For three days the Hollywood Bowl will be celebrating Independence Day and the Dodgers 50th Anniversary with the July 4th Fireworks Spectacular: A Ball at the Bowl with the LA Dodgers. There will be amazing fireworks displays, appearances by Dodger super stars, and music by special guest Randy Newman. LA.CityZine has your free tickets into this event on July 2nd at 7:30pm! All you have to do is leave a comment below saying why you want to go and you will be entered to win two tickets to Hollywood Bowl on July 2nd.

Leave a comment soon because the winner will be announced June 30th at 5pm!

If you would like to buy tickets for another night you can do so here. Tickets range from $10-$114.

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Gilberto Gil and Devendra Banhart will be performing June 29th at the Hollywood Bowl, and we’ve got your tickets right here. If you’re looking for some new music that you probably haven’t seen before you have to check out these guys. Both Gil and Banhart are guaranteed to bring something new and enjoyable to the Bowl next weekend and all you have to do to win tickets is sign up for our newsletter and then leave a comment below saying why you want to go. Once you do that, you will automatically be entered in a drawing for two tickets to the concert and the winner will be announced at noon on the 27th!

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First of all, thank you to all of the amazing cafes that competed in our coffee competition. We sought out the best coffee shop Los Angeles and found a number of astounding cafes all over the city. Every single one of the cafe’s listed in our coffee competition is a great place to visit for amazing atmosphere, talented Batista’s and of course, a great cup of coffee. We decided the only way to judge who has the best cafe in Los Angeles was to ask the people. And although many of you love your own cafe, there can only be one winner. The people have spoken. Our winner is….

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Thank you to everyone who voted in LA.CityZine’s Coffee Competition. The winner of the coffee competition will be announced at noon today along with their prize. But! In the meantime, we would like to announce the winners of the competition’s $30 gift certificates! Everyone who left a comment for their favorite cafe was entered in a drawing, and if your number was picked than you’re the winner! So here they are, our winners:

• Abbott’s Habit: Ronne
• Swork: Doug Locke
• Infuzion: Paul Butter
• Intelligentsia: Jeff Holmes
• Joni’s Cafe: Michael
• LA Mill: Travis
• Novel Cafe: Shana
• Sabor y Cultura: Barry Morril
• Funnel Mill: Cindy

Thanks for playing! Sign up for our Newsletter to find out about more competitions coming up on LA.CityZine.

Currently you can enter two win two tickets to the Hollywood Bowl Competition to see Gilbert Gil and Devendra Banhart on June 29th!

STAND and Participant Media are proud to sponsor a nationwide tour of the critically acclaimed documentary, Darfur Now, and a concert to help raise support. Schools around the country have been chosen to host the screening and concert for their efforts to fight genocide, and next week they will be ending their tour at UCLA on May 28th and 29th.

LA.CityZine is giving away tickets to this event, see the bottom of this post for details.

On May 28th they will screen the film, Darfur Now, written and directed by Ted Braun and starring Don Cheadle, Hejewa Adam, Pablo Recalde, Ahmed Mahmoud Abaker, Louis Moreno-Ocampo and Adam Sterling.

May 29th, UCLA with host a concert to help raise awareness, funds, and send a message to end genocide in Darfur, with bands such as OK GO, ROCK&ROLL, RHYMEFEST and many more.

Come and support the students that have supported the efforts in Darfur. From passing legislation to fundraising for relief and protection efforts in Darfur, they have declared that they are the anti-genocide generation.

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Is LA more hardcore than San Diego?

Last year, our beloved Derby Dolls got dominated by their southern sisters on their lame-ass flat track.

Well this year, they’re looking to even the score and now is your chance to win two free tickets to their event on May 3rd and a free Derby Dolls t-shirt signed by the girls!

Start your Cinco de Mayo off right with a bang - with two free tickets to the LA vs SD Derby Dolls SoCal Showdown. We will be announcing the winner at noon, this Thursday May 1st. All you have to do to win is leave a comment below saying why you deserve to go. Your name will automatically be entered into a drawing to win!

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Congratulations to Mikey! He has won our PRIX Party giveaway to kick off the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix right! He’s won…

• Two VIP tickets to the PRIX Party (which will give you front of the line access).
• Two free passes to the Three olives Vodka open bar all night long,
• A kick ass gift bag with over $200 in awesome prizes such as a $50 gift certificate to the Ten Salon, Hot Tuna Swimwear for women, clothing, accessories and a whole lot more.

For those of you who haven’t won, I’m sorry, but it’s not too late to get tickets for the unofficial Long Beach PRIX PARTY this Thursday April 17th, hosted by playboy model and Sirius’ radio DJ, Andrea Lowell, and featuring DJ A.M.

You can purchase tickets at theprixparty.com or by calling 562-254-2558.

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Want to kick off the Long Beach Grand Prix right? RJ Productions is throwing an unofficial Long Beach PRIX PARTY next week. The fun begins at 8pm on Thursday April 17th in the heart of downtown Long Beach. The PRIX PARTY is an exclusive benefit for the Life Rolls on Foundation, with open bars, A-list celebs, world famous entertainment, multiple DJ’s, and several race teams that will be in attendance. Playboy model and Sirius’ radio DJ, Andrea Lowell, will be hosting the night which features the world famous DJ A.M.

The party will be held on two levels in one Long Beaches most opulent places: the Madison Restaurant (Map). On the first level you’ve got the, The Proximo open bar, a body paint artist, and DJ A-Swift. Upstairs will hold several V.I.P areas with the Umbrella girls and DJ A.M.

And now for the best part! Here is your chance to get in with style and walk out with over $200 of awesome swag. Simply leave a comment below and you will be put in a drawing to win the following prizes:

• Two VIP tickets to the PRIX Party (which will give you front of the line access).
• Two free passes to the Three olives Vodka open bar all night long,
• A kick ass gift bag with over $200 in awesome prizes such as a $50 gift certificate to the Ten Salon, Hot Tuna Swimwear for women, clothing, accessories and a whole lot more.

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CityZine has found yet another LA band, The Weather Underground, to be a part of our “Get to know your Local Bands Series” where we supply you with information, dates, an interview, and free tickets to their show and you provide the opinion. I have interviewed a lot of bands who were on the road but never a band who was literally ON the road. The Weather Underground was kind enough to talk with CityZine on their way to a show in Texas. They were some where around the boarder of New Mexico and Phoenix when I got a hold of them. I mainly spoke to lead singer and guitarist, Harley Prechtel-Cortez, but the rest of the band Ryan (Bass), Shoichi (Guitar and Keys), Diego (Drums), and their honorary member Sal all joined in.

They will be back in LA soon for their show on March 24, at the Viper Room and another show on April 22nd at the Troubadour. If you want to see the band live and for FREE, you can win tickets to their show at the Troubadour, right here on LA.CityZine. Simply leave a comment below saying why you deserve to go to see the Weather Underground and a week before the show, we’ll pick our favorite comment and give the winner two free tickets and a free copy of the bands new EP!

Check out the interview and a video of the band below:

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Update: Competition over.

CityZine has found yet another LA band, Flashing Red Lights, to be a part of our “Get to know your Local Bands Series” where we supply you with information, dates, and free tickets and you provide the opinion. Recently, CityZine sat down with Mack Slevin the lead singer of Flashing Red Lights and asked him our obligatory band questions about his darkest secrets, as well as his cure for hang overs.

Slevin has been lending his guitar work to LA bands, Darci Cash and The Absentee, for years and in 2005 began writing and recording his own songs under the moniker of Flashing Red Lights. Recently he has brought in Jason Wrightsman, Mike Hendry and Zach Schrock from the Absentee and Ben Welch from Darci Cash to fill out his sound.

They have a show coming up Sunday, April 6th, at the Knitting Factory Alterknit Lounge. If you want to win free tickets and a free copy of their latest EP “Bridges,” it’s easy! Just leave a comment below and you’ll be placed in a drawing for two free tickets and a free cd!

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* By Via Osgood - Our winner of the Charlie Bartlett Competition

Harlequin faces
transformed in white
i sit back
to view the sight
men in suits
politicians
scrubs
they say you can’t eat peaches
‘less you join their clubs.

i twirl my hair
i die it blond
i laugh at myself
for being so fond
Yellow hair never got me much
just pigeon-holed
railroad
frog or toad
crunch
That’s the sound of heartbreak
the sound of a train you’ve missed
that’s the sound of a young man
you wish you’d never kissed

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By Lawrence Robinson - Second Place in LA.CityZine’s Charlie Bartlett Writing Competition.

“A Click Apart”

Everything changes the morning my green card arrives.

Abby is spread out on the couch with the LA Times as I walk in with the mail, a fly buzzing around my face.

“Kiss me,” she says.

“Huh?” I wave the fly away.

“I want to see if we kiss to the left or the right.”

“What are you talking about?”

She stands up clutching the Travel section. “I’ve been reading about this guy who travels the world to find out if people put their heads to the right or the left when they kiss.”

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