Word on the street is our beloved USC football head coach Pete Carroll is leaving for a job coaching the NFL’s Seattle Seahwaks (as of this writing I haven’t heard anything official from Carroll or USC). Now, I’m completely unqualified to report on whether or not that’s true, but as a person with internet access, I am totally qualified to give you my opinion on the situation and its impact on the USC football program.

First off, I’m supportive of Carroll’s decision, no matter what he does. I may only be a fan, not a player, but he’s still my coach, and a man whose perspective and philosophy on life I highly respect. I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing in his position. The Trojans men’s basketball team recently suffered self-imposed punishment (following recruiting violations a couple years ago) that includes a ban on post-season play this year, and the football team is under investigation for multiple incidents where players, including Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, allegedly received illegal gifts from sports marketers and agents. All the while, instead of taking the fall or any responsibility at all for the infractions that have gone on under his watch, Athletic Director Mike Garrett has either blamed coaches (basketball coach Tim Floyd was fired last year) or simply remained mute, leaving those like Carroll to fend for themselves.

So I completely understand where Carroll is coming from, wanting to jump from the sinking ship that is the USC Athletic Department before it takes him down with it. He’s clearly got his priorities straight and is putting his own well-being, reputation and sanity ahead of his job, and not putting up with a boss so willing to throw him under the bus in a time of crisis.

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Celebrate Elvis’ 75th birthday this evening at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Beginning at 5:30 PM, the event will feature films, special guest Francine York, music and karaoke from Roarshack, the biggest Elvis Mix ‘n Mingle trivia game and bingo west of Memphis from Wise Guys Events (with Elvis-related prizes), food vendors including banana and peanut butter pancake bites from Buttermilk Truck, BBQ from BarbiesQ and birthday cake for the entire audience from La Morenita Bakery.

Of course, there will be Elvis merchandise for sale from Hollywood Book & Poster and prizes from Warner Bros., Bettie Page Clothing, Taschen Books (at the Grove), the Grammy Museum’s “Elvis at 21″ exhibit and Hollywood Book & Poster. The Pig ‘n’ Whistle will also be hosting a “no-host” bar in the Egyptian’s courtyard. I have no idea what a “no-host” bar is, but it sounds like an open bar. They should offer an open bar. It is what Elvis would have wanted.

Then at 7:30 PM, the Elvis Presley Double Feature will begin featuring: Read the rest of this entry →

The NYTimes has a super cool map of 100 Netflix rentals showing distribution by zip code in twelve cities, including LA. For those of us interested in how cultural taste intersects with and reinforces demographic and economic differences, clicking through the titles is pretty fascinating. There are some fairly obvious examples of stuff white people like, as in the Mad Men map pictured here (click to make it bigger). Lakeview Terrace, not so much. Other titles defy expectations (well, mine at least). It surprises and depresses me, for example, that Confessions of a Shopaholic seems to have universal appeal. And when you get tired of looking at the distribution pictures, you can get a healthy dose of snark by reading the blurbs about the films, which include, because it’s the New York Times, some solid LA mockery. They describe The Soloist thusly:

These are a few of the ghosts who haunt Los Angeles, that Mecca of Fabulousness where you can go for weeks (and invariably by car) without smelling the reek of other people’s desperation. That helps explain why Hollywood types tend not to set their camera sights on homeless men, women and children, unless they’re good for a little uplift (as in the Will Smith vehicle “The Pursuit of Happyness”). Homeless people are generally, pardon the pun, bummers–they also can’t afford tickets.

City rivalry aside, this is really nifty. If you’re anything of a map geek or a movie geek, check it out.

(Thanks to Google Maps Mania for the link.)

I have nothing to say about this except it’s cute as hell.

Saturday January 23rd is Classic Eats #8 and the polls have been open for almost a week now. So far Downtown Deli Smack Down is ahead  with the Hollywood Resolution Buster coming in second. Voting will remain open until Monday, January 18th! If you haven’t voted yet, please do so. If you have, tell your friends to come along and vote!

Click here to vote!

The start times will be determined by the locations chosen. We usually start around 5pm to A) beat the crowds and B) give you time to head out to other Saturday night activities afterward. If Langer’s V. Cole’s wins, we will start even earlier because Langer’s closes at 4pm.

Click past the jump to read all about our candidates.

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Last Thursday, my Fab Man Dan and I decided to meet after work at the new swanky bar and restaurant, “The Tar Pit” on La Brea. It was around 8:30 when I arrived, and the place was packed!  My sweetie hadn’t shown up yet, so I saw a man leaving his seat at the bar and nabbed it.  As I was sitting down the woman next to the empty seat turned and said, “I’m saving this for my friend who is coming”.  I smiled and politely told her I was going to sit down and order a drink.

I got my drink, a mint, lime and gin number and was fab.  Ordered a fried artichoke appetizer, super yummy!

Ten minutes sailed by and suddenly, the woman’s friend showed up.  She turned to me and said, “My friend is here, we’ll need your seat now.  You’ll have to move!”  I politely told her that wasn’t happening.  I would be sitting there until my table was ready.  Okay, maybe I wasn’t uber polite, but I was firm and really, I was not antagonistic.  She then went ballistic, telling me I was a bitch and that I had taken ‘her friend’s’ seat. For the next five minutes… she huffed and puffed about how rude I was.  I pointedly ignored her.  So did everyone else in the bar.

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In the column of disheartening news, the economy has taken away yet another of my favorite spots to visit while on the go during my daily routine.  First, the Famima in Downtown Los Angeles on Figueroa shut down just before Christmas.  And now the Hows Market in the NoHo Commons has started clearing their shelves in order to close.   It’s depressing in a very striking way. In times like these, the little things are what get us by.  This was one of my little things.

I know that many people, my closest friends included, felt that Hows was an expensive place to shop.  It was also often very quiet.  I am most likely in a minority when it comes to those who mourn its passing.  But it was convenient to my travel patterns.  I liked the fact that it wasn’t crowded.  It was open until 1 am so I could swing by after a late night of work.  And I could find exotic items without much trouble.

In trying to find a silver lining, I have high hopes for what will take its place.  If it has to be a huge chain grocery store… let it be a Vons Pavilions or a Whole Foods.

For many of us without yards, the idea of growing a vegetable garden seems like a far-fetched idea. Not anymore, a couple of Venice residents have a found a private plot of land which can be rented and turned into a community garden. There are a lot of Farmer’s Markets on the Westside that make buying fresh, organic veggies really easy, but I think growing your own garden is a great idea for a family looking to spend more time together, learn how and when to grow veggies and flowers, and make new friends.

According to Kip Wood, “each plot will be about 75 sq. ft and cost $25 per month — we will have roughly 60 plots available. This is not city land, but a privately-owned lot that we will be renting, so rent is a little higher than city-owned Community Gardens, but at $25/month it’s still a great chance for all of us to grow food, develop a new community and create a place of beauty and magic.”

If you are interested in meeting to discuss the timeline, the needs of the garden and to assign positions and duties contact Kip Wood and Fritzi Horstman (kipwood23 at g mail dot com).

Photo Courtesy of The Commons	Photo Courtesy of Toban Black

Thursday night, the 2009-2010 College Football Season culminated in the National Championship BCS Title Game, held right here at the Rose Bowl. Though I don’t have connections to either Alabama’s Crimson Tide or the Texas Longhorns (besides my unreasonable dislike towards the Longhorns), I decided to drop a sizable chunk of change and attend the game. I didn’t have to travel; they brought the game to me, so why not?

Thing is, much like the Rose Parade last week, I’ve never gone to the Rose Bowl as just a spectator, either, so it was a completely new experience for me. I went crazy taking pictures inside and outside the stadium and reveling in the gorgeous weather and how easy it was to simply walk there from Old Town Pasadena. But as I took in the tailgating scene and then settled into my seat for the game, I realized… I was, like, the only person who actually lives here.

That’s a slight exaggeration, of course (I’m pretty sure I did see Jason Schwartzman. He’s an actor, he does live here, right?). I’m sure there’s Alabama fans in LA, and there are tons of Texas alumni in this town. But damned if I wasn’t surrounded by a bunch of tourists the entire night. The people I sat near were dudes who flew in from Austin, people who possessed awesome/ridiculous Southern accents, or were the brothers (one a Crimson Tide fan, one a Longhorns fan) who drove up from San Diego.

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Yet another example of (borrowing from the estimable Mr Jalopy) Going Out Of Business In LA:   The Santa Monica Food Truck Debacle of 2010.

It was only a matter of time before someone came up with the idea of “hosting” a few of the popular gourmet food trucks (PLEASE don’t call them Roach Coaches!), creating a rotating hub of deliciousness.

The corner of Santa Monica and 14^th was just such a hub, and the magic lasted all of about one day before the City showed up wanting their piece of the pie (or bite of a grilled cheese, or taco, or brisket, or whatever).   The location had its soft open on Monday (Yay, Pete, getting in there!) with India jones, Barbie Q’s, Fishlips, and the Grilled Cheese Truck, and was closed down on Tuesday.

Barely one whole day of operations.

Tuesday’s lineup was supposed to be FrySmith, Barbies Q, India Jones and Dainty Cakes.   The City claims the property owner doesn’t have the right food service paperwork on file. Nevermind all the individual trucks have it – Hey the whole state’s broke – Let’s tax the hell out of small businesses trying to get new ideas off the ground, even if it puts them out of business in the process.

I get it – local brick-and-mortar restaurants are feeling the threat from these trucks. To which I respond, “Free Market, Baby!”  Let the market be free already.

Pissed off? Hungry?

Email the Santa Monica City Council at council@smgov.net and codecompliance@smgov.net. Don’t forget to CC the food truck lot guy at smfoodtrucklot@gmail.com.

Follow the food truck lot guy via Twitter, all you Twitterers –

See you at Santa Monica and 14th — I hope!

I spotted the same fire spotted by Will (see post directly below) on the East side of the Palos Verdes peninsula, in El Segundo, as seen from a different angle in Marina del Rey, less than 10 miles to the North.  My little Canon Elph can’t quite capture the flames moving and reaching 30 feet or more in height.  My first thought was that, at minimum, this is a large house fire, and maybe something bigger.

Fortunately, KCBS TV just reported that it’s a deliberate “refinery burn off.”  I sure hope that word spreads, otherwise there could be plenty of alarmed folks out there.

I just double-taked like a pro looking out my 10th-floor Westchester office window and seeing this towering smoke monster growing out in the direction of LAX (click to biggify):

I’m going to assume it’s some sort of enviornmentally toxic discharge (isn’t THAT a relief!?) from one of the oil refineries out there nearer the coastline. Or the marketing people for the final season of “Lost” have outdone themselves.

After the jump is the plume a half-hour-later

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You know what I like to do sometimes? I like to take pictures of douchebags. Especially when a guy darts around from behind my car, into the other lane, and back in front of me – only to come to a stop at a red light, 10 seconds later.

But, I like to make a scene of it. You know, blatantly hold the iPhone, high above the steering wheel. Holding it long enough that I see him see me in his rear view mirrow. Taking a picture of his car with his license plate as the focal point. Making him wonder nervously for the rest of the weekend why. Why? WHY??

Today’s episode of Driving Douchebaggery took place on Ventura Boulevard. But, it can happen anywhere.

So can photography.

L.A. Conservancy has announced their new season of Last Remaining Seats, their annual series of classic films and live entertainment in historic theatres. Tickets go on sale to Conservancy members on March 31 and the general public on April 14, but you should mark your calendars now with the following films and venues:

This is where you should be on Wednesday nights at 8pm:
May 26: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967) at Los Angeles Theatre
June 2: Strangers on a Train (1951) at Million Dollar Theatre
June 9: American Graffiti (1973) at Orpheum Theatre
June 16: The Graduate (1967) at Los Angeles Theatre
June 23: Flor silvestre (Wild Flower) (1943) — co-presented by the Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles at Million Dollar Theatre
June 30: Peter Pan (1924) at Orpheum Theatre

Advance tickets are $16 each for Conservancy members and $20 each for the general public. A limited number of series tickets are available, and discounts are available for groups of ten or more.

On payday, you rode the streetcar to Citizens National Bank at Third and Main. Maybe you spent that hard-earned money upstairs, on a $15 overcoat at Foreman & Clark. Maybe you didn’t.

The year was 1913.

Photo from the USC Digital Library