Academy-award winner. Acclaimed author. Truth-seeker. Shirley MacLaine has many titles that can be attached to her name, and this Friday, one more will be added to the list: VPAC performer. On May 6, the internationally-known entertainer will visit the CSUN campus to perform her one-woman act, entitled “An Evening with Shirley Maclaine: Award Winning Hollywood Icon.” In the show, MacLaine invites the audience to reminisce with her as she looks back at her illustrious career as an actress and dancer…. Read more

Hanging strips of a fax cartridge, a bloody map and a television displaying kinetic type can all be found in one place: CSUN’s Juried Art Student Exhibition. Showing at the main gallery of the Art Center, this annual exhibit features 88 artworks by CSUN students, selected by three judges from more than 350 submissions. According to Jim Sweeters, director of the Art Gallery, students from all concentrations and graduate levels were invited to participate. Kimberly Morris, Ashley Hagen and Jodi Bonassi… Read more

Running across a graffiti-filled wall and momentarily parallel to the ground below him, for a few seconds, Bryan Greene has found a way to defy gravity. Across from him, grown men and women flip from a seven-foot ledge into a sea of bright blue foam, while others hop between iron monkey bars. If it sounds like an adult playground, it’s because that’s exactly what it is. Welcome to the Tempest Freerunning Academy, the first facility in California solely created as… Read more

There are a lot of great characters on television today, but we’ve rounded up our favorite funny men and woman on prime-time. 1. Phil Dunphy (Played by Ty Burrell on ‘Modern Family’) As oblivious as he is juvenile, the character of Phil Dunphy has taken the role of doofus sitcom husband to a new and lovable level. Imagine the clumsiness of Lucille Ball, the cluelessness of Michael Scott (of ‘The Office’) and the slang of Snoop Dogg. Of course, Phil… Read more

During her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Sunday’s Super Bowl, Christina Aguilera surprised the audience by botching the lyrics. According to the AP, instead of singing, “O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming,” she sang, “What so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last gleaming.” Although Aguilera has addressed her mistake by saying she was caught up in the moment, there are still people up in arms over the flub. Joan Rivers called the error “stupid” and… Read more

The opening gala of the Valley Performing Arts Center ushered in a new cultural era for the San Fernando Valley, and ended a long period of waiting and anticipation for the Valley. For CSUN students who have waited two years for the completion of the facility, it marked the end of loud and unsightly construction equipment. For Valley residents who have long hungered for a local taste of the arts, it was an answer to years of waiting for more… Read more

For people who have taken public speaking classes, it’s easy to imagine the absolute terror one might feel when stepping up to a podium to speak in front of more than 400 peers. Yet for senior Farah Ballout, 21, the feeling is exhilarating. “It’s amazing,” said Ballout, political science major.  “I feel like that’s what I’m good at doing.” Ballout and nine other CSUN students were able to put their communication skills to the test when they attended a recent… Read more

Los Angelenos who have a special place in their hearts for local artists can find an array of work at the “Artist’s Museum” showing at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The temporary exhibit, which runs until Jan. 31, features artwork from 146 artists around Los Angeles. The more than 250 pieces are an amalgam of old and new creations. Both the Grand Avenue and the Geffen Contemporary locations are featuring the exhibit. This review only pertains to the Grand… Read more