Confessions of a Prairie Bitch Sunday, July 31, 2011

"Being marked a bitch for life is the best thing that ever happened to me." So speaketh Alison Arngrim, the former child actress who portrayed that manipulative priss Nellie Oleson in the 1970s family drama Little House on the Prairie. Arngrim's memoir Confessions of a Prairie Bitch explores her life's whys and wherefores, from an atypical upbringing by a Hollywood party couple (her dad was gay and her mom was the voice of Gumby), to sexual abuse by her older brother, scandal over her TV husband's death from AIDS, and uncomfortable encounters with fans who to this day can't seemingly tell her and her character apart. All in all, a not-so-family-friendly tale of how Arngrim came to love a little girl so roundly hated, and why you should too. She signs the tell-all at Book Soup, 8818 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A.; Mon., Aug. 1, 7 p.m.; free, book is $14.99. (310) 659-3110, booksoup.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, July 29, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 12:37 AM, ,

John Lautner Turns 100 Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Chemosphere is not just another house in the Hollywood Hills. It's octagonal, propped up above the trees by a 30-foot concrete pole, and pretty much looks like the Jupiter 2 from Lost in Space. John Lautner designed the Chemosphere in 1958, at the height (so to speak) of the Googie era, and though less well-known than his mentor, Frank Lloyd Wright, Lautner's structures are still some of Southern California's most striking — though many, like Googies coffee shop (whence the style got its name), have long since been demolished. Concluding a citywide series of programming by the John Lautner Foundation on the occasion of the architect's birthday centennial, the American Cinematheque's John Lautner Turns 100 showcases his signature style in two documentaries, 1990's The Spirit in Architecture and 2008's Infinite Space, plus the short film John Lautner: The Desert Springs Motel. On hand to discuss Lautner's legacy: filmmakers Bette Jane Cohen and Murray Grigor, producers Evelyn Wendel and Anna Thomas, and cinematographers Dan Kneece, Steven Finestone and Hamid Shams. Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd.; Sat., July 30, 7 p.m.; $11, $9 seniors & students. (323) 466-3456, americancinematheque.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, July 29, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 8:38 PM, ,

SRSLY LOL Goes Hollywood Monday, July 25, 2011

Based on the New York gay comedy night hosted by H. Alan Scott and Bryan Wilson, SRSLY LOL Goes Hollywood brings Brooklyn's "curiously bi-weekly variety show" to Tinsel Town. Taking over M Bar are the offbeat conceits of Garry Hannon ("The penis is great. You touch it, it gets hard. You know it's working. But you touch a vagina, it gets wet. You're like, fuck! I broke it! It's leaking!"), Sharon "Mama" Spell ("So I'm a nanny. At my job I work with someone who happens to be a baby. He says he was born that way, but I don't know if I believe that."), Sue Funke ("This one brand of nail polish claims it's a 'manicure in a bottle.' That's not even real. Does that bottle make fun of me in Korean and then giggle?"), Leah Dubie ("I have never had a threesome. Not even in college! Though I did give a lot of helpful breast exams to my roommates."), Drew Droege, Shawn Pelofsky and your humble hosts. Official after-party at Mr. Black at Bardot. M Bar, 1253 Vine St., Hlywd.; Tues., July 26, 9 p.m.; $5. (323) 856-0036, srslylolshow.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, July 22, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 11:46 PM, ,

"Weird Al" Yankovic Friday, July 22, 2011

Pop-culture parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic broke big in 1984 with "Eat It," a fatso ode to mastication set to the tune of Michael Jackson's "Beat It." Now on his 13th studio album of satirical songwriting, Alpocalypse, the hits just keep on coming. His latest targets include Lady Gaga in "Perform This Way," Miley Cyrus in "Party in the CIA," Taylor Swift in "TMZ," and everyone from Gaga to Ke$ha to Britney in "Polka Face" (a hitmaker medley a la "Polkas on 45," "Hooked on Polkas" and "Polka Your Eyes Out"). Yankovic takes the stage at the Grammy Museum in "An Evening With Weird Al," a discussion of his career as a songwriter, record producer, actor, director, and children's book author with the museum's executive director Bob Santelli. Q&A with the audience follows the interview, so get your UHF trivia questions ready. Grammy Museum, Clive Davis Theater, 800 West Olympic Blvd., L.A.; Mon., July 25, 8 p.m.; $25. (213) 765-6803, grammymuseum.org. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, July 22, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 2:52 AM, ,

Can't Stop the Music Monday, July 18, 2011

Who knew the Village People had their own movie? Actually, I knew, because I first saw Can't Stop the Music on HBO when I was 12, and it's not something you easily forget. Olympian turned Wheaties box cover model Bruce Jenner plays a lawyer who, along with Steve Guttenberg, as a struggling songwriter, and Valerie Perrine, hot off her Superman stint as Lex Luthor's moll, help put together disco's gayest group. It's the origin story of a policeman, an Indian, a construction worker, a cowboy, a biker, and a G.I., one filled with frothy musical numbers — literally, see "(Do the) Milkshake" — and sweaty flexing pecs. And it's part of the UCLA Film & Television Archive's disco film series "Reflections in a Mirrored Ball," opening July 15 with 1976's Car Wash and ending July 31 with 1998's The Last Days of Disco. Those last days pretty much coincided with Can't Stop the Music's 1980 premiere. Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Wstwd.; Mon., July 18, 7:30 p.m.; $10. (310) 206-8013, cinema.ucla.edu. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, July 15, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 2:27 AM, ,

One Eyed Monster Sunday, July 10, 2011

How did no one think of making a horror movie starring Ron Jeremy's penis until 2008's One Eyed Monster? Luckily, the Fields brothers did, and they'll be at the Art Theater of Long Beach's screening to explain themselves. Writer-director Adam Fields and writers Jordan and Scott Fields appear in person alongside actor Charles Napier and porn star Ron Jeremy, whose legendary member is the titular monster that terrorizes a stranded porn crew at a remote mountain cabin. Turns out his dick's possessed by an alien life force, detaching itself from his body to go on a homicidal hunt for holes. Less nudity than a typical Ron Jeremy flick, but lots more gore. Art Theatre of Long Beach, 2025 E. Fourth St., Long Beach; Fri., July 15, 11 p.m.; $10. (562) 438-5435, lbcinema.org. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, July 15, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 11:12 PM, ,

Weekend at Bernie's Thursday, July 7, 2011

There's just something that says "summer" about partying with a corpse, and that's never been truer than at the Downtown Independent's Weekend at Bernie's: Summer Drink-Along & Beer Pong. The 1989 comedy "classic" chronicles the beachside hijinks of Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman, a pair of working stiffs with a dead man on their hands — their employer (Terry Kiser) — whose mafia killer thinks his victim is still alive. So what do these loveable losers do? Throw a party of course! The debauchery continues in 1993's Weekend at Bernie's II, which follows the original. Did I mention there's beer? Downtown Independent, 251 S. Main St., dwntwn.; Sat., July 9, 4 p.m.; $15. (213) 617-1033, downtownindependent.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, July 8, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 5:17 PM, ,

Stop Making Sense Sunday, July 3, 2011

Talking Heads' 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense opens with lead singer David Byrne's white-sneakered footsteps as he walks onstage, strumming an acoustic guitar to "Psycho Killer," the band's seminal 1977 hit. The sounds thicken once he's joined by bassist Tina Weymouth on "Heaven," a bucolic ode from 1979's Fear of Music, and then get rollicking with drummer Chris Frantz on "Thank You for Sending Me an Angel" (from 1978's More Songs About Buildings and Food). That's when keyboardist Jerry Harrison slides in to complete the lineup, along with assorted percussionists and backup vocalists, for "Found a Job," "Slippery People" and "Burning Down the House." Byrne herks and jerks and runs in place for "Life During Wartime," makes way for an interlude by Frantz and Weymouth's Tom Tom Club ("Genius of Love"), and ultimately dons his now-iconic oversized suit for "Girlfriend Is Better," the 1983 song from which the movie takes its name. Director Jonathan Demme's you-are-there conceit, letting the concert unfold without cutaway or interruption, captures a new wave band on the verge of now as if it were yesterday, or even today. Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd.; Sun., July 3, 7:30 p.m.; $11. (Double-feature with 1986's Byrne-directed True Stories.) (323) 466-3456, americancinematheque.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, July 1, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 12:59 AM, ,