Beats for Boobs Sunday, October 16, 2011

We love boobs! So do the organizers of Beats for Boobs, a multi-city breast cancer awareness event on its eighth year in San Francisco, second year in Seattle, and now in L.A., coinciding with this month's ubiquitous "Think Pink" campaigns. DJs, artists and fashionistas alike share the spotlight in an evening of fun and games including but not limited to dancing, drinking and all-around good-time having. On the menu: fashion shows by Shpetim Zero, Shelly Erion and Mae's Dress Shop; art by Mike DeNicola, Rachel Shultz, Andrea Fellers, Dianne Giannopulos, Abe Alvarez-Tostado and Kym; beats by Garth Trinidad, Marques Wyatt, Jimmy Maheras and DJ Dory; and eats by Drunken Udder and Large Marge Sustainables. Proceeds benefit local charities the Busted Foundation, a source of financial and educational assistance for those with breast cancer, and the Boarding for Breast Cancer Scholarship Fund. Key Club, 9039 W. Sunset Blvd., W. Hlywd.; Wed., Oct. 19, 7 p.m.; $25, $60 VIP. beats4boobs.org. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, October 14, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 10:33 PM, ,

BAM Fest 2011 Sunday, October 9, 2011

Bam! It's not just Emeril's catch phrase, but also an acronym for "Beer, Art, Music," and that's what BAM Fest 2011 is all about. Craft beers collide with local artists and musicians in an afternoon of sun-soaked drinky-drink with 20 breweries, four bands, three art galleries, an artist market and — of course — gourmet food trucks. The brewers: Ballast Point, Cismontane, Duvel, Fox Barrel, Ladyface, Maredsous, Ommegang, Smog City, Taps and many more (and if those names mean anything to you, get here ASAP). The live music: Venice's jazz collective the Dustbowl Revival, Long Beach's R&B combo Upstart, Santa Barbara's soul/rock/poppers the Orlando Napier Band, and Venice's revolving two-man band J.T. Ross & Speedway. The artists: sculptor and painter David McDonald, Alex Donis' Collaboration Labs, and Yarn Bombing L.A., a self-proclaimed cadre of "guerrilla knitters." Tickets get you all this, plus a BAM Fest logo tasting glass and five hours of unlimited imbibement. 18th Street Arts Center, 1639 18th Street, Santa Monica; Sun., Oct. 9, 1-6 p.m.; $40, $35 in advance. 18thstreet.org/blog/bam-fest-2011. (310) 453-3711, Ext. 106. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, October 7, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 10:29 AM, ,

The Hollywood Show Thursday, October 6, 2011

Holy bat shark repellent! That pretty much sums up the heights of Bat-cheese that the Adam West-Burt Ward TV series reached in 1966 with its movie version's crescendo of kitsch. Now you can ask the Caped Crusaders themselves what exactly was everyone thinking when the Dynamic Duo appears in person at The Hollywood Show, a star-studded meet-and-greet for fans with sci-fi TV fetishes. On the guest list: Batman's Julie Newmar (Catwoman) and Yvonne Craig (Batgirl), Star Trek's Grace Lee Whitney, Superman II's Sarah Douglas, Electra Woman & Dyna-Girl's Deidre Hall and Judy Strangis, H.R. Pufnstuf's Billie Hayes (Witchie-poo), and the maestros of Saturday-morning mayhem themselves, Sid and Marty Krofft. But wait, there's more! TV's not just schlocky sci-fi; it's schlocky sitcoms and dramas, too. David Leisure, anyone? He was Joe Isuzu before Empty Nest. Dinah Manoff? Elaine on Soap before Empty Nest, and a Pink Lady in Grease. She reunites onstage with co-stars Frankie Avalon, Jamie Donnelly, Barry Pearl, Eddie Deezen and Edd Byrnes, along with director Randal Kleiser. Order now and we'll throw in Baywatch babe Erica Eleniak, Angel's Donna Wilkes ("High school honor student by day, Hollywood hooker by night"), and Jon Lovitz's wife Morgan Fairchild. There's still more celebrity flesh to be pressed, depending on your kink, including Lesley Ann Warren, Drake Hogestyn, Michael Learned, Louise Fletcher, and Carol Channing. Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel & Convention Center, 2500 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank; Fri., Oct. 7, 6-9 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 8, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 9, 10 a.m. 4 p.m.; $15-$50. (877) 829-SHOW, hollywoodshow.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, October 7, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 10:26 PM, ,

Taste of Downtown Burbank Monday, October 3, 2011

Johnny Carson used to call it "beautiful downtown Burbank," and the moniker stuck so well the Burbank Chamber of Commerce trademarked the phrase in 2007. So what's so beautiful about it? Let's start with the food: Ciao Cristina!, Chadaka Thai, Granville Cafe, North End Pizzeria, Octopus Japanese Fusion Restaurant, Picanha Churrascaria. These and other local eateries serve up samples at the Taste of Downtown Burbank, a nighttime feast of the best of Burbank eats, with proceeds benefiting the Burbank Community YMCA financial scholarship fund, and all plates, cups and utensils environmentally friendly and compostable, courtesy Burbank Recycle Center. Live music, too, by jazz mistress Barbara Morrison and "Vegas-style" swing band Phat Cat Swinger. Just like in Vegas, it's all you can eat. San Fernando Boulevard, between Magnolia Boulevard and Olive Avenue, Burbank; Thurs., Oct. 6, 5:30-9:30 p.m.; $30, $45 with beer and wine garden, $10 kids 12 & under. tasteofdowntown-burbank.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, September 30, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 12:34 AM, ,

dineLA Restaurant Week Wednesday, September 28, 2011

I can't even begin to explain how awesome dineLA Restaurant Week is. When else can you get appetizer, entree and dessert at some of L.A.'s top restaurants at rock-bottom prices? Lunch for $22 at downtown's Water Grill: Are you kidding me? Lunch at Santa Monica's Border Grill for $16: Shut up! So what's on the menu? Three words: Blue Crab Hushpuppies (First & Hope, dinner $34). Or: Short Rib Agnolotti (Scarpetta, dinner $44). And even: Tres Tacos Chicos (Casa Vega, lunch $16). Hundreds of other restaurants are in on the deal, including Wolfgang Puck's 1980s stalwart Chinois on Main, David Myers' brasserie sensation Comme Ca, and Susan Feniger's Street, whose dineLA entrees can all go vegan. Here's the one to blow your mind: West Hollywood's uber-expensive sushi bar Nobu serves up a three-course prix-fixe dinner for $44. Tofu toban-yaki, anyone? Various restaurants around L.A.; Oct. 2-7 & 9-14; lunch $16, $22 or $28; dinner $26, $34 or $44. Menus at dinela.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, September 30, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 1:13 AM, ,

L.A. Luxury Chocolate Salon Sunday, September 25, 2011

When you're offered unlimited samplings of gourmet chocolates, as happens at the Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon, you may feel the impulse to devour as much chocolate as you can in as little time as possible, but that's a recipe for a massive tummy ache. So pace yourself: There's so much to taste here, you don't want to miss a bite. This year's chocolatiers include Marti Chocolatt, Choclatique, Chocoveda, Sterling Confections, David Bacco, Ciel, Droga Confections and CocoTutti, with wine tastings by Hearthstone Vineyard and Winery, Buena Vista Winery, Quady Winery. You can break up the nibbling and drinking with author talks by Lucy Lean (Made in America: Our Best Chefs Reinvent Comfort Food), Ed Engoron (Choclatique) and A.K. Crump (Chocolate French: Recipes, Language, and Directions to Francais au Chocolat), plus a panel discussion with Top Chef: Just Desserts' Danielle Keene. Pasadena Center, the Ballroom, 300 Green St., Pasadena; Sun., Sept. 25, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; $30, $24 in advance, $10 kids 6-12, 6 & under free. lachocolatesalon.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, September 23, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 11:46 AM, ,

NoHo Taco Cook-off Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Twenty amateur cooks will go taco a taco at the NoHo Taco Cook-off Festival, an afternoon fund-raiser out to proclaim the best taco in L.A. The judges are food truck chefs (Dosa Truck's Leena, No Tomatoes!'s Kim, OG Tempura's Jae, and Baby's Badass Burgers' Lori and Erica), and a portion of the proceeds benefits dog-rescue organization the Forgotten Dog Foundation. Other food trucks on scene: Komodo, Truck Norris, Mossie Lee's Southern Cuisine, Jose O'Malley's, King Kone, the Poutine Truck, the Greasy Wiener, and Me So Hungry. As well as arts and crafts vendors, the nonstop entertainment includes music by the Rock Nation Band, the Heights, the K.J. Walker Band and Allan Arambula; dance by the Center Stage Dancers and the Patsy Metgzer/Debbie Reynolds Dancers; and aerialists, belly dancers and hula hoopers. Adoptable dogs, too! Sears parking lot, 12121 Victory Blvd., N. Hlywd.; Sat., Sept. 24, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; $5, $4 in advance online. nohofoodtruckfest.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, September 23, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 3:17 AM, ,