A Majestic Tall Ship!

The Tall Ships will be sailing into the port this weekend, the 15th to the 17th.  San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles plan to celebrate their presence with the Festival of Sail LA 2008.  These big, sailing ships were the main mode of travel and commerce for centuries, prior to the steam and diesel engined vessels that we know today.

The festival kicks off on Friday, at 10:00 am,  with a parade of these magnificent, tall-masted ships. They will be berthing near the Ports O’ Call Village area of San Pedro. There will be ship viewing, children’s activities and a variety of booths providing entertainment on each day of the festival from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, except on Friday, which will begin at noon.

Some of the ships participating, will be the HMS Bounty and the HMS Surprise. The Bounty was used in the filming of Mutiny on the Bounty and the Surprise was in Master and Commander:The Far Side of the World, starring Russell Crowe. San Pedro’s Warner Grand Theater, plans to show these films on Friday and Saturday evening at 8:00 pm, respectively.

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Sunday nights on the Sunset Strip do not live up to the hype of their heyday many moons ago, but nonetheless, L.A.’s own funk/rock outfit Casxio managed to put on an energetic set at the Key Club. The band hit the stage on time, a shocker in and of itself, and then proceeded to deliver a healthy and concise set of the “Casxio sound.”

For those not already in the know from their previous LA Cityzine interview, Casxio (pronounced Ka-see-oh), was one of our “Get to Know LA Bands” features. Surely, a band described in print, or experienced via MP3, deserves a look in a live setting.

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ENTERTAINMENT

• Cinco de Mayo Celebration | Friday, May 2 through Sunday, May 4, 2008 | 10 a.m | Olvera Street - Map | Start your Cinco de Mayo celebrations early at Olvera Street where there will be carnival rides, live music and dance and traditional food.

• Pre-Cinco de Mayo Fiesta #8 | Saturday, May 3, 2008 | 6 p.m. | $25 (Presale) Crash Mansion LA - Map | Awesome music, burlesque dancers named La Cholita and Ruby Champagne and five full bars round out another pre-Cinco de Mayo bash at the Crash Mansion.

• BodyRock in the Park | Saturday, May 3,2008 | 2 p.m. | Free | Griffith Park - Map | DJs provide live music in Griffith Park from 2 p.m through 9 p.m. Bring your own BBQ ( and beer) and have a good time. Suggested $10 donation.

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Everywhere else it’s a crime, but in California, it’s convenience.

Some of us have back problems (wink), glaucoma (wink wink) or various sundry ailments that will provide access to the nation’s first weed vending machines. If you are cursed with perfect health and a scrupulous physician, however, there are games available that provide their own unique sensations of “heightened” reality.

In honor of this watershed achievement in self-service, here’s a list of titles that simulate (and perhaps stimulate) altered states.

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• Kofi Baker’s Tribute To Cream | 9:30 & 11:30 pm at The Baked Potato - Map | Age Unknown | Tickets $10 at the Door - 2 Drink minimum
• Howlin Rain | 7:00pm at Ameoba Music in Hollywood - Map | All Ages | Tickets - Free!
  
• Rooney, Brett Dennen, Lisa Donnelly | 7:30pm at the Roxy - Map | Tickets $25
  
• Nicole Atkins, Let’s Go Sailing, and The Parlor Mob | 8:00pm at the The Troubadour - Map | Tickets $10 in advance $12 at thedoor.
• Van Hunt | 9:00pmat the Temple Bar - Map | $12 in advance, $15 at the door.

There is a lot to choose from this weekend. No huge releases, but plenty to keep you entertained. 10,000 B.C. (which is sure to get some people’s knickers in a twist) comes out tomorrow. It looks like it have amazing special effects, with possibly a little bit of history thrown in. The Bank Job is yet another shot um up, clever, action movie with Jason Statham. Sadly, I don’t think this will be another Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, but it is getting some good reviews. CJ7, is basically a Japanese version of Flubber. College Road Trip is Martin Lawrence not at his best. Cheezy joke, after cheezy joke. I bet it does well. Married Life is about a husband who loves his wife so much, that he has to kill her in order to marry someone else. At least it sounds interesting. My pick for the week is Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, with Amy Adams and Frances McDormand, how could you go wrong? Snow Angels may be hard to find but is supposed to be amazing, so if you can, try to make some time for it.

Here it is, you’re movie list, reviews, ticket information, and trailers for the week!

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We all know that I’m a MASSIVE American Idol fan. Say what you will about that and me, but please don’t try and trash my show. It seems that with all the great singing and dynamite performances the internet blogersphere has still yet to really cover anything about the program other than the bull shit side chatter, tabloid gossip that runs on and on about the contestants.

The latest victim is the so far, very interesting prospect, David Hernandez. Apparently he was a sexy male stripper at a mainly gay dance club in a former life. Gay dancer or not the dude can sing. I’m not sure whether I care or not about his midnight cowboy dancer days, but I do care about whether or not he gets to the finals on AI.

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• Funky Food that Never Made it
• Some Strange Japanese Styles
• Odd Advertisements
• Really Weird…Game?

But now the weirdest of them all… The Beast Master

It has just been released that Patrick Swayze is “being treated for pancreatic cancer but is doing well enough to continue working.” This is surprisingly good news after it was originally reported that Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late January and was told that he only had weeks to live.

It was reported that the 55-year-old actor who was undergoing chemotherapy and it was not working;“He was told he could have two more treatments, but his cancer was not responding. In short – they held out little hope for a cure,” said a source. “It’s time to start praying for a miracle.”

But now, Annett Wolf, a representative for the actor is saying that he is continuing his normal work schedule work on two separate jobs. She also stated that earlier reports that Swayze had a matter of weeks to live were exaggerated.

According to IMDB.com he is working on the movie “Powder Blue,” and a television show called “The Beast.” Both are scheduled for release this year.

For a full list of Patrick Swayze’s work, click here.

Known for its Irish coffee and live music, Molly Malone’s (Fairfax and 6th) served as the venue for a little known, but beloved Los Angeles band called Heartstring Symphony. Tuesday night was their first appearance in a month long residency that will see them perform every Tuesday during March.

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