The Gilmore Heritage Auto Show returns to one of LA’s most iconic places, the Original Farmers Market, on Saturday, June 3.
Now in its 27th year, this annual vintage auto showcase is open to the public. “Wonderful wagons: a tribute to woodies and all the great family haulers” is this year’s theme. Station wagons and the like are historically significant: they brought a new freedom to explore the open road and delve into places once difficult to explore. Almost 100 classic American vehicles – hot rods, low riders, customs, trucks, and more, in addition to wagons – will be on display throughout the Farmers Market.
The auto show goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and you can get 90 minutes of free parking with merchant purchase validation. The Original Farmers Market is located at 6333 Third Street.
“V/H/S/99” (2022, RLJE Films) Fifth entry in the found footage horror anthology franchise is set in 1999 (the tail end of the VHS era, it should be noted), which is echoed, somewhat opaquely at times, in the subject matter of its five stories: professional prankster-rockers a la CKY (“Shredding”), hyperactive, Nickelodeon-style kids’ programming (“Ozzy’s Dungeon”), teen-oriented horror (“Suicide Bid”), sex comedies (“The Gawkers”), and Y2K fears (“To Hell and Back”). As with the other entries in the “V/H/S” universe, “99” is hit-and-miss: “Shredding” and “Gawkers” are essentially extended gross gags, while Flying Lotus’s “Dungeon” and Vanessa & Joseph Winter’s “Hell and Back,” manage to showcase coal-black humor and impressive and elaborate set designs amidst gallons of bodily fluids (“Suicide Bid” is notable for star Ally Ioannides’s ability to withstand real spiders on her face while in a coffin filling with water). The chief selling point of the “V/H/S/” films is their nihilistic, no-way-out aesthetic – everyone comes to a bad end in these films – and in that regard, “99” delivers as well as or better than any of its predecessors. RLJE’s steelbook Blu-ray includes a cast and crew panel interview, deleted scenes, storyboard and rehearsal footage and a behind-the-scenes look at the impressive makeup for “Gawkers.”
First of all, you want to clean the hell out of your grill. It’s a good idea to do this at the beginning of summer anyways. Then get plenty of aluminum foil. Sure, you won’t get the cool grill-marks, but it is vegan etiquette for everyone to cook their big, beefy burgers and tofu dogs on separate pieces of aluminum foil. Luckily, with the profusion of veggie hot dog, burger and even bratwurst substitutes, main courses aren’t much of a challenge. Just double-check to make sure the buns are vegan. There are a number of websites listing vegan products, including Peta.org. Remember, there are often hidden animal products in food that are not that obvious, and gelatin is everywhere, so if someone is really strict, it’s best to check.
After the grill is taken care of, the second most important component of a barbecue is the ice chest. Luckily, most beer is vegan, with the notable exception of honey beers and Guinness. But some beers and wines are filtered with isinglass, a fish product. With liquors, you want to watch out for red food coloring #4, cochineal, also known as carmine or carminic acid (trust me, you really don’t want to know). It is most notably found in Campari. If you want to double-check, here is a vegan beer and wine guide.
“If I can just make it to the show on time,” I told myself as I got ready this past Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, “if I can just make it to the show on time!”
I charged my batteries and packed my no-frills camera, mildly scared that I’d be told at the door, “no filming allowed” and have my camera confiscated. I was even more anxious as the hour grew later, that the sold-out show at the Whisky would be too packed for me to get to the front of the stage.
So much chaos before I could even leave the house! Soon I was telling myself, if I can just get to the show at all. For even just one song. Because one song is better than no song for fans of Fanny, one of the first all-female rock bands ever. I don’t even have to tape it, I just have to be there.
Sisters June and Jean Millington had played music since they were kids in the Philippines. After they moved to America in the early 1960s, they formed a band in high school which by the late 1960s became Fanny.
Gin Rummy cocktail for four. Photo credit: Phillip Guerette.
Memorial Day Weekend is almost here. Traditionally launching the summer season, this long weekend is a great time to unwind, socialize, and get out of the house. See our list below for some ideas on places to pretend you’re in Key West, savor the burger The Los Angeles Times called The Best in LA, hang out by a gorgeous pool, go on a culinary walking tour, simply lounge, or get plant-based food without leaving the car/paying delivery fees.
Gin Rummy, a new island-inspired bar, opens on the border of Venice and Marina del Rey on May 26. Embracing both South Pacific and nautical themes, Gin Rummy’s decor features vintage, island-evoking pinball machines, tropical plants, jungle paintings, and much more. Among the libations served here: classic Tiki drinks, frozen rummys, Trader Vic’s-inspired cocktails-for-four, and booze-free drinks. More info
Enjoy drinks at a poolside bar when Sunday Fundays return to the lively Marina Del Rey Hotel. From the kickoff event this Sunday, May 28, and every Sunday through September 4, you can enjoy the sun and marina views while imbibing delicious cocktails, listening to live DJs, and savoring delicious bites. Daybeds, cabanas, and loveseats are all rentable options. Tickets and more info
Taste the hamburger that The Los Angeles Times crowned “best burger” in “Best of the Southland 2022” at a special price this weekend. Hank’s in Pacific Palisades is offering a Burger Combo Deal from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. this Sunday, May 28. Savor one of Hank’s burgers, like the Double Diamond Burger, along with a draft beer and your choice of side, for $25. More about Hank’s
This Sunday, Rudy Bleu Garcia presents a screening of UNIDAD: Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos (2022), a documentary that focuses on GLLU, a community organization which existed in the 1980s for queer-identified Los Angeles-based Latin@.
Director Gregorio Davila and punk photographer, artist and ex-GLLU member Louis Jacinto will be on hand to talk about the organization and film following the screening.
Sunday, May 28: UNIDAD: Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos, at Whammy Analogue Media Microcinema, 2514 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, 90026, enter Whammy! through the rear parking lot off of side street Rampart Blvd., doors 7:30p, screening at 8:00p; $10 general admission, $9 for Whammy! members.
Front row:Rachel Willis-Sorenson, left, Morris Robinson and Russell Thomas in Otello. Photo by Cory Weaver, used by permission.
The production of Otello currently playing at the LA Opera is somewhat unconventionally staged on a platform that resembles the inside of a ship, an obvious metaphor for the vessel that the titular character can command to victory with ease, while the boat that floats his own life can be sunk with just a few poisonous words. With Russell Thomas as Otello, Rachel Willis-Sorenson as his angelic bride Desdemona and Igor Golovatenko as the black-hearted Iago, and conductor James Conlon leading the orchestra, it’s a descent into the horror of human nature, the music adding deadly force to the hand twisting the knife. Continue reading →
Paul Kopf and Lenny Kaye. Photo by Elise Thompson for the LA Beat.
Wild Honey’s Tribute to Nuggets at the Alex Theater, hosted by its original compiler, Lenny Kaye of the Patti Smith Group, was a hot night in Glendale. With a set list made up entirely of “artyfacts from the first psychedelic era, 1965-68”, members of the Seeds, Love, Count 5, Electric Prunes, the Leaves, MC5, Chocolate Watchband, the Paley Brothers, Billy Vera and even the lead singer of the Archies shared the mic with GoGos, Bangles, Fleshtones, Plimsouls, Loons and the entire Three O’Clock, and the formidable force of the Wild Honey Orchestra. It was an old fashioned all-star revue, with Kaye as its chatty Ed Sullivan host keeping the “really big shoo, folks” moving along.
These Wild Honey shows, under the direction of Paul Rock, are known for their attention to detail and dedication to accurate re-creations of classic records, and the Nuggets repertoire proved to be a perfect object to receive their affections. The trippy arrangements of psychedelic gems like “My World Fell Down” – complete with samples obtained from the actual 1960s sound effect records used on the original Sagittarius recording, and triggered by band member Jim Mills – and “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night” sounded incredible in the hands of these players. I know many of them as high level pros from the likes of Brian Wilson’s band, who have enough sense of fun, camaraderie and adventure to do this once in a while.
Every song is a winner, so the trick was matching the singer to the material, and this they did with a high rate of success. Cameron Dye slayed on Blues Project’s “No Time Like Like The Right Time”, while Paul Kopf proved why he has the gig as current singer for the Seeds on a relentless “Pushin’ Too Hard.” Modern Soul diva Evie Sands led a full choir for some of the night’s most impressive vocal harmonies on “An Invitation To Cry” and “My World Fell Down.”
Siouxsie at the Cruel World Festival 2023. Photo by Deb Smith.
Cruel World 2023, with a stellar line-up of new wave, punk, and goth 80’s bands, came to Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena on May 20th. Headliners included Siouxsie, Iggy Pop, Billy Idol, Love and Rockets, Echo and the Bunnymen, Human League and many more great bands from what was arguably the best decade of music from these genres. The crowd was said to be 70,000 strong including fans from California and around the world.
The bands did not disappoint, playing their best hits as well as new or little-known work. As I arrived, I listened to the Vapors singing “I think I’m turning Japanese.” Shortly thereafter, the Gang of Four played “I love a Man in Uniform.” “I’ll Stop the World and Melt with You” by Modern English was also a big hit with the crowd. Not everyone knows how much of a pioneer Gary Numan was in electronic and industrial music. In addition to his hits, like “Cars,” he played a lot of his industrial-styled music which this industrial music lover enjoyed immensely. Billy Idol also gave a strong performance as did his amazing guitarist, Steve Stevens, who performed some spectacular solo work.
Tina and Shaunzi having breakfast at the GLAZA Beastly Ball preview. Photo by Zoë Sharpe
A fun time was had by all as the LA Beat had a chance to preview the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Associations (GLAZA) upcoming Beastly Ball fundraiser, which will be held on Saturday, June 3rd. The annual gala gives guests a chance to experience the Zoo at night, enjoying tasty nibbles and cocktails from some of Los Angeles most popular eateries, while learning about the animals and the Zoo’s conservation programs with special animal experiences.
This years annual gala will be hosted by actor and comedian Joel McHale, and honorees include longtime City Council member, “Mr. Los Angeles” Tom LaBonge, who will posthumously receive the Betty White Conservation Hero Award for his contributions to
the Zoo and Griffith Park. GLAZA Trustee Diann H. Kim will also be honored for her work over the past 12 years shaping the future of the Zoo. Continue reading →
Front row: 
