There aren't many times I wish I was one of those concert bootleggers who stashes state-of-the-art recording equipment, like omni-directional tiny mics in a baseball cap, to record concerts. Last night I wish I had one of those set-ups.

As part of this month's series of concerts and films, LA Philharmonic hosted Concrete Frequency: Sounds of The City. This is the third curated concert I've gone to at LA Phil and like the other nights, it was a mellow, beautiful experience. My buddies and I were grateful for uber professional lights and sound and in awe of Disney Hall's hidden intimacy. Each guest artist was assigend the task of playing 2 songs and encouraged to explain why those songs spoke to the evening's themes of exploring urban living. The stage was actually backdropped by each guest artist sitting on stage in a dimly lit living room set. The half-circle shape echoed the little amphitheater and the graceful curve of the Hall itself. With the Gehry organ shooting up into the audience in the round, every performer took the spotlight nervously, looking up at their pretty surroundings. With a collection of folk-rock musicians, everyone would have probably been more comfortable at the Troubadour, well, at least familiar. The curated event took singer/songwriters out of their bands and into the prestigious spotlight. Echoing the young crowd, the Disney Hall was filled with jeans rather than tuxes. Each artist's nervous energy only drew us in, listening to the words of radio hits rather than just plugging into our iPods for a morning bus ride. A city theme seems far too easy. Couldn't every indie-rocker explain why that one tune inspired by their last grueling tour is also an anthem about love lost and found in the urban environment? Isn't every rock song a love song written in some metropolis? Moving beyond this hype I was happy to learn that most songs are about what they are about, literally. I may load a mix tape up with all the moody tunes to make my latest lover an emotional wreck, but it's actually refreshing to learn Money Mark's neo-soul ditty "Black Butterfly" is really just about catching a black butterfly. The man mostly know in underground crowds and by Beastie Boys fanatics sat at the piano last night and told a sweet anecdote of chasing butterflies in the abandoned fields of his LA youth. John Doe from X not only played the obvious choice "Los Angeles" but I also learned he likes to write songs about skyscrapers. Zach Rogue from the Rogue Wave's song "Chicago x 12" is really about playing a shitty bar in Chicago 12 times in one year. Like an emo girl's wet dream, you can up the cutie factor simply by letting a shy shoegazer talk about his music. Rogue was especially easy on the ears and I was toe-tapping along to his song currently on the airwaves "Lake Michigan". In lieu of a recording here's my highlights:

Biirdie - A lovely quintet opened the night with "LA is Mars". The lead singer reminds me of every cool guy in High School who quietly doodled in the back of the class and sported an Amnesty International sticker on his Trapper Keeper. Joined by a harmonious group, each cute line like "take the last train to Griffith Park", makes them the newly crowned most crushable LA indie band.

Annie Stela comes from that group of lovely ladies who can't help but share themselves through song. I picture her sitting in her apartment constantly at the keyboard trying out new poetry. While not the most musically challenging, she fits the niche of the story of a girl coming to LA to make it and then years later actually finding happiness. She's got quite the set of pipes and can rock the piano foot pedals in stilettos especially when she played "Fool". She also played the story of her falling in love with LA thanks to walking the dog during the Jacaranda bloooms, even though the audience had to help her with that one. She just knew them as "those big purple flowers." It seems that's what every new Angeleno calls them.

Marc Bianchi was an awfully cute toothache. With a large bass acoustic guitar around his skinny frame he won us all over rocking back and forth, pointy elbows a-soaring. Known for fronting indie band Her Space Holiday he played "The Boys and Girls" a faithful version of the recording under his side project xoxo, panda. He said it was about three people in love and in different parts of the country. Very sweet, indeed.



Zooey Deshcanel brought the movie industry theme to the LA concert. A quirky actress, as well as an accomplished torch singer, she was accompanied by M. Ward on guitar. Not just bringing the movie star reference by being herself she also sang "Lonesome Town" which I don't think was some happy accident. Most of us know it from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Zooey and I are roughly the same age so I'm gonna believe we were introduced to the Ricky Nelson hit the same way, although probably not. She's way cooler. She probably knew every word by the time she was ten rocking out on her parents' shag rug with a pair of those oversized headphones. She invoked this little fantasy in my head last night rocking a voluminous white baby doll dress. She then wailed it on a cover of "I Put a Spell On You". Here's a video yanked from myspace:



Sondre Lerche got a loud applause, especially when he acknowledged the crowd behind the stage. It was like his fan club was all sitting there. The Norwegian cutie always puts on a good show. He was especially chatty last night, detailing every bit of his move from Norway to New York City. He played "Wet Ground" from his early album Two Way Monologue and "Minor Detail" from the jazzy 2006 The Duper Sessions.

Inara George from The Bird and the Bee sang for composing legend Van Dyke Parks at the piano. Inara wins best dressed for the night all decked out in a stunning brown floor length gown. They will be releasing an album together later this year and swang a number from it. But it was "Vine Street", the Randy Newman standard favored by Harry Nilsson (they both happen to have been BFFs with Van Dyke Parks) that really had the rest of the artists in a hard act to follow.



Bob Mould rocked his old Husker Du tunes "Thumbtack" and "Surveyors and Cranes". He said he hand't played these in ten years since leaving Austin. They sounded dated and he was underdressed but I felt fortunate to see someone so influential. Plus Mould spoke about dropping out of urban engineering school, which gave validity to the night's theme. Being a current DC native he got a big applause when he claimed, "Don't worry. Things will be better in November". Appealing to the cultured liberal = always a crowd pleaser.

Kyp Malone from TV On The Radio concluded with a long meandering experimental set. I was surprised to see the night take a dark turn full of ambient noise. Malone followed Grizzly Bear's front man and anyone who's gone to a Grizzly Bear concert knows how esoteric those boys can get. Malone's anecdotes were candid and real but I think the majority of the crowd had tuned out after the back to back of more famous faces. People started to take off early, in true urban LA fashion.

Labels: events, music, reviews

Tastespotting.com. I can't get enough of this site. It was recently described to me as the Food Porn Site. Go to it right now and you won't be sorry. In fact, you might just want to cancel your Gourmet subscription 'cuz the food bloggers of the world are taking over. I've never seen so many unique and delicious recipes in one spot. I used to troll Epicurious.com for recipes but after bland search results and flawed results I gave up looking there for cooking inspiration. Sometimes an event just calls for wow-ing food and sometimes you can't put your finger on what you're craving. Then along came the pretty pretty pictures on Tastespotting. Every day there's 36 new finds, complete with pictures, reviews, and recipes. They're collected from some of the hippest food blogs around the web. The recipes have plenty of commentary which makes them easy to follow for new comers and then some blogs provide challenges to the more experienced palate. Examples: Ever wonder what beet ice cream tasted like? Ever want to throw a Willy Wonka inspired picnic? These questions never crossed my mind before but now my recipe file expands with new twists on old standbys and just new inspiring delights. More than recipes, there's kitchen gadget reviews, party ideas, and updates on all food related debates - like designer bottled water. (Fabulous or Ridiculous?) They even have a widget you can place on your own desktop or blog to keep you updated to every new delight the tastespotters find. Just now I got hit with baklava ice cream, the ultimate scone recipe and salami and ricotta pies. My mouth won't stop watering.

Labels: food, reviews, www.internet.com

My kind friend Matt took some fun pictures of Silver Lake's Annual Sunset Junction Street Fair on Saturday. Link to his entire Flickr pool here.




Like always the Junction fell on the hottest day of the year. We sweated out the heat and stayed for lots of bands, fair food and the eclectic round-up of local artisans, shops, sponsors, and people-watching. A highlight of the day was happy hour hosted by Malo. Their patio was an oasis of kind bartenders and top shelf margaritas for $5. Thank you to Steffie at Yelp.com LA for pointing the way and providing drink coupons. The prize wheel over at Amoeba Records' tent was an inventive way to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims and any spot with shade was a god-send. Just a buck donation and you could walk away with little prize packs courtesy of LA Weekly or just get a taste of what a Price Is Right contestant feels like.






The main stage as expected packed the biggest crowd, especially for Autolux and Blonde Redhead. And like every year technical snafus stalled set times. Sea Wolf took it in stride and was able to get to his new hit -"You're A Wolf" which got everyone and their parasols jumping after slower Bright Eyes sounding tunes.

The community vibe was strongest Saturday night at the smaller Sanborn stage where Morris Day & The Time delighted a diverse crowd. Shirtless gay men and police officers swaying in time to "The Bird" was the picture of harmony. Young and old shared stories with the clueless but impressed on-lookers which mainly started with "You know, the villian from Purple Rain" or "You know, the band from Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back". I included came naively for the spectacle and stayed for the soul.

A couple new restaurants opened their doors just in time for the crowded weekend. Flore is a happy addition to the strip offering vegan cuisine. They make a tasty lemonade and offer many natural elixirs. Even though they served a limited menu I'm sure they'll have the Jicama taco roll-up creations I tried on a daily basis. Full of hummus and deligthfully seasoned the faux tacos are a welcome alternative to the dried out tempeh your veggie friends probably try to stuff down your throat.

Sunset Junction has another coffee house now too. Intelligentsia Coffee threw quite the opening bash on Friday night, thanks to jugs of sweet wine from the Silver Lake Wine gang. It sure got the Street Fair weekend off to a bang as many hipster hangovers continued to be nursed well into Sunday. Intelligentsia makes good use of the space next to the Silver Lake Conservatory of Music that has been boarded up for as long as I can remember. It's a yuppie's wet dream for sure to be able to sample gourmet coffee of varying quality grades and then pay up to $120/pound for the finest blend (plus it was plugged on Daily Candy.) Too upscale for the 'hood? Time will tell. But a decent cup of coffee is never unwelcome especially when they offer so many Direct Trade and shade grown varieties.

Dogs barking and happily exhausted by the end of the night I still am glad to live in a neighborhood that hosts one of the funnest events of the summer. Yes, I yearn for the days when it was a truly donation based event. The $15 entry fee this year (aka MANDATORY DONATION wtf?) kept the locals out for at least one of the days. Many complained about the defeat of the Street Fair's original intent to be a community building event. A message to the Sunset Junction Neighborhood Alliance: Please pass on to your organizer that if you truly want to continue promoting a neighborhood event you must treat the people in the neighborhood nicely. They're the people that you meet each day. As big as the Junction is it sends everyone living off of Sunset away for the weekend when they should be mingling with Latinos and Leather Daddies in the spirit the event intended 27 years ago. A lowered donation for residents is mandatory. Or give up your non-profit front all together and come out to LA as the concert promoter you want to be. Or make it a charity event worth the cost of admission. Or introduce a weekend pass deal. Or better publicize the free wristbands offered at Tsunami Coffeehouse for the residents living right on Sunset Blvd. Or let everyone in half price during the early part of the day and make the Eastside invaders who come to see the headlining acts pay the full cover price. This is what we call compromising, which after all the Silver Lake Improvement Association's petitioning this year the Junction still did not know the meaning of the word.

Like so many popular summer events around LA, the Junction has outgrown her britches. The new location layout where the majority of vendors sat on Santa Monica Blvd. was disorientating at first but on the bright side allowed breathing room further East on Sunset for the daily traffic. The local shop owners along Sunset were cut out of the action but provided dinner & drink specials, sales, Air-Conditioning, and after parties. Bingo the wiener dog at cute store Pull My Daisy was especially friendly when I saw him early in the day. The gang at Thinkspace Gallery not only hosted live painters and a flashy gold tee-pee but a couple doors down sold homemade cupcakes with a smile. Overall everyone was cashing in and acting neighborly, just as they have in past years. In the words of much more cliched man "They may take our mandatory donations but they will never take our freedom."

Labels: events, local, reviews

Stay tuned for all the interesting tid-bits and reviews I pick up this weekend from Comic Con 2007 in San Diego. On the personal schedule so far: face time with Fantagraphics, Beowulf the animated movie screening, Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen panel, Family Guy table read, and meet the Batman66 crew.

Every day I get more excited about something new to do/see there. Right now I'm completely looking forward to the Superbad sneak peek. Michael Cera is becoming quite the comic wunderkind. If you doubted his brilliance as George Michael Bluth on Arrested Development then you must rediscover his boyish charms in his and Clark Duke's hilarious new webisodic series "Clark & Michael". Episode 10 just came out today.

CBS backs the series hoping to cash in on the young Internet audiences who ad-execs don't believe have the attention span to sit through 26 minutes of regular TV programming anymore. No matter the network nor social implications, Cera and Duke have been given any young performer's dream. Consider it Curb Your Enthusiasm Jr. as the boys constantly go through new creative lengths of self-sabotage. Like another comedy-duo phenom, Flight of The Conchords, the boys play up their dorkiness as they go after unattainable women and goals, get shot down, and come home to each other. Insert the long string of awkward, homophobic moments. But that's the appeal of the buddy-buddy comedy genre. After a long day of hitting the gym (in this case, the basement workout room of the boy's Marina del Rey furnished apartment) or taking "lunch meetings", it's nice to know you've still got an ally in the industry. Don't miss the cameos by Arrested Development alumni David Cross and Andy Richter. Judd Apatow fans will also be pleased to see the camaraderie continuing with appearances by Jonah Hill (Cera's Superbad co-star), Martin Starr (aka "Martin Scorsese on coke" from Knocked Up), and John Daley (number one geek from Freaks & Geeks) . Still doubt Cera has what it takes to join the Apatow crew? Check out his video resume, "Impossible is the Opposite of Possible" originally made for an 826LA benefit last year.

Labels: comics, reviews, television, videos

One of the perks of my little day job involves advance screenings and I was fortunate enough to attend the first episode of HBO's brand new John From Cincinatti. It premieres this Sunday on HBO following The Sopranos finale. The show is about surfing, drama in a dysfunctional family, San Diego border town politics, and paranormal activity thrown in. I was anxious before to see what this show was really about and now one word sums up my feelings: Stoked.

First thing you need to know: the posters around town do not lie. That is not some sort of transcendental metaphor. Mitch Yost, paterfamilia of the legendary Yost surfing clan, based on real-life surfing family the Fletchers, really does levitate. He doesn't know why at first, and neither will you. It's a convenient hook and even more convenient is Mitch doesn't have a lot of time to investigate his new quirk when he's got his family to deal with. Mainly the madness comes from his ex-celebrity surfer son, Butchie Yost and Butchie's smack addiction. Both men feel victimized by the world of professional surfing that made them legends and then spit them out. Butchie's son, Shaun Yost, played by real-life surfing phenom Greyson Fletcher, sets the conflict in motion when he tried to go pro at 13 years old. Shaun, no longer fit to be parented by Butchie, has been adopted by his grandparents. Granny Yost, Cissy (Rebecca De Mornay) runs the local surf shop and could not be more proud or supportive of Shaun's talents. But Mitch and Butchie couldn't argue more about the matter and spend the majority of the episode forbidding Shaun from entering his first big surf contest in Huntington. And there's a slew of misfits in the supporting cast to give Shaun their two-cents including a delusional ex-cop, the family attorney who's also a surfer-groupie, Ramon the flea bag motel manager, and Vietnam Joe the border smuggler. With the eccentric characters running around Imperial Beach like it's their own nightmare-scape no wonder they easily accept the stranger who appears rather mysteriously the same day as the surf contest. That's John Monad and he might be from Cincinnati. John is the blank slate, literally. He cannot act or talk unless he learns it from someone else. Everything from opening a car door to cussing out Butchie he picks up like a trained sponge. He's come with two messages which he prophetically repeats at key moments -- "Mitch Yost has got to get back in the game" and the ever-popular "The End is Near". We assume he's here to save the Yost family and the game is surfing. How that game is played is what we're staying tuned to find out.

David Milch created John along with "surf-noir" writer/Pomona native Kem Nunn. Like Milch's previous HBO success Deadwood, I tuned in first for the subject matter and then continued to get sucked in week by week by cryptic, practically biblical language, and bizarre character choices. Last time it was the Wild West, this time it's a chapter from my own history, the San Diego surfing scene. When little Shaun Yost busts out his "Sponsor Me" DVD I re-call the days of video-taping my brother shredding on his Gravity skateboard down our bougainvillea-lined street and listening for just the right NOFX song to use as the background music. Our high school AV Club was full of kids editing their surf/skate reels surrounded by success stories of the kids who were sent around the world by the sandal, sunglasses, board and wax companies. There's also plenty of typical moments thrown into John apart from the obvious surfer-lingo and locations. Milch actually shoots the exteriors in Imperial Beach which is refreshing for any coastal Californian who knows the beach breaks look different even from Silver Strand to Redondo. I was particularly moved by a moment at Butchie's squat, the Snug Harbor Motel, when Ramon Gaviota (Luis Guzman) with the help of lawyer/surfer Meyer Dickstein (Willie Garson) sells his interest to a lottery winner from Azusa. The lottery winner steps right into the middle of San Diego stereotypes: Yuppies, Mexicans and Surfers.

Then the surprises start happening at a rapid fire pace. It's ultimately comedic and you should feel free to laugh at the outlandishness of it all. John himself is awfully funny and touching at the same time, much like Johnny-5 from Short Circuit. Seeing his transformation will be especially entertaining and meaningful. The last moments of the episode include him on his new board on a curling wave with the golden sunset behind him and it's beautiful.

Second thing you need to know: TV fans will gasp "that's Dylan McKay!" in the show's first shot and then later "That's Al Bundy!". Luke Perry and Ed O'Neill both get their dramatic reckoning here. You'll also reacquaint yourself with Deadwood favorites Jim Beaver and Austin Nichols as John. I'm positive more HBO alums will step foot on Imperial Beach's shores and they will bring with them the unparallelled level of television fans have come to expect. Fans are also expecting a big hit to replace their dearly departed Sopranos and Fisher family. I predict John will be a sleeper but the sleeper hit creeping up on you is what will be the most fun to watch along with all those surfing shots. After the screening all I wanted to do was head to the beach.

Labels: reviews, television

I don't want any more frozen yogurt shops in my neighborhood. They are taking up valuable retail space that could be gentrified into a delicious, organic salad bar like Mrs. Winston's.

I've had the fortune of working at two different office buildings which were both within steps from a Mrs. Winston's Salad Bar. Like a Whole Foods or City Bakery salad bar, they will rob your pocketbook. Unlike the aforementioned their selection is consistently stellar. My favorite aspect that sets Winston's on top is every cup of delight on the salad bar is finely chopped. No more messy cherry tomatoes. No more ginormous cucumber slices invading your lunchtime delight. And there are vegan options galore. I constantly crave the dairy free pasta salad choices, of which there are normally at least 4 varieties. Even if you go the omnivore route that's all the comfort with none of the guilt from mayo or processed animal bi-products.

After some time on the Winston's weekly fix and wearing out just about every possibility I stand by two original recipes. Start with the three compartment to-go container. Go in order on the salad bar line. Add a scoop of each ingredient.

Sunshine Salad
1. Mixed greens (that's your salad's base)
2. Dandelion greens
3. Cilantro
4. Shelled snap peas
5. Finely chopped cauliflower-broccoli mix
6. Broccoli sprouts
7. Shredded carrots
8. Corn kernels
9. Golden beets
dressing: Mustard Flax Oil
sides: Classic or dairy-free potato salad, Smoked vegan chicken pasta salad

I Heart Asian Salad
1. Romaine mix base
2. little spinach leaves
3. Purple basil leaves
4. Chopped red kale
5. Soy sprouts
6. Golden beets
7. Red beets
8. Hearts of palm
9. Cubed chicken pieces
dressing: Ginger Sesame
sides: Wasabi ramen noodles, Sugar snap peas

Items that make any salad better:
a. Purple basil
b. Finely chopped cauliflower-broccoli mix
c. noodles - crunchy or pasta
d. Tabasco (really!)


Mrs. Winston's Green Grocery only at these 3 Westside locations:

2901 Ocean Park Blvd.
Santa Monica, 90405

Water Garden office food court
2450 Colorado Ave.
Santa Monica, 90404

Century Towers office food court
1999 Avenue of the Stars
Century City, 90067

Just who is Mrs. Winston? I have yet to find out. All I know is she is one dedicated lady to providing all the flavorful healthy stuff. No stale brown rice cakes on her shelf! Still not organic-converted? Check out a song written by one very happy customer on Yelp.

Labels: DIY, food, reviews

Last night you could find me front row at LA Phil's Russian Chanson night at the Walt Disney Hall stomping my foot along to Devotchka. Many of the band's fans were there clapping and toe tapping along, cheering for every recognizable cue from the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack, and I couldn't help but wonder what we would have been doing if we were in another more rock friendly locale. We'd probably all be dancing in the front rows, maybe even experimenting with a Russian inspired jig, but definitely all kicking our heels up in glee every time Devotchka's Nick Urata whistled a perfect note or Jeanie Schroder danced under her sousaphone or Tom Hagerman took an accordion solo or Shawn King reached under his drum kit for his trumpet. These band members hail from Denver, CO and perpetuate a very big trend in indie-rock today: the multitasker. Rock bands of a high caliber already blow their audiences away with their culmination of talent and charisma but lately the need for a backing band is eliminated when a frontman sings, plays five different kinds of guitars, and even orchestrates a theramin, as Urata does so coolly. Studio sessions get recreated on stage without much need for a wall of sound accompaniment. On stage loops provide enough ambiance now and every musician comes off as a scholar to this new wave. Schroder keeps time on bass with sometimes a cello and sometimes a sousaphone, which was decorated with red twinkly lights for last night's performance. Hagerman came across last night as the true engineer of the group, melding the Slavic-Mariachi traditions the band draws on each time he seamlessly shifted from accordion to violin. He ended up sitting first chair in a quartet from the LA Phil at one point in the night with a beatific smile on his face. Hagerman impressed me in his sharp Beatles-esque thin suit bringing the rock-pop on drums to the traditional instruments which gave the evening its needed modernization. If it was appropriate to stand, he would have brought the crowd to our feet when his trumpet hit cinematic highs. Sometimes I heard Leone and sometimes Gypsies. Many times we felt like dancing but the formal Disney hall kept us all seated. My row twitched under their bobbing knees and snapping fingers. We met a woman who had come down from Denver for the night and said she hadn't missed a Devotchka show in years. She said they often have acrobatic dancers on stage with them. While no acrobats showed up last night the Chanson program hosted a handful of Russian vocalists and a very special performance from poet Saul Williams. The technical feat of the night was impressive, like taking in an opera where the grey-haired techies dispense their vast wisdom through each lighting and sound cue. Williams broke out from his expertly placed mic and shook the crowd with a thunderous quick speaking voice. He started with a previously published poem which examined Paul Robeson's testimony to the House of Un-American Activities Committee and then segued to a new piece which took us on an echoing journey finding new love, finding country, and finding your country at war. Slam poetry, indie-rock and Russians? It was slightly irrelevant to the general public. Several members of the audience left after Devotchka, but then they missed the finale where every musician was brought on stage to sing a traditional Russian freedom song. Two dancers in dresses suggesting Russian peasant girls kicked up their heels and linked elbows. If only we could have done the same.

This Saturday, May 26 the Shadows of Stalin program continues at Disney Hall with PRAVDA which will host some of the most revered DJ's including Amon Tobin, Cut Chemist and DJ Spooky. Watch a cute lil' promo video here. Tickets still available at ticketmaster.

Labels: music, reviews

Once upon a time I moved to Los Angeles without a care in the world and no idea where anything was. Thank goodness for Citysearch to point the direction to a lunchtime bite or a dingy dance club. But which site would I turn to for dentist suggestions, bikini wax confessions, or really how long you had to wait in line to get into The Short Stop and is it worth it? So thank you, thank you Yelp.com - one of many new sites based on reader reviews. Also, reader submitted pictures give you an idea really what somewhere looks like when often a restaurant's webpage can make a mini-mall corner spot look like the Bellagio, and quite possibly just as tacky. You still have to read between the lines to really get the scoop on one Pinkberry versus another, for example. But so many new reviews are added each day - more than I can say for the cobwebs hanging on Citysearch.

The biggest discovery today: Tiki Ti has a calendar. Here I was thinking my favorite summertime bar kept the regular hours of half past whenever we feel like it to time to get the hell outta my bar. Well, the later time I guess is still true. Their website also has a pretty amusing gallery of the regulars - People to think about next time you see the drones of westsiders lining up outside on some weekend waiting to get in.

Labels: bars, reviews, shopping, www.internet.com

The Academy Awards are a second Christmas around these parts. I'm one of those hopeless movie lovers who will sit through the entire grueling pace of a show and ooh and aw through the pre-show even. ABC's pre-show lacked that certain panache - mainly showing any piece of the red carpet. Did everyone show up late this year? Were the cameras blocked by cameras from other networks? It didn't make any sense to keep cutting back to Randolph Duke talking about the gowns and never actually see the gowns. Even Seacrest over at E! had a hard time getting some face time with the nominees. Personally, I liked J-Hud's get-up when no one else seemed to. J-Lo's Marchesa goddess/60s throwback frock was my favorite. Helen Mirren proves actresses over a certain age are still hot. Ellen was a hilarious host but a safe host. The gospel number at the beginning could have been a page from her talk show but the myspace shots with Spielberg and Eastwood were incredibly charming. It would truly be incredible if the producers of the Super Bowls ever got their hands on the Oscar telecast. I don't think the country will sit through another yawnfest of poorly picked clip montages. The antics of modern dance troupe Pilobolus were ingenious. Please give an Emmy to the writers behind the song sung by Will Ferrel, Jack Black and John C. Reilly. Rhyming "Ralph Nader" with "gay coal mining movie with James Spader"? Genius.

The gallery.




Some more trivial trivia to impress the water cooler crowd:

- The Departed is a remake of the film Infernal Affairs, a Chinese film, not Japanese as mis-announced over the crowd when the best screenplay winner accepted his trophy.

- Peter O'Toole is now the most nominated actor to not win a trophy with 8 attempts. He did however receive a lifetime achievement statuette in 2002.

- Kate Winslet is the youngest most nominated actress at 31 with 5 to her name.

- You are more likely to win a best actor/actress award if you play someone famous. (Idi Amin, Ghandi, The Queen, June Carter Cash, Aileen Wuornos, etc..)

Trivial trivia gathered from the Academy Awards database.

Labels: film, reviews, television, videos

Courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com LA, I sampled this new project in which photographer Patrick Ecclesine attempts to capture the many lives on the entire 25 mile strip of Sunset Boulevard. Faces of Sunset Blvd. is an online photo essay broken up by neighborhood. You can slickly travel the website from Downtown to the Palisades and meet a couple residents. The people Ecclesine captured are stereotypical on a grandiose scale. You kind of have to expect it from a project that set out to recreate a cinematic feel in a city built by the entertainment industry. Ecclesine calls Los Angeles "the city best known for the manufacturing and packaging of fiction" but what his highly photoshopped images document is everyday people in what he assumes is the everyman's dream - starring in the opening credit sequence of some action flick on Sunset Blvd.

The movies and effects on Ecclesine's site drive home this simple metaphor even more. Titles pop at you as if you're in the back room of a seedy trailer and effects house. Every neighborhood is given a soundtrack you can listen to as you glance the photos and read the individual's testimonials. Echo Park gets an urban groove (we know it's urban because there are cop car sirens in the background) while Palisades goes for a groovy surfer vibe. The only unique moments in this whole online experience come in a couple of quotes from the participants. Henry Winkler and his son Max are adorable. The doctors of Kaiser Permanente are a little disturbing. The only new information I took away from the experience is seeing the vast indiscrepancies of per capita income. Silverlake: $17 thousand versus Bel Air: $107,412.

Lately I've been walking into the LA vs. NY debate where every self-righteous Manhattanite is at a loss when they encounter someone who actually prefers Los Angeles over their precious island. While this photo essay could easily be another 9/11 memorial piece (there's that epic slice-of-life quality) it also enforces all the stereotypes an outsider sees - Hollywood is full of actors; people get shot downtown; old Asian men are amusing. But the photographer is Angeleno born and raised. Maybe he really is a product of his environment.

Labels: art, reviews

In the same vein as Project Runway, Bravo TV starts its new reality-contestant show tonight, Top Design. Like the fashionistas and Top Chefs before, a group of talented interior designers will compete for title of Top Designer. The judging panel promises to catch that watchable blend of critique and cattiness with home designer Jonathan Adler heading and Todd Oldham hosting. LA Times insinuated the first challenge is not the most visually interesting. A bunch of self-proclaimed fabulous people sit around sketching and talking leading up to the big end of show reveal when they have to decorate a "sanctuary room". And the folks over at TLC are probably wondering what took Bravo so long to jump on the home decorating bandwagon. But one can expect talented individuals amidst the bitchy backstabbing that seems to be a staple on all reality shows as much as claws to the face fights were on Jerry Springer.
So after Top Chef crowns its latest drama king with the big floppy hat, stick around for more drama, more design, and water cooler talk the next morning.

Top Design
Bravo (Channel 57 for the Time Warner cable folks)
11:00pm PST

Labels: design, reviews, television

Thanks everyone for holding tight while I was vacationing. Jealous? I'm already missing warmer climates and hope my tan doesn't fade as much as I'm afraid it will.
I highly recommend travelling the Mexican coast. You gonna see sunsets like this in LA? Even with the smog, I think not.

Labels: reviews

Do you have a special occasion in your office and the basic cake and candles just isn't cutting it anymore? Have you jumped on the cookie bandwagon yet? If not, you and your sugar-fiending co-workers are missing out.
Newly formed Sweet Cheeks Cookies offers dozens and dozens of unique recipes and will make you a made-to-order box and deliver to your next cookie craving crisis. Just contact owner/baker Courtney Cowan to work out all the details.
Each dozen comes packaged beautifully in a white box tied up with a pink satin bow. Priced at just $22.95 a dozen, Sweet Cheeks Cookies is a perfect solution for birthdays, Valentine's Day and just because.
Order by email: info@sweetcheekscookies.com
or phone: (310) 360-1074.

Labels: local, reviews, shopping

The premise behind this elaborate production is simple: make up a musical/pageant/spectacle , where all props and costumes must be made from items found at the 99cents Only Stores. An annual event, the past four shows have seen musical variety shows, feuding tribes of puppeteers, a 99cents Only village, and last year's dinner theater set in Wyoming. If you grew up with any exposure to Lawrence Welk, this year's show is a familiar premise: the pageant of the four seasons. Ushured in by a glorious Mother Nature, Summer through Spring follows a young man and lady through four show stopping numbers. Writer/Director/Choreographer Ken Roht has an interest in minimalist opera and sought to grow as an artist with more abstract collage work. What occurs each second on stage is not just collages of technicolor plastics but a series of gorgeous tableaus where the Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock would be jealous. With at least a dozen dancers on stage at all times, producer Jessica Hanna assures this is not the largest cast in the 99 cents show's history but by far this year boasts the most donations. (99cents Only lets the company have free reign on their warehouse and all designers are encouraged to keep buying as the budget allows). Familiar household objects pop out of plastic palm tress, like rainbow feather dusters and loofahs. Laundry baskets double as giant flowers. Christmas tinsel dresses the dancers' hula skirts. In fact the only thing not originating from the 99cents store would be the performers' leotards and sneakers, a minimalist white which makes everyone on stage deranged mimes. Each season anticipates a giant song and dance number and every actors' physical abilities are top-notch. In L.A. we get a nod to the plight of the out of work triple-threat, when the actor under the Lizard-Elvis makeup from the summertime Hawaiian under-the-sea showstopper flashes his headshot and phone number on the back wall. The screen on the back wall is another layer to the mayhem morphing like a giant screensaver to fit the mood of each season. Fall brings a modern ballet, while Winter is not the predictable Nutcracker snowflake suite, but a sparse meditation where the white of snow is no longer associated with purity but creates cold. This is the moment in the 50 minute show where one can rest from the sensory overload and actually appreciate the artistry by every cast member. Spring, of course, comes to full bloom and re-awakening but with a folk music soundtrack. Did I mention every bit is original music and lyrics? The arrangement is wonderful if not lost in the bootleg theater's sound limitations. Fans of past shows and lovers of all things Americana-kitsch will find a home here and maybe think twice when buying their next cheap toilet brush.

The pageant has been extended but will close Jan. 28th.

The 99 cents Only Modern Something presents
Pageant of the 4 Seasons
Thurs-Sat 8:00pm
Sun 7:00pm

Bootleg Theater
2220 Beverly Blvd.
Echo Park
(213) 389-3856

Labels: performances, reviews

If you listened to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's first self-titled album, then you know these guys are clever lyricists, artsy vocalists, and craft a unique sound more likely to share a category with Talking Heads than a lot of recent indie rock.
What you may not know is that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are releasing their second album "Some Loud Thunder" Jan. 30 and have a great offer on their website. If you pre-order the CD on their site you'll also get the entire album's MP3s. MP3 tracks are available on Jan. 16, when you'll receive an email with a special code. The you'll get the actual CD in the mail on the 30th. Then you can brag to all your friends.
Two tracks on the website right now for your listening pleasure are "Love Song No. 7" with a Cat Power-esque piano section, and "Underwater (You and Me)" a similar sounding track with plenty of charm. "Satan Said Dance" played on Indie103.1 this morning and has a lot more kick and kookier singing.

Labels: music, reviews

Spike Lee will be on hand at Borders in Westwood tonight to sign copies of his newly released DVD When The Levees Broke. I gotta say, this is one of the most important, and unique documentaries to come out this year. It raises and answers so many questions left after the Hurricane Katrina disaster. For those of you unable to see it on HBO when it aired earlier this year, now is your chance. It doesn't heal any wounds. In fact, watching it may open new ones, but it is worth it and never more relevant.

Wednesday, Dec. 20
7:30pm
Spike Lee in-store appearance
Borders bookstore
1360 Westwood Blvd
310.475.3444

Labels: events, film, reviews

Gasp! Is it redundant or odd to critique a critique? Republish an article? This morning I read LA Weekly's cover story on the Silver Lake music scene, and while there isn't a lot of shocking information, it does a good job recognizing Silver Lake has always been a region, not a sound. The article deserves discussion. Plenty of artists have come out of here, defining themselves by their humble coffee shop/dive bar roots but there has never been one unifying movement or "sound" associated with it. Beck and Elliot Smith constantly defied expectations and genres unlike than say, the East Village scene in 1980s New York. And sure, you can always label the music, the people, even the brand of smokes they buy Hipster. But even that word has lost its meaning, gone the way of the Yippie it seems.
The Weekly gives props to local legends Autolux and Silversun Pickups as well as Hit Me Back, South Central teenagers with hardcore DIY know-how. The article outlines a history we all might not know. I was pleased to see attention paid to the Onyx Cafe, the coffee shop/performance space that used to be next to the Vista. How great would it be to see that reopen?

Labels: local, newsworthy, reviews

While I was away on turkey day, visiting family and friends back home in Encinitas, I came across some pleasant surprises in my sleepy home beach towns. It's definately worth a trip down south when the holiday pressure comes on.

Beach Grass Cafe
159 South Highway 101
Solana Beach, CA 92075
858.509.0632
Could not be a more perfect brunch place. The servings are huge but the food is healthy. Something I didn't know: They ranked #7 in the country for the best pancakes by AOL travel. It's no wonder. I had the blue corn pancakes with pineapple. It was like a navajo pineapple upside down cake. So sweet and cripsy you didn't need the butter and syrup. Their turkey hash is a favorite too - nice and spicy and a good combo with a mimosa, served in a large glass.

Grounded
25 East E Street
Encinitas, CA 92024
760.230.1563
The best holiday shopping this year is local shopping. This home & mainly garden shop has the prettiest gifts. They've got all the modern planters I tought I would never find outside of Palm Springs. Last year I was fortunate enough to receive one of their vases made especially for bulbs. The roots can get a little icky, so fill it with pretty pebbles.

Anthropologie
Forum at Carlsbad #4-158
Carlsbad, CA 92009
760.436.9110
Fashion has hit the strip malls. Their sales rack is impressively full with even more discounts being taken at the register (not something I can claim for all of the chain stores). I found the perfect soap dish I will use for collecting jewelry on my desk instead of soap for $4. Not to mention my dream silk dress.

Labels: food, reviews, shopping

Jon Brion at Largo: Friday Nov. 17.
Firstly, Largo has a lot of rules. In order to see Jon Brion (famed music producer of Fiona Apple, Beck, Kanye West, etc) play at his club you either have to A.) make a dinner reservation: which you can get by being music business connected or tracking the online reservation list like a desperate eBay auction or B.) wait in line to grab a seat at the bar. It's first come first serve, which the doorman enforces by handing out playing cards to the first 12 people in line. They are guaranteed bar stools and they usually start lining up at 5:30pm for the doors to open at 8:00pm. Everyone else gets standing room. Once inside it's like being on an airplane: no cell phones, no cameras, no recording, no electronic devices of any kind, and keep your arms and legs out of the aisles. Do not talk once the show begins and please abide the two drink minimum. Friday night was also $15 cash cover at the door. Exact change will get you a smile, saving spots in line will get you the hairy eyeball.
The card method is good for those of us fortunate to leave work early on a Friday night and beat traffic. Then you and your party can forgo the line outside and enjoy the local eateries on Fairfax the come back when the doors open around 8:30. That is, if you and your party can't get a dinner reservation at Largo. And beware: those parties that don't fill their dinner reservation will be forced to forfeit their table. So you will see the line of reservation people asking the standing room only line people if they would like to fill the empty seat at their table. Jon Brion usually starts the show around 10:00pm once everyone is seated. Last Friday he was unhappy with his sound check and spent a while fine tuning the drum kit. I was exhausted by the time the doors opened around 9:30 and the rules exhausted me more.
But once the show got under way and a cocktail was in front of me, the dark walls of the Largo drew me in. All that waiting and rule following led up to one amazing show: You are in Jon's world now and everything here from the pasta menu to the antiquarian upright piano is genius.
Girls with pretty haricuts and short dresses turned to their dates with I-can't-believe-it gasps on their faces every time Brion sampled once, twice, and thrice loops of drums, piano, bass lines and then played guitar along to his one man band creation in a melody too perfect for words. Brion's perfectionist attention to the meticulous musical details is what sets him apart. You can picture his years of recording experience behind a mixing console as he makes each track come alive on stage. He makes a killing here at Largo among faithful fans. You'll meet a lot of regulars at Largo and a lot of people now swearing they will soon be regulars. They love that they're invited to Brion's playground. His hits from soundtracks like "Knock Yourself Out" was barely played towards the audience. Other times he looked like Elliot Smith with a craned neck at the microphone earnestly singing every line from "That's Just What You Are". Usually his sets consist of all requests or attempts from the audience to stump him. He's more than a pop music dictionary, more like a sideshow freak who can name fifty songs for every three-chord progression. His covers are legendary here. I was giddy when he mixed "Gigantic" by the Pixies into "Jessie's Girl" and then morphed seamlessly into the Beatles "Taxman" which took the night into a Beatles medley unlike any supergroup could dream of.
Set list below courtesy of the Jon Brion Tendinitis Report (he had to stop doing shows for a while to rest an ailing wrist and even now cuts the shows back from the usual 4-5 hours to a mere 2 or 3)

Setlist for November 17, 2006

Jill Sobule, opener
--Bitter
--Bobbie Gentry*
--Now That I Don't Have You*
--Ring Them Bells*
--Victorious*

* = with Greg Leisz (slide guitar)

Jon Brion
--guitar instrumental
--pedal demo (genius!)
--Girl I Knew
--The Way It Went
--"Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind" theme
--That's Just What You Are
--Knock Yourself Out (from "I heart Huckabees")
--I'm Further On
--Strings That Tie to You (from "Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind")
--Someone to Watch Over Me (jazzy/rock cover of the Gershwin standard)

with Benmont Tench, piano and Greg Leisz
--Isn't It a Pity (George Harrison)
--It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan)
--I'll Be Back (Beatles)
--I Don't Hurt Anymore (Hank Snow)
--Day After Day (Badfinger)
--Why Do You Do This to Yourself
--Gigantic (Pixies) /Jesse's Girl (Rick Springfield)/Taxman/Within You, Without You (Beatles)
--Tomorrow Never Knows/Day Tripper/She Said, She Said/I Want You/Ob La Di, Ob La Da/Dear Prudence/Baby You're a Rich Man + hundred other Beatles riffs + She's So Heavy

Largo Supper Club
432 N. Fairfax
Reservations & Info line 323.852.1073

Jill Sobule next plays @ Largo Tuesday, Nov. 21
Jon Brion plays @ Largo Friday nights TBA

More Jon Brion info on Fairfax-avenue.com

Labels: bars, music, reviews

As everyone is running off to the next H&M opening I'm heading back to the sales racks in Los Feliz. With an attractive selection of shops, you can spend one weekend afternoon walking just one street. Vermont Avenue (North of Hollywood Blvd. South of Franklin) is home to many cutting-edge boutiques with unexpected bargains among the indie designers and trendy labels. On Vermont Avenue this season there seems to be a never ending sale in three particularly fabulous shops.
1. Atmosphere
1728 N. Vermont
323.666.8420
I recently purchased the perfect off-white dress for a wedding here. Yes, I know you're not supposed to wear white to someone's wedding other than your own, but I couldn't help it. Anything that helps me look like I'm keeping a healthy tan glow amidst the onset of winter, I'll take. A friend with me also picked up some amazing boots and an outfit completely out of the bargain bin. Atmosphere also keeps a stock of gifty housewares and men's clothing.

2. Bejon & Deheg
1756 N. Vermont
323.668.1103
You won't notice the sign at first, but you will see some hippie-inspired sun dresses in the window. On further inspection the store has two plentiful sales racks towards the back with sun dresses galore in all styles. A couple pretty embroidered pieces will get rid of your winter blues when worn under comfy sweaters.

3. Zen Tropa
1720 N. Vermont
323.913.3091
Their 50% & up sale seems to have been going on for months now. Under an advertisement for remodeling I don't see the store taping up its windows yet so stop in and grab deep discounted silk kimono tops and dresses as well as slacks and cutesy tank tops while you can. Don't ask me. Boutiques make their own rules.

Labels: reviews, shopping

They're the download of the week on Latino iTunes. They're all over the radio and making playlists of years all over country. They're new band to me: Los Abandoned. You may have heard their single "Stalk U" over and over on KROQ and Indie 103.1 and like me, was dubious at first to say the least. It sounded like it could be the Suicide Girls' debut album. The chorus is too repetitive; too neo-Green Day. But after the sixth or seventh air play the lyrics become perfectly profound and outrageously catchy as the listener follows a girl's obsession with an art student who "looks like a Charlie" and creates Drew Barrymore installations. The rest of the album pays tribute to the band's bilingual background proving more Spanglish enhanced melodies in songs like "Van Nuys (es very nice)" the story of a young punk going to the Valley. "Me Quieren en Chile" had some airplay last year on KCRW's world music hour. A pop-punk song completely in Spanish that never loses a contemporary nor interpersonal edge. Lady P on lead vocals has been around the LA music scene for quite some years but her youthful energy backed by Casios and electric guitars sounds super fresh even to this gringas ears.

Los Abandoned opens for Colombian band Aterciopelados tonight at The Fonda. Discounted tickets available through Goldenvoice. Use Password GOLDEN.

Labels: music, reviews

High Mayhem the 6th Annual festival for emerging artists took place this weekend in picturesque Santa Fe. The highly eclectic blend of experimental, electronic, spoken word and movement based performances brought me and a motley crew on a sleep-deprived road trip crossing California truckstops and Arizona rainstorms.

Did you know my camera can take pictures in the dark:

Labels: events, music, reviews