After a long soft open, presumably to iron out any kinks, Mac & Cheeza is finally having their Grand Opening tonight at 5:30pm. Get downtown and get your mac on!

For the last couple of months owners Larkin Mackey (of the eponymous Larkin’s in Eagle Rock) & Joshua McBride have been getting great pre-opening press for their newest venture, Mac & Cheeza. I was drawn in, and twice made special trips downtown for the creamy cheesy goodness. I was not disappointed. With news of the Grand Opening comes regular hours, and I can now go back for more anytime I like.

The concept is simple: first, choose your size (Baby Mac all the way up to Mac Daddy.) Next, do you want regular or rice noodles? Penultimately, regular or house-made soy cheese? Now it gets complicated; now you complement your base with a choice of veggies, meats and toppers. How will you ever choose? It’s like Pinkberry for mac & cheese. This is a problem for me, because I want them all!

As if this weren’t enough, there are also homemade desserts straight from Larkin’s mom’s kitchen. Have the banana pudding; it’s fantastic. On top of it all, Larkin and his crew are always friendly, helpful, and all-around good guys.

If for some reason you can’t make the Grand Opening today, check them out soon. Mac & Cheeza is located at 223 W. 8th Street (near 8th & Broadway.) They’re open Sunday-Thursday 11am-11pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-2am.

I’m fascinated by dreaming and the unconscious mind.  Forget traveling to Cabo for the weekend, taking an exploratory trip into the inner depth inside and unearthing the creativity we all have access to is perhaps the most fascinating journey there is in this life.  Maybe it’s even one of the reasons we are here.  Carl Jung was the leader in this exploration.  His theories, keen insights into psychology and spirituality offer a goldmine of the richness and the pathos we humans are capable of.  And it’s all there in his Red Book.

“The Red Book”, a collection of Jung’s art work… and until last year, his unpublished thoughts on the collective unconscious, famous theories about archetypes and the process of individuation are all worked out here.  This book and the art work are, as he described it, his “prima materia for a lifetime’s work. Until very recently though, it sat in a safe deposit box in Switzerland and very few people had ever seen it.  It’s an amazing ride of spectacular paintings, drawings and archival material from his work.  His use of color and the ideas expressed in his art work blows my mind.

The show at the Hammer Museum, The Red Book of C. G. Jung: Creation of a New Cosmology is running now through June 6th. It’s the only scheduled show of his work on the West Coast.  They are also putting on a series of lectures, the first of which debuts this Sunday.  More in-depth info here and the lecture series here.

Woooo! METALLLL!!! Yeah, these guys pretty much blow it all out of the water. With a heavy-handed approach and a sound that crashes like thunder, High On Fire is the quintessential “power trio.” Less a band than a supersonic exercise in volume and sheer heaviness, the band has burned the metal rulebook and forged a new style.

Good stuff.

To win your way in to a solid night of bitchin’ aural assault, leave a comment telling me why you wanna see this show SOOOOOOOOO bad. We’ll randomly pick a few lucky weiners.

Show info is here.

There are only 8 tickets left for the Help A Mother Out  Wine and Cheese Date Night.

May 1 is the night. Help A Mother Out is the excellent cause helping families who are poor or homeless get diapers for their kids. Diapers and wipes are not covered under WIC or food stamp programs, so poor and especially homeless families often have to make tough choices between food or rent and diapers, forcing them to reuse old diapers or to keep their kids in dirty diapers longer than is healthy or sanitary. Help A Mother Out is trying to get diapers to those in need. And you can help!

Register here for your ticket to the party.

Cost of admission? A package of diapers (or 2 if you like). Yours truly will be one of the many lovely hostesses. And not only will you get to nosh on yummy snacks and wine donated by Tillamook Cheese and Fresh & Easy stores, but there will be cool music by DJBK and The Game Truck parked out side for all your Wii fun needs.

If you can’t make the party, find other ways to help and lots more info at the HAMO website. They make even make it super simple to donate diapers online.

Click here to read a story about how your donations are making a big difference in one Los Angeles family’s life.

See you on May 1st!

Our Los Angeles Plays Itself series is winding down to a close, and what better way to end things than with lesbians?  You can thank David Lynch and David Lynch’s pompadour.  I will actually encourage you to stop reading if you haven’t already seen Mulholland Drive, because 1) you must and 2) you must do so without reading any commentary or analysis of the film, or as little as humanly possible.  Instead, to make reading this far worth your while, let us go back to February 4, 2010 and recall the weather report, as announced by Mr. Lynch himself.  He was doing these weather reports for quite some time, along with a Thought of the Day (often that thought was: “Coffee.” or “Warm.  Coffee.”) that aired on the now-defunct Indie 103.1.  This is David Lynch.  Quirky, brilliant, and that hair.  For those who have seen the film, I’ll see you again after the jump.

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Disclaimer: I am not a person who can speak intelligently about art. Honestly, it’s a pretty bad idea that I’m even writing about this sort of thing, since it’s often hard for me to tell the difference between public art installations and utilitarian public-works items such as mailboxes and the homeless. Fortunately, my neighborhood is filled with electrical boxes painted by the artists at LA Commons.

Today’s edition takes us to the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue. I’ll start with the side facing New Hampshire, which is my favorite.

This man lives and breathes soccer.

More pics after the jump. Read the rest of this entry →

It started last year. I’d come off a pretty lackluster April bike-wise and I vowed to “Bike Every Day In May,” which I did… but that’s not the point.

The point is that besides all the regular workday commuting I did throughout that month-long endeavor, the weekends were for fun, involving a series of group rides that I organized, accompanied usually by a few intrepid souls (such as from left: Helen, Jared, (me), Hap and Alex pictured at right). So. with April’s impending demise I’ve decided to go sorta 2nd Annual up in here with “Bike Every (Satur)Day In May” and you’re welcome to come along for the rides, which you’ll find listed chronologically after the jump…

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I grew up in a small town in the Florida Keys.  About as far away from Hollywood glamour and Sunset Boulevard as a girl could get.  Flip-flops ruled and TV was a rarity, given that we had no access to cable or satellite. When we did get a signal, there was only one channel.  A local one from Miami, its primary fare was re-runs of “I Love Lucy”, (which I adored!)  “Gilligan’s Island” and for some odd reason, once a month or so, the movie “Sunset Boulevard”.  So I kind of grew up on this macabre, delicious movie.  I saw it at least 15 times before I was 15.  And it scared the heck out of me.  Nevertheless, upon graduation, the first thing I did was move to Hollywood and become a TV producer.

Now I’m not saying that the movie “Sunset Boulevard” was the reason I am what I am today.  But if you got deep into my sub-conscious…. those scary scenes with Gloria Swanson vamping for the cameras are still lurking there.  And now, seeing the film so many years later, it is undeniably a classic.

The movie made such an impression on me, that when I first moved here and saw the sign for Sunset Boulevard, I squealed. And the very first place I lived in LA was a two minute walk up the hill from Sunset. Spanning from Downtown to the Pacific Ocean, this street represents just about every neighborhood in LA and acts as a main artery to the city. Travel on Sunset and you get a taste of the true eclectic soul of the city.

As a movie, “Sunset Boulevard” ranks up there with the best, it was nominated for eleven Oscars… walking away with three. It’s ranked #12 in the top 100 of AFI’s best films of the 20th century and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Read the rest of this entry →

You know it’s springtime in Los Angeles when giant flying insects like the one pictured above can be found all over town either hanging out on walls and plants or wobbling through the air in a topsy-turvy flight pattern that calls to mind Snoopy’s avian sidekick Woodstock.

Subsequently it is also that time of year when these rather hapless creatures make the mistake of getting inside your homes to flit along walls and ceilings forcing horrified occupants to exclaim “That’s the biggest fucking mosquito I’ve ever seen!” while simultaneously reaching for a can of Raid or a magazine to roll up.

Truth is, what ends up sprayed or splatted is not the corpse of some humungus blood-sucker, but rather the nectar-drinking giant crane fly, which can neither bite nor sting. And at this last stage of its life pretty much all it wants to do before it dies is make more giant crane flies.

Because I’m all-creatures-great-and-small crazy like that, I’ll actually go to the trouble of catching the wayward critters up and getting them back outdoors to continue their quest for a mate, but I can’t say that I blame anyone who’s more willing to whack them dead than make that catch and release effort. But should you chance upon one outside minding its own business, consider leaving it alone. The giant crane fly might look menacing but it’s entirely harmless.

The voter turnout was not very high, but a decision, with 51% of the vote, has been made! We will hit the Westside this Saturday, April 24. Here’s the plan:

5:00pm at Johnnie’s Pastrami for some outdoor lounging near their firepit, some meaty meat sandwiches and apparently chili cheese fries to melt for. (I’ll be saving up my weight watchers points for the rest of the week!) If you recently tried the pastrami at Langer’s, then you can make an official comparison.

6:30 or 7 we will mosey over to the Apple Pan for dessert. The Apple Pan will be a tad tricky as it is not a small place and seating will be hard to come by. We may need to order “to-go” and eat our pie on the sidewalk outside. No matter what, it will be a great time!

Important Fact for both establishments: they take CASH ONLY!

Johnnie’s Pastrami
4017 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230

Apple Pan
10801 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064

See you on Saturday!

I went to my first Brewery Artwalk yesterday, and was truly inspired.  Seeing the tremendous variety of artwork, and interacting with the artists where they live and work, was mind-blowing.

And what an environment it is.  Billed as the world’s largest art colony, the Brewery arts complex (former home of the Eastside and later Pabst breweries and the Edison Power Plant) felt like it could have been in Oregon, or upstate New York, anywhere but within the city of Los Angeles.  Pics and more, after the jump

Look, I’m not one to kiss and tell, but I have to share this breaking news from Cinefamily:

Just met with the legendary Shadoe Stevens; we’re almost done booking a tribute night to him and the Federated Group commercials for June. All L.A. locals, rejoice!!

Never seen a Federated Group commercial before?

Well now you know. And knowing is half the battle.

UPDATE: The date has been set: June 15 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.

F*(k it, Dude. Let’s go Bowling.

“Sometimes there’s a man… I won’t say a hero, ’cause, what’s a hero? But sometimes, there’s a man, and I’m talkin’ about the Dude here, sometimes, there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that’s the Dude, in Los Angeles.”

When we first discussed doing this series, we considered the tagline, “Except Chinatown,” because it was just too obvious.

I start to wonder if The Big Lebowski couldn’t have gotten the same pass.

Many of the characters and situations were inspired by real people and events in Los Angeles county. And, while it might be reasonable to assume that may be the case for more movies than are immediately apparent, it seems the people and events that inspired this movie could only have lived in and taken place here.

Where else but L.A. would one encounter someone who called himself “The Dude?” Real guy. The final character is from a couple sources, but there really is/was a “Dude.”

The Coen Brothers wanted the events to unfold like a Raymond Chandler story. Quintessential Los Angeles. Yet,  as the narrative is told by “The Stranger, ” a cowboy, who tells us the story happens “Way Out West,” he  describes our little town to the tune of “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” like we’re about to see an old Singing Cowboy movie. Completely different, yet still quintessential Hollywood.

Shortly thereafter the theme song changes to a track by Randy Newman.

Pornographers, surly Malibu Police Chief, rundown 20′s deco Hollywood apartments, Sex-starved starlets, Ralph’s, all of L.A. is crammed into this movie. And I just have to say, I miss the Hollywood Star Lanes, that place was awesome.

So much has been written and this movie has been so celebrated in so many unique ways, I can barely touch upon it here. Lebowskifest, The Knave or Two Gentleen of Lebowski – The Shakespearian take on the screenplay, The Achievers (And Proud we are of all of them) that organize Lebowskifest, among other things. It’s so quotable, so accessible,  so laid-back, taking the truly bizarre as mundane day-to-day occurrence, so, not only Los Angeles, but that unnameable essence of what I love about L.A., it’s no wonder this film has lasted the way it has.

It Abides.  The Dude Abides and the film The Big Lebowski Abides. And, y’know what? Los Angeles Abides.

And I most certainly take a certain comfort in that.

This post is part of the L.A. Plays Itself in the Movies series. For a listing of posts in this series, click here.

She’s cool.
He’s hot.
She’s from the Valley.
He’s not.

Julie (Deborah Foreman) and Randy (a very young Nicolas Cage) are geography-crossed teenagers in love in 1983 Los Angeles. Not long after dumping her popular boyfriend, Tommy, Julie falls for Randy, who is from Hollywood. Her friends do not approve because, like oh my gawd, he’s “different.” He wears red and black instead of pastels, he slums it in a loud, dirty bar, and has friends who look like Sid Vicious. Grody to the max. I’m so sure.

In spite of how much Julie likes Randy, her bitchy “friends” convince her to “do the right thing,” which is break up with Randy and get back together with Tommy. They threaten her with the prospect of losing all of them and her social status. While truly conflicted, the desire to be popular prevails. What a total bummer. Randy is crushed and tries really hard to win Julie back, but she won’t give in.

In one last ditch effort to get the girl, Randy and his best friend crash the Valley High prom and make quite a scene disrupting the coronation of Prom King and Queen, Tommy and Julie. Fists fly and Randy and Julie steal away in the limo that brought her to the dance. Off they go, up the 405, to spend what can only have been an amazing night at the Valley Sheraton.

The premise of this movie, a modern day Romeo and Juliet, depends on Los Angeles playing a strong supporting role. You could even look at the L.A. portrayed in Valley Girl as multiple characters: The Valley, Hollywood, and The Beach. Now that I live in L.A., I definitely suffer from the problem of noticing, and often pointing out, the liberties that are taken in presenting the city. It’s something I didn’t think about before moving here in 1994. I find it fascinating to see how parts of Los Angeles are stitched together to create a version of the city that suits the needs of the storyteller.

L.A. is actually the first character you see and hear about as Valley Girl starts. A radio announcer says, “…they’ll be playing at the Hollywood Bowl…” as we hover above the Lake Hollywood reservoir looking toward Hollywood. We then head over the hills that house the famous sign for a reveal of The Valley. Well, it’s Burbank, but close enough. What I do find amusing is that instead of panning west into The Valley proper, we pan east into Glendale. Anyway, what-EVER! The first place where we encounter the Valley girls is The Mall. Duh. The location used for the opening sequence is the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, not the Sherman Oaks Galleria which is often misstated on various websites. In addition to official location lists, there is a clear shot of a door handle at the mall that says Del Amo on it.

Click through to read more and see the trailer

Picture it, 1988. The Valley. An alien space ship crash lands in a suburban swimming pool and their savior mentor for life on earth is a “val” named appropriately Val.   Its high camp, cult classic life turned into lampooning caricature of LA circa late 1980′s.

From cruising “the boulevard” to other slice of life bits the film pretty well covers the LA Scene of the era, albeit as cartoony as Roger Rabbit.   Even the Griffith Park Observatory plays a cameo as the “Deca Disco”. Best line in the movie: “You’re so lucky you crashed in The Valley, its the baddest place on earth”. Indeed.

All the cast info you could want is over on the IMDB. In the mean time enjoy a clip from the movie. (Including one extra after the jump).

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