Last year around this time, dB Magazine published its first-ever
year-in-review/guide to the new year. The memorable cover depicted
two belly buttons, an innie and an outie, as a metaphor for the two
states of being a pop culture icon can occupy as the arbitrary
calendar rolls over another arbitrary year. What’s in, and
what’s out? Is there anything more fundamental than that?
It is with the same enthusiastic gusto that we now offer you our
updated guide to help ease you through the transition from 2004
into 2005. Again, the cover says it all. Just as we established
last year that there are only two modes of existence in pop
culture, this year we acknowledge how easy it is to quickly move
from one state to the next. First you’re just a singer with a
preteen following, but slip up lip-synching just once on
“Saturday Night Live” and suddenly you’ll find
yourself pining for the days when people only thought you were
annoying. Take our limits of melodrama too far, and you’re
exposed as a cheaper remake of “Beverly Hills, 90210,”
only without the zip code. But get an offensive rebound and make a
layup, and suddenly you’re the toast of the campus.
It’s just that easy. And around and around the door will
continue. And while we’re happy to celebrate our new heroes
of hip, a simple word of warning to them all: Don’t let the
door hit you on the way out.
All text compiled and written by Jess Rodgers, Justin Scott
and Jake Tracer.
Last Year: “The Da Vinci Code” This Year:
Real art
Leonardo Da Vinci mania has flooded the country for long enough.
The fact that the tables at Barnes & Noble are still stocked
with book titles like “Cracking The Da Vinci Code” and
“De-Coding Da Vinci” is a testament to America’s
tired attempt to make Dan Brown’s novel into a revolutionary
text on art. Take our advice, and accept the novel for what it is
““ a trashy murder-mystery novel that even has a cliche-ridden
love story develop between the two main characters.
There’s an art world that extends beyond the special
illustrated version of “The Da Vinci Code,” and for
UCLA students, exhibits at LACMA, MOCA and the Getty are just a
short ride away. So do yourself a favor and spend some time
experiencing real art this year (or at least some real
literature).
Last year: “The O.C.” This year:
Canada
Blame it on the election. Blame it on the weather. Or just blame
Canada. But as far as good teenage television dramas go, the inland
paradise known for snobby and often morally questionable white
folks is quickly being replaced by our neighbor to the north.
Entering its second season, it’s safe to say the writers used
up all their creative genius in the first season of “The
O.C.” And it’s nothing compared to the Canadian
reinvention of a classic, “Degrassi: The Next
Generation.” Currently in its fourth and highest-rated season
ever, the Canadian kids of Degrassi community school deal with
everything from eating disorders, school shootings, abortion,
self-mutilation, hate crimes, rape and even sexually transmitted
diseases ““ pretty much every issue that American television
is too often afraid to tackle in a prime-time setting. It so goes
there.
Last Year: Ashlee Simpson This Year: “The Ashlee
Simpson Show”
It’s not often that the star of a TV series can be last
year and still have a must-see show for pop culture fans, but
Ashlee Simpson manages to put that feat right alongside having over
72,000 football fans boo her after her Orange Bowl halftime
performance.
We were willing to forgive her when she was caught lip-syncing
on “Saturday Night Live” because of “acid
reflux,” but the Orange Bowl stunt has wrapped up her
short-lived status as a vocalist. But while we won’t be
playing “La La” on our iPods anytime soon, because her
“singing” really does make us want to scream, it will
be worth catching a couple episodes of the new season solely
because it was filmed during, and will include, Simpson’s now
infamous “SNL” appearance. The season premieres Jan. 26
on MTV.
Last Year: Moccasins This Year: Cowboy
Boots
With President Bush winning not just re-election to the
presidency but also TIME Magazine’s title “Person of
the Year,” it shouldn’t be surprising that Texas
cowboy-inspired footwear is in. And if you forgot to buy a pair of
moccasins during fall quarter, you really should skip out on that
trend, which will probably be about as long-lasting and widespread
as those $10 Asian-style plastic house-slippers nearly every girl
was wearing to class last winter. If you want shoes that show your
enthusiasm for the American West and will have the durability to
withstand wild rides on the 405 for more than a couple of months,
indulge the inner urban cowboy inside you, and invest in a pair of
boots.
Last year: Trevor Ariza This year: Lorenzo
Mata
As any UCLA basketball fan could tell you, Trevor Ariza was one
of the few highlights and reasons to watch last year’s team.
This year is different. Ariza’s gone to the New York Knicks,
where he’s decently averaging about 4.5 points in about 14.5
minutes per game. And the Bruins are led largely by a bunch of
freshmen who seem to know what they’re doing. And while
Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo may have larger roles on the team,
the freshman to be most excited about is Lorenzo Mata, who may be
the first big man in UCLA basketball history to have, dare we say
it, cult appeal. Proving himself down the stretch of the game
against Washington, Mata should be a staple of the Bruin five for a
while, where his headband and thug appeal give us all something to
scream about. Plus, his last name is a derivative of the verb
“to kill” in Spanish. How cool is that?!
Last year: Working out at the gym This year: Hanging out
at the gym
It may be a bit behind schedule (more than a year if
you’re counting), but it’s hard to stay mad when
you’ve got multiple plasma television screens, a spacious
lounge area and enough bench press machines to make even the
women’s rowing team jealous. But with all this new cool
stuff, working out is probably the last thing on most
people’s minds who enter the newly revamped Wooden Center.
There’s even a food stand set to open up soon, where (rumor
has it) you can order hamburgers and smoothies. Stay for a while,
wander around, chat with your friends, but with so much cool stuff
to look at, working out will for sure be the last thing that comes
to mind. Who needs Ackerman when we have Wooden?
Last year: PlayStation 2 This year: The Arcade
Fire
Alright, we’ve watched the video game thing for so long,
isn’t it finally time to call it quits? All video games do
are hole you up and make you anti-social, and if you’re going
to do that, there are much better ways to do so. At least go out to
an arcade if you must have your video game fix, or better yet,
check out The Arcade Fire. After putting out “Funeral,”
probably the best indie rock album of 2004, the Canadian group is
finally setting out on tour in the United States, where it will be
sure to rock off everyone’s proverbial socks. Two
already-sold-out shows this weekend at the Troubadour can only tell
us what we already know: You’ll have more fun there than
playing Madden.
Last year: Sequels This year: Biopics
This year’s holiday season of movies has been marked by
the amazing number of biographical pictures (biopics) out in
theaters. After seeing “Ray,” “The
Aviator,” “Beyond the Sea,” and
“Kinsey,” just to name a few, Oscar night 2005 will
almost certainly have to deal with famous people playing other
famous people. And with only two sequels of note,
“Ocean’s Twelve” and “Meet the
Fockers,” it looks like the most standard of Hollywood
formulas may finally be taking a backseat to another of
Hollywood’s most standard of formulas, if only for the
moment. Still, it’s hard to believe that “The Lord of
the Rings: The Return of the King,” the sequel to end all
sequels, came out only a year ago. Look how far we’ve
come.
Last year: Mucho Taco This year: Panda
Express
Let’s be honest; Mucho Taco was never really the
“in” place to eat. But after the abrupt closure of the
campus Taco Bell, it’s all students were left with if they
wanted to fulfill their cravings for fast, affordable
south-of-the-border eats. However, for anyone who has had the
unfortunate misadventure of forcing down Mucho Taco’s tiny
portions and extra large helpings of cynicism, the long-awaited
reopening of Panda Express was definitely a breath of fresh air in
a world of uninspired cuisine. Still think a taste of oriental
ambrosia isn’t worth standing in line for half your
afternoon? Head downstairs and take a peek at Mucho Taco and
compare. Remember, the lines don’t lie.
Last year: Watching gay people on TV This year: Watching
rich people on TV
Say goodbye to Carson and the rest of his “Queer Eye for
the Straight Guy” platonic boyfriends; there’s a new
blonde bombshell on television, only this one’s slightly less
pretty. But what hotel heiress and vacuous celebrity Paris Hilton
may lack in natural talent, she makes up for with her bank
account.
Last year it seemed like you could hardly flip the channel
without catching a glimpse of someone lisping or waving a limp
wrist, but this year it’s all about schmoozing and waving
your Amex Black. With shows like Hilton’s “The Simple
Life” going into its third season, the renewal of MTV’s
Tommy Hilfiger heiress documentary “Rich Girls,” and of
course multi-million dollar tycoon Donald Trump’s “The
Apprentice” gearing up for a third season, watching the lives
of those more fortunate than ourselves is definitely what’s
on television.
The truth is in the ratings, and if a reality series that makes
you look at Trump’s hair for long periods of time can
possibly pull in massive amounts of viewers, it must be a sign of a
bigger trend.
It even extends outside of the reality world. Gone are series
based on the lives of close friends (“Friends,”
“Seinfeld,” even “The Drew Carey Show”),
and we’re back to watching fictional rich people on TV. Look
no farther than “Desperate Housewives” or “The
O.C.” (if you must). It’s like “Beverly Hills,
90210″ never left us at all.
Just make sure to check your general consideration and tolerance
at the door.