TeenTix Blog by TeenTix

Congratulations to the illustrious graduating class of the 09-10 Teen Tix Young Critics Workshop:Angel Barnard - Chief Sealth High SchoolArista Burwell-Chen - Holy Names AcademyAmanda Chan - Garfield High SchoolBridget Durant - Redmond High SchoolLamar Glover - The Center SchoolJoshua Gregory - Meadowdale High SchoolEmma Kelley - Running Start, Bellevue Community CollegeElyse McManus - Holy Names AcademyCage McKinsey - Eastlake High SchoolDenali Sabando-Rogalin - Chief Sealth High School/Bellevue Community CollegeLaura Valiente - Shorewood High SchoolSofia Wagner - Chief Sealth High SchoolCharlotte Ziob - Inglemoor High SchoolHere's what they had to say about their YCW experience:“…starting out a defiant, know-it-all, I was transformed into a confident and unashamed inquirer. Despite AP and Honors English classes for four years at my high school, this has been the best writing course I’ve ever had the privilege of taking.” – AristaArista reads her work aloud while Professor Kiley listens“I feel that I have accomplished something huge in my life, and I would love others to take my position next year to see what it feels like to be a writer, and a critic.” – Angel“Young Critics Workshop is an extraordinary opportunity that should be experienced by all teens hoping to grow as writers in the Seattle area.” – BridgetEmma writes, Cage thinks deeply“I am a staunch believer in supporting the arts for teenagers, and I truly think it’s phenomenal that Teen Tix provides not only full-access to Seattle venues, but also programs like YCW. To have the opportunity to work on arts criticism (I mean really, where else can you find a class in that? For teenagers?) with two people proficiently well versed in journalism and culture alongside other young writers - who CARE - is, in a word, unfreakingbelievablelikegosh.” – Emma“I am reluctant to label the YCW sessions that I have attended as 'classes' because that term seems to imply monotony and irrelevance to a teenager as jaded about learning as I am....Young Critics Workshop is a lively, riveting, and truly educational experience…and I can only wish there was more.” - AmandaIf you're a Seattle-area teenager who'll be in 11th or 12th grade next year, and you're interested in improving your writing, YCW might be just what you're looking for. The Young Critics Workshop is a critical writing seminar taught by Stranger Arts Editor Brendan Kiley. It's not a boring lecture, it's not an SAT prep course. It's a hands-on writing lab where you'll learn to look at art critically and articulate your opinions convincingly (or at least entertainingly.)Applications for the 10-11 YCW will be available in late August. If you have questions in the meantime, send an email to [email protected]

Reprinted from the Seattle Center Public Programming monthly newsletterBy Holly ArsenaultThis year, Seattle’s City Council approved an $8 million budget allocation for youth violence prevention. According to the City of Seattle’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative website, the effort will focus on helping about 800 young people who are “at highest risk of perpetuating violence or becoming victims.” You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t think committing resources to preventing youth violence in Seattle is a good idea. But with so much energy and resource going toward youth who are at-risk, it can be easy to forget that most of Seattle’s young people - even those living in communities with higher incidence of violence - are not violent. Chukundi Salisbury (aka DJ KUN LUV), the coordinator of the All City Teen Dance points out that there is a “largely silent majority of teens that are not engaged in criminal and gang activity.” He sees the All City Teen Dance as an opportunity to acknowledge that silent majority and reward them for making good choices. “Many of the resources in the community are going towards an acute minority of teens whose negative behavior impacts all,” he continues. “This is…an effort to engage this largely silent group in the concept of community accountability. If they are going to have a safe, peaceful summer…they need to be actively engaged in bringing that about.”2009 All City Teen DancePhoto by Bruce G. NiceThe second annual All City Teen Dance: Party for Peace will take place Tuesday, June 22nd at the Exhibition Hall at Seattle Center. The dance is just one of dozens of Community Created Events sponsored by Seattle Center every year. The Community Created Events program serves the public by partnering with non-profit, government, and community organizations to produce events that respond to community needs.Any Seattle high schooler can attend for free, as long as they are sponsored by a school administrator or teacher or a community based organization where the student has completed a minimum of 10 hours of community service. Sponsorship forms will be available on the All City Teen Dance website (www.allcityteendance.com), as well as at community centers and area high schools. To get a ticket to the dance, a student need only fill out the form, get it signed by their sponsor, and turn it back in. The event will be hosted by Eddie Francis and DJ Supa Sam of KUBE 93. Before they leave, each attendee will be asked to sign a Pledge For Peace form. Salisbury explains, “We are hoping that young people who are doing the right thing and making positive choices leave with sense of empowerment to stay on track and [a sense] that adults in community affirm their choices and are proud of them. We are also hoping that teens see that they have a role and responsibility in having a peaceful summer.”For more information about the All City Teen Dance: Party for Peace, visit allcityteendance.com

Musical theatre fans, rejoice! On Friday, June 4th, you are invited to hear The Music Man in 60 minutes as Seattle Symphony’s own Marvin Hamlisch leads the Orchestra and Broadway soloists in a semi-staged production of the classic musical, presented in partnership with the 5th Avenue Theatre. PLUS! A cavalcade of Broadway hits.The pre-show meet and greet with Marvin Hamlisch is full, but you can still come at 7:00 for a teens-only schmooze-a-thon with entertainment by the Garfield and Edmonds-Woodway Jazz Bands and FREE CUPCAKES by Wolfgang Puck Catering. Tickets are still available and you can buy them at the door for $5 with your Teen Tix pass. One ticket per pass, adults pay regular price.Okay, so:Teen Night at Seattle SymphonyFriday, June 4th7:00:Schmoozing and cupcaking (for all!) featuring winners of the 2010 Essentially Ellington Outstanding Soloist Award, hailing from the celebrated Garfield, Roosevelt and Edmonds-Woodway High School jazz bands 8:00:The Music Man in 60 MinutesThere are plenty o' tickets still available. Get 'em at the door!

Questions? Call Seattle Symphony's box office at 206-215-4747.

Musical theatre fans, rejoice! On Friday, June 4th, you are invited to hear The Music Man in 60 minutes as Seattle Symphony’s own Marvin Hamlisch leads the Orchestra and Broadway soloists in a semi-staged production of the classic musical, presented in partnership with the 5th Avenue Theatre. PLUS! A cavalcade of Broadway hits.But wait, there's more! The first 50 teens to buy tickets to this special event will get to schmooze with the man himself, composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch. And when we say "the man," we mean THE MAN. Hamlisch is one of only two people ever to have won Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony (plus two Golden Globes and, uh, what was that other one? Oh yeah, A PULITZER.) So, yeah. You get to meet Marvin, you get to hang out at Benaroya Hall and be fancy, you get to hear great Broadway hits played by some of the best musicians around, and - best of all - you get FREE CUPCAKES from Wolfgang Puck Catering. No wait! Best of all (drumroll please) it's five bucks.Marvin Hamlisch, aka The ManSorry? Come again? How much? FIVE BUCKS. And you can buy those five dollar tickets RIGHT NOW - you don't have to wait until day-of-show (in fact, considering that only the first 50 folks get to meet Marvin, we would recommend not waiting one more second.) We know. We kind of can't believe how great we are, either.Okay, so:Teen Night at Seattle Symphony with Marvin HamlischFriday, June 4th7:00: Pre-show meet & greet with Marvin Hamlisch (first 50 ticket buyers)7:15:Schmoozing and cupcaking (for all!) featuring winners of the 2010 Essentially Ellington Outstanding Soloist Award, hailing from the celebrated Garfield, Roosevelt and Edmonds-Woodway High School jazz bands 8:00:The Music Man in 60 MinutesCall 206.215.4818 RIGHT NOW and mention Teen Tix to buy your $5 advance ticket and secure your spot in the Hamlisch reception.Questions? We're here for ya. Email [email protected] or call us at 206-233-3959.

Fixed! Thank you. Who's Edmond Woodward?

Would you be surprised to learn that they are teenagers?We're not. For years Garfield and Roosevelt High Schools have had a strong showing in the North American Jazz competition. This year was no exception.So Seattle Center is presenting a special concert in their honor.Way to go, you kool kats.Seattle Center PresentsGarfield and Roosevelt High School Jazz Bands in Concert:Essentially Ellington Competition WHEN:Wednesday, June 9, 7:30 p.m. WHERE:Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center WHY:Two of the nation"s leading high school jazz bands, who happen to call Seattle home, have again garnered the top prizes at this prestigious North American competition. Garfield Jazz Band won first place, and Roosevelt received an honorable mention. You can hear both bands in concert as they perform the great jazz standards, including the renowned works of Duke Ellington, on stage at McCaw Hall. Please join us for an evening of outstanding music and celebration. "Pay what you can" -- suggested donation $20 at the door to benefit Garfield and Roosevelt High School Music Programs and Seattle Center Foundation. Teen Tix are NOT eligible for this event, but we are very proud of our musicians at Roosevelt and Garfield, so had to share the love!More Information: http://www.seattle.com

The Passport to the Arts Contest ends on June 9th!If you hate money, stop reading.Okay, the rest of you: the Teen Tix Passport to the Arts contest is on right now. It works like a coffee card for art: everytime you use your Teen Tix pass in the next 5 months, get your card stamped. When it's full, send it in. If we pull your card, you win. You win money. First prize is $200 (yes, two hundred dollars).What's the catch, you say? We applaud your wise skepticism, but there is none. Seriously. We just thought Teen Tix wasn't quite awesome enough already. Last time we did this, three actual live teenagers won actual dollars.Okay, we do have an ulterior motive: to get you to see more art at different places. The more different places you go and different kinds of art you see, the more money you can win. Passport to the Arts. Get it?Okay, go download your passport from our website and start collecting stamps. You have until July 9th, 2010 to fill up your card. Go go go!

Okay, so, the story is that Jon Stewart and Marvin Hamlisch are sitting backstage at Regis and Kathie Lee (which is a talk show that used to be on the tv back before most of you were born - this was 1996) and Kathie Lee makes a crack about nobody knowing who Jon Stewart is (imagine!) and Hamlisch turns to Stewart and goes "Oooh. Burn." The end.Hi, I'm young, unknown comedian Jon StewartHi, I'm ridiculously famous and successful musician Marvin HamlischMeet composer/conductor/huge Broadway star Marvin Hamlisch at Teen Night at Seattle Symphony on Friday, June 4th. More info here.Teen Night at Seattle Symphony with Marvin HamlischFriday, June 4th7:00: Pre-show meet & greet with Marvin Hamlisch (first 50 ticket buyers)7:15:Schmoozing and cupcaking (for all!) featuring winners of the 2010 Essentially Ellington Outstanding Soloist Award, hailing from the celebrated Garfield, Roosevelt and Edmond Woodward High School jazz bands 8:00:The Music Man in 60 MinutesCall 206.215.4818 RIGHT NOW and mention Teen Tix to buy your $5 advance ticket and secure your spot in the Hamlisch reception.Questions? We're here for ya. Email [email protected] or call us at 206-233-3959.

You've heard this song. It's been spreading its treacly power through the cultural zeitgeist since a 21 year-old Marvin Hamlisch wrote it and Lesley Gore recorded it in 1965. We trolled YouTube for a few examples:Mary Radioactive from the Simpsons (this song was actually featured in the Simpsons episode Marge on the Lam, but YouTube didn't show us the love on that one. So here's this weird little thing.)A little something for the the Losties in the audience:And, finally, Miss Gore herself, on a bus, singing (and, apparently, hypnotizing that man in the brown jacket. Also, holy yellow sweater!)Meet Marvin Hamlisch at Teen Night at Seattle Symphony, Friday, June 4th. More info hereTeen Night at Seattle Symphony with Marvin HamlischFriday, June 4th7:00: Pre-show meet & greet with Marvin Hamlisch (first 50 ticket buyers)7:15:Schmoozing and cupcaking (for all!) featuring winners of the 2010 Essentially Ellington Outstanding Soloist Award, hailing from the celebrated Garfield, Roosevelt and Edmond Woodward High School jazz bands 8:00:The Music Man in 60 MinutesCall 206.215.4818 RIGHT NOW and mention Teen Tix to buy your $5 advance ticket and secure your spot in the Hamlisch reception.Questions? We're here for ya. Email [email protected] or call us at 206-233-3959.

The high school is Edmonds-Woodway not Edmond Woodward.

Check out this cool opportunity:Summer Teen Workshop: Design Your (Neighbor)hood, being offered by Seattle Art MuseumHow would you redesign your neighborhood? If you are a high school student who wants to learn art and design, sign up for Design Your (Neighbor)hood, a six-week teen workshop at Seattle Art Museum (SAM). Learn to be a design-thinker and change-maker. Explore visual art, architecture, design software, urban planning and social activism. Show your final project at SAM Downtown.Note: To consider you for participation, we need to contact you by phone for an interview.July 6–August 13, 2010Monday–Friday, 11 am–4 pmNote: Participants must start on Tuesday, July 6 and attend all six weeks.Closing Reception: Friday, August 13, 6–7:30 pmSAM DowntownApplication DeadlineJune 8, 2010For an application, email: [email protected]

Fleeting Beauty: Japanese Woodblock Prints @ Seattle Asian Art MuseumEverybody is loving this exhibition of woodblock prints from the "Floating World," or Ukiyo, the world inhabited by the urban pleasure-seekers of 17th and 18th century Japan.South Wind, Clear Dawn (Gaifu kaisei) Series: Fugaku sanjurokkei (Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji), 1830-33, Katsushika Hokusai"Aside from the most famous works (Hokusai’s The Great Wave is there), one can easily spend an afternoon indulging in the lines and blocks of color in any of the prints. These images of “the floating world” will stay with you after you’ve left the halls of SAAM and stepped outside into the more tangible beauty of Volunteer Park on a spring afternoon. " - SeattlestCourtesan seated smoking with an adolescent client (1799) by Kitagawa Utamaro"One of SAAM’s best exhibitions in years." - Seattle Weekly"Fleeting Beauty" whisks you away from the work-a-day and into a fragile realm of pleasure and illusion." - Seattle P-I BlogFleeting Beauty: Japanese Woodblock PrintsSeattle Asian Art MuseumThrough July 4, 2010

Marvin Hamlisch co-wrote this song for the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me with his then-girlfriend Carol Bayer Sager. And you thought only musical theatre geeks cared about Marvin Hamlisch. WRONG. Radiohead geeks care, too.You can meet Marvin Hamlisch on Friday, June 4th at Teen Night at Seattle Symphony. More info here.Teen Night at Seattle Symphony with Marvin HamlischFriday, June 4th7:00: Pre-show meet & greet with Marvin Hamlisch (first 50 ticket buyers)7:15:Schmoozing and cupcaking (for all!) featuring winners of the 2010 Essentially Ellington Outstanding Soloist Award, hailing from the celebrated Garfield, Roosevelt and Edmond Woodward High School jazz bands 8:00:The Music Man in 60 MinutesCall 206.215.4818 RIGHT NOW and mention Teen Tix to buy your $5 advance ticket and secure your spot in the Hamlisch reception.Questions? We're here for ya. Email [email protected] or call us at 206-233-3959.

If you hate money, stop reading.Okay, the rest of you: the Teen Tix Passport to the Arts contest is on right now. It works like a coffee card for art: everytime you use your Teen Tix pass in the next 5 months, get your card stamped. When it's full, send it in. If we pull your card, you win. You win money. First prize is $200 (yes, two hundred dollars).What's the catch, you say? We applaud your wise skepticism, but there is none. Seriously. We just thought Teen Tix wasn't quite awesome enough already. Last time we did this, three actual live teenagers won actual dollars.Okay, we do have an ulterior motive: to get you to see more art at different places. The more different places you go and different kinds of art you see, the more money you can win. Passport to the Arts. Get it?Okay, go download your passport from our website and start collecting stamps. You have until July 9th, 2010 to fill up your card. Go go go!

E.G.O.T. The so-called Showbiz Grand Slam. It stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, and composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch is one of only twelve people ever to have won them all (he's also got a couple of Golden Globes and a Pulitzer. Show off.) And Tracy Morgan...well...uh, Tracy Morgan doesn't have any of them, but his character on 30 Rock is obsessed with the E.G.O.T. See:Other EGOTers include composer Richard Rodgers, actor Audrey Hepburn, comedian/host/spokeslady Whoopi Goldberg, and actor/singer/legend Barbra Steisand. So that's a pretty good club to be in.Wouldn't it be great if you could meet Mr. Hamlisch? Well, today's your lucky day. Seattle Symphony is hosting a Teen Night on Friday, June 4th for their concert The Music Man in 60 Minutes, and the first 50 teens to buy tickets get to go to a special pre-show meet-and-greet with the man himself! Plus, free cupcakes from Wolfgang Puck Catering. Plus PLUS, it's all just $5 for Teen Tix members. We know, we know, we're great. No awards necessary.More info can be found here.Teen Night at Seattle Symphony with Marvin HamlischFriday, June 4th7:00: Pre-show meet & greet with Marvin Hamlisch (first 50 ticket buyers)7:15: Schmoozing and cupcaking (for all!) featuring winners of the 2010 Essentially Ellington Outstanding Soloist Award, hailing from the celebrated Garfield, Roosevelt and Edmond Woodward High School jazz bands8:00:The Music Man in 60 MinutesCall 206.215.4818 RIGHT NOW and mention Teen Tix to buy your $5 advance ticket and secure your spot in the Hamlisch reception.Questions? We're here for ya. Email [email protected] or call us at 206-233-3959.

Review of The Thin Place at Intiman Theatre by Paulina PrzystupaPersonally, I don’t like talking about my faith. Not because I feel like I’m a “sinner” or embarrassed by it, but because I always feel like it puts whoever is listening to me on the defensive. I always feel like they think I’m trying to convert or convince them of something, which is never my goal. If reading those first few lines you’re thinking “Hey that’s me, I like believing in something but not being super evangelical” or are just interested in religion as something open-ended, this is the play for you.

Gbenga Akinnagbe in The Thin Place at Intiman Theatre. Photo by Chris Bennion.The Thin Place— based on 10 real life Seattleites and a podcast by The Stranger’s own Dan Savage — is a play about spirituality in Seattle. The main character, Isaac, grew up in L.A. a Pentecostal preacher’s son but has been having some questions about what that actually means. He begins to question his faith and whether or not what he learned is the ‘right’ way and he does so by “interacting” with others who’ve had the same questions. I say “interacting” since it is a one-man show and its single actor, Gbenga Akinnabe, portrays all 11 characters, on average very well. All the characters come from different backgrounds but have had very similar questions about what "faith" or "belief" or "religion" actually mean to them and to others.Depending on your upbringing and religious background, different characters will be easier to connect with, but all of them bring you into the Isaac’s world. In order to convince the audience that this one Nigerian-American man is in fact everything from a homosexual white South African to a Muslim girl who is proud to wear her headscarf, Etta Lilienthal's set was one of the mind, the sort of place I envision being alone in and confronting past experiences. It reminded me of the universal troubles people go through but also of the pure calmness we can all feel.However, this was occasionally disrupted by an overuse of background noises. While the use of music often allows audiences to have a deeper connection with what is on stage, the choice to have actually audible whispers from the characters Isaac meets —he hears them as voices — was too blatant. It was just that extra little bit that did not need to be there. Gbenga Akinnabe’s reaction to the voices — at least in my opinion — would have been more powerful if the audience was able to envision the noises instead of being told, “this is what it sounds like to be haunted by voices.”However, that was the only thing that bothered me. The play is not perfect but because of that it allows the audience to see themselves as not alone in the search for identity and faith. We make mistakes, have questions, feel inexplicable things, but in the end we will almost always find an answer.- Paulina PryzstupaMay 21, 2010The Thin PlaceIntiman TheatreThrough June 13th

Seattle International Film Festival

Film lovers, rejoice! It's that time of year again - when the sun finally breaks through the clouds and we all retreat into dark movie theatres to gobble up all of the indie-cinema (and popcorn) we can stomach. SIFF is one of the world's largest film festivals, and, with hundreds of films, there really is something for everyone. We recommend using SIFF's nifty SIFFter to sort through all the options.

Musical theatre fans, rejoice! On Friday, June 4th, you are invited to hear The Music Man in 60 minutes as Seattle Symphony’s own Marvin Hamlisch leads the Orchestra and Broadway soloists in a semi-staged production of the classic musical, presented in partnership with the 5th Avenue Theatre. PLUS! A cavalcade of Broadway hits.But wait, there's more! The first 50 teens to buy tickets to this special event will get to schmooze with the man himself, composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch. And when we say "the man," we mean THE MAN. Hamlisch is one of only two people ever to have won Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony (plus two Golden Globes and, uh, what was that other one? Oh yeah, A PULITZER.) So, yeah. You get to meet Marvin, you get to hang out at Benaroya Hall and be fancy, you get to hear great Broadway hits played by some of the best musicians around, and - best of all - you get FREE CUPCAKES from Wolfgang Puck Catering. No wait! Best of all (drumroll please) it's five bucks.Marvin Hamlisch, aka The ManSorry? Come again? How much? FIVE BUCKS. And you can buy those five dollar tickets RIGHT NOW - you don't have to wait until day-of-show (in fact, considering that only the first 50 folks get to meet Marvin, we would recommend not waiting one more second.) We know. We kind of can't believe how great we are, either.Okay, so:Teen Night at Seattle Symphony with Marvin HamlischFriday, June 4th7:00: Pre-show meet & greet with Marvin Hamlisch (first 50 ticket buyers)7:15:Schmoozing and cupcaking (for all!) featuring winners of the 2010 Essentially Ellington Outstanding Soloist Award, hailing from the celebrated Garfield, Roosevelt and Edmonds-Woodway High School jazz bands 8:00:The Music Man in 60 MinutesCall 206.215.4818 RIGHT NOW and mention Teen Tix to buy your $5 advance ticket and secure your spot in the Hamlisch reception.Questions? We're here for ya. Email [email protected] or call us at 206-233-3959.

Lindy WestFilm Editor @ the StrangerInterview by Laura V.In honor of SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival), which starts on Thursday, we decided to crush out on Stranger Film Editor Lindy West! Lindy was kind enough to talk to us about how she became a writer, what it's like working at the Stranger, and what kind of dinosaur she would be (if being a dinosaur was something you could do in life) even though she hadn't slept for about a week. As you will see, she is funny, charming, and thoroughly crush-worthy. Thanks, Lindy! We heart you.For more videos of Laura's interview with Lindy, check out our YouTube.Lindy and Laura talk dinosaursLV: How did you get interested in writing?LW: I mean it was always sort of the only thing I was good at. My dad's a writer, and it always sort of came fairly naturally. But I never really planned to be one, 'cause it's kind of an impossible thing...or it feels like it ... Anyway, I went to college and got an English degree and then I graduated from college and had nothing and I had no skills, except for writing. So, I took an internship at a magazine that was not something that was interested in at all. It was about babies. It was like a free magazine about child rearing in L.A. I wrote things that I was not qualified to write and got thrown into all these weird writing assignments and had to figure out how to do it, and it was really actually a good experience, even though it was boring and weird, and I was giving people medical advice even though I was 21 years old and didn't actually know anything. From there I moved on and got another internship and I ended up interning here at The Stranger. And just sort of figured out where I fit and what kind of writing I was good at. Really just a series of lucky accidents pushed me along and I ended up here.LV: How did you start working at The Stranger?LW: So, I'm from Seattle, so I grew up reading the Stranger. I mean, to me the Stranger was like celebrities and I can't imagine how fun it must be to work there, and I used to do weird things to like cut out their articles -- of people that are now my friends and colleagues -- and I have never told them that...Dave Schmader...he was like my favorite writer.Holly: He's gonna know now!LW: I know. And he's gonna be real weird about it. I love you Dave.Anyway, but I always felt like I would be a good fit if I could figure out a way to get into such a fun, awesome publication like the Stranger. So, I had a friend from high school that interned here when we both in high school, in the news department, and she was always like "You should try and do it, you should do it, you should do it." ... She sent me an ad that the Stranger was hiring for a Theater Intern and I was like "Okay, I guess I'll do it, even though I know anything about Theater. It's cool." And it was really boring, but then she let me have one writing assignment and I did a good job, and she let me have another writing assignment, and then I didn't go away, and she kept sending me to things, and then, eventually, the Theater Editor became the Film Editor, so I started writing movie reviews, and then, several years passed, during which time I had many exciting day jobs such as cashier and personal assistant. Then the Film Editor left to go to law school, and then they hired me for some reason, and it was really awesome. And now I'm still here. Yay. They haven't fired me yet.Here's a video of Lindy answering this exact same question. But on video!LV: What do look forward to at SIFF?LW: It's really fun. You end up seeing all kinds of things that you wouldn't normally go see or have the opportunity to see. And it's corny but, even if a movies bad it's so fun to just see this weird corner of the world that you didn't know existed. 'Cause I am not a geography expert. Last year I watched this movie from Iran and the whole thing was in a snowy forest. And I was like "I didn't know they had snowy forests." ... There's weird moments like that, where you're like "Oh, I didn't know that Mongolia is the prettiest place ever." Or, y'know, there's giant cities in the middle of China that have five times the population of Seattle that you've never heard of. It's just really interesting. And obviously there's great pieces of art that people make and you have the opportunity to see them. It's also just a fun community thing. There's people out all over the place going to things and talking about movies and going to parties. So, it's fun.LV: Anything you don't look forward to?LW: I don't like the part where I don't sleep for a month, that part's lame. (But I only have two more days of that.)Lindy and Laura talk SIFFLV: How do you feel about being the Crush of the Month?LW: Pretty. Totally awesome. Warm in the heart.Read the Stranger's SIFF Guide here (Note: contains grown-up words)Find out everything you need to know about SIFF, including schedules and venue info at siff.netRead our teen reviewer's reviews of SIFF films here.Seattle International Film FestivalMay 20 - June 13, 2010

If you hate money, stop reading.Okay, the rest of you: the Teen Tix Passport to the Arts contest is on right now. It works like a coffee card for art: everytime you use your Teen Tix pass in the next 5 months, get your card stamped. When it's full, send it in. If we pull your card, you win. You win money. First prize is $200 (yes, two hundred dollars).What's the catch, you say? We applaud your wise skepticism, but there is none. Seriously. We just thought Teen Tix wasn't quite awesome enough already. Last time we did this, three actual live teenagers won actual dollars.Okay, we do have an ulterior motive: to get you to see more art at different places. The more different places you go and different kinds of art you see, the more money you can win. Passport to the Arts. Get it?Okay, go download your passport from our website and start collecting stamps. You have until July 9th, 2010 to fill up your card. Go go go!