"oh my god, i can't believe it"

Oh wait, yes I can. I can believe that people would think such things. I can believe they would say them publicly. I'm a bit surprised he didn't take it back, though. But why should he? Where's the pressure to do so? This country may be at its most racist because we pretend that we've addressed racial issues. That's not true, we now just sweep them under the rug, increasing tensions. We have to be politically correct so that we don't bring these things up.

It's all bullocks I tell you.

Just like the idiot woman who kept referring to the 1992 "civil unrest" in Los Angeles at a discussion about Katrina (don't ask why she felt the need to go astray, that's not the point). Go ahead, take away people's agency.


[Don't know what I'm talking about? Click the link above.]

Supergrass is a gaz, gaz, gaz

One year ago to the day, Allie, Louis, and I saw Supergrass at the 9:30 Club. Allie and I found it quite funny that sometime into the show, Louis inquired as to when they'd play "Sucked Out" or "Do the Vampire" (I can't remember which, Allie will probably refresh our memories through the comment feature). He was confusing Superdrag (r.i.p.) with Supergrass! Tonight I saw Supergrass do a free in-store performance at Amoeba Records in Hollywood. They're playing a sold-out show at The Troubadour tomorrow, which I don't have tickets for (they're going for insane prices: $75/ticket on CL, $200/pair at the charity auction at the show). So I waited, crammed into a store aisle, for more than an hour for a brief nearly acoustic performance (all new songs except "The Fuzz"). Then I waited forty minutes to get the new CD autographed for Allie. I took a couple of photos of the performance, but they aren't that great. These are from when I could get up-close and personal--and I only have these because Lynda, a kind fan offered me her extra batteries in exchange for taking a photo of her with the guys. It goes without saying the performance was excellent, I'm glad I went, etc., etc. The new record is quite a different turn for them, it's a slower pace, more polished sound, but quality and worth a listen to buy.

I should also note that they are very kind to their fans. A couple of times during the waiting period while the stage was being set up, the guys popped out and said hi. They also distributed a ton of sweets a few minutes before they went on--presumably stuff Amoeba had laid out for them, but I wouldn't want to see four men consume that much crap!

very cool tool

Check out the link above for an incredible tool that a professor just forwarded to us Ph.D. students. It combines Google mapping with the 2000 Census. You can click on a point on the map and get data for areas within one, three, and five miles of that point. By default it's set to Southern California, but you can move the map around (don't forget you can mess with the scale too) to get your desired place.

middle-child syndrome for the middle class?

Click above for this interesting New York Times (which means it's only available for two weeks) article on affordable housing for the middle class. As someone fascinated by housing who has only lived in two very hot real estate markets, I can see how this kind of relief is needed. But it's disturbing how the article reads that the process to accommodate below-market prices for the middle class comes so easily compared to doing the same for the less well off. It's not surprising in the slightest, of course.

But this is what stood out in the article for me:
"Often in our culture, it is the middle class that gets left out of everything," said Roderick J. Wood, the city manager in Beverly Hills who held the same post in Novato when the Hamilton project was conceived. "We wanted to help that group."

Is he on crack? Clearly the best-served people in this country are the filthy rich. And while there are government programs and non-profit organizations that rally around serving the needs of the poor, the gap between the rich and the poor is only widening, and we're far from completely serving this group. On the other hand, the midde-class is targeted for everything--it's so ubiquitous people don't realize it. It's the group everyone wants to be (and everyone thinks they are a part of). I think Wood's problem is living in Beverly Hills (and Marin County before that)--the middle class are the poor there, so of course he thinks they get left out of everything.

are you fucking kidding me?

The News (The Bible's gossip page) reports that The Washington Post reported that Ben Affleck is being eyed by Democrats to run for a Virginia seat in the U.S. Senate next year against Republican George Allen. The blurb includes this:

Affleck's representative Ken Sunshine says there's no reason to think Affleck would run, but adds, "He would make a superb public candidate for public office in the future." During the 2004 Democratic National Convention in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts, a highly visible Affleck campaigned actively for presidential nominee John Kerry.

Are you fucking kidding me? This guy has no credibility in Hollywood--let alone the real world--after Bennifer. Marrying another Jennifer doesn't exactly erase this. Besides, some good he did for Kerry. He hasn't got a shot in hell. It would just be an embarrassment to a battered party. I realize this is a quote from his publicist, but geez, dude, don't say he'd actually make a great candidate for office when you know that makes no sense. That's embarrassing.

pretty houses

Click that link to see some awesome photos of schmancy houses in Los Angeles. L.A. may not be my favorite place, but I tell you, the architecture is great. There's so much variety that I rarely got back home. It's so exciting that I live in a Spanish Colonial Revival House (from 1923 no-less) rather than the Georgian Colonial Revival crap back east. Of course I lived in a "California-style" house in Maryland, or so my mom always described. We don't have a basement, which is unheard of in those parts.

I need to get out more on foot and take photos of buildings. That's what I do...especially now that I'm so far away from the National Building Museum.

albert brooks is back!

I'm so excited to read that Albert Brooks has a new film awaiting release. He is one of my favorite filmmakers, but I must admit I don't love everything he's done. Sorry, Albert, The Muse sucked. I even tried watching it again recently and still hated it. Defending Your Life is his masterpiece and one of my favorite movies. Mother is a close second. So I was thrilled to read the following in The Bible's industry news just now:

Looking for Comedy' Among Studio Execs
Warner Independent Pictures has picked up Albert Brooks's Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World after it was rejected by Sony because of the title, Los Angeles Times entertainment columnist Patrick Goldstein has disclosed. Goldstein today (Tuesday) published excerpts from a letter that Sony Chairman Michael Lynton sent to Brooks, saying, "I do believe that recent incidents have dramatically changed the landscape that we live in and that this, among other things, warrants changing the title of the film." Goldstein, who called the film "inspired," observed that it carefully avoids criticizing Muslims and concerns a comedian (Brooks playing himself) who is recruited by the government to go abroad to find out what makes Muslims laugh. Warner Independent Pictures CEO Mark Gill told Goldstein that he had no objection to the title, adding, "How often do you get a laugh simply from the title of a movie. ... We saw the movie, and it was clear that Albert makes fun of himself and America, not anybody else." Brooks himself commented that the title was essential to his film: "Even if you didn't see the movie, you'd see two words you'd never seen put together before -- comedy and Muslim. Comedy is friendly -- it's the least offensive word in our language," he told Goldstein. He added that when he heard that Sony was demanding that the title be changed, "I was so upset I was throwing up at 3:00 a.m." Concluded Goldstein: "If Sony is this timid about a well-intentioned comedy, imagine how timid it will be when something really volatile comes along."

I can only hope that when it premieres I'll get a chance to meet the man in the flesh (or randomly see him in the city somewhere...more than six weeks and not one celebrity citing!). He's one I'd actually stop and talk to. Nothing too embarrassing, just tell him I think he's brilliant and that our brand of cerebral yet neurotic humor is completely underappreciated and its import overlooked.

i think los angeles has made me stupid

Allie is going to love this, because she's already chastised me saying, "I thought this kind of mistake was beneath you."

Last night I prepared to change my sheets so I could do laundry this morning. Then I discovered that the fitted sheet I bought was a queen for my full-size bed. Sure, queen is only a smidge bigger than full, but full sheets are actually too big for my bed (the foam mattress, which I'm told is something akin to what Gandhi slept on, is less than five inches thick). I had to return other stuff to IKEA anyway. So I went this morning and exchanged it. Got home, changed the sheets, and discovered I only had one pillowcase for my two pillows. Good thing I love their non-fat frozen yogurt so making the trek out there again isn't too painful.

Before heading to IKEA I went to the Hollywood farmer's market. Anna told me that I should let the scary-looking people with colored paper bother me because they are offering free movie tickets (and I'm supposed to be able to spot celebrities, which of course didn't happen--6 weeks!!!!). The one guy I saw with the tickets wasn't scary, he was quite cute actually, and I had a choice between The Producers and Firewall. Guess which one I took? But, dammit, it's on Thursday, which I later realized is at the same time as the free Supergrass concert at Amoeba Records. What's a girl to do? I'm leaning toward Supergrass.

88 comments

On Thursday night I attempted to pick up straight men in West Hollywood. I wore my homemade "i ♥ skinny rock 'n' roll boys in suits" shirt to The 88 Show at The Troubadour. It didn't work, but some woman was starting at my tits during a good part of The 88's set. Maybe she couldn't read.

L.A. is a very weird place. You haven't heard that before? What an eclectic crowd, I tell you. The Troubadour is all ages so there were kids (I do mean kids) and teenagers, my typical indie pop crowd, middle-aged couples, and rednecks. Yes, rednecks, really.

Another weird thing is that when booking shows they quite frequently don't keep the bands playing together in the same vein. For example, The 88 were preceded by two different acoustic acts (Gwendolyn and Patrick Park). Patrick Park wasn't too bad, but he just didn't fit in with the rocking indie and stylish pop that was to follow (that's another thing, very few indie rockers actually have style out here; they tend to wear ill-fitting plaid shirts and jeans that don't do those skinny frames justice). Gwendolyn was unbelievably boring. She wore an enormous 1960s shift dress and sang to us like we were her kindergarten class. Seriously.

But god I love The 88. It was their CD release party, so of course I bought a CD and a poster (I need to decorate the room). Absolutely love the aesthetic--and how could I not since they were quite literally skinny rock 'n' roll boys in suits. The frontman looks like Romain Duris (especially his profile). Now I have to get the first album, but an enhanced version is coming out next month so maybe I should just wait.

it's raining, i don't believe it

Title says it all, doesn't it? I heard thunder and couldn't believe it. Then I didn't think it was thunder since it was followed closely by a helicopter, but I do think it's raining. It's not supposed to do that now!

By the way, I didn't make it to Spaceland. Too tired, and I have a lot of reading to do.

sometimes it pays to embarrass yourself...but I'm still trying to figure out when

I'm still riding on that kick of "I fell asleep in class, what could be more embarrassing?" Yeah, I called in the damn radio station yesterday when The Bonapartes were being interviewed. I wasn't going to do it, but then they seemed to want some calls and no one else was doing it... So that episode has been archived (downloadable for the next week, but you're going to have to find it yourself, I've given enough clues) and immortalized on MySpace.

Let's see what embarrassing things I do at Spaceland tonight, but only after watching the season premiere of Arrested Development.

catherine keener is a grandmother?

Yesterday I took my first real trip on the freeway. In other words, more than five miles (if I had even gone that far before). I went to Westwood to hang out with someone that I cannot believe moved to L.A. without his car. Anyway, I had to take FOUR freeways to get there, but it only took about 20 minutes. Getting back was another story, but anyway.

So we went to see The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Two movies in two days after such a long dry spell! At any rate, that is THE funniest thing I have seen in I can't tell you how long. It's constantly funny, the jokes are played right (nothing milked too much), and it was just fabulous. I want the DVD now, dammit! You really need to see this movie if you haven't. The concept is great and it truly delivers. No, it's nothing thought provoking, but it's not a dumb comedy either.

how do speakers break?

I've been freaking out a bit lately as we approach the online broadcast of The Bonapartes' appearance on UMCP's radio station, listen here tonight at 6 p.m. EDT. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hear it because I thought my soundcard was dying. With the volume all the way up, only a pathetically low sound comes out of my speakers. I reinstalled the drivers and that didn't make a difference. Then it occured to me to try headphones. Guess what, I turned them on and it was plenty loud! So tell me, how do your integrated laptop speakers just die like that?

I still hope I can get an archive of the show to listen whenever I want, but now I don't have to strain to hear anything.

the theory of the firm: an eye for an eye leaves the world blind

On Friday, I finally went to the movies. Just one day shy of five weeks in Los Angeles and this movie fanatic finally went to the pictures. I basically had a solo date of dinner and a movie. Yes, I'm not afraid to do such things on my own!

I'm a member of ArcLight Cinemas (in Hollywood) so I get the scoop on what's coming, screening contests, etc. Shit, that reminds me, I should have gone to the Hollywood farmer's market to get free screening tickets this morning. Oh well.

Anyway, I got an email saying that Green Street Hooligans was opening and that the director (Lexi Alexander) would be there after the 7 p.m. screening for a Q&A. So I figured, let's try this out. ArcLight is supposed to be the premiere theater-going experience in this land of film. Assigned stadium seating, ushers (too many ushers really) who show you your seat and introduce the films, no commercials before the trailers, only 4-6 minutes of trailers, and supposedly they don't let anyone in after the film starts (which I found not to be true). All this for the price of $14! It's unreal, but that's what movies cost here. Actually, I got a $1 discount for being a member, but that paid for the parking.

Okay, so the movie was not very good. Not the worst thing I've seen, but I fail to see where all the praise is coming from. There's a cohesive story with good character development, but some of the dialogue and delivery were so bad it was reminiscent of "Blood was spilt this night." [An aside, Elijah Wood will never shake Frodo, I was thinking Frodo the whole fucking time.] The film is also not original in the slightest. We did not need Matt (Elijah Wood)'s sparse voice-over narration that was trying to beat some sappy crap into your head, and of course the movie wrapped itself up too neatly for my taste. And my god it was so violent. I quickly felt I had made a mistake and should have seen a quirky comedy. Extreme violence within two minutes, no exaggeration.

Okay, so the movie's over, and here comes the Q&A. If you've read the blog, you know I've been to plenty of Q&As in D.C., but they're a little different here since they assume the audience is trying to make it into the business. It's not so obnoxious as to put off someone like me who isn't, but it's interesting and a nice change. But I'm getting ahead of myself. A new usher (there were five hanging around before the show) appears to moderate, and I realize I know him! I looked at a room he had available in his apartment a few blocks from there. He introduces the executive producer, but I didn't understand what he said; then I realized it was Jon Favreau. It took me a second because, well, he looks more like his Rudy days than I've seen him recently. That doesn't count as a celebrity citing since he was "supposed" to be there. Then Lexi Alexander came out. Yadda, yadda, I didn't find them to be too egotistical. But I actually asked a question. Jon was going on about how it's great to make your movie the way you want and then break into the majors that way. So I asked why bother with making the big crap when you clearly think so highly of doing your own thing. Of course the answer was money, but they weren't that crass about it (I wish they were) and gave a couple of lame reasons before the money ("big crap has to have heart," "fun to play with the toys at the big studios").

the hard life is over

My DSL is finally set up at home! So the proverbial flood gates are about to open onto this blog.

It's funny because since I didn't have internet access at my leisure for two weeks, once I got it, I didn't quite know what to do with myself.

pocket full of posies and guts

I tried to post this on Friday, but I lost the post during the spell check process. I doubt I can recreate the total wit of it, but I'm going to try. Besides I'm just thrilled to have some personal time to use the internet. I've moved into my place but won't have internet set up until Friday (or so SBC, those fuckers, say). It's like living without running water. I haven't been without internet access at home in more than a decade so this is hard to handle. I've plopped myself at a cafe in Los Feliz. Such a social atmosphere, but what am I doing? Typing in solitude.

Okay, so I went to my first L.A. concert: The Posies at The Knitting Factory. I'm not a huge Posies fan, but I figured I had the time, I wanted to try it out, and I dig the music. The opening acts (The Deathray Davies and Oranger) were pretty good--I especially dug Oranger (despite the fact that only the keyboardist looks the part of an idie-pop rocker). The Posies actually may have been a little too much to handle toward the end. I was tired, it was getting loud, unruly, and weird. Plus, there was crowd surfing. That is so passe. I thought I was in the land of cutting-edge cool? The Posies put on an energizing show, but they are a bit scary (Ken) and fat (Jon). The drummer, however, looks like a straight Tom Felicia.

I tried my hand at making friends at the show but I'm not so sure it worked that well. I was able to converse with a fellow music lover, but I don't know that it will go beyond that isolated concert. I even tried my hand at hitting on some guy, but I guess I have to think more carefully about the subtlies of language. There may be a "winking" difference between "I love your jacket" and "That jacket looks great on you" (went with the former). He just smiled, said thanks, and moved on. But I have to give myself props for actually talking to people. I tried to break into one conversation but then learned it was a first date between two guys. I'm actually very shy, which may be surprising. Always afraid of embarrassing myself, but I figured after I felt asleep in my seminar class on Wednesday I could handle anything this week.

So what other daring things will I do? Only time will tell.

some thoughts on l.a.

More than three weeks in L.A. and I still have yet to see a celebrity. It's killing me.

I finally have a [more] permanent place to stay. I'm living in Silver Lake, just a block and a half from Sunset Boulevard. It's funky, the place is fabulous, and it sort of reminds me of the east coast since it's a bit hilly without being "in the hills." I have yet to fully move in, but hopefully that will be accomplished this evening. Setting up the DSL has been a trying experience. It'll be mid-month until it's up and running; I haven't gone that long without internet access in more than a decade! It's like living without running water. There may be some temporary arrangements.

Allie insisted I blog about this: before I left I sent three large boxes (each weighing at least 30 pounds) with various things I thought I'd need, including my three-piece Aiwa stereo system. But now I'm wondering why I bothered with that since I don't actually have any CDs (my collection, or should I say, what I wanted of it and could manage to rip is on my MP3 player). Oh boy. Thank god I have a large closet.

I think I'm finally starting to formulate my impressions of L.A. Not my ideal place to live, and the traffic is horrendous. People run red lights like you wouldn't believe. There seems to be a ten-second graceperiod. I also realize what I miss the most about the east coast is the European influence. If you recall, I blogged about loving Whole Foods, but Whole Foods is not the same out here--it doesn't have my tart, it doesn't have "European" sandwiches. It's just another high-end market without the flair that made it what I was looking for. I have discovered that I no longer need an allergy pill, but perhaps now I need Xanax. I've had to do so much big-box shopping in the last week it's unreal and the anxiety of being in these huge spaces that are very crowded with people oblivious to the fact that they are blocking people left and right is just too much for me. It also doesn't help that I can never seem to remember to get everything I need in one trip to Target.

The adventure continues...