As John Travolta’s character Vincent Vega said about Europe in “Pulp Fiction,” “[i]t’s the little differences.”  I feel the same way about Los Angeles’ relationship to the rest of the  country.  One such ”little difference” occurs if one goes to doctors in Beverly Hills.  When I do so, there is almost invariably a Celebrity Reminder at the office.  Here are three examples:

Feelin’ good, L.A. style, after the jump

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I had always heard of the Old 97’s, but I’d never heard them. Until one of the guys in my building, who did a lot of work with indie labels, was let go, and his massive collection of promo cd’s was left behind.

The collection was raided by our entire office, picked and pawed through, but I grabbed the “Hit by a Train: Best of the Old 97’s” cd. I popped it in while driving home. With the first rippling, enormously satisfying chord, my jaw hit the steering wheel. By the first keening, lonely guitar solo, I was utterly sold. How could I have missed these guys while I played my Whiskeytown & Cracker cds down to the nibs? Oh well.

Now you can win a pair of tickets to this show, but you gotta tell me how YOU discovered the Old 97’s, and I hope it has more cred than my story. We’ll pick a random winner. Info on the show is here.

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Radar is reporting the memorial service for Michael Jackson will be held on July 7th at 10 AM at the Staples Center. Price for entry is $25.

Also,

T-shirts that were going to be sold on Michael’s upcoming “This Is It” tour will not go to waste. They will be sold outside Staples to people entering the service.

Classy.

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I’d like to just surrender and call our economic state a depression, which all signs indicate we’re barrelling towards, but, per the definition, the concept just depresses me.

Instead, following are five ways I’m saving a few bucks that may be of use. In summary: Rocket Video, refilling water jugs, free movie previews, 99 cent store, and blogging.

If you have your own magical money saving ways, please share in the comments.

And the somewhat irrelevent photo at right is the legendary Bob Hope, returning home from a USO tour to be greeted by his dog named Recession.

1. Putting my Netflix subscription on hold, visiting Rocket Video on 2 for 1 days.

Normally, with a membership rentals are $2.99, but on Thursdays and Saturdays Rocket Video are 2 for 1 days, including new releases and Blu-Ray rentals. Considering I only watch a couple rentals every week, this is already cheaper than Netflix (which charged more for Blu-Ray). There’s also something inherently fun about browsing video racks and having to make an alternate selection. (my Yelp! review of Rocket here)

On the downside: Besides obviously needing to schedule your video pickups, late fees are at the normal rate, and can add up quickly. Read more

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Then you are in luck! If you’ve been paying attention you are probably familiar with Congresswoman Jane “I never met a wiretap I didn’t like” Harman. You know, the self described “best Republican in the Democratic Party.” Yeah. Well, Marcy Winograd, Co-founder of Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles is trying to take her seat. The simple fact that Winograd doesn’t think torture is A-OK is enough for me to think she’s probably better suited for the job. She’s also a teacher at Crenshaw High, which if nothing else means you know she’s got some good stories. That said she’s having an event/fundraiser/par-tay thing in Venice tonight and it’s open to the public and free to attend. And it’s in a penthouse at a beachfront loft, so it should be interesting to say the least. Full event info can be found here should you decide to swing though.

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The Times’ veteran Bob Poll had the story a day late. I was surprised, having watched the regular City Hall reporters walk away from the Tuesday event. Maybe they were knocking off early to prepare for the big Inaugural the following day. OK, it was their call.

It goes without saying that the meeting was quite important. What was at issue was a fairly technical matter of granting the Gene Autry Museum the right to double the size of and rebuild its Griffith Park exhibit hall. In fact, the outcome appeared to resolve a long- unresolvable city cultural affairs conflict dating back some 25 years. Which had to do with saving that wonderful 95-year-old Mount Washington resource known as the Southwest Museum. Founded by LA’s great eccentric historian-pioneer Charles Lummis, by the early 1980s, the institution was hanging on for dear life. A trusted and beloved executive had been caught selling off artifacts. The collection, most of it stuffed into the landmark tower that juts over Arroyo Parkway, was succumbing to water and vermin damage. The attendance was down, the antique elevator wasn’t working a lot of the time. If you weren’t a school kid on a compulsory class trip, there was almost no chance you’d ever visit it.

And yet this museum, on its 12-acre landmark site, contains the greatest assortment of Native American art and artifacts in all of North America, maybe the world. Of course, that too was part of the problem… Read more

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Sandwiched between a specialty cake shop and a run-down convenience store on Sunset you will find Stark Waxing Studio, an upscale-ish “waxing only” salon that boasts the “Best Brazilian Wax in Los Angeles” (as deemed by Los Angeles Magazine’s “Best of LA” issue). Lucky Magazine also listed Stark as one of the top waxing salons in Los Angeles.

I don’t know the particular qualifications a salon must surpass to win the title of “Best Brazilian,” but after hearing this claim I knew I had to find out. Keep in mind, this is not this dancer’s first glide across a freshly buffed dance floor. I have endured many professional waxing services before my visit to Stark, but nothing I could ever describe as “the best.”

Before Stark (see After Stark below)

So in pursuit of the “Best Brazilian” and other hair removal endeavors, I began my preparations a little over two weeks ago, growing out all of the hair below my waist, a rather easy feat to accomplish when you are sans boyfriend like me, by-the-way. For best results, you are supposed to allow about four weeks of growth before waxing. Otherwise, the hair grows back faster, it might not as easily grip the wax, and your esthetician is going to have go back and do a lot more tweezing after. However, living in jeans, leggings and opaque tights is not a great way to kick off the summer. Almost every day this week I have attempted to put on a dress or skirt only to look down in horror at my Sasquatch legs. I could wait no longer.

After more than two grueling weeks in the Leg and Bikini Hair Hall of Shame, and just in time for the long 4th of July weekend, the day of my appointment finally arrived. A few days before, I called Stark and booked the “Lower Leg” and the “Partial Brazilian.” I chose these two services because: 1. I don’t actually grow visible hair above my knees, and 2. I fear the kind of deep intimacy required for a “Full Brazilian.” Read more

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No one is enjoying the tax hikes which have already occurred, nor the ones that kicked in today, but a sales tax hike is just one of the many measures our state government is using to try and tackle that massive budget shortfall.

Sometimes my brain just shuts down when I hear a news report saying that we’re $x gazillion in the hole, because frankly, these numbers aren’t as real to me as the money that is flying out of my wallet or bank account. Basic common sense tells us that there are two ways to make up the gap: increase taxes and/or cut spending. But what to tax and what to cut?

The L.A. Times has a “fun” little interactive doo-dad which let’s you “[t]ry your hand at closing California’s budget shortfall, estimated at $24 billion. It’s not easy, but it can be done. Cut spending, raise taxes and/or borrow to get the state out of the red. For each choice — drawn from proposals from across the political spectrum — we’ve tried to give some sense of the effects. As you craft your proposal, the Deficit Meter will show your progress.”

Can YOU do it and how?

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A “best” artist contest to be new reality show

Even fine art can be tacky, if Bravo TV’s planned reality show for visual artists is any indication. The network that was known for its cultural programming before it nosedived into middle-brow reality series is partnering with Sarah Jessica Parker to produce “an art-related reality competition show” to be broadcast sometime next year, according to today’s NY Times.

An open casting call for artists will be held in Los Angeles on July 11th and 12th. At this point, no details are available on bravotv.com but I assume they will be forthcoming before long.

Bravo says the competing artists will be judged “by a panel of top art world figures, including fellow artists, gallerists, collectors, curators and critics.” Gallerists? The winner will receive a gallery exhibit, a cash prize and a sponsored museum tour.

Although I’m not holding out for any art that is truly challenging or controversial, I do hope aloof self-absorption will be a category of competition.

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Saturday July 18 is Classic Eats #6. Time to decide where it will be and I’m keeping it simple with one location for each vote (except for the Giant Donuts…).  As you may recall, the event location will be up to you and your votes. The actual time will be determined by the where we will be going. Generally, we plan the events in the early evening (between 5 and 6) so there is time to move on to other events you may have planned for Saturday night.

Click here to vote. The voting ends July 13.

Click through past the jump for details on all candidates on the ballot.

Read more

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I hate you people.

See, I only have one pair of tickets to give away for The Hold Steady next Tuesday. If I had two pairs, or even three, I could use one for myself. But I only have one. So I have to give it to you people.

Photo by Marina Chavez

The Hold Steady is one of my favorite bands. Introduced to me by a bartender friend (quelle surprise), at first they rubbed me the wrong way. What the HELL is up with him shouting over the songs?

Then I listened to what he was saying, and the lyrics melted into the music and became the sound of the rust belt rocking the night away in dim bars, the sound of hell-bent tours to crappy clubs around the country, the heir to Kerouac, to Springsteen. The piano made me think of the Mississippi River.

So, you jerks, tell me your favorite thing about The Hold Steady. Or your favorite story about them. One lucky winner, who will not be me, will get to go to the show.

Just kidding about hating you. I love you all. Please take me as your plus-one.* Read more

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You and Chris Botti?

Write haiku win Greek tickets

July 9th Under Stars….

It’s such a beautiful way to embrace a LA summer night.  Listening to Chris Botti play his amazing jazz on his trumpet… The Greek Theater in the Hollywood Hills, a picnic dinner with wine, free tickets for you and your favorite person.  Sooooo, if you want to win 2 tickets to this great concert, just write a haiku about:

a) Why you are a  Chris Botti fan.

b) or why you want to see a concert at the Greek on a beautiful summer night on Thursday, July 9th.

c) or why you deserve these tickets!

I first met Chris through his friend Sting, who is one of Chris’s mentors (sort of).  And once I was turned onto his contemporary jazz style I was hooked.  Not to mention he is a swell guy…. and damn sexy!  He has a soft touch to his playing… yet is a Miles Davis impresario, so you can imagine the music that comes from him.

So have at it.  Turn your creative juices into overdrive and write a haiku! (and win these tickets, baby!).

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Congratulations to the Los Angeles Sol, who at a record of 10-1-4, have become the first team in Women’s Professional Soccer to clinch a playoff berth.

This milestone raises two very important questions:

1. Why haven’t I heard more about the Sol before today?
2. What is soccer?
   

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This is it folks. The last day of the cheap 9.25% sales tax before it jumps to 9.75% on July 1.  Of course it could be worse if you live in the metro cities of Pico Rivera or South Gate where their sales tax rate will jump to 10.75%.

The scan of the notice from the BOE does get bigger with a click.

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I suppose it was inevitable, but coming out of Orange 20 Bikeshop yesterday evening, there he — or a reasonable facsimile — was, painted between a dance studio and a defunct bookstore on the south side of Melrose Avenue at Heliotrope (click to gigantify):

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