Omar's Weekend Wrap-Up Extraveganza!
This weekend started off pretty good. Went to see "V for Vendetta" on Friday night in South Gate. Now, I was going into this movie with a lot of expectations, not because I was intimately familiar with the source material (even though being a comic book fan, I had heard the titled tossed around every so often), but because I'm such a fan of the work that Joel Silver and the Watchowski's did with the Matrix saga. (They remain as some of my favorite films, even though each successive sequel lacked the luster of the previous one. I also include the "Animatrix" in the saga, which is actually a great collection of short films by some of the best people in Anime).
I'm glad to say that I was not disappointed. I have to admit that in the beginning, when V first appears, spouting a long, complicated, prose of alliteration, I was slightly apprehensive that V would end being like the Architect in the Matrix. But thankfully that was not the case. No matter how flowery V got with his dialogue, it was always clear the meaning of his words. His actions, however, are another thing altogether.
V is single-minded, to the point of annoyance. But that all changes when he meets Evey (skillfully played by Natalie Portman). She becomes a new kind of obsession for V, as well as an ally. She brings out in V a sort of tenderness that wasn't apparent at first glance. It is a strange juxtaposition seeing how kind and delicate he can be with Evey, while still not hesitating to blow up a building full of innocent people or slicing a few throats with his various daggers.
Ultimately this film works on a very emotional level because of the state of the world we live in today. This film is very political, and its one political message is that we must be very wary of the power that we allow our government. This film takes place in Britain in the not-so-distant future, where a oppressive government has come into power under the charismatic head of Chancellor Adam Sutler. In the end, even though we see V commiting horrific acts of terrorism, (far worse than anything we see Chancellor Sutler commit!), we side, not with the character, but with the ideal. "People should not be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of it's people". V comes across as likeable enough, thanks to the awesome acting of Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith to you and me!), despite the fact that we never once see his face. All in all, this was a very enjoyable movie-going experience. I'll give this a 4 out of 5. Now, on to the main event.
Saturday night was my RBD concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and honestly I was not expecting it to be such the massive event it turned out to be. We ventured off at around 1:30pm (Gates open at 4:30pm, concert starts at 7:00pm) and arrived finally at the Coliseum at around 3:00pm. Traffic was crazy. The streets were literally a parking lot. We decided to park at one of the 5 USC parking lots that were opened to provide parking for the event, which ended up being the smartest thing we could have possibly done. Sure it was $20.00, but the convenience both before and after the concert was well worth it.
We walked three blocks to the Coliseum, cutting through USC, where we saw pleanty of girls in their RBD gear (many way too young to be showing what God WILL give them in a few more years), street vendors attempting to sell knock-off RBD merchandise, those infamous bacon-wrapped hot dog carts (Mmmm...Mmmm...Mmmm...that's good eats!), and one car accident. We finally came upon two MASSIVE lines that doubled back on themselves. (According to Super Estrella 107.1fm, the official station of the RBD concert), some people had been there since midnight waiting in line. (And many flew in from other parts of the country, or other countries altogether).
We ended up at the part of the line that doubled back to the front of the entrance. The line continued to form WAY past where we were, we couldn't even see the end. Everything was going smoothly for the hour and a half we were in line. We saw a massive fleet of security guards emerge from the Sports Arena next door, bagged lunch in hand, sporting their bright yellow slickers. So at that point I figured, this might not end in tragedy after all. But then the gates opened, and I realized just how rabid these fans are.
People were attempting (and often succeeding which incouraged many others) in running to the point of the line directly adjacent to us, which was also the front of the line) getting past the few security guards posted there.There was group of people in front of us daring enough to try the dash and cut maneuver, although the left one person behind to hold their place in line in case they failed. They didn't. Their friend insisted we try as well, but we weren't as daring. She tried a few times, but security, and the shouts of the crowd she was trying to cut in front of, discouraged her. Luckily, her friends had said before they went in that they would save 3 seats for us. And true to their word, 40 minutes after they went into the Coliseum, we found them with 3 seats saved just for us.
The seats were fairly close to the stage, closer than we would have gotten if we had waited until we got in to get seats ourselves. We were stage left, almost perpendicular to it. Now, all morning and most of the afternoon had been sunny. It had rained the night before, and there were chances of thunderstorms that night as well. But we felt that luck was on our side and we would have a clear night for a great show. Boy, were we wrong...DEAD wrong...(DUM DUM DUM!!!).
The concert was set to start at 7:00pm, around 6:45pm or so there were very light sprinkles drizzling down on us. People were still walking in to their seats. We thought if that was the worst that it got, we would still have a good night. But it didn't stop there. It began to rain, nice and steady. The same people who saved us seats were kind enough to give us a large plastic bag that we could use to cover ourselves. All was fine until the wind picked up, the temperature dropped, and all of a sudden we were being hailed on. We were cold, we were wet, we were covered in ice. So many of the people in the stands decided to seek shelter in the tunnels. Bad idea! They ran to the tunnels and just settled there, clogging the only exits. People were being smashed together, some idiots decided to force their way through in the other direction, knocking people against the walls. Kids were beginning to get crushed. At that point, we were at the mouth of the tunnel, and proceeded to attempt rescuing the kids. It was scary there for a moment, there were times when I thought I was going to be pushed down the stairs, but thankfully the rain subsided, the clouds parted, and the band took the stage at nearly 7:30pm.
Okay, so I wasn't a fan of the band beforehand. I did all this for my girlfriend because I see how much she loves the show and the music, and a few of the guys in the band. But they won me over. I don't know whether it was the energy from the fans, the scantily clad ladies, or the music. (I'm leaning towards the scantily clad ladies myself!) We were standing the whole time, my legs are still sore, swaying to the music. It was a little hard to snap any good pictures, some came out too dark or too blurry, so I decided to focus primarily of taking short video clips. They turned out pretty good. Something to remember the night by.
By the sounds of it, we broke the Coliseum's record for attendance at any latin artist's concert. (These kid's names are uttered in the same sentence with U2 and the Rolling Stones in sheer numbers). This was the first stop in their first North American tour, and the news choppers were constantly hovering overhead, there were also camera crews throughout the stadium. (I heard they were filming footage for their soap opera, or Telenovela for those of you who habla!) There was a very memorable moment during a slow song when all the lights were turned off except for a spotlight, and almost everyone in the audience was holding up their cell phones. It almost looked like starlight. It was impressive.
All in all it was a pleasant evening. Good music, good company. Could have done without the wet and the cold, and the near-death experience now that I think of it, but fun nonetheless. Well worth the $50 a ticket that I paid. (As opposed to some people who we overheard saying that they paid $150 for the same general admission tickets we bought!) After the band performed, a mariachi band took the stage for one song, and then the back-up band played out to a fireworks display behind the stage. We stayed through all of this, allowing for the initial rush of people exiting the Coliseum to die down.Traffic was almost as bad as when we got there earlier that afternoon, and I could not be happier that we parked at USC instead of the Coliseum parking lot. We managed to avoid almost all the traffic, and we decided to take the surface streets home. A happy end to a happy evening. Thanks to all of you who prayed for our lives, and who visit my blog to hear me rant about it. Sorry for the wait, I'll try not to leave you hanging so long next time.
This weekend started off pretty good. Went to see "V for Vendetta" on Friday night in South Gate. Now, I was going into this movie with a lot of expectations, not because I was intimately familiar with the source material (even though being a comic book fan, I had heard the titled tossed around every so often), but because I'm such a fan of the work that Joel Silver and the Watchowski's did with the Matrix saga. (They remain as some of my favorite films, even though each successive sequel lacked the luster of the previous one. I also include the "Animatrix" in the saga, which is actually a great collection of short films by some of the best people in Anime).
I'm glad to say that I was not disappointed. I have to admit that in the beginning, when V first appears, spouting a long, complicated, prose of alliteration, I was slightly apprehensive that V would end being like the Architect in the Matrix. But thankfully that was not the case. No matter how flowery V got with his dialogue, it was always clear the meaning of his words. His actions, however, are another thing altogether.
V is single-minded, to the point of annoyance. But that all changes when he meets Evey (skillfully played by Natalie Portman). She becomes a new kind of obsession for V, as well as an ally. She brings out in V a sort of tenderness that wasn't apparent at first glance. It is a strange juxtaposition seeing how kind and delicate he can be with Evey, while still not hesitating to blow up a building full of innocent people or slicing a few throats with his various daggers.
Ultimately this film works on a very emotional level because of the state of the world we live in today. This film is very political, and its one political message is that we must be very wary of the power that we allow our government. This film takes place in Britain in the not-so-distant future, where a oppressive government has come into power under the charismatic head of Chancellor Adam Sutler. In the end, even though we see V commiting horrific acts of terrorism, (far worse than anything we see Chancellor Sutler commit!), we side, not with the character, but with the ideal. "People should not be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of it's people". V comes across as likeable enough, thanks to the awesome acting of Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith to you and me!), despite the fact that we never once see his face. All in all, this was a very enjoyable movie-going experience. I'll give this a 4 out of 5. Now, on to the main event.
Saturday night was my RBD concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and honestly I was not expecting it to be such the massive event it turned out to be. We ventured off at around 1:30pm (Gates open at 4:30pm, concert starts at 7:00pm) and arrived finally at the Coliseum at around 3:00pm. Traffic was crazy. The streets were literally a parking lot. We decided to park at one of the 5 USC parking lots that were opened to provide parking for the event, which ended up being the smartest thing we could have possibly done. Sure it was $20.00, but the convenience both before and after the concert was well worth it.
We walked three blocks to the Coliseum, cutting through USC, where we saw pleanty of girls in their RBD gear (many way too young to be showing what God WILL give them in a few more years), street vendors attempting to sell knock-off RBD merchandise, those infamous bacon-wrapped hot dog carts (Mmmm...Mmmm...Mmmm...that's good eats!), and one car accident. We finally came upon two MASSIVE lines that doubled back on themselves. (According to Super Estrella 107.1fm, the official station of the RBD concert), some people had been there since midnight waiting in line. (And many flew in from other parts of the country, or other countries altogether).
We ended up at the part of the line that doubled back to the front of the entrance. The line continued to form WAY past where we were, we couldn't even see the end. Everything was going smoothly for the hour and a half we were in line. We saw a massive fleet of security guards emerge from the Sports Arena next door, bagged lunch in hand, sporting their bright yellow slickers. So at that point I figured, this might not end in tragedy after all. But then the gates opened, and I realized just how rabid these fans are.
People were attempting (and often succeeding which incouraged many others) in running to the point of the line directly adjacent to us, which was also the front of the line) getting past the few security guards posted there.There was group of people in front of us daring enough to try the dash and cut maneuver, although the left one person behind to hold their place in line in case they failed. They didn't. Their friend insisted we try as well, but we weren't as daring. She tried a few times, but security, and the shouts of the crowd she was trying to cut in front of, discouraged her. Luckily, her friends had said before they went in that they would save 3 seats for us. And true to their word, 40 minutes after they went into the Coliseum, we found them with 3 seats saved just for us.
The seats were fairly close to the stage, closer than we would have gotten if we had waited until we got in to get seats ourselves. We were stage left, almost perpendicular to it. Now, all morning and most of the afternoon had been sunny. It had rained the night before, and there were chances of thunderstorms that night as well. But we felt that luck was on our side and we would have a clear night for a great show. Boy, were we wrong...DEAD wrong...(DUM DUM DUM!!!).
The concert was set to start at 7:00pm, around 6:45pm or so there were very light sprinkles drizzling down on us. People were still walking in to their seats. We thought if that was the worst that it got, we would still have a good night. But it didn't stop there. It began to rain, nice and steady. The same people who saved us seats were kind enough to give us a large plastic bag that we could use to cover ourselves. All was fine until the wind picked up, the temperature dropped, and all of a sudden we were being hailed on. We were cold, we were wet, we were covered in ice. So many of the people in the stands decided to seek shelter in the tunnels. Bad idea! They ran to the tunnels and just settled there, clogging the only exits. People were being smashed together, some idiots decided to force their way through in the other direction, knocking people against the walls. Kids were beginning to get crushed. At that point, we were at the mouth of the tunnel, and proceeded to attempt rescuing the kids. It was scary there for a moment, there were times when I thought I was going to be pushed down the stairs, but thankfully the rain subsided, the clouds parted, and the band took the stage at nearly 7:30pm.
Okay, so I wasn't a fan of the band beforehand. I did all this for my girlfriend because I see how much she loves the show and the music, and a few of the guys in the band. But they won me over. I don't know whether it was the energy from the fans, the scantily clad ladies, or the music. (I'm leaning towards the scantily clad ladies myself!) We were standing the whole time, my legs are still sore, swaying to the music. It was a little hard to snap any good pictures, some came out too dark or too blurry, so I decided to focus primarily of taking short video clips. They turned out pretty good. Something to remember the night by.
By the sounds of it, we broke the Coliseum's record for attendance at any latin artist's concert. (These kid's names are uttered in the same sentence with U2 and the Rolling Stones in sheer numbers). This was the first stop in their first North American tour, and the news choppers were constantly hovering overhead, there were also camera crews throughout the stadium. (I heard they were filming footage for their soap opera, or Telenovela for those of you who habla!) There was a very memorable moment during a slow song when all the lights were turned off except for a spotlight, and almost everyone in the audience was holding up their cell phones. It almost looked like starlight. It was impressive.
All in all it was a pleasant evening. Good music, good company. Could have done without the wet and the cold, and the near-death experience now that I think of it, but fun nonetheless. Well worth the $50 a ticket that I paid. (As opposed to some people who we overheard saying that they paid $150 for the same general admission tickets we bought!) After the band performed, a mariachi band took the stage for one song, and then the back-up band played out to a fireworks display behind the stage. We stayed through all of this, allowing for the initial rush of people exiting the Coliseum to die down.Traffic was almost as bad as when we got there earlier that afternoon, and I could not be happier that we parked at USC instead of the Coliseum parking lot. We managed to avoid almost all the traffic, and we decided to take the surface streets home. A happy end to a happy evening. Thanks to all of you who prayed for our lives, and who visit my blog to hear me rant about it. Sorry for the wait, I'll try not to leave you hanging so long next time.
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