SB805 the “Save the Performing Arts Act of 2021” Will be Coming to a Vote Soon

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Billy Bennight

Danny Glover, Edward James Olmos, Fabrizio Guido, French Stewart, Susan Rubio, Vanessa Claire Stewart, Michelle Krusiec, Josefina Lopez, Kate Linder, and Joe Spano supporting Senate Bill 805 (SB 805) “Save The Performing Arts Act Of 2021” Press Conference. All Photos by Billy Bennight for The Los Angeles Beat

On Wednesday, May 19th, Democratic State Senator Susan Rubio hosted a press conference in support of her Senate Bill, SB805, “Save The Performing Arts Act Of 2021” in Boyle Heights at the Josefina Lopez’s Casa 0101 Theater with a group of activists, influencers, and Hollywood star power.

“Save the Performing Arts Act of 2021” is a bill that will provide infrastructure support and funding for small non-profit performing arts organizations and individuals in marginalized communities across California. This support will include 51 organizations and individuals throughout California. SB805 will establish the Small Nonprofit Performing Arts Paymaster which will provide a low-cost payroll and paymaster service for SNPAC (Small Nonprofit Performing Arts Companies). The goal of the legislation is to establish the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund to ensure that SNPACs can pay all workers minimum wage, particularly workers in marginalized communities. The idea is to support and stabilize local performing arts communities which are incubators for playwrights, actors, designers, directors, and other artists as well.

Photo Gallery after the Break

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‘Summer Sounds on the Plaza’ Returns to The Original Farmers Market This Week

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

 

Live music returns to the Original Farmers Market! ‘Summer Sounds on the Plaza’ begins this Thursday, May 27, and will take place every Thursday and Friday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. through June 25.

Come to shop or dine, then stay to hear music from a variety of genres, including flamenco guitar, ’20s ragtime, R&B, Latin jazz, ’30s swing, calypso, and more.

The acclaimed ragtime/swampy blues/New Orleans jazz band California Feetwarmers’ much-anticipated return to the Farmers Market happens on Thursday, June 24.

These performances are free of charge and take place at Farmers Market Plaza in front of the iconic clock tower.  The Original Farmers Market is located at 3rd and Fairfax.

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Herb & Seed’s New Delivery Service Makes Plant-Based Eating Easy

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Herb & Seed’s Buddha Bowl. All photos by Karin E. Baker for The LA Beat.

Herb & Seed Plant-Based Kitchen is a new vegan meal delivery service. A local, woman-owned company based here in Los Angeles. Herb & Seed is headed by Natalie Jaconetty, who has been eating organic plant-based food since she was a child.

Natalie’s early exposure to plant-based eating came via her mother, a holistic doctor. A longtime advocate of food as medicine, eating local and organically, and sustainable living, she passed on her values to her daughter, who now uses those mindful practices at Herb & Seed.

Natalie’s recipes are created with help from plant-based nutritionists. You won’t find any processed meat substitutes or refined ingredients here. Every ingredient is organic and made of whole foods that are local and seasonal.

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watt’s picture of the week – saturday, may 22, 2021

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Mike Watt

yesterday found dirk at his shoppe in my pedro town… ‘guitar safari’ is getting prepped for a re-open and I wanna be part of an event for it!

photo by mike watt

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mike watt’s hoot page

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The Roosevelt Hotel Has a New Outdoor Bar & it’s Hosting Live Jazz Tonight

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

The Spare Room… Somewhere Else. Photo credit: Eugene Lee.

If you’re a fan of Hollywood’s historic Roosevelt Hotel, you may have visited its Spare Room. A cocktail lounge and gaming parlor tucked away on the hotel’s mezzanine level, the Spare Room is a gorgeous vintage spot that serves inventive cocktails. It’s also got a  playful vibe, thanks to the pair of bowling lanes and an assortment of handmade wooden games available to play as you sip.

As the Spare Room is an indoor space, the Roosevelt has just opened a new outdoor bar adjacent to its famous Tropicana swimming pool (the pool’s bottom was painted by art luminary David Hockney back in the ’80s).

Dubbed The Spare Room… Somewhere Else, the new bar offers Italian-influenced bites and creative cocktails, along with games like Mad Libs and Battleship (participants will be supplied with custom pencils and one-use paper pads).

Tonight, on Thursday, May 20, Somewhere Else is hosting jazz from Justin Esposito of Blondie Beach Records. Two sets of live jazz will bookend a DJ set. Hours tonight are 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. and you can make reservations via Resy.

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Movies Till Dawn: Everyday People

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Paul Gaita

“Ladybug Ladybug” (1964, Kino Lorber) Students and teachers at a small rural school react to a seemingly real warning about an imminent nuclear attack with anything but the orderly, civil response detailed in government training films, and fall prey to panic, fear, and in one case, apparent tragedy. Gut-wrenching for many viewers and critics upon its release, Frank and Eleanor Perry‘s black-and-white drama, which is based loosely on a real incident, has been surpassed in terms of intensity and ugliness by subsequent nuclear war dramas (see “The Day After”) but as a look at everyday people, and especially children, facing the enormity of their own mortality, “Ladybug” retains much of its awful, draining power, even in its ambiguous or arthouse-forward moments. Kino’s Blu-ray offers detailed and thoughtful commentary by historian Richard Harland Smith, who dives deeply into the film’s crew and cast (which includes TV/stage vets William Daniels and Nancy Marchand of “The Sopranos”), the incident on which it’s based, and the magazine article it inspired, in addition to a wealth of other production info.

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Southern-Style Bakery Dr. Shica’s Opens Thursday!

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Image by Karin E. Baker for The LA Beat.

Dr. Shica’s long-awaited gourmet bakery finally opens its first brick-and-mortar space tomorrow, Thursday, May 20, in Culver City.

Why are these Southern-style treats so popular? Since she was a little girl in South Carolina playing with her first Easy-Bake oven, Dr. Shica learned from her mother and grandmother how to craft the tastiest desserts using premium, high-quality ingredients.

Her Oreo-bedecked vegan brownies taste rich and decadent. The red velvet cakes and cupcakes, made from her mother’s recipe, are loaded with pure flavor and topped with rich cream-cheese frosting. Her cookies are soft in the center and deliciously crispy around the edges.

Her reputation as “the Southern sweet maker to the stars” began when Hollywood executives clamored for her baked goods after tasting them at a pop-up soul food eatery on Melrose. Soon, her brownies were dubbed “Almost Famous Brownies.”  Then, Oprah Winfrey tried Dr. Shica’s desserts and crowned the bakery one of her top-three “Favorite Things.”

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Get Professionally Photographed with Your Dog at ‘Tattoos & Rescues’ Fundraiser

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Would you like a professional photograph with your rescue pet? For just a $20 donation, you and your beloved canine can have a beautiful photo taken while benefiting Long Beach Animal Care Services!

The fundraiser, called ‘Tattoos & Rescues,’ takes place this Thursday, May 20 at Long Beach vegan eatery V Burger. Participants will be given a place on the eatery’s wall for their photo, plus a print to take home.

Local photographer Richard H. Grant will snap photos between 10 a.m. and noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Reservations are recommended but they will try to accommodate walk-ins.

Despite the name, pet parents without ink are also welcome! This event is presented by  Long Beach Food & Beverage.

To make an appointment and your donation of $20, click here. V Burger is located at 420 Cherry Avenue in Long Beach.

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‘Study of Fire’ is a New Pop-up Series at Eataly’s Rooftop Restaurant Terra

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Karin E. Baker

Terra at Eataly. Photos by Karin E. Baker for The LA Beat.

‘Study of Fire’ is a new dining pop-up at Terra, Eataly’s beautiful rooftop restaurant in Century City.

‘Study of Fire’ is a  collaboration between Terra and various local chefs, restaurants, and pop-ups. It’s a celebration of the return to LA restaurant dining and the essentiality of fire in cooking. Most of the dishes served during the ‘Study of Fire’ series will be prepared on Terra’s wood-burning outdoor Italian grill.

The series began with a fire-to-table collab with Echo Park’s Tsubaki. I attended this dinner, where we savored seven impressive dishes, most of them seared or grilled, plus two amuse-bouche. Flame-seared tuna belly, charcoal-grilled New Caledonian blue prawns, charcoal-grilled pork loin, and golden rice balls grilled over charcoal were just a few of the highlights. A Japanese-style Caesar salad (with miso-parmesan dressing and shaved bonito) was a unique take on the classic that I’d love to have again, as was the cannoli with binchotan ricotta, dark chocolate-dipped shell, grilled candied oro blanco, and orange peel.

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THE BOWL IS BACK, BABY!

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Ted Kane

The Los Angeles Philharmonic made the announcement we have been waiting for all pandemic: the Hollywood Bowl is opening back up to live audiences. While the Phil did a good job of remaining relevant during COVID, curating an archival series for PBS and putting on new performances in their excellent Sound/Stage series on YouTube, all of us who have been going to the Hollywood Bowl for years know there is nothing like a summer night under the stars listening to world class music with your friends, a picnic meal, and a bottle (or two) of wine. The Bowl opens this Saturday, May 15, at 8 pm when Gustavo Dudamel leads the Philharmonic in concert, the first of five events in May and June that offered by invitation only to healthcare workers, first responders and essential workers; you can mitigate your FOMO by viewing the livestream on the Bowl’s website. The general public will be able to purchase tickets for shows beginning with the Fireworks Spectacular featuring Kool and the Gang and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with Principal Conductor Thomas Wilkins on July 3 & 4.

The season includes 14 LA Phil programs conducted by Dudamel,as well as another 8 led by guests, includig John Williams (September 4-6). Jazz is well-represented, including such favorites as Kamasi Washington (July 18) and Herbie Hancock (September 26th). Returning traditions include Reggae Night XIX with Ziggy Marley and the Wailing Souls (August 1) and the Sing-A-Long Sound of Music with host Melissa Peterman (August 21). Other films to be screened with live orchestra include Black Panther (September 10-12) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (September 17th), while the great Viola Davis will narrate Peter and the Wolf on July 14th. Brittany Howard makes her Bowl debut on September 18th. For the full schedule and ticket information (including COVID restrictions, visit the Hollywood Bowl online.

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