And then there were three. Joining the locations in Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, the Pacific Theaters at the Paseo Colorado in Pasadena has now been officially transformed into the ArcLight Cinemas Pasadena (also owned by Pacific Theaters)! Despite some sneaky “soft open” screenings that went on over the past week, Thursday night’s Iron Man 2 premiere was billed as the theater’s “Grand Opening”, though there didn’t seem to be all that much hoopla involved. Coupled with the Gold Class Cinemas down the street, Colorado Blvd. is shaping up to be the go-to place for “luxury” movie-going (luckily that pesky super-cheap Academy 6 is safely away from view on the opposite side of Lake Ave., so it won’t infringe on Old Town’s and the Paseo’s reputations).

The newly remodeled and redecorated theater was quite nice, of course. It looks basically like a smaller version of the original Hollywood ArcLight, so much so that I decided to dub it “ArcLight Lite” (Disclaimer: I’ve never been inside the ArcLight in Sherman Oaks, which I’ve been told is just like this place). Even the big clock in the lobby was duplicated (seen here in a photo by my friend Michael, whose iPhone photography skills far outweigh my own, even though I was armed with an actual standalone digital camera).

Sadly, the bar isn’t open yet! I mean, there were cool tables to sit around at, but the bar looked so sad being all dressed up but totally empty and sans booze. The popcorn was delightful as usual, a nice combination of classic movie theater taste and the real butter that provides that illusion of it not being that horrible for you. The decor was nice, including a wall of movie posters that ranged from classic to random and confounding (Twilight? really?) to totally freakin’ awesome (Revenge the Jedi, as seen after the jump). And I did like the bathrooms at this location better than the original’s, possibly because there were so many mirrors.

Read the rest of this entry →

ReForm School in Silver Lake is having their first ever sidewalk sale this Saturday, May 8th from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Lots of stuff will be marked down with many items below wholesale prices. Mark downs include Esther Derkx, Marimekko, Roost, Ting London (pillows), Zaishu and much more.

Walking down Sunset Blvd. from Intelligentsia to Malo, I spotted this delightfully inappropriate combination. The sign belongs to an ice cream truck that has long been abandoned to rot behind a chain link fence. Oh and the truck is for sale if you’re interested.

If you’re looking for something fun to do tomorrow (ie: Saturday) night, Pehrspace, that neat little performance space that always has quirky and amazing stuff going on, is hosting the Dress Show.  Curator Dawn Anderson asked several of her local artist friends, including people working in fashion, advertising, music, and acting, as well as the visual arts, to create dresses out of beautiful, eclectic and unconventional materials.  I sent Dawn a quick email and asked her what kinds of dresses will be on display – she told me that there are dresses made out of bamboo and rope, out of onion and garlic skins, and that many of the pieces are multimedia and interactive.  DJ Mike Bell from Lymbyc Systym will be spinning during the show, and later, the bands Hot TV and Moses Campbell will play sets.  Pehrspace is really wonderful – if you’ve never been, you should go, because they showcase a lot of new, local bands, and bring in cool artists, and are non-profit and awesome!  It’s one of my favorite places to hear music.

As an unrepentant fashionophile, I am particularly excited to check out the Dress Show, and I also thought this would be a great moment to talk LA dress shops!  So, dear, readers, where are your favorite places to go dress shopping in Los Angeles?  I tend towards vintage shops myself – I love, love, love Ragg Mopp Vintage in Silver Lake (because they always magically have wonderful things in my size) and I’ve been known to wander between the racks at Golyester on La Brea, mostly just coveting things because they tend to be slightly out of my budget.  And I love digging through the racks on Sunday afternoons at the Melrose trading post, and since I’m known to be marginally handy with a sewing machine, when I’m feeling crafty I scour the fashion district for fabric on the cheap.  What are your favorite frock shops?

The Dress Show runs from 7pm to Midnight, on Saturday May 8^th, at Pehrspace (325 Glendale Blvd., 90026), and admission is free so you have no excuse!

Decorative lanterns and stately lamp posts. Horse-drawn carriages and streetcars. Men and women, strolling about in the fashion of the day. Was there ever a more beautiful time or place?

It was Fifth and Hill, in Los Angeles. The year was 1910.

Photo from the USC Digital Library

At least 70 cows were killed this afternoon when a cattle truck carrying 160 of them overturned on the 10 near redlands. The wreck also closed down the freeway. Like cows to the slaughter indeed. :(
Thanks Xeni.

This Saturday, May 8, is the 2nd annual city-wide gun buyback program.

Go to one of the five drop off locations with any type of weapon you want to get rid of and you may receive up to $100 in gift cards for hand guns and up to $200 for assault weapons (as specified in the State of California). You can choose a Ralph’s gift card or a pre-paid Visa card.

It’s all anonymous and there will be no questions asked.

Last year the LAPD collected over 1700 firearms, including a grenade launcher. (Seriously!) Read the full press release from the Mayor’s Office here.

The five buyback locations are open from 10am to 3pm:

EAST LOS ANGELES – Hollenbeck Area
Legacy LA
1350 N. San Pablo Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015

SOUTH LOS ANGELES – Harbor Area
Park & Ride Parking Lot
1300 West Pacific Coast Highway
Wilmington, CA 90744

SOUTH LOS ANGELES – 77th Area
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
7900 South Western Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90047

WEST LOS ANGELES – Hollywood Area
Farm Fresh Ranch Grocery Store
5520 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA  90028

VALLEY – Mission Area
Facey Medical Center Parking Lot
11165 Sepulveda Boulevard
Mission Hills, CA 91345

Okay.  I give.  What’s up with the Mayor, the City Council, the DA and the City Attorney?  Why are they staring at a cash cow in the face and shooing it away?

These are the people we elect who are supposed to be logical and run the city of Los Angeles so it works. I know it’s a really hard job, and I know they are doing they’re best.  Seriously.  I really am grateful that there are people who take these incredibly difficult, thankless jobs on.  Most humans don’t want to deal.  So I’m grateful that they are trying.

But, we’re in a major budget crisis.  So much so, that the mayor proposed last month that we shut down city offices a couple of days a week. School budgets are being flattened, police forces minimized and at last count, the deficit was running at a mere 500 million a year. That’s over a million a day. The state deficit is around 24 billion. Not great prospects for a stable future in this city or state.
That’s a lot of money to be losing. So why are they approving laws, ordinances that will cost the city millions upon millions in lawsuits, enforcement and waste the time of everyone?

Now enter the potential cash cow. A big one. Approximately 590 Marijuana Medical Collectives that are operating smoothly in the city. That’s a lot of potential tax flow.  Mayor Villaragosa and the City Council, instead of considering this new potential tax base to raise a LOT money for the city, have enacted a new ordinance that shuts these serviceable, successful collectives down. Collectives that the people of this city clearly want, support and have lobbied for. There is a need being filled, and the people are happy.  Doesn’t what the people of this city vote for, and more importantly, what they want, matter?

Do the math: Hundreds of millions of dollars they could potentially raise, (say tax each medicine exchange at a dollar), thousands of jobs lost, hundreds of landlords losing tenants and hundreds of thousands of patients who can’t get their medicine easily. No one wins. What am I missing here? Read the rest of this entry →

Left: David Mamet, right: Ricky Jay

Next Thursday, May 13, David Mamet will be appearing at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles. He will be reading from and signing his new book, Theatre, and chatting with magician/actor Ricky Jay. This will be Mamet’s only appearance of this kind in the U.S., and MetBlogs has your tickets. Read on to find out how to get them.

David Mamet is a brilliant author / playwright / screenwriter / director. While I enjoy Mamet’s books, my favorite works are his movies. A Mamet script is like a symphony of dialogue, with himself as conductor. I’ve heard that when Mamet rehearses scenes he uses a metronome to make certain that the actors get exactly the right cadence with the words; that the phrases overlap in perfect harmony.

Click past the jump to collect your tickets to see David Mamet at Largo… Read the rest of this entry →

Date: Saturday May 22 – Sunday May 23.

Time: Noon to Noon

You read that right. 24 hours of Classic Eats at Canter’s Deli for the first ever LA Metblogs Blog-a-Thon!

From noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday your Metblog writers will be tag-teaming it to bring you 24 hours in the life of Canter’s Deli. We’ll nosh, we’ll write, we’ll kibitz, we’ll write some more. All you have to do is come by and visit. Any time you want!

The best part? Well, let’s be honest, there are going to be so many best parts it’ll be hard to pick just one, but one of the best parts is that we will be collecting donations (money and canned goods) for the LA Food Bank while we blog. Canter’s will be making a donation as well.

Mark your calendars! More info and details to come in the next two weeks.

Did you know Canter’s has its own food truck? Me neither! Follow them on twitter!

(Canter’s Deli at night Photo taken by DaveofCali (David Liu) {{cc-by-2.0}} )

The pinnacle of street vendor accomplishment has long been to be the recipient of one of NYC’s coveted Vendy Awards, of course that did have the minor prerequisite of being a street vendor in NYC. “Did” being the key word there, as of this year the Vendys are covering LA as well! The six finalists have just been announced and on May 15th the king (or queen) will be crowned. If you want to attend this food packed event, you should get on getting a ticket now because it’s expected to sell out quick. Ticket price is $50, but it’s tax deductible as the proceeds go to helping protect vendor rights. Eat it up!

(image courtesy of Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce)

The Kiwanis Club of Hollywood / Los Feliz is holding their 46th annual Kid’s Day Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser this Saturday, May 8. The Kiwanis Club of Hollywood / Los Feliz is a non-profit organization that supports a wide range of charitable needs in the community with the help of member dues, donations and annual fundraisers.  The annual Pancake Breakfast  provides up to 60 percent of their annual operating budget.  The middle and high school students that sell tickets to the event maintain 50 percent of the proceeds for their respective Builders and Key Clubs, which Kiwanis sponsors and mentors.  In addition to breakfast, there will also be a raffle, balloon animals and children’s fingerprinting.

$3 doesn’t go very far these days, so it’s great that you can get a decent breakfast while supporting your community. Stop by this Saturday and chow down for a good cause. Details below.

If that doesn’t make your mouth water you are seriously missing out on one of the best things about living in Los Angeles.

This year’s Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) has played host to a number of sold-out/standing room only screenings. One of the most highly anticipated premieres was ‘Ktown Cowboys,’ which comes to us via director Daniel DPD Park, writer/funnyman Danny Cho and a team of amazing folks who debuted the first five webisodes of ‘Ktown Cowboys’ to the lucky folks at the screening. The unlucky folks who couldn’t get a ticket in will simply have to catch this online as they release new episodes every couple of weeks or so. (Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube to get notified of new episodes– I already did!)

My buddy Edward describes ‘Ktown Cowboys’ like this: “Imagine ‘The Hangover‘ but tak[ing] place in Koreatown. Hilarity ensues.” The producers of the upcoming (so-called) “Asian American Jersey Shore” might be kicking themselves after they realize they’ve been beaten to the punch for something that shows hot Asian/Korean Americans (boys and girls) drinking, partying, booking, karaoke-ing– and yes– fighting.

I love ‘Ktown Cowboys’ because it’s funny, made by Asian Americans who don’t mind being a little tongue-in-cheek, and it is shot in actual Ktown locations where you might see some of this stuff go down on any given Friday night. I shouldn’t have to tell you this is an exaggerated POV of Ktown, yet somehow, it is eerily accurate at the same time.

When John Kim (Lanny Joon) relocates from the comforts of his picket-fence, WASP neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia to the alluring city of Ktown Los Angeles, the land of sultry women, Booking Clubs, and late night taco trucks, his arrival immediately sparks the most epic night of his life. His cousin, Jason (Shane Yoon) introduces John to his audacious crew (Peter Jae, Danny Cho, Sunn Wee, and Bobby Big Phony Choy) who teach John the basic yet inventive ways on how to survive the perfect Friday night in Ktown. Special appearances by Justin Chon (Twilight) and Bobby Lee (Mad TV).

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) continues throughout this week in Downtown Los Angeles.

After our wildly successful Dreamgirls contest, the awesome ladies & gents at Goldstar have hooked us up again!

Nightmare Alley is based upon the 1946 noir novel about one man’s seduction into the seedy, mysterious world of the carnival sideshow during the years of the Great Depression.  The entire Geffen Playhouse has been transformed into the calliope-tinkling, smoke-blowing, gaslamp-lit carny experience, and as this tale of fate & femme fetales unspools its skein it’s easy to see why the ephemeral world of the traveling circus has preoccupied the imaginations of the west. Throw in some laughs, dancing girls and a geek in the truest sense of the word, and you’ve got a story we couldn’t resist.

The day you’d be going, May 16th, is on one of the Geffen’s “Wine Down Sundays” where they have free flowing wine in the lobby area before the show. Hooray!

Plus, The Geffen’s restaurant partner Nine-Thirty at the W Hotel in Westwood has generously donated a $100 gift certificate for dinner so you can enjoy a delish dinner before the wine and show.

Wanna go? Well, of course you do. To enter to win, leave a comment below telling me what YOU would be if you ran away to join the circus. A fortune-teller? The strongman? The tattooed lady? Everyone’s got a favorite, you know.

Even if you don’t win, you can still get tickets for half price on Goldstar when you join for free here. Full disclosure: yes, I used to work for them. And even after seeing the inner workings of the company, I love them (how often can someone say that?)! Their weekly member emails offer everything from comp tix to the circus (appropriate, no?) to VIP seats at Derby Dolls games and tix from Pee-Wee to the Dorothy Chandler. Thanks to Marni, Missy, Sandy and everyone at Goldstar for letting me give this cool prize away.