He shot the 'sheriff'
Local filmmaker's documentary follows footsteps of legendary producer Frederick Wiseman

Yeah, the tough guys in Hollywood are hard-core and all —with their wounds, scars, burns and bruises from some major ass-kicking scenes—but when it comes to suffering for their art in the form of tattoos, it’s a different story.
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Student producer takes L.A.'s Music 101
Columbia grad student gets insider look into the music industry through producing records

You can’t learn everything in a classroom. Although instructors teach students about the ins and outs of the job market, it can never compare to getting information firsthand from industry professionals.
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Anime thrives as action flicks falter
Geneon Entertainment offers technology-driven alternatives to big budget pictures

With the recent release of The Matrix: Revolutions on DVD, science fiction fans are reminded once again how a lackluster script and plot can ruin a franchise. Instead of shelling out $15 to give the series a second chance, you may want to consider some of the DVDs from Geneon Entertainment that debuted in the United States on April 6.
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The 'madness' of counter culture highs

Hot jazz, the jitterbug, a haze of marijuana smoke—these aren’t your parents’ potheads. More like your grandfather’s potheads.

Just in time for April 20, a day of dubious importance for the pipe-hitting populations of the world, 20th Century Fox and Off Color Films will release a restored, computer-colorized version of Reefer Madness, one of the most infamous—and unintentionally hilarious—“Just Say No” films ever released.
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Kweller on his 'way' to simplicity

Ben Kweller is all about being organic. He likes to keep things simple, wholesome and down-to-earth. On his second album, On My Way, Kweller takes this holistic approach—evident on the album’s cover where he’s featured with a shaggy hairstyle and pictured with wolves on a rugged terrain—and runs with it. The 22-year-old’s nerdy appeal and eclectic style of combining raw energy and laid-back charm, along with his humble vocals and simple usage of the guitar, bass and a background accompaniment of the piano, creates a sound that is a bit imperfect, yet sentimental, melodic and mellow at the same time.
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The vinyl web frontier
Website gives music aficionados a chance to show off collection

Most music lovers are showoffs. They love to tell everyone about the latest unknown band they believe they’ve discovered and tout their massive CD collections. All hail the mighty music aficionado—or record nerd, as some, such as Josh Sisk, like to say.
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Punk rock on autopilot

Autopilot off: A fitting name indeed for a band that does nothing more than coast through 12 scarily similar songs of B-grade, teen-ready punk rock on its major-label debut, Make a Sound.
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Pearlman proves 'Hell' is truly on fire

There’s a risk that comes with adapting written material to screen; books require certain compromises and alterations of narrative and characters. More often than not, the entire thing ends up as a train wreck with little more than a shred of entertainment value and the faintest pulse of innovation that marked its source material in the first place.
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Hollywood's newest film princess
Julia Stiles talks about college life, movie roles and the royal treatment

U-WIRE) SAN JOSE, Calif.—In some ways, Julia Stiles has had the traditional college adventure—staying up until the wee hours of the morning debating current events with her floor mates and dealing with rats in her residence hall.
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(U-WIRE) BOSTON—The Recording Industry Association of America’s war on file sharing had a setback March 29 when a joint study between the Harvard University Business School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill concluded that downloading music over the Internet has had little impact on CD sales and could even increase sales.
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