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Hands Down, The Greatest Scoops Flavor Suggestion EVER

Spencer Cross — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:10:23 +0000

I know what you’re thinking: “Hyperbole! My suggestion for Gin and Juice was genius! And Honey Honeydew sounds delicious!” Well, reader, I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong, because when it comes to ice cream flavors, none of us will ever, ever come up with anything that bests this suggestion for Cheerios/Sadness.

Carl’s Fine Films’ Loveletter to Trader Joe’s

Spencer Cross — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:24:49 +0000

I don’t entirely follow the logic of this, but after attempting to shoot a photo of one of Trader Joe’s ubiquitous hand-chalked signs and being shooed off by a manager, director Carl Willat of Carl’s Fine Films was inspired to shoot this charming short “commercial” in praise of all the things you never realized you loved about TJ’s.

Of course, Willat’s store is in SF, but it’s a testament to the quirky nature that the company carefully cultivates that most experienced TJ’s shoppers will relate intimately with Willat’s paean regardless of what location they frequent. Especially the part about tiny parking lots (I’m looking at you, 3rd and La Brea). And while they may be busy rolling out wasabi cashews and $2 wine in all kinds of new locales, let’s not forget that TJ’s started life as an LA-based convenience store chain called Pronto Markets. In fact, the first store to open under the name “Trader Joe’s” is still in operation on Pasadena’s Arroyo Parkway!

Taggers Give Up Marley & Me’s Tearjerker Ending

Spencer Cross — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:51:36 +0000

Though it happened nearly a month ago, /film’s report about vandals defacing Los Angeles advertisements for the Aniston/Wilson embarrassment Marley & Me with tags that reveal the painfully obvious climax of the movie is totally cracking me up. Then again, as /film points out, I probably wouldn’t find it as funny if it were a film I cared about. If you really don’t want to know, haven’t managed to see it in the three weeks that it’s been open and can’t figure it out on your own, then I suggest you not click through.

Los Angeles Magazine Cover Makes Time’s Top 10 for ’08

Spencer Cross — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:24:18 +0000

As an Angeleno and huge fan of designer and illustrator Marian Bantjes (who is, unfortunately, Canadian), I’m thrilled to see that her beautifully hand drawn cover for the September 2008 issue of Los Angeles magazine was number eight on Time magazine’s list of Top 10 Magazine Covers in 2008. Bantjes is currently bouncing around CA in preparation for the opening of her gallery show at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. You can catch her in Los Angeles tomorrow night:

Art Center College of Design
Hillside Campus
Ahmanson Auditorium
Tuesday, Jan 13
7:00pm

LA City Council Mulls More Smoking Restrictions

Spencer Cross — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:58:22 +0000

It’s being reported all over the place this morning that the City Council is considering a proposal by the Tom LaBonge-headed Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee to ban smoking on restaurant patios or within 10 feet of any outdoor establishment that serves food or beverages. Fortunately for you club goers, age-restricted venues such as bars and cigar bars would be exempt. Surprisingly to me, much of the anxiety over the proposal seems to revolve around who’s going to be responsible for enforcing the curb rather than whether customers have the right to smoke outside. Regardless, the easy money is on the proposal making it through the City Council easily given the success of similar measures nationwide, including in local municipalities like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Calabasas.

Knitting Factory Eases Economic Pinch with Free Tickets

Spencer Cross — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:53:09 +0000

If the big mall crowds and near riots over parking that I witnessed during the week after Christmas are any indication, plenty of people are out there spending money on themselves that they didn’t spend on gifts. If, however, you’re one of the ones that’s actually feeling the pinch of the beat down economy, you’ll be happy to hear that Hollywood’s Knitting Factory is doing you a solid by offering everyone a free pair of tickets to a long list of shows happening between now and April. Just show up at their box office on Monday, January 12th between 6:00 and 8:00 pm and tell ‘em what you want to see. Full list of shows after the jump, and the same info I just told you if you make with the clicky on the right.

ONE PAIR OF TICKETS PER PERSON. MUST BE AT LEAST 21 YEARS OF AGE TO PARTICIPATE (BRING ID). FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. WE WILL BE GIVING AWAY 10 PAIR OF TICKETS TO EACH OF THE SHOWS LISTED BELOW. BOX OFFICE WILL OPEN AT 6PM AND CLOSE AT 8PM.

JAN 16th – 1969 Tour with Myka Nine / Sole / Ceschi Ramos / Factor

JAN 17th – Bad Manners, Chase Long Beach

JAN 18th – Dwarves, The Uprising

JAN 21st – Peachcake / MC Lars / Get Back Loretta

JAN 22nd – Angel City Outcasts / Duane Peters Gunfight / Danko Jones / Prima Donna

JAN 23rd – Adolescents / The Crowd / White Flag / Los Creepers

JAN 23rd – The Lives of Famous Men / Anarbor / Go Crash Audio / The Sequence

JAN 24th – Bluebeat Lounge 6th Anniversary with Joey Altruda’s Classic Riddims / Viernes 13 / Chris Murray Combo / Raskahuele / The Ifficials

JAN 29th – The Reverend Peytons Big Damn Band

JAN 30th – Blood / GPKism / Vamp Star / DJ Sisen

FEB 5th – 16 / Intronaut / Giant Squid / Bastard Noise / Black Math Horsemen

FEB 6th – Mike Park / Jesse Michaels / Kevin Seconds / Andrew Jackson Jihad

FEB 7th – 3 Floors of Ska feat. Ska is Dead & Friends with Voodoo Glow Skulls / The Toasters / Buck-O-Nine / Deals Gone Bad + many more!

FEB 10th – Never Better Tour with P.O.S. and special Doomtree guests: Sims, Mictlan, & Lazerbeak (Hand Over Fist)

FEB 17th – Joey Cape (Lagwagon) / Chris Schifflet (Foo Fighters) / Jon Snodgrass (Drag the River) / Marko 72 (Sugarcult)

FEB 19th – A Wilhelm Scream / Chaser / Syncope Threshold

FEB 19th – Sound of the Blue Heart / Menew

FEB 24th – Dear and the Headlights / Miniature Tigers

FEB 25th – Damiera / The Urgency

FEB 27th – The Angry Samoans / Johnny Madcap & The Distractions / The Crazy Squeeze / Action 45

MAR 6th – Volto!

MAR 6th – Automatic Loveletter / A Cursive Memory / Tickle Me Pink / Kyle & Natalie

MAR 11th – Von Iva / Semi Precious Weapons / The Start / Roxy Epoxy & The Rebound / Killola / The Action Design

MAR 15th – Tim Barry (Avail) / Austin Lucas / Josh Small

MAR 26th – Craig Owens (Chiodos/Cinematic Sunrise) / Ace Enders / The Gay Blades / Versaemerge

APRIL 4th – Left Alone / Viernes 13 / Black Rose Phantoms / Gamblers Mark

Dogtown/Giants Docist Peralta Examines L.A. Gangs

Spencer Cross — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:38:02 +0000

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Venice native and skateboard legend Stacy Peralta is well known for documentaries examining topics that are close to his heart, like the rise of skateboarding and big wave surfing, but next on his docket is a topic that most Angelenos will be less thrilled about: gangs. FUEL.TV has posted an interesting interview with Peralta about his latest film, Crips and Bloods: Made in America, which on schedule to play at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 February 6th-12th. The film looks to be a little more insightful than your typical episode of Gangland. Peralta also talks a bit about the realities of documentary filmmaking and his disappointment over that atrocious Burger King advertisement that’s been making the rounds.

Obama to Name East L.A. Rep as Labor Secretary

Spencer Cross — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:13:50 +0000

KPCC just announced (via the AP) that Hilda Solis, East L.A.’s recently re-elected Representative, is the President Elect’s pick for Secretary of Labor. Solis is the third Angeleno to be offered a spot in the Obama cabinet following the nomination of Los Angeles deputy mayor Nancy Sutley as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (and his first, if not the first, openly gay White House staffer) and Rep. Xavier Becerra’s invitation to the post of U.S. trade rep, which Becerra turned down.

Parking Jackass of the Day, Perhaps the Millennium?

Spencer Cross — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:19:00 +0000

This is the best photo I could get of this insane parking job in the strip mall at Glendale and Fletcher, so allow me to explain exactly what you’re looking at. To begin, it’s bad enough that the black SUV in the front is parked over the striped area indicating the end of the parking row and is jutting out into the traffic lane on the left side of the photo. What’s worse, however, is that the genius in the silver compact somehow deduced that there was a corresponding spot behind the SUV that was completely in the traffic lane. The lesson here? They paint lines on the ground for a reason, and if there’s a steady stream of cars backed up behind your parked car angrily honking away, you just parked in the middle of the road.

Anti-Cycling Dr. to Face Trial over Vehicular Assault

Spencer Cross — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:30:45 +0000

According to the Times, the fuckbag that purposefully caused a July 4th accident that seriously injured two cyclists in order to “teach them a lesson” will be tried for the incident as well as an earlier March confrontation:

Thompson complained that cyclists frequently traveled down the residential street in Brentwood and that he was “tired of them,” Los Angeles Police Officer Robert Rodriguez said.

After testimony from Rodriguez and two cyclists who were alleged to have been involved in separate confrontations with the doctor, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Amy. D. Hogue ordered that Thompson stand trial. He faces one felony count of reckless driving causing injury and two felony counts of battery with serious injury in the July 4 incident. He also faces one count of misdemeanor reckless driving causing injury in an incident with another cyclist on the same road in March

I’d be more happy if I believed that the good doctor were facing a real threat of actual jail time rather than some kind of fine and suspended sentence, but it’s still a relief to see that it’s not being swept under the rug. What I’d really like to know is if there’s such a thing as disbarment for physicians? Purposefully injuring somebody has to be out of line with the Hippocratic Oath.