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.
Los Angeles, I adore you. You know I do, but your endless sunshine really does a number on my nerves. This time, it’s not me, it’s you. I don’t think many people feel the way I do about you and your mission to make every day a sunny day, and sometimes unbearably hot day, but I know who does: Loudon Wainwright III, folk singer, writer and father of Rufus. Wainwright has a wonderful song called “Grey in L.A.” While I was dying in traffic this morning, “Grey in L.A.” brightened up my day. Isn’t that ironic? Don’t you think? A little too ironic, yes I really do think.
But I digress. I will leave Alanis for another day. Here are the lovely lyrics and a video of the song to accompany them. You might recognize it from “Knocked Up.” Here’s to more rainy and grey days in L.A., even though I might in the minority on that.
When it’s grey in L.A. I sure like it that way
Cause there’s way too much sunshine round here
I don’t know about you I get so sick of blue skies
Whenever they always appear
On a quiet Wednesday in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Culver City, a man was arrested and later released on $10,000 bond. Such an incident is no cause for concern in a city like L.A., however 27-year-old Kevin Cogill wasn’t arrested because he was peddling drugs or fled the scene of a hit and run or because he was involved in a domestic dispute, oh no. Cogill was put in jail and now faces not only 3 years of prison time, but $250,000 in fines because he posted nine leaked songs from an unreleased Guns N’ Roses album on his music blog in June. The songs from the album “Chinese Democracy,” which has been in the works for more than a decade were only available to stream and not download on Antiquiet, Cogill’s blog. The site ended up crashing and he removed the tracks after a couple hours when GNR lawyers complained.
Morrissey is going to be on KCRW this morning. Yes, you read correctly, the Moz father will be on Morning Becomes Eclectic with Nic Harcourt discussing his favorite music, his new album, “Years of Refusal” and his disdain for traveling. In true Morrissey style, it has taken him 10 years to finally appear on the program. Morrissey’s stint as a guest DJ will air at 11:05 a.m. You can either listen at 89.9 on your radio, or tune into the live stream online.
“Sitting down with Morrissey was both daunting and exciting. He is such an interesting person, with strong opinions and immense musical talent. He does not mince words when he dislikes something, but when he talks about music he respects, he is an outspoken fan,†said KCRW Music Director Nic Harcourtin a press release.
Though Morrissey describes modern music as “all hype and no substance,” his first song choice as Guest DJ was “What Took You So Long” by the Manchester-based band, The Courteeners. Cockney Rejects, one hit wonder Mr. Bloe, Jobriath and Noel Coward classic take on the State of England, “There are Bad Times Just Around the Corner,†which he called “lyrically mesmerizing†– round out the list.
Spider-Man 4 auctions off meet and greet with potential cast - Stand Up To Cancer in partnership with Sony is auctioning off a visit to the set of the future Spider-Man 4, along with a meet and greet with the cast, a walk-on/extra role and designer outfits to be worn at the premiere ( p.s. you get to keep the outfits). The current bid is at $5,100. If you’re interested, it might be time to break your piggy bank.
Facebook movie? - Aaron Sorkin, creator of “The West Wing” is in negotiations to write an untitled film project about the founders of Facebook, the popular social networking site that we’ve all come to know and love, that Scott Rudin will produce for Columbia. If you think it’s too good to be true, head on over to Sorkin’s newly created Facebook profile. “I figured a good first step in my preparation would be finding out what Facebook is, so I’ve started this page,” Sorkin said. “Actually it was started by my researcher, Ian Reichbach, because my grandmother has more Internet savvy than I do and she’s been dead for 33 years.”
Venice Film Festival in full force - The annual festival opened Wednesday night with a first glimpse into “Burn After Reading,” the newest gem from the Coen brothers, starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton. The festival, which runs through Sept. 6 will host 21 films from all over the world, including Ethiopia, Turkey and Algeria, which are all vying for the Golden Lion, the festival’s principle award for a best film. [Read more →]
‘Professional’ actor Jean Reno suffers heart attack - French actor Jean Reno, who was vacationing in St. Bart’s with his wife, was taken to intensive care after suffering a heart attack on Wednesday. Reno, who is 60-years-old, is widely known for his role in “The Professional” opposite Natalie Portman, Mission: Impossible, Pink Panther and The Da Vinci Code. The couple had been staying at the home of French singer Johnny Hallyday.
For better or worse, Poltergeist is getting remade - Brace yourselves, Hollywood is getting ready to remake (or ruin) yet another classic. MGM has plans to remake “Poltergeist” in hopes of making it a blockbuster hit that will bring in the big bucks. Juliet Snowden and Stiles White have been commissioned to write the script. No director or cast or release date for that matter has been announced. Let’s hope they never get announced.
Ben Affleck finds work again - Affleck, who is expecting his second child with actress Jennifer Garner has signed on to play an ambulance-chasing attorney in “Extract,” a new film in the works by Office Space genius Mike Judge. Affleck’s last roles were in 2006, where he starred in “Hollywoodland” and “Smokin’ Aces.” Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis and Clifton Collins Jr. are set to co-star with Affleck in this comedy, which is set to be a workplace comedy with a twist - this time around, the audience might be rooting for the management, a step back from “Office Space.”
Oh Rick Astley, what would I ever do without you? If it wasn’t for you, the world would have never heard the best song known to man, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” You’ve permeated our hearts and souls with lyrics such as “I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling, gotta make you understand.” You’ve also got presidential hopeful Barack Obama singing your hard to resist hit, with a little help from the magic of the internet of course. Below is the kind of clip that you send around to family and friends. At the end, you’ll be left wondering, who in the world had the time to craft such a masterpiece? Enjoy!
Leroy Sievers, a veteran journalist who chronicled his battle with cancer on a blog and weekly podcasts on NPR died on Friday, August 15. Sievers had covered wars, genocides and natural disasters in more than a dozen countries, reports NPR. He worked on ABC News’ Nightline for 14 years and was responsible for “The Fallen” Nightline’s 2004 tribute to those who had died during the Iraq war. He also was a guest lecturer at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication. In the last 2 years however, he became significantly known for “My Cancer” a blog and podcast with a huge following, in which Sievers chronicled his life with colon cancer. NPR has an incredible obituary about Sievers up on their site, but for now, I bring you one of his blog posts from last month. The entire blog is worth a read and you can tell by the amount of comments on the post written about his passing how much he meant to everyone who was (and wasn’t) experiencing the same battle that he was.
There’s a very touchy subject that we’re going to have to deal with eventually.
We can’t ignore it forever.
What would we do with the blog when I can’t do it any longer?
Should we find someone else to write it each day?
That could be a little difficult. I can see the job posting now. WANTED. BLOGGER. MUST HAVE CANCER.
No matter who becomes the 44th president of this country, I really hope they’re a fan of gardening, especially edible gardening. Eat the View, a campaign to plant healthy, edible landscapes in high-impact and visible places hopes this also.
Eat the View is urging the next president of the United States to plant an organic food garden on the White House lawn. Sure, you say, this is a fun idea at best, but how can the food be used? Eat the View recommends part of the produce go to the White House kitchen and the rest to local food pantries. There’s even a petition you can sign on their website that urges the White House to set a positive example for the country and the world.
You might think this idea is far fetched, however, no traditions are being broken here. The White House has had fruit and vegetable gardens before. In fact, you’ll be surprised to find out that upon occupying the White House, one of John Adams first additions was a vegetable garden. Andrew Jackson was into gardening as well. He created the White house orangery, a greenhouse where tropical fruit tress and flowers grew. Eleanor Roosevelt even planted a victory garden on the White House lawn in 1943, an event that lead to millions of Americans to do the same in their own white houses.
In an interesting twists of sorts, we’ve got quite a few bits and pieces of news concerning food in Los Angeles.
It seems L.A. is getting health conscious and environmentally friendly by the day. The Los Angeles City Council approved a pilot program on Tuesday that will provide 5,000 households with a 2-gallon bin that will be used for food waste, reports the Los Angeles Times. Residents are asked to start tossing their scraps, leftovers and food-soiled packages in the bins beginning next month. What will the city do with all this food, you ask? The scraps (which will be combined with lawn clippings) will be delivered to a composting center near Bakersfield. The bins will be delivered to residents in Harbor Gateway, Lincoln Heights and South Los Angeles.
While we haven’t solved L.A.’s drug problem, crime problem, traffic problem , you can go to sleep tonight knowing we’ve solved something: the Mediterranean fruit fly infestation has been officially declared over. The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced Thursday that the infestation has been cleared in Los Angeles, Santa Clara and Solan counties. The Mediterranean fruit fly is a common insect that threatens agriculture in California. State officials say the Mediterranean fruit fly can infest more than 260 types of fruits and vegetables by laying eggs in the produce.
An estimated 10,500 athletes are expected to participate in this year’s Olympics in Beijing from over 200 countries. The United States team has 596 athletes participating, and you’ll be surprised to find out that a good number of them are from the greater Los Angeles area. From basketball, to fencing and boxing, L.A. has definitely gone to the Olympics.
In 1969, 14-year-old Jerry Levitan snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and was granted access by the Walrus himself to do an interview about peace. Levitan, who was (and still is) a Beatle’s fanatic, used a reel-to-reel tape deck to record the interview, which he says lasted about 40 minutes. Thirty-eight years later, Levitan produced a film about the interview, using the original recording as a soundtrack. The end result is a truly amazing piece of work that you must see. Directed by Josh Raskin, with the pen work of James Braithwaite and digital illustrations by Alex Kurina, this video will not only make you nostalgic, but will astound you. The fact that the biggest name in music at the time met up with a teenager for an interview about peace is just astonishing. It makes you wonder how the world you have been different if Lennon was still in it. See how Jerry Levitan met the Walrus.
He didn’t stop the interview, I stopped it. I realised at one point that I couldn’t talk to him forever. That’s how kind he was and sensitive to the fact that I clearly was a kid who loved him and needed to talk to him. He accommodated me completely and generously and sweetly. And they didn’t throw me out after that.
Hollywood Shop Til’ You Drop | Saturday, August 9, 2008 | 11 a.m. | Free | Republic - Map | L.A’s top photographers, models, designers, stylists and editors will be at Hollywood Shop Til’ You Drop, which features clothing, jewelry, product giveaways, complimentary eye brow treatments, massages and more. Music provided by Celebrity DJ Q (Pharrell Williams and LA Clippers) RSVP To: shopmelroseave@yahoo.com to reserve free tickets or reply to this email.
FESTIVAL
Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Festival | Friday, August 8 through Sunday, August 10, 2008 | 5 p.m. (Friday), 12 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday) | $1 donation | Sunland Park Recreation Center - Map | The 47th annual Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Festival takes place all weekend, sponsored by the Lions Club of Sunland-Tujunga. The event features free watermelon for all, watermelon carving display, eating contest with prizes and a watermelon seed spitting contest and much much more
FILM
Samurai Rebellion | Saturday, August 9, 2008 | 7 p.m. | $10 | Silent Movie Theatre - Map | From Masaki Kobayashi and directed by Toshiro Mifune, Samurai Rebellion is a story of feudal-era political intrigue, vengeance and loyalty. The story revolves around a warlord’s retainer (Mifune) who has happily promised his beautiful daughter to her true love, but his decadent master has claimed the girl as his own. After his attempts to negotiate backfire, Mifune has no choice but to turn to his sword in a beautiful and brutal climactic showdown. 1967, 35mm, 128 min.
Los Angeles, I adore you. You know I do, but your endless sunshine really does a number on my nerves. This time, it’s not me, it’s you. I don’t think many people feel the way I do about you and your mission to make every day a sunny day, and sometimes unbearably hot day, but I know who does: Loudon Wainwright III, folk singer, writer and father of Rufus. Wainwright has a wonderful song called “Grey in L.A.” While I was dying in traffic this morning, “Grey in L.A.” brightened up my day. Isn’t that ironic? Don’t you think? A little too ironic, yes I really do think.
