Photo by Hanss Lujan

Laura Sciarpelletti

Events Editor

A few weeks ago, in a weak and stressed haze, I agreed to blur out my studying obligations for the evening, drink excessive amounts of Red Stag and go with my roommate to O’Flannigan’s. Local band Wild Son, who describes itself as a progressive folk rock band, was playing that evening, and I blamed my blistered feet on my enjoyment of the group’s set. The band consists of violinist Mitch Howanyk; singer, songwriter and guitarist Kieran McCaffrey; drummer Cam Wilks; and bassist Aaron DeSilva.I met Wild Son outside the Paramount Theatre a week later, and our interview was crashed by Jeff, a street musician who insisted on staying around through the entire interview so that he could serenade us with “The Destiny of Me” [an eighties song with a reverb] at the end.

Wild Son released their first EP, Franklyn Road at The Habitat on January 18^th. The venue sold out and the event was a great success as the emerging band released four original songs. The group has twenty-one original songs ready to go, and finds it hard to classify themselves in a genre as they all have different musical backgrounds, from jazz to folk to hip hop.

“I think it does come down to the singer/songwriter barebones,” said Cam. “And then we add funky stuff. People really seem to move to our music.”

Wild Son speaks fondly of the Kelowna music scene, which seems small, but is growing at a promising rate.

“It’s good for emerging artists,” said Kieran. “We’ve had a lot of fun and the scene is really growing.”

Wild Son began in Winnipeg with Cam and Kieran performing as a duo. Cam went to university with Mitch, and the violist joined the band in Kelowna. Just over a year ago, Aaron visited the three from Ottawa, performed with them a few times, and moved in.

“I had no intentions, I was just visiting,” said Aaron. “We clicked and I just said screw Ottawa.”

This is just the beginning for the band, as they are moving forward at a quick rate.

“If money wasn’t an issue this would be our job,” said Mitch. “We take this very seriously and treat it like a business. You have to or you won’t succeed. We only work our jobs so we can do this. Like any small business, starting up is always hard at the beginning, but we’re seeing progress so it keeps us motivated.”

Word is spreading, and Wild Son is quickly becoming a strong fixture within the Kelowna music scene.

“We’re definitely seeing [some] regulars at our shows now. They’re always loud and having a good time, like that guy,” Cam said, nodding at Jeff. “It’s cool to get recognition and see some familiar [faces].

“I’m a fan already,” said the uninvited street musician.

“I like the fact that we’re like a family, but keep it separate from the business,” said Mitch. “The true test will be this summer.”

The quartet is currently planning their upcoming tour where they will be driving across the country in a van. They will be performing in Vancouver first, and then in Banff and Calgary for Canada Day. The group will be in Ontario for a large portion of the trip.

“We started off at The Grateful Fed, [and that] let us get our foot in the door to the scene down here,” said Mitch. “Other than that, O’Flannigan’s has been a home base. We’ve been playing there monthly since September.”

“So many people are involved with the success of the band,” said Mitch. “There are ten to twenty people that have helped us so much. That’s one big thing to realize.”

The group often performs with Cory Myraas—aka Windmills—another local musician and former Phoenix Newspaper coverboy. They have yet to collaborate on a song together, but have spoken about it. The two bands do shows together all the time, often with Paperboy as well.

Near the later portion of that Friday evening when I was first introduced to Wild Son, Mitch introduced the next song, “Devil Went Down to Georgia.” I’ll admit, as a Merritt girl, that I was thrilled, and it had nothing to do with the Red Stag.

“I would be selfish not to play that kind if music,” said Kieran. “I find ways to keep myself challenged. Kieran keeps me on my toes. He often plays in G flat which is quite difficult at times.”

Wild Son will be have played together for a year this 4:20, and will be performing at Fernando’s to commemorate the anniversary. As they pick up speed in the Kelowna community, the band continues to put their personal stamp on the music they perform, find their own sound, and push each other as artists. Along with their April 20^th Fernando’s show, they will also be performing at The Habitat on April 25^th with Windmills. Be forewarned, these shows will consist of screaming fangirls and the madness that is post-exam celebration.

Laura Sciarpelletti – Events Editor

Saturday, March 23rd was the fifth annual Word Ruckus, a community poetry-a-thon for all ages. The event was hosted at the Laurel Packinghouse by Okanagan College professors and “best friends” Jake Kennedy and Kevin McPherson (both pictured above). Organizers described the event as “an all-ages literary shin-dig, a pay-what-you-can writerly free-for-all, a poetic hoe-down and a magical linguistical brouhaha.” Highlights included the “poetry car,” which, by the end of the night, was covered with poetry, signatures, quotes, and comments from participants. Studio One11 manned a make-your-own-zine table for those keen to cut up books and make their own collage pieces. Word Ruckus this year featured 14 professional writers including Angie Abdou, Arlene Bowman and Kathleen Brown. The building was filled with lounging couches, stacks of donated books, tables selling books and chapbooks, and writing exercises scattered about the room. Kennedy and McPherson were their usual hilarious selves, jamming with ukuleles and guitars, interviewing writers, and gathering people for open mic portions of the night.

Photo by Janelle Sheppard

Laura Sciarpelletti
Events Editor

One of Canada’s greatest poetic treasures is also one of its strangest. bill bissett, a renowned sound poet who began his long and whimsical career in 1966, was the last reader in this year’s FCCS Visiting Author’s Series. And what a way to end the school year, with a maraca poetry performance and rants that both confused and delighted the packed audience at the Okanagan Regional Library in downtown Kelowna. I met bissett at The Twisted Tomato with Creative Writing professors Sharon Thesen and Michael V. Smith on Monday, March 18 before the reading after a series of emails, which included the following:
“dere laura hi how ar yu i hope evreethings great with yu… xcellent what dew yu think what ar yu knowing all best cheers let me know thanks take care all
best bill.”
I can’t say that I was surprised, as bissett is well known for writing phonetically, writing always in lower case, avoiding punctuation and using numbers in his words. Having published over seventy books of poetry with both other writers and on his own, bissett has accomplished a lot over the past fifty years. His child like voice and humble appearance add to the experimental and whimsical nature of his work, as he both experiments with language and interacts on a personal level with his audience.
It’s hard to write this article right now in my “serious journalistic voice”—so tospeak—because Bissett brings out ultimate creativity in people.
After work that Monday, I walked into the restaurant and sat down next to the poet I’ve admired for the past ten years.
“Excellent!” said bissett, immediately upon meeting. “Do you feel that you have gotten stranger? Do you think we’re all becoming stranger?”
I was completely prepared for this greeting, having worried in the previous hours that I would seem dull and ordinary to the eccentric poet.
“I do actually. I’m definitely a lot stranger than I was in high school,” I said. “But isn’t that better?”
“Yes, yes exactly! Excellent,” said bissett.
I was recently in an English class where we debated the differences between bissett and fellow Canadian sound poet Christian Bok. Three were on Bok’s side, and over twenty were on bissett’s. The sheer accessibility of his work makes him a voice for not only his generation, but decades of generations that followed. When I sat down with him and listened to him talk about Bette Davis for ten minutes with that silver-screen-love gleam in his eye and a permanent smile on his lips, I knew that it was no mistake I found his work so enchanting. He is able to speak with anyone, and turn skepticism into admiration.
bissett’s performances often incorporate undertones of political commentary and current events. He is almost conversationalist with his audience, asking questions and making eccentric observations. In the sixties he received an endorsement from Jack Kerouac in the Paris Review. For someone who, like myself, found endless inspiration in the work of the beats and Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, this literary recognition would add a certain extra legitimacy to what he was, and is, trying to accomplish.
“Did you know that carrots cry?” said bissett during our dinner, poking at his salmon. “They’ve done scientific tests. And when you peel them they scream. It’s true.”
During the reading, bissett, who was battling strep throat, explained that he never wanted to write in a conventional way, despite often enjoying reading conventional works of writing.
“I wanted to spell phonetically. Gradually it’s all dropping away. Eventually my work will be unreadable,” he said, laughing. “Well, actually, I think I’ve probably broken down the language enough and it will stop here.”
Given the length of his career, I was interested in hearing about how the poetry scene has changed for bissett since the beginning of his career. He explained that he has mostly noticed that the majority of his elders from when he first started are “all in spirit” now. These are the people that had more experience than him, and he is just realizing that he is “them now, them them, now now.”
In terms of approaches to writing, bissett started off focusing mostly on narrative, non-narrative, and lyrical writing, and has found that this has remained his main focus as he continues
fusion writing.
“Excellent people arrange [these papers] for me before I read,” said bissett, as he shuffled through the stack of poems on his podium. “These excellent people live in my fingers.”
bissett continues to work on new books, following his first novel Novel, a collagist post-modernist work. He is currently on a reading tour, and will no doubt continue to charm his way across
wthe country.
“Two people living together is like two archives brushing up against each other,” said bissett, in response to an audience question,and it’s esponses like this that made sifting through my voice recordings of him so pleasant.
so dere yu go xcellent reed bill bissitt 4evr

Laura Sciarpelletti – Events Editor

Don’t worry if yours doesn’t look this good. Ours didn’t either.

March can be a very poor month for students, with student loan funds running low and exam pressure taking up work hours. Luckily, it is still possible to eat good food on a minimal budget. When I go to a restaurant and see bruschetta on the appies menu, I more often than not order it. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also a great thing to snack on while you study and fill your head with philosophy and whatnot.

You Will Need:
Two whole tomatoes
One head of garlic
Half a large white onion
Three tablespoons fresh fine cut basil

Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan cheese
French bread loaf

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Dice tomatoes and onion, and finely chop the garlic.

3. Mix it together in a large bowl with the fresh basil and a few dashes of both salt and pepper.

4. Pour in three dashes of olive oil and mix it all together.

5. Cut up the French bread into thick slices and cover the surface of each one with the mixture. You should need about eight large pieces.

6. Sprinkle a tablespoon of parmesan cheese over each piece.

7. Place the bruschetta in the oven for approximately ten minutes, or when the cheese is a light golden brown.

These are really easy to make for study gatherings or dinner parties. Enjoy!

Managing Editor

For anyone who’s grown up with, or spent excessive time with video games, patterns begin to emerge in the content, structure, gameplay, and visuals you’re being fed. Games get predictable, and so they strive to make memorable experiences out of formulaic applications of tropes and familiarity. While the vast majority of games make honest efforts to create hit games within this pre-set (Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Battlefield, Halo, Call of Duty for shooters), certain games take advantage of the known attributes of games within either their own genre or other genres to create a memorable experience of a whole other kind. As per usual, spoilers ahead.

One such example that I’ve recently enjoyed was Frog Fractions, a product of Twinbeard Studios. FF is a free-to-play, “educational” game that claims (immediately facetiously) to teach children all about fractions. If you haven’t yet played it, stop reading this and go do so, as I’d hate to spoil such a hilarious adventure for you. It has a catchy, if unremarkable soundtrack, somewhat indie visuals, but most importantly, the game’s first few levels serve as massive misdirection that sets the player up for payoff after payoff as the events of the game get hilariously stranger and stranger.

Frog Fractions takes full advantage of a player’s familiarity with gaming. They must first fend off bugs trying to eat the poor frog’s supply of fruit, and as his tongue strikes down the offenders in a nature-set adaptation of Space Invaders, the player can buy upgrades with the accumulated fruit. What follows as the players naturally pick up their upgrades includes, but is not limited to: a typing tutorial, a text-based adventure, a long journey through tunnels, foreign planets, and Dance Dance Revolution. All the while, the player’s score is calculated (even during the text adventure) in fractions.

Another fantastic self-aware video game, designed no doubt as a dig at the grinding reward system employed by several MMOs, is AFK RPG, created by Ayumi Yu out of San Francisco. The game has three simple steps: Log onto the game, gain one point of experience for every minute the browser tab remains open, and then level up to your heart’s content while doing absolutely nothing. Players can purchase happy flowers with their supply of rocks, or throw those rocks at other players, but gamers trying to find much to do will be sorely disappointed by the game, which turns the investment equals enjoyment equation of video games on its head.

While countless philosophy papers could be written on the profound statement AFK RPG makes on progress and development, the point of it, in addition to Frog Fractions, is to provoke a response, usually laughter. In that endeavour, they succeed.

Janelle Sheppard

Arts Editor

The Department of Creative and Critical Studies invited internationally renowned performance and installation artist James Luna to the University Theatre on Thursday, February 28th. The excitement around this performative lecture amongst creative students fluttered through conversation that week. James Luna is an artist that has been featured in first year art history textbooks in the past, and so the prospect of hosting such an esteemed artist was exciting.

Phantasmagoria was the name of his performative lecture on Thursday. Aside from a slight microphone mishap, the performance was intentional, while still being raw and honest. After about 5 minutes of the audience anxiously socializing and watching a hypnotic and colourful projected image, the performance began with a video featuring James Luna operating a paddle boat, dawning a native loincloth, and a sport coat. After the video he entered the theatre in similar garb, but informed us that he was wearing pants because they weren’t paying him enough not to.

The presentation featured a lot of images and explanations of the work that Luna has done, including his work at the Venice Biennale, a contemporary art exhibition in Italy. Luna’s work brings forth issues within Aboriginal cultures, and mixes these themes with other cultures. His exhibition Artifact, where he displayed himself as a live artifact of Native culture by lying in a sandbox in a museum for several hours, was amongst the most controversial of his works.

Within his performance he also described his experience in Wellington, New Zealand, where he performed a one day sculpture event featuring performances by local  artists, that related the cultures of Pacific Rim indigenous people.

Luna kept the audience engaged with his brisk humour and honest performance.  After the performance, a couple FCCS students and faculty members went to the Sturgeon Pub with James Luna, particularly excited to sit and chat with the artist.  Luna talked about inspirations behind his work, artists that he both respects and dislikes for their creative genius, and relayed personal stories.  It was a casual night, and I was surprised to find that Luna was willing to stay up with us until nearly 1 am in the bar.  He taught us how to tap our beers down (you had to be there), ate fish and chips, and accounted stories about regular interactions with other regular people who also happened to be well-known artists.

It was a sobering and yet encouraging experience to talk to an artist that had worked all over the world as a common human. Not that I have any delusions about the elated lives of the famous, but to talk to James Luna about hardship in art and life, both past and present, had the effect of equalizing all sects of humanity. I realised that Luna himself believes in an equal field of humanity. Not one person in that bar was below or above him for any racial nor hierarchical reasons. We were simply people in a bar with the common interest of art.

Events Editor

Before New Girl’s Zooey Deschanel was declared pop culture’s resident hipster goddess, there was Eulogy. Deschanel is anything but a new girl, and the 2004 dark comedy is anything but a strictly Zooey show. Deschanel plays a college student whose grandfather’s untimely death brings her home for his funeral. Tensions are high in this group of oddball characters, where no one gets along and chaos comes with the territory.

Comedian Ray Romano is generously hilarious as the creepy uncle with two horrible shit-disturbing boys. The trio is so difficult to be around that the mother has left them all. Hank Azaria is the peanut butter commercial actor turned porn star and pot enthusiast. Kelly Preston, aka Mrs. John Travolta, is the lesbian aunt with a stone-faced Famke Janssen for a lover.

Deschanel is forced to revisit old feelings with Jesse Bradford, her former summer love. And Piper Laurie of Carrie fame is the suicidal grandmother who takes her husband’s demise (Rip Torn) less sympathetically than most. Deschanel struggles to write a eulogy for the man that she barely knew in the midst of private porn viewings, lesbian play, cousin torture, and lobster meal battlefields.

Romano’s boys steal the show as they are given the task of honouring their grandfather’s final wishes: place his casket in a boat, push it out into the lake on fire, and let his remains burn while the family watches sombrely. This is easier said than done, and flaming arrows make an appearance. Don’t miss this film; it’s simple and low-budget, but entirely worth the ninety minutes.

Contributor

If you haven’t seen the welcoming signs of Pulp Fiction then chances are you’ve been living under a rock. I mean it. This small coffee shop is the little misfit shop that could, and it has been striving for greatness since opening its doors last year. Located downtown on Pandosy, Pulp Fiction mixes up the idea of the traditional café by harboring four stores in one: Pulp Fiction, Robbie Rare Books, Britannia’s Antiques, and Art Deco Nouveau. This one of a kind shop is the brainchild of Max Sloan, a man who has been collecting books his whole life just for this dream shop which, ironically, he opened after he retired.

The brilliance of this shop lies in the perfect combination of all four parts: in one room you have a café with old-style books lining the walls. In another room there are books of all kinds on shelves, framed nicely by art deco pieces. In a more central area the antiques are showcased through a collection of hard covers. There is no other way of stating it, Max Sloan has created a new way to showcase the books we love and want to pass on.

He doesn’t just sell books in an antique coffee shop; Max gives the books a home and hugs them with the kind of shelving that books yearn for. I asked him if he had ever considered the rollaway ladders, like in Beauty and the Beast, and his eyes lit up immediately. This is a man with a passion for books, of course he had thought of those ladders! In fact, he had even been in contact with one of the only remaining companies that manufacture them, but to his disappointment his ceilings were too low to accommodate that style. But here I am rambling along about library rollaway ladders when you are probably wondering about their food.

I give you two words: Squirrely + Bar. I have never fancied myself a person of healthy habits – I rarely exercise outside of walking across campus to classes and I frequent drive thru eating – but it never occurred to me, for whatever reason, that healthier alternatives could taste good and be cheap too. When I think of healthy options I think of the expensive aisles of Nature’s Fare and Choices: places that only the best budgeting student could shop at every week. Pulp Fiction’s Squirrely Bars showed me the light, so to speak.

These bars have enough protein and power in them that I should be able to eat one and be filled for hours, but unfortunately I am a Hobbit and Elvish lembas bread does not work that way for me. The recipe evades me – I have been trying to recreate it at home – but from memory I can tell you that it contains (at bare minimum) sunflower seeds, oats, flax, honey, cranberries, chocolate, and something I just can’t put my finger on … but I know it has a familiar flavor … you know that feeling? It’s just like their London Fog – creamy and original but with that welcoming taste, as if it was the best version of the every day. Sloan’s version of the London Fog is made with my personal favorite blend of black tea, Cream of Earl Grey, similar to your standard Earl Grey but with a smoother finisher and thicker bouquet of dried roses. It may sound strange thinking of teas like wines but at this coffee house that’s exactly what they are; only the best blends will do and they are picked especially for the coffee house connoisseur.

They also offer a small variety of lunch items as well. I once had a chili and sandwich combo and was surprised at how fresh and well put together it was considering that they do not have a full -sized restaurant kitchen.

But whether you stop in for the food or the books be sure to make this your next stop when you’re in the mood for something… anything! It may also be worth it to note that they have the fastest WiFi in town. Even if you don’t carry your laptop around as compulsively as I do, they have computers and printing capability available. If you’re there before five be sure to pop in and meet CEO Robbie the Dog who never leaves Max’s side or the bookstore area. He is quite friendly and is always happy to receive to more attention.

The 85th Academy Awards premiered on February 24th with Seth MacFarlane presiding over the average show that had many predicted wins and surprises. We both watched the show on the big screen, which just enhanced the cringing and cinematic appeal.

The Fashion

Laura: This year’s red carpet fashion was painfully mediocre. I was also disappointed in the overload of gold gowns. Yes we know Oscar is gold, you don’t have to be too. However, Django Unchained star Kerry Washington was a fashion win in Miu Miu, with a gorgeous bejeweled bodice, subtle bow, and pink fabric. Halle Berry was statuesque in Versace, a perfect dress for the former Bond girl. I didn’t even mind the long sleeves, which I usually do. The biggest fashion fail was probably comedienne Melissa McCarthy in dove grey David Meister. The fabric was bunched up in unflattering spots on the dress, and her overly teased hair made the Identity Thief actress look like she had just been chased by a pack of dogs.

The Best Moments
Rumnique: While host Seth MacFarlane left a lot to be desired, the best parts of the show were frenetic and witty speeches by Oscar-winners like Ang Lee, Jennifer Lawrence, and Ben Affleck. They were emotional, flurried in who they wanted to thank and scrambling for profound words in such short time. Lee’s lovely speech was just so heartening as he beat out Oscar favourite, Steven Spielberg. He thanked his Indian, Taiwanese, and Canadian crew, as well as Suraj Sharma, who was “the golden statue of [his] heart.” In a hilarious bit, he thanked his wife of thirty years, who snorted and look embarrassed when the camera cut to her. In thanking of partners, Ben Affleck’s flustered and endearing speech put his wife in the same sentence as Iran. He blurted out this wonderful gem, “I want to thank you for working on our marriage for ten Christmases. It’s good, it is work, but it’s the best kind of work, and there’s no one I’d rather work with!”

Laura: Macfarlane’s Sound of Music joke when he introduced Christopher Plummer as the next award presenter. Honestly, I couldn’t stop laughing when he announced the “Von Trapp family singers!” and shortly after, “the family Von Trapp!” When no one appeared, of course, a man in a Nazi uniform burst into the room and declared “they’re gone!” Yes yes, I’m a dork. But I don’t apologize for loving this. I love me some classic movie references.

The Worst Moments

Laura: Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy presenting the animation categories was absolutely painful. The pair delivered a small skit on how no one will hire them for vocal work, with awkward silences and faulty impressions. It’s obvious what they were going for, but they didn’t hit it. I just sunk into my chair because people embarrassing themselves so publicly without meaning to embarrasses me more.

Rumnique: Seth MacFarlane followed in the Ricky Gervais style in roasting and offending his hoity-toity audience, with rubbish results. From his stupid song, “We Saw Your Boobs”, that alienated half the female audience there to his overlong sketches with William Shatner as Capt. Kirk, it was just too much and incredulously bad. Of course, he was bringing his fratboy humour to the proceedings and some gags did work, but his insulting attitude to the women in the audience was just vulgar and tasteless. If anything why wasn’t there a “We See Your Wang” song for equal measure?

Memos for Next Year’s Producers

Rumnique: Please get a Ricky Gervais or Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Someone with a bit of class for the biggest awards night of the year. Even Jon Stewart and Chris Rock’s scathing and biting commentary during their tenure is worthy of bringing them back. They know how to play to their audience and win over the couch potatoes like us at home. And for such a politically engaged show as this year, it would have helped to have one of these two point out this jarring example.

Laura: PLEASE shorten the show by at least half an hour. I know there is a lot to cover, but by the time you get to the best actors, director and film awards, your audience is bored and leaving the couch. Even your host was mocking the sheer ridiculousness of the show’s length. Be creative and cut the fat.

Laura Sciarpelletti

Events Editor

Illustrations by Asher Klassen 

Older actors are high in demand right now; Betty White is one of the busiest actors around, featured in commercials, her television shows Hot in Cleveland and Off Their Rockers, and numerous hosting and interview gigs. There seems to be a special demand for older comedic actors especially. I couldn’t be happier about this, as we are seeing fantastic performers have their careers lengthened by decades. My absolute favorite commercials are the TD Canada Trust spots starring two elder grumpy fellows played by veteran actors Ian Downie and Ben Hammer. Truthfully, those are the only commercials I will sit through.

Right now we’re seeing an influx of comedy films starring actors that used to make their living playing mob men and killers. Now they are being hired mostly for the comedic flare that apparently comes with passing sixty. A few weeks ago a friend and I went to watch Stand Up Guys after we passed Paramount theatre and I had a slight freak out over the poster.

“OH MY GOD. Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin and Al Pacino in a movie TOGETHER? Is this real? What genius casting agent worked on this film?”

Most people our age are not strangers to Walken’s comedic capabilities. The actor has been featured on SNL more times than I remember, and his voice does half the work. Remember the cowbell? Or how about his genius rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face?”

“Oooohh! Oh oh ooohhhh oh oh!”

I have especially been enjoying Arkin’s comedic performances lately, from Little Miss Sunshine to Argo. His dead pan deliverance and swagger account for a lot of the overall charm in the films he is involved in. Stand Up Guys had him driving his fellow seniors around in a sports car like a madman, and making two hookers fall in love with him. Pacino—whose Godfather character Michael Corleone put him on the map at the beginning of his career—is looking haggard lately, appearing fuzzy-faced and raspy-voiced. However, his devil-may-care attitude is allowing him comedic roles. One of the best parts of Stand Up Guys is when he swallows a fist full of Viagra, resulting in a brutal erection that sends Pacino to the hospital claiming that he’s going to die. We also get to see him snort Walken’s blood pressure medication in a desperate attempt to “fuckin’ party.”

Roles like Pacino’s hint that Hollywood finds older performers acting youthful and reckless to be comedic gold; from White swearing and hitting on young men, to Walken and Pacino hitting up young ladies at bars. James Garner, of Rockford Files and The Great Escape fame, took a comedic turn with the television show 8 Simple Rules. His “grandfather” character needed more lecturing and scolding than the actual teenaged characters.

And then there are the pants. As hairlines recede, pants waistlines rise, and rise, and rise, and rise. From Walken to Clint Eastwood, some older actors do not even have to try to be funny with such already hilarious apparel. Some may see Hollywood pushing elder actors to comedic roles and demeaning, but it is evident that the talent enjoy it. And actors like Robert DeNiro and Jack Nicolson are able to bounce between serious and comedic roles with ease. The results are films that are accessible for both older and younger viewers, as they offer timeless entertainment.