Art Attack

I've somehow missed that there is a new local magazine, Malibu, which is also available online.

In the lastest issue, they feature a profile of and Q&A with Robbie Conal, the irrepressible guerrilla artist whose posters adorn buildings and light posts throughout Southern California. His work has attacked the war, the Supreme Court, politicians of both major parties, and a lot more.

The magazine reviews his work thusly:

"The product of prolonged pressure and heat, each of Conal’s works emerges as yet another priceless diamond, sparkling from all angles with a witty, gritty social consciousness never before seen in the world of artistic expression. Adorning America’s cityscapes with badges of civil disobedience, Conal and his “get-up” army view the streets as their own personal CNN, broadcasting their message under cover of night, town by town, block by block, street by street. People are definitely watching. And more importantly, they are thinking."

Conal's work is as brilliant as it is unsubtle. His website is here.

Bigger, Faster, Stronger

The early buzz is great for the premier film by Venice's Chris Bell. The documentary "Bigger, Faster, Stronger" opened at the Sundance Film Festival, got rave reviews, won a distributor, and opens in limited release Friday, including a showing at the Arclight in Hollywood. I hear it's sort of like Michael Moore on steroids.

I'm dying to see it. The film's website is here.

Here is the trailer:

The Anti-Marriage Initiative

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times poll reported that Californians were close to evenly divided on a likely ballot measure that would amend to state constitution to codify anti-gay discrimination, and explicitly ban same sex marriage.

Patrick Range MacDonald of the LA Weekly has taken a look at the poll, and has some interesting observations at the alternative paper's website. Range, who is emerging as a important journalist on the LGBT beat, has started a blog on the paper's site to cover the initiative battle.

Some of his other recent coverage is here and here.

Ill Will

UFC 84: Ill Will, which airs on Pay-Per-View at 7 pm PST, boasts a helluva card, with a dramatic title fight, and a main card full of exciting bouts with major implications.

The headline fight, for the lightweight belt, is between BJ "The Prodigy" Penn and Sean "The Muscle Shark Sherk." Penn captured the title in January by defeating Joe "Daddy" Stevenson. Sherk used to hold the title, but it was stripped from him when he tested positive for steroids. For Sherk, this is a shot at redemption and an attempt to reclaim the title he feels was stolen for him. For Penn, this an opportunity to claim he holds the title legitimately and to put to rest, perhaps for good, the recurring storyline that he is a lazy fighter. There has been lots of bad blood between these two fighters.

Sherk is a relentless wrestler. Penn is a jiu-jitsu marvel. This will be a fun fight. I'll hoping for a Penn victory.

The second hottest fight of the night is Tito "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz versus Brazilian Lyoto Machida.

This will be Ortiz's last fight in the UFC, whose feud with UFC president (and his former manager) Dana White has all the drama and pettiness of a two soap opera divas. The latest installment in the long-running feud: at yesterday's weigh-in, Ortiz wore a t-shirt that said "Dana is my Bitch!" This came a few days after Dana trashed him on a conference call as the "dumbest human being" he has ever met.

Ortiz has gone all Hollywood, dating a former porn star and appearing on Donald Trump's "The Apprentice. " He has been a great fighter, but he is now more showman and ego than fighter. The contrast could not be sharper with Machida, a disciplined, smart, talenter fighter of both Japanese and Brazilian heritage. I'm rooting for Machida.

The third major fight is Keith Jardine versus Wanderlei Silva. They are both impressive fighters - although Jardine has an odd stance that makes him look a cartoon character. Silva, the former champion in the Pride league, has been on a losing streak lately. Jardine's last fight was a stunning split decison victory last fall against Chuck Liddel.

The Persecution Continues

The New York Times reports today that 270 illegal immigrants have been sentenced to five months in prison as part of "a sharp escalation in the Bush administration’s crackdown on illegal workers."

Last year, Congress was thisclose to a comprehensive package of immigration reform -- but it died, largely due to objections from the Right. They refused to compromise, killing the bill, and now they are getting everything they want -- border fences, stiffer penalties, a massive crackdown -- with none of the actual reform.

This sucks. I'm hoping either Obama or McCain will make genuine reform a priority in January -- before more immigrants wind up dead, in jail, in bleak and barren border deserts, or from the coming wave of anti-immigrant hysteria that people like Linbaugh and Lou Dobbs promote.