Images courtesy of Da Bun & LADead

Images courtesy of Da Bun & LADead

The cherry blossom is an enchantingly beautiful flower with a very short lifespan, particularly in wind and heat.  And for that distinction, it’s brief existence is celebrated as well as considered metaphor for the human condition.  

The Cherry Blossom Festival (Sakura Matsuri) is a Japanese ritual that dates back to 794 and is something they stole from China during a period of trying to emulate Chinese culture.  In modern times, many countries hold festivals in honor of the delicate blossom. 

This past year Ruin at the Monte Cristo held a darker take on Sakura Matsuri on April 3rd – a day before the peak of blooming. Denizens of Los Angeles came decked out in their Asian-inspired finest to dance, preen and partake of libations.  It was a lovely evening with plenty of imaginative eye candy.

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This Mother’s Day greeting in 2 foot tall, all caps no less, appeared in my neighbor’s yard this morning.  Nothing like shouting out for everyone to see how much you love your Mom.  I was touched.

Of course the business responsible put up a small(ish) sign as a little promo.  The business is “Sassy Grassy Greetings” 626-358-9739.

What a great day the LA BBQ Festival turned out to be.  Best part, you still have today to partake in the food, live music and fun of the festival.  The lines when we arrived shortly after noon were nearly 100 deep at the will call window and the crowd was really amped with excitement to get in and start the party.  

Live music plays all day during the festival and you get a nice range of music to enjoy.  One of our favorites bands turned out to be “Petty Cash” a tribute band focused on the songs of Tom Petty and Johnny Cash.  Strange combo at first thought but they actually turned out to be pretty darn good.  The Petty stuff was done well, the Johnny Cash stuff stayed with his mainstays and fortunately didn’t stray into his really twangy country stuff.  Could have spent more time with just them but there were 4 other bands to rotate through. Read the rest of this entry →

I first learned about El Parian Restaurant prior to Mike Schneider’s 2007 edition of his annual Franklin Avenue Great L.A. Walk, which that year traversed Pico Boulevard from Central Avenue east of downtown all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Prior to the big day he had been researching potential eateries along the way and posted that the place was reputed by none other than the L.A. Weekly’s Jonathan Gold as one of his faves in the entire city and home to some of the best goat tacos ever.

As with most of the other walkers that morning I passed by the place and as it was early yet and I wasn’t too hungry passed up the opportunity to find out for myself if Gold was right.

It only took a year and a half for me to find out the truth, which was discovered near the end of a long bike ride yesterday with my old friend Manny and new friend Tim, that put us but a couple blocks away from this hole in the wall. Check out this trio of goat taco goodness, each wrapped in a two-ply of handmade tortillas:

Modular unit recycled from a shipping container

The sixth annual AltBuild Expo, held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium this past weekend, was billed as a showcase for “the best of Green Building & Design Materials, Energy Efficiency, … Sustainable Landscape, … ” and more. However, the unwritten theme at the Expo was simplicity. I was struck by the rather low-budget displays — often just a table and some posters mounted on the black curtain backgrounds — by the building materials and other companies exhibiting their products. But as one marketing consultant who attended the show with me commented, “they don’t have any money.”

Building green, after the jump

The LA Comedy Festival has been presenting sketch, improv, standup and film since April 30, but is wrapping up this coming week, ending on May 17.

I am personally excited about the awesome performance tonight of two Asian American comedy groups– OPM Comedy and 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors (plus Matt Knudsen) in the same block at the ACME Comedy Theatre at 7:00pm. This 75 minute show shared is by all 3 acts, and both OPM and 18MMW have promised all new material for the performance.

OPM brings “FISTS OF FUNNY,” an all-new ass-kicking melee of sketch comedy featuring the Economy, Kim Jong-Il, a tribute to the late, great Bruce Lee… and more. (My buddies Ewan Chung and Randall Park are in this, along with Lanny Joon, Charles Kim, John Lopez, Lee Sherman, Jae Suh, Rodney To, and Dave Wilder.) If you can’t make this show, you can still catch OPM at the LA Comedy Fest on May 15 and 16, as well.

True to their style of poking fun at hot topics, 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors presents the World Premiere of “AVATAR: The RACE BENDER,” (see Moye’s previous 8Asians post: White-Washing Avatar: The Last Airbender?) which also includes a sketch about Korean cannibalism (you’ll have to go to find out what that’s about!). Starring funny men Michael Chih Ming Hornbuckle, Peter J. Wong, and Greg Watanabe, this is your last chance to see 18MMW at the LA Comedy Fest.

Also up before the festival is over:
Those Girls, Mark Daviau, Big Game Hunters, The Josh and Tamra Show, The Sarah Cornell Show, Slave Leia, Lou Santini, The Knights of Comedy, Sex Ed with Sex “Ed” Vincent (w/Paul Brittain), Carla Collins, Improperetta, The Waterbrains, Lisa Robinson, Stephen/Scott, Elvis in East Peoria (a film by Eric Burdett — L.A. premiere feature documentary), Versailles (a short film by David Hunt starring Fred Willard, David Hunt, Eve Gordon with Q & A to follow), Kerri Lendo, The Riot Act, Nestor Rodriguez, SketchComedyShow.com, BADA BING!, Ron & Edie: 85 Years of Laughs, LA Women, BAM, Teenager of the Year, 25th Century Heroes, Ryan James’ Ponies, Freedom Snatch, Geoff Lott, Michael Cornacchia

Los Angeles Comedy Festival
RSVP: Call 323-463-2942

Tickets are $10 online, $12 at the door
OR for five times the fun — purchase the 5 Show Pass, and select any FIVE shows (including ACME shows) for just $40 – a savings of $10!

Last Saturday night was Classic Eats #5: Old Hollywood Cocktails. The gang started at Musso and Frank with cocktails and some snacks, then we headed slightly west and south to Formosa for a few more cocktails and some crazy Lobster Mac and Cheese!

Thanks to all the usual suspects who came along, such a great group we have going on! Thanks also to the newbies and occasional Classic Eaters for joining in the fun. We started at 5 (most of us) and said our last good-byes at 11pm! I could have stayed and talked for another hour.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar on June 13 for A Very Special Classic Eats: Hot Dog Death March. 

A few more pics and a menu mystery after the jump.

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Every year outside my window, this Golden Oak bursts open with flowers marking the beginning of Summer. June 21st means nothing to her.  This year, it started in early April and is now in full-on, magnificent bloom.

I call it a Golden Oak, that’s what a tree trimmer told me it was years ago, but funny enough, I can’t find the picture that matches this tree in all the research I’ve done.  And the yellow flowers aren’t really flowers, but seeds.  When it blooms, the tree is full of birds and squirrels, snatching up the little seeds from the large, flower-like pods.  Lizards run up and down her trunk.

I used to think this tree was unusual, but now I’ve noticed this tree all over Southern California, so I guess it’s pretty common.   It’s planted on both sides of the 101 going north all the way to Santa Barbara.  I see them scattered throughout the different canyons I frequent, especially mine, under the Hollywood sign. It’s kind of comforting, this tree.

It’s at least 80 feet tall, towering over everything else, so I assume it was planted when Beachwood was developed, back in 1928, which would make it 80 years old or so.  I am attached to it.  It’s dances in the wind, holds the red-tailed hawk at dusk, says hello to me each morning when I open my windows to catch the breath of dawn.  I definitely feel her vibration.  And she is definitely signaling summer has arrived in Los Angeles.

Still sounding around for something fun to do with mom this Sunday? You might check out the “First Annual [sic] Cinefamily Rummage and Bake Sale” Sunday from noon to five. They are promising “various relics and oddities… from the typical (audio and film equipment) to the quaint (vintage books and posters) to the NSFW (seriously, I can’t even print it here).” I can only begin to imagine what the Silent Movie Theater’s “magical stockpile of weirdness” might contain. And if you don’t find your heart’s desire there, practically across the street is the weekly Melrose Trading Post, which always offers a cornucopia of hipster treats.

Father and son, Vekder & George Khacherian

I’m a big fan of local business. There’s a personal connection and a level of service you get when you patronize local owner-operated businesses that you’ll never experience with an hourly-wage clerk at the MegaCorp Outlet SuperStore™.

It seems this generation has seen the greatest decline of the family business in history. The Wal-Marts of the world have figured out a pretty effective business model. Sadly, in most cases their volume allows them to undercut the “mom & pop” shops, offering goods and services cheaper and more efficiently than small businesses are able to. Maybe cheaper and more efficient, but that doesn’t necessarily mean better.

This is why I was so excited to discover La Gondola in Silver Lake, operated by the father/son team of Vekder & George Khacherian. I say “discover” only because they’re new to me; the Khacherians have been in business for 33 years. Clearly I’m not the first to find them, either. There is a framed commendation for service to the community signed by none other than CD13′s own Eric Garcetti.

George met me at the counter and was immediately friendly, helpful and professional. He sized my wristwatch while I waited. Vekder is repairing my shoes, which I’ll pick up later today. All for about half of what I expected to pay.

This unassuming little shop on Sunset seems to do it all. They make keys, replace watch batteries, all sorts of expert leather repair, and I’m sure I’m only scratching the surface.

Support local business. Go see my new friends George & Vekder in Silver Lake. You’ll be glad you did.

La Gondola
2929 Sunset Blvd. (just west of Parkman,) Los Angeles
(323) 661-0148

I got stuck on Battlestar Galactica right after the bar exam.  I was bumming around, de-barring, at a friend’s place when he pulled out the Season 1 DVD set and asked if I had ever seen it.  Being one of those people without cable (which isn’t as bad as being one of those people without a television), I had to shake my head no.  He popped it in, and that was it.  I was done for.  Less than a day after sitting 18 hours for the bar exam, I sat for 8 hours to watch the first half of the first season before I reluctantly realized that I really, really, really should sleep.

Converting other people to the show has not been as easy.  BSG fanatics are easily labeled as nerds – but when you have an entire United Nations event (oddly or not) dedicated to discussing how the show can be used as a tool to educate about the pressing issues of our time -  abortion, terrorism, torture, colonialism, imperialism, fear as a political weapon – well, we the devoted must be on to something.  The series ended a month ago, to much controversy (I for one hated it – I knew there was an implicit theme about imperalism, but I didn’t think it was that), but new and old fans can forget that the finale exists and instead fondly recall one of the best television shows in our time by bidding on an authentic piece of Battlestar this weekend at PropWorx’s Battlestar Galactica “Last of the Best” live auction at the Pasadena Convention Center.

A preview of the auction, including a nice bird, Baltar’s notes from when he actually did science-y things, and, yes, the red dress that wet dreams are made of, after the jump.

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Ponte Estaiada, São Paulo, Brazil by Marcos Leal used under Creative Commons.

There are always interesting events to attend in L.A. Book signings, art openings, good DJs spinning cool music, cocktail parties. They’re everywhere. Rarely do you find them all in one place, though.

The event that will gather all of those elements together, the one I’m most looking forward to this weekend, is the release party for a great new travel guide by Phoung-Cac Nguyen.

Follow me past the jump for more about “Total São Paulo,” art, and music. Did I mention complimentary cocktails? Read the rest of this entry →

Friend of the blog, Eric (@es on twitter) sent us this picture taken after the screening of Anvil: The Story of Anvil this past Wednesday at the Landmark Theater in Westwood.

The band asked Eric how he heard about the screening and he said Metblogs. Thanks for the shout out, man! Then the band sent me a direct message on twitter to thank me for spreading the word (my previous post here). How cool is that?

Anvil and Eric Schlissel

Here are some soundbytes Eric clipped during the Q&A with the band and the director after the movie:

- A lot of people turned out for the screening, the top of the theater was packed

- The band is being managed by the manager of the Scorpions now

- EMI Canada recently changed their minds and decided to press a few CDs for the band (after rejecting them in the movie)

- Anvil brought their last Sundance poster for some guy named Oscar (a dude in the audience who was having a birthday)

- They couldn’t get distribution for the movie, even though everyone at Sundance loved them, so they’re doing it on their own

- They will have three tracks on Rock Band soon

- Audience Question: “Why dildo’s?” Anvil Answer: “They were $3 each”

Thanks again for the follow up, Eric!

So many of you entered the contest for tickets to Steve Martin’s “Big Bad Banjo” that it took me a good hour to put all your names into my magic Choose-O-Matic machine. But we have a winner! If you haven’t been contacted, that person is not you. I am terribly sorry, and to all the contestants whom I actually know personally & professionally, I hope you don’t hate me.

BUT you can buy tickets (the money goes to the goddamn LA Library, for crying out loud–buy a ticket!) on Goldstar for very affordable prices. I bought my parents, huge Martin fans, a pair of tickets to the seated section for a very reasonable amount. Go there. Now. (Looks like they also have VIP seats to this weekend’s Derby Dolls bout for half-price as well!)

Photo courtesy of Metro Library and Archive.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today that the Metro Gold Line will receive $66.7 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The funds will be used for the Metro Gold Line Eastside Light Rail Extension.

“By getting these funds to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority now, we’re providing a boost that will help this project keep moving forward while jump-starting the economy and putting people back to work,” Secretary LaHood said.

The East Side Extension is six miles of track that will connect the Gold Line at Union Station through Little Tokyo, Boyle Heights, and end in East Los Angeles at the intersection of Atlantic & Pomona Boulevards.

It is worth noting that today’s announcement doesn’t really mean any more money for the Gold Line. In 2004, the Feds agreed to provide $490.7 million of the $898.8 million total project cost. This was to be paid in annual increments through 2010.  The ARRA grant announced today doesn’t increase the federal commitment to the project; it just expedites funds already promised.

While Secretary LaHood was happy to announce the advance on our allowance, he did not mention a specific preference for what the Eastside Extension should be called.