On “Y’all My Niggas” from Untitled album, Nas raps, “if it offends you, it was meant to, it’s that simple.” I wanted to preface what I am about to write with that line to begin. At the end, if you read that far, you’ll find why it’s relevant and ironic.

This post is about what I’m going to call “The Gibbs Affair.” And no, this has nothing to do with Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s communications director. It does, however, have to do with a rapper named Freddie Gibbs, who hails out of Gary, Indiana, and who is the subject of the esteemed, hipster-must-read alternative periodical called L.A. Weekly.

Gibbs is one the cover and the story is written ever-eloquently by my good friend and former colleague Jeff Weiss (what up Jeff!). I usually pick up the Weekly to specifically find and read Jeff’s work, as I am a great fan of his writing and his blog, but this week I haven’t had the time to do that. But, because I am active on Twitter and stay in touch with enough rappers, journalists and industry folk to start a revolution, I found out about the Gibbs cover.

Actually, to be more specific, my orientation with it came from a tweet from an LA rapper I know who took a cheap shot at the story. Then, I had a phone conversation with XXL’s Brooklyne Gipson, who co-wrote this little jawn on the mag’s web site (full disclosure: I contribute to the site as well, here and there). And I found out about the controversy surrounding Gibbs’ LA Weekly cover and the difference in opinion and perspective that comes with it.

Let me put it very bluntly: I do not see Freddie Gibbs emerging into the star that Skee, Jeff and others think he will emerge into. Not yet, at least. There’s always chance I could be wrong, as I have slighted The Knux in the past and look where they have gone. In any case, my point goes something like this. Freddie Gibbs is an act who was signed to Interscope, got some press, didn’t put out any good music that could reach urban radio, much less commercial, got dropped, and is being salvaged by DJ Skee because, quite frankly, Skee probably feels bad for the kid (I would too). Since Skee has shown love and dope producers started coming around – my boy Cook Classics contributed to Gibbs’ mixtape – Jeff went to work on his profile for LA Weekly.

Let me be unequivocally clear: I have no personal or professional problems with Gibbs or Jeff or Skee. Whatsoever. What I question is whether Gibbs is a worthwhile artist to get profiled by LA Weekly and get put on the cover NOW. I simply hold the opinion that he is not. I went to On the Rox, the little room above the Roxy on Sunset (fits about 100 people) to catch Gibbs perform earlier this year. Most in the audience talked through his set, and when another promising act came on, Pill, the same thing happened. What I figured out that day – based on what I saw – was that both of these guys may be decent songwriters and have strong production, but their live shows need work, at the very minimum. They are nowhere ready to be featured on HipHopDX.com and get strong traffic, much less The New Yorker or LA Weekly. But here Gibbs is, and please don’t get it twisted: I’m not hating on him. Again, I just disagree that he deserves to be anointed the next big hip-hop hope by such prestigious publications at this point in time.

After XXL’s questioned whether a guy from Indiana who couldn’t hold his own in an L.A. cypher for the life of him, I imagine, Skee decided to speak out on his blog. That wasn’t very smart, of course, unless we’re talking 50 Cent marketing strategy (in that case, it’s brilliant). In that case, my boy Jeff Weiss is getting worked over, sorry to point out.

Finally, Freddie Gibbs, who to me resembles Pleasure P, is far from becoming  the new Scarface, as a dear writer friend in Atlanta told me earlier this year. If anything, another DJ Skee-supported artist, Young Dre the Truth, should have been on the LA Weekly cover this week, for several reasons, not the least of which being that he is signed to EA Sports’ in-house label, because he’s from L.A. and because he rocks a killer live show. Oh, and let’s not forget he collaborates with Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte.

So there it is, I’ve said what I had to say, and although I feel like Byron Crawford at the moment, it was necessary (Bol, I’ll still whoop your ass, LOL). Oh, and as far as that Nas reference above, well, here’s what that’s all about. Jeff Weiss happened to be given the responsibility to review Untitled in the L.A. Times. He all but destroyed it in his review, naturally missing the point that the album represented a First Amendment case study set to beat more than anything else.

I’ll get into why Untitled is the Nas’ best work at another time, but get this: when QB’S finest took to the stage at his MySpace release show at the Roxy in 2008, he said “Fuck the L.A. Times!” on stage.

Given this case, unfortunately, I kinda feel where he was coming from.

He was the heartbeat behind the LA sound that shaped and molded many labels to come. A brainchild behind many projects and artists that created the foundation of LA’s music culture for many decades. A giant named Bob Keane has left the building..he will be greatly missed..Rest In Paradise.

read more LA WEEKLY:
http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/la-stories/bob-keane-dead-del-fi/

Yume Ninja & Chubby Bunny of Bubble Punch! Photo courtesy of LA Weekly!

What an amazing event! We had over 1,100 attendees, and  so many gorgeously dressed guests!

As we opened the doors at 8:00PM, there was a line wrapped around the block of anxiously waiting masqueraders. Thank you all for your patience with the line…!

Congratulations to all of our costume contest winners! Sanrio was so impressed with all the entries, they gave out lots of extra goodies to their creative fans!

And special thanks to DJ Amanda Jones for the amazing set list, the Wandering Marionettes for their fantastic dance performance, photographer Eron Rauch for the adorable Hello Kitty photo booth pics, Darque Eyes Studios and  Cute N Nast for the event snaps (coming soon!), Royal/T for thier wonderful food and special gothy drinks, and all of our awesome helpers!!! Julie, Andrew, Robin, Emily, Ari, Tess, Jeanie, Steph, Sheyne, Glenn, Jenny, Greg, Will, Alcuin, Jocelyn, Nicole, Aimee and Diana– you guys rock!!

And of course, THANK YOU to Sanrio and Japan LA for allowing us to participate in their fantastic display of Hello Kitty love for her 35th anniversary!

As we mentioned, Plasticgod was kind enough to create a special series of goth kitty friends for the event! Check it out! Photo courtesy of Cute and Nast!

You can find some awesome event coverage and photos on these sites as well! Please feel free to comment with a link to your info if you’d like us to add you to this list!

LA Weekly (part 1)

LA Weekly (part 2)

Cute and Nast

Defective Geeks

China Shop

Shrinkle’s Blog

Amy Shimoshige

Dave Tada

Glass of Win

Lavender Decay

All of the photo booth photos have been posted to our Flickr, so please take a look there for the fab photos of all of our guests! Check out some of our favorite snaps from Hello Kitty photo booth especially designed by Bubble Punch for the masquerade! We even designed and constructed her outfit! Too cute…! Pics after the jump!

The Wandering Marionettes popped by the photo booth after their impressive performance!

Some of our lovely helpers and staff at the event!

]]> http://actorsinstinct.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/who-is-paul-schackman/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:52:10 +0000 pschackman http://actorsinstinct.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/who-is-paul-schackman/

Kevin Kline - “I don’t care how you think X, Y or Z would do it, I don’t care how you think it’s supposed to be done, or what’s the right way to do it.  You take responsibility for that line.”  That was a concept that suddenly made it tangibly an art form.  “Oh! It’s about me.”  And I have never wavered from that.  It’s about taking it personally.

Born in Tacoma, WA and raised in Southern California, Paul is a graduate of The University of California, San Diego where he began studying acting.  A veteran of Los Angeles stages, he has starred in and directed numerous productions, including the critically acclaimed Pauly and Paddy Show, an evening of original solo pieces that he co wrote, directed and starred in.  In 2006 he was nominated for an LA Weekly Theatre Award for his role as the Doctor in Will Smiths’s production of Medal Of Honor Rag.   This acclaimed production had Paul starring opposite Heavy D, with Delroy Lindo taking the helm as director.  From his first role on the original Beverly Hills 90210, Paul has gone on to appear in numerous feature films and television programs over the years playing an eclectic range of characters. Some of Paul’s guest starring and recurring credits include Boston Legal, C.S.I., Lincoln Heights, Medium, Shark and Oliver Beene. Most recently he was in the film Take opposite Minnie Driver.

Paul Schackman on Acting

“I have studied many methods of acting over the years and I’m continually surprised by how dogmatic and restrictive they often are.  As artists, we should be totally free.   As an actor I am committed to one thing – telling the truth.  This often seems like a daunting task when our heads are filled with ideas about what we are supposed to be doing.  If we have spent hours rehearsing, then it makes sense that the audition or performance should be exactly how we have worked it out.  Thus, we fall into a trap.  This trap blinds us to our feelings, our imagination, and our instinct.   On stage, it is easy to spot the well rehearsed but uninspired.  I used to think it was bad acting, but I have come to believe it is just misguided training.

As an actor, we are required to play a role onstage for weeks or perform the same scene on set for often dozens of takes.  Knowing the lines, the blocking and emotional arcs throughout each scene or take is not enough.  Unfortunately, that is where most actors stop working.  Most actors will do the job well enough but ultimately are forgettable.  Those that do a scene over and over again, always finding something new are the ones we can’t take our eyes off.  They are artists.   We watch them and know they are being truthful.  That should always be our goal; otherwise, really, what’s the point?”

I returned from an incredible cross-country road trip last week to the news that Straight Outta Chocolate has gotten some nice press lately, notably from the LA Weekly here, and the Succeed blog here.  Thanks for all the love!

The Range Cafe in Albuquerque

In addition to visiting friends, sight-seeing and vinyl shopping, I managed to eat a few super delicious meals along the way.  In Florida, I fell in love with the Dandelion Cafe’s vegetarian chili.  They serve it in a whole wheat wrap with scallions, cheese, crumbled blue corn chips, greens and fresh tomatoes.

Henry’s Hearty Chili
by Dandelion Communitea Café
Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 small red onion, chopped
1 large green or red pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 pkg. veggie burger crumbles
1 cup corn
3 tsp. hot sauce
1 packet chili seasoning
3 tsp. sea salt
2 large cans cooked kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 large cans diced tomatoes with juice

Directions:

Place the ingredients in a slow cooker in the order listed.

Cook on high until bubbling, approximately 1 1/2 hours, or on low for 3 hours.

Wish I could buy these in California.

We ate more breakfast and lunch than dinner, due to the exhaustion after long days of driving.  Highlights of the trip include the homemade veggie burger and fried pickles at Nashville’s Pied Piper and the Huevos Rancheros at Jimmy’s Egg in Oklahoma City.  Driving through the South and discovering Cajun boiled peanuts was the true culinary highlight of my trip however.  Stay tuned to see how it goes when I attempt to recreate this roadside snack without using a sawed in half beer keg…

Truth be told, I was feeling discouraged lately, what with the devastating cuts to higher education in California.  I don’t know what our future holds, but what I do know is that I work with some talented people:

• Grad student Kenya Young has landed a producer’s position with NPR’s
  

  Kookie & Claire working hard on their theses

  “Weekend  All Things Considered” in DC.

• @Lizohanesian, an alum of our MA program,  was hired this month as reporter-editor on the webside of the LA Weekly.
• Esha Momeni, our grad student who was jailed in Iran last fall, will be speaking at Amnesty International’s  Southern regional meeting in Atlanta this weekend.  Esha will also speak at CSUN Monday Nov. 9 at the Northridge Center in the student union at 5:20 p.m.
• Graduate student Seth Koury showed a roughcut of his amazing documentary, “Sound  of Beirut” to some faculty members earlier this month.  Guess this means we gotta let the guy graduate.
• Graduate student Sara Alamdar will defend her thesis in a few weeks.  She studied coverage of Iran’s religious minorities by the government-controlled Tehran Times to see if the reporting changed under a reformist president versus a  conservative president.
• Colleague Linda Bowen is serving as President of the Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.  We attended the First Amendment Coalition’s event at Southwestern Law last Saturday where the LAT’s lawyers scared the beejebus out of journalists wanting to use Twitter or Facebook.
• Sandra Kukla’s thesis comparing AP coverage of the Gaza crisis with Malaysia’s Bernama wire service is nearly finished.  Um, right?
• Claire Rietmann-Grout is busy editing and researching her upcoming thesis project, a documentary about her experiences as an American softball star who travels to Switzerland to play for a “club” and finds a different way of looking at the game and herself.