Photos by Bobby S. for LAist

Yesterday, a friend and I went over to the Swerve Festival, Hollywood's newest arts festival. I ended up getting there pretty early so I was able to wander around pretty easily. Honestly the whole thing was still being put together, and people were dashing around frantically.

Overall the festival was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be. You walk up and there's a (sharpie) tattoo parlor, there's a screenprinting booth giving away free t-shirts. The designs were pretty rad as well, so that was cool. There were booths to play video games, an "exhibit" of pinwheels with artists designs on them. Those turned out to be lame, and many of them were already broken.

My favorite part was being able to see Beautiful Losers, the movie by Aaron Rose that chronicled how the people in the original Beautiful Losers show all came together. I laughed a lot at Mike Mills' parts, and when Harmony Korine was telling a story about his friend Samuel, who had his head cut off and left in a kids park.
And I also was on the verge of tears when they talked about Margaret Kilgallen. She was an amazing artist, and gave her life up in order for her child to come into this world.

So if you're bored today, go check it out. There's a secret show at 2:15, Oh No! Oh My! is playing at 3:30, and the movie 'Art In Action' is playing at 4:00. There's also the Anton Corbjin movie 'Control' playing at the Vista tonight at 6:00, but the tickets are $20 a piece and they're probably all sold out.

Also be sure to check out under the cut for a ton of pictures!

The LA County Fair comes to end tonight, and if you can't make it or county fairs just aren't your thing, there's plenty of festival happenings today around Los Angeles:

• Swerve Festival @ Barnsdall Park
  
• National Geographic's All Roads Film Festival
  
• Feast of San Genaro Italian Festival
  
• Abbot Kinney Festival
  
• Grand Avenue Festival
  
• West Hollywood Book Fair
  
• Just Lives Festival
  
• Santa Clarita Street Arts Festival
  
• Polska Parafia Bazaar
  
• SGV Greek Festival
  
• Nigerian Independence Day Celebration
  
• Muckenthaler Bicycle Fest

For details on all of the above, see our Weekend Festival Guide from Friday.

We always encourage public transportation, just be aware there is some rail maintenance going on today so plan ahead:

• Red/Purple Line
  
• Blue Line

Autumn is upon us and here in LA we are harvesting art, music, and mayhem. For whatever reason, it seems that this is the busiest festival weekend of the year, with something for all ages, in all corners of LA, and all times of day and night. If ever there was a weekend to clone yourself and be everywhere at once, this would be it. Jump right in.

Swerve Festival: This looks to be an exciting new multiplatform festival for arts and culture-lovin' Angelenos: "Swerve Festival is a new annual festival dedicated to celebrating West Coast creative culture and its community inspired by art, film, music and action sports."

Friday through Sunday, main location: Barnsdall Art Park. Movies at Vista and more music at Echoplex. Maps and directions here.

National Geographic's All Roads Film Festival: Several U.S. and World movie premieres. Live music from Balkan Beat Box (tonight 9:30).

Through Sunday, Egyptian Theater (map).

Nocturnal Festival: 13th annual downtown rave. Four venues, numerous acts/DJs include: Chemical Brothers, Paul van Dyk, Carl Cox, Uberzone, Hype, LTJ Bukem.

Saturday 9 p.m.-4 a.m. (Sunday), 836 Francisco (map), $60 (GA) / $150 VIP (more at the door) Afterparty 3-11 a.m..

Photo by Gary H. Spielvogel via flickr.

Hands Across America, eat your heart out.

Tonight, on the last Friday of the first month of the Pagan new year (this is not true), the hardest working blog in showbiz salutes you, Los Angeles, the object of our collective desire, with a high-hoisted brew, and a coordinated, planet-wide toast.

You are all invited to join in the revelry, and together in nerdiness we will plot our success, literally, on a google map.

The bottle-opening ceremony begins precisely at 6:02 pm (P.S.T.), so synchronize bat watches, and post a comment with:

- Your name (real or fake will do)
- Your town (this is not precision mapping)
- What beer you’ll be drinking (with great respect for the sober set we will also accept near beers, ginger beers and root beers)

Leave the plotting to us. :)

Photo by Lisa Brenner via Flickr

Sometimes after work this LAist just wants to go home. He wants to kick off his shoes, have some dinner and turn in early.

Sometimes, a friend who works "in the industry" calls near the end of the day and says that the girl who was supposed to go to this party or that premiere has bailed and asks what is this LAist doing tonight?

On a night like this, this LAist would've usually said "no," but then Mr. Industry Friend says that it's a party for the premiere of season two of The Sarah Silverman Program. That's when this LAist's rally gene kicks in and he puts on some nice shoes, a t-shirt with a clever slogan and straps his camera to his belt and heads out to Hollywood.

Sarah Silverman puts the lie to the belief that women can't be funny and especially that hot women can't be funny.

If you've seen her on any of the Comedy Central Roasts or hosting some awards show or, more to the point, on The Sarah Silverman Program, you know that this is one funny Jewess.

Many more pictures after the jump.

Last Sunday, September 23rd, Dr. Jane Goodall head-lined the International Day of Peace with Roots and Shoots, a global network of youth dedicated to protecting human rights through environment-centered campaigns. Children marched with giant home-made peace puppets as environment and human rights organizations were on hand to provide information and network with locals. Goodall mingled for a while, greeting children and petting dogs before leading the Peace Dove marchers through Griffith Park. After demonstrating chimpanzee vocalizations which were met with cheers from attendees, Dr. Goodall eloquently spoke of the devastating environmental impact humans have had on the planet; the disconnect between mind and heart and the consequences of war; her work with the United Nations and within refugee camps; and the origins of the Peace Day celebration in Los Angeles, among other things. Here are some pictures of the event just in case you missed it:

Another festival alert, this one concerning cheese! Hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla will be celebrating the Italian-American immigrant experience this weekend in Hollywood at the 6th Annual Cheese Feast of San Gennaro.

Eat some excellent Italian food, play some bocce ball (courts will be set up all day), research your heritage, and watch a parade of the saint through the streets of Hollywood. (San Gennaro was one of those indestructable superhero saints who survived Roman persecution, including being burned alive, stretched on the rack, and being thrown to wild beasts -- they just don't make Catholics like that anymore!)

You can still purchase tickets for tonight's Prima Notte Fundraising Gala, honoring "prominent Italian-Americans" Frankie Valli and John Paul DeJoria (he's the CEO of John Mitchell hair care products) -- tickets are $100 and profits go towards Carolla and Kimmel's charity aiding all poor children in Los Angeles.

But if you're not up for spending the big bucks, the festival itself runs all weekend long: admission's five bucks for adults, and free for the kids. It will feature vendors like Frankie’s on Melrose, Taste Chicago, Rocco’s Italian Kitchen, Taninos, Trastevere and Albano’s Pizza, as well as live music, street performers, strolling musicians, a kid’s corner, rides and games. And no Italian festival would be complete without a selection of wines from local wineries, which is sure to make my own bocce-ball playing attempts quite humorous!

Details and contact info below the jump.

Spin, home of museum-quality rare and classic cars, will be opening their Venice gallery space to the paintings of Carlos Vera. On Sunday, September 30th, Spin will be open during the Abbot Kinney Street Festival presenting "Knee Deep and Still Blowing," featuring the paintings of L.A.-based Carlos Vera.

Inspired by the resiliant spirit of the musicians of New Orleans, this show features eight large-format oil on canvas paintings. Five of the works will be displayed in finished form, while Carlos will be live-painting the remaining three in the Spin Gallery during the day on Sunday. Between the hours of Noon and 6 p.m. people are invited to wander in and out of the Gallery and enjoy the soulful beats of DJ Braden as they see the artist at work. The paintings will be sold via silent auction during the day, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Voice of the Wetlands, a non-profit organization benefitting Louisiana's wetlands, wildlife and it's people..

The 23rd Abbot Kinney Street Festival
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Live painting begins at Noon

The Spin Gallery
1410 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA 90291

Photo by Ryan Jesena

LAist had a chance to see the Chemical Brothers at the debut of their US tour at the sold-out Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC last night. It's their first headlining appearance in the US in over 5 years and they brought it, full on. They will be headlining the Nocturnal Festival a week from today and there's plenty of other folks to see there as well, but really, the Brothers alone justify attendance.

Here's a photo essay for your ass, vid clips too:

The video's choppy but bear with it, it was hoppin':

[More pics and vids after the jump...]

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is stopping at Chapman University in Orange on Sunday, capping off weekend fundraising dinner rounds elsewhere in OC. The public forum is billed "Ask Mitt Anything," and we've got a few suggested questions with which you can do just that... after the jump.

WHAT: Public Forum w/ Mitt Romney
WHEN: Sunday 9/23, 2:15 p.m.
WHERE: Chapman University Theater, Orange (map).
RSVP: Call (857) 288-2667, or email california@mittromney.com.

AP Photo by Lynne Sladky.

Dr. Jane Goodall. Photo courtesy of Roots and Shoots.

This Sunday, September 23rd, Dr. Jane Goodall (primatologist, ethologist, author, researcher, and United Nations Messenger of Peace extraordinaire) be speaking at Griffith Park as part of the Roots and Shoots Fifth Annual Peace Day. Dr. Goodall, who is most famous for her research on chimpanzees in Gombe, will be leading a parade of giant home-made dove puppets and speaking at this free all-ages event.

Roots and Shoots, a program of the Jane Goodall Institute, was born in 1991 on a back porch in Tanzania when Goodall first met with a group of teenagers who were concerned about local pollution, deforestation, and the welfare of domestic and wild animals. Since then, Roots and Shoots has grown to become an international network of young people who are creating and working on projects that benefit the environment. The organization has service learning projects that are appropriate for little children, teenagers, and college students, all of which are based on the idea that all humans share a connection to each other, to all other animals, and to the planet that we share -- sort of like an environmentally-aware, global-scale scout group, but without all of the creepy militarism, prejudice, and ugly uniforms.

This Sunday's Roots and Shoots Peace Day celebrates community and peace through global unity. In addition to the giant dove parade, the event features live performances, and opportunities to learn about and network with local organizations who are working on humanitarian and environment-related projects.

Roots and Shoots Peace Day Event Details:
Sunday, September 23rd, 2007
From 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
At Griffith Park, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90027
This event is free and appropriate for people of all ages.
Jane Goodall will arrive around 2:00 to lead the dove parade and speak.
For more information, visit the Roots and Shoots Peace Day website or call 310-519-1150.

Considering his films are rarely screened at theaters in the United States, most people haven't heard of the great Portuguese auteur and digital video innovator, Pedro Costa. Happily, a remedy for that is arriving tomorrow when the first comprehensive retrospective in North America of his work unspools at REDCAT. His documentary-style films often center on life in the slums of Lisbon and have received wide international acclaim.

Screening schedule and extensive film info after the jump!

Though my allegiance has switched over to the Landmark, many film lovers in Los Angeles regard the Arclight as the best multiplex in town. It programs studio pictures right alongside esoteric indies, it offers great concessions, its screenings are commercial-free and it schedules cool events with celebrated films and filmmakers. This Wednesday, tickets go on sale for one of those very events. In fact, this one may be the coolest in awhile.

To celebrate its 40th year of existence, the American Film Institute is taking over the Arclight for one night and screening 11 classic movies. Each film will be introduced by either the film's director or one of its stars, all of whom are Hollywood legends. The event unspools on October 3rd at 7:00 p.m., but tickets go on sale this Wednesday at AFI.com or at the Arclight box-office. Each ticket goes for $25 and includes soda and popcorn.

FILMS SCREENING & PRESENTERS

Spartacus - Kirk Douglas
The Birds - Tippi Hedren
The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews
Bonnie and Clyde - Warren Beatty
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next - Jack Nicholson
Rocky - Sylvester Stallone
Star Wars - George Lucas
When Harry Met Sally... - Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner
Beauty and the Beast - Angela Lansbury
Unforgiven - Clint Eastwood
The Shawshank Redemption - Morgan Freeman

Photo courtesy of horrortaxi via Flickr

The 80th Academy Awards (host: Jon Stewart) aren't until February 24 but starting today you can register for a chance at a bleacher seat overlooking the red carpet. Thousands applied for 300 spots last year along the 500-foot-long red carpet, but you're feeling lucky, right?

The chosen voyeurs will be randomly selected next Monday at noon, and notified in March. Submit for up to four tickets per person.

http://www.oscars.org/bleachers/

Dangerous Liaisons devotees look for their Rain Main from the bleachers above the red carpet at the 1989 Academy Awards, photographed by Alan Light via flickr.

That's right, two weeks before the grand opening you can get into the brand new Culver City Skate Park on the corner of Duquesne & Jefferson in Culver City. It's open dawn till dusk, but ymmv until the real opening.

Friday night they put up the fence, and Saturday the place was jammed with 300 locals trying it out. I dropped by Sunday morning at 8am to check out the Wake n' Skate crew. By 10am the place had 60 people, and at 4pm there were around 150.

So drop on by and check out the Trog Bowl, Waterfall, Hubba Ledge, Ramp, Pier 7 Block, Wall Ride, 90 degree banked hip, and more!

LAist is proud to bring you the first photos of this park along with the first video tour. This is a skate park, built by and for skaters, that means NO BIKES, they will destroy the transitions and are expressly forbidden from the park.

We had the chance to check out some skaters in the park and talk to Christian Cooper of Concrete Disciples, one of the people behind this 3 year long project.

More Photos After the Jump.

"So you know what you need to do to come off as authentic in San Pedro, right?"

"Tell me!" We were all set to head off to the annual Lobster Fest held in San Pedro's charming seaside Ports O' Call.

"You gotta call it Peeeeeedro."

Peeeeeedro. Got it. Not that this was my first time searching out good times and good eats in this sunshiney little enclave nestled against the Port of Long Beach, but San Pedro is notorious for its territorial locals -- as well as its working-class charm and fantastic access to the freshest seafood L.A. has to offer.

In fact, Pedro is the perfect site for Los Angeles' annual Lobster Fest, an exuberant and well-provisioned celebration of all that is good and delicious about that most perfect crustacean, the lobster. Except...these lobsters aren't from California. In fact, they ship these babies out from MAINE. That's right, MAINE LOBSTER in CALIFORNIA. Sigh. But it's still a festival, and it's still a celebration of the lobster to come, it's just that the lobsters haven't shown up yet, and so they're shipped in. But there's no shortage of excellent eats, family fun, and perhaps more importantly, awesome live music.

We arrived just in time to see an energetic set by hyperactive neo-punk quartet The Ringers: all the hipsters were in "stand and silently judge while wearing fantastic outfits" mode, while the boomer parents were in "oh god I don't get this music am I old and obsolete???" mode. The little girls, though, totally understood what The Ringers were doing (as little girls so often do): the dance floor was taken over by bouncing little kids who showed the rest of us how to properly RAWK a lobster fest, like the blonde chickie below, who is now my rock goddess hero.

Photos by Bobby S. for LAist

Up now at GR2 is a group art show called, 'GEISAI Artists at Giant Robot'. The show was put together by legendary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and Giant Robot founder and owner, Eric Nakamura. Murakami is famously known for his collaboration with Louis Vuitton, creating the multicolor monogram and cherry blossom designs, and most recently creating the album artwork for Kanye West's new album, Graduation.

Together they've picked a hand-full of award winning artists from the GEISAI art show to display their work at GR2. The artists involved are Yasushi Ebihara, Hisashi Kondo, Sashie Masakatsu, Rie Kawashima, Rieko Sakuri, Miki Taira, and Erika Yamashiro.

I went to the opening last night, and while the work was good, there weren't as many pieces as I hoped there'd be. I loved Hisashi Kondo's handstitched portraits. It looks like he takes sheet of plexiglass, drills holes into it, then threads string through the holes, stitching a realistic portrait in the process. Also interesting was Sashie Masakatsu's floating worlds. The tiny planets are covered in mundane objects often a lot of advertising as well.

The show runs till October 10th, so check it out before then!

Also be sure to click the continue reading link below to see more photos from the show!

This Saturday from 6 to 8pm, Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks will be hosting a tribute event to thank, honor & celebrate the contributions of some very distinguished animators.

Co-sponsored by Creative Talent Network, the evenings activities will include an exhibition of works from the private collections of Rowland Wilson, Joe Grant, Walt Stanchfield, and Mel Shaw.

Starting today and running through Sunday, WIRED magazine is kicking off NextFest, a four day festival of technology, business, and innovation at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The festival will feature a series of exhibitions and events featuring all things tech.

From the website:

"WIRED's vision of a new World's Fair, WIRED NextFest is a four-day festival of innovative products and technologies that are transforming our world. This year's NextFest in Los Angeles features more than 160 interactive exhibits from leading scientists and researchers around the world. Experience the future of communication, design, entertainment, exploration, health, play, robots, transportation, security, and green living. Visitors of all ages are welcome."

A lot of excting stuff is going on this year at NextFest, including details about this year's XPrize (Google's private space exploration competion), not to mention Zeno the Robot , and mobile speech recognition innovations from Fonix Speech Technology. Tickets on sale now!

Image of Zeno the Robot courtesy of ABCNews.com

Since moving to L.A. nearly six years ago, I've celebrated Jewish holidays in true nomad fashion, from Hollywood to the Valley and back again.

The first year was at the Laugh Factory. The female Cantor played the guitar as she sang, swaying slowly and dreamily back and forth and making me think that at any moment she was about to ask us to cross our arms in front of us and hold hands with one another, a la Girl Scout camp. Another year was at a friend's family's house in Encino, which I believe may be a rite of passage for Jewish transplants in this city. And this year now marks my second (non-consecutive) year of services at the Chai Center.

The Chai Center is a non-profit organization that caters to "any Jew that moves," according to their website. Run by Director Rabbi Shlomo Schwartz, or "Schwartzie," as he calls himself, the Center holds free High Holiday services – unheard of in this day and age – in venues around L.A.

This year's services for Rosh Hashana, which marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year, were held last night at the Writer's Guild of America on Doheny. They were scheduled to start at 6:30pm.

Promptly at 7:00, Rabbi Schwartz began. To kick things off, he jovially remarked, "We're on time -- it is 6:30, Jewish Standard Time," drawing an in-the-know laugh from his audience.

Bands, Food, Carnival, Rides, Animals, Shopping, an Indoor Snow Park, Monster Trucks, Freestyle Motocross, and a Demolition Derby.

Everything you would expect at a County Fair.

The Carnival has the usual assortment of rides, games, and carnies.

There are air conditioned shopping areas with over 2,000 vendors, a 4H style animal area with petting zoo, cows, and some bulls with 4' horns.

When you get hungry you can get some over priced bottles of water ($6.50!) and some really good BBQ from one of the many stands. Family fun can be had by all, just watch your step near the animals.

And for the adults there is a Gold Medial wine tasting bar and beer gardens.

The Fair is way out on the 10 in Pomona. In this heatwave it can get rather toasty so bring a hat and sunscreen.

The grounds are quite large but there are free trams one you are inside.

The LA County Fair runs until Sept. 30th and is open Wednesday through Sunday.

Tickets are $9 at AT&T stores or $15 at the gate. Parking is $10 for really far away or $15 for just far away.

The Fair's Website has concert and event lists

Way More Photographs of the Fair after the jump

Nationally, a new Bin Laden tape appears, a bomb scare at a U.S. Military base in Germany, William Saffire looks into how the meme 9/11 has taken hold in the language (A meme is “a unit of cultural information”) and NYC tries to move on. Here is a smattering of local September 11th news:

• There are four city events taking place today between 7 a.m. and the Dodgers Game tonight. More info at the Fire Department's blog.
  
• More events at Daily News.
  
• Valley Residents Opine
  
• LA Times lead story: "Post-9/11, 'safer today' but 'not safe'"
  
• A Washington D.C. resident in LA on business recalls his 9/11 experience in a Washington Post comment section: "Los Angeles radio stations reported endlessly on the effect the attacks were having on L.A. traffic and speculated that Disneyland would be the next target. Must get out of here, I vowed" (James Hood, 12:28 a.m.)
  
• A Lodi, CA man gets 24 years in a terrorism case.
  
• Slightly related: "We have more than 9,500 officers now, the most in city history and, yet, we have fewer cars on the street."

Photo by someonewalksinla via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

There is probably no room for car drive-in RSVPs (their blog says they only had 10 spaces left on Thursday) but the organizers at Angel City Drive-In encourage walk-ins and bike-ins for this downtown event next to the Alexandria Hotel. In fact, there is also a post-event 8-mile bike ride through downtown with a "biker gang" dressed in Pee Wee Herman gear. For the screening, bring chairs and/or blankets and alcohol if you need. Food will be sold on site, or prepare your own beforehand for an ad-hoc picnic.

Angel City Drive-In Presents Pee Wee's Big Adventure
529 S Spring in Downtown
Gates open at 7:30 p.m., Film begins at 9:00 p.m.
$25 for cars, $7 for walk/bike-ins

Every since we announced that Canon would be playing tonight at Union Station, I've started to really like their music after buying a few tracks on iTunes (they even were an iTunes Staff Pick). Since then, they have become staples on my iPod for working out and for at home background music.

Tonight, they play for free, well not really. It will at least cost you $1.25. Your Metro ticket is your admission into the Old Ticket Room at Union Station. The biggest question for me is if Canon will be arriving via Metro too. We don't want to hear any excuses about drums being too cumbersome to deal with on the train. That's what roadies train monkeys are for.

More details on Metro's website and on our earlier post.

Photo from their MySpace page.

Thank goodness the heat has beat a hasty retreat, because the Los Angeles County Fair begins today, with $1 admission until 5pm (it'll cost you $15 for an adult weekend ticket after that).

There is an absolutely ridiculous variety of things to see, rides to enjoy, and most importantly, fried foods to eat: in fact, the theme for this year's food vendors is literally "deep-fried-everything-on-a-stick". I kid you not.

The Los Angeles Chowhound board is already atwitter with hungry expectation, but if deep-fried artichokes and Snickers bars aren't your cup of tea (communist!), there will also be pie-eating contests, cooking demonstrations, and the usual smorgasbord of fair foods like hot dogs, turkey legs, and funnel cake.

Oh, you were interested in something other than food? Well, besides the usual fair displays of livestock, landscaping, and, uh, tapestries, there is also an ice-skating rink and snowy sledding area, an exhibit and activity center with an ecological theme, tons of shopping opportunities, and even a KaraokeFest. Now that's a party! There are also several reasonably entertaining musical acts scheduled to perform, including Heart, Ciara, Paulina Rubio, and Big & Rich. Any visit to the Fairplex wouldn't be complete without a little MONSTER TRUCK RALLY as well.

You can purchase tickets and check out the schedule online; they even offer a customizable calendar so you can plan your fair visit down to the minute. We'll see you there!!!

Photo of fair food by firemonkeyfish via Flickr.

The American Dream will be the art theme for the 2008 Burning Man, and will feature the Man standing on top of a high rise tower. With 2008 being an election year, this theme is designed to question the identity of our nation. Flag burning and flag worshipping will not be allowed.

Burners around the world are disappointed with the 2008 theme, as it will represent a political slant for the second year in a row. There was already plenty of backlash from this year's Green Man theme (which included the arson of The Man) Despite the controversy in this year's burn, organizers continue to press a political course for the festival, and it has left the burning man community angered and frustrated. Words like "misguided", "sick", "revolting", and "digusting" are being bandied about in the Burning Man message boards. Some participants fear that this theme may invite the "rednecks" and "hicks" and turn this special festival into an extravagant Fourth of July patriotic lovefest in the desert.

Themes in the past never involved politics. Themes such as Vault of Heaven, The Seven Ages, The Body, Psyche, The Future: Hope and Fear, and Beyond Belief encouraged participants to explore their imaginations and creativity. Although there were some participants that made their contributions political, the Burning Man organization was an omniscient entity.

Is this the end of Burning Man? Or a transformation of this arts festival into a political machine? Despite the negativity and my personal displeasure of the 2008 art theme, I will return to the desert next year. When it's all said and done, the art will still be inspiring, the people will still be beautiful, the art cars will still be amazing, and the music will still be mind-blowing.

Photo by me.

On August 28th at 2:58AM PDT, just as the moon disappeared from the shadow of the earth, David Paul Addis fired a flare at The Man resulting in a premature burning of the festival's icon. The San Francisco man faces a felony arson charge in connection with the fire. Addis claims that he is the sole surviving member of the satirical group, Black Rock Intelligence, or "the CIA of Burning Man". Addis plans to plead not guilty when he is scheduled to appear in Sept. 25th in Nevada's Pershing County Courthouse.

The Man burned for over 30 minutes before being put out by local firemen. The structure was burned and the green tarp covering The Green Pavilion also caught on fire.

Participants who witnessed the premature burning were split. There were those that cheered the burn, and chants of Free Paul Addis became a quick mantra within the community. And there were those that felt the act was a selfish act of terrorism and arson, and took away from the experience of a record 45,000 participants.

The Man was resurrected on Thursday afternoon complete with a phoenix symbol on his face. Security was high through the rest of the week, and the Green Man Pavilion was only open for a few moments on Friday.

The Second Man was burned as schedule on Saturday at 10:00PM.

Photo by me.