The Cirque du Soleil may be in Santa Monica, but tomorrow (Sunday, October 25), another circus comes to town.  The Tea Party Express protesters (who are often referred to, with or without irony, as the “teabaggers”) arrive in Los Angeles tomorrow to hold a protest in Griffith Park.  They promise to bring along their Lipton tea bags, stars & stripes clothing, and badly misspelled signs.  What are they protesting?  You can ask, but don’t expect a coherent answer.  Instead, you can come and join the counter-protest organized by the Courage Campaign, RENWL, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The tea party protest takes place at 4:30 p.m. at the Pad D – Crystal Springs picnic area in the park (the address listed is simply the park’s main address, 4730 Crystal Springs Road), and the counter-protest gathers at the same location at 4 p.m. for a preemptive rally.  Whatever side you’re on, this promises to be quite the entertaining event.

Hello Kitty and Jodi @ Japan LA in 2006

For the next three weeks, Los Angeles area Hello Kitty fans can take part in celebrating her 35th anniversary! Three Apples is an exhibition event that Sanrio is hosting at Royal/T, a unique café/shop/art space in Culver City. It’s starting tonight with a VIP grand opening, and running through November 15th.

When I first received an announcement for Three Apples, I thought it was just another art show. Not only will art be on display, but you will get a chance to see unique products and designs, shop in a pop-up store, and attend various events celebrating that adorable cat-with-no-mouth, who many of us have loved since she adorned our pencil cases when we were kids. Some of us have never grown up out of our love for all things Hello Kitty. Three Apples is for us!

Local purveyor of all things kawaii, Japan LA, is curating an art exhibition featuring over 80 contemporary artists’ interpretations of Hello Kitty. Gary Baseman, Luke Chueh, and Buff Monster are a few of the artists whose work will be on display and for sale. A portion of the proceeds will benefit L.A. Works.

In addition to seeing one-of-a-kind artist creations, you can gaze into a mock apartment, filled wall to wall with Hello Kitty items. This may sound like a dream come true or a nightmare to you, but worth checking out either way. Another gallery will provide a retrospective of products from 1974 to present day that feature Hello Kitty, including some things only found in Japan. You be able to visit the on-site store featuring never- before-seen merchandise and also participate in an array of parties and workshops. Take a look at the calendar of events, which will continue to be updated with details for the various happenings.

The Three Apples Hello Kitty exhibition runs Friday, October 23rd through Sunday, November 15th. The FREE event is being held at Royal/T, located at 8910 Washington Blvd, Culver City 90232.

…and all weekend. LA Weekly photog-about-town and now LA Metblogs correspondent CuriousJosh has a list of stuff for you to do for the next four days. Pound a triple espresso and get on your dancing shoes…you’ll need ‘em both. Mr. Curious, take it away:

Hello Los Angeles,
Are you looking for something new and interesting?

I’m CuriousJosh, happily here on loan courtesy of LA Weekly. As a photographer covering underground culture, each week I’ll let you in on a few upcoming offbeat, fun, and weird events that truly make LA interesting. Then after the weekend, I’ll return with photo selections from a few of the events featured here, and even some of the secret events I habituate throughout LA’s underground nightlife.

A taste of the events we’ll be visiting can be seen in the photos on my website, and in this week’s LA Weekly CuriousJosh Column.

Read on for eclectic music, thousands of people doing the Thriller dance, puppets of all sizes, various celebratory skeletons, and at least one ape driving an ambulance!

Thursday: The Do Lab presents Beats Antique.
The Do Lab combines creative environment fabrication, with an ability to showcase music and artists. Known for Coachella’s Misting Oasis, outlandish event facades, and enormous art installations, The Do Lab has recently expanded to featuring artists in above ground Los Angeles venues.

Note: Apparently presale tickets have sold out for Thursday’s Beats Antique show, with guests Deru and Jupiter. There are a few tickets available at the door, so here’s your tip to arrive very early to attempt purchasing one of the few remaining door tickets. Avoid missing the next show by joining The Do Lab’s mailing list.

The Wandering Marionettes

Thursday: Kabinet Theater with the Wandering Marionettes.
Life-size interactive puppet personae, DJs, and dance performances highlight this monthly residency by Cirque Berzerk alumni, The Wandering Marionettes…. Read the rest of this entry →

If you are familiar with either of the characters listed in the above title then you know this is one of the coolest things to ever happen in history. Yes, Mister Jalopy is going to be opening up his top secret workshop in hopes of benefiting Machine Project. As Machine Project is a non-profit community organization, 90% of your ticket price (which ranges from $75-$250 depending on what you are hoping to get hooked up with) is tax deductible. I rarely post about fund raisers but having seen this elusive workshop, and knowing the folks behind this I’d say even at $250 it’s a steal, and you are helping support a year full of bad ass programming at MP. I might buy two tickets, just so I could have an excuse to go, leave, put on a fake mustache and then go back again!

The WTF?! Festival, hosted by The Actors’ Gang and curated by Tim Robbins, began last week in an ambitious eruption of creative insurrection.  It’s a ten week multi-discipline performance art festival featuring music, dance, film, theater and more all bent toward the singular cause of putting forth artistic material during an unsavory economic climate.  (Thus the title of the festival which was literally Tim’s reaction to being told there wasn’t enough money in the budget to do theater.)

Each week of the WTF?! Festival offers a wide range of activities from free events to $150 fundraising productions.  Because there is so much going on with this mighty undertaking, I will be doing regular updates here at LA Metblogs to keep you on top of everything, including an interview with Tim Robbins.

Here’s what’s happening on this week!

Tuesday night begins Week 2 with an exclusive look at the as yet unreleased documentary William Kunstler: Disturbing The Universe. It’s the story of the civil rights lawyer who fought for equality with Martin Luther King Jr. and represented the famed Chicago 8 activists as told by his daughters.  The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Emily Kunstler.  It begins at 8 pm and is free!

Wednesday night is a screening of The Aristocrats after which filmmaker Paul Provenza and special guests will discuss the film, not to mention offer up new Aristocrat jokes live.  Just $15 puts you in a seat for a rare evening of tawdry entertainment.  The bar opens at 7 pm. The show begins at 8 pm.

Thursday night is an evening of theater with the one woman production called The Need To Know performed by former Air Force Intelligence Analyst April Fitzsimmons. It’s a critically acclaimed performance exploring her journey from being a member of the armed forces to an activist in the peace movement.  The show is followed by a veterans’ forum.  The curtain goes up at 8 pm and tickets are $15.

Former Cirque du Soleil performer Daisuke Tsuji executes his one man visual poem Death And Giggles on Friday evening with a frenetic presentation of sock puppets, dance, clowning and balloons.  It begins at 9 pm and is $15.

Week 2 ends on Saturday with an intimate evening of music presented by 89.9 KRCW featuring singer/songwriter Jackson Browne with his son, Ryan Browne.  Tim Robbins and his son, Miles, will also put in an appearance.  This is a $150 fundraising event that begins at 8:30 pm.

For more information about the WTF?! Festival visit the website here.  Otherwise, keep a look out here at LA Metblogs for upcoming events.

This is my favorite time of year. October, Fall, Halloween. While I am somewhat nostalgic for changing leaves and crisp autumn air in the Northeast, I love the season here and am never at a loss for festive things to do. That may sometimes mean picking out that perfect pumpkin when it’s 90 degrees, but I’ve adjusted.

Heritage Square Mourners by Jodi

In case you are on the hunt for something different to do, I can highly recommend checking out the  Halloween and Mourning Tours at Heritage Square Museum. You’ll learn how people in the Victorian Era dealt with death, mourned for loved ones, and practiced Spiritualism, all through guides in period costumes. Maybe this sounds somewhat morbid to you, but I know I’m not alone in finding it fascinating.

Want to know more about Heritage Square Museum? Curious about the details for this cool event?

Click through, if you dare, for answers to those questions…

The annual Pumpkin Festival at Cal Poly Pomona opened today. I grew up going to the pumpkin patch at Cal Poly, but haven’t been there since ’97. Things have changed in the past 12 years and only for the better.

The festival has stuff for kids, such as face-painting and pony rides. Besides, you can’t beat $5 pumpkins. Granted, it was a bit hot today and they could have used more shaded areas, but I’m sure funnel cakes, roasted corn and $1 bottles of ice cold water will make up for that.

You can also hit up the Kellogg Farm Store for larger ($7) or smaller ($3) pumpkins. Make sure you bring a wagon or wheelbarrow. It’s a hike back to the parking lot. You can see more photos here.

******

There is also an Insect Fair going on at the Student Center (see photos).  So be sure to check that out too. Entrance to the Insect Fair is $6 adults, $4 students and children 3-12 years, 2 and under are free.

Parking: FREE
Admission to Pumpkin Festival: FREE
Pumpkins from the patch: $5 each ( beach ball size) or 5/$20
Insect Fair: $6 adults; $4 students and children 3-12 years; 2 and under are free!
Petting Zoo $1/person, $.50 for cup of food for the critters

Photography by Phil Holland

Thursday night of last week saw the return of Lucent Dossier to its home town for a night of music and play at the El Rey Theatre called Ravenous Rouge.  The reverently restored venue was a perfect backdrop for the unique brand of theatrical whimsy that has made Lucent Dossier beloved all over the world.

I attended the event solo, entering very close to the moment the doors opened to the public. Unlike my forays into Lucent Dossier’s world in the past, I was an observer rather than a participant. I selected an unmolested little corner of the bar to sip on my wine and witness what unfolded before me with a sense of awe.

Read the rest of this entry →

One of my favorite Europeans is giving a talk tonight at one of my favorite art/tech/supercenters right here in LA. Johannes Grenzfurthner, of monochrom fame, will be talking at Machine Project about, well… about failing. Here’s an academic description of the talk but really the description isn’t going to sell you – you are either the kind of person who knows that any talk Johannes gives is endlessly entertaining and worth driving hours to see, or you aren’t. So, see you there?

MAFA "Featured Artist" Rouzanna Berberian

Art is the word in the SGV this weekend. Specifically FREE Art shows and receptions in Pasadena and Monrovia starting Friday night running through Sunday. Pasadena will kick it off with ARTNight on Friday and host its ARTWalk on Saturday.  Saturday is the first day of the Monrovia Association of Fine Arts (MAFA) 46th Annual “Celebrate the Arts” that runs all weekend.

The featured artist at this years Celebrate the Arts is Rouzanna Berberian. I’ve enjoyed her art since I saw her first exhibition a couple of years ago. She uses very bold, expressive brush strokes with equally powerful colors in her paintings to stir some deep emotional connections. She can be found in space 6 in Monrovia’s Library Park located in Old Town Monrovia at 312 S Myrtle Ave.

In conjunction with MAFA the folks at NuVein will be hosting a Comic Con at the Monrovia Library on Saturday only. Additionally NuVein has numerous musicians scheduled to play through out Old Town Monrovia as well as Library Park adding to the overall festivities of the weekend.

Both the Pasadena ARTWalk and the Celebrate the Arts will have numerous kid friendly venues where they can can learn about art as well as create their own art. Read the rest of this entry →

I’m still not convinced there even IS a future for journalism, at least not as we’ve known it (and heck I have a degree in it). Further, I won’t exactly miss what it’s become. But that’s not the point -

Should you wish to witness a spirited and entertaining discourse on this very subject, however, why not head out to The Warehouse in Marina Del Rey on Saturday, and catch The Lowdown?

Here’s what your host Jeff Norman has to say about it:

The Lowdown is a bold cultural revival fueled by unique collaborations between world-class artists, authors, activists and other public-spirited leaders. Presenters and performers connect the dots between media, government, national security, sustainability, psychology and the arts. By confronting disinformation, promoting civic engagement and having fun in the process, we help people cope with life in America.

The Warehouse Restaurant
4499 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Hosted by JEFF NORMAN and featuring performances and a discussion with

music by I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. (Full set at 5 PM)
Author PETER RICHARDSON
Journalist ROBERT SCHEER
LA Weekly founder JAY LEVIN
Comedian ED CRASNICK
Musician-satirist GARY GORDON
Drinks and appetizers available – no minimum required.
Happy hour discounts from 5 to 6!
FREE admission
Seating is first come, first served.
The evening will conclude with a book sale and signing by Peter Richardson, author of A Bomb in Every Issue: How the Short, Unruly Life of Ramparts Magazine Changed America, hosted by Book Soup.

(Ow, my linking hand!)

This is happening in the hills above Calabasas, in the West Valley, so I have a soft spot for this new Halloween attraction. Plus, they incorporate actual real-life ghost storytelling into the event, which is crazy cool.

Looks spooky already: Gillette Ranch from above.

The Haunted Hayride was started by a couple gals who were transplants from the midwest & east coast, and who missed the Halloween hayrides they’d had in their childhoods. In addition to being super spooky ’cause it’s, well, in the woods and all, it has your standard scares and scream-inducing surprises. It also has readings of ghost stories, a carnival sideshow,  cider & candy apples, so I’m sold.

They’re getting well-known names to do the ghost story sessions, and it looks like Amy Smart will be doing this Friday’s reading.

They’ve given me a discount to pass on to you, our loyal Metblogs readers. When you buy your tix online, you’ll have the option to enter a promotional code: type in “Metblogs” for five bucks off! You’re welcome.

As mentioned yesterday by Lucinda, the Pee-Wee Herman Show originally scheduled to run this November at the Music Box has since been moved to Club Nokia in November.

Press releases cite the move was made due to “popular demand,” and promised those with existing tickets would be able to call Ticketmaster and to make arrangements to switch their purchase to comparable seats.

Alas, Twitter is all abuzz today (as are the comments of yesterday’s post) with tales of people being stuck on hold for hours with Ticketmaster, then when connected being told to call back later, or, perhaps worse of all, finding out “comparable” seats meant “comparably priced” seats, and that they’d have to pay extra to be as close to the stage or in as prime a spot as before. Numerous out of towners are upset that they’d booked airfare and hotels for a show they can now no longer attend.

Are you among the Pee-Wee fans who has been inconvenienced by this switcheroo? Let us know your story in the comments… were you able to get through to Ticketmaster? How long were you on hold? What were your original seats compared to the new ones?

A fair amount of cool things have come across my desk for this weekend…

Friday: DineLA Restaurant Week
Be warned: Restaurant Week’s low prices do NOT apply on the weekends. So Thursday & Friday’s your last chance to nab reservations to some of LA’s hottest joints like Chaya, Mr. Chow, Akasha, Arroyo Chop House, BLT Steak, even Royal/T (pretty much every place you wanna eat is participating…check here). Prices for these special price-fixe lunches & dinners top out at $44 per person at even the most snooty of steakhouses, so dash on over & make reservations asap!

Saturday: 26th Annual Hollywood Forever Cemetery Tour
The Art Deco Society presents its yearly tour of that star of the cinema scene, Hollywood Forever Cemetery.  It’s a one-day-only event, but tours depart every 20 minutes or so from 10am to noon. It’s a walkthru not only of Hollywood history–many of the stars of the Golden Era of cinema are interred here–but architectural styles as well, with gorgeous mausoleums & monuments.

Friday thru Sunday: The Bead Show
Attention, crafty people and my mom! Time to geek out on beads at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. If you’re like me, you’ll go, ooh and ahh over amazing beads, buy them, and then never do anything with them. But if you’re not like me, I can’t wait to see what you create!

Sunday: LA Luxury Chocolate Salon
Thousands of opportunities to sample chocolate, plus an art-meets-chocolate smackdown as top students from the California School of Culinary Arts attempt to create masterworks of fine art with chocolate. There will be a cocktail bar as well, with chocolate-based apéritifs.

Sunday: Part Time Punks Festival at The Echo
From 2pm to 2am these savants of all things musical and underground will be parading a veritable smorgasbord of awesome across the stage at the Echo.  Check out a DJ set from Gang Of Four, and music from Savage Republic, Abe Vigoda, Viv Albertine of The Slits, Rainbow/\Arabia, Brendan Mullen of The Masque, and gobs more.

Monday: Wumpskate at World on Wheels
It’s that time again:  The spookiest month of the year and goth roller skating collide for Wumpskate’s annual Halloween-themed skate night.  Costumes are, of course, mandatory insomuch as you will be totally scorned if you show up without one.  These goths don’t take themselves too seriously, though (who can, when they’re on a pair of tan-and-orange quad skates from 1982?), so prepare to have some serious fun.

Hat tip to Our Pal Dave Share from OC Metblogs for noticing this: Pee Wee Herman’s facebook page for his stage show announced that his show will be extended, due to popular demand, to Club Nokia!

The run will be from January 12th to February 2nd, and tickets go on sale this Thursday! If you are holding tix to his Music Box shows, you can exchange tickets by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-653-8000.