TUESDAY, JANUARY 27. 2015
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arts & features
TRENDING 'The Interview' now streaming on Netflix
The controversial movie, "The Interview" starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, made its Netflix debut Saturday.
KELLY CORDINGLEY
@kellycordingley
The movie, directed by Rogen, depicts Franco and Rogen traveling to North Korea to kill Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un, gained popularity when Sony pulled it from theaters due to threats of a 9/11-style attack on the U.S. by Sony hackers.
While the storm has calmed, Netflix decided to take the plunge and stream the movie to its large audience. The movie is "the most dangerous dumb comedy in the world" according to Buzzfeed, and it seems like "its creators aren't entirely sure who their jokes are on."
Since the movie has become available to the public, it has also become the butt of a few jokes. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler poked fun at the movie while hosting The Golden Globes on Jan. 11, saying that the threatened attack "forced us all to pretend we wanted to see [the movie]."
Fey jabbed at the movie, saying, "North Korea referred to 'The Interview' as 'absolutely intolerable and a wanton act of terror.' Even more amazing, not the worst review it got," according to US Magazine.
Despite the jokes, when the controversy surrounding the movie was at full force, it was on the minds of actors and politicians alike. Seth Rogen tweeted out that, "freedom has prevailed. Sony didn't give up" when Sony decided to do a minimal release.
Even President Obama chimed in, telling NBC News that Sony made a mistake in pulling the movie and that they shouldn't be intimidated by possible hacks and threats made.
Former U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich tweeted that America had lost its first cyber war due to the Sony hack and decision not to release the movie.
Dennis Rodman, retired basketball player, is sure to try and keep some of the controversy going since he has visited North Korea multiple times, and considers himself a friend of the North Korean regime that is largely unpopular in the U.S. According to the Washington Post, Rodman referred to the North Korean regime as "majestic" and told the Post that the regime's power was amazing.
Rodman hasn't shied away from controversy surrounding North Korea's harsh regime, and appears to have no concern for the atrocities cited by the UN against North Korea. The most recent Rodman statement was Sunday when he invited Rogen to join him on a trip to North Korea to see what the country and its people and leaders are like, according to The Washington Post. He told the Post when he heard the details of the movie, he was disgusted. He also likened American military kills to North Korea's killing of its citizens.
The whirlwind has died down surrounding "The Interview," and now any curious Netflix subscriber can see what the hype was about. One might find Fey and Poehler's criticism of the movie to be spot on, or that the movie is side-splittingly hilarious. Or, maybe viewers will simply find the best part of the movie to be when the precious Cocker Spaniel puppy is introduced and cuddled by James Franco — but to each their own.
Edited by Miranda Davis
Concerts to catch in area this spring
RYAN WRIGHT
@ryanwaynewright
Every year, Lawrence and Kansas City offer a myriad of concerts for students to choose from. 2015 is no different, below is a list of noteworthy concerts in the coming months.
KING CHIP - FEB. 7 AT THE RIOT
ROOM
King Chip, a rapper from Cleveland, is most known for his frequent collaborations with fellow Cleveland native, Kid Cudi. Since 2007, Chip has released a slew of free mixtapes and his debut album is slated to release sometime this year. He's known for his laid-back style and beat selection. Chip will be performing on Feb. 7 at the Riot Room, 4048 Broadway St., Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are $15 and are still available. For more information, visit theriotroom.com.
THE EXPENDABLES — FEB. 8 AT
THE GRANADA
Reggae rock band the Expendables will be visiting the Granada on Feb. 8. The band has a reputation of mixing a diverse range of styles including reggae, ska and punk rock. The band formed in 1997 in Santa Cruz, Calif., and has been together ever since. Its performance at the Granada is in promotion of the band's most recent album, "Sand in the Sky" which was released on Jan. 13. Tickets are still available and are $13 in advance and $15 the day of the show. The Granada is located at 1020 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence. For more information, visit thegranada.com.
ARIANA GRANDE - FEB. 25 AT INDEPENDENCE EVENTS CENTER As her star power has rise, you seemingly can't go anywhere without hearing Ariana Grande's name. Grande began her rise to stardom in 2010 with the Nickelodeon sitcom "Victorious" before eventually branching off into a solo career of her own. Grande
ARIANA GRANDE - FEB. 25 AT
WORKSHOP & EVENTS CENTER
released her second studio album "My Everything" which included the hit single "Problem" featuring Iggy Azalea. Grande will be performing in Independence, Mo., which is about an hour away from Lawrence. The concert will be held at Independence Events Center located at 19100 East Valley View Parkway. Tickets are still available and start at $35. For more information visit.independenceeventscenter.com.
REPUBLIC RECORDS
STEVE AOKI - FEB. 26 AT THE MIDLAND THEATER
In the world of house music, Steve Aoki is a juggernaut. He's one of the world's biggest DJ's, and he's traveled the world performing at several venues and festivals. In February he'll be visiting Midland Theater, 1228 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are still available and begin at $23. For more information, visit axs.com.
Manhattan-based rapper Skizy Mars will be visiting Lawrence this upcoming March. He's released two solo mixtapes "Phases" and "Pace" which can be found for free online at DJBooth.net. Tickets are still available and are $13 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information, visit thegranada.com.
SKIZZY MARS -MARCH 14 AT THE GRANADA
TV ON THE RADIO - MARCH 21 AT THE MIDLAND THEATER
Indie rock band TV on the Radio will be visiting The Midland Theater in Kansas City, Mo. in promotion of its 2014 album "Seeds." "Seeds" was its first album since the 2011 death of its bassist, Gerard Smith. The band is best known for its 2008 album "Dear Science" which received both critical and commercial success. Tickets start at $29.50 and can be purchased at axs.com.
The Maroon 5 World Tour 2015 will be making a stop at the Sprint Center on March 21 in support of its newest album. "V," the band's fifth album, has seen much critical success due to the chart tipping single "Animals" which peaked at number 3 on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40. Tickets for the concert can be purchased at sprintcenter.com. The Sprint Center is located at 1407 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo.
MAROON 5-MARCH 21 AT THE
SPRINT CENTER
NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL - APRIL 26
AT LIBERTY HALL
Neutral Milk Hotel will be making an appearance in Lawrence on April 26 at Liberty Hall. The indie band is most known for its 1998 album "In the Aeroplane over the Sea" which was met with critical success including a perfect score from Pitchfork. The album is largely inspired by the story of Anne Frank and features instrumentation from the 20th century such as banjo, accordion and pipes. Tickets start at $36 and $1 of each ticket sold will benefit a charity of the artists' choosing. Liberty Hall is located at 644 Massachusetts St.
ALL TIME LOW - MAY 10 AT UPTOWN THEATER
Pop punk band All Time Low will be visiting Kansas City in promotion of its upcoming album "Future Hearts" which is set to release on April 3. The band was formed in 2003 and since then has released five albums including its upcoming album. Tickets begin at $32 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit uptowntheater.com. Uptown Theater is located at 3700 Broadway.
Edited by Miranda Davis
TOP TEN
Last week, the Kansan asked what the top 10 places to drink in Lawrence are. Here is what our readers said via Twitter, in no official order other than our own opinions:
10. The Hawk
9. The Brickhouse EDITOR'S NOTE: Shout out to all the Schol Hall kids who turn up
8. Red Lyon
7. Dempsey's
6. Henry's
5. The Wheel
4. Sandbar
3. The Bull
2. Mrs. E's
1. Alone, crying in my bathtub
Tourists in Hollywood disrupt neighborhood
JOHN ROGERS
Associated Press
Tourists take their pictures with the Hollywood Sign in the background on Jan. 20 in Los Angeles. Like pilgrims flocking to a holy shrine, they come from all over the world to pay homage, not to a deity but to something similar — the people they see on TV and in the movies. They are the seekers of the Hollywood Sign, that symbol of the Land of the Rich and Famous. And just like those on pilgrimages to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome or the Acropolis in Greece, they press to get just as close as they can to the immortality the symbol represents.
LOS ANGELES — Like pilgrims flocking to a holy shrine, they come from all over the world to pay homage, not to a deity but to something similar — the people they see on TV and in the movies.
JAE C. HONG/ASSOCIATED PRESS
They are the seekers of the Hollywood Sign, that symbol of the Land of the Rich and Famous. And just like those on pilgrimages to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome or the Acropolis in Greece, they press to get as close as they can to the immortality of fame that it represents.
Unlike visitors to other sites, however, Hollywood Sign seekers can't just take a bus or join a tour group. Arriving at the sign that towers magnificently over Los Angeles' skyline requires traipsing through a densely populated hillside neighborhood of 20,000 people, one dotted by multimillion-dollar homes located on steep, narrow, almost impassable canyon roads.
"There will probably be 10,000 of them here this weekend," said Guy Pohlman in a voice echoing a mixture of foreboding and disgust as he stood in front of his home just a few doors down from a once-secret back way to the closest hiking trail to the sign atop a mountain peak in LAs sprawling Griffith Park.
"I've seen people stand on my wall to get a picture," Pohlman said. "I've seen them stand on my neighbor's garage. I've seen them stop in the middle of the street and stand on their cars. They block our emergency vehicles. They block our mail delivery."
Sometimes they get stuck at the top of Pohlman's narrow street and struggle to turn
around without bashing into a neighbor's wall. Sometimes a resident comes out of a house to scream at them to go away. till they come
"It's as if you want to touch the feet of the statues of the saints," pop-culture historian Leo Braudy said of what drives them. "There's a kind of desire to get something of that aura for yourself."
But still they come.
You can't quite touch the Hollywood sign, thanks to a protective fence, a bank of security cameras and the threat of arrest. But you can get close enough for a great photo, one of those poses where you pretend to be holding the sign aloft like Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders.
It's a fine souvenir to send home to let the folks know you've been to the land where the movie stars live. And the easiest way to do that is to drive right through one of their neighborhoods. It's a place called Hollywoodland that the sign, ironically enough, was erected in 1923 to promote when the homes were built.
The people moved in, the sign was abandoned, and like a cheap movie set, it began to fall apart. By the time the city got around to declaring it a landmark in 1973, it was falling down.
Eventually, a deep-pocketed coalition forked over the money to fix it, and in 1978, the nonprofit Hollywood Sign
Trust was created to protect it. In the years that followed, it became a Hollywood starlet of sorts, painted, face-lifted and beautiful — but unapproachable. It was just too difficult to find a canyon route to the sign.
That changed when smartphones became popular, and residents say the neighborhood hasn't been the same since.
"Now you have Sally or Suri or whatever her name is and she tells you just how to get there," City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents the area, said of the directions-giving iPhone voice.
Even worse, said Vincent Jeffords, who lives down the street from Pohlman. "If you
Google 'Hollywood sign and hiking trails' on your smartphone, it will send you right here"
Indeed, doing so will even give you one website listing Pohlmar's address — perhaps posted by the guy who stood on his wall — as the best place to take a picture.
The city recently responded by restricting weekend parking to locals and putting up an electronic pedestrian gate to the trail's better known entrance. Now, people coming to see the sign on weekends must at least walk really far.
LaBonge would like to see further parking restrictions and perhaps a shuttle service from the park.
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