This is the view of the San Fernando Valley from the top of Topanga Canyon a few minutes ago. I’ve driven Topanga Cyn hundreds of times and not once have I ever stopped at the overlook so today I thought I’d just take the time and take in the valley. I had no idea there were benches and a parking lot up there. There’s also badgers and mountain lions and a couple that was scurrying off into the brush for a frolic. I didn’t stick around for that though. It’s a very cool spot and I’m glad I finally took the time to stop. Apparently it’s also a good place to go get stoned according to Google.

One of the great things about writing for blogging.la is you get to go to writers’ meetups at some of LA’s classic eateries.

Today we met at Musso and Frank (a.k.a. my house), where Benevolent Dictator Jason hosted us for flannel cakes, bloody Mary’s with lots of fresh horseradish, and eggs Benedict.

Huzzah!

(and yeah, Will did do an entry about this – sorta – way back in ‘Ought Six)

I’ve never understood the need to kill and eat animals that don’t provide you with the basic needs of life. Case in point is Shark Fin soup. Something that is cruel, wasteful and utterly unnecessary is still being made and served in our local eateries. If you want to get your blood boiling just watch the video below…

I’m including a list of local eateries who still serve this shit along with their phone numbers if you’d like to call and demand they stop serving it. Sadly one of my favorite restaurants is on this list and I won’t be going back until it’s off the menu. So long China Garden in Woodland Hills, it was fun while it lasted.

Full list of restaurant’s after the jump

Meet Evan Cook, the Monrovia Association of Fine Art’s Student Artist of the Year.  I have to admit the funnest part of being in MAFA is to find young talent and help recognize them and foster their interest in creating art.  Watching Evan grow into his art the last few years has been fun and certainly he has grown tremendously under the mentoring of his teacher at MHS, Sal Perez, and his employer Lisa Barrios of the Paint n Play Art Studio and Gallery.  At Paint n Play Evan both shows his work and gives lessons on the potters wheel and ceramics.

More about him in the Fine Art Trekkin’ Monrovia blog post by Ginger Van Hook.  (She also made this interview video with Evan). Read the rest of this entry →

Should you either be an Echo Park-area resident or find yourself in the vicinity looking for something unique to do tonight, there’s a great fundraiser happening between 4 – 8 p.m.  for/at Elysian Heights Elementary School (1562 Baxter Street) put together by the Echo Park Improvement Association and the Friends of Elysian Heights that will feature somewhere around a score of storytellers sharing their Echo Park experiences.

But be warned: I’m one of the regalers who’ll fight off my public speaking phobia to mount the auditorium stage and share with the assemblage a personal tale from waaaaay back when I was but a lad of 15 that for wont of a better title I call “How Not To Eat A Tamale.”

The event, which will also include live music, a kids’ art showcase and silent auction, is free; the enchilada plates are $5 and proceeds go to cultivating the Elysian Heights Elementary School garden.

Driving down Sunset today (I got the Sad Foot, by the way, and indeed:), I saw that Uncle Jer’s, that little shop of curiousities and knicknacks and randomness across the street from the Vista Theater, was having an “End of an Era” sale.  I got home and checked: yup, sadly, Uncle Jer’s will be closing after 10 years.  Owners Rob and Cassandra simply say they want to spend more time with their two young sons and so it was time to move on.  There is a storewide 20% clearance sale from now until they close their doors at the end of the month.  They plan to have some sort of online presence after they close the shop, but those are tentative for now.

Sorry to see this little shop go – it was always such a delightful way to kill some time before catching a movie across the street.  Oh, sad foot.

Photo courtesy Lush Bunny and used under a Creative Commons license.

[Sorry, too angry to dig for a CC photo]

I realize the world will end anyway on May 21st, but The Hollywood Reporter is, well, reporting that Grauman’s Chinese Theater is being sold and we should Expect Some Changes once their deal closes on May 20th.

Bull SHIT, sez me!

There’s a Facebook page to save it but everybody knows what that’s worth.

I’m not completely clear if they’re only getting the Mann Chinese 6 at Hollywood and Highland, or if the rumor that the developers are “considering turning the theater, which has 1,152 seats, into a nightclub,” is anything more than that, but still.

Really? The Chinese Theater? It’s not IT enough for you?

The Chinese is on all the historic registries, but developers (and Samaha in particular) are notorious for moving forward with their nefarious agendas and hoping no one will notice until it’s too late (Yes I Mean You out there bulldozing Johnnie’s Broiler).

Let’s not let this get swept under the rug, Angelenos!

So many things to celebrate this weekend: local design, lesbians, comic books, trains, your mother.  Better get a move on.

Read the rest of this entry →

NBCLA reports animal activists are upset with the promo for what is reportedly a new taco joint in Culver City set to open in June.  ”Pink Taco’s” painted a donkey pink and paraded it around the city and made this video as part of their marketing.  I’m really not offended by it but do get it that some were.  I’m actually more surprised by the gratuitous inclusion of little people flopping about in the video than I am of the painted donkey.  Paint washes off after all.  (Sorry I have no snazzy photo and the video won’t embed for some reason).

What say you on the painted donkey?  On the double entendre of Pink Taco, better name for a food joint or a strip joint?

One of the great things about living in LA is the wonderful variety of high- to low-brow movie theaters and special screenings that take place constantly. Coming up beginning next week, Angelenos have an opportunity to catch what could possibly be the only US theater run ever for Love Exposure, a four-hour Japanese movie that Cinefamily describes in the following manner:

Ask yourself this question: when was the last time a movie really mattered to you, and shattered your world? Every so often, a film comes screaming out of the ether that magically reveals a larger truth about this thing we stumble through called life, and the latest cinematic salve is the unforgettable, uncategorizable, unmissable Love Exposure, the brand-new behemoth from Sion Sono (Suicide Club, Strange Circus) that gleefully tackles life’s biggest issues: love, death, sex, revenge, religion and up-skirt panty photography.

I had the privilege of joining some friends for recent Cinefamily screenings of Stake Land and Rammbock, and hearing Cinefamily head programmer Hadrian Belove promote it before each of those screenings has helped me overcome any apprehensions I might have had about sitting through a four-hour movie. The way he describes it, when the 237 minutes has elapsed the main feeling that will remain is a longing for even more.

There will only be seven screenings of this movie here in LA, once daily from next Friday the 13th to the following Thursday the 19th, so if you’re short on kung-fu up-skirt in your life you should get your tickets ASAP. (The youtube trailer is available by following that link.)

Mara Hobel and Fay Dunaway in Mommie Dearest

Yes, this Sunday is Mother’s Day, or as some of us like to think of it, Avoid Brunch Restaurants As If Your Life Depended On It Day. My fellow bloggers have helped you figure out where to shop for your momma and where to take her out. I’m here to let the dysfunctional family set know the Egyptian Theater has planned a Sunday evening just for us. In the programming equivalent of scheduling My Bloody Valentine on February 14th, the Egyptian is screening Mommie Dearest at 7:30 Sunday night. You’ll never look at a wire hanger the same again. See you there.

Full disclaimer: I’m not really into dance. Whenever “So You Think You Can Dance” or “Dancing With the Stars” get their DVR playback, I conveniently find a reason to go fix something in the garage.

But, if you’re looking for a cool last-minute gift idea for Mother’s Day that does not involve a spa or Mimosas, take her to see Burn the Floor at Pantages.

20 champion dancers from the hit Broadway show will blow your mind. It’s billed as “ballroom reinvented,” but, it sure didn’t feel like ballroom. It’s a phenomenal show, that makes you want to Patrick Swayze into the aisle.

Did I just type that? Ahem.

It’s a great gift for Mother’s Day, or a great date. And there are only 5 shows left.

Burn the Floor at the Pantages Theatre.

Tonight at 8:00PM
Tomorrow at 2:00 PM, 8:00 PM
Sunday at 1:00 pm, 6:30 PM

Weird Al in concert

Time is running out fast but here’s the deets.  If you are a male 25-45 (that’s what they are looking for in particular but will consider anyone) and want to play the role of paparazzi in a Weird Al video you need to get moving.  All you need to do is send them a picture of yourself holding a “professional looking camera” (my guess a DSLR).  Send that pic to weirdalcasting@gmail.com along with your contact info.  They have no deadline, but say that the earlier you get it to them the better as they are shooting on May 15 for release in June.  Weird Al’s blog has all the details HERE.

Now I wish I had a pic of me with my DSLR as this would be a fun adventure to add to my bucket list of things done.

Pic by computer_saskboy on flickr and used under a creative commons license.  Link to him HERE..

Since 2002, the first Saturday of May has been a special day for comic book fans everywhere. Free Comic Book Day is a worldwide event in which participating independent comic book specialty shops do what the name implies and give you free comic books. No, this does not mean that you can take any book off the shelf. There are designated titles up for grabs. Some locations also have special guests, signing, giveaways and other activities throughout the day. Not surprisingly, food trucks seem to be a popular addition this year!

There are many participating comic book shops in Los Angeles and surrounding cities. A few of my personal favorites are:

House of Secrets, 1930 W Olive St. Burbank, CA 91506. Appearances by Tom Kenny and Walter Koenig.

Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90046. Original statues from The Dark Crystal will be on display and The Grilled Cheese Truck will be making a special appearance.

Golden Apple, 7018 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90038. Lots of special guests, sales, giveaways, free food and even a bounce house for the kids.

Check out the Free Comic Book Day Store Locator to find out if your favorite shop is participating. Insider tip: Go early if you want to choose from a good selection of books.

About a mile off the Bar
ham exit on the northbound side of the freeway just now.