This “News from the L.A. Marathon” just landed in my inbox:

In an effort to ensure a world-class experience, we’ve decided that the 2010 LA Bike Tour will not be held Marathon morning, as it historically has been.  We’ll share further details once they’re available and look forward to hosting a great bike event later next year.

As someone who’s made an annual tradition of the Bike Tour since its inception in 1995, I have to say I’m saddened that the people running the marathon — still in their rookie year — would just up and shove aside an event that’s consistently brought out 10,000-plus cyclists each year onto the streets of a bike-unfriendly city where you’re lucky to see a few dozen in a day.

But as I await their alleged further details I’m going to cross my fingers and do my best to be heartened by the fact that there seems to be some consideration being given to bringing the Bike Tour out from the eclipsing shadow of the marathon and grow it into its own “world class” event.

Of course it may just be smoke they’re blowing — especially when stuff starts getting figured out like the costs and logistics and inevitable citizen outrage at the closing off of a course not just once in 2010 but twice. But I’ll try to give the Bike Tour (dis)organizers the benefit of the doubt. And in the end if they end up pulling the plug, I’ll just show up at the Dodger Stadium startline  at 5 a.m. on race day and keep my  tradition going by riding it to the sea my own damn self and anyone else who might wanna join me.

After the jump is the timelapse vid of this year’s ride.

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There are very few things in Los Angeles that make idling in traffic for hours tolerable. Seeing a positively giddy Yo Yo Ma play with the LA Philharmonic as conducted by Placido Domingo last night certainly counts as one of them. But alas, dear reader, I’m not writing to provide an account of how the virtuoso bent his cello like Beckham in front of an attentive sold-out Hollywood Bowl audience. No, I’m here to help bring light to a form of entertainment on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

If you haven’t already guessed by the photo and title of this post, I’m talking about the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Festival of Lights display it mounts in Griffith Park every holiday season. For the uninitiated, for two nearly six weeks out of the year, the LADWP strings together an absolutely third-rate series of displays on Griffith Park’s Crystal Springs Drive that, for some bizarre reason, attracts thousands of visitors every year. Nearly all of the visitors drive through the light display, which means they idle in their vehicles for up to two hours on Interstate 5 and Los Feliz Boulevard as they wait to get to the main event. Not only are the displays amateurish and the resulting traffic congestion nightmarish for nearby residents, but the event also seems highly inappropriate for a municipal utility that claims it has “an obligation to take a leading role in the fight against global warming.”

Thankfully, somebody is trying to remedy the situation. As mentioned in an article in the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood City Council’s latest newsletter, the Council is advocating for the event to be turned into a pedestrian-only event. Huzzah! And the Council wants your feedback. If you have a thought or two (yes, even if you don’t agree with me), write to them at GGPNC@ggpnc.org and give them your two cents. I’ll scan the newsletter’s article and post updates in the months to come.

UPDATE (8/27/09): Scanned the article. Here it is.

Photo by Lisa Newton via a Flickr Creative Commons license.

I am SO excited to be offering these tickets to you guys! If you haven’t had a chance to see George with Parliament Funkadeli-cized, well, you’re missing out.

These dudes have been making it funky for 50 years, and as classics of the genre they’re still innovating, still inspired–there’s even a new album on its way! I’m not even a funk fan myself, but I love these guys. It’s just always a party–one with that “I’ve done this for so long, I don’t have to think about it anymore–I just go with the flow” kinda zen, if zen could be applied to a party, which I guess would actually be a great idea.

Wanna go? I’ve got a few pairs of tix to give away for their show at Club Nokia this Saturday (show info here). Wanna go? Tell me your favorite lyric EVER from a funk song. Doesn’t have to be a George Clinton project, although that may help.

Burbank Water and Power is conducting a beta test of a new residential energy and water savings program, the “Green Home House Call.” They need volunteers, preferably from single-family homes with automatic sprinklers, to help evaluate the program. As part of the test, you will receive free weatherization services, water efficient product installation, energy efficient lightbulbs and more.

If you would like to volunteer to be in the beta test group, please call 1.866.365.7358 to set up an appointment.

The first time I saw Mary Lynn Rajskub was at a crowded $5 performance (thanks, Goldstar) at the Steve Allen Theater.  “I need to warm up,” she declared.  She crouched.  Curled her fingers.  Stretched out her thumb and pointer finger in the shape of a gun.  Squinted.  At something in the near distance.

“Jack?”

Since then, I’ve seen her stand-up set at least two more times – pretty much whenever I hear she’s around.  Her awkwardness shines like a talented art student struggling for recognition in stats class.  On Thursday, there is yet another chance to catch her:  she headlines a show at the Laugh Factory in support of the Childrens Hospital.  Joining her will be a few past, present, and future cast members from 24, including Jean Smart (Jean Smart!!), Glenn Morshower (you know him.  You just don’t know you know him.), and - get this – Katee Sackhoff (be still my beating heart still beating for Starbuck) (for those who don’t have a “Katee Sackhoff” Google Alert set (…crickets…), Sackhoff joins the 24 cast next season as CTU’s head programmer).  Tim Allen also will make an appearance.  Providing musical relief will be Garfunkel & Oates, an act that is a stream of consciousness mashup of The Ditty Bops, The Pipettes, and certain cross stitch patterns.  Hello, children.

Tickets for the rabble are $20; the remaining VIPs in this economy can salad fork over $30 to Fast Pass their way to the front of the line.  There also is a two drink minimum.  I know, it’s annoying when someone tells you how much you must drink, but this is for charity, right?  And Mary Lynn and Katee?  Right, right.

After the jump, a clip of Mary Lynn during an inexplicable but welcome appearance at a Heritage Foundation panel on “Public Image of U.S. Counterterrorism Policy” hosted by Rush Limbaugh.

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It was the Best Buy of times, ….  Last week, I went to the Fox Hills Mall in Culver City, which is undergoing a huge expansion.  As part of the expansion, Best Buy is installing a new store there.  Just inside the mall’s main entrance, Best Buy has set up a “hiring center.” Applicants are greeted with optimistic signs proclaiming “Your Opportunity” and “Your Enthusiasm,” complete with Best Buy’s bright blue and yellow color scheme.

But if you turn 180 degrees and look just across W. Slauson Avenue, you can see a drab grey building with maroon trim.  If you look at the series of dots across the top of the building, you can make out where the large “CIRCUIT CITY” sign was taken down when this and its other stores closed earlier this year.  Circuit City’s loss has obviously become Best Buy’s gain.
More of the tale, after the jump

Took a quick look out the window from my office at the Howard Hughes Center in Westchester as I was leaving and whoa (click for enlargification):

Looks to be the San Gabriel Canyon fire north of Azusa.

LASnark just broke the news about Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan to fix California. Since the elected guys have no idea what to do, they’re asking the internet.

The Governor would like your suggestions via Twitter. Simply post your idea, followed by #MyIdea4CA. I tweeted mine, which referred back to an earlier post here on Metblogs. All suggestions become part of an ongoing forum at myidea4ca.com.

Why didn’t Villaraigosa think of this?

The understated troubadour is coming to the Fonda for two nights this week. He’s got a new album and he is, if it’s even possible, better-looking than he’s ever been. (Sorry. I’m a girl.) Wanna go?

Leave a comment naming your favorite Pete Yorn song and tell me why it means so much to you. We have one pair of tix for each night, so if you absolutely CANNOT make it on one night, please leave that in your comment as well.

Info on both shows can be found here.

For us busty gals, finding a sexy bra in our size can be challenging. We need strong support but we don’t want to look like we are wearing an industrial sling. Enter Jenette Bras where the motto is: “The alphabet starts at D.” Hallelujah!

Jenette Bras has been open for four months and tonight they are celebrating with hot jazz, cool drinks and lots of lingerie models showing off the store’s wares. There will be one night only discounts and bra-fitting demonstrations. Oh, you men are welcome too. (Does anyone really need to twist your arm to see hot babes in gorgeous lingerie? I thought not.)

Hot August Night at Jenette Bras
Tonight, Tuesday August 25
6-9 pm
4308 Melrose Ave. (near Scoops!)
323-665-7490

During normal business hours, proprietress Jenette Goldstein offers personal fittings of a beautiful array of bras from size D through K.

As Jenette says, “Stand up straight and rock that hourglass, Honey!”

(hat tip to Thrillist Los Angeles.)

Winning by a landslide, Classic Eats #7: Hot Summer Nights Edition will be at The Reel Inn this Saturday, August 29 at 6pm! Spend an afternoon at the beach, then dust the sand off and mosey over to The Reel Inn for some fresh seafood and great outdoor patio to relax after another beautiful summer day in LA.

The Reel Inn
18661 Pacific Coast Highway (just past Topanga Canyon Blvd.)
310-456-8221

6pm

Bone up on your surfing trivia and we’ll see you there!

[UPDATE Wed., Aug. 26: CBS 2 sent a camera and reporter to last night's yoga class at Hollywood Forever. Watch the video  here.]

Do yoga, leave a beautiful corpse, I say. And now you can work on corpse pose at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which, if you haven’t noticed, has rebranded itself as “not your grandfather’s graveyard.” (Who knew death could be so much fun?)

Toward that end, Antebellum Gallery is presenting Yoga Forever, a yoga class held at Hollywood Forever, on the lawn in front of the mausoleum (where they show the movies) every Tuesday at 7 PM.

This week, Yogi Camille Hines will lead the class with DJ Shawn Parker providing the soundtrack. Bring your own mat– and a blanket and warm clothing, they advise, to ward off the chill.

Bend, stretch, reach for the stars– the ones in the sky as well as those interred all around you.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90038. Yoga class is $20, includes parking.

Pedestrians are not as plentiful in Los Angeles as cars, alas. So most likely if you saw this, it was on the intertubes and not at a crosswalk.

Total Crisis Panic Button has been installed (at crosswalks) all over Los Angeles by Jason Eppink, a New York-based mutimedia artist. He’s even included a Google map to assist in locating them.

And if you hate those huge video billboards as much as I do, his treatment in 2007 of the smaller street-level version might compel you to take similar action, thanks to this how-to video.

Eppink’s other projects can been seen at his site, Senseless Venn Diagrams.

Via Urban Prankster

Che Needs a Permnanent or Foster Home, Can You Help?

This week’s featured rescue dog is a three year old Vizla/Pit mix who was minutes away from being euthanized at the West Valley Pound before the nice people at Karma Rescue stepped in to help.

Che is a very playful, energetic guy who needs someone who can give him plenty of exercise. He is housebroken, great with other dogs and apparently even friendly with cats too! Che is currently living in a temporary boarding facility where he isn’t getting a lot of attention. He could really use a structured home environment until Karma Rescue finds him a permanent home, so if you can volunteer as a “foster parent,” please e-mail info@karmarescue.org for more information.

You can also stop by Karma Rescue’s regular pet adoption events held at Kirby’s Pet Depot located at 12112 Venice Blvd in Mar Vista (one block east of Centinela). Check Karma Rescue’s web site for more information.

So I drive to work every morning along the 118, across the northeastern spine of the San Fernando Valley across to the 5 freeway, which I then follow to Burbank, bleary-eyed and swilling coffee from 7-11.

On the 118, in the upper reaches of Northridge and Granada Hills and North Hills or all those ridges and hills and whatever you want to call them, a number of bridges connect the suburban sprawl on the Valley side with the narrower band of houses and streets, mid-70s developments, abutting the brown hills (that would be Oat Mountain).

On a regular basis these bridges are festooned with messages to the drivers below. Usually it’s HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT or a cross and a heart made out of individual ribbons tied onto the chain-link fence. Sometimes it’s JEFF LOVES SARAH or HAPPY GRADUATION TERESA.

This morning, though, totally changed my grumbly outlook on the day ahead. In the smallish metallic letters linked by metal brads, the kind you can buy at a party store that usually fold out to say “Happy Birthday,” someone had hung HAPPY MONDAY on the overpass near Woodley.

I was going 76mph and didn’t see it until the last minute, so I don’t have a photo. But whoever hung that early-morning greeting over the 118 East, I’d like to send you a big thank-you for making my day. And I’d figure I’d pass it on to all of you, readers. Happy Monday.