Astute readers and people with eyes alike will notice that things look a little different around here. It’s true, we’ve given ourselves a facelift! Yes it’s very exciting, but try to contain yourself. Your family and coworkers will thank you for it. That said it is rather exciting and there are a few big changes we’d like to bring to your attention. This will only take a moment, I promise.

COMMENTS: Comments no longer require registration. Anyone can write anything at any point. This should make some things interesting and maybe a bit more dangerous like the old days. Really interested to hear what you think about this one btw.

ADS: Less of the site is being dedicated to ads now and we finally have a feature many people have been asking for for years- flat rate / self serve! Check out those little square ads to the right, clicking on them will give you an option to buy that spot for a week at a time. Those spots are only for Los Angeles and we tried to make those spots very reasonable price wise as well to allow for local businesses to get in on the fun without having to go through our big scary national ad reps.

RIGHT COLUMN: Is now filled with much more content such as recent comments, our all city twitter stream, a local blog roll (post a comment if we need to add you to that btw) and more photos. We felt that space was kind of being wasted before, so this should put it to better use.

For an overly wordy explanation of why we made some of these changes, check out this post on my own blog but really you know the important stuff now, so enjoy!

Burbank Water and Power is conducting a beta test of a new residential energy and water savings program, the “Green Home House Call.” They need volunteers, preferably from single-family homes with automatic sprinklers, to help evaluate the program. As part of the test, you will receive free weatherization services, water efficient product installation, energy efficient lightbulbs and more.

If you would like to volunteer to be in the beta test group, please call 1.866.365.7358 to set up an appointment.

I ate a baker’s dozen of gyozas in one sitting once, and was pretty sure I was going to die.  Not so for Joey Chestnut, the reigning Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champ, who downed 231 gyozas (a record) at last year’s Gyoza Eating Championship in Little Tokyo.  Joey instantly became an Honorary Asian for his Stomach of Iron.  On Saturday at 3pm, Joey returns to defend his record, and his Honorary Asian distinction, at the Third Annual Gyoza Eating Championship.  On deck to challenge his prowess will be other ranked eaters, including Tim Brown, Eric “Badlands” Booker (an eater/rapper, but no word on whether he raps while he eats), and Kevin Ross.  A seat at the competitor’s table will be auctioned off immediately prior to the competition, for those seeking to change up their diet a bit.  The championship will be held at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo, which is the midst of  Nisei Week 2009, a nine day celebration of all things Japanese and Japanese American (congrats to Dana Fujiko Heatherton, who was just crowned the 2009 Nisei Week Queen on Saturday!).

For those who think with their head and not their stomach, Nisei Week also will host, for the first time, a Rubik’s Cube speedcubing tournament (no, I didn’t know speedcube was a word either).  Registration and full schedule can be found here.

Allez cuisine!

Image courtesy Gene.arboit under a Creative Commons license.

One of my stock events for visiting friends is to take them to the Glendale Forest Lawn cemetery, a short drive from where I live in Silver Lake. It’s a serene setting with towering shade trees, usually very empty, with views that look out over Glendale to the San Gabriel Mountains.

It has it’s restrained yet overwrought kitsch in the guise of a full-size replica of Michaelangelo’s statue of David (carved from Carrara marble from the same quarry as the original); a stained glass reproduction of Da Vinci’s Last Supper; and something called The World’s Largest Painting, a.k.a. The Crucifixion, that measures 195 by 45 feet and is housed in an enormous square building with a church facade. There’s also The World’s Second Largest Painting, The Resurrection, in the same building and they are both unveiled from behind a huge curtain in an auditorium  presentation with darkened lights and rumbling narration. Read the rest of this entry →

Did you know that there is a worldwide community of filmmakers who are creating independent 3-D movies without the backing of Hollywood studios? Well, there is. The L.A. 3-D Club‘s Movie Division has teamed up with the Downtown Film Festival-Los Angeles (DFFLA) to celebrate the current wave of do-it-yourself stereoscopic motion picture production.

The DFFLA is presenting an international program of 3-D shorts on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at the Downtown Independent, a new film and event center. I participated in a couple of the projects, including a movie that features one of my dogs, Rusty. Following the screening, a panel of talented filmmakers will convene to discuss making your own 3-D films. A rooftop wine and cheese reception will follow.

The 3-DIY event is tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18th, 7:30pm at the Downtown Independent, which is located at 251 S. Main St. Click here for the complete list of films and ticket information.

The Black Maria Gallery in Atwater Village is presenting a new exhibit called “Mutation,” opening tonight, Saturday, August 15th. From their website:

A hot generation of vinyl toy artists has been steadily infiltrating the art scene with their unique visions. These designers take a common “platform” toy, and through their creative and sometimes wicked sense of imagination, transform what is ordinary into the extraordinary.

Twenty-one artists participated in the show, including Rosie O’Donnell, whose custom figures will all raise money for charity. Another creator, Nathan Hamill, is a friend of mine who will be displaying and selling several  versions of his first vinyl figure, Boris, that have been customized by various people.

Boris by Nathan Hamill

We’re never too old for toys, right? So, go over to the Black Maria Gallery at 3137 Glendale Blvd tonight for the opening reception from 7-10:30 pm. The custom pieces will be be on display through September 5th.

Remote Area Medical, the organization that organized and coordinated a superhuman effort to provide free health care services to the uninsured and underinsured to LA-area residents since Tuesday at the Forum, has officially reached capacity for the duration of their one-week stay.  Starting at 5:30 a.m. every day since Tuesday, RAM has provided services from primary care to cataract surgery to thousands of people, most of whom waited in line for hours upon hours, and some of whom were ultimately turned away as the organization’s daily capacity too quickly hit its max.  On Wednesday, RAM took a page from old skool Ticketmaster and began distributing wristbands to those in line.  Those who received the wristband were told to return for services sometime between today and Tuesday.  As of the end of Wednesday evening, all wristbands and numbers have been distributed, and RAM will not see any band-less patients.  As they warn on their Twitter feed: “If u dnt hav a wrstband, pls do not drive or walk to The Forum.”

A sadly overwhelming success.  Let’s get on with this health care reform thing, shall we?

Magnolia Bakery in Manhattan’s West Village is opening a shop in Los Angeles, and the Blackburn and Sweetzer blog is speculating their new digs will be on 3rd St. and Orlando.

Today, the NYC bakery’s PR confirms that Magnolia is in fact expanding to Los Angeles, however, is not at this time confirming the location. So, keep your eyes peeled on 3rd and Orlando for scrumptious clues. I know I will.

(Thanks to my cupcake-loving friend Cheryl for the tip. She said, “i can’t wait…to wait in line for a magnolia cupcake again!”)

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to go downtown (do you need one?) or just get out of the house, the second annual Downtown Film Festival-Los Angeles (DFFLA) opens tomorrow night, Wednesday, August 12th, 2009. This 11-day event is offering up a great variety of activities in several downtown venues.

There seems to be a little something for everyone on the DFFLA menu from the typical indie fare to a series of music films to nightly parties. In addition, there are several FREE happenings such as a Paul Newman tribute, an all-day environmental event, short films, and a showcase of art videos.

The DFFLA opens Wednesday, August 12th with the 2009 Spike Lee documentary “Passing Strange” at the AT&T Center Theater and will close on Saturday, August 22nd with the never-before-seen “Jackson 5 in Africa” at the Los Angeles Theater. Find up to date festival info by visiting their website. More info on a particular screening yours truly highly recommends coming soon!

“From Hollywood, the newlywed capital of the world; here come the newlyweds!” will never sound the same again to Prop 8 supporters. Pity.

The Newlywed Game, the game show that started in 1966 and is now hosted by Carnie Wilson and sponsored by the eHarmony personals site, is scouting for married same-sex couples via Craigslist. Contestants need to be legally married in one state. From Craigslist:

NOW CASTING!!!

The Game Show Network is currently casting season 2 of

“The Newlywed Game”

Producers are seeking fun, outgoing couples to participate in the next season of this classic television game show!

Gay Couples: *Marriages must be legally recognized in 1 state

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact the Casting Team IMMEDIATELY at:

TheNewlywedGame@embassyrow.com

PLEASE INCLUDE: Names/Ages, City/State, Phone Number (with area code), Email Address, Wedding Date, and PHOTO.

All participants must be 18 years of age or older and married 2 years or less.

eHarmony recently got on the big gay bandwagon thanks to an anti-discrimination suit in New Jersey that forced them to climb on board. Before that, the site barred same-sex match-ups for their users. Times change.

Sure it’s a cliché, but Mondays generally suck. Just ask that cartoon cat Garfield or Office Space‘s Peter Gibbons. If you do end up with a “case of the Mondays” tomorrow, I can suggest a cure. Laughter is supposedly the best medicine and The DingBat Show delivers. Four talented clowns promise to entertain you with their absurd, silly, and often quite bawdy show. Yes, I said clowns. Get over it and prepare to have an evening of fun that you will want to tell all of your friends about.

I can’t make any promises about what you will see, but the two shows I’ve been to have included, among other hilarity, burlesque performers, puppets, ping pong balls, and a potty-mouthed mother. The L.A. Weekly describes past events as, “Killer clowns have infiltrated Silver Lake, but these bozos are not to be feared — unless of course you’re scared to die laughing.” Unless you hate fun, I highly recommend taking a break from your usual routine.

The DingBat Show is tomorrow night, Monday, August 10th at El Cid in Silver Lake. Doors are at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. El Cid it located at 4212 Sunset Blvd. and can be contacted at (323) 668-0318.

Park[ing] Day LA is a guerrilla protest that’s creative, fun, and socially relevant — in other words, tailor-made for Metblogs.  And it’s coming around again, for the third year, this September 18.  So what is Park[ing] Day LA?  As its organizers explain here, people all around Los Angeles will turn metered parking spaces into miniature parks, by feeding the meters and, instead of parking their cars in the spaces, well, take a look at the website and you’ll get the idea.

I like the cause, as encapsulated in the slogan “Parks Not Parking.” However, the practical side of me has a few questions about this:
Read the rest of this entry →

Morris Day will be performing at the Funk Fest among others this Saturday at The Greek Theatre

This Saturday is the Funk Fest at The Greek Theatre featuring Morris Day (“Jungle Love”), S.O.S. Band (“Take Your Time (Do It Right)”), Zapp (“Computer Love”), Midnight Starr (“No Parking on the Dance Floor”) and Con Funk Shun (“Love’s Train”).

Goldstar is offering HALF price tickets, only $32.95 if you buy them at Goldstar.com.

If you’re into funk, then you already know that this show is not to be missed – and at half-off, even you noob-to-moderate funkateers should get up off your seats and get down with us this Saturday. See you there, Funk Army!

I just got the announce from Sean Carlson of Part Time Punks & The FYF Fest (redundancy noted, but the name has now been changed from its former “F*ck Yeah Fest” moniker) for the festival’s Sept. 5th lineup, and holy smokes is it going to be amazing. (Tix go on sale tomorrow–details behind the jump.)

It also will be themed around “Save Our State Parks,” and will be held at the Los Angeles Historic State Park (formerly The Cornfield, where Cirque Berserk is performing now), so that’s super-cool too.

Highlights of the lineup include The Black Lips, Lightning Bolt, Tim & Eric, Lucero, No Age, Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio, Glass Candy, Darker My Love, Peanut Butter Wolf, Crystal Antlers, Mika Miko, Har Mar Superstar, Dios, Avi Buffalo & scads more to be announced. Full lineup of awesome behind the jump.

Read the rest of this entry →

Oh, no.  LA just found itself sans one great bar.  My favorite lezzie bar, my favorite bar, bar none:  after opening in 1993, The Normandie Room had its closing party on Friday night.  According to this article, the owner chalks up the closure to a never-ending street construction project on Santa Monica that decreased foot traffic and the generally depressed/recessed economy.  The sweet bar will be replaced by – natch – a boy’s bar called Gym.  On behalf of lesbians everywhere, I am so, so sad.

To fully appreciate the space that The Norm occupied, one has to realize that most gay bars on the Westside are catered to gay men and that these gay bars usually, sweetly, have lesbian-themed nights only one day out of the week.  Alas, for those of us who practice our lesbianism all seven days of the week, we have our pick of a very, very narrow set of full-time girl bars, all of which are obscene scenes and/or are quickly becoming heterosexualized (i.e., The Abbey).

The Norm didn’t start out as a full time lez bar (it’s motto was “No Homophobes, No Heterophobes, No Assholes”), but over time, we found a home in its deeply red walls, its cozy low-key ambience, and its generous pours.  It was a welcome, laid back neighborhood spot where the point of one’s night was not necessarily to pick up a girl, but to pick up a drink and maybe a game of pool.  There isn’t any other place like it – indeed, some places refuse to reside on this side of classy – and now, I’m at a loss as to where to go.  Oh, Norm.  I’ll miss you.