Jason Van Sandt-Editor in Chief Jasonv1977@gmail.com

The year was 1988, I was 11 years old and my uncle Jimmy was over for Thanksgiving dinner. My family had just finished dining when my uncle suggested we all go see a movie afterwards. This was a break in our normal holiday festivities. We would usually eat, watch television afterwards before slipping off into our turkey-fueled commas, but my uncle’s suggestion gained traction and soon we were all off to the theater to see the newest Bill Murray film the day it came out into theaters. I was amazed to see a packed theater; I had always thought people just stayed home on Thanksgiving, and also thrilled to see “Scrooged” before all my friends at school. Now no holiday season is complete until I sit and watch Bill Murray in “Scrooged.”

  Daniel Wilson-Online Managing Editor daniel.wilson8504@yahoo.com

The greatest holiday movie ever is an easy choice for me. I’ve been watching “A Christmas Story” since I was a child and have seen it at least 200 times. It combines the perfect example of the American Christmas experience with great actors, a funny and entertaining story and unforgettable scenes, quotes and moments to create…» Read More

It was a dark and stormy night and not a creature was stirring, except for my cat.

Well, actually it wasn’t dark and stormy, but if I recall correctly, it was drizzling a bit. You know, what we call a storm here in Sacramento.

Anyway, I was looking through Target’s weekly advertisement in search of a new video game to purchase when I came across the biggest monstrosity I’ve ever seen: “A Christmas Story 2”.

My jaw dropped to the floor, my eyes lowered in

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Nintendo launched its new Wii U system on Nov. 18, and with it, came the beginning of a new generation in gaming.

The Wii U is Nintendo’s first high-definition console. It is fully backward-compatible with the Wii and has improved online functionality, including a social hub called the Miiverse (a fusion of Mii and universe) which allows players to communicate with others using the Mii avatar characters.

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On Nov. 16 the City College theater featured “Alice in Wonderland: A British Panto,” a production that took the audience completely by surprise with its wonderful satire and absurdity, and hilarious dialogue. Director Luther Hanson and writer Christine Nicholson create a British panto production that is anything but an ordinary play. The British panto style in “Alice in Wonderland” encourages audience-interaction either through clever scenes that require audience participation, or simply shouting out a command during key points of the play.

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As the first James Bond film since 2008’s “Quantum of Solace,” “Skyfall”, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, enthralls throughout its running time, and succeeds as a meatier-than-average action movie, but falters on characterizations.

After an intense opening scene that kick starts the story, Bond goes into hiding like he’s Jason Bourne, but eventually returns to Mi6

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The Prohibition-era bootlegging Bondurant brothers run afoul of corrupt lawmen and are almost torn apart by family turmoil in “Lawless”, the new film from director John Hillcoat and writer Nick Cave.

Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke play Jack, Forrest, and Howard Bondurant, respectively, and Guy Pearce plays a sadistic lawman

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I spent the first weekend of May as an AmBASSador on tour with Bassnectar (Lorin Ashton), a dubstep artist who fuses elements of other genres (rock, hip hop and ambient) into his music. His albums and shows sell out across the country.

So, what is an AmBASSador? According to Ashton, it’s an opportunity for “enthusiastic fans to give back to the people around them, to volunteer their time and their passion to contribute creatively to the atmosphere of each event.”

It doesn’t mean we just get to hang around backstage in a big-headed clique being introverted. It is the complete opposite we must interact with the crowd and make sure people are enjoying themselves.

I joined the AmBASSador Program for my second year in a row during the California leg of the VaVa Voom tour, which hit Sacramento, San Jose and Santa Cruz.

The AmBASSador program’s other prime objective is to “promote health and safety [by] making sure everyone is hydrated, is acting with respect and keeping a watchful eye to make a network of roaming friendly guides throughout a room or space,” said Ashton. “Instead of focusing on the music alone, to also roam the event and focus on…» Read More

After the conclusion of Beer Week and Bikefest last week, Sacramento needs a break…correct? Wrong. With Second Saturday only a couple days away, it’s a good time to figure out how to celebrate it. So, we’ve taken the task of laying it out for you.

Second Saturday Sidewalk Sale Spanglish Art Gallery and Boutique 905 23rd St. Noon – 6 p.m.

Spanglish is holding their biannual sidewalk sale on Saturday and all of their sidewalk merchandise will be 20-60 percent off. Other vendors will be present to sell their handmade crafts. If you are interested in vending, contact spanglisharte1@gmail.com.

Check out www.shopspanglish.com for more information or visit them on Facebook.

Abstracts Vox Sacramento 1818 11th St. 4 – 9 p.m.

March is Abstracts exhibit month for Vox, a volunteer run gallery. Sixteen artists submitted their work to a juried panel and according to Examiner.com, they are as follows: Rebecca Lu-Way, Kelly O’Neill, Christian Cinder, Laura Twining, Justin Buell, Elaine Hudson, Heather Olson, Susan Raines, Tereze Lear, Aaron Winters, James Stafford, John Swierzbin, Janet Regan, Daniel Mendoza, Jim Shepherd Jr, and Jill Allyn Stafford.

There will also be a live painting by Daniel Mendoza and refreshments will be available….» Read More

In the music industry today, there are a lot of music genres that have come full circle over their incarnations of the past. Country music was once a niche genre but today it is featured on pop radio stations right alongside every other popular song. Other genres like dance and even newer music types like dub step are making their way into the popular music realm.

Despite this trend, one genre of music has never really made it out of the underground even though its influence can be felt in just about every song on the radio. The blues is a music genre that many people don’t seem to be familiar with and don’t realize how much it plays a role in their favorite songs.

Still, good old-fashioned blues music is all around us, it just takes a little bit more awareness to enjoy. On Saturday Feb. 25, The Daniel Castro Band was featured at the Torch Club in Sacramento.

According to his website, Daniel Castro began playing the blues at the age of 12 and really got into the blues scene while living in South Central Los Angeles. After touring the U.S. with many legendary blues artists, Daniel began playing in…» Read More

In Oct. 2011, The Kelps released their first album, “Head Like a Mouse,” and it’s definitely going to have some heads turning with some very intriguing lyrics and a style that’s far from mainstream. Listening to them is like riding a roller-coaster of blues, funk and rock’n’roll, with a story in every song. Cory Barringer’s vocals flow in tune with his guitar and Cameron Betts is positively rhythmic on bass, and its all complemented by Tony Reyes, who never misses a beat on the drums. The first track “After the Show,” is a prequel to track eight “After the Motorcar,” and made me feel like I was at Woodstock with its slow, hypnotic rhythm; and the story like lyrics such as “I cut his brakes outside the restaurant.” Ok, so maybe the lyrics weren’t quite “Woodstock,” but what makes The Kelps so unique is their willingness to express themselves in a contentious fashion that sounds so good, you won’t care. Their fifth track “Blood Poem,” is a prime example of this as it starts out in an almost endearing conversation between boyfriend and girlfriend and ends in delightful insanity. I can honestly say that I’ve never heard anything like The…» Read More