I am a journalist/writer. I love tea, digestive biscuits, cashmere, alpacas and David Brent. I can’t live without the internet, h&m, The Smiths, and John Lennon. I like babooshkas, reading children’s books, catching spelling mistakes, finding bargains, useless trivia and snow.
Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama was Baracking the vote in full force last night, as he hosted a fund raising event at the Regent Beverly Wilshire with a live performance by Barbra Streisand. Boy, did he manage to raise funds. Tickets to the reception and dinner at the Greystone Mansion cost $28,500 apiece, with about 300 people in attendance, reports the Los Angeles Times. Gaining entry to the hotel event, which took place after dinner, cost $2,500, with about 800 people in the audience. You do the math. Ok, I’ll do it for you: that’s an estimated $9 million.
As Obama spoke to the crowd, filled with the likes of Jodie Foster, Will Ferrell and Leonardo DiCaprio, he gave attention to the concerns people might have about the election.
“I know that a lot of you, just in conversations while we were in the photo lines, had all sorts of suggestions,” he said.
But the crisis on Wall Street “has suddenly focused people’s attention, and it’s reminded people of what’s at stake. It’s reminded people that this is not a game. This is not a reality show, no offense to any of you,” Obama said as the crowd erupted in laughter. “This is not a sitcom.”
Oh, the San Fernando Valley. You never get much love. People drive through you most days, never stopping by to say hello. You’re pretty much a foreign land to anyone who has lived on the west side of Los Angeles their whole life. You’re usually hotter than the rest of the city and on those days, which is most days, many avoid you like the plague. But you’re strong, San Fernando Valley. You recovered from a horrendous earthquake in 1994 and survived a proposed annexation from L.A. in 2002. And while I, too admit to speaking ill of you at times, you are nevertheless my home. Of all things, you should be most commended for being the subject of Bill Crosby’s 1944 number one hit, “San Fernando Valley,” written by Gordon Jenkins, and thanks to YouTube, we all can be transported back to 1944 and sing along (with the lyrics after the cut!).
By now, most of Los Angeles and much of the world has gotten wind of the deadly Metrolink derailment that took place yesterday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. in Chatsworth, when a commuter train carrying 225 people collided with a freight train, killing dozens and critically injuring many more. While officials stated today that shortly after 2:30 p.m. the search for victims had come to a close, investigators and medical personnel were still working on the bottom level of the double decker car.
Here is a run down of what we know:
The death toll has reached 25, with more than 135 injured. The Los Angeles Times reports that 100 people were taken to hospitals (60 by ambulance and 40 by helicopter). All 12 trauma centers in Los Angeles handled patients.
Among the fatally injured were LAPD Officer Spree Desha, 35, of Simi Valley and Paul Long, an English teacher at Oaks Christian School, who died this afternoon after being taken off life support at County-USC Medical Center.
Veteran actor Michael Douglas is set to play the flamboyant Polish-Italian pianist, Liberace in a biopic that Steven Soderbergh is busy developing. Soderbergh is also hoping to play Matt Damon to play Scott Thorson, who sued Liberace for palimony in 1982 after claiming they were lovers. Liberace, also known as Wlazdiu Valentino Liberace (bet you didn’t know that) never refused to acknowledge his homosexuality, even up until his death in 1987 due to aids. Currently, there is no release date scheduled.
For those that didn’t see Dark Night (so sue me) and even for those who did, comes some great news. Warner Bros. is set to re-release their money making machine, err, movie in January on IMAX, conveniently in time for Academy Award voting season. The blockbuster sequel to Batman has brought in about $512 million domestically and $440 million internationally. It has been ranked to date as the second highest grossing movie ever, after “Titanic.”
Have you seen American Apparel’s new line, “Afrika” lately?
On first glance, it may appear that AA is trying to brand into patterns after being known for so long for their basic cotton knitwear that comes in a plethora of colors and cuts, however, if your observation skills are in tune, it might be that AA is taking a page from the M.I.A. book of fashion. M.I.A, or Maya Arulpragasam, is known just as much for her innovative and cutting edge music as for her sense of style. While she’s singing “Paper Planes” or her first hit, “Galang,” you’ll more than likely find her clad in neon pink tights and an outrageously patterned spandex leotard, while wearing candy colored sneakers and flailing her blond streaked hair, a definite shout out to the 80s.
American Apparel, the largest clothing manufacturer in the world, an unlikely candidate to carry such loud and out there type clothing, has jumped in the M.IA. train.
If you happen to be in Santa Monica today, The Pushing Daisies promotional team will be giving away free individual mini pies on 3rd Street Promenade until 3 p.m. today!
You can sample some pie ( I got apple!), explore the Pie-Hole-On-Wheels (which is fitted with Plasma Tvs that show clips from the show) and even get a Pushing Daisies magnet.
If you’re a fan of the show (or not) I suggest you at least get down there for some delicious pie to make your Wednesday just a wee bit better.
Pushing Daisies premieres October 1st at 8 p.m. on ABC.
While the amount of celebrities that live in this fine city in their million dollar mansions are not few and far in between, there are a handful (or two) places of residents that are interest. You might want to keep this list handy in your case star-crazed aunt or uncle have decided to come visit
Torrance, three blocks from Torrance High School - Buffy’s house (right) on the fictional Revello Drive Residence was actually in Torrance and was used in the widely popular series, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Kenneth Road between Brand and Pacific, Glendale - The “Gone With The Wind House’s” terrace can be seen as you take a scenic drive through Kenneth Road in Glendale. Beware, you might be tempted to declare that you will never go hungry again when passing by.
The night that I discovered “Stringers: LA” on Tru Tv, it became my guilty pleasure. Actually, I shouldn’t say ‘guilty’ because I don’t feel ashamed to be watching it at all. If you’ve never heard of this television series, Stringers: LA follows freelance video journalists who prowl the streets of Los Angeles to find news as it happens. This routinely includes shootings, car crashes, hostage situations, explosions and fires. Their cars come equipped with police, fire and EMS scanners that help them to find and get amazing footage that is then fed to news organizations. Chances are that the car crash you’re watching on KTLA’s 11 o clock news was filmed by a stringer.
Stringers: LA is like COPS without the mental cases. Not only is it an intriguing and fascinating show for the action and adventure it provides on the mean and lean streets of this city, it makes you appreciate the efforts of these journalists who risk their lives on a daily basis to bring you the news. Seeing the work that goes behind stringing, gives people a rare glimpse into the behind the cameras work that goes into bringing footage to your local news station. Make no mistake about it, this is real reality tv.
If you’re into awards shows, I’ve got one for you to watch this weekend. The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards will air this Sunday, September 7 at 9 p.m. Britney Spears, who has hopefully put her tumultuous year behind her, will be opening the show, but not performing (sorry Britaddicts). After her disastrous performance last year, I don’t blame her. Actor and comedian Russell Brand and his plethora of hair will host this year’s show, which will feature performances by Christina Aguilera, Rihanna and girl-kisser Katy Perry, who will be singing Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” How appropriate. After swearing he would never return to another VMA show, Kanye West will be closing the night out with a performance as well
The VMAs will be broadcast from the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood and will also feature performances by Pink, Paramore, Lil Wayne and Kid Rock. Presenters will include Jamie Foxx, Chace Crawford, Slash, Taylor Swift, Shia LaBeouf, Paris Hilton (really?) and all your favorites from The Hills, including Lauren and Speidi (Spencer and Heidi). God of the Sea Michael Phelps, Miley Cyrus, Lindsey Lohan, Scarlet Johansson, Ciara, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens will also present awards
If you plan on watching, you might want to take a second and vote for someone in the Best New Artist category, the only category in which you get to pick the winner. The nominees include:
As you know by now, our one and only beloved Mulder has entered rehab for sex addiction of all things. For some reason, he felt the need to announce this to the world. In a statement to US Magazine, Duchovny said that he voluntarily entered a facility for the treatment of sex addiction and asked for respect and privacy as him and his family dealt with the situation. Wikipedia describes sex addicts as people who, possibly out of fear of any truly intimate relationship, repeatedly and compulsively try to connect with others through highly impersonal intimate behaviors such as masturbation, empty affairs, frequent visits to prostitutes and voyeurism.
FOX News, more specifically columnist Roger Friedman, decided to way in on Duchovny’s announcement.
When Duchovny is done with the rehab, I’m also told that he and Tea and their kids will complete their move to Manhattan’s Upper East Side from Hollywood. They will be very welcome here, as Tea is much in demand work-wise. Duchovny will have more “Californication” and plenty of offers. New York doesn’t solve all your problems, but it’s a much more realistic place to live than Los Angeles.
Milk trailer released -The much anticipated “Milk” movie trailer has been released. Director Gus Van Sant heads up the project with Sean Penn as gay rights icon Harvey Milk. Milk was an activist and politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in America ( In 1977, he was voted to the city supervisor’s board of San Francisco). In 1978, Milk and San Francisco’s mayor, George Moscone, were shot to death by another city supervisor named Dan White. Watch the “Milk” trailer and contemplate how many Oscars you think Penn might receive.
The U.K has a bone to pick with “Wanted” - The U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that movie posters for the Angelina Jolie-James McAvoy thriller “Wanted” glamorize guns and violence and must be banned after receiving somewhere around 17 complaints. “We acknowledged most viewers would understand the posters reflected the content of an action film. However, we considered that because the ads featured a glamorous actress, action poses, several images of, or related to guns and aspirational text, they could be seen to glamorize the use of guns and violence.” the ASA said in a statement.
Difficult to understand at times, yet embodying the fears, anxieties and hopes of perhaps every single person struggling with the ever looming idea of facing life, Momma’s Man manages to touchingly capture an idea that’s so introverted, yet so universal: the fear of growing up.
Directed by Azazel Jacobs (The GoodTimesKid) as a tribute to his parents and childhood, “Momma’s Man” chronicles the saga of Mikey (Matt Boren), a husband and new father who, after stopping off at his parent’s house during a business trip to New York, finds it impossible to leave. With no rhyme or reason attributed to his actions, Mikey begins to make up excuses about why he can’t seem to come home. One day, his flight is delayed, the next, his flight has been canceled, Mikey continues to put off his departure, much to the dismay of his wife Laura, (Dana Varon), who continues to leave him panic-stricken voicemails to no avail.
While his mother (Flo Jacobs) is more than happy to have her son back at home, his father (Ken Jacobs) grows continuously worried about Mikey’s extended vacation from life. As the days pass by, Mikey emotionally and physically creeps back into his childhood.
Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama was Baracking the vote in full force last night, as he hosted a fund raising event at the Regent Beverly Wilshire with a live performance by Barbra Streisand. Boy, did he manage to raise funds. Tickets to the reception and dinner at the Greystone Mansion cost $28,500 apiece, with about 300 people in attendance, reports the Los Angeles Times. Gaining entry to the hotel event, which took place after dinner, cost $2,500, with about 800 people in the audience. You do the math. Ok, I’ll do it for you: that’s an estimated $9 million.
