The Knights of Monte Carlo are a self-proclaimed yacht band. You may be asking yourself, "What is a yacht band?" That's a good question. I wasn't so sure when I took this assignment either, so I hit the Internet in search of an answer. Turns out they are actually a 70's soft rock band that plays some of the most melodic and enchanting music out there.

With the recession here to stay and no sign of it ending, college students are pinching their pennies ever so tightly this semester. School fees, textbooks, supplies and for some car payments and gas or rent and food; these things are becoming more important for college students to pay.

Like clowns stuffed into a Mini, Santa Monica College's increase in students has been an astonishing phenomenon to watch; however, this is no circus trick. SMC enrollment has shot through the roof like a cannonball. In a February 19 article, the Santa Monica Daily Press reported that enrollment in California community colleges has increased by 100,000 students, a 9.

The Arclight Cinemas in Sherman Oaks played host to a real live drama this past Monday with the Zocalo public square lecture series "How Will Labor Discord Change Hollywood?" The event served as a follow up to last year's panel discussion, entitled "Hollywood's Labor Turmoil: What Caused It And What Happens Next?" both of which were hosted by Jon Healy of the Los Angeles Times editorial board.

In an animated feature, the art director is technically God. He creates reality. For around an hour and a half, the art director and his team of animators warps and bends reality to fit a given mood and setting. In the movie Waltz With Bashir, art director David Polanski had the task of recreating the middle east in the early 80s from the perspective of six Israeli soldiers.

These days it seems cliché to say that technology will turn on us. What's more, to say corporations aren't trustworthy. The chart-topping social networking site, facebook.com, has definitely put their stamp on the nouveau-adage. This week, Facebook failed in its attempt to gain ownership to the user-created content on the site.

It seems as if The Whole 9, an art gallery on Washington Blvd. near La Cienega in Culver City, spent more time and effort on the flyer to promote their most recent event, BARE, than to find worthwhile featured artists. Although free wine was offered to persons 21 years and older this past Saturday evening, it was not enough to keep a large crowd.

Los Angeles has always been known for its spectacular ability to constantly produce unique, innovative and influential artists of all shapes and forms, especially when it comes to music. From the dirty, grungy street punk scenes to the glamorous, celebrity-ridden Hollywood nightclubs, L.

Last weekend I attended the funeral of a friend who was much too young. The ceremony was done on short notice, it was extremely tasteful and did justice to the young man who had brought everyone together. I then found myself thinking about what formalities I preferred to accompany my own demise.

You could walk five blocks in Los Angeles and notice a lot of things. Whether it be the ongoing traffic in the streets that grid it, or the glint of neon shining out of the corner of your eye from several signs alongside your path, or the occasional bum asking for some spare change.

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