Video of Protests in Little Armenia

Here's a short clip of the march in Little Armenia earlier today, March 2, 2008. Some claim up to 50,000 people showed, but I find that hard to believe.

Oh, and it seems that most people were...older. Figures, because younger people have better things to do than waste their time with a pointless march.

Imagine being there and not being Armenian.

Armenian Boy Raises Money for Charity

Check out this Armenian kid and his fund raising efforts for his community. What a great model for everyone!

You can see the video story on CBS4. Be patient, because it takes a while to load.

Yerevan & Los Angeles Become Sister Cities!

Also known as twin cities, this link provides mutually beneficial interactions.

The twin cities agreement between Yerevan and Los Angeles will give an impetus to further bilateral cooperation, Los Angeles Mayor Anthony Villaraigosa stated...

In his speech, Villaraigosa stressed Armenia's valuable contribution to the development of Losd Angeles as a city of many nations and cultures. In his turn, Yerevan Mayor Yervand Zakharyan pointed out that the agreement envisages closer cooperation in high technologies, public management, economic, cultural and educational relations.

I only wish this meant that we could exchange food simultaneously between the two cities. Nothing beats Armenian food!

Source: Arka

Duduk More Popular Than Clarinet

I know you have a standing bet with your friend as to which is more popular in Armenia. You said duduk, he said clarinet. You win.

Konstantin Karapetyan confesses that nowadays duduk is more popular with the public. Alongside with the fact that it is an Armenian instrument, the key to success lies in the fact that the sound of duduk is heard in the films made in Hollywood. “Duduk has become more popular; everybody seeks to play it. Besides, it is a way of earning money. Clarinet also provides money but it is not so popular in the Armenian folk art as duduk is”, says the player.

And it is true, when you think about. A lot of Armenian music with duduk ends up in popular movies, but sometimes it is not represented as being Armenian. Not that it has to be, because John Q. Public hears the sad duduk to a scene of an African injustice and immediately feels emotional. Job done.

In all seriousness, check out the source. It talks about two brothers: one plays duduk and the other clarinet. Not too long, just the way you like it.

Source: A1+

Mel Gibson: Friend to Armenians?

(Click for bigger version)

I am still jumpy after seeing Apocalypto, but it seems Armenians need not fear the wrath of Gibson. The picture above - when clicked and enlarged - claims that Mel Gibson had an outburst of sorts in Malibu in the summer of 2006. The contents of this outburst involve Gibson saying that he respects and admires our ethnicity and hates the "bastard Turkish brutes."

Does it matter if Mad Max is pro-Armenian? Realize that half of Hollywood - and you know which half - hates this guy to the core, so any association with Gibson is a liability these days. It's sort of like, "Oh, Mel Gibson said he likes Armenians? Well, I guess we know what that says about Armenians!" Maybe not really, but guilt by association is a nasty thing.

Keep in mind that this clip is from the National Enquirer, which among other things, asserts that Clint Eastwood is an alien from some still-unknown planet. No joke.

Why I Didn't See "The Priestess"

I was really looking forward to seeing Vigen Chaldranian's "The Priestess" - but I didn't. I was very excited about the notion of a Hollywood-style film, in terms of the picture quality, sound quality, and that polished look that Armenian films always miss, for better or worse.

Long story short, I didn't see it - and this is the main reason: "Premiere pricing" meant that I had to pay anywhere from $50-60 a ticket to see a couple of hours of film. What a joke!

Sure it's a premiere, sure it's a Chaldranian film, but does this mean getting raped financially for the pleasure of enjoying an Armenian film? At first, I planned on taking my family and my other half, but that would mean my spending $250. I don't think so. I was further dissuaded by the fact that when I called the special number to get the tickets - and this is before I knew of the steep price - a woman said the following in Armenian: "Yes?"

Did I get the wrong number? Were the phone lines crossed? Surely this couldn't have been Grauman's Chinese Theater! I don't know where I called - most likely some suite in a building somewhere in Glendale - but I was confused. I said, "Hello?" and she replied, "Ayo?" (Ayo is "Yes" in Armenian.) A few seconds after that exchange, it seemed clear that the only people taking orders were Armenian and they didn't speak English.

Why does this bug me? It bugs me because I want Armenian movies to succeed! I don't care what the theme is: don't limit the movie to Armenians! Get operators who can actually speak the language in which it is premiering! For crying out loud, are you trying every last possible option to make sure that this film does not succeed with the rest of the world?

Regardless, if you have a review, submit it and I will publish it if it is good.