By William Chamberlim
The Guardsman

Ray William Johnson, creator of the popular YouTube channel Equals Three, recently launched a new channel called Breaking NYC.

On his other channel, Equals Three, Johnson adds clever, “Mystery Science Theater 3000” style commentary to current YouTube videos. Equals Three has gained a following of one to two million viewers.

The new video blog about his personal life, launched in January, seems to have been created to punish his viewers with an intimate look into his rigorously average life in New York City.

Consisting of nothing more than brief shots of Johnson’s daily life, Breaking NYC has a mundane dullness that is almost completely absent of interest.

If you want a daily glimpse of someone who plays video games, goes to college, and ponders deep mysteries of the universe like: how gay his roommate is, how hot everyone’s mom is and how the food in his neighborhood tastes, then this might be what you’ve been searching for.

Johnson is very comfortable behind the camera and is able to keep his show, for the most part, to a PG-13 rating with the exception of the staple reference to having sex with “your mother.”

While no profound events occur on camera, the viewer does get to see frequent shots of Manhattan and Brooklyn, which are pleasing to the eye thanks to his roommate and video editor, WillofDC.

In a January episode, “Puppy” Johnson and WillofDC visit their friend who got a new puppy. The best part of the episode was WillofDC’s editing of the guys walking the streets of New York City.
He slowed down the footage and dropped a nice beat into the background.

The popularity and staying-power of the show is going to depend on how long it takes someone to copy the format and have more interesting experiences in front of the camera.

Johnson’s business sense does comes across strongly, however. Essentially, he created one popular show and simply transferred his viewers into his personal life. Perhaps he should try charging each viewer 15 cents per day to check in on him.

With 100,000 – 600,000 views daily, it’s apparent that people enjoy tuning in for a 7-minute shot of Johnson’s normal college life. However, I think I saw just enough episodes to review it and keep it away from my browser.

Entertainment, when I do have time for it, has to come across with more substance.
Breaking NYC may be an accomplished vlog, but it will be easy to avoid this YouTube channel if, in fact, you too have a social life.

By Ramsey El-Qare and Alex Emslie
The Guardsman

Nilton Goncalves preparesa half beef pepperoni, half barbecue chicken pizza at the San Franciso Seniore's Pizza restaurant. RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

Seniore’s Pizza, the place to get a pork-free meal on the corner of 19th Avenue and Taraval Street since 1996, packs in droves of hungry customers long after the bars and clubs close down.

“The pepperoni is beef. The salami is beef. The sausage is beef. The Canadian bacon is turkey,” employee Nidal “Ricky” Jaser said.

“It’s not halal. It’s not blessed, but people do appreciate it. It helps that it’s beef.”

The barbecue chicken pizza offers a unique combination of flavors — sweet, tangy and savory — which work well with the crispy, hand-made crust. The pepperoni tastes spicy and nostalgic, complementing Seniore’s signature homemade sauce.

Jaser said most people don’t notice they’re eating beef when they order typically pork items at Seniore’s.

There is more than just pizza at Seniore’s. They have subs, garlic bread served three different ways, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings, pasta, salads and desserts.

“Weekends are when it’s really busy,” Jaser said. “That’s the essence of Seniore’s.”

The dining area is a modest size, with granite counter tops that seat a total of seven. On any given day, a customer can relax and enjoy a slice while watching an old movie on the wall-mounted TV. But at night, be prepared for crowds of 50 or more spilling onto the sidewalk outside.

Seniore’s is open, officially, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. on weekdays and to 5 a.m. on weekends. However, these pizza purveyors serve pies as long as there are customers waiting.

“We don’t really have a closing time,” employee Federico Cândido said. “If people still want to eat, we keep taking orders.”

Seniore’s pork-free fare is also easy on the wallet. A two-topping extra large pizza is $17.45. Specials — like the Greek with feta cheese, black olives, fresh tomatoes, pesto and fresh garlic — are $20.95. Subs are $4.99 to $5.75, and so are most appetizers and salads. Ten buffalo wings cost $6.22 and pasta for four is $12.99.

Cândido summed up Seniore’s charm as, “It’s the best pizza in town, served late.”

By Jessica Luthi
The Guardsman

“Where pixels commit suicide and cool comes to die,” that’s “communitychannel,” or at least that’s how Natalie Tran, the comedic mastermind behind the YouTube channel, describes it.

Unlike most Youtube stars, the Australian doesn’t talk about the latest celebrity buzz or popular culture, but the quirks or habits of everyday people and topics that make you think.

She always starts with a simple “Hi,” before jumping into her chosen topics, which can range from packing for a trip overseas to awkward social situations. Tran plays multiple characters throughout each video, which makes it entertaining to watch.

Each clip ends with “porno music/comment time,” during which she reads comments left by users and provides remarks to comments left on previous videos while cheesy 70s music plays in the background.

What makes Tran so special is the natural comedic execution in each of her videos, making the Sydney-based YouTube star the fourth most subscribed-to director of all time, right up there with Universal Studios, which is ranked number one.

One of my favorites is the measuring tape video. Tran acts out different attempts to measure a dresser, a wall space to fit an armoire, as well as using her arms to measure the length of her desk. It’s quite entertaining to watch. I laughed so hard because I’m guilty of using my arms or hands to measure spaces instead of pulling out a measuring tape.

To add a personal touch, Tran includes photos sent in by people who have bumped into her on the street and insists that she reads all of the comments left on her videos.

Tran has come a long way since her YouTube debut in 2006. She now has over 200 videos with more than 550,000 subscribers and roughly 27 million channel views.

Many of her earlier videos were mediocre, but she has improved over the years. Each video is funnier than the last, making it hard to wait for the next one to be posted.

Be sure to check out some of my faves: “F#ck Measuring Tape,” “Oh…with a name like that,” and “You Didn’t Say Goodbye.”

“Communitychannel” may be “where pixels commit suicide and cool comes to die” but Tran’s videos are funny and worth every second spent watching them.

By Hannah Weiner
The Guardsman

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM

“Eating Animals” is Jonathan Safran Foer’s exploration of what people are eating in regards to meat. Soon to be a new father, the author’s curiosity about omnivore versus vegetarian lifestyles became an urgent need for understanding. So Foer sets off to answer his own questions, which consequently leads him to late night visits to factory farms, questions about fundamental arguments regarding the morality of eating animals, and discoveries of the true meanings of misleading terms used in the meat industry like “free-range” and “all-natural.”

Foer states at the beginning of the book that he is not making an argument for vegetarianism. As comforting as that sounds there seems to be constant pressure throughout the book to change one’s eating habits. Foer doesn’t come right out and say, “don’t eat meat,” but he conveys a subtler message: It’s okay if you do it, but I could never bring myself to do it. I don’t really understand how you do it, but don’t worry, I’m not judging you.

The gruesome facts do speak for themselves. The truth about how animals are treated while alive as well as how they are killed is horrifying. Foer goes into great detail about the living conditions of chickens, turkeys, cows and pigs kept on factory farms.

After making several unanswered requests to visit different factory farms, Foer sneaks onto one farm in the middle of the night and finds that some of “the ends of the beaks of the chicks are blackened,” some chicks are “blood matted,” and some are “covered in sores.”

At some farms dead animals are held in the same confinement areas as the live ones, easily spreading bacteria, and animals are tortured. There is a long list of inhumane acts being committed at these farms. “Eating Animals” definitely provides information that everyone needs to know.

One problem with “Eating Animals” is the redundancy of the content. Foer uses many pages to essentially rephrase the same point, which only results in the feeling that he is beating his point to death. His arguments would be stronger if they did not seem so overbearing.

One has to give Foer credit, though, he did his research. The arguments he makes are difficult, if not seemingly impossible, to counter. The vast majority of the content reads like investigative reporting and he backs up his positions with valid information. The details about factory farming listed in the novel were confirmed by numerous sources. The notes in the book take up 61 pages.

While thorough, “Eating Animals” is not all facts and statistics. Foer talks about the culture and relationships that are a part of eating and shares his own personal stories with the reader, some of which are funny, some of which are sad. If he is anything, Jonathan Safran Foer is a good storyteller.

By Jessica Luthi
The Guardsman

You can never go wrong with a free drink. A free drink is even sweeter when you pull it off with a touch of charisma, a dash of comedy and a little magic.

Brian Brushwood, the host of Scam School, believes you’ll never pay for another drink again as long as you have a few of his tricks up your sleeves.

“Scam School” is an Internet television show that  airs Thursdays on Revision3.com, a San Francisco-based Internet television company started by Kevin Rose, Jay Adelson and David Prager. Rose and Adelson are also the founders of the popular bookmarking social networking site, Digg. Revision3 also hosts shows like “Diggnation,” “AnimeTV” and “Tekzilla.”

“Scam School” consists of weekly 10 to 15 minute long segments featuring Brushwood performing tricks on people in bars or on the street. His gags and cons can be used for getting free drinks or cash from friends and other bar-goers, picking up the ladies or getting rid of someone who’s had too much to drink.

Many of his tricks play off the psychology of the mind and the way humans think. It may not seem like such a sly move to perform tricks on people who have had a few too many drinks, but the gags can produce the same result when performed on completely sober people.

“Scam School” is mildly entertaining. The idea of the show is interesting and Brushwood has a likability about him. Some of his tricks are clever while others seem cheesy. Although I didn’t like all of his tricks, I do have a few favorites that made me laugh which I want to run out and try.

Some of my favorite episodes include “How to Stick Your Friends to the Bar,” “Blow Hard” and “Circumference vs. Height.”  Thumb cuffs  from “How to Stick Your Friends to the Bar” was the most entertaining trick to watch.

Thumb cuffs is just as its name implies — being cuffed to something by your thumbs. The simplicity of the trick makes it that much better.

This trick should only be used to get rid of an annoying bar-goer, and while swindlers may be down the cost of a drink, they will at least be able to enjoy the rest of their evening. First, the mark is asked what they like to drink and the trickster buys it. Then the drink is set aside and the unwitting drunk is asked to put their thumbs against the edge of a pool table or the bar. The drink is then gently placed on their thumbs. While it’s probably not a polite thing to do to someone, it was funny to watch Brushwood do it.

Thumb cuffs may be my favorite, but “Scam School” offers such a variety of tricks that everyone will find something they like.

Check out those “Scam School” videos and more at www.youtube.com/revision3 or at www.revision3.com/scamschool.

By Nick Palm
The Guardsman

In the heart of the lively Bernal Heights corridor of Mission Street lies an easy-to-miss gastronomic treasure.

El Zocalo, located at 3230 Mission Street between 29th and Valencia streets, serves traditional Mexican and Salvadorian food and is known for their pupusas — corn flatbread filled with customizable combinations of meats, beans and cheese.

With an abundance of watering holes in the area and a closing time of 4 a.m., El Zocalo has become a late night hot spot for hipsters and hungry drunks alike.

The restaurant was nearly deserted when I walked in on a Wednesday afternoon. The other customers all kept to themselves, seeming hypnotized by both the music in their headphones and plates like chile relleno, tamales and fried yucca.

If you come looking for great service or decor, don’t bother. Their food speaks for itself.

I started off with a glass of horchata, a traditional Latin American drink made with rice, almonds and cinnamon. It’s hard to go wrong with horchata, and they do it well at El Zocalo.

After polishing off a basket of fresh house-made tortilla chips, I dove into plates of pupusas revuelta and yuca frita con chicharron.

The pupusas, filled with pork and cheese, were delicious. The corn dough was soft and fluffy, and browned on the griddle.

The yuca frita con chicharron – fried yucca and fried pork – was still good, but held no ground to the pupusas.  The yucca was great when dipped in salsa, but the fried pork seemed overcooked and hard to chew.

My whole bill was about $15. As pupusas are only $1.90 each, I could easily make another trip here for under $10.

El Zocalo is a great place to grab a quick, inexpensive bite or subdue a case of late-night munchies. Their most expensive menu items are around $8, so a starving student on almost any budget could fill up here and still have enough for a BART ride home.

Take it from me: Go for the pupusas, stay for the pupusas, and leave only when you can’t fit any more pupusas into your mouth.

Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher and Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy in Alcon Entertainment's drama 'The Blind Side,' which chronicles the life of Oher before he became an NFL athlete. PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

By Jessica Luthi
Editor-in-Chief

Over the years, there have been sports films that inspire, awe and amaze — including “Remember the Titans,” “The Great White Hope,” “The Babe,” and “Searching for Bobby Fischer.” “The Blind Side” takes sports films to a whole new level because the film creates a strong emotional connection between the audience and the characters.

“The Blind Side,” based on a book by Michael Lewis, takes us into the life of Michael Oher, an offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. But the movie is not just about how Oher got drafted into the NFL or how he was the greatest athlete at his high school — it goes much deeper than that. “The Blind Side” explores how a homeless teenager is trying to survive against all odds and how his life is changed with the help of one family.

Oher, played by Quinton Aaron, is already homeless when he enters high school without much previous education. He struggles with everyday things we take for granted, such as finding somewhere to take a shower, a warm and safe place to sleep or completing his education.

Seeing Oher walk into a laundromat to wash his clothes in the sink, and toss them into a dryer someone else was using made me thankful I never had to go through what he went through
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By chance, he meets Leigh Ann Tuohy, played by Sandra Bullock, who takes him into her home and changes his life forever. Thanks to the Tuohy’s support and care, Oher manages to stay in school and eventually becomes an all-American athlete.

“The Blind Side” is a must-see movie. The performances are stellar, but what makes this film great is the story. It made me laugh and it made me cry.

Aaron is perfectly cast as Oher. Despite being a new actor working alongside seasoned professionals, he holds his own. His talent and believability make this movie a success. Bullock is at her best and “The Blind Side” could be one of her outstanding performances, right next to “Practical Magic” and “28 Days.”

There was only one thing wrong with this film — the depiction of Oher’s ability to play football. He may have had little academic education prior to living with the Tuohy’s, but I just don’t think he was ignorant when it came to the game. I think the director should have given him a bit more credit.

While that’s my only qualm, it doesn’t detract from the excellent story or the quality of the acting. “The Blind Side” appeals to sports junkies and casual movie-goers alike and is definitely worth the ticket price.

By Marcus Rodriguez
Staff Writer

Coffee, food and avant-garde beat poetry.  I found this and a lot more at Java Jitters Cafe, which held an open mic night on Nov. 13.

Java Jitters is a small cafe which offers both traditional cafe fare and Mexican food. The eclectic place seemed to offer a little bit of everything.

Heavy metal played through the cafe’s speaker system before the show while figure skating was shown on a TV in the background.  As more people began trickling in, artists began warming up and mingled in the crowd of about 50.

A guitarist named Mama Goose began tuning his guitar at one of the open tables, while three people played double dutch jump rope on the sidewalk outside.

The male jump roper, 19-year-old City College student Beth Anderson, adorned with striped tube socks, shorts, sneakers and a white hoodie. Anderson, who later performed a comedic monologue, flamboyantly hyped up his performance saying, “When I come out, I want Lady Gaga to be playing.”

“About a year and a half ago I brought the idea up to my boss that this place really is a great space, so why not use it,” said 24-year-old host Jared, a San Francisco State student who only goes by his first name.

“I originally got the word out by just posting flyers in the cafe, and just on the strength of word of mouth we had about fifty people showing up on the first night,” Jared said. “There’s just a great student base here.”

The atmosphere was warm and open, and many appeared to be old friends, greeting and hugging. All artists were very supportive of each other, and the audience laughed, hooted and hollered, but never heckled. Everybody just came to eat, drink coffee and be merry.

One of the acts included Mama Goose and the Diamond Chest, a guitarist and singing duo who performed an acoustic version of Juvenile’s single “Slow Motion.”

The event featured a variety of spoken word, including an artist who called himself Rufio “Bangarang”, who spit out some a capella verses about life in the city.

Anderson, whose monologue talked about “life and stuff,” a number of different subjects, including a lament on the lack of sexual diversity in modern cinema.

“Damn. Why aren’t there any gay transformers? At least a pink Volkswagen,” Anderson said.

Hedda Gabler, played by Whitney Gafford and Judge Brack, played by Lance Huntley, have a 'little cozy chat.' TRISTAN CRANE / THE GUARDSMAN

By Marcus Rodriguez
Staff Writer

A sneak preview of the City College production, “Hedda Gabler,” the 19th-century play written by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Gloria Weinstock, was performed on Nov. 12 at the Diego Rivera Theater.

The play could be considered a comedy of manners with a quiet, tragic undertone.

The story concerns Hedda Gabler, played with passion and perfect restraint by Whitney Gafford. Gabler has just married and is settling into a quiet, uneventful life with her new husband George Tesman, played with manic energy by Will Chen.

Even though Gabler’s last name is now Tesman, the title of the play still uses her maiden name, which suggests she is not happy in her new role as Tesman’s wife.

Without giving too much away for those who haven’t seen it, let’s just say she makes a few decisions that change her life and the lives of those around her forever.

I sat in on the dress rehearsal, so there were still a few small kinks in the performance. If the actors didn’t have their movements right, Weinstock interrupted with, “Stop! Too soon. Go back and do it again.” It was nice to see the nuts and bolts of a play, especially since it was on the way to becoming a consummate, well-crafted production.

The performance of Patrick Barresi was excellent. He played Ejlert Løvborg, the tortured, self-destructive writer and secret love interest of Hedda. Barresi lent gravity and conviction to the role of a man slowly unraveling with the help of his own demons and vices. As he sank into despair and alcoholism, I found myself sympathizing with Løvborg.

This play worked so well because it kept very close to the original work, with a lean and simple stage production that allowed your mind to get lost in the story.

The play built a large amount of tension as the characters, while mannered and polite in their speech and interactions, moved closer to their own demise and ruin. Weinstock’s stage direction helped the cast with calmness and restraint as the tragic events began to unfold.

There were were a few other hiccups. A line or two was forgotten, but considering this was a dress rehearsal, I definitely look forward to seeing the finished product.

Actual performances began on Nov. 13 in the Diego Rivera Theatre.