Following the money to USC

Tomorrow, bright and early to beat the traffic, I’m off to the Annenberg School for Communication to attend The Investigative Reporters and Editors Campaign Finance Workshop.

I really got into following the money during 2004’s Hesperia City Council campaign and this year, if anything, will be even more slam-bang of an election season. I’m looking forward to the seminar, although 84 miles, driving with rush hour traffic into LA, and trying to get there by the 9 a.m. start fills me with dread.

We’ll see how it works out.

Journalism 101: The first entertainment feature

A few days ago, I posted some advice to a copy editor in danger of having to write her first feature stories, if her freelancers flaked, as freelancers will do. Well, she ended up having to write a story. Writing what she knows, Mel interviewed comic book creator Mike Oeming:

Despite what he calls “horrible” grammar skills, Oeming has honed his writing to work in concert with his art.

“I’ve always been a storyteller and see writing and drawing as an extension of that, an extension of each other,” he said.

A comic-book reader since childhood, Oeming found his calling – and his inspiration – through a 1985 book drawn by legendary artist Art Adams.

“I saw ‘X-Men Annual 9’ and it changed my life,” he said. “It was the art of Art Adams, and he made me want to be an artist, just by looking as his drawings.”

Oeming got his start at 14, an inking gig on 1989’s “Newstralia 2” for Innovation Comics. Since then, he’s gone on to draw his own creations.Oeming works on independent books like “Powers” and “Hammer of the Gods” primarily for himself, though he hopes “others can share in the love of what I’m doing,” but he shifts priorities for company-owned or “work-for-hire” titles.

“When I write for Marvel, I’ve learned it’s both for myself and the fans – I have to please both,” he said.

Welcome to the life, Mel!

Chamber of Commerce gives Star award

At last Friday’s annual awards banquet, the Hesperia Chamber of Commerce had a surprise for Hesperia Star editor Peter Day: A fancy glass (or crystal, I can never tell the difference) award for “outstanding coverage” of the chamber over the last year.

It now sits next to our second place trophy from last year’s Hesperia Days parade.

Neat.

The CSI: Miami Drinking Game

I … remember when CSI: Miami used to be … if not great, pretty good, Alexx. But … at some point … in its first season … it turned into CSI: David Caruso.

And … was a stinker, on top of that. (NYPD: David Caruso was much better and … had nudity, Detective Sipowicz.)

There may be … a worse show on television, Mr. Wolfe … but those involved … should be in jail.

So here … in recognition of the … worst-written … worst-acted … show on network television … is the CSI: Miami Drinking Game, Ms. Duquesne. I’m sorry about your alcoholic DA father.

The CSI: Miami Drinking Game!
1. Horatio puts on or takes off his sunglasses: Take a sip
2. Horatio … pauses unnaturally … while talking: Take a sip
3. Horatio openly lusts for his brother’s wife: Take a sip
4. Horatio lowers his head: Take a sip
5. Horatio talks while refusing to look at someone: Take a sip
6. Horatio puts his hands on his hips: Take a sip
7. Someone calls Horatio “H”: Take a sip
8. Horatio calls someone “my friend”: Take a sip
9. Horatio makes a solemn promise to a victim or a victim’s relative: Take a sip
10. Horatio saves someone from a bomb, sniper or natural disaster: Take a sip
11. A good guy looks at Horatio with adoration: Take a sip
12. A bad guy glares at Horatio: Take a sip
13. A bad guy threatens Horatio: Take a sip
14. Horatio’s “dead” brother Raymond is mentioned: Take a sip
15. Someone mentions Horatio’s troubled New York past: Take a sip
16. Cheesy line, Roger Daltry screams “YEAH!” and the opening credits roll: Finish your drink
17. Horatio’s brother’s wife, Yelina, shows cleavage: Take a sip
18. Eric Delko acts tough and/or troubled: Take a sip
19. Someone refuses to give Ryan Wolfe the benefit of the doubt: Take a sip
20. Calleigh Duquesne’s father is in a scene: Take a sip
21. Alexx Woods talks to a dead person: Take a sip
22. Detective Frank Tripp looks pissed: Take a sip
23. We see girls in bikinis: Take a sip
24. We see girls in a night club: Take a sip
25. We see someone having sex in a flashback: Take a sip
26. We see someone taking drugs in a flashback: Take a sip
27. We see a department-owned Humvee: Take a sip
28. Someone talks in a thick accent: Take a sip
29. Something explodes: Take a sip
30. Amazingly, a case turns out to have a link to Horatio: Finish your drink

And the evidence … never lies, my friend.

Liz Phair’s iTunes Exclusives album

Liz Phair, after being MIA for a bit — Where’s her podcast? Where are her 2006 tour dates? — has resurfaced, with a new iTunes Exclusives album over on, you guessed it, iTunes.

The album comes in both Clean and Explicit versions. Honestly, who’s listening to Liz Phair that wants a clean version? Some of her most interesting and most adult songs would be nigh-incomprehensible bowdlerized.

Anyway, both versions are $9.99, include her talking about her entire career and how she came up with the specific songs and feature live versions of a dozen songs, but you’ll need to burn them to CD yourself.