Just one year removed from pitching in the College Baseball World Series Championship, Trevor Bauer nears the end of his UCLA baseball career as the Bruins play their last regular season series this weekend at Jackie Robinson Stadium. By now, I’m sure many people have heard about the interesting journey and the different quirks of Trevor Bauer throughout his three year career here in Westwood, from his skipping the second semester of his senior year of high school to jump right into the Bruins rotation that Spring, to his unwashed hats, and his unusual warm up routine. All those quirks about Trevor Bauer have already been discussed in the past so this blog entry won’t get into that. Instead, what this blog will discuss is the reason why Trevor Bauer should be the number one overall draft pick in this upcoming June Major League Baseball draft. That’s right, the number one overall draft pick.

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With three full length albums already released, Valencia is far from new on the scene. However, I still consider them an up-and-comer because they have yet to be embraced by music communities to the degree that they deserve. They are described as alternative rock/punk, but I honestly believe that anyone who says they can’t stand listening to Valencia is lying. Valencia is just one of those bands that everyone can enjoy, even if they are not a personal favorite.

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With the growing popularity of artists like Kid Cudi, Odd Future, Wale, and Kanye West, hip-hop has recently been capitalizing on an emerging fact: indie kids like rap music too. How appropriate, then, for newcomer Theophilus London to cut straight to the chase and release an EP that can most appropriately be described as indie rap. (more…)

This is a post from Script Doctor Eric, posted by DJ Octoon…I mean, me.  I know, it’s confusing.  Just go with it.  -DJ Octoon

What are you doing this summer?  Have you always wanted to write a movie, but had no idea how to get started?  Well, here’s a few steps that will hopefully point you in the right direction.

1. Get an idea for a movie.

These can come from anywhere.  But try to make sure it’s not just a scene or a joke, but an actual movie.  One test is if you’re seen a movie somewhat similar to it.  Move movies that come out are similar to past movies, but with a slight twist.

2. Read a few screenplays to get the basic structure.

There are a few places on the web you can get these for free.  Search “screenplays.”  Or go to Amazon and buy a few.  (For UCLA students, they also sell them in Ackerman.)

3. Outline that bad boy

Spend at least three hours writing out what each scene will be. Just open up a Word doc and write a line or two for each scene in prose.  You should have between 30-40 scenes.

This will be extremely helpful when you get deep into the script.  Trust me.  DO NOT skip this step.

4. Now…Write!

If you’d like, buy some screenwriting software.  Final Draft is the (film) industry standard.  Movie Magic works.  And if you want something for free, try Celtx.

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Nearly three months ago the Los Angeles Clippers might have traded away more than they thought in a deadline that sent point guard Baron Davis to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Clippers traded Davis and a first round pick, which was projected to be the 8th pick in the 2011 NBA draft, for former all-star point guard Mo Williams and small forward Jamario Moon and his three million dollar expiring contract. Originally the trade looked like a big win for both teams, as the Clippers were able to move Davis’ two year twenty-eight million dollar contract, upgraded their point guard position, and gave up a pick in what experts are calling the weakest draft in the last decade. Like wise, the Cavaliers did the best thing they can do after losing a star like LeBron James, which is obtaining draft picks and rebuilding the roster so that younger players can mature. As a result of the trade the Clippers save nearly 8.5 million dollars in cap room this off season.

When the NBA draft lottery occurred on Tuesday night, fans were shocked to see the number one pick have the Clippers logo on it, but be a pick for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many fans switched from thinking that the Clippers got the better deal, to bashing Donald Sterling once again for “ruining the franchise”, but I still believe that the trade is still good for the Clippers.

The first reason this trade is still a succes is because Mo Williams is better for the team in almost every way compared to Barron Davis. Mo is younger, more talented, makes significantly less money, and is overall a better basketball player than Davis at this point in their careers. The team also got a player who can teach rookie Eric Bledsoe how to mature into what I think will be a great player in the league.

The second reason the trade was still a succes was that the team does not need more young tallent. The team has Blake Griffin, Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Bledsoe, DeAndre Jordan, and Eric Gordon. One key note is that these five players each play a different position, solidifying the fact that the team does not need more young tallent, but experienced veterans to help these players mature. This leads me to my final point;

The final reason the trade is still a succes for the Clippers is that the team now has Cap room to make moves for the teams succes next season. The Clippers now have more options then they did before. The teams can now resign players like DeAndre Jordan, Eric Gordon, and most importantly Blake Griffin. The team can also trade veteran center Chris Kaman for an experienced wing player with a bigger contract, for example Andre Iguadalla of the 76ers, who are in need of a post player like Kaman.

Overall the trade is clearly less of a succes for the Clippers than it was before, but I still believe that the trade is a succes for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Riding on an explosive past two years, Irish alternative rock group The Script is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Comprised by lead vocalist Danny O’Donoghue, guitarist Mark Sheehan and drummer Glen Power, The Script is the perfect mix of good old soul-influenced indie rock.  After the initial release of their debut self-titled album in 2008, the trio has reached success on charts around the world, as well as picking up a World Music Award for Best Selling Irish Act. Their first single in the United States, Breakeven, had massive reception, going 2x platinum since its release in late 2009. On their second album Science & Faith, The Script continued in their compelling sound, tugging on the heart strings of their listeners. Their success is justified by their talent and poignant way of telling stories that can relate to just about anyone.

The Script’s sound is an amalgamation of their influences—jazz, pop, and rock being among them. Their choruses may have the sing-song factor but their lyrics certainly do not lack in lyrical punch. Their songs are full to the brim with emotion, perfectly accompanied by Danny’s heartfelt and utterly soulful vocals. It helps in transcending their songs’ messages even more. My personal favorite song by them, The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, has once unashamedly moved me to tears! But don’t let their emotional, sometimes romantic, songs fool you—their delivery is hard-hitting. If the lyrics don’t do it for you, Danny’s approach most definitely will. Hip-hop undertones can be heard in his urgent, even sometimes rap-sounding, singing over the band’s high-flying piano-driven instrumentals. This can make for a powerful live show! If you enjoy groups like The Fray or Coldplay, with more soulful tendencies, you don’t want to miss The Script’s live show at Club Nokia on the 27^th!! Check out Club Nokia’s website for more details!

- Meron

Attention all zombie and horror fans: Bloody Disgusting is presenting a  new German zombie film Rammbock: Berlin Undead in a limited screening engagement at AMC Universal City Walk. This is purported to be the first German zombie movie (though we mustn’t forget 1920’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which at least has elements of the zombie film); regardless, this looks to be the first German zombie film as we know them today: overly gory with hordes of rabid zombies. After watching the action-packed trailer, it looks like it contains enough tearing of entrails and eating of bodies to please any zombie fan. We’ll be giving away tickets to Rammbock on Bruin Walk for our pledge drive this week, so stop by if you love gore, and want to support UCLAradio.

Official synopsis from Bloody Disgusting: Breaking up can be a bitch, but trying to reconcile in a city full of walking dead can really add complications to an already difficult relationship.   Filmmakers Marvin Kren  and Benjamin Hessler have given us Germany’s first foray into the Zombie genre, RAMMBOCK, an unlikely tale of love, terror and survival set against the dystopic backdrop of a zombie-infested Berlin.

Heartbroken and clueless, Michael (Michael Fuith) arrives in Berlin to win back the affections of brooding ex-girlfriend Gabi (Anka Graczyk).  But he’s in for a little disappointment: she’s not home and the city is rapidly
overrun by bloodthirsty hordes of zombiefied Berliners.  His only companion?  The plucky Harper (Theo Trebs, “The White Ribbon”), a teenage plumber’s apprentice at work in the apartment complex.  From their overnight
redoubt in Gabi’s bedroom, the unlikely duo must escape the infested building, outwit the undead and find her…before it’s too late.  Rammbock is hide and seek…with zombies!

Check out the trailer and more information at www.bloodydisgustingselects.com.

I ignored the beckoning leak, telling myself listening to the real thing come May 10 would be what a true fan would do. But I don’t know if that’s exactly true; it just means I would feel guilty about not giving the money to my most anticipated album in months. Anyone who has wandered near Blogland has caught a whiff of the Odd Future Wolf Gang hype. In a short span of time the group has clawed into the music stratosphere with explosive live shows and genuinely shocking content and attitude. Tyler the Creator, the head of the rap/skate/art collective, released his album Goblin today. It is the greatest landmark of Odd Future’s ascension, the day when the world turns its head to watch a tortured 20-year-old exorcise his demons.

The album is dense and expansive, harrowed and manic, horrifying and insecure, relentless and most importantly uncompromising. No one will claim Tyler sold out his image and music. It is an honest journey through a mangled psyche. At 73 minutes, it is a lot to take in, and I can’t claim I’ve figured it all out. I haven’t figured out whether I like it or not. My opinion on this work is liquid, and will take many listens to crystallize. I will say that there is no music out like this right now. I’m going to discuss three of my favorite tracks from the first listen.

1. Tron Cat: If one was to argue that Tyler’s music was purely shock and horror for the sake of it, this song would be Exhibit A. Out of context it seems so. The song fits into the progression of the album: it is the expression of the schizophrenic devil on his shoulder. The song before, “Nightmare”, finds Tyler explaining a new persona, a terror in his mind that drives him to do horrific things. This song is that persona’s explication: he rips through the lurching beat insatiably, tearing apart rape imagery with  clouds of sinister synths overhead. This is the terror that haunts every track with a haunt of insanity; on this song he blows it up and splatters it on the wall.

2. Her: Immediately after the ear blistering Tron Cat comes this unexpected turn. Tyler shows a wounded but yearning heart. He plays the role of a high school kid desperate for a girl, constantly thinking about her and fawning over her, wishing she would ditch the losers she dates for him. The little details here are what make his turn as pathetic desperate and endearing loverboy whining. He talks about going to the bathroom just so he can walk by the class she is in, and about taking her to a show at the Roxy. In a way this demonstrates his pain and paranoia just as much as Tron Cat; it shows his vulnerability instead of his fury. He sees this girl as the only pathway he will ever have to a normal life, a life that was denied him by an absent father.

3. Golden: The closing track. The last verse contains the most evocative and moving imagery of the whole album. Tyler experiences a full mental breakdown in this song. He lashes out at the world he has placed himself in: his therapist, his crew, blogs, music criticism, his fans, his own tortured sense of self. It is in this track that the schizophrenic tumble of his personalities swirl into a seething ball of rage, indignation, loneliness, and desperation. All of these emotions coalesce into one frighteningly intoned line: “I’m not even human”. If Goblin is a psychological case study of a man going insane, and I think it is, then this is the haunting conclusion, essential to understanding Tyler’s body of work.

There is, of course, so much more to cover. The album has many facets to it, and one day I would like to get to them all. For now I am content to have experienced an important piece of music. This album will come to define the path of Tyler’s career. Will this earn him the Grammy he so covets? Absolutely not. But it has earned my respect for its refusal to compromise on its psychopathic vision.

Charlie Yin, the brainchild behind Robot Science, has a new side project, Giraffage. Mr. Yin’s music is one of the finest discoveries I have made in the past year. You can get Giraffage’s debut EP, Pretty Things, for free here: http://giraffage.bandcamp.com. It’s a lot glitchier and generally more dance-able than the “dreaming while you’re awake” sound of Robot Science.

Highly recommended.

We all have those new, relatively unheard-of artists that we think everyone should know about. Right now, Koreless is my guy. He has been popping up around the internet and various mixtapes for several months now, but his first official release brings us two fantastic singles. They both exemplify his rather unique sound – ambient electronic music with dreamlike melodies, glitch pad sounds and chopped vocals. The first time I heard MTI, I found it repetitive and slightly irritating, but with every listen I love it a little bit more and begin to appreciate all the layers and building of the track. If I had one criticism, it would be that both tracks seem quite unfinished. The quick and simple fade-outs prove these songs usually belong as part of a DJ set or mixtape. Hopefully future tracks will be edited before his album, because the amazing build-up of the tracks really deserve stronger climaxes for the CD format. Nonetheless, with an album expected from Pictures Music later this year, I am sure the young UK artist is going to have a big 2011.

- Phil Battersby

The Be Colony: Tues 10-Midnight

You got vampires, religion, and apocalypse all rolled into one.  Throw some 3D action into the mix and you got yourself an EPIC movie.  Edward Cullen ain’t got nothin’ on “Priest,” now in theaters!

In a alternate world that could be ours, humans have been at war against vampires for centuries.  After the last war, a battalion of priests lead mankind to victory, locking up the vampires in prisons and forcing humans to live in obscurity within walled-in cities run by the Church.  When a former priest-hero (Paul Bettany) finds out his niece (Lily Collins) has been kidnapped by vampires, he must break his scared vows and find her before she the vampires transform her into one of them.  Together with his niece’s boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), a cowboy-esque desert sheriff, and a fellow warrior priest (Maggie Q), he sets off into the desert and finds more than he was looking for.

“Priest” is now available for viewing in 3D in theaters. “True Blood” and “Da Vinci Code” fans alike, this is a movie for you!

Get ready for UCLA Radio’s Spring Pledge Drive!
UCLARadio is a completely student-funded, student-run operation and we get absolutely NO money from commercials or advertising.  Please show your support during 7th and 8th week (May 9-20) by making a tax-deductible donation to the station and become one of our VIP members.

A $5 membership will allow access to exclusive ticket giveaways and radio stickers.

A $15 membership will get you a CD pack + stickers

A $20 membership will give you a CD pack + stickers + a surprise gift!

A $25 membership will give you a special edition pledge drive UCLA Radio t-shirt + stickers!

A $30 membership will give you a special edition pledge drive UCLA Radio t-shirt + stickers + a surprise gift!

Donations of $20 or more will also be entered into “Winner Wednesdays”, making you eligible to win the grand prize pack (full of surprises!). 2 winners will be announced per week!

Everyone who donates also gets added to the drawing to win Usher, Arctic Monkeys, and Kid Cudi tickets!

Usher w/Akon @ Staples Center, June 1

Arctic Monkeys @ Fox Theater Pomona, June 2

Kid Cudi @ Nokia Theater, June 22

Click the donate button on the side of the page to make your secure donation to UCLARadio.  To receive the thank you gifts and be entered into our drawings, please fill out the form below:
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