Friday, February 20

Engineering alumnus drags self out of lab and onto RuPaul’s Drag Race

Bryce Eilenberg’s side job requires him to pose in his underwear in front of a camera. Eilenberg, a 2011 aerospace engineering alumnus, began appearing on the television show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in its seventh season. Read more...

Photo: Alumnus Bryce Eilenberg appears as a member of the Pit Crew on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Eilenberg said performing on the show helps him break the mold of his day-to-day aerospace engineering career. (Mackenzie Possee/Daily Bruin senior staff)


Alumnus explores heritage through multimedia at Pop-Up Magazine’s LA show

Gustavo Arellano knew exactly what he wanted to talk about on the stage of the Ace Hotel’s theater: a belt. For Arellano, a Latin American studies alumnus, the belt holds personal and political significance for his family and society during the Trump administration. Read more...

Photo: Latin American studies alumnus Gustavo Arellano performed Saturday night at Pop-Up Magazine, a live-performance act centered around immersive storytelling. (Niveda Tennety/Daily Bruin)


Student films to be screened in Short Film Corner of Cannes film festival

UCLA students have joined filmmakers from around the world to showcase their short films at the French Riviera. Two student films, titled “Run” and “Wreck,” found their place in the Short Film Corner, a subsidiary event of the 2018 Cannes film festival that aims to connect industry hopefuls from all over the world. Read more...

Photo: Students from the Film and Photography Society at UCLA shot two films, “Run” and “Wreck,” which will be screened May 15 at the Cannes film festival. Both films deal with themes of mental health. (Courtesy of Film and Photography Society at UCLA BTS Team)


Album review: ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’

Arctic Monkeys graduated from leather and skinny jeans to smoking jackets and whiskey glasses. “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” – the Sheffield, England-based band’s sixth album – maintains gritty vocals fans have come to recognize and also introduces simple, yet more sophisticated instrumentals and introspective lyrics. Read more...

Photo: (Courtesy of Domino Recording Company)


Interdisciplinary art installation displays symbiosis of people, nature

The Art | Sci Center gallery replaced paintings and sculptures with mosses, plants and mushrooms Thursday. The UCLA gallery housed “Vivarium: A Place of Life,” an art installation by graduate design media arts student Maru García. Read more...

Photo: Graduate student Maru García put on “Vivarium: A Place of Life,” an installation featuring various plant life. The installation also featured a performer interacting with the plants’ environment. (Jenna Nicole Smith/Daily Bruin)


Global Melodies: Afro-Cuban Ensemble inspires audience interaction with lively tunes

This post was updated May 15 at 1:20 p.m. The Afro-Cuban Ensemble performs according to one guideline: If the audience is not on its feet dancing, the musicians have done something wrong. Read more...

Photo: David Castañeda, a doctoral student in ethnomusicology, is the director of the Afro-Cuban Ensemble, which meets in Schoenberg Hall on Monday nights to practice and perform several genres of Latin-American dance music. Castañeda revived the ensemble in fall of 2017, after the ensemble was on a hiatus for eight years. To revive the ensemble, Castañeda worked to expand the repertoire of the ensemble. (Edward Qiao/Daily Bruin senior staff)


Movie review: ‘Life of the Party’

Melissa McCarthy swaps two weeks in Italy for two semesters in college in a failing feminist comedy. “Life of the Party” follows Deanna (Melissa McCarthy), a recent divorcee, as she re-evaluates her life in the aftermath of her ex-husband’s sudden departure to Italy with his new mistress. Read more...

Photo: (Courtesy of Hopper Stone)