7. The Comedian

Javiar Bardem, er, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, plays Eddie Blake, a former vigilante who nearly raped Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino), shot a pregnant women in the stomach, and killed innocent bystanders all in the name of the irony of humanity. The majority of the film is spent on the question: “Who Killed the Comedian?” The more important inquiry: “Why didn’t anyone kill the SOB sooner?”

8. Ozymandias

Try to say this three times fast. You’ll have plenty of time during the 2 hour, 40 minute movie.

9. The opening sequence/credits

The first fight scene is so magnifying and bone-popping, it’s literally glass shattering. And with a unique credit sequence set to Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin,” Snyder is able to depict the history of the Watchmen with such efficiency and authenticity that the rest of the film is never able to live up to those moments.

You can always see it on YouTube.

For the first time, the California State University system will turn away 10,000 qualified students at its 23 campuses due to the state budget crisis, many of whom would be expected to enroll at community colleges.

“I really feel empathy for the students who are probably going to be turning to the community colleges for their transfer level course content if they can’t get into the university of their choice. The reality is, seats aren’t going to be available,” said Allen Dooley, associate dean of enrollment at Pasadena City College.

The Cal State system is planning to cut 10,000 incoming students for the 2009-2010 academic year because of the economic downturn. The California Community Colleges, which serves more than 2.7 million students in 110 community colleges in the state, will not be able to assist students due to a nearly $620 million budget cut to the community college system.

If the proposed budget cuts were to occur, community colleges would have to turn students away, cut classes and intersessions, or cap the number of students at the school, which would be detrimental to possible CSU students considering community college as a back up plan.

According to the Community Colleges’ chancellor’s office, the governor’s administrations budget proposal would include more than $330 million in mid-year cuts on top of a $290 million reduction in the recently enacted State Budget, for a total of $622.2 million in cuts to the California Community Colleges system.

“We are going to have to turn away 250,000 students and we will not be able to accommodate the 10,000 students that CSU is turning away,” said Diane Woodruff, chancellor of the California Community Colleges.

Woodruff’s estimated 250,000 students come from state’s proposed $332.2 million reduction in cuts, which would mean 64,000 full-time students would not be assisted, including nearly 100,000 students that are currently unfunded. This would be a total of 164,000 full time equivalent students that Woodruff predicted the system would not be able to serve. However, the chancellor said because many students attend the colleges part time, officials believe over 250,000 students would ultimately be affected by the cuts.

LACC

“It’s a challenging time for community colleges. CSU closes its doors, and we take on more students. It’s a challenge because we get the least amount of money, but we have more people to serve. So we’re offering limited resources to more students,” said Jamillah Moore, president of Los Angeles City College.

Moore said L.A. City College, which serves nearly 23,000 students, tries to make cutbacks based on reduced spending and a wait-and-see approach.

“We don’t want to pull back on enrollment, so for example, if a class in a certain section isn’t filling up, we’ll simply remove that class from the schedule,” she said.

“And if we’re offering two to three summer sessions, we may even cut back and offer two,” Moore added.

Pasadena City College, the third-largest single-campus community college district in the United States, with nearly

Pasadena City College

26,000 credit students, and about 5,000 non-credit students, is another one of the schools seeing the effect of a worsening financial situation, and would be unable to accept this new influx of students.

“It’s not a good situation, but we can’t accommodate all the other people…we can only accommodate what we’ve scheduled for [nearly 30,000 students]. We can’t offer more because we won’t have the money to pay for it,” said Margaret Ramey, associate dean of admissions at Pasadena City College.

Although Ramey doesn’t know the extent of the cutbacks, they’ve had to cut some classes for the spring semester because of the budget.

“We have gone over [enrollment] probably what we should have for fall 2008 and that’s probably one of the reasons we had to cut back for spring,” Ramey said. “We’re prepared to do the schedule that we planned, but we can’t do anymore than that. There are financial and space reasons. It’s going to be a juggling, first-come, first-serve type of thing.”

Ultimately, the programs with the possibility of being cut are up to the students.

“It depends what people want, what type of classes they’re looking for. Our English and Math fill up the fastest,” said Ramey.

Dooley, however, said classes haven’t been cut, proposing that Pasadena College is trying to keep the enrollment numbers steady, without growing or cutting figures.

“What PCC is doing is keeping the number of sections flat compared to spring of 2008, meaning no additional classes or sections for spring,” Dooley said.

“We are going to maintain classes at a no-growth level. That’s because we won’t have additional budget resources from the state to increase the number of courses that we offer,” he added.

Dooley predicted that Pasadena will mostly be affected due to some of its sister colleges cutting sections and reducing enrollments.

“I think Glendale [Community College], Mt.SAC [Mt. San Antonio College], and Citrus [College], [are] eliminating summer sessions, winter sessions, and in some cases, decreasing the amount of sections in their regular fall and spring semesters,” Dooley said.

Frances Collins-Moore, a high school counselor at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School in Pasadena, said it’s only been within the past eight or nine months that they’ve been fully aware of the college cutbacks and how it would affect the high school students.

“We’re having meetings as we speak, so we can interact with PCC [for example] to find out just how the budget is affecting them. They need to tell us what approach they’re going to take with our students. We’re trying to churn out the students and make them ready for the careers they want, the colleges they want, and for the programs they want to get into. At this venue, we’re just trying to get the students ready for where they want to go,” said Collins-Moore.

Collins-Moore, however, is quick to note the inevitability of budget cuts influencing Pasadena College and other community colleges around the area.

“I could see PCC capping the number of students, or venture our students to other community colleges. I could also see them cutting classes. But I don’t think anyone knows what’s going to happen,” she said. “Although education is usually the hardest hit.”

In 2007, Marshall sent nearly 42 percent of its students to a 2-year college, 44 percent to a 4-year college, and about 14 percent attended a vocational school.

Collins-Moore proposed students should be prepared academically in order to face the consequences of budget cuts limiting university and community college access.

“They need to study hard and do well on entrance exams, such as the SAT and the ACT, but they also need to have a back up school that they can go to,” said Collins-Moore. “I’m telling a lot of my students, it’s highly competitive, and it’s going to get even more competitive for you. You are going to need to be prepared.”

Ramona Czernek, 17, a senior at Marshall who has applied to several Cal State universities, said the budget cuts are a topic of conversation within her circle of friends.

“A lot of my friends only applied to two Cal States universities… and now they feel because CSU was cut, their grade point averages aren’t good enough to get into Cal State.  They said they’re going to PCC [now.] That’s their option since they can’t seem to get into other universities,” said Czernek.

Czernek said if budget cuts go into effect for community colleges, her friends would seemingly have no other alternative.

“Some of my friends will try to give up because they can’t get into community college,” she said. “They’re afraid that if they don’t get in a community college, they won’t have any other options.”

CORRECTION: Glendale Community College did not cut the winter or summer sessions, according to Wendy Grove, the Public Information Coordinator at Glendale.