Arts & Events: August 2009 Archives

Quiet week on the comedy front, with a few notable exceptions like Cagematch, Dragon Boy Suede, and Barats & Bereta. Get AT ME if you wanna.

Fire on the Mountain (not the Grateful Dead song): With the LA fires again making national and international news, we recall our recent interview with The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore who specifically talked about the built up areas of the Angeles National Forest. You heard it here first.

Donovan Leitch’s musical The Dark Root of the Dream is a mix of glam rock, literature and theatre, and it take to Largo’s stage tonight at 8 pm. Written by Leitch and guitarist Larry Cordola, the songs center around the character Mr. E, the fictional son of poet Virginia Woolf. “After his mother commits suicide early in the boy’s life, E is raised by gypsies, going on to become an egotistical, disillusioned rock star. Subsequently, Mr. E struggles to fill the void left by his mother’s death - with drugs, music and love. Once all these fail, he is forced to confront his darkest dreams in order to survive.” Tickets are $20.

Tonight Illinois-bred Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan will be playing to a sold-out crowd at the Hotel Café. Danish rockers Mew, who are slated to open for NIN later this week, are poised to perform at Zune LA. And, lastly, Austin's own retro soul singer-songwriter Black Joe Lewis (LAist Interview) will be performing at the Troubadour with half-American, half-Kenyan Benga rockers Extra Golden. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch LAist favorites Local Natives (LAist Interview), who will be closing out their month-long residency tonight. Hometown heroes the Henry Clay People (Review, #2, #3, #4), OC-based pop rock outfit Aushua and NY's own indie pop supergroup Fun—which features the Format front man Nate Ruess, Steel Train front man Jack Antonoff and former Anathallo multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost—are all slated to perform as well. Yours truly will be DJing between bands. Come on out early!

       

Millions of moronic teenagers pushed The Final Destination to the top of the weekend box-office chart as it snagged a richly undeserved $28.3M (largely due to the inflated price of tickets to the 3D showings). Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds managed to hold onto second place despite forecasts to the contrary ($20M | $73.8M). In a bit of good news, the worthless Halloween II came in below expectations ($17.4M). Surprise hit District 9 continued to perform well ($10.7M | $90.8M) while G.I. Joe rounded out the top 5 ($8M | $132M).

              

LAist recently hit Hornitos' Mischieve in the Garden of Agave event at The Hollywood Forever Cemetary. The party was held in the cemetary-adjacent 1931 Masonic Lodge that was recently restored by Jay Boileau. The original tilework and wood detailing make it obvious why Los Angeles Magazine named it Best Lodge Revamp in this year's "Best of" issue.

This week Cleveland-bred industrial rockers NIN will be performing not two, not three, but four farewell shows with Danish rockers Mew and local noise-infused rock outfit HEALTH in tow. Illinois-bred Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan will be playing to a sold-out crowd at the Hotel Café. And, lastly, the sixth annual F Yeah Fest, which boasts a bevy of artists including: the Black Lips, Tim & Eric, No Age, Lightning Bolt, Lucero, Converge, the Thermals, Glass Candy, Fucked Up, Matt Skiba, Times New Viking, Japanther, Mika Miko, Telepathe, Crystal Antlers, Darker My Love, AA Bondy, Wavves, Dios, Peanut Butter Wolf, the Strange Boys, Ninjasonik, Cold Cave, Har Mar Superstar, Avi Buffalo and Kurt Vile, will be taking place at Los Angeles State Historic Park. And, lastly, local indie rock act Division Day (LAist Review, #2, #3) will be gracing Spaceland with LA-based indie pop outfit and labelmates Bad Veins for this week's edition of Club NME.

Previewing Steely Dan’s latest visit to LA for LAist last month, in talking about their three-night run in which a different full-length LP from their catalog would be performed in entirety on consecutive nights, I called the 1980 release Gaucho their "least compelling album." By coincidence or conspiracy, that was the work being celebrated on the night I ended up getting a ticket to review.

              

"Brothers and Sisters I have a story for you," announced a skinny man in a white collared shirt. He then relayed to us a tale of a magic man on Hollywood Blvd. who gave him magic coins that got him so high he saw Jesus. He then denounced Jesus and said that the next band would be even better than the son of God, which is a pretty tough introduction to live up to. I'm sure that had electric guitars been around when Jesus walked the earth, he would have been freakishly good at it.

Tonight Grammy Award-winning El Paso-bred progressive rockers the Mars Volta (LAist Review) will be headlining the Hollywood Palladium. Omaha-based electronic act the Faint are poised to take on Club Nokia with none other than local dance-infused rockers Moving Units (LAist Review). And, lastly, Silver Lake's own all-female quintet Kissing Cousins will be ringing in their debut disc Pillar of Salt, which was produced by Californian-bred multi-instrumentalist Richard Swift, at everyone's favorite local record shop Origami Vinyl. But we strongly suggest heading over to the El Rey Theatre to catch LAist favorites, NY-based alternative rock outfit As Tall As Lions (LAist Review). Seal Beach-based quartet RX Bandits (LAist Review) and Los Gatos-bred prog rockers Dredg are slated to perform as well.

The Black Box Theater presents The Conversation tonight at 5 pm. Diana, a teenage runaway discovers she may have stumbled into a web of deceit and fraud at her safehouse -- a residence for women run by nuns. The play is based on a life-altering fragment of conversation overheard by author Alpha Blair as a teen runaway in NYC. Tickets are $15.

       

I really enjoyed the first half-hour of Worlds Greatest Dad. The dialogue between the father and son was unflatteringly accurate, as frustrated family members will sometimes speak horribly to each other and this kid (played by Spy Kids alum Daryl Sabara) lives in a constant state of frustration. I had to pause the movie, however, after Robin Williams’ character discovers the body of his teenage son, dead from auto-erotic asphyxiation. My sister, who was watching with me, went from enjoying the film to sobbing during this scene and I needed to put on something happy for a while. Almost a decade ago one of our extended family members lost his 15-year-old stepson that way and this part of the script, too, was unflatteringly accurate. I returned to the movie a few hours later and watched the rest of it alone. Just like with my little cousin, first there is talk that he hung himself, but that doesn’t make sense to anyone who knows him, and eventually the truth behind the tragedy comes out.

On Tuesday night “The Upsetter” and one of the founding fathers of reggae dub, Lee “Scratch” Perry, played to an enthusiastic crowd at the Key Club in Hollywood.

The trio Lady Danville (Michael Garner, Dan Chang and Matthew Frankel) took to the stage for an early set at Hotel Cafe on Tuesday night to solidly appreciative and collegial crowd. Our guess is that many UCLA students, alums and friends ventured East of Westwood to hear the band who were all members of UCLA’s a cappella choir, Awaken A Capella.

Tonight the principal architect of P-Funk, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (LAist Review), will be performing at Club Nokia in Downtown. Grammy-nominated pop singer Katy Perry (LAist Review, #2) is poised to headline the Hollywood Palladium with none other than local indie pop duo the Bird and the Bee (LAist Review, #2). And, lastly, Brooklyn-by-way-of-Cincinnati indie rock act the National will be taking on the Wiltern with California-bred folk rocker Cass McCombs in tow. But we strongly suggest heading over to the El Rey Theatre to catch NY-based experimental folk rock outfit Akron/Family. LAist favorites Howlin' Rain (LAist Review) and Lucky Dragons are slated to kick things off.

If an amazing lineup, a great cause, and a kissing booth weren’t enough incentive, the organizers of the FYF Fest announced late yesterday that they are running a special discount ticket offer. Up until 5pm today, tickets to the event are a mere $8! To quote the ad: “That’s insane!” To borrow a phrase from the full name of the festival: “Fuck Yeah!”

Sea and Space Explorations in Eagle Rock is having a fundraising "Resort Raiser" flea market tonight from 6-10pm. There you'll experience a giant flea market, performances by Simone Gad (a short spoken word piece), Homesick Elephant and Doormouse, sounds, Fluxus popsicles, massages, psychic readings, food and fundraising for this artist-run non profit.

What happens when 100,000,000+ record-selling, synth-pop pioneering, Depeche Mode, go unplugged?

     

Two art shows this weekend pique our interest. A Dr. Seuss-inspired group show Oh the Art You Will See! opens tomorrow at Monkeyhouse Toys and Art Gallery in Silverlake, featuring the art of Bill Kheel, Max, Rachel Peterson, Christian Robles, Gina Ramirez, Terri “Tooter” Berman, Douglas Alvarez, Chatismo, Heidi Kenney, Rory Gilmore, Macsorra, Alex Emmons, SKART, Randy Kono and many others. The exhibit runs until Sept. 13.

       

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." If you have a suggestion for a future Seven Questions subject send us an email.

              

“Please don’t get the band stoned!”, begged Wayne Coyne about three songs into the Flaming Lips’ set at the Greek last Monday. “I don’t even like to smoke bud anymore… but we like it when you guys smoke bud!” Having just watched VH1’s career retrospective on Cheech and Chong a couple nights earlier, it was hard not to think of Chong alerting his audience, “We’re a lot funnier when you’re stoned, man!” Within moments, Coyne was delivering his lines from atop the shoulders of a giant gorilla. Some gags never lose their charm, especially if, you know…

                     

Critics are split on Taking Woodstock, but anything from the amazing Ang Lee is worth seeing. He'll never get the credit of other major directors, but check out his filmography and find me someone else who's taken so many successful chances. Audiences will probably avoid The Baader Meinhof Complex (LAist review here) because it makes them uncomfortable (e.g. subtitles, anti-Americanism). What I said about Ang Lee above -- apply the same words to Jeff Bridges. You say DeNiro, Hoffman, Pacino, I say Bridges! I'm not thrilled with the inclusion of Timberlake in The Open Road, but that's not enough to keep me away. World's Greatest Dad marks Robin Williams' return to challenging, difficult material. It will be too dark for many, but I liked it.

The deaths of James Brown or the Wicked Wilson Pickett left a huge gaping hole in the soul universe, but all is not lost Black Joe Lewis is picking up where they left off. Bursting out of Austin with a eight piece set up, Black Joe Lewis and his Honeybears have been drawing fans like flies to a honey jar with their saucy dirty, blues. The songs of their debut album,Tell 'Em What Your Name Is! get to the meat of what life is all about when you're young: being broke ("I'm Broke"), one night stands ("Sugarfoot"), amour ("Bitch, I Love You") and getting down ("Boogie"). Black Joe Lewis was kind enough to talk with us before his show at the Troubadour. Here is some of what was said.

The Actors Gang presents The Trial of the Catonsville Nine tonight at 8 pm. The play brings to life the 1968 trial of two Catholic priests and seven other activists who committed an act of civil disobedience to protest the Vietnam War. “The play presents a moral imperative to commit civil disobedience when national hubris and global corporate interests act against the welfare of the nation and the well-being of the international community.” The production runs through Sunday, where the matinee performance will be followed by a gala reception hosted by actor Tim Robbins and United Talent Agency. Tickets for tonight’s show are $25; gala tickets for the Sunday show are $250 ($200 is tax-deductible).

Tonight influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band Os Mutantes (LAist Review) will be headlining the Echoplex. NY-based experimental electronic act Gang Gang Dance are poised to take on the Troubadour with none other than local avante-gardist Ariel Pink. And, lastly, LA-based jazz-infused rockers Big Moves will be performing at the Mint. But we strongly suggest heading over to Pehrspace to catch local prolific songwriter John Wood, who performs under the pseudonym Learning Music.

       

My old friend Manny Progdon (née Danny Trogdon, aka Nina del Groodt) and I have a shorthand when it comes to discussing our opinion of any particular movie. A common answer to the question, "Did you like it?" is "Well, it was more interesting than good" or "I admired it more than I liked it." Had Manny | Danny | Nina asked what I thought of Orgies and the Meaning of Life, one of those two answers would have been my reply. Some aspects of the film worked well; some felt glaringly off-kilter, but all in all I do think it's a film worth seeing, considering and discussing. While it fails from time to time, at least it's ambitious. And there's plenty of well-lit sex.

Maybe some of the popular designer trucks like Kogi BBQ will stop by this event tomorrow that's expected to attract tons gamers. Microsoft has gone all out and modified a 27-foot M820A2 military truck outfitted with eight Xbox 360 consoles in anticipation of Halo 3: ODST, which will be released on September 22nd.

If you are already familiar with the music of Os Mutantes, the Brazilian Tropicalia band, you will be very pleased to know that Sérgio Dias Baptista has again unleashed his eclectic sensibilities in sound, instrumentation, music and themes to produce an album, Mutantes' first new music in 35 years, that fits like a velvet glove around the throat of today's cultural, political and economic necrophilia. And if you aren't, imagine an alternate universe in which Devendra Banhart, Frank Zappa and Tom Waits join Sérgio Mendes for a drink, then invite Sinead O'Connor and Lani Hall over to join them, and they decide to write music that will make everyone want to dance while they paint murals representing peace, love and justice on the government buildings. Something like that, anyway.

                    

Some people just say they want a revolution. During West Germany's tumultuous late 1960s and 70s, the Red Army Faction delivered. The Baader Meinhof Complex, directed by Uli Edel and based on the book by Stefan Aust, chronicles the RAF and its leaders, including Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu), his partner-in-crime Gudrun Ensslin (Johanna Wokalek) and reporter-turned-revolutionary Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck). It was a Golden Globes and Oscars Best Picture nominee this year, but is only making its way to U.S. screens now.

There’s a diverse community of animators in Chicago, and the Echo Park Film Center brings their work to Los Angeles in “Chi(a)nimation All Stars: Recent Animations from Chicago.” Artist Jodie Mack will share a collection of animated shorts made in Chicago during her time in the Windy City (2005-present). “From hand-drawn character animations, to lush abstractions, to puppet or paint-on glass animation, to glitch video processing--this program illustrates a multitude of midwestern motion experiments!” The show begins at $8 and tickets are $5.

Tonight Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand will be headlining the Hollywood Palladium. Brooklyn-based indie pop duo Matt & Kim will be performing to a sold-out crowd at the El Rey Theatre with none other than Philadelphia's own rapper/singer Amanda Blank. And, lastly, Omaha-bred Americana act Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band will be taking on the Echoplex with Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Kurt Vile and Swedish psych rockers Dungen. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch San Diegan garage rockers Crocodiles. London-based trios Graffiti Island and Pens are slated to kick things off.

Wednesday was day one of Third Man Records and Novelties, a downtown three-day-long pop-up store from Jack White in promotion of Horehound, the latest album from his band The Dead Weather. More than 500 people packed the Regent Theatre for the free afternoon six-song show, reported blogdowntown.

                            

Earlier this month, the Rock 'N Roll Summer Circus took place at The Echoplex, hosted by Eli Chartkoff from The Monolators with main stage performances by Marvelous Toy, The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, Fol Chen, and The Henry Clay People as well as sideshows by the Natural Disasters, Downtown/Union, The Damselles, Les Blanks, and Roadside Graves.

                     

The cobblestone lane of Two Rodeo Drive is often used to represent "the good life" in movies and television. Last Saturday at “Simply diVine: A Summer Soiree for the Senses” to benefit the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center everyone truly got a taste of the good life.

The 6th edition of the Bicycle Film Festival returns to L.A. tonight! Presented by 42BELOW, the festival extends beyond the films on the silver screen to art, fashion, music and culture pertaining to the cycling world. The festival kicks off tonight at 8 PM with a performance by DEERHUNTER and screening of Bikes Rock! at The Center for Arts in Eagle Rock. Through August 30th.

Tonight Nashville-based alternative rock super-group the Dead Weather are poised to take LA by storm, playing at the Mayan Theatre with none other than Tyvek. Swedish psych rockers Dungen are poised to perform at the Troubadour with equally heady acts like Kurt Vile and Woods. And, lastly, local alt-rockers Dawes will be closing out their month-long residency at the Echo with NY's own folk rock quartet Chief. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch Portland-by-way-of-Chicago folk rock outfit Fruit Bats. San Francisco-by-way-of-Wisconsin indie pop act A B and the Sea will be kicking things off.

                            

When I think of my favorite movies of the last twenty years, the most curious inclusion is probably Whit Stillman's The Last Days of Disco. Now that it's been given the Criterion treatment (it's been out of print on DVD for years), I can't recommend it highly enough. If only Stillman would actually write and direct another film (Disco was his last and that was eleven years ago!). I enjoyed Adventureland so much at Sundance that I watched it again when it landed in theaters. Equally sad and sweet and funny, it was poorly marketed as a straight comedy and never really found an audience. I imagine that it will on DVD, though. Sunshine Cleaning was okay, but had that "deliberately quirky" vibe coursing through it. Duplicity was one of several failures earlier this year that probably marked the beginning of the end of the big-budget, adult-targeted film. Shame that.

It’s Ukulele Night at the Manhattan Beach Library starting at 7 pm tonight. The little guitar is finally being taken seriously--and not just as cheap tourist trinket from Hawaii. Ukulele performer and teacher Mitch Chang will play and show uke aficionados a few chords and songs. People are welcome to bring their own ukulele or just drop by to listen.

Can an ALS patient in a hospital bed create graffiti along the 10 freeway? Yes, yes one can through some hardcore programming, the movement of the patient's eyes and some really amazing creativity. Meet Eye Writer, described as "the latest ocular assault weapon from the Graffiti Research Lab, openFrameworks and The Ebeling Group...

Tonight Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand are poised to perform with Green Day at the Forum. Nashville-based alternative rock super-group the Dead Weather are poised to take LA by storm, playing at the Wiltern with none other than Tyvek. And, lastly, local indie rockers Army Navy (LAist Interview, #2, Review) will be performing at the Troubadour with the Shys and Eastern Conference Champions. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland (surprise!) to catch Highland Park-bred rock outfit Mellowdrone. LAist favorites White Arrows are slated to kick things off.

                     

The 15th annual Vans Warped Tour rolled into Home Depot Center in Carson for the final show of the long summer trek that showcases everything from old school punk rock to the latest screamo bands. It seems like a lot of the older punkers listed on the ads were missing in action, including TSOL, Flipper, Bad Religion, Fear, Pennywise, the Dickies and others. There were plenty of new-age punkers to pick up the slack though, led by Gallows, Escape the Fate, Tat, Chiodos and Alexisonfire, to name a few.

In promotion of his latest album, Jack White is opening a temporary record store on Main Street in downtown Los Angeles tomorrow through Friday. Third Man Records and Novelties, which last popped up in New York City (and has a permanent space in Nashville), will feature all things Jack White from the White Stripes, Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, which just released the album, Horehound.

Well, comedy never sleeps so why should you? After last week's stand up show at Hollywood Forever, brace yourselves for another rousing week of rambunctious laughter at the ends of some of LAs best and brightest. There's Mark Curry, Patton Oswalt, Tig Notaro. There's cagematches and sketch shows and everything under the sun, particularly at Largo and the Improv. You know the drill: hit me up if you want your show listed.

Some bands are like those brilliant, glowing sparklers that you light on Independence Day. They burn really brightly for a couple minutes and then fizzle out. Promising Nashville rockers Be Your Own Pet did just that. They put out an album, toured for a couple years, and then imploded in on themselves. A year later, rising from the ashes of that band, former guitarist and bassist, Jake and Jamin Orrall have decided to get serious about their side band, Jeff the Brotherhood. Releasing their fifth reverb heavy, garage rock album (and first really serious foray as an independent group) the brothers will be opening for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at the Echo on Friday.

As the summer winds down, it’s important to remember that there’s still a lot of good reasons -and even better causes - to get outside. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to kick back and just enjoy a beer either, does it? Well, if you’d like to give back, get out, and grab a drink while you’re at it, then consider Tuesday’s Bike MS at the Library Ale House on Main Street in Santa Monica.

                      

LAist favorites Local Natives (LAist Interview) are performing every Monday night at Spaceland for free. The final two shows this month feature the likes of the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra (LAist Review, #2), the Parson Red Heads (LAist Review, #2, #3), the Henry Clay People (Review, #2, #3, #4), Fun and Aushua. Yours truly will be DJing on August 31st, the final night of their month-long residency.

Amoeba holds its weekly Monday night series of music-related films in the courtyard of Space15Twenty. Tonight’s free screening is Trouble The Water, an award-winning look at Hurricane Katrina.Tia Lessin and Carl Deal tell the story of an aspiring rap artist and her husband who survive the storm and then take a chance for a new beginning. The DVD comes out tomorrow from Zeitgeist Films, and will be made available for early sale at the screening. The movie starts at 8 pm.

There might have been a pornstar (or just some naked chick) fingering herself in front of photographers behind the walls of Sunset Junction (link is a video taken from afar), but over in Venice Beach, there was a parade of topless Raëlians protesting the 14th Amendment. Xeni Jardin at boingboing captured some video and describes the group as "a religious cult that basically gets you in the door with promises of free sex, then brainwashes you with a bunch of garbage about UFOs and cloning and giving all your money to the church, hosted a 'topless rights' parade in Venice Beach [on Sunday]."

Tonight St. Albans-based dance pop outfit Friendly Fires (LAist Review) will be performing for a sold-out crowd at the El Rey Theatre. Santa Cruz-bred new folk guitarist Ben Chasny, who performs under the pseudonym Six Organs of Admittance, will be taking on the Echo with Horse Thieves. And, lastly, Silver Lake-based psych rockers Lower Heaven will be continuing their month-long residency at the Silver Lake Lounge. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch LAist favorites Local Natives (LAist Interview), who will invariably be conquering the penultimate night of their month-long residency. Local indie rockers the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra (LAist Review, #2) and the Parson Red Heads (LAist Review, #2, #3) will be performing as well.

This week Nashville-based alternative rock super-group the Dead Weather will be taking LA by storm, playing both the Wiltern and the Mayan Theatre with none other than Tyvek. Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand are poised to perform with Green Day at the Forum and then by themselves at the Hollywood Palladium. Legendary Brazilian psychedelic rock act Os Mutantes will be performing at the Echoplex. And, lastly, NY-based experimental folk rock outfit Akron/Family will be taking on the El Rey Theatre with Howlin' Rain and Lucky Dragons.

            

As Sunset Junction Day 2 starts to wind down, everyone gets a relief from the sun with a slight breeze and some cloud cover. Bands like Build an Ark and Arrested Development make the corner of Santa Monica and Sunset Boulavard just a bit more cooler with their east coast brand of funk.

      

Quentin Tarantino roared back into prominence as his World War Two revenge flick, Inglourious Basterds, uh, roared to the top of the weekend box office, earning a way-above expectations $37.2M. Last week's champ, District 9 had a reasonable hold and earned an additional $18.9M ($73.4M). After that it was the sort of okay G.I.Joe ($12.5M | $120.5M), the weepy Time Traveler's Wife ($10M | 37.4M) and the winning Julie & Julia ($9M | $59.2M). Kids commanded the next three slots: the lame Shorts debuted to $6.6M followed by the odd G-Force ($4.2M | $107.3M) and the super Harry Potter 6: Harry Battles Voldemort! ($3.5M | $290.2M)

This is an old recording by Feuermann performing the Dvorak Concerto. The greatest cellist performing the greatest piece (for the cello). The Hollywood Bowl is on twitter! Check out their feed for updates on concerts, insights on the artists that will be performing at the Bowl, and free tickets! Go to the Bowl this Tuesday for the conducting debut of Placido Domingo with Yo Yo Ma. Ma will be performing the Dvorak Cello Concerto, a warhorse that is often considered to be one of the most difficult and greatest works for the cello (if the work looks familiar, Lynn Harrell also performed the work at the Bowl, not too long ago). There are only a few tickets available, get them before you miss out on this historic opportunity. The concert starts at 8.

With a stellar music lineup set for Sept. 5, FYF Fest is presenting Save Our State Parks to raise awareness about the closure of 100 parks in California. They aren't just stopping there, FYF Fest is harnessing its draw as an amazing music festival and encouraging people to volunteer at a variety of charities and organizations in the greater LA area. As a reward for donating 20 hours of your time, the festival is offering two free tickets and a "care package" of freebies. The exchange program has already proven popular with almost two dozen local organizations benefiting like the Union Rescue Mission, Northeast Trees, Reading to Kids LA and many more. Spaces have filled up fast, but slots still remain open for those who'd like to volunteer for film non-profit CineFamily.

Tonight marks the second night of the 29th year of the annual street fair that we all hold dear to our hearts: the Sunset Junction Street Fair. Legendary San Franciscan psychedelic rock band Jefferson Starship are poised to grace the Greek Theatre for Heroes of Woodstock. And, lastly, LA-based rock outfit the Widow Babies will be ringing in their latest disc at the Echo. But we strongly suggest heading over to Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock to catch Brooklyn-based experimental pop act High Places.

       

Sun-drenched hipsters meet local families as they collide onto Sunset Junction for indie music and danger dogs. Day one photos.

"Buy local!" is the rally cry of Unique Los Angeles, who have paired up with Urban Outfitters/Space 15 Twenty to bring you Mini-Market--a giant 'buy local' outdoor sale today from 10-4. The Mini-Market will be set up adjacent to the Hollywood Farmer's Market and will have over 60 independent designers and artists, selling everything from clothing to art prints, baby goods to beauty products, plush dolls to stationery. No cost to get in.

Tonight Nashville-bred alternative rockers Kings of Leon will be taking on the Forum with Athens' own garage rock revivalists the Whigs. Seattle's own alternative rock outfit Harvey Danger will be performing at Largo at the Coronet. And, lastly, Oakland-based pop punk act the Matches will be performing their final show as a band in Los Angeles to a sold-out crowd at the Troubadour. But we strongly suggest heading over to Sunset Junction to catch the 29th year of the annual street fair that we all hold dear to our hearts: the Sunset Junction Street Fair. Local favorites Miss Derringer, War Tapes, Warpaint, Rumspringa, Dengue Fever and Nico Vega will be performing today, as well as prominent, national acts like the Submarines, The Delta Spirit, Islands, Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band, Sa-Ra, Sly & Robbie.

              

Anyone pretty much the world over can turn on their television on Sunday September 20th and watch the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. And even though Los Angeles is a company town, not everyone has a ticket to the show, which means once the show is over, only those on the guest list will get to head over to the Governor's Ball. The Emmy folks (that's the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, to be precise) have been busy planning this massive affair, and gave members of the media a sneak peak at the design and food and drink that will be enjoyed by the ball's attendees come Emmy night in L.A.

Break out the bicycle and head to Santa Monica for an afternoon bike tour focusing on arts and culture in the area. Co-organized by C.I.C.L.E. (Cyclists Inciting Change thru LIVE Exchange) and led by their League Certified Cycling Instructors, consists of an 8-mile loop throughout the city of Santa Monica. Beginning at SMMoA, the tour will make its first stop at The Broad Stage and continue on to the Miles Playhouse. From there, bikers will travel to the 18th Street Arts Center and then back to SMMoA. The tour will proceed at a slow, social pace and obey all traffic laws. Registration is from 1-2 at SMMoA, workshops and bike checkup from 2-5, and the tour begins at 5. Participation in the bike tour is FREE. The bike flag workshop is FREE for SMMoA members and $5 for non-members. (Pre-register online and click on "Buy Event Tickets.")

The event is all-inclusive, offering delicacies from local restaurants, premium wines, SKYY vodka, entertainment and a silent auction. Some of the exciting items up for bidding are a weekend at the Palms in Vegas, Britney Spears concert tickets and a tour of the Playboy Mansion.

ome of the farthest-out hipster prose in the original print run of Ed Sanders' highly readable Manson account, The Family, concerns the supposed "hooded snuffoids" from the spookily-named but otherwise harmless Process Church Of The Final Judgement. This kind of statement, made despite the fact that no one in the group has ever been convicted of anything like murder, is somewhat like blaming the people who ran Amok Books for all the horrible killings written up in their inventory.

Weekend Edition "The Kids in the Hall" have reunited to shoot an 8-part comedy-mystery for Canadian television. The series will air on the CBC network in January 2010 but no word on if/how/when the series will air on US TV. --- The TV Junkie will be going on hiatus next week to rest his weary eyeballs. We'll post a "must-see" list for the week along with some other recommendations. Thank you so much for reading! We'll be back by the 30th.

              

As you may have heard, the 29th annual Sunset Junction Street Festival is this weekend. "I've only attended the last three years, and never knew the festival back in [its] free days," says Brad Roberts from Radio Free Silver Lake. "So, frankly, the cost isn't as much of an issue for me as it is for others. The days of expecting a bankrupt state and federal government to provide something as ephemeral as a music festival, are, unfortunately, relics of the past. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself at the last three, all of which introduced me to many of the local bands who are regular favorites of mine. The cultural mix is a Los Angeles specialty and in spite of occasionally resembling a frying pan, everyone seems to really enjoy themselves, the variety of food available is impressive and the atmosphere remains laid back and So Cal."

              

There's already been a ton of Inglourious Basterds material on LAist this weekend, so I'll only say, "Check it out. It's a helluva ride." My One and Only looks like an intriguing film. Based in part on the life of George Hamilton, it tells the story of a determined woman looking for a wealthy man to provide a nice life for her and her sons. It's been awhile since there's been a film about The Troubles, but Five Minutes of Heaven is a welcome addition to the canon. Liam Neeson stars as a man who, as a child, murdered the brother of another man (a fantastic James Nesbitt). The film tells a story of forgiveness as both try to reconcile the past.

Grand Performances at California Plaza features Adaawe, a six-member international group of women - from Kenya, Morocco, Brazil and the United States - who blend drums, percussion and voices with high-octane funk, Gospel-infused lyrics and pure joy. The event is free.

Tonight, as always, local multi-instrumentalist/producer extraordinaire Jon Brion (LAist Interview, #2, Review) will be jamming with friends at the Largo at the Coronet. Legendary Tacoma-based garage rockers the Sonics will be headlining the Echo with none other than Costa Mesa-bred rockers Japanese Motors in tow. And, lastly, Charlotte's own prolific indie pop singer-songwriter Benji Hughes is poised to grace Spaceland with Beck bassist B.R.A.M. for this year's Sunset Junction Pre-Party. But we strongly suggest heading over to the El Rey Theatre to catch San Francisco-based alt pop act Girls, who will be kicking things off for Welsh pop band Los Campesinos! LAist favorites Ramona Falls, a splinter of Portland-based indie rockers Menomena, will also be performing.

(editor's note - LAist sent our intrepid reporter, Lois Lane, er, Courtney Quinn to the Inglourious Basterds Press Day last weekend. In the spirit of Tarantino's film, she's segmented her coverage into something very, well...Basterd-like. It's a good, long read so get comfortable in your chair. Extra points for creativity, Coco.)

       

Every January the quaint Mormon hamlet of Park City, Utah is overrun by tens of thousands of people eager to attend the films (and parties) of the Sundance Film Festival. Having attended the festival for the last three years, I can highly recommend the experience. In fact, I'd say that everyone should try to attend at least once. From the freezing weather to the immense crowds to the abundance of cinema, alcohol and sleeplessness, it is a film festival that is unique to the world, and tomorrow night a little bit of Sundance comes to Los Angeles.

As it is a slow TV news day and a night with a very empty TV schedule, we'd like to remind people of the various programs over at the Paley Center including a weekend celebration of Hanna-Barbera as well as the chance to scope out the Fall Preview Parties.

      

Though it first aired a decade ago, most people still remember Samm Levine quite clearly from the cult TV show, Freaks and Geeks (look back at the cast and writers and marvel at the talent). Since then he has worked steadily, both in television (the best episode of Entourage ever) and film (the hilarious and underrated Not Another Teen Movie.) This Friday, Samm appears as one of Brad Pitt's basterds in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. LAist had a chance to speak with Samm recently about working on the film.

A few weeks ago, I walked into the Bootleg Theater and was hit with a wall of sound. I had to take a step back and ran over my teeth with my tongue to make sure my fillings were still in place. With all of my molecules a-quiverin' in perfect unison, I ventured deeper into the theater and was surprised to find only two men on stage one armed with only a keyboard and a laptop and a the other with a drum kit making some of the most beautiful, swirling, electro-ambient music I've heard in quite sometime. Due to the set up of the venue, I perched on a bar stool and soaked up the vibe, but given my druthers I would have been lying on the floor, feeling the vibrations seep through my clothes and into my body. In fact, if you're listening to this tune at work you should do just that.

“Comedy is Dead 7” with Mary Lynn Rajskub, Aziz Ansari, Brent Weinbach, Matt Braunger, Natasha Leggero and Duncan Trussell takes place tonight at the Masonic Lodge at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. There’s also a screening of shorts by: Eric Wareheim, DJ Douggpound and Derek Waters. Cocktails are at 8 pm and the show starts at 9. Tickets are $10. Reservations recommended.

Tonight Parson Red Heads front man Evan Way will be performing at the Echo with Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman and Foreign Born side-project Big Search. Local indie rockers Le Switch will be gracing Cinema Bar in Studio City. And, lastly, LA-based singer-songwriter Firs will be taking on the Silver Lake Lounge. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch Canadian indie rock quintet Mother Mother.

       

You're once, twice, three times an Indy...and I loooooove you! Temple of Doom turns 25 this year, and serves itself up every day this weekend. Friday, Temple's a la carte at Cafe Minuit Fairfax, Sunday nets you a side of Raiders at the New Bev, or an organic Indy combo (hold the cubic zirconium) Saturday at the Aero! Surprisingly, not a single guest is in sight (come on, what's Short Round really up to these days?) - for that one must turn 50, as with Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life. Academy-nominated starlets Susan Kohner & Juanita Moore reminisce over a ravishing new film print, joined by Kohner's son, Paul Weitz. Or you just need to be associated with The Blair Witch Project; directors, producers & the entire cast are set to celebrate the film's 10th anniversary at the Egyptian. Probably the only way they could fill the theater.

Speaking of death: Today news producer Don Hewitt died. Hewitt was the creator of CBS' "60 Minutes", a program that changed the way news was reported and set the high bar for all other news programs to follow. Perhaps only PBS' "Frontline" has come close to the standard. And hey, it's still a popular show getting the 2nd most viewership this week. For more on Hewitt, check out a series of interviews with him on the Archive of American Television's YouTube channel. RIP Don.

       

On his third album Graduation, Kanye West opines "everything I'm not may be everything I am". While the glitzy, slick musician couldn't be more different than understated, "mumblecore" filmmaker Andrew Bujalski, West's sentiment is most appropriate for Bujalski's third film Beeswax. It's Bujalski's own graduation of sorts; his no-fi camerawork has expanded to colorful scope, and his awkward 20-somethings have grown into even more awkward 30-somethings. Maintaining a fiercely independent lifestyle has real stakes for the first time, and yet Bujalski's characters remain so far removed that the only way to look at Beeswax is to look at what it isn't.

MUSIC R&B super star Patti Labelle brings her powerful vocals to the Hollywood Bowl tonight at 8:00 PM. Little else needs to be said about this legendary singer, other than to be prepared for a good show. DOCUMENTARY Do you know anyone who has a hard time distinguishing between their real life and Second Life? Here is a movie you might want to suggest to them: Second Skin. Screening at the Downtown Independent through August 21st, the documentary examines the lives of individuals consumed by popular online games/sites such as Second Life, World of Warcraft and others.

          

It's no Mount Whitney, but the hiking to the top of Sandstone Peak is truly satisfying. Your journey to the top, elevation 3,111 feet, has sights and sounds different than the Santa Monica Mountains we know closer to Los Angeles. Forget the city noise below Runyon Canyon or the families splashing about at Malibu Creek--the trails of Circle X Ranch on the western part of the range are mostly quiet with lone birds heard echoing through the canyons and the sights of sheer cliffs dropping off into deep canyons is exhilarating.

Tonight Minneapolis-bred rapper Atmosphere will be headlining the Hollywood Palladium. Icelandic pop chanteuse Emiliana Torrini is poised to grace the El Rey Theatre with none other than San Diegan singer-songwriter Anya Marina (LAist Review, #2). And, lastly, local retro 60s soul act Fitz and the Tantrums will be performing at the Troubadour with LA-based MC Kenan Bell (LAist Interview) and NY's own John Forte. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch English multi-instrumentalist Max Tundra, who will be performing for this week's edition of Club NME.

         

After eight and a half years of nine-to-five work and three Spiderman franchises, Ian Shive had enough. Like most us, we all wish we could just grab a camera and travel to earn a living. But like most of us, we don't. Shive is the exception.

                     

The difficulty in reviewing a film like Inglourious Basterds is that it's really two films mashed up into one. One of those films concerns a young Jewish woman named Shoshanna who exacts a brilliant revenge against the Nazis who murdered her family. The other regards a group of mostly Jewish-American military assassins (the titular "Basterds") who scour the French countryside killing everyone in a German uniform. What's strangely problematic about Inglourious Basterds is that while the latter story is full of Quentin Tarantino's characteristic bluster and brio, you can't wait to get back to Shoshanna and find out what's happening with her life.

Lord Help Us: Former Republican Majority Leader and alleged criminal Tom DeLay will be a contestant on the next "Dancing With the Stars" along with Donny Osmond, Mya, Macy Gray and Aaron Carter; actors Melissa Joan Hart, Debi Mazar; professional snowboarder Louie Vito; Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin; former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, and many others.

       

Horror classics continue to suffer the indignity of needless remakes with The Last House on the Left being another victim. It's as if someone thought that the original would benefit from polishing when, in fact, it was its very roughness that made it so damn good. James Toback's fascination with Mike Tyson continues with the eponymous (and excellent) documentary Tyson. I still think that Toback is seeing things that aren't entirely there, though, with respect to Iron Mike. I can still remember seeing The Last Starfighter as a kid visiting my aunt in sleepy Lake Charles, Louisiana. The CGI animation looks fairly awful now, but I loved, loved, loved that movie way back when. And my childhood crush on Catherine Mary Stewart has barely faded with time.

If you’re old enough to remember the TV show thirtysomething, then you might be intrested in checking out the reunion for the angst-filled show tonight at 7 pm at the Paley Center. During its four seasons, the show broke new ground for the portrayal for the babyboomers forced to grow up. To commemorate the show and the release of the season 1 DVD, the Paley Center hosts the series’ cast and creative team, including creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick and actors Peter Horton and Timothy Busfield, with additional panelists to be announced. Tickets are $20 ($15 for Paley Center members).

With all its hustle, the flips and fast paced jittering, swing dancing can be intimidating. But as lindy exhanges across the nation became bigger deals in the early part of this century, party goers danced and drunk their way into the night begetting a much slower, groovier and inebriated style. Enter blues dancing... the resurgence, at least.

Tonight English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and the Sugarcanes will be headlining the Greek Theatre with Nashville-based three-time Grammy Award-winning folk songstress Lucinda Williams in tow. Oklahoma-based psych-infused alternative rock outfit the Flaming Lips are poised to unleash their rather euphoric theatrics upon onlookers at the Pomona Fox Theatre. And, lastly, Memphis-bred garage punk troubadour Jay Reatard will be performing in-store at Amoeba Music in Hollywood. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch local indie rock outfit the Minor Canon. LAist favorites, Long Beach-based experimental electronic act Blank Blue are slated to kick things off.

Guys, this Wednesday is insane for comedy. From Mortified to Old Town to the Chelsea Lately show... and we're not even including the great sketch shows going on over at UCB, include the Apple Sisters. Well, no matter what day of the week you get out to peep some comedy, let this calendar be your guide to the funniest that LA has to offer this week.

Remember the hubbub over the US Olympic Committee's plan to launch their own TV network? Other than the several questions of legality (what about NBC's rights? what about the International Olympic Committee's rights?) there was also the question of just what they would actually show? Now they don't have to answer any questions because they are punting. --- Who thinks this is a good idea: a dramedy series based on the movie "St. Elmo's Fire"? Topher Grace will be one of the producers.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents “Infinite Animation: The Work of Adam Beckett” tonight at 8 pm at the Linwood Dunn Theater. Beckett (1950-1979) was an animator and visual effects artist whose career straddled the line between art film and the special effects industry. He worked on big budget films like Star Wars and Piranha, but he’s more remembered for his experimental art films.