To this day I still cannot believe my parents bought me the soundtrack to Purple Rain. I would sit in my bedroom huddled in secret glee as I listened to Darling Nikki and the rest of the highly suggestive lyrics.  But what started out as a tawdry flirtation with sexual material grew into a mature adoration for one of the greatest musicians to ever walk on earth.

If you’ve been a Prince fan for any span of time, you know that not only is he a musical genius but his addiction to performing has provided millions of us with memorable concerts.  He does them on the fly.  He plays whatever the hell he wants for however long he feels like.  Sometimes he makes people wait for hours outside before he gets started but he always rewards them with an unforgettable fist full of hours he never again repeats.

In anticipation of his latest musical triumph, LotusFlow3r, The Purple One has done it once more – tonight he is playing all three venues at LA Live one right after another.  Equally impressive, the shows sold out in about ten minutes.  If you were clever, and a devoted fan, you found a way around that via Prince’s incredibly beautiful and interactive website.

Will I be there?  HELL YES.  If you’re also in possession of tickets get there early.  The Staples Center has been hosting a world figure skating competition all week and there are finals going on at the very same time as the first couple of concerts.  There will be a sea of humanity at LA Live and all over  the streets surrounding the complex.  This is one of those times when taking the Metro will make you super cool and savvy.

As the economy has taken a toll on the City of Angels, I have become deeply moved by the stories and experiences of the average person here living through it.  It is part of how I cope with what is happening to my own household as well as the color running out of the face of the place I live, love and dream in.  I look for common ground and perspective.  I also look for inspiration in the form of kind acts executed quietly without a camera there to document the gesture.

I have one friend who hasn’t had hot water in months.  In their home mornings begin with boiling hot water so they can bathe themselves.  Shaving has become something of an art carefully plotted for economy of razor strokes choreographed in as short a time as possible.  Meals are prepared mostly in a microwave or a rice cooker with humble supplies.  Even so, they find ways to be creative and decadent when possible.  A sense of humor and escapism (World of Warcraft) are what get them through the day.

Another friend was part of a group that discovered a young expectant mother in their social circle hadn’t eaten anything in days and there was no heat or electricity in that home.  She had kept it all a secret from everyone.  The circle of friends went about creating a plan to get food to that family of four (five if you count the unborn little girl) to help them with the next couple of months.  

Prompted by a story on CNN about Craig’s List being used as a cry for help that was having some surprisingly responses of generosity, I began scouring the website for any evidence of such exchanges.  I only found one post but it still haunts me.  A woman in her forties lost her job, her home and eventually the car she was living out of in a horrible domino of misfortune.  All she wanted was a cup of soup for the night.  She had a plan and she had a sense of hope that she could get through it but she was without any family willing to help out or friends.  I have no idea if she received help or not.  She didn’t respond to my email, though I did write after the library she was using to access the internet closed.

It is an unusual time for many of us.  I’ve never lived through anything like this that I remember.  I have vague memories of my parents scraping by when I was younger (around 1982) but we were very carefully protected from any true understanding of what was going on.  What I do know, intuitively, is that the key to getting through it all is remaining connected in a positive fashion to one another.  

Generosity doesn’t need to be grandiose to be useful.  It can be simple and powerfully uplifting.

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For some of us grilled cheese is a comfort food with a type of built-in response that harkens to a safe time in our lives.  It’s up there with the scent of vanilla or coffee in the morning with regards to a cultural Pavlovian response.  So it is no surprise that two different restaurants are serving it up as a kind of ‘stimulus plan.’

Over at The Edison, grilled cheese, tomato soup and 35 cent cocktails have been part of their ‘Soup Kitchen’ every Friday from 5-7 pm.  All proceeds for that cleverly tailored happy hour type promotion go toward the Midnight Mission – the oldest operating human services organization in Los Angeles.

Recently, Ivan Kane’s Cafe W as added a slew of promotions from discounted flask service (offered in paper bags) to the grilled cheese with fries.  Granted, it’s $10, which seems a bit out of touch with the spirit of giving people a break.  You can get a grilled cheese at Denny’s for $6.15.  But, unlike Denny’s, a Cafe W as grilled cheese and fries (only served on Mondays) is presented in a brown paper bag.

So, there I was at around 1 pm this afternoon taking a nose dive onto the Red Line after nearly falling down the escalator in an effort to not miss it.  Like most Angelenos I try to be nonchalant and utterly unimpressed by everything no matter how odd.  However I failed completely as I was already managing my unceremonious entrance onto the metro.  It was too much to process that and the fact that there were a couple of girls dressed up like candy ravers out way past their bedtimes (assuming the club closed at 6 am).  I thought it was a sorority hazing or something until another couple came on board sporting racing numbers.  The only words I could make out were ‘urban race.’  

Throughout the rest of my trip I saw all kinds of wildly costumed people with a sense of urgency dashing about.  It looked like fun.

It turns out they were all participating in something called the Great Urban Race – a city wide scavenger hunt.  Teams of two were challenged to brain teasers, riddles and clues with the caveat that they may only travel about on foot or using public transportation.  (You can read more about it here on Yelp.  The main website doesn’t seem to work for me.)

I would have loved to do it but I didn’t hear so much as a peep about it.  Perhaps next time!

This is very last minute but I have heard through the grapevine that Ruin, a nightclub for the gloom cookies and darker souls of Los Angeles, may be shutting down if the numbers don’t improve on attendance.  A number of nightlife spots are struggling during this time as people aren’t playing in their usual sandboxes with any regularity but there aren’t very many playgrounds of this ilk.  If you are a member of my tribe, come out tonight (the earlier the better) and save our little black sandbox.

Ruin is held at the Monte Cristo located at 3100 Wilshire Blvd.  Entry is free if you arrive at 10 pm when the doors open. It is $5 before 11 pm and $10 after that point.  There is valet parking for $5 in a safe, enclosed parking lot just below the club.

Playwrights Arena in Los Angeles is a unique hot bed of creativity supporting the development and presentation of daring, original works written by Los Angeles-based writers.  Tomorrow evening begins the run of Oliver Mayer’s Laws Of Sympathy.

Laws Of Sympathy deals with our newest American immigrants — Somali Bantu — on the moment of their immersion into our culture. Two women arrive in the outskirts of Atlanta without knowledge of gas stoves, refrigerators, toilets or the difference between flour and borax — but with heightened powers of observation. When the refugee resettlement worker assigned to their acculturation falls in love, the immigrants begin to see the differences between American truth and propaganda. Every step in love and life can either lead them to connection or loss, and there are no second chances. 

Laws Of Sympathy is a play that looks at this country with eyes wide open from the POV of its newest refugees. 

You can check out the play tomorrow night in a preview evening for $5 at 8 pm.  The production opens Saturday evening at 8 pm ($25) and runs through March 29th ($20 for all other performances) at Studio/Stage located at 520 North Western Ave. (between Melrose and Beverly).  Remember to allow time for street parking.  To reserve seats call 213-627-4473.

During a walk to the bank through the Noho Arts District yesterday I passed a tiny little shop selling those super fancy cupcakes.  I’ve heard of this trend of gourmet cupcakes cropping up across the country and in various parts of Los Angeles but I had yet to stumble upon such a place in the flesh.  So, yes, I’m a little late to the phenomenon (I have yet to ever eat a Crispy Kreme Doughnut too), one that has been covered quite a bit here on LA Metblogs.  With all that in mind, this is mostly for everyone else out there like me who hasn’t spent the last few years becoming a cupcake aficionado.

I’m not remotely cheap in nature and will put down quite a bit of cash for certain items.  Cupcakes have a very iconic place in my mind but as a kid’s treat or something you bake for family events.  The idea of spending $3.50 for a baked good I used to sell for 50 cents at school fundraisers seems nuts.  I can go into any grocery store in town and buy six cupcakes for just a little more money.  But curiosity (and an excuse to spoil my boyfriend) got the better of me.  I entered Cupcake Central NoHo and began my journey into a new world.

The girls working in the little shop were incredibly kind, attentive and charming.  The cupcakes themselves were larger than anything my mom would bake and topped with sinful assortments of confectionery.  I was drawn instantly to the chocolate monster daring me to shove it in my face but I was there for someone else and ended up with a lemon cupcake.  The lovely girls packaged it carefully in a special cupcake box made to keep it stable during travel and not sliding about, smudging the sides with precious frosting.  I hadn’t even tasted it yet and I was already impressed.

So, is a $3.50 cupcake good?  Hell yeah!  It tasted homemade with fresh ingredients rather than mass produced generic sweetness.  It was also large enough to share between two people.  In an instant, I understood the madness.  I have a bad feeling I will be unable to resist more visits when I’m walking around the Arts District.

If you’d like to check them out yourself, they are located at 5227 Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood.  Be sure to get there before all the good flavors sell out.  While it’s a relatively new shop the word is spreading fast.

They call themselves the Unextraordinary Gentlemen. None of that is true. They are quite extraordinary and they aren’t all gentlemen – one is a gentle lady. I discovered them via friends and heard their music for the first time on a local internet radio show that happens (mostly) every Friday afternoon on Theory Radio presented by MP3JSark. Even in their rough cuts of music it became apparent to me that they had something. More to the point – they had a lead singer (Malcolm Schreeck) with a powerful  and unique baritone voice to front the magical world of Victorian intrigue they weave within their music.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with the mysterious front man and pick his brain a little bit.

VL: So, I think I heard you created your band as a result of karaoke at Andrew’s Monday night alternative karaoke Ground Control.

MS: Well, that’s where Richard aka Prof. Mangrove approached me, yes.

VL: Serendipity. I assume he’s the tall drink of water I see out at the gothy events.

MS: Symmetrical Chaos.  Yes, tall drink of water.

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I have been spending a great deal of time in Downtown Los Angeles this past month.  I’m not terribly familiar with the area so I have considered it an opportunity to explore.  It has been a wonderful journey into the past.  I’ve come across beautiful 1920′s buildings lovingly preserved and some that could use a bit of restoration.   I’ve discovered places I want to visit and bars I plan to drink in at some point.

Earlier this week I had a couple of hours to kill before a meeting.  On that particular afternoon, I found myself drawn to the well-shaped 7 + Figueroa shopping center.  I’d been there once years ago to attend the red carpet opening of the Gold’s Gym on the bottom floor.   It was nothing like the bustling place I recalled.

There were many vacant stores.  The one major department store, Macy’s, was eerily devoid of merchandise as they liquidated for a closure.  The food court was a ghost town.   In fact, the only things that seemed to be surviving were the Morton’s Steakhouse and the Gold’s Gym.

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Taking place this Sunday March 1st at the King King Hollywood is the bi-annual Vignette Los Angeles Film Festival.  This cozy little event showcases the work of local independent filmmakers producing short experimental movies, narratives,  animation and documentaries along with live musical performances in the unique little cabaret styled club on Hollywood Blvd.

Advanced tickets are $8 or you can purchase them at the door for $10.  Doors open at 6pm.  For more information about the films being screened you can click here.

Whether you like it or not, actors often express their opinions on issues they feel passionately about during award shows.  The most prominent cause for 2009 will come as no surprise – Gay Marriage.

Keep an eye out during the Academy Awards for little white ribbons with a knot in the middle of them.  They’ve already appeared at the Grammys and the Spirit Awards.

Want to share your own support with a white knot?  You can get yours here.

The exquisitely elegant Riva in Santa Monica will be holding a series of wine education classes.   The first one is taking place right now but there are two more afternoon excursions into the lush world of Italian wines.

Starting February 21, 2009, Riva, Santa Monica’s newest neighborhood dining destination for seasonal coastal Italian cuisine, will host a series of monthly Italian wine education classes for $65 per person including food pairings. Led by Sommelier Thierry Perez and a guest winemaker, each two-hour class will explore wines from Italy’s various viticultural regions including Tuscany (February), Piedmont (March), and Sicily (April).

Executive Chef Jason Travi will complement each wine tasting with generous food pairings featuring his boldly flavored dishes inspired by the rustic cuisine of the Italian coastline using the highest quality of ingredients found at the neighboring Santa Monica Farmers’ Market.

If you’ve never had the opportunity to take a wine education class, be assured that they are not as stuffy as they sound.  It’s often a joyful and fascinating journey into a new level of awareness.

Beginner’s tip – Take it slow and know your limits (unless you are walking home).

For additional information on Riva or for instructions on reserving your spot visit this link.

I stumbled upon the Knights of Monte Carlo quite by accident this past Summer while attending a concert featuring my wickedly talented friend Esza Kaye and the L.A. rock meets cirque sensation Powder at the Key Club.   They were the last band on, which is always a crap shoot.  All the same, we ordered coffee after having enjoyed dinner and gave them a shot.

Unexpectedly, this 1970′s lounge lizard meets Jimmy Buffet-on-a-beach vibe assembled itself on stage.  I braced for an onslaught of cheese.  Instead, I was blown away by incredible musicianship with only the most subtle hint of humor tossed into the mix.   It was so good that if I closed my eyes I was certain Steely Dan was on the stage.  I was instantly a fan along with most everyone else who had remained in the club.

The Knights Of Monte Carlo have since gone on to make believers out of hundreds of other Angelenos, establishing themselves as one of the best live music acts that must be experienced on a regular basis.  (Just don’t call them a cover band!)  Playing the ‘hard core soft rock’ of the 70′s with a country club ambiance, they have taken up residency once a month at the King King Hollywood with the Hollywood Yacht Club.

The next show is tomorrow night at 10 pm.  It’s a $10 cover with the doors opening at 9 pm.  Country club attire is encouraged so have fun with it!  As a side note, Carson Daly will be filming this particular evening so if you want to avoid that you can check them out on March 18th.

*Insider Tip*  Affordable parking available two blocks away at Hollywood and Wilcox.

I encountered Famima several years ago when I was writing for a local publication.  It’s a new breed of convenience store out of Japan for people on the go who want better options.  At the time, I thought it was a great concept and loved my visit to the one out on Hollywood Blvd but that was the extent of my experience.

Recently, my routine has changed to involve regular trips out to LA Live.  As chance would have it, I walk right by a Famima located on Flower Street.  In the position of a consumer with a sophisticated sense of what I’d like while on the go, I have a new appreciation for the concept behind Famima.  It’s quickly becoming my savior during crazier days.

Famima is clean, brightly lit, stylish and easy to navigate.  What struck me once more is the variety.  I have an overwhelming number of choices.  I can have a freshly made Italian Panini, a curry chicken sandwich, sushi or one of three different kinds of Chinese steamy buns.  On a day when I’m lusting after chocolate therapy, I can grab some Godiva – something you cannot do at any other convenience store.

I’m passing up the corner store across the street from me now in lieu of Famima when I head out to LA Live.  If you travel by one during your day, I cannot recommend it enough for a quick gourmet lunch or to satisfy your more complicated cravings.  Convenience can have some style and still be affordable.

During a late dinner last night I caught on one of the local news channels that there was a turf war raging on Hollywood Blvd between the costumed characters and guys selling their hip hop CDs.  It’s a very one-sided war with violence being executed strictly by one group upon the other.

It seems that the music vendors think the characters are cutting into their profits when they roam around that small stretch of Hollywood Blvd rather than sticking to the area directly in front of the Chinese Theater.  In response, they have doled out some brutal beatings, including one that ended an actor up in the hospital with a skull fracture.  Reportedly, there have been around 6 of these incidents in the last few months.

The celebrity impersonators have asked the city for some form of protection or security.  They’ve even proposed the idea of everyone performing on Hollywood Blvd being licensed and creating a set of rules for street vendors.

Either way, it’s baffling.  I can’t for the life of me figure out how a guy in a Spiderman costume who makes $1 for every picture he poses in can be a threat to someone selling a hip hop CD.