let the sun shine in

TUESDAY JULY 14th, 2009
yesterday was my first official day at the new job. i think i'm gonna like it. i already like my co-workers and office, and i definitely like my five block commute. thanks to everyone who offered their encouragement and support while i was looking for work. much appreciated.

so after work yesterday i met aubrey at the here lounge on robertson for a "be-in" for equality now to promote october's marriage equality march on washington. talking up the event were activist cleve jones, oscar-winner dustin lance black and the broadway cast of this year's tony winner for best revival "hair". several people at the event drew parallels to the social issues addressed by the show's original production and the marriage equality issue today and it was announced that the show would be dark on the night of the march because the cast would instead be performing at the event in the capital.

i made my first video at the be-in and i really like the way it came out but it turns out the file is too large for this site. if you want to see the cast perform "let the sunshine in" click on the slideshow on the right and you can view the 53-second clip on my flickr account. or click on the facebook badge to see it on my facebook wall.
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dustin lance black speaks























gavin creel was nominated for a tony for his role in "hair"


















cleve jones, tori osborne, dustin lance black, a local activist and gavin creel

sun, sky and sample sales

MONDAY JULY 13th, 2009
yesterday jimmy and i joined reuben and tim at loft seven in the haas building next door to ours for their monthly sample sale. free drinks and great prices on boutique designer fashions just steps from my front door? i'm there! it's mostly women's clothing for now but there were some cool men's designer t's and ties. and a fun photo booth too. to find out about the next sample sale or any of loft seven's other public events click on http://www.loftseven.com/.
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loft seven staffs their events with twins. here are bartenders jermyn and joseph daube.



















after about an hour of mimosas and mingling reuben and tim dropped us off at redcat for an outfest screening of julian hernandez's 3-hour plus "raging sun, raging sky" where we ran into sergio, anthony and jim sprague. in the end i enjoyed the movie. i thought the first two hours could have been whittled down to about 10 minutes with little impact but the last hour or so was pretty incredible. somer really gorgeous visuals. just not three hours worth of gorgeous. here's a shot of the redcat lounge i took before the movie started

















jimmy, anthony and sergio after the movie

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and there you have it.

take my hand

SUNDAY JULY 12th, 2009
it was outfest yet again last night when jimmy and i met reuben and tim at the dga for a screening of a french film called "take my hand". after the movie we decided to have a drink or three at the after-party hosted by absolut on the dga patio. over cocktails we decided we all enjoyed the beautiful, minimalist film about twin brothers on an eventful road trip from france to spain. and on the way home jimmy and i stopped at tommy's because nothing soaks up absolut like an order of chili cheese fries. while we were there i noticed they've installed a self-serve soda fountain which must mean the old coolers full of canned sodas are history. as bowie would say - ch-ch-changes!
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and speaking of changes, remember the pablove.org wall i posted about last week? well it seems i snapped my photo while the wall was still a work in progress. check out the finished product. i think it looks pretty cool.

i've fallen and i can't get up

SATURDAY JULY 11th, 2009
jimmy and i saw another outfest film last night called "college boys live". i know, it sounds like porn but it was actually more like a cross between "the real world" and "jerry springer". a documentary covering the trials (literally) and tribulations of a webcam house and the people who live inside it, the movie turned out to be an account of the effects of the homophobia that these slightly (and not-so-slightly) damaged people deal with. it was not boring that's for sure. in fact there were several moments where you thought, yikes,what could possibly happen next?
as we were walking into the screening we brushed right by sharon gless of "cagney and lacey" fame who was surrounded by admirers of her work on "c&g", "queer as folk" and the new indie flick she was showing at the fest. as soon as i grabbed my seat i went back out for the photo op but she was gone. ah well, just my luck. she did look pretty fab though.



so it looks like no stalkerazzi pix again today but i did come across a very interesting site that i would recommend checking out. sounding like a gay 12-step group fallen fruit is actually an activist project that maps all the public fruit in the city. it seems that fruit from trees on public land or whose branches hang over public spaces is your for the taking. you can save money on groceries and help out homeowners who have more fruit than they can use by using the interactive map to find the free fruit near you. the fallen fruit collective also participates in art projects in the community. to find out more check them out at http://www.fallenfruit.org/whatisfallenfruit.html

and there you have it.

bring in the funk

FRIDAY JULY 10th, 2009
outfest openened last night at the orpheum and jimmy g (not my jimmy a)and i volunteered at the event because outfest is a great organization but mostly because volunteers who work the event get to see the film and enjoy the party too. the opening film was "la mission" from writer/director peter bratt starring his brother benjamin bratt. the film, about an old school latino man's dealing with his son's coming out, could use a little dialouge and editing help but it was worthwhile because the storyline was original and fairly realistic and the lead actors were really compelling, giving their characters unexpected layers. at the event i tried to take pix while i was working but it just wasn't happening. i saw ben bratt, talisa soto, lisa kudrow, christina ricci, josh brolin and diane lane but the opportunity was never right to whip out the camera. so the first pic is mine but the others are (obviously) not.
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ben bratt's wife talisa soto was a really big model in the 90's. another model of the era, "make me a supermodel's" jenny shimizu arrived by motorcycle.























lisa kudrow and christina ricci, who co-starred in the film "the opposite of sex" presented an award to writer/director don roos.














































chazz bono, here with benjamin bratt made the evening's opening remarks.























diane lane and josh brolin at the outfest opening























the after party at club 740 was packed but the food was kind of skimpy (recession-hit restaurants feeling pinched already i'm guessing) and i missed the ferris wheel. on the plus side i ran into nelson, vincent and swaga at the party where i didn't take any pix but danced until about 12:30am.
and another outfest opening was history.




looking for fun stuff to do this weekend?
tomorrow the japenese american museum is free thanks to target. and after checking out the museum it's just a short walk to the not free but best titled event so far this year - the first annual "funk rumble block party" in chinatown. food, beer, art and entertainment combined with underground dj's spinning soul, funk, reggae hip hop and latin sounds. it's $5.00 before 4:00pm and $8.00 after 4:00pm with not one but two after parties at senor fish and grand star. find out more at - http://www.thefunkrumbleblockparty.blogspot.com/

the bastille day celebration in elysian park on sunday promises to be slightly less rave-y but no less fun with free entertainment, a parisian waiter's race, french food and wine and raffle prizes including trips to tahiti and paris. find out more here - http://ow.ly/gUnn

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and now here's a follow up to my post about the general motors screening of "transformers 2" we went to a couple of weeks ago. it seems gm was not really pleased with a video featuring a couple of guys in underwear washing a camaro that was made to promote the event and which was later posted on you tube. to read the advocate.com post about the situation go to - http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid97223.asp

and there you have it.

summertime...and the living is easy

THURSDAY JULY 9th, 2009
i love the summer (i like winter too but i hate leaving the office at 5:00pm to find it already dark outside and too cold to do anything). you know i enjoy getting out and in the summer i have more company because everyone else wants to get out too. if you want to get out here are some fun things to do now that summer has finally kicked in -

check out some great free music at one of lacma's three(!) free concert series - friday night jazz in the bp courtyard at 6pm, latin sounds in the dorothy collins brown ampitheatre on saturdays at 5pm and sundays live in the bing theatre featuring chamber music at 6pm. get the lineups at http://www.lacma.org/programs/MusicPrograms.aspx

more free music happens at cal plaza downtown's grand performances including perla batalla this saturday - http://www.grandperformances.org/

a new entry in the summer fests is the levitt pavillion in macarthur park which will feature 50 outdoor shows by, among others, salsa superstars charanga cubana, alt-country heroes i see hawks in l.a. and blues vets the mannish boys all at the very popular price of free.99! get more info at http://www.levittla.org/.

and the list goes on. there's also the santa monica pier concert series and too many others to count.

on the food front the patina group is hosting "locals night" at it's downtown restaurants nick & stef's, zucca and my favorite, cafe pinot. on thursdays from 5:30pm to 7:30pm starting tonight thru august 13th come on down for $5.00 appetizers and drink specials, raffles and a dj to help you eat to the beat. rsvp's recommended. get the details at www.patinagroup.com/locals

by far one of my favorite summer things is the outfest. the lgbtq fest is the biggest gay film fest in the country and the largest and longest running film festival of any kind in l.a. and it opens tonight at the orpheum. for more info check out http://www.outfest.org/.

on a sadder note another summer favorite of mine, the lotus festival in echo park, won't be happening. there are efforts to save the dying lotus plant but it may be too late and the lotus festival got axed due to city budget cuts. on the plus side the echo park community festival will try to take it's place starting tomorrow night and through the weekend. you can find out more at http://echoparkfestival.com/.

it would be a sin and a shame if the echo park lake lotus doesn't survive. that symbol of life, beauty and peace is almost irreplaceable. here are some pictures i am lucky to have taken at past lotus festivals.
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oh and remember how i mentioned that little dust-up with eater.com the other day? well it went (a lot) wider when the l.a. times ran an article on the whole situation yesterday and suggested a set of standards for blog ethics. very interesting. to read the article click here - http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-ethics8-2009jul08,0,2321402.story

and there you have it.

pablove.org

TUESDAY JULY 7th, 2009
last saturday jimmy, jc and i got together for breakfast at one of my favorite mexican food stands in the city - tacos delta in silverlake. the food there is great and over the years i have watched the children of the couple that owns it grow up what seems really quickly. i love this place.
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while i was ordering i noticed the building across the street had been painted. most recently a furniture store it is now the offices of dangerbird records whose artists roster includes the very popular silversun pickups. in the picture below you can see the dangerbird sign on the left side of the building which has been taken over by a capital P and a heart and the web address pablove.org. curious what pablove was about i looked it up when i got home and found the story of pablo thrailkill castelaz, son of jo ann thrailkill and dangerbird co-founder jeff castelaz. pablove.org is a foundation that benefits children's cancer research and treatment at children's hospital here in los angeles. it was named after six year old pablo who passed away june 27th after a struggle with a rare form of children's cancer called bilateral wilms' tumor. to find out more information and to donate please click on http://pablove.org/index.html.

you may or may not know the name shephard fairey but you almost certainly have seen the obama hope poster he created that went around the world including the cover of time magazine. to see his tribute to pablo go to http://www.dangerbirdrecords.com/news/entry/shepard-faireys-tribute-to-pablo

monumental mariachi

MONDAY JULY 6th, 2009
yesterday i met robert, miguel and yosuar at la fonda on wilshire for their mariachi brunch. we got a half price deal on goldstar and it was pretty cool. the place was remodeled not too long ago and was clean and comfortable, not too big and not too small. instead of a buffet food is prepared to order and there was a nice selection of items to choose from including chilaquiles, eggs with mole, machaca or nopales served with sides, pan dulce, fresh fruit, champagne and cafe de olla (coffee sweetened with piloncillo). my food was better than i expected and the young-ish group mariachi monumental de america was talented. not exceptional but definitely good enough. they could do without the mikes and speakers and it would have been nice if they took requests. still it was a great way to spend an early sunday afternoon and i would recommend checking them out (especially at half price).

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robert and miguel at la fonda


yosuar, miguel and robert after the show

with yosuar and miguel

hotter than july

SUNDAY JULY 5th, 2009
on the 4th of july jimmy and i went to a pool party at reuben and tim's. it was great. so much fun.
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one of the hosts reuben with the bartenders

with my new friend vidal. he has his own facebook page and really knows how to party. i couldn't keep up with him.

oowa-oowa!!!

vidal makes friends very easily

once again vidal is the center of attention

i took this picture of miguel and anthony on miguel's iphone and then i stole it.

check out the gold speedo vidal is rockin'

he asked for it

SATURDAY JULY 4th, 2009
jimmy and i went to see a play called "he asked for it" on friday. we had dinner with aubrey at hedley's on robertson before the show and then the three of us met ron and john, robert, and hugo at the macha theatre on kings road. i thought the show could use some editing but it was daring and topical for sure. good acting all around.
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so i'm in a funky space with my eater.com gig. soon after they hired me the site was caught up in a mini-scandal involving a downtown restaurant/bar called the must that ended with a slam by the bar's owners and an apology from the site's editor - http://la.eater.com/archives/2009/07/02/the_matter_of_the_must_owners_response_our_apology.php.

in the blogosphere it was kind of a thing. and right after that i got an urgent call for my first assignment which definitely could have gone smoother on my part. anyway, a couple of pix (the two exterior shots, not my best) i took made it online and you can see them here - http://la.eater.com/archives/2009/07/02/the_dish_mozza_2go_now_open.php
i've had pix on the site before but these are the first that they hired me for. you may notice in the comment section one lovely reader complain about the "atrocious" pictures but that remark was actually made about the other 3 shots posted before mine (whew!). it's rough in cyberspace.

and there you have it.

park and recreation

FRIDAY JULY 3rd, 2009

pershing square downtown is now home to a new outdoor public art space. they've also set up a designated pet area and announced some cool summer programs including friday movies on the lawn and concerts by el chicano, paula cole, gene loves jezebel and the motels. on sundays they are hosting swing and dance bands and on wednesdays it's alternative music programmed by silverlake's spaceland. check out all the listings at wwwlaparks.org.

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a newly landscaped garden at the park

aren't you glaad?

FRIDAY JULY 3rd, 2009
if you're like me you've probably had your fill of the non-stop michael jackson coverage. everything (and then some) has already been said so i won't comment further on why we find him so fascinating but i did want to share a couple of michael-related pix of my neighborhood. around the corner from us is the palace theatre which you might remember as the movie house showing the suspense flick "the thriller" that michael follows his date out from in the video of the same name.
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the lobby of the palace theatre




who needs a publicist? definitely not me. glaad has started promoting their upcoming summer party "glaad hancock park" and you-know-who is in a crowd shot from last year's event. it's a little "where's waldo" but you shouldn't have too much trouble finding me. to check out the other shots and for more info on attending this year's party go to http://www.glaad.org/hancockpark.

oleanna

THURSDAY JULY 2nd, 2009
jimmy and i bought season tickets to the taper last year. it was a good deal and it's been a great season. last night we saw oleanna with bill pulman and julia stiles and if you like david mamet you will love the show. it was interesting and wonderfully acted but the payoff came too late for me. that said it's still worth seeing which you might do before this production transfers to broadway later this year.

btw, i took a few pix in my first assignment for eater.com. i'll tell you when they run.

photo courtesy of taperahmanson.org

transformed

WEDNESDAY JULY 1st, 2009

i know, i've been ignoring the blog again but i'm gonna try to make it worth the wait. right. now. there's a LOT to catch up on (as you'll see by reading the multiple posts below). but first things first. the big news is that i have re-joined the ranks of the employed. that's right my sabbatical is over. i have found a job! woo hoo. as i figured, it didn't come from a monster ad or craigslist post. it was a referral from a good friend who has known me for a long time (make that a great friend which she was loooong before thinking of me for a job). a couple of details are being finalized but next week i will start at the l.a. times at a salary not too very far from my old one (whew!). it's an exec assistant/admin position working for a major media company which is a good fit for a media wh... junkie like me. and i can walk to work with jimmy who already works a block away from the times building. thanks to everyone who encouraged me while i was funemployed. now it's time for me to get back to work. woo hoo!!!

ooooookay. so now for the catching up. sunday afternoon jimmy and i joined jc and tim at arclight for a screening and reception calvin organized for transfomers 2. cars and costumes from the movie have been on display there and gm hosted dessert in the upstairs lounge after the show where people got a chance to socialize before heading out. i didn't see the first one but the sequel is definitely a summer popcorn movie. kind of a corny roller-coaster of a movie. i actually enjoyed it. here's calvin checking in ivor at the screening.

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wearing the bumblebee character mask with jimmy and tim.

i snapped a picture of branden, this seasons' winner of bravo tv's "make me a supermodel" who was at the screening too. he's a tall kid.


jc tries on the bumblebee mask


tim smells some bad dessert at the reception after the show.

not really.


calvin and some friends in the lounge

after the movie on sunday i checked out the instant films festival where filmakers including writers, directors and actors write perform and screen short films all within 48 hours. it was a nice set up but i didn't stay long. i did take these shots though from inside the l.a. center studios downtown.

the former unocal headquarters now stands in for a million other locations like the philadelphia police headquarters on "cold case"

meals on wheels

WEDNESDAY JULY 1st, 2009
the day before we saw transformers a group of us got together at tony and daniel's place in highland park to say good-bye to david who is moving to seattle for work. i had a great time. there was warm weather, great food and even better company.
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bye dave. come back and visit soon.



tony said it looks like he's throwing gang signs in this photo. well, you can take the girl out of the barrio but you can't take the...



i love this picture of david, jimmy and hugo



with daniel (the chef) and sam

the gang

so i went to david's farewell even though i had already bought tickets to see a film at moca that afternoon as part of the dwell on design weekend. the movie was a documentary about julius shulman that's been getting a lot of buzz. i thought i could do both but david's get-together turned out to be an all-nighter. i decided to skip the film but i left the party for about an hour to take some pix of the mobile restaurant row dod had set up before the film.

you're probably already familiar with the kogi truck phenomenon where people follow their food trucks on twitter and stand in long lines for their korean bbq tacos where ever they roll up. but did you know about the boom of other mobile food providers that kogi sparked? well on saturday the stars and various food trucks lined up at moca in little tokyo for a once-in-a-blue-moon convergence of meals on wheels including hot dogs from let's be frank, you-know-what from barbie's q, organic food from the green truck, cupcakes from sprinkes and architecture-themed ice cream sandwiches from coolhaus. alas neither kogi nor the border grill truck pulled up but it was a fun event anyway. check it out.

gourmet organic from the green truck

the sprinkles mobile

mmm, sprinkle-y.

let's be frank's dogs are pretty gourmet too

at barbie's q.

like bauhaus but you can eat it.

after trucks are bikes the next big thing? the "icycle" from locali in los feliz doesn't leave a carbon foot print. hmmmm.

you better recognize

WEDNESDAY JULY 1st, 2009

well now it's july but june was gay pride month and the l.a. city council (led by openly gay councilman bill rosendahl) took the opportunity to honor several new faces in the lgbt movement at a ceremony last friday. lots of young, minority grass-roots organizers were recognized at a reception hosted by christopher street west followed by a program in the council chambers (broadcast, like most council events, on local cable) and a photo op in the city hall media room.
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councilman rosendahl, a vietnam veteran, honors iraqi vet lt. dan choi, who was recommended for discharge under don't-ask-don't-tell by a military board yesterday. lt. choi vows to appeal and fight dadt.


morgan early of colage a group for kids with one of more gay parents (both morgan's mom and dad are gay).

council staffer chad molnar with lt. dan choi

trans man jake finney with gender justice l.a. honored by the city council

vincent jones of liberty hill

lisa powell of black lesbians united

dahlia ferlito of equal action

council staffers mike bonin and chad molnar

phillip minton of unite the fight/out west who helped organize the meet in the middle rally in fresno

kerry chaplin of faith for equality california who came with her parents and more than one rabbi

honor pac's javier angulo with his partner ryan mendoza

eddie martinez of the latino equality alliance was unable to attend but his mom accepted the honor on his behalf

photo ops in the media room

with enrique, eddie's mom and fredy at the reception in the city hall rotunda

star trekking... not

WEDNESDAY JULY 1st, 2009

last thursday robert and i popped into the mercado la palomo (across the street from the dmv next to the 110 by usc) for the trekking l.a. kickoff event hosted by good magazine. trekking l.a. is a series of tours of neighborhood (read "ethnic") street foods found around the city and this one featured son jarocho musicians and an art installation/workshop. robert and i had some delicious oaxacan food from the restaurant chichen itza before watching the musical performance. evidently we missed natalie portman who reportedly ate at chichen itza too. for more info on trekking l.a.'s next event visit http://www.trekkingla.org/
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easy riders

WEDNESDAY JULY 1st, 2009
a week ago today jimmy met me at city hall to check out the kick off to a weekly bike ride led by l.a. city councilman tom labonge who was joined by fellow council person jan perry. it was a nice day to be out and afterwards we had dinner at pitfire pizza before walking home.

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3am in st.vincent's square

TUESDAY JUNE 23rd, 2009
i walked over to l.a. live this morning to hear rob thomas who was performing at the grammy museum to highlight the release of his new album "cradlesong" next week. during a q&a he played acoustic versions of "lonely no more", "3AM" and his new single "her diamonds". he was quite the engaging comedian while being interviewed joking about how, soon after they met, his nuyorican wife got rid of the pager he used to connect with girls on the road. we were warned several times that photographs were not permitted and even cell phones had to be turned off but that there would be a photo op later. well, that never happened. there was no meet-and-greet so no pix of mr. thomas but here are some pix and a few words about historic st. vincent square instead.

st. vincent's square, a block from my front door on 7th street, is a shady courtyard of cafes that is popular with merchants from the nearby jewelry district. it is the last remaining vestige of what was once the city's first university, st. vincent's college. originally located near union station it moved to a larger campus just two years later. when it opened at it's new address over one hundred and forty years ago it occupied the entire city block between 6th and 7th and between broadway and hill streets where it remained for nineteen years before eventually moving to westchester where it is now known as loyola marymount university. in an interesting side note, yours truly spent four years in a high school seminary named, you guessed it, st.vincent's (quite the multi-taskers, those vincentians) .

by the way, i got the job with eater.com and i'll let you know when any of my photos make their way online. woo hoo.

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haircuts and broken hearts

MONDAY JUNE 20th, 2009
yesterday jimmy and i went to his folks house for a father's day barbeque where i spent some time with chulo who was showing off his new summer haircut. i love jimmy's family.
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the night before the bbq jimmy and i joined reuben and tim and jc and his friend claude at the celebration theatre to check out the show "trafficking in broken hearts". this is not an easy show to love, gritty in it's subject matter and low on production values but the three actors were so committed to their characters and storylines that it ended up being an enjoyable, thought-provoking evening. the material holds up well in it's 20th anniversary staging and it's interesting to see how inter-personal relationships have (and haven't) evolved in a relatively short amount of time. i think it's worth checking out before it ends june 28th and goldstar has a few half-price tickets left - http://www.goldstar.com/events/west-hollywood-ca/trafficking-in-broken-hearts.html

my night with mr. big

SATURDAY JUNE 20th, 2009
last night jimmy and i saw a really good play about ambition and personal ethics set against the background of an escalating presidential campaign. it had a contemporary look, crisp writing, and compelling characters. it also has chris noth of law & order and sex and the city, and chris pine, captain kirk in the new star trek movie, who gives a very impressive performance as the show's star. he is in every scene as the ambitious communications director whose rise and fall (and rise?) forms the play's two-day tale.

the show is running at the geffen playhouse in westwood which hosted a post-show reception in the theatre's courtyard that the entire cast turned out for. jimmy and i stopped for the free drinks and finger food (including buffalo wings which figure in the show's storyline) and got a chance to say hello to olivia thirlby, a knockout in the show who also appeared in the show's new york run last year, and chris noth (reprising his nyc role as well) who talked about the positive reactions to the show, the smart writing and even the love story within the story. hmmm, i wonder which characters he was talking about? check out the show and see for yourself. http://www.geffenplayhouse.com/index.php/104

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no pix of the very tall and thin chris pine. he was declining photo requests so i didn't even ask. chris noth though was talkative and very cool. nice guy.

call me invincible

FRIDAY JUNE 19th, 2009
talk about a high school reunion! i'm loving the idea of seeing blondie and pat benatar in concert together. but am i loving it enough to drive all the way down to the orange county fairgrounds to see them next month? hmmmm????
one thing's for sure. digging the graphic.
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and speaking of graphic this is my big week for media exposure. single tickets recently went on sale for outfest 2009 kicking off next month and guess who is featured on their website's main page? if you guessed benjamin bratt, seth green and macauley culkin you're right but if you guessed me you're right too! i've volunteered at the fest for years now and they've used (much better) pix of me online before but this one is pretty big. check it out - http://www.outfest.org/fest2009/

all you can eat

THURSDAY JUNE 18th, 2009
last night jimmy and i took in a dodger game with robert and reuben and tim. in full-on recession mode we sat in the all-you-can-eat right field pavillion and ate our fill of dodger dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts and sodas. just $25.00 for the seats and the food but the best part was the free parking (which ends tonight). it was one of the week's "hero nights" this one featuring firefighters from pasadena, l.a. city and county fire departments who were recognized before the start of the game. here are robert and i beside the dodger fire truck that reads "flames should only be seen coming from a dodger fastball!"
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the pacific stock exchange building just up the street from us has housed a nightclub since the 90's and the new management held an open-house recently to introduce themselves to the neighborhood. it's a great space. it would be nice to see some creative nightlife happening there.

look closely to see that the figure in this stained glass window is a topless woman warrior

and this guy isn't wearing much more

the former trading floor is now a dance floor, as seen from the mezzanine

and if you want to see some really amazing pictures check out the official white house photo stream on flickr. truly fascinating images of a man and his family on the world stage. check it out - http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/

extra, extra!!

WEDNESDAY JUNE 17th, 2009

originally uploaded by current events.
the big story today is the lakers victory parade starting a few blocks away at staples center. i should have gone but just couldn't deal with the crowds. some of those people started lining up last night(!).

so no pictures from that rally but guess who ran a picture i was in at another rally? it's not the picture i would have chosen but i finally made my debut in the l.a. times print and online editions today in an article about president obama extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. the photo above is by damian dovarganes of the associated press for the l.a. times.

today's front page article is a very interesting one about the frustration many people feel regarding obama's keeping his campaign promises to repeal dadt/don't ask-don't tell and doma/the defense of marriage act. turns out, because of doma, the benefits being extended today are likely to be limited to relocation assistance and not include pension or insurance benefits. to read the full l.a. times article click here - http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-naw-gay-benefits18-2009jun18,0,1285614.story

btw, yesterday's eater interview went great and they should be making a decision monday.

peek-a-bruno

TUESDAY JUNE 16th, 2009

originally uploaded by current events.

i know, i know! it's been F'ing forever since i blogged thanks to the flu that ate my social life. and i missed a ton of events during what turned out to be the worst. week. ever. but i'm feeling much better just in time to meet today with the eater.com people about possibly working together. wish me luck.

photo booths, pride and pompeii

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10th, 2009
the last few days have been the usual mix of high brow and low rent that you have come to expect from me. i started at lacma where aubrey met me to take in the big summer-long exhibit "pompeii and the roman villa". although free days and times are offered for most of lacma's exhibits the $25.00 ticket price for this special travelling show was waived only on the 9th and there were lines for the timed entrances. you would think that $25.00 would include a free audio tour but you'd be wrong. in the end we both sprang for the $4.00 tour which was very good as was the exhibit. very good but not great, especially if you've ever visited the getty villa in malibu which has a very similar focus. and the gift shop was kind of limited. still there were some beautiful pieces nicely arranged and i also liked the modern paintings and photos depicting villa life and the eruption of pompeii. of course cameras were not allowed but here is the cover of the show's program.
http://www.lacma.org/
click on any image to enlarge


after the exhibit we met reuben for some tasty sandwiches at sam's bagels on larchmont followed by cupcakes at crumbs. soooo good but can you say sugar bomb?



later that night jimmy and i took in the opening night of dame edna's farewell show "my first last tour" which is playing for just two weeks at the ahmanson. 5th row seats for just $20! thank you center theatre group! and thank you dame edna. i don't know anyone else who has made me laugh so hard for two whole hours with almost no storyline at all. this show is a lot of fun. http://www.centertheatregroup.org/





you might have thought dame edna was the low brow bit but it was actually a party calvin and i hit up at eleven in west hollywood on sunday. "reality check 3" was another festive party in the long line of parties leading up to gay pride this weekend. the only promised reality star i recognized was dancing with the stars' lacey schwimmer before i got lost in a big blur of shmoozing over free drinks, boys in underwear and a lip-synching british girl group(huh?). i took some pictures but the force was not with me. almost all of them came out crap so here are the photo booth shots of calvin and i.


and the one shot of mine that came out. check out the models (in andrew christian) checking out the lakers winning game 2 in overtime.

working without a net

SUNDAY JUNE 7th, 2009
on friday i trekked out to macy's in northridge to see my dodger crush andre ethier. there was no traffic so i got there in about 20 minutes (yay!) but the low turnout i expected for the noontime work day appearance was not to be (boo!). lots and lots of other ethier-heads took the day off to see him up close and personal. here are a couple of shots of andre and not-too-shabby-either teamate clayton kershaw. later that day andre scored a double with the bases loaded to knock in the game winning run in the 9th ininng. and the next day he hit not one but two home runs to win the game 3-2 in the 12th. which makes me want to ask, manny who?
let's go dodgers, let's go!
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a young dodger fan rocks the mohawk.






so. switching gears, we all know that california is in trouble. what i don't think people realize though is just how the state's problems are going to affect them. beyond services like public parks, summer school and libraries which are about to be decimated, the social safety net that we take for granted is about to disappear. the state is now unable to fund vital, life-saving programs that supply housing, medical care and mental health services to people who have no other resource. abandoning health care programs along with releasing criminals to lower the high costs of incarceration is going to leave californians less safe and more vulnerable to disease that might otherwise be contained. and make no mistake, people will die because california is turning it's back on them. on friday i joined hundreds of other people to protest governer schwarzenegger's proposal to eliminate the $80 million budget for aids prevention services in the state. not cut the budget for a program that saves lives. completely eliminate it.


actress sheryl lee ralph starred in the original broadway version of "dreamgirls" (her part was played by beyonce in the film version) but may be best remembered as brandy's mom in the show "moesha". she is also a ferocious aids activist.


l.a. county supervisor zev yaraslovsky addresses the crowd. at the far left is former police chief bernard parks who also appeared, along with state senator gil cedillo.


want to put a face to eliminating aids services-funding in the state?
cnn interviews a family who cannot afford life-saving hiv medicnes. one of the daughters holds a sign reading "please don't kill our mom".
other signs read "why is there $ for aig but not for hiv?"


at the rally with calvin and eddie. the rally shut down the street at rush hour while the march began outside the hollywood forever cemetery to point out that these cuts will cost lives.


the state's financial crisis is complex but in a nutshell a combination of declining real estate tax revenues and years of deferring the state's debts and obligations have brought us to this point. similarly there is no simple solution to this problem. as i write this i feel like debby downer (wahn-waaahn) and i can feel people scrolling down the page but the situation is not hopeless. it is often noted that if california were a separate country it's gdp or gross domestic product would be among the ten largest in the world and several speakers advised that it we are not in a crisis of economics but a crisis of leadership. the answers to this problem are not easy but one thing is certain, if people don't fight, the answers won't include them.

it's getting HOT in here

SUNDAY JUNE 9th, 2009
on thursday i headed over to the hope for firefighters benefit for the l.a. fireman's relief association, so called partly because hope street on bunker hill is shut down for the annual event, the largest in the country, which benefits the association's widows, orphans and disabled firefighters fund. a variety of lunches prepared by 25 fire stations from throughout the city along with firefighter muster games and raffles make this arguably the most popular daytime party downtown.
click on any image to enlarge




the wino-nine-o fans the flames for their bbq.


one of the teams competing in the hose pull contest.


another team suits up for the muster games.


the bucket brigade. the competitors in these games are serious.




john ratzenberger (cliff from cheers) gave out a trophy at the event and tommy lasorda, pictured here, stopped by too.



get more info about this worthwhile charity at http://www.hopeforfirefighters.org/


later that day, the same day i heard weho restaurant/institution mark's on la cienega had closed (a new restaurant is scheduled to over the space soon), i went to check out the recently re-opened version of another gay ghetto landmark, micky's, for their weekly "cocktails with the stars" party. a lot of people told me they wanted to go but were going to watch game 1 of the lakers finals instead. now i love the lakers but i thought "it's only game 1". turns out i should have watched the game too. the party was very, very okay and afterwards i had to drive a friend to pick up their car from the tow lot. talk about a buzz kill. i did score a free randy blue shirt though. thanks jeremy! below are david, hugo and david, obviously not huge lakers fans, at micky's.


with one of the "stars", lucky daniels of randy blue. nice guy.



after micky's i popped into an art party on beverly sponsored by the house of campari. parking was impossible. the space, the crowd, the entertainment all good, not great but that was probably just me. for more info about campari sponsored events including their next art party on the 11th click on www.campariusa.com

crowns

THURSDAY JUNE 4th, 2009
i hate it when people say there's nothing to do. if you read this blog regularly you know there are too many things to do in this city to even count. the trick is cutting through all the clutter and hype to find something good, something worthwhile. well, just such a hidden gem of a show is now playing at the newly opened nate holden performing arts center where the ebony repertory theatre is presenting the gospel musical crowns in it's west coast premiere. now i have only a passing familiarity with gospel music but i was completely swept up in the performance of this uplifiting story of overcoming obstacles and finding your identity. and what a performance it was. besides the writing by regina taylor (of tv's i'll fly away) the strength and joy of this show is the abundance of talent on one stage. vanessa bell calloway (who appeared in the original broadway version of dreamgirls among a slew of other credits), ann weldon (a veteran of the stage who i caught in the terrific ma rainey's black bottom at the l.a. theatre center) and the legendary paula kelly (who danced for martha graham, sang "hey big spender" along with chita rivera in the classic film sweet charity and starred in stevie wants to play the blues which i was lucky enough to see, also at the latc) are all incredible but then everyone in the cast is wonderful including clinton derricks-carroll in a variety of roles, relative newcomer angela wildflower polk and sharon catherine blanks who brings the house down with "his eye is on the sparrow". there are more than a few numbers that raise the roof along with several affecting moments that make for a show that doesn't just entertain but illuminate and finally uplift you. you really have to see this. the modest program cover below does not do justice to this hot show. for directions and ticket info click on - http://www.ebonyrep.org/on_stage_now.html.
click on any image to enlarge




last week i caught another, completely different show when i went to the motion picture academy's tribute to alan and marilyn bergman. the emmy, grammy and oscar-winning couple have written such songs as "windmills of my mind", "nice and easy" and "how do you keep the music playing" but they may be best known for their collaborations with barbra streisand including "the way we were", "you don't bring me flowers" and several songs from yentl and although she wasn't billed in the ads for the show streisand herself showed up to pay tribute to and exchange stories with her longtime friends. as luck would have it someone called her name as she entered the theatre and she turned and smiled just as she walked by my aisle seat with a small entourage that included her husband james brolin. wow. photographs were strictly prohibited in the theatre but here is a copy of the program from that night, hosted by quincy jones (who several times referred to barbra as "b.j. streisand"), which included performances by patti austin, dave grusin, michel legrand and mr. bergman himself. quite a night. and get this, only $5.00!!! nothing to do in l.a my eye! for more info on all the programs offered at the motion picture academy's headquarters click on http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/index.html

will work for food

THURSDAY JUNE 4th, 2009
last week i heard tom brokaw talk about how the current social and economic crises have upended the conventional way of doing and seeing almost everything, something he referred to as the "massive reset" of our lifetime. i thought of that as i read a front page article in today's l.a. times about the "funemployed", mostly single twenty and thirty-somethings who are jobless aaaaand loving it. at first i thought "slackers!" and some of them probably are but i think that the recession is causing us to rethink the role work plays in our lives. are people still willing to sacrifice so much of their free time and quality of life to careers that can't offer the stability, not to mention the pensions, that were guaranteed to their parents? the funemployed may be at the far end of the spectrum but i do think that as the job market and the overall job model changes peoples priorities are shifting too.

and how's it going for me? well, first of all i am not one of the funemployed since i am actually forty-something and haven't been spending my days golfing, drinking and lying out at the beach. i am still looking for work in travel but i am also using this opportunity to, as the cliche goes, do what i love. and, social butterfly-slash-camera whore that i am, that means trying to make a living out of going out and taking pictures. i'm certainly in the right city for it. the variety of l.a.'s physical geography is incredible not to mention of it's social, cultural and celebrity geographies.

and while the market for travel jobs is flat i have made some contacts on the photo front. eater.com is looking for photographers to provide content for their website and although the pay is nominal the contacts and experience would be terrific. eater has used some of my pix in the past (for free) but it would be nice to work for them officially. well, to chose from the many photogs they are interested in they whittled down all the applicants into a smaller group, asked them to photograph a new restaurant in culver city and advised that they would hire a new photographer based on the photos they received. i was told i could submit my pix "early next week" which sounded good to me until i saw some pictures of the restaurant on eater that monday morning! frustrated and angry at myself for not taking pix sunday as i had first thought of doing i drove out to culver city to take some pictures anyway and waited what seemed like a really long time before receiving an email last night saying "i really like your photos-will be in touch soon!" soooooooo, fingers crossed! i'll let you know what happens. in the meantime here are the pix i took -
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and if you want to see the pix eater ran on monday click here and tell me which ones you like better - http://la.eater.com/archives/2009/06/01/eater_inside_le_saint_amour.php

bad supremes

originally uploaded by current events.
as seen at the meet in the middle rally in fresno opposing the california state supreme court decision to uphold proposition 8 (photo by sergio carrillo).

btw, today new hampshire became the 6th state to grant marriage equality.

get on the bus

SUNDAY MAY 31st, 2009
yesterday reuben, tim and i rallied in fresno for marriage equality. why spend our saturday travelling four hours each way to fresno, you ask? well, as much as we need to take to the streets in places like san francisco and west hollywood (and we do) we also need to quite literally step out of our comfort zone and reach out into areas that challenge marriage equality. and fresno, where prop 8 passed by over 70%, certainly qualifies.

the idea is to start a dialogue with people opposed to marriage equality and put a human face on what might still be an abstract concept, to show that real people are affected by prop 8. because it has been shown that voters who know gay people are much more likely to support them at the ballot box. saturday's event, "meet in the middle", was just that with activists from northern and southern california journeying to california's central valley to talk with and listen to people who voted for proposition 8.

at 7:00am reuben, tim and i arrived at union station to board one of the two chartered buses. you can see it was chilly when we left (in contrast to fresno where it was in the 90's!).
click on any image to enlarge


yoga stretching before the long ride. this is the downward dog for equality.


l.a. city councilman (and council president) eric garcetti with suzy jack and cecilia cabello


being interviewed by the media.


eric came out to see the riders off.


addressing the crowd before take-off.


miguel and xavier on the way to fresno.


i thought the ride might be boring. actually it was anything but. as we got closer to fresno several people spoke about why they decided to make the journey. there were stories about personal struggle, overcoming fear and finding self acceptance. powerful stuff.




arriving in fresno.


chanting as we entered the rally.


wtf ca? indeed.



the rally took place at fresno city hall.


will and grace star eric mc cormack addresses the crowd.


grey's anatomy star, now alum, t.r. knight spoke in favor of marriage equality.



dustin lance black's acceptance speech at the academy awards (he won the oscar for best screenplay for the movie "milk") was one of the most talked about moments of that show. here he urges the crowd to speak up and demand their rights.


some of the crowd at the rally where cesar chavez's daughter christine and actress charlize theron also appeared. the rally was just one part of three days of events that also included a march from selma california to fresno that morning.


fresno is calvin's hometown! his mom joined him at the rally but i missed her. here he is with his friend whose name i don't remember. must have been the heat. yeah, that's right. the heat!


cooling off with reuben and tim after the rally.


i was facebook-ing and twitter-ing the whole day and at one point we took a break from the 5 hour rally and the heat to have lunch at lily's restaurant nearby. of course it was while i was cooling off with a beer and some taquitos that i started to get messages praising my dedication and saying the world needs more people like me. thank god they couldn't see me right then.


with miguel on the bus for the ride home


tired and happy, there were a lot of laughs on the way back.


tim, reuben, frankie, chad and miguel want marriage equality and they want it now!


jimmy, fredy, yours truly, miguel, xavier, chad and sergio say "queso"


reuben and tim back in l.a.





so i think the marches are over. at least for now, although there is an equality march on washington being planned for october.

"what? again? why?" glad you asked.

first of all a march is planned for october to co-incide with national coming out day because if you are lgbt coming out is the first step to realizing equality.

secondly, the march is planned in d.c. because the marriage equality is a civil right and a federal issue

and finally, because it's still neccessary. the very next day, sunday there was another rally at fresno city hall. against marriage equality. in support of prop 8.
the very. next. DAY!

marriage equality needs your support. prop 8 needs to be overturned. f ind out how you can help at http://www.couragecampaign.org/

rallies, reagan and wrestling

FRIDAY MAY 29th, 2009
can i just say that i love my president? i think barack obama is the real deal and i feel sure that he is the right person to lead this country through crisis and back to greatness. but i am not a blind follower. instead of sitting back and waiting i am answering his call to get involved in making change. and one part of that is by holding him accountable to his promises. when barack obama was on the campaign trail he promised to include everyone in a new vision for america including gays and lesbians. he also promised to repeal "don't ask, don't tell". he has not yet spoken of marriage equality and in the past has said he supports marriage between one man and one woman. that is why i joined a couple hundred other people to rally outside the beverly hilton wednesday night where the president was appearing at a democratic party fund-raiser. i took the time out because i believe it is our responsibility to stand up for what is right and to fight for justice, namely marriage equality and non-discrimination in military service.
here are some shots from the rally.
click on any image to enlarge


thankfully there were no anti-gay counter-demonstrators and a lot of drivers actually honked their horns in support as they drove by the crowd.


the peaceful demo was held across the street from where guests entered the dinner


reuben and aubrey chant with the crowd for marriage equality






grass roots' matt mgl palazzolo


the courage campaign's rick jacobs


lieutenant dan choi waves rainbow and u.s. flags


lt. choi addresses the crowd


robin tyler, dan choi and diane olsen tyler lead the protest.
the fundraiser and the rally were the lead story on the 10pm and 11pm newscasts some of which showed footage of president obama acknowledging the demonstration. it's gratifying to know that when people take the time to speak out their message can be heard!



speaking of newscasts, tom brokaw, who was a local anchor for several years here in los angeles before moving on to the today show and anchor of the nbc nightly news appeared yesterday at the central library downtown for an interview with geneva overholser. although his books were for sale at the event he didn't do the usual autograph session or meet and greet so i only have this crappy pic to post but he was quite fascinating to listen too. i was impressed by the stories of his humble midwest beginnings to his stories about martin luther king, reagan, gorbachev and the fall of the berlin wall. next week he will be interviewing president obama at normandy for the anniversary of d-day and although his baritone voice and relatable manner were striking in person it was his consummate professionalism that was most impressive. this man is a class act. and in an age of info-tainment and snarky blogs masquerading as journalism (which are more often observation and commentary at best) he is, unfortunately, among the last of a dying breed. that he discussed important topics like the current socio-economic crises he framed as a massive "reset" and the current, financially unsustainable model of information reporting really made it worthwhile.



and on a completely different note jimmy and i dropped in to staples for some wwe wrestling on tuesday that i had won tickets for. it was kinda fun and it reminded me of the very first show i ever went to in my entire life. when i was about 6 years old, even before i ever visited disneyland, my grandfather took me to see wrestling at the olympic auditorium. for a little kid from cudahy to see mask-wearing caged wrestlers lowered into the ring was pretty scary and pretty exciting too. here's the 2009 version.


the steel cage is lowered from the ceiling




my HAIR ! ! !


the hart dynasty triumphs. and that's all for now.

off the blog and into the streets

WEDNESDAY MAY 27th, 2009
well, well, well. i see who my audience is now. the number of views for this blog really took off once i threw in a little nudity. well, as much as i'd like to keep it up (the numbers that is) i don't see a whole lot more au naturel spreads (so to speak) in the future. so you'll just have to make do with my rapier wit (look it up. i'll wait).
while you're waiting for that page to load though toggle back and i'll tell you about the rest of the long weekend. on monday we spent memorial day at jimmy's folks' place for an afternoon bbq. i got to see chulo and i also got to see larinda's new baby lindsey for the first time (so much hair! so much cuteness!!).

speaking of memorial day, did i ever mention jimmy is a veteran of the air force? he actually served several years in korea which explains his love for kimchi, among other things. and my brother-in-law isaac is a career marine and part of the military family along with my sister, neices and nephew. you know, it's nice to have heroes in the family who, along with all the others veterans and actve duty personnel, help make this country great. my hat is off to every one of them.
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after the bbq jimmy and i met my new bff's pam and (her sister) kim for drinks and jazz at west, the penthouse lounge atop the hotel angeleno. pam and i had been threatening forever to meet up for a show and we finally did for frankie's show gig night (his night off from ain't misbehavin).




unlike frankie's last show there it wasn't too crowded this time. maybe it was because the next day was the first day back after a holiday weekend or because the dodgers and lakers both played that night. in any event it gave us a chance to talk and take in some great live music. thanks for meeting us kim and pam. big hug!



of course the day after the long weekend was decision day for the califonia supreme court and their ruling on proposition 8. you know what happened. and here is what i have to say about that - marriage equality is a civil rights issue. and that the majority has denied rights and freedoms to a minority is a wrong that will be righted. it will happen. but it's going to take action. in the streets, in the courts and in the court of public opinion like the workplace and the dinner table.

and online. if you're reading this then you probably know a little about me. that i'm a homeowner, a tax payer and a contributor to society. but in spite of those things in the great state of california i cannot marry my partner of over eleven years simply because i am gay. i cannot marry my partner who gave four years of his life to serve this country in uniform and defend freedoms for every other citizen. and if that makes you angry or if you worry that you may be the next group denied their civil rights then i urge you to do something about it today. i rallied yesterday but i know not everyone can do that. but do what you can. give time, money and/or support to this important human rights issue, the civil rights issue of our day. and when someone suggests limiting the rights of the minority, speak up! let's all speak up!!

yesterday's action in east l.a. took place at the l.a. county registrar-recorder's office. during the rally several same-sex couples applied for (and were of course denied) marriage licenses.

attorney gloria allred points to a quote from the declaration of rights in the constitution of the state of california. in the passage regading marriage rights she wrote in "except for gays and lesbians". on either side of her are robin tyler and diane olsen tyler whose lawsuit originally brought marriage equality to california before prop 8 struck it down.

afl-cio executive secretary-treasurer maria elena durazo pointed out paralells between this movement and the chicano rights movement of the 70's that was born in east l.a. and vowed the support of organized labor for marriage equality

iraqi veteran dan choi told his own powerful story. a mission-critical interpreter fluent in arabic he was discharged from the military under "don't ask don't tell" and is planning to present president obama with a petition signed by over 100,000 people reminding the president of his promise to repeal that policy. lieutenant choi read a poem in arabic by khalil gibran that spoke of love. this man is pretty great.

congressional candidate judy chu appeared in support of marriage equality

couples wait in line for marriage licenses.

real men support marriage equality. with eddie martinez, xavier mejia and miguel topete of the latino equality alliance

sunshine day

MONDAY MAY 25th, 2009
oooooookay. saturday night i met some friends at the peres projects art gallery in culver city for a reception celebrating artist bruce labruce's new show untitled hardcore zombie project. i can tell you that the show definitely lives up to it's name and is not for everyone or even for most people (and definitely not for anyone under 18).

the show was part of an area art walk where people walked among several galleries open late into the evening and it included a "performance" by adult film star francois sagat who was body painted and then photographed in a space made up like a blood splattered bedroom. even though the "blood" was obviously corn syrup and food coloring the nudity was real and it was interesting to see how people reacted to the show. mr. labruce and mr. sagat worked in the space surrounded by onlookers who were taking pictures and videotaping as ironic songs like the carpenters' "we've only just begun" and the brady bunch's "sunshine day" played in the background. while the show might seem timely with marriage equality and gay rights in the news these days and so-called "torture porn" movies like saw and hostel raking in millions, the bedroom piece is actually an almost exact re-creation of an outfest platinum oasis show of his that i caught at the coral sands motel on western way back in 2001. edgy now. really edgy eight years ago. warning: semi-NSFW.
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half priced ha-ha's

did you know there's comedy downtown? well there is and there has been for a while now. the downtown comedy club recently moved into it's new home, it's third downtown, located in the rosslyn hotel on 5th between main and spring. hosted by garrett morris, of the not-ready-for-prime-time players (the original cast of saturday night live), the dcc offers shows friday and saturday nights at 9:00pm. last night there were five great comedians (and one having an off night) including the hilarious shawn pelofsky (her impersonation of a cat in heat had the audience rolling!).

you can get more info including the show line-ups and directions at http://www.downtowncomedyclub.com/. aaaand you can get 1/2 price tickets at www.goldstar.com (although the full price of $10.00 is still a total bargain).

before the show jimmy and i had drinks at the bona vista lounge, the revolving cocktail lounge atop the bonaventure hotel. i first visited what was then called top of five about thirty years ago and it's changed very little. which is kind of perfect since the view of the city is pretty timeless. and when the cocktail buzz kicks in the whole floor seems to revolve just a little bit faster (so fast i forget to get a shot of the view but here's one from outside the hotel).
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at 72, garrett morris is a comedy icon


baseball... been berry berry... good to me!
(ok now i'm dating myself)

wherefore art thou fabio?

FRIDAY MAY 22nd, 2009
i'm a huge fan of top chef and i got excited when i confirmed my spot at the los angeles magazine celebrity chef cook-off at the grove (i know... again). when it was first announced the highlight was a showdown between team euro with last season's cheftestants stefan and fabio. alas that was not to be and seasons 2's betty fraser replaced fan fave fab whose was probably too busy promoting pellegrino or dr. oetker's ristorante line of pizzas or his own cookbook to stop by (busy boy. when's the promo coming to l.a.?).

it was a decent evening anyway but skimpy on food. food writer merrill schindler, who once wrote for the herald examiner (remember the herald examiner?) hosted the event which began with cooking demos by grove merch's maggiano's, morels and the whisper lounge who together supplied the food for the evening. after the all-you-can-eat buffet at the grove's food event in february the bite-sized portions served wednesday were a bit underwhelming. in fact the others at our table (two of whom were bloggers too, small world) ducked out for hot dogs from all american sausage in the middle of the show and we left about 8:00pm after we realized betty and stefan had almost an hour for their challenge and no more food was coming out. at least the free-flowing wine made it a little more festive. oh and (very boyish lookng) season 2 winner ilan hall was there too but no pix since we cut out early.
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jimmy and reuben who (like most of my friends) hates having his picture taken. oh well, i'm posting this one since (again, like most of my friends) he doesn't read the blog anyway.


the sun was too bright to see the screen during the restaurants' earlier demos but it was better by the time betty and stefan took to the stage.


betty and stefan with merrill schindler on the mike. and the cook-off begins. sorry i never found out who won.




i think stefan thought the audience would decide the winner. here he is handing out roses and working the crowd. actually only a group of about 4 audience members were selected to judge and they were the only ones who got to taste their food.


what did i tell you? bite-sized tuna tartare, wagu beef and carrot cake from the whisper lounge. super tasty but small.


something described as tortellacci from maggiano's. the chef said tortelloni is supposed to be shaped like a belly button.


here comes the vino


stefan and jimmy. stefan was the guy i loved to hate on but i have to admit he was very entertaining in person.


we ended up at maggiano's afterwards. not my first choice but it did the trick. i had never been there before and it was like a more upscale, (slightly) less campy version of buca di beppo. not that there's anything wrong with that.

lakers, koalas and quetzalcoatl

MONDAY MAY 18th, 2009
last friday was a beautiful day to be out (just like today) so jimmy and i picked up reuben and headed on over to the grove, lured once again by the siren song of free food and free booze. tourism new south wales was promoting sydney as a travel destination and was dishing out shrimp, sausages and desserts to anyone who showed up. there were australian beers and wines too as well as three sets of tickets to australia (including hotel, wow). i'm sad to report that we didn't win any of the trips but we really did enjoy the shrimp off the barbie (sorry, i had to go there). hey, check out the pink koalas.
click on any image to enlarge


in australia they call soccer footie. and here i am with a player from the local footie team, the l.a. swans


i think the jumbo koala was flirting with these guys. seriously.


the party ended with a beach ball and kangaroo toss.



the next morning i zipped over to the latest historic theatre tour, this time to see the mayan and belasco theatres on hill street. check out the facade of the mayan below.




the fake fire lamps in the foyer looked pretty real


a detail from the floor of the foyer


inside the mayan lobby a depiction of the feathered serpent quetzalcotal


after past lives as a live theater, movie house and porn palace (and porn film location) the mayan has been a popular nightclub for the last 20 years. here is a detail from a panel in what is now the dance floor area.


a detail from a door leading to the projection room above the balcony.


a bar in what was once a backstage area

the best part was the tour of the belasco theatre next door to the mayan which will soon open as another nightlife complex with a dance club, restaurant, wine bar and lounge. the space has been restored and even expanded and it looks like it will be terrific when it's done. photos were not allowed as the space is still in a construction phase but we were promised we could return and take all the pics we wanted once the work is completed. i'm very excited to see it and i would go back again just to see the gorgeous ceiling.


and on sunday we watched the lakers crush houston at tony and daniel's place in highland park. rock on lakers!


one of tony's dogs. so cute.


before the game i joined jc for a tour of the disney hall. taking pictures inside then outside really convinced me that i need to upgrade to an slr camera. big time.