Recently, I have been totally
stoked about a few upcoming
movies, like “Paper Heart” and
“(500) Days of Summer,” and
even more upcoming concerts,
like Kings of Leon, Sondre Lerche,
and Yo La Tengo.

What I have not been so
stoked about is the fact that to
see most of these, I’d have to
travel two hours to Los Angeles.

I’m absolutely thankful that
Blink-182 is gracing us with
their presence on Sept. 14 and
that “(500) Days of Summer”
finally came out here a bit after
the wide release date, but I’m
still a little unsatisfied, as are
many other Bakersfield residents.

Of course we’ll never get a
big, exciting and cultural entertainment
scene like those found
in big cities, but with a population
of well over 300,000 and
growing, it’s not too much to
ask for a little variety in the
concerts and movies available
in Bakersfield.

It’s not that Bakersfield isn’t
ready for a more eclectic and
diverse entertainment scene.
When I saw “(500) Days of
Summer” the day it came out,
there were very few empty
seats. Obviously the people of
Bakersfield are interested in
more independent-type films.
The four Bakersfield movie theaters
must think a non-blockbuster
movie won’t make them
enough money to be worth it, so
instead they show movies like
“The Hangover” way longer
than necessary.

When Bakersfield finally
gets a big band like Blink-182,
the cost is outrageous for anything
better than the nosebleed
seats. Maybe if we had more
concerts, the concert venues
wouldn’t have to charge so
much when popular bands actually
play here.

Sure, there is plenty of entertainment
in Bakersfield if your
music and movie interests consist
of country and chick flicks.
While that is possibly the majority
here, there are quite a few
of us who would greatly appreciate
some variety.