Tod Browning's Freaks

This weekend is one of those times in Los Angeles when movie buffs wish they could clone themselves several times over. Seriously it almost hurts to be a cinefile when the options are so rich and you can only sit in one theater at a time. First of all, beginning tonight, the Aero has a Tod Browning retrospective, which runs through Saturday. Saturday night–be still my heart–is a double feature of Freaks and Devil Doll. (That offering, in and of itself, would be enough to merit a blog post.) I admit I’ve never even seen Devil Doll (though any movie with an X song named after it has, frankly, got to be good), but before the days of Netflix, I used to have a roommate who owned only two movies–Freaks and Sid and Nancy, so I’ve seen Freaks a ridiculous number of times, and I’ll probably head to the Aero Saturday to see it again. It’s that good. But that’s only a small part of the big screen amazingness this weekend. Read the rest of this entry →

Honestly.

I saw This Person shopping at a Santa Monica Ralph’s last week, fully without irony.

She and her friends were not looking to see if anyone would notice the robe, nor were they in any sort of Dude-like good humor.

I would have been willing to Consider giving her a pass if she at least bought milk and/or Kahlua, but all they bought was a few bags of Doritos.

They wandered the store, jabbering in a language I failed to identify (and I’m pretty good at that), and exuding general bitchiness.

Ugh.

No thank you.

(No, I don’t show her face. And neither should she.)

A thank you to these honeybees upon this matilija poppy who let me get all up in their bzzzzzzness while visiting the oasis otherwise known as Vista Hermosa Park:

Well, you knew this was coming.

LAist is one of the oldest group blogs in LA, and probably the one we at blogging.la have been most often compared to. (even though many of those comparisons were made by the staff of LAist) The site has at one time or another been steered (to some extent) by bloggers I have a lot of respect for. I’ve always liked Jason Toney, I’ve said plenty of times that I think Tony Pierce was at one time the best blogger in all of Los Angeles, and Zach Behrens undoubtably raised the bar there when he was handed the keys. Anyone who knows the history of blogs in LA knows those three names very, very well. And rightfully so.

I don’t know how many seconds it was after the Blogging (in) LA series was proposed that I was told by everyone that LAist was “all me” but I suspect I could count it on one hand. *Maybe* two.

That should really be no surprise given our history – personally, between blogging.la and LAist and between parent companies Metblogs and Gothamist. If you are new to all the drama lets just say it’s been a long and sordid history, whose sordidness is only exceeded by it’s drama. And since I no longer speak for Metblogs I feel OK voicing my own opinion without having anyone go ballistic claiming whatever random business, political, whatever bullshit seemed suited at the time. So I’ll get it out of the way quickly, I’m not a fan of LAist. Read the rest of this entry →

There are many that call themselves daily, but only a few truly do it daily. Several are every few days, even a few are closer to monthly updates. Other than a glitch last week when when blogger was down a few days the regulars never missed a beat. Having tried this once and failed I have to admire the motivation and tenacity to post something daily, that in itself is no small feat.

My hands down favorite of the daily photos out there is the Pasadena Daily Photo. Why? Simply because since 2008 blogger Petrea Burchard hasn’t missed a day. Not only are her images well done, many cross the border into the fine art side of photography. Of course she has her share of cute puppies, news/documentary and slice of life stuff but her best work comes on Monday. Monday is “Zen Monday” when she posts an image that is left for discussion and interpretation by the viewer and they leave their thoughts in the comment section. Monday is my favorite day of the week thanks to Zen Monday.

Here is the run down of the other daily photo blogs in the LA Area that I follow with a short comment describing them.

• Pasadena Daily Photo…she rocks what else can I add to what I already said?
• The Sky is Big in Pasadena…nice guy documenting what he sees and does each day in Pasadena.  A few pics of his family and co-workers which don’t mean much to anyone who doesn’t know him. Never missed a day since he started in ’07.
• Altadena Daily Photo…updates very infrequently but does nice quality work, especially enjoy the scanner stuff.
• Gem City Images…an interesting daily documentary, with a few arty bits of my little corner of LA (aka Monrovia Daily Photo).
• Covina Daily Photo…updates daily, always very well done arty photos, if not a bit overly ‘shopped.
• Temple City Daily Photo…he puts up daily but I visit only weekly, not much interesting going on there often.
• Palos Verdes Daily Photo…does it daily, and usually has some interesting images, some shopped, some just very well shot.
• Daily Photo LA…doesn’t do it daily, and content isn’t just LA, but rather rambles about So Cal.  Decent documentary images for the most part, nothing really spectacular.

I probably missed a couple so feel free to shout out your favorite daily photo blog in the city in the comments.  Certainly I can stand to add a few more interesting blogs to my list of daily reading.

This post is one of many in the Blogging (in)LA series we are running the next few weeks.

Creative Commons /MarcoFromHouston.com

That’s right kids, Wednesday June 1st, Usher will be doing his thing at the Staples Center here in LA and I have a FREE pair of tickets to give away. But I refuse to just give it to anyone. I want to make sure the person who gets to go is a true fan.

This is a 2 part process, so pay attention.

First, in one of Usher’s first singles, he states “I tried, I tried to fight it but…..”
But what??
(This really isn’t that difficult)

Last, I want you to tell me why you should go over the others who answer correctly.

You all have 1 week to submit your answers/reasons in the comments section. I will announce the winner Wednesday May 25.

And now, to get you in the mood, here is a little Usher mashup from DJs From Mars via the Bootie Mashup gang.

Make sure your account is linked to an email address or I can’t tell you you’ve won!!!!!!

I don’t watch TMZ, because Weho Daily is my TMZ.

Weho Daily reads like a cross between an old gossip rag and a PTA newsletter.  And I love it.  It’s not too serious, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, it doesn’t claim to be any more than it is, or any less.  It is, to me, one of the best examples of a neighborhood blog: it reports pertinent and not-pertinent news with a tone and sense of humor that embodies its surroundings perfectly, and all of its coverage is useful for everyone reading.  The serious stuff (the stories in the Crime and Safety section are no joke) is balanced with the scandalous stuff (“Chris Brown, New WeHo Resident, Becomes Violent in NYC”) and, balancing all of the above, is the unique, only-in-West-Hollywood stuff (“Is That a Rabbit in Your Pocket? Why Yes, Yes It Is”, summed up thusly: “drunk male in camouflage harassing passersby, has a baby rabbit in pocket”).

The only thing that might be better than the site is its Twitter account.  Whomever runs that account pays fantastic attention to various police scanners and is a mad genius.  Just when I’ve had enough of people tweeting about yet another problem I don’t care about, @WehoDaily tweets something like this: Read the rest of this entry →

I love seeing Cache’s work around LA. This is a fantastic little mini-doc with some of the thought behind his art.

Cal State Northrigde

So maybe I’m just posting this because I’ll be participating in a commencement ceremony at CSUN next week, but I never fail to get a chuckle when I pass this sign on Reseda Blvd in Northrigde Northridge. It’s been more than two years since Travis blogged about it here at blogging.la, and still no changes.

Now, while I’ve poked around on various city-related websites trying to figure out how to report the misspelling, I haven’t had any luck. Short of submitting the information on the same Burea of Street Services form used to report problems such as palm fronds in the road, I’m at a loss for what to do. Anyone have any experience with this type of thing? The City of LA websites don’t seem to have the best navigational schemas.

I’m just certain that this can’t be the only sign in Los Angeles bearing a glaring typo, so I ask you, kind readers: what sorts of odd/error-filled signage have you seen lately?

It would take a lot more than a little rain to keep me from the annual Blessing of the Bikes at Good Samaritan Hospital yesterday morning, and as reward I found my just-blessed butt in the frame of the first-page photo found in today’s LA Times:

This morning’s another wet one but I’m hoping to get my derrier in gear and get to Union Station to participate in this morning’s Downtown LA ride.

After the jump is the inevitable BikeCam timelapse I made of yesterday’s wet ride, which after the blessing meandered back through Westlake and onward to my polling place where I was one of 457 LA residents who helped decide yesterday’s election. So much power should never be placed in the hands of so few.

Read the rest of this entry →

134 Fwy, California Street overpass, Burbank

LA River, Warner ovp. at Forest Lawn Drive

Contained and constrained,
holding only the barest bit of exuberance,
tiniest sparkle of life flaring
illegally in your hand,
moving on and through,
along this vein–
toward a
pulling,
drawing
of the
heart,
the
nar-
row-
est
line,
the finest hold on life.

You arch and slide through,
balletic,
again
hurtling home
for your one singular reason.

We all do not stop moving–

LA River, distant San Bernadino Mtns, eastward river of cloud, from Forest Lawn Drive, Burbank.

It’s good to see that at least one driver in L.A. doesn’t take himself or herself too seriously. Spotted at the Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) parking lot on S. Bundy in W.L.A., this is anything but a parking d-bag. The exterior of the car is full of hoses, radio controls, a fish tank…. Hopefully the driver was inside getting a kitchen sink for a hood ornament.

360 degree views after the jump

I love the Militant Angeleno.

I could end this review right there and be completely confident that I’d expressed my feelings about this specific blogger and his/her site accurately. The Militant Angeleno is really one of the greatest blogs in the city, and LA is a better place because it exists. I’m not saying that to win points, I actually don’t even know if the Militant knows I exist. I don’t care. I wake up happy knowing the Militant exists.

If you aren’t already familiar with the Militant I feel sorry for you. I’ve called LA home for over 10 years now. In fact, as I’ve said on numerous occasions it’s the only place I’ve ever lived that really felt like home. I take a lot of shit for that because it’s cool to hate LA. Especially if you are someone who has never been to LA, or someone who lives in SF. Because of the Militant Angeleno I feel justified telling people hating on LA to die in a fire. LA has a lot to offer, way more than most people notice at first glance. Or second glance. Or even third glance. The Militant is there on the front lines helping people to see more of what LA is all about. It’s not one neighborhood. It’s not one style. It’s not one identity. And that’s what makes it so amazing. The Militant Angeleno is my hero because he/she is out there banging that dumb every day and there is no question countless people in LA know more about their own city because of his/her efforts. This is turning into a gushing fanboy post but it’s 100% honest and heartfelt.

If I had to scrape to find a complaint, and that’s really hard to do, it’s that the blog isn’t updated as often as it once was. Used to be you would get several posts a week. Now a few posts a month is lucky. But I’m guilty of the same thing and know how life gets in the way sometimes. If you don’t already make a habit of reading the Militant you should start. Because I said so. Also here’s an interview with the Militant from a few years ago that sheds a little more light. Go Dodgers!

Yelle w/ French Horn Rebellion from Goldenvoice

For those of you who couldn’t make the trek to Coachella last month, here’s your chance to check out one of the best bands from the weekend! Yelle :: a french pop singer who’s unique & fun music first came to prominence with her song “Short Dick Cuizi,” who’s album Safari Disco Club was a smashing success and who’s now touring with Katy Perry!

Thanks to our friends at Goldenvoice, I’ve got a pair of tickets for one lucky Blogging.LA reader to her upcoming concert Yelle w/ French Horn Rebellion at the Music Box on Saturday May 21st.

So leave a note in the comment section below and I’ll pick a reader at random to get a pair of tickets for Saturday’s show! The contest ends Thursday May 19th at noon PST.

Winner picked!

You can also buy tickets HERE at Goldenvoice!

** You guys are awesome!! I’m going to throw everyone into random.org to pick a winner.  Good luck!! **

Read the rest of this entry →