On Friday, May 21, The Dan Band returns to Club Nokia. With thanks to our friends at Goldenvoice, LA MetBlogs has your tickets. Read on…

In early April we sent some MetBlogs readers to see The Dan Band. Here is what a couple of them had to say:

“This band is best when encountered as a surprise. Obviously, going to see them live, the primary novelty of the band is no longer a surprise, but, fortunately for me, there were still plenty of hilarious surprises in the live setlist.” ~Riki Ataki

“We had such a good time! Dan caught a woman texting during the show and took away her phone to send rude replies.” ~FlowerOfHighRank

I’ve got several pairs of tickets for next Friday’s show, so to win, leave a comment below telling me why you need to see The Dan Band live. Winners to be notified by email, so make sure I’ve got your correct address. Don’t want to take a chance? You can buy tickets here. A word of advice: guard your cell phones; Dan can be filthy when texting your friends.

I can’t tell you how excited I am that SoCal author and Kodachrome enthusiast  Charles Phoenix is presenting a vintage 3-D slide show this weekend and next! While well known for his kitschy retro Kodachrome slide shows, this foray into the third dimension is taking things to a whole new level.

This is a unique opportunity to see 3-D images like you may have never seen them before, along with commentary from one of L.A.’s most entertaining local treasures. The photographic journey will travel as far back as the Victorian era, a time when viewing 3-D photos on cards through a stereoscope was a popular form of entertainment, to the 1940s and 50s, when View-Master disks were introduced as an alternative to the scenic postcard. This is going to be an extravaganza not to be missed!

Charles Phoenix will be presenting his first ever retro 3-D slide show tomorrow, Sunday, May 9th and on Sunday, May 16th at 3pm at the Downtown Independent, which is located at 251 S. Main St., L.A. 90012.

You can click here to purchase tickets.

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!

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.

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.

Mitch Albom had Morrie; what do we have on Tuesdays?  Ah, yes, Tuesday Night Cafe, a bi-monthly gathering of poets, musicians, writers, organizers, parents, their kids, their dogs, and whomever else happens to be walking by the Aratani Courtyard in Little Tokyo around 7:15pm.  A revolving line-up of artists and spoken word performers wax or rap poetic about everything from their commute to being queer in a land of not-queers.  Often, there’s playful bantering with you, audience member/non-passive observer, followed by striking poetry, followed by lively live music, followed by impromptu karaoke.   And it’s only Tuesday!

Tonight’s lineup includes hip hop MTV journalist-turned-hip-hop-rapper Rocky Rivera and singer SueJin.  The guy in the back painting and sketching while all this is going in? Is Alex Chiu (see here).

The Tuesday Night Project organizes and hosts the event; its mission is to crank open space for the community – particularly the Asian-Pacific Islander communities – to build relationships and forge bonds via art and music.  In a town stuffed to the gills with the cement jungle, this space is a breath of fresh air.  Go to the Cafe tonight, get fueled for the rest of the week, and the weekend will be here before you know it.

Your Tuesday starts at 7:15pm, but if you want to break the fourth wall and perform, sign-ups for the open mic start at 6:45.  The Aratani Courtyard is on 120 Judge John Aliso, between 1st and Temple downtown.  Just follow your ears.

Word about the Donut Summit is spreading like wildfire over the interwebs!  They’re talking about it over at the LA Weekly’s Squid Ink; at NBC LA; and over at Food is my Nish, there’s an awesome list of Donut Summit-inspired local gourmet donut options!  So exciting!

And now, dear readers, a challenge for you:  Help me come up with some good categories that we can judge donuts on!  Here’s a few to get us started:

Best old-fashioned

Best filled donut

Best vegan donut

Best apple fritter

Best glaze

Best maple donut

Most unconventional donut

Most visually attractive donut

…and that’s all I’ve got.  I know you can do better than me!

The legendary Bruce Lee, would have turned 70 years old this year. And while it may or may not be difficult to imagine him as a septuagenarian still beating down bad guys, what can’t be denied is decades after his passing, he remains as influential as ever.

In tribute to and in celebration of the martial arts, action film and cultural icon, the 2010 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (which opened last night at the DGA), in association with his widow, Linda Lee Cadwell and daughter Shannon Lee and their Bruce Lee Enterprises, are organizing a Special Bruce Lee Program at this year’s festival tonight (Friday, April 30) at sundown at the new Madang Center Courtyard in Los Angeles’ Koreatown with a free screening and other events throughout the weekend.

The Bruce Lee celebration kicks off with a free outdoor screening of THE CHINESE CONNECTION and after party tonight and continues the tomorrow at noon with a special screening of ENTER THE DRAGON followed immediately by a panel discussion entitled, “How Bruce Lee Influenced Pop Culture” featuring daughter Shannon Lee, directors Reginald Hudlin (HOUSE PARTY, THE BOONDOCKS) and Brett Ratner (RUSH HOUR, X-MEN 3: THE LAST STAND), ENTER THE DRAGON co-star Bob Wall and musician Joseph Hahn from the rock band LINKIN PARK.

For the celebration’s finale, a special panel discussion entitled, BRUCE LEE: THE FAMILY MAN featuring Linda Cadwell and Shannon Lee and Goddaughter Diana Lee Inosanto takes place 4 p.m. Sunday at The Directors Guild of America. This event is free.

THE BRUCE LEE 70th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION is part of the 2010 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, which also features 170 films from over 20 countries beginning April 29 and ending on May 8, 2010. For more information on the film festival go to: www.vconline.org/festival

Saturday, May 1 is the annual march for immigrants’ rights, and what more apt time to remember our giant range of melting pots than a few days after a borderline-if-not-outright illegal and horrifically anti-human law that is Arizona’s SB 1070?  Bill drafter Kris Kobach may try to defend the law as absolutely necessary, but in the end, if you can trace the origin of a law to a Nazi sympathizer (Russell Pearce) and a supporting member of the birther movement (Kobach),* well, its very likely to be a bad law.  And so, join the estimated 60,000+ individuals, families, and activists who will gather on Olympic and Broadway at 10am somewhat sharp tomorrow to celebrate our collectively diverse roots and to protest those who have the political and police power through which to channel their fears of the Other.  Road closures will start as early as 5:45am at the march assembly area (on Broadway, between 11th and Olympic), and the roads will open and close along Broadway as the march progresses northbound towards Temple.  Maybe instead of fighting it, you should get out of the car and march to your brunch spot.  March, protest and eat.  That’s how we do it in America.

*see also here and here.

Photo of a Los Angeles manhole made in Mexico courtesy Dan Hontz via the Metblogs Flickr pool.

This post is for you if the following three statements describe you:

(1) You have nothing to do this Saturday night, and would like to hang out at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with Gina Gershon, Heart, Renee Zellweger and Sarah Silverman.

(2) You have an urge to help the LA Gay & Lesbian Center provide a variety of women’s services.

(3) You have $300 to donate.

Yeah? You fit the criteria? Then you’re in luck. Tickets are still available for the LA Gay & Lesbian Center’s Evening With Women, an annual event aimed at raising funds for the center’s women-specific services. That includes health education and prevention, mental health services and career development classes, as well as services for both homeless youth and seniors.

The price tag is high, but the event is packed with personalities; in addition to the celebrities mentioned above, the event will include entertainment by songwriter Linda Perry and dinner by chef Jamie Lauren, whom Top Chef fans will recognize from the show’s fifth season. And if you can’t afford the 300 bucks but would still like to go, $99 will get you the “Recession Lounge Special,” where you can hobnob with other charity-minded folks.

You can buy tickets here.

Luscious!

Jenette Bras (where the alphabet starts at D*) is having a tea party this Saturday, May 1st to celebrate their 1st anniversary. You are invited!

All bras and knickers by British brands Freya, Fantasie, Fauve and Elomi will be 15% off. Spend $100 and you’ll be entered into the raffle to win a babydoll by Twist called “Teatime.”

The special guest at Tea will be Frederika Zappe, fit specialist from the above English brands.

The best part: Not only do you get tea and goodies to nosh and beautiful bras to try on and buy, but 15% of the day’s proceeds will be donated to the “Jenette Bras Supports The Girls” campaign. Jenette Bras is partnering with CASA Glamour Gowns (who give girls in foster care in Los Angeles donated prom dresses) to provide beautiful bra support to go along with the dresses.

Not only will you get some gorgeous support for your own girls, but you can provide support for LA’s gorgeous prom girls.

Jenette Bras 1st Anniversary Tea Party
Saturday May 1st
12-4pm

4308 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, 90029
Call to RSVP: 323-665-7490

Or sign up on the Facebook Event page here.

*If you don’t know what this means, this is not the bra store for you, but tell all your well endowed friends about it!

This Tuesday evening Joseph Menn, author of the fantastic Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who are Bringing Down the Internet will be speaking in downtown LA at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy [map]. Presented by Zócalo and the Financial Times, Menn will be covering many of the ideas he covers in the book. From Zócalo’s site:

Internet commerce has boomed in the last decade. Americans alone spend over $150 billion in online transactions, and over 50 million U.S. households bank on the web. But how safe are the sites computer users around the world trust with their most sensitive information, and how precarious is the system? Isolated cases of identity theft and computer viruses fail to capture the vast risk crime poses to the way we use the Internet, and a real public debate has yet to begin. Exploiting systemic security holes and a Wild-West-style lack of governance, supported by governments bent on cyber-espionage and cyber-warfare, and rarely thwarted by law enforcement agencies, organized crime has made the web its main operation, compromising more than half the world’s computers.

Sound interesting? It should. It’s important stuff. Tuesday night, 7:30pm. Go check it out.