I went to review The Sweepers, at the International City Theater in Long Beach and my first thought came about fifteen minutes into the play. “Why does this play exist?” It was a miracle my mind was quiet for that long. But I realized later it was hard at work for those fifteen minutes. It was searching for something while I was dumbly enjoying the pretty set. I dismissed the buzzing fly that was my mind several times before I began to swat at it (internally of course). Another part of my mind said “Listen to the part the you’re about to swat.” I swear all this went on in my head. I thought I better listen to both of these thoughts because maybe my mind was trying to communicate with me (duh). Like a game. It asks a question and I have to find the answer. The cumulative effect of this game would be that I had an interesting experience. Some doctor’s might categorize that as schizophrenic or something else along the lines of mental illness. I like my mind so doctor’s be damned, I decided to trust it and play the game.
About: Guest Writer
This Bendable Foldable/ Do-what-you're-toldable/ Easily moldable/ Buy-what you're-soldable/ Washable Mendable/ Highly Dependable/ Buyable Saleable/ Always available/ Bounceable Shakeable/ Almost unbreakable/ Twistable Turnable Man... Is one of our favorite writer's because it could me ANYONE... Guest Writer, is collection of different writer's who send us stories without becoming a full member of the team. Hope you enjoy!
- Daesha Lynn “Girleen”
- Jason Warren “Father Welsh”
- Owen Conway “Coleman Connor”
- Mike Daily “Valene Connor”
Theater Review: The Sweepers
July 2nd, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
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Concert Review: Van’s Warped Tour Ventura
June 25th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · 1 Comment
Last Sunday’s Warped Tour in Ventura left me with a wicked sunburn, sore joints, and a deep appreciation for the bands who distracted me from my discomfort with their infallibly upbeat attitudes and earnest performances.
At the Smartpunk stage, The Higher set the mood for my day with cheerfully energetic renditions of songs from their On Fire album. The catchy-as-hell “Histrionics” kept the audience dancing and singing along and put the lyric “One check, one love” in my head for the next half hour or so. An unexpected rocked-up cover of ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye” elicited a few boos from the crowd, although most people seemed to appreciate and enjoy the novelty. Undeterred, lead vocalist Seth Trotter kept things light afterward with a quick quip: “I think some of the metal crowd were mad that they knew that song.” The set ended with Trotter jumping onto the barricade during the crowd pleasing “Insurance?” to the delight of front-row fans.
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Theater Review: In Heat
June 19th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
What’s the best way to pound pelvis? In Heat doesn’t answer that question but rather hints that that specific part of the body needs a lot of pounding. That joke is the only common thread between the four, one-acts that comprise this light hearted play. Call me overly passionate or whatever you want to call me but I like a thread of something meaty in a play. Even in comedy there has to be something crackling under the cheap one liners and quirky situations for it to stick with us. This play and it’s all star cast kind of crackle for me. But despite my laughter it was missing something…
Carbs features Robin Thomas and Rebecca Klingler. Like the rest of the cast these two have impressive credits. So impressive that I stopped reading their bio’s because it made me feel inadequate as an actor. Call me another name, but I never really understood why one would include a bio in a play they’re doing. I like the feeling of not knowing who someone is outside the distilled experience of watching them in front of my own two eyes. That way as an actor you can never rely on your past work, you’re forced to bring the pain to each and every audience member. Not that these two phoned in their performances, that wasn’t the case at all. I just like figures appearing from the dark for my eyes and ears to feast on without wondering if I saw them in the movie that’s listed in their credits.
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Theatre Review of Outbursts: One–man show by Gordon James
June 13th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · 1 Comment
Gordon James has a captivating presence from the moment he walks out on stage. His booming voice proclaims, “Life is Love. Love is Universal. This could be anyone. Outbursts me. Outbursts you.” And so begins our journey as James is embodied by seventeen different “spirits” that use his body, voice, movement and expressions to share with us a “burst” of their life. A moment in which the universal theme is the search for love…a love the could be a yearning for sex, friendship, trust, lust, companionship and even perhaps just being the preferred cab fare.
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Theater Review: Herpes Tonight!
June 11th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
I was never a huge fan of health class (yes, I faint at the sight of blood) and I was raised hard core Catholic where I was never even aloud to swear let alone talk about STD’s. I had rebelled during my college years and performed in The Vagina Monologues, so how shocking would be a show called Herpes Tonight be?
I knew nothing about the show and asked a friend to come along with me because how humorous does the title sound? As I sat awaiting the show to start I was entertained by a projection slide show of movie posters edited with herpes humor and I even learned fun facts like how Mr. Robin Williams was sued for millions by an ex-girlfriend for giving her herpes (it ended up being settled out of court).
As the show begun, the audience was packed. Were all of these people interested in Herpes? No more than 3 minutes into the show I was exposed to two shocking photographs (side by side) of the opposite sex genitalia with an out break of, of course, herpes. Mr. Corey Moosa (who looked a lot like Seth Green) explained that this was not his penis but this is what herpes looks like with an outbreak.
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Interview: Get Down With Djavan
June 6th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
There’s a repertoire of songs you’ll hear in Brazil, again and again and again. It will happen while watching novellas, sitting in bars and restaurants, while shopping in shopping centers and when you’re drinking caipirinha at the beach. While certain artists such as Maria Bethania, Vinicius de Moraes, Caetano Veloso and other deities represent the pantheon of M.P.B. (música popular brasileira, or Brazilian pop music), there are also different levels which hold their own demigods, dryads and nymphs. And this is where Djavan comes into play, a singer and song writer who will be performing in L.A. on June 13th at the Ford Amphitheater.
Hailing from the nordeste state of Alagoas and recording albums since 1976, Djavan is a fixture for M.P.B. and a welcome sight for fans, lusophiles, and/or nostalgic expatriates. His sounds are appropriate for the quasi-elevator music soundtrack of certain Brazilian spaces and anywhere else for that matter. With mellow, funky rhythms that carry the sentiments of a smooth jazz station, this is what fictional jazz-flutist and 70s news anchorman Ron Burgundy might have referred to as “baby-making music.” But when listening deeper, one learns that Djavan is a cool operator who uses electrically infused funk that carries living ties to Chick Corea, Tim Maia and other soulful brasileiros.
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Theater Review: The Hiding Place at the Attic Theater
June 5th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
Who doesn’t enjoy a play within a play? I know I do. However, with The Attic Theater’s production of Jeff Whitty’s The Hiding Place— make sure you drink your caffeine and pay close attention at the beginning of the play. The connection and distinction between the two characters could easily be missed.
Without giving anything away, here is a quick rundown of the plot. Set in New York City in the 1990s, Karl (played by Brian Shnipper), a writer, and his male buddies, Leon (played by Jan Munroe), an actor, and George (John Szura), an artist, are out dining when they begin to yuk it up with their waitress, Myra (played beguilingly by understudy Kasey Wilson). She catches their attention, most importantly Karl’s, who is married and a fellow writer (albeit much more successful). Another chance encounter between Karl and Myra begins an exchange of letters they place in a secret “hiding place” in the city. Eventually, things do not go well for the blossoming couple and let’s just say Myra gets her revenge through her playwriting, which causes its own twists and turns for those around them.
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Theatre Review: Lonesome West
June 4th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
Suicides, murders, a school girl temptress, an alcoholic priest, and a raging feud between two brothers incapable of inhabiting the same room without a violent exchange make this a very touching and very tender play (seriously!). The well crafted black comedy, written by Martin McDonagh, takes place in the rural Irish town of Leenane. The play’s central vein of darkness pulses strongly throughout and is contrasted with some truly touching moments. The dialogue and situations the characters find themselves embroiled in elicit a continual stream of nervous laughter from the audience. This is a fun play, but is this production up to the material?
Cast
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Concert Review: Flight of the Conchords at the Orpheum
May 31st, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · 1 Comment
“There are a lot of rumors going around that we’re not a band, just because there’s only two of us,” Bret McKenzie told the audience. “Even a one man band gets called a band,” Jemaine Clement responded. Laughter and applause filled the room. New Zealand’s comedy folk duo, Flight of the Conchords, performed to a sold out crowd at the Orpheum Theater Friday night. Lines, filled with grandparents and teens, wrapped around the venue as they eagerly waited to get in. Once inside, fans collectively lined up at the merchandise booth to take a piece of the night home in remembrance of the event.
The show began around 9 pm and as the audience waited in anticipation for the duo to take the stage, two opening acts paved the way for the band. Fellow New Zealand singer-songwriter Bic Runga, sang melodic acoustic songs about love. Runga opened her set with “Sway,” which was featured in the American Pie Soundtrack along with her 1997 album titled Drive. Next on the bill was actor/comedian Aziz Ansari, who performed a hilarious stand-up comedy routine. Fans of Flight of the Conchords may recognize the comedian as the racist fruit vendor on the HBO show. One of the highlights of Ansari’s performance was when he vented about some of the ridiculous shows on the MTV network. Although the comedian stars in his own MTV sketch comedy series called, Human Giant, he said, “Some of the shows on MTV are just not my cup of tea… I don’t like pieces of shit in my tea.” The crowd screamed and applauded as outbursts filled the room.
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LA in the Day Editorial: The Ten Cent Matinee
May 25th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
When we made the three day train trip from New York to L.A. in 1935, I’m sure my parents were worried about making a living. What worried me was the movies. Could I get into the movies. In New York, there had been a movie fire, people were killed, and now kids were no longer admitted without an adult. I remember that we used to hang around outside the theater for adults to arrive and then beg, Please take me in?
I was in luck! My folks settled in to hard times in a new city. I had the Saturday matinee. Every Saturday, dragging my kid brother and lunch sack in hand for the long wonderful afternoon, I arrived at Bards Theater, Adams and La Brea. The price was ten cents. I had my two dimes and I waited in line with my other neighborhood friends for the box office to open.
The matinee started with the excitement as we entered the lobby.
There was the table laden with glittering prizes which your ticket might win: toys, games and even, as I remember because I wanted it, a real camera!
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Local LA: ‘Anonymous’ Protest Tomorrow
May 9th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · 2 Comments
Anonymous, a group of (you guessed it) anonymous protestors will be meeting tomorrow at 2:00pm in the afternoon near the Metro Hollywood/Vine Red Line Station in Hollywood, to protest Scientology.
For those of you who do not know about Anonymous, they are an Internet-based group that has released statements on YouTube and via a press release, outlining what they call a “War on Scientology.” The group managed to hack into the Church of Scientology system back in January of this year and post videos that were supposed to be seen by anyone. Since then, they have lead a number of protests, been dragged to court, and made a number of YouTube statements. Oh yea, and they always wear masks from the movie V for Vendetta.
Here is their most recent one for the protest tomorrow:
→ 2 CommentsTags: Local LA · Upcoming events
Art Review: Daniele Albright’s Making Spaces
May 8th, 2008 Written by: Guest Writer · No Comments
The SCALO/GUYE fine art photography gallery held its opening show for native Los Angeles artist Daniele Albright last Saturday evening. With the show’s title, FICTIONAL SPACES, one might have expected pictures of Hollywood sets, actors in character or once filmed locations. Instead, the viewer came across laterally collaged photo sets of natural scenes at sea, the sky and where land meets the two. Upon an immediate look, there is nothing fictional about them. “They’re trying to trick you,” says Daniele. “What appears to be an island… is not an island,” “waves” are cleverly patterned shots and so on. The “trick” about the collages is that they are not a series of sweeping shots that were simply pieced together but instead different individual photos that were taken at separate times. Raising questions about how our minds make sense of space, visual patterns and reality is the challenge set forth by Daniele Albright and with this being her first fine art photography show, one hopes for more work to come.
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