Let’s Get Howie Pyro a New Liver!

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Elise Thompson

Tonight! Hit the Zebulon in Frogtown for an epic fundraiser for the legendary and beloved Howie Pyro, who has more punk rock cred than anyone I’ve ever met. He is also an incredibly nice guy, and has personally helped me out on more than one occasion. Now, Howie could use a hand. he is battling cirrhosis of the liver and needs a liver transplant. Although we can’t make it go away, as much as we want to, we can help with the medical bills that are already piling up.

If you don’t know about Howie’s incredible rock ‘n’ roll life, he played in Danzig, toured with the Ramones, and partied with Sid Vicious. He is one of the best DJs in LA. and a well-known collector and seller of super hip music and film memorabilia.

But back to tonight’s show, Howie’s friends are pulling out all the stops to raise money for his GOFUNDME. Enjoy live music from the Freekees, DJ sets from Don Bolles, MC-ed by Rita D’Albert, Sylvie Lake, and The Beat’s own Tequila Mockingbird. There is an insane amount of awesome prizes to win, including: signed merch and other rare memorabilia from Cherie Currie, a signed copy of Please Kill Me by Legs Mcneil and Gillian McCain, a signed rare art book from Fayette Hauser of The Cockettes, and a signed skateboard from Tony Alva. Entrance is free, with donations accepted.

If you can’t make it to the show, please donate to the GOFUNDME.

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Movies Till Dawn: Men and Their Decisions

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Paul Gaita

“The Green Knight” (2021, Lionsgate Home Entertainment/A24) Retelling of the 14th century Arthurian poen with Dev Patel as a decidedly un-heroic (at first) Sir Gawain, who is reluctantly thrust into action by the supernatural Green Knight’s plan to claim his head at the end of a year. As written and directed by David Lowery (“A Ghost Story”), “Green Knight” takes its time to unfold, but the pace is an asset. The story, structured in literary fashion as a series of tests to Gawain’s strengths and weaknesses, blooms into an allegory for transitions: between myth and legend, between immaturity and responsibility, between the past and present. Ambitious, to be sure, and Lowery favors ambiguity over direct explanation, but appointed with enough laurels (Patel as the lead, Alicia Vikander and Joel Edgerton as mysterious royals, gorgeous photography and striking images) to hold the viewer as Gawain progresses towards his fate. The Lionsgate/A24 Blu-ray includes multiple making-of featurettes, including coverage of the exceptional visual effects and title design.

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watt’s picture of the week – wednesday, october 6, 2021

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Mike Watt

a new park going up in my pedro town, right near where the harbor freeway either begins or ends…

photo by mike watt

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mike watt’s hoot page

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Desperately Seeking Bubbles

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Mike Guerena

When I was young, going to Marineland was a huge deal. And what made it better was that it was kind of ours. I mean for people in the South Bay, because it was right there, super close in Palos Verdes. I remember my parents driving us up there and finally turning that one corner and there was the Bubbles the whale statue with his two dolphin buddies. It was an awesome feeling, kinda like seeing the Matterhorn off the side of the freeway, but way closer.

After many years of success, they eventually tore it all down in the 70s after some bad business deals. I have so many crazy stories about that place, and even after it was closed down we snuck in and ran around the empty tanks and gift shops like we owned the place.
So anyways, a few months ago I read an article about this guy walking his dog up in Palos Verdes when he came across the Bubbles the whale statue lying forsaken in a sad, dirty parking lot. I, for one, particularly hate the lack of respect for our history here in this amazing city I grew up in. It’s all about the money here, and the new shitty condos, and fuck Gloria Swanson’s house over on Glendale, let it rot, ’cause who cares. The abandoned Bubbles statue rotting in the sun seemed like a pretty good representation of what this city thinks of its past.

There are talks, and petitions to restore him and find him a new home but so far nothing’s happened, and it’s been over 30 years. In the meantime we decided to do some detective work and find him. We just wanted to see the situation ourselves. Here’s what happened.

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LA Magazine’s Food Event is Back! Don’t Miss Out!

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Elise Thompson

Tuna Confit from The Bellwether at The Food Event. Photo by Elise Thompson.

UPDATE: The Food Event has changed to November 14, 2021; 2 – 5 p.m. and has moved to Hummingbird Nest Ranch in the Santa Susana Mountains. 

We have sorely missed our annual food events, perhaps none more so than Los Angeles magazine’s “Food Event.” The strolling feast returns Sunday, October 15, 2021 from 2-5PM. Located at the gorgeous Saddlerock Ranch in the Mailibu Hills, the afternoon offers tastes from 40 of the best chefs in LA, plus drinks from LA sommeliers and bartenders, and demos from talented local chefs.

Los Angeles magazine’s 15th annual “epicurean extravaganza” features some of our favorite restaurants, including the Michelin-starred classic, Michael’s Santa Monica, Madre! Oaxacan food, Hotville Chicken, Poppy + Rose, STK, Lunetta, Creme Caramel, and Magpies Soft Serve. We are excited to try dishes from Conservatory, Cult from the 3rd Street Promenade, and Venice’s steakhouse, Win-dow. Other temptations are the wood-fired delicacies from Etta, and Spanish-influenced cuisine from Woodland Hill’s Gasolina,

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Movies Till Dawn: Horror Business (Global Terror Network)

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Paul Gaita

Boilerplate: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own. 

“The Awakening” (2011, Cohen Media Group) Writer Rebecca Hall’s skepticism in regard to ghosts is put to the test when she’s hired by boys’ school teacher Dominic West to determine if the recent death of a student is the result of supernatural phenomena. Period British spook show by director Nick Murphy and writer Stephen Volk (“Gothic,” “Ghostwatch”) is lovely to look and features an excellent cast led by the always watchable Hall (bedeviled by spirits again in the recent “Night House“), West, and Imelda Staunton as a housekeeper who knows too much. It has sufficient scares – a bit involving a cigarette case dropped into a lake is creepy – and does well in illustrating the idea of a haunting as a magnet/amplifier for traumatic experiences. “The Awakening” may also be too genteel for horror fans that like more aggressive ghost fare, “The Awakening” has the Gothic goods. Cohen Media Group’s Blu-ray offers deleted scenes introduced by Murphy, as well as two making-of featurettes.

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These Cocktail Nerds Have Created the Barware of Their Dreams

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Cocktail ware from A Bar Above. Photo by Karin E. Baker for The LA Beat.

Crafting cocktails at home is more popular than ever — the pandemic truly brought at-home cocktail making to the fore. If you enjoy mixing your own drinks, you’ve likely noticed that the tools involved can be nice to look at but annoying to use. Shakers often leak or are hard to unseal. The glass half of a Boston shaker can break. Strainers aren’t always as efficient as they should be. And dishwashers can ruin the finish of your once-gleaming cocktail tools.

Chris and Julia Tunstall of A Bar Above set out to create, as they told me, “the barware of our dreams.” That amounts to premium bar tools that are both highly practical and look great. An experienced hospitality professional, Chris spent a decade working behind bars or managing them. He hosts the excellent cocktail podcast “Mixology Talk” with his wife Julia. Julia also manages their cocktail blog and created their line of bar tools with plenty of input from Chris.

Julia told me, “We started focusing on professionals, but during Covid, a lot of customers became “prosumers.” Their favorite bar was closed so they made drinks at home. Our customers are a blend of consumers, bars, and restaurants.”

Working in bars taught Chris the shortcomings of many drink-making tools. “People would ask, “What shaker do you recommend?” and I couldn’t really. You handle a tool for 8, 10, 12 hours and you get frustrated. A glass shaker would break and I’d get covered in a cocktail. It takes a lot of time to clean up and make sure there’s no broken glass in the ice. Not great when a bar is busy. We were waiting for someone else to make great barware and after a couple of years, we decided to make our own.“

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Star Trek Exhibit Boldly Goes to the Skirball Cultural Center

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Tanja M. Laden

Commander Spock and Captain James T. Kirk, played by Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, pictured here in the original series in 1968/ Wikimedia Commons

Dedicated Star Trek fans and amused admirers alike will find something to love at the Skirball Cultural Center’s new exhibit, “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds.” Organized by the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle, Washington, the public display takes visitors on a voyage through more than a half century of Star Trek history, from costumes worn by the original cast all the way through to artifacts from “Star Trek: Discovery.” Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: Little Stabs at Happiness

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Paul Gaita

Quick boilerplate: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided with free copies of the Blu-rays I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.

“Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” (1982, Kino Lorber) Co-writer/director Carl Reiner and co-writer/star Steve Martin (with co-writer George Gipe) parody classic Hollywood crime films by stitching together new footage of Martin (with beautiful black and white photography by Michael Chapman) with scenes from films like “Suspicion” and “Sorry, Wrong Number.” The editing is seamless and not only evokes the sooty luster of classic noir, but also results in delirious juxtaposition, such as Martin in drag (don’t ask) pursued by Fred MacMurray’s Walter Neff from “Double Indemnity.” Rachel Ward is a forward femme fatale, and Reiner a Nazi officer whose wants to use cheese mold to dominate the world. Kino’s Special Edition Blu-ray features commentary by director Allan Arkush (“Rock ‘n’ Roll High School“) and historian Daniel Kremer, who note the vintage cameos and pay homage to costumer Edith Head and composer Miklos Rozsa, who logged their final credits in long and storied careers with this film.

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Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening to the Public

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Tanja M. Laden

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Saban Building. Photo by Josh White, JWPictures/ ©Academy Museum Foundation

After more than 90 years and two opening-date postponements due to COVID-19, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is finally opening on September 30. Located on Fairfax and Wilshire, the seven-story museum was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano and includes the Saban Building, otherwise known as the landmark 1939 May Company Building. The entire campus features 50,000 square feet of exhibition space, plus a restaurant, store, and two separate theaters: the David Geffen Theater and smaller Ted Mann Theater. Also of note is the 45,000 square-foot Sphere Building and the Dolby Family Terrace, offering expansive views of the City of Angels. Continue reading →

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