Recently I watched the documentaries “Beware of Mr. Baker” and “Murder Mountain.” Overall I enjoyed watching both of them although there was also many differences between the two films. One of the main differences in the two different films is the way the narrative of the story is laid out, and told. “Murder Mountain” was done as a six episode long series on Netflix whereas “Beware of Mr. Baker” was a little over hour long movie. I thought in both instances it worked because of how the timeline of each story was laid out. I watched all six episodes of “Murder Mountain” in a single day. Both documentaries do a good job at portraying the entire side of the story. In “Beware of Mr. Baker” the interview with Mr. Baker was done first, and the old footage corresponds with what he, or the other musicians that were being interviewed said at that point in time. They interviewed a lot of his former collaborators in the music industry to speak about his talents, other famous musicians who came after who illustrate his lasting influence, and his family to illustrate the destructive reality of who Ginger is. In “Murder Mountain” the subject is not an individual, but a location in Humboldt, California that is home to many stories which gave the area the nickname “Murder Mountain.” The main story about the documentary is a compilation of interviews several individuals who were involved either directly or indirectly to a murder, and vigilantism that took place in the area. There is not a law enforcement presence where these people live, and the documentary explains the history of the marijuana farms that are all over the area. They interviewed police officers who were from out of town that described how they drove through and guys on ATVs with rifles on their back escorted the police through their area. They also follow the stories of both an outlaw marijuana dealer, and somebody attempting to have their business go legal despite the financial and legal costs to do so. The tone of the documentary was fairly serious throughout because it dealt with real life instances of death. “Beware of Mr. Baker” was much lighter, although there were aspects of his life that were sad. There is just something in the way he talks, and acts which also makes you laugh and grabs your attention in the opening scene. Another thing that both of the documentaries did that helped visually picture the things that were going on was to have a reenactment. “Beware of Mr. Baker” used cartoons to illustrate some of the things he was doing when they did not have footage for it. Comparatively, “Murder Mountain” used live action video to show what certain trucks, or roads people were talking about looked like which made it more interesting to watch. I think the cartoon worked for Ginger because a lot about him and who he seemed to have been when he was younger was sort of a larger than life figure. I have already told multiple people to watch both of these documentaries so I would definitely recommend it to whoever is looking for something to watch. I did not know of Ginger Baker but I had heard Cream before, and listened to a lot of the musicians that were featured in the documentary which made it a super interesting watch. I will say though was bummed when I looked him up to see what he was up to now, and found out Ginger passed away. 

For the podcast assignment I chose to listen to the Slow Burn podcast season about the deaths of Tupac and Biggie, and the Missing Richard Simmons podcast. In my opinion both of the podcasts were really interesting to listen to. I listened to each of them in one sitting, and often found myself glancing over to the computer as if I was watching a video of it. It could be good to be able to see some of the people’s facial expressions as they talk so the viewer can see their body language. There were many points in the Slow Burn podcast when I would pause to go look up the video that they were referencing such as the scenes of the different shootings discussed, and other things they talk about in the podcast. All the stories they discuss draw your attention just when you hear the names of all the different artists who share a room with each other. I thought it was important for them to frame the 90s the way they did by discussing how police interacted with communities to help understand why the crimes were not investigated. I liked how they organized the podcast by asking three or four overlying questions at the beginning of the episode which makes you start to think about it. There was a question or two that talked about something that I hadn’t even thought of to that point. The podcasts differed from each other in that the Tupac, Biggie story has been told many times, and the Richard Simmons was an ongoing investigative podcast that the interviewer did not know the end result when starting the series. The interviewer in Slow Burn relied mostly on achieved tapes and interviews whereas in the Richard Simmons podcast the interviewer was conducting one on one interviews with people in real time. The Richard Simmons podcast was much more interesting than I thought it would be beforehand. It provides insight to somebody that gets referenced a lot but I knew very little about. However, I did find the ending of the podcast to be sort of a let down after they spent episodes suggesting that something worse than what really happened was going on. It isn’t the interviewers fault because he was just trying to follow the answers he was getting, but the ex masseuse seems like an unreliable source to begin with. It was an interesting question to ask for a podcast with an interesting possible answer, but the answer just turned out to be less controversial than anticipated which can happen. Overall they were both good at keeping you listening and wanting to hear more for the next episode. The fact that most episodes were about 30minutes each in both series was also good because it allowed them to go in depth but did not drag on too long.  

The Krista Tippett podcast I chose to listen to was on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence when she talked with Jill Tarter. Tippett begins the interview by briefly discussing Tarter’s childhood to describe what got her interested in space before becoming an astronomer. Unlike some scientists who seach for any sign of biologic life on other planets, Jill Tarter focused primarily on the search for intelligent lifeforms. They are looking for signs of technological use on other planets as a sign of intelligent life. 

I listened to the unedited version of the podcast first just so I could hear the whole thing, and see if there were any crucial moments in the interview that were edited out. For the most part I think it sounded okay through the first listen, but I did notice that at times Tippett mumbled through the question or when adjusting to a new question. The edited version sounded much cleaner to listen to because it took out the “ers” and “ums” while trying to find the correct way to phrase what she wanted to. When listening to the edited version the interviewer sounded much more on top of things and prepared than she did in the unedited to me. In total they took out about 13minutes of an interview that was initially an hour and 6 minutes so listening to it the second time also felt like it went by much quicker. The music that they used during some transitions also was a good change of so it did not sound as stale.  

***contains spoilers about new Star Wars Land at Disneyland in California

So you went to the new Star Wars land at Disneyland? How was it?

It was awesome! I went last week it was really packed. I got into the parking lot like a hour before it opened and I was one of the first ones in. Right when it opened I ran to the back of the park where it is.

What were you most excited for before going?

I was just excited to see all of it in general. I was really eager to get into the cantina since I haven’t been there before. So I was really excited to do that and to see all the Star Wars rides. I was happy I got to take my time and look at everything.

Was it what you imagined?

I think it was worth the hype. You hear a lot of things from people about how amazing it is and usually its just the really big fans that love it. I consider myself to be a pretty big fan jus

t because I love it but Im sure there bigger fans than me. The detail in everything is incredible with how they designed it to look like Star Wars. With some things its hard to feel like you’re getting your moneys worth sometimes because it is pricy… but you just have to immerse yourself in everything to get the whole feel of it. 

What did you do first?

I went to the cantina because I had reservations pretty much right when the park opened. They serve alcohol which was pretty cool to have at Disneyland. They only let you order two drinks maximum and it has a 45 minute limit that you can be in there because they are trying to control the crowds. Theres a mechanical dj in there, and they also sell food like cinnamon rolls.

How were the drinks?

They have fancy drinks with little edible bones on the top. In case you bring kids with you they also have things like blue milk. They actually taste good which is cool.

Nice, so what did you do after the cantina?

I went to the Millennium Falcon Ride which didn’t take as long as the sign said it was going too. It said it was going to take about an hour but we got on in like 45minutes. It really wasn’t that long to wait.

What did you think of the ride?

It was fun it was very realistic and again very detailed. You go and people assign you to a position on the Millennium Falcon. You can be an engineer, pilot, or gunner. And the ship “takes off” but you don’t actually go anywhere. They also keep score since I was the gunner of how may ships you destroy.

Were you able to get on the Rise of the Resistance ride everyone is excited about?

Yes!!! It was pretty crazy because you have to reserve a spot right when you get into the park right when the park opens. So the second the park opens everyone is on their phones trying to get into a grouping for the ride. The app crashed because so many people were trying to get a group at the same time. 

That sounds a little crazy

Yea everybody wants to get on because it’s the newest ride there. I asked people about it and they said “its an experience” but they never really tell you what its like. So theres so much anticipation and people start screaming because they’re so excited to get on.

So you were able to get a grouping?

Yea I was like group 80 so I’m waiting around all day not wanting to go on other rides because you don’t know when they are going to call your group on the phone. 

What do you mean by it being an “experience”

Well, you get on and theres a hologram of Rey telling you that you need to fight for the Resistance. You get on this ship and then all of a sudden the ship gets captured by the empire and you get taken off. They take you off of the ship and you see all these stormtroopers everywhere. They even yell at you if you lean against the ship or something. The you get put into a stormtrooper jail and the door opens for you to escape. You move through all these rooms and see AT-ATs, it was just so much fun. All I wanted people to tell me before was that it wasn’t a roller coaster because I don’t like going upside down. 

Is there anything else that you recommend doing at Star Wars land?

They have really good food like meatloaf and pasta but its like ‘Star Wars’ themed. They also have a museum with things from the movies and you can meet Rey or Darth Vader. They also have stormtroopers walking around the whole time messing with people and ask people where the rebels are but they don’t really stop to take pictures with you. You can tell they tried really hard to make you feel like you were actually in Star Wars.

Personally I really enjoyed listening to this podcast about Tracy Morgan’s background. I think Terry Gross did a great job during the interview at staying focused onto the topic she wanted to speak about. She asked questions she wanted to ask while still allowing room for Tracy to speak. There is a brief moment when she begins talking about his childhood, when they did get off track a little bit she did a very good job at bringing it back to topics such as his mother which were difficult for him to talk about. When he gets emotional she also gave him some time, and asked if he was okay to continue. I did think she may have pressed a little to hard when asking him to sing the lyrics of the song his dad wrote about his mom. It was clear before that point in the interview that he gets emotional when speaking about his relationships with his parents. It just didn’t sit well with me that after a half hour where you hear him talk, and describe things like running away, taking his siblings, caring for his father, etc, it seemed like she was being a little bit too invasive at that point. As a fan of Tracy Morgan I have heard him talk briefly about struggling growing up, but this was the longest and most in depth interview I have heard of his. Often times when funny people go on shows people just want them to be funny, and I like how she broke apart the interview with clips of his comedic work while at the same time connecting it to his not so funny past. 

ESPN is reporting Darren Collison will not come out of retirement to play in the NBA this season. Collison, 32, was seen court side at Staples Center last week with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, which added to months long speculation that the point guard was considering a return to the NBA this season. A move that could have bolstered the bench and 3 point scoring for the Lakers. Collison retired after last season for religious reasons after averaging 11 points and 6 assists per game. His decision to stay retired may be a blessing in disguise because something the team could also use is youth. According to Adrian Wojnarowski the Lakers are now looking at possibly signing Dion Waiters, 28, which may be a better move for the team in the long run. Waiters could be the valuable addition the team was looking for, he is younger than Collision, and has averaged scoring more points in his career with the Cavs, Thunder and Heat (13.2ppg). Many expected the Lakers to make a move before the trade deadline, but no deals materialized that would have helped to improve the roster. Now the team is still looking to fill a need that was visible when you looked at the roster on paper last summer. Young players may not get the same minutes in the playoffs, but could help the veteran core of the Lakers stay rested. The Clippers are utilizing “load management,” alongside a younger roster, with more depth. If the Lakers are going to make a run for a title they are going to have to make sure the main contributors are not burned out by June. 

The XFL started this weekend, and to my own surprise I watched all four games. There were many entertaining elements which made watching the games on television fun. Although most of the games were not very close the in game interviews, gameplay innovations, and mic’ed up replay official conversations with the referees made it stand apart. D.C. Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones fumbled on a play, and when he returned to the sideline the reporter was right there to ask what went wrong. Unfortunately for the fans of new rule innovations, there was not a 3 point conversion attempted after a touchdown. The XFL only features eight teams in part because those running the league understand the value of quality over quantity. All four games were on either ESPN or FOX, and featured several players and coaches who have had successful college and professional careers that football fans recognize. Given the overall network investments, quality of personnel, and time of year, the XFL seems like it has the potential to be a legitimate spring time league that provides more opportunities for coaches, and players to find their way back into the NFL. The weeks to come will have a better indication of how competitive the league actually is both on the field, in attendance, and in television ratings.

Hi my name is Alex, I am currently a student at Cal State Long Beach. My major is sociology, but I am considering minoring in journalism. I have a cat named “Wookie” who I adopted as a kitten(best 5$ I’ve ever spent). Some of my main hobbies that I like to do in my free time are traveling, watching sports, and playing music. I previously attended Glendale Community College before transferring to CSULB. Before GCC, I also went to LA Film School for music production. I am interested in becoming better at journalism, and would love a career that would allow me to get paid to travel and report on events taking place all over. I plan on moving to Florida after I graduate because a lot of my family lives out there. Most of my interests in sports come from watching and playing football, and basketball when I was younger. I also like hockey, soccer and baseball. Some of the most memorable sporting events I attended was the highest scoring NFL game of all time between the Rams and Chiefs last season, Game 6 of the 2017 World Series between the Dodgers and Astros, the Lakers-Warriors game when Kobe Bryant shot the free throw shots after tearing his Achilles, and the 2012 Rose Bowl between Oregon and Wisconsin. I also like to attend concerts whenever I am able to afford it. I like many different types of music, but electronic music is my favorite. Some of my favorite other events that I got to attend are EDC in Vegas, EDC in Orlando, but Red Rocks in Colorado was my favorite. 

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