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October 2012
1391

Pardis: The New Generation

Iranian Influence Hits Hollywood
By: Kamran Partovi Contributing Writer As the fall movie season rolls in, the two movies Argo and Shirin In Love will certainly be of great interest to the Iranian community. Argo, an upcoming political thriller directed by Affleck himself, Bryan Cranston, Goodman, is venturing into The film is collaboration government and of the American managed to escape U.S. Embassy in of the 1979 Iranian operation, popularly Canadian Caper, agent Tony Mendez came up with the idea six American diplomats pretending that they Canadian film crew. production company, fake script for a fake thriller called Argo was back up their cover. Ben Affleck and starring Alan Arkin, and John Afflecks third film since the realm of directing. based on the real life between the Canadian the CIA to rescue six diplomats who the takeover of the Tehran in the wake Revolution. This known as the involved CIA (Affleck), who of smuggling the out of Iran by were part of a A fake film along with a science fiction fabricated to SARA HOJJATIE PARDIS: TNG EDITOR Q&A with Iranian-American Comedian K-von Once you go Persian, theres no other version! Rising comedian and actor K-von Moezzi has coined this phrase alone with the slogan Tanx God!, reflecting his pride in and humor towards his Persian roots. K-vons cynical but good-humored perspective on society has made him catch the eye of LAs club scene and has landed him a reoccurring role on MTVs Disaster Date, a tour with the legendary Maz Jobrani, a role on Comics without Borders on SHOWTIME, and an appearance on Hot Guys Who Cook on E!. Although his Persian background comes from only half of his family, K-von fully embraces his Persian heritage by joking about common racial stereotypes pertaining to his culture, including the pressure to become a doctor or an engineer and the difficulty of winning Persian girls. With a Scottish mother and Iranian father, a mixture of races he likes to refer to as Hairy Pottish, K-von will win your heart with his hilarious stories about growing up in a culturally diverse family, trying to make it in the LA Comedy Club scene, and simply about life in general. TNG: How did you get started into the comedy business? KM: Im from a multi-cultural family, I grew up in Las Vegas, and I went to several religious schools growing up. There is enough material there to get anyone started with comedy.

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Q&A with Iranian-American Comedian K-von

TNG: How did you get on MTV's "Disaster Date" and how was the overall experience? Will you continue to be on the show? KM: MTV looks for people in the right age bracket that can add humor to their shows. It was all based on my standup comedy experience, my audition, andI like to thinkthe fact that I have been on so many bad dates that I was a natural choice. The show is done filming and they are now airing in South America, the Middle East, and Europe. Which is nice because every day I get some sort of Facebook message that says something like: K-von, Yargen zsiback Disaster Date jagon! Jajajajaj! If anyone knows what that means I will appreciate a translation! TNG: What has been your greatest experience as a comedian? KM: Probably that first time I actually got on stage. It was at the World Famous Comedy Store and that night the wheels were officially put in motion. I could not sleep after that first show and knew that I had taken the first and most difficult step towards something I had always wanted to do. TNG: What advice would you give to students? KM: Work hard and excel in everything you have always wanted to do, and also try to find the funny in your everyday life. There is enough stress in the world but dont let it overtake you. Youd be surprised how many jobs Ive landed, hotel room upgrades Ive received, and new friends I have met simply by making someone laugh first. It is simple and sets you apart.

As the films release date approaches, it has caused a stir in the Iranian American community. Some have rejected the film as mere propaganda, given the current political climate involving Iran. Says Mona Rad, age 16, I think that it may have the risk of having Iranians portrayed as even worse than they typically are by the media because it is based around the hostage crisis, which already was a not so shining moment for Iran, but Im interested to see how it turns out. However, others have pointed out that the film is genuinely entertaining, given the far-fetched improbability of the story. As Affleck himself said at a recent screening of the film, This movie would be terrible if [it wasnt] true because itd be impossible to believe. Shirin In Love, is a romantic comedy directed by Ramin Niami starring Nazanin Boniadi, Riley Smith, Amy Madigan, and Maz Jobrani. The story involves a young Iranian-American woman living in the Iranian community of Los Angeles known as Tehrangeles. Shirin (Boniadi), a young and sophisticated book critic is engaged to Mike (Jobrani), who is the archetypical ideal Iranian husband a wealthy and successful plastic surgeon. But when Shirin meets William (Smith), a writer from Northern California, she finds her true love in this story of love, self re-discovery, and culture clash. Argo is set to open in theatres on October 12, while the release date for Shirin In Love has not yet been confirmed. (Photos, top: movie poster for Argo, bottom: Nazanin Boniadi stars in Shirin in Love)

Farsi Letters of the Month!

By: Sara Hojjatie Pardis: tng Editor Ever wanted to learn to read Farsi, but never had the chance? Pardis, TNG gives you the oppotunity every month to learn new letters and words. Beh: makes the Alef: makes b sound. If at the ahh sound. the beginning of If it comes at the sentence, it the beginning attaches to the of a word, it has rest of the word. a hat. If in the At the end of a middle of the sentence, if it sentence, it is a cannot attach, it is straight line. a long bracket. or: together, they can spell a word: it spells: aab which means: water

October Persian Playlist

By: Roxana Hojjatie Contributing Writer Persian music from all genres, new and old. Also check out www.RadioJavan.com for new music.

it spells: baba which means: Dad

1. Baba To Ki Hasti - Barobax 2. Melody - Arash 3. Age Ye Rooz - Faramarz Aslani 4. Bari Bakh - Mansour 5. Naz Nakon - KamyR ft. Saeed Panter 6. Shal - The Ways 7. Tehrano LA Kon - Sasy Mankan 8. Nabayad Vaysim - ZedBazi 9. Palangeh - Morteza 10. Digeh Azat Badam Miyad - Afshin

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Calling All High School Seniors: College Application Tips and Tricks
By: Sara Hojjatie Pardis: tng Editor As your high school career beings to come to a close, you may find yourself swamped with endless college, scholarship, and finanical aid applications. It may seem overwhelming, but with proper planning and the right amount of determination, this tedious application process can be smooth and minimally stressful. First and formost, it is important to make a list of six to seven colleges that you want to apply for. Any more that that will not allow you to put all of your best efforts into the applications. Next you must create a page with the application, scholarship, and finanical aid deadlines of each of those colleges, and keep this paper in a location that allows you to glance at it daily. If you choose to apply by the early application deadline, be mindful that most early deadlines are approaching within the next month. One of the most important components of the college application is the essay, so complete your essay a month prior to the application deadline and then have trusted friends, teachers, and family members read and edit your paper. Furthermore, if scholarhsip money is important to you, get started sooner rather than later. National scholarships such as the Gates Millenium Scholarship and the Coca-Cola Scholars Program have deadlines in November, so it is important to do your scholarship reserach while you are applying for college besides waiting until after college apps are complete. Check local businesses and public facilities such as the library, your school or PTA, or the American Legion for scholarhips, as these are less competitive than national scholarships due to the smaller application pool. Finally, talk to your school counselor and parents about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, before December so that you can figure out which finanical plan works best for your family. Follow these tips, and prepare yourself for some late nights involving Microsoft Word and Red Bull, and best of luck!