By Matthew Bramlett |Arts & Entertainment Editor| This past week, Tom Gabel, the lead singer of punk band Against Me!, made waves throughout the music world by coming out as a transgendered woman in an interview with Rolling Stone. In that article, she revealed that she had been suffering from gender dysphoria all her life and finally made the decision to transition after 31 years of crippling depression and confusion. She chose the name Laura Jane Grace and plans to undergo Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) immediately. She is also staying with her wife Heather, who has been unrelentingly positive about her decision. Just as soon as the pages from an advanced copy of the … [Read more...] about Reinventing Laura Jane Grace
Matthew Bramlett
“Girls” is a character study of women with first-world problems
By Matthew Bramlett |Arts & Entertainment Editor| "Girls," HBO's newest offering and the brainchild of writer/director/star Lena Dunham, is a vaguely autobiographical show about privileged twenty-somethings and their desire to carve out a name for themselves in New York City. Dunham plays Hannah, a 24-year-old aspiring writer who is trying to write a memoir while lacking the life experiences to write an actual memoir. She survives solely on a monthly stipend from her college professor parents and works at an unpaid internship for a trendy Manhattan publishing firm. It is during the opening scene, where Hannah's parents decide to cut her off after two years of financing her … [Read more...] about “Girls” is a character study of women with first-world problems
Paid Dues Festival saturates San Bernardino
By Matthew Bramlett |Arts & Entertainment Editor| Hordes of hip-hop heads of all shapes and sizes descended on the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino for the seventh annual Paid Dues Festival on April 7. The day-long event showcased the finest acts in independent hip-hop, from underground acts such as K. Flay and Rah Digga to established groups such as Hieroglyphics and Dipset. Staten Island's own Wu-Tang Clan was the biggest draw of the festival, with thousands of fans crowding the main stage to catch a glimpse of one of hip-hop's most influential music collectives. “If it wasn't for the west coast, 36 Chambers would not have gone platinum,” said RZA to a cheering crowd, in … [Read more...] about Paid Dues Festival saturates San Bernardino
“No Child” makes its CSUSB debut
By Matthew Bramlett |Arts & Entertainment Editor| The CSUSB Theatre Arts department brought a story of artistic inspiration in a Bronx high school to life March 9 in the Performing Arts Theater. The department performed "No Child," the award-winning and semi-autobiographical play by Nilaja Sun that focuses on one young woman's struggle to get a rowdy bunch of inner city teenagers interested in theater arts. The comedic play, directed by Dr. Kathryn Ervin, was originally a one-woman show, with Sun playing all the parts of the students and teachers at the fabled Malcolm X High School. This time around, Ervin decided on a cast of 21 actors in order to create a more dynamic … [Read more...] about “No Child” makes its CSUSB debut
CSUSB thespians set for new show
By Matthew Bramlett |Arts & Entertainment Editor| The CSUSB Theatre Arts Department is set to ring in the spring season with their rendition of Nilaja Sun’s award-winning play “No Child.” The play, opening on March 9, is a comedy that focuses on a teacher instilling a love of the arts on a group of low-income and underprivileged teenagers in New York City. It will be directed by Dr. Kathryn Ervin, who is also the chair of the department. “It’s about how just the smallest amount of exposure in the arts can change people in a profound way,” said Josh Gren, the theatre department’s public relations specialist. The play is the semi-autobiographical story of Sun, a former … [Read more...] about CSUSB thespians set for new show
Ooh La La: Drag show brings sass to the SMSU
By Matthew Bramlett |Arts & Entertainment Editor| Heaping helpings of sequins and sass were dished out Wednesday night during Ooh La La, the Pride Center’s annual drag show. Five world-class queens strutted their stuff along the catwalk as hundreds of excited students looked on. “It feels so fucking great to be back in San Bernardino,” the show’s main emcee, Morgan McMichaels, said to a cheering crowd. The show is an annual event put on by the Pride Center to showcase the campy, gender-bending performance art that has become more popular in recent years. Even at CSUSB, the turnout for this year’s show was noticeably higher than before. The … [Read more...] about Ooh La La: Drag show brings sass to the SMSU