On any given day we have the chance to see major theatre, dance, and music performance in Los Angeles. Many organizations bring performing arts to our local kids. The city is full of generous volunteers who make mentoring a priority. One of these non-profits, the Virginia Avenue Project (VAP) celebrates its fifteenth year of changing the lives of the kids they serve by inspiring them to work hard, have fun creating theatre, and plan for college.

VAP students write plays, take acting classes, rehearse for shows, and receive academic mentoring. Every year theatre professionals, many who have major film and television careers, find themselves having a blast spending time with these kids. I know because I have been directing plays, teaching acting class, and mentoring with them for the last fourteen years. The productions require hard work and a bit of magic to create some of the most original plays in town. Though most of the students who participate are designated as 'at risk' youth, the positive and happy spirit of the place affects everyone who participates. The kids have the opportunity to work one on one with professional writers , actors and directors and in the process form life long friendships. One of my students went on to UC Berkeley to study business, another is studying dramatic writing at NYU. All of them inspire the adult mentors that spend time with them.

The program was brought to LA by Leigh Curran. She continues to be the Artistic Director to this day.

LAist: Running a non-profit organization can be grueling work. The Virginia
Avenue Project is in it's fifteenth year with you at the helm. Does
it seem like 150 years or fifteen minutes?

When I look at our first wave of kids who are in college, starting careers, getting married, having babies – it seems like 15 minutes. When I look at another mailing or the paperwork on my desk it seems like 150 years.

Rehearsing at Angel's Gate

Yesterday I was lucky enough to hang out with a real super hero - even if he just plays one on TV.

Greg Grunberg, who plays Officer Matt Parkman on "Heroes", gave me a personal backstage tour, allowed me to view the taping of a scene with the adorable Adair Tishler, and treated me with access to the inner workings of the magical world of NBC's hottest show. We even spent some time with Zachary Quinto, who is not nearly as a scary as his character Sylar.

Greg told me about the new season of "Heroes", playing music with Band From TV, and the little known YouTube movies that the actors make back stage. After last night's dramatic Season Premiere everyone will be searching each episode for the helix which if you'll find in my photos from the set after the jump.

LAist: "Heroes" premiered exactly one year ago this week. Does it seem like one year or one one minute?

Greg Grunberg: It feels like a minute. It really does feel like a minute. It's been a whirlwind year.

You arrived on the "Heroes" set this morning at 5:45am. How long is a typical shoot day?

It depends on how much stuff I have, but they usually cram all of my stuff in one day. If you check the call sheet, #5 is all over the call sheet. So it's a big day for me. I have three or four scenes today. Twelve to thirteen hours. That's usually what it is, about a thirteen hour day.

With all that togetherness, who is the biggest prankster in the cast?

Definitely me. I literally prepare way too much at home, so I can mess around with the lines when I get here. I love to just totally fuck around and have a great time and when they yell action, you bring it. This is the only way I work. I can't work any other way.

How do the other actors react to your on set antics? Do they join in?

If people want to see what we do between takes and between scenes. They can go to YouTube. Adrian Pasdar takes his little camera and we have been shooting these mini movies that are hilarious. 15 second, 30 second, a minute and a half little things. If you do a search for 'buckshotwon' on YouTube you'll see all of them. Hayden, Sendhil, me... We've done all these little movies. That's what we do. It's fun.

Dan "Shoe" Hsu knows video games. As the Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly, one of the most popular magazines in the world of gaming, it's part of his job. Shoe, 35, first dove into video game coverage in 1996. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in Statistics, he sent query letters to 30 different organizations in the rapidly-growing industry. "I was looking for a job, any job in the game industry," Shoe recalls. EGM editor Joe Funk, impressed with Shoe's query letter, called him up and offered him a job as a games reviewer. Shoe took over the EIC job six years ago, and has steered the publication through some of the most exciting developments in gaming history, including the launch of the Playstation 2, the Xbox and the Wii.

This has been a busy week for Shoe. As we said yesterday, the biggest game of the year hit retail shelves at midnight. By now, fans and newcomers alike have had their first taste of Halo 3, so we thought it appropriate to interview one of the folks who has had the most time with the game up to this point. Shoe has been playing Halo 3 since Friday, and in one of the first official reviews, he scored the game a perfect 10.

LAist sat down for a few hours of Halo 3 action this past weekend (all of the press got our copies early) with Shoe and some of the other EGM crew, and after some running and gunning in both co-op campaign, deathmatch and Forge, the gaming magazine's chieftan sat down to discuss what makes Halo 3 the event game of the year, and how noobs can can get in on the first-person shooter magic.

So, how many hours a week do you actually play video games?
(laughs) It can be almost my entire week. Since getting Halo 3 on Friday afternoon, I've put in about 25 hours on it (by Monday afternoon). But it varies week to week. During a work week, I usually put in two to three hours of play a night.

Peter Facinelli is known for a lot of things: his various roles (Touch the Top of the World, Six Feet Under, Babel, the Scorpion King, etc.); looking somewhat like Tom Cruise; being married to Jennie Garth (the lucky fellow) - but what we didn't know was that he worked hard to lose a hardcore Queens accent and that he actively courts paranoia. LAist had the chance to talk to Facinelli last week to ask him about his work on Damages [Tuesdays, 10pm, FX] and learned a lot more than that:

LAist: Great to talk to you Peter. So you’re from Queens, New York. Are you able to call forth that accent if you need to for certain parts because you sound very accent neutral right now?

P. Facinelli: I try not to because I’m afraid it would get stuck. I had a really thick accent, a My Cousin Vinny kind of accent and I went to NYU. It was fantastic because they taught you speech and they taught you movement and all the tools that an actor needs. And my speech teacher I hated because she was so hard on me, but she beat my accent out of me. I could play it if I needed to, but I try not to go there because when I go back to New York, it starts to come out of me.

LAist: You could end up doing it too well, have it end up being a calling card.

P. Facinelli: Yes, I would have to call my speech teacher to come whip me again.

Former protégé of super producers The Neptunes, Vanessa Marquez has sang alongside big names like Justin Timberlake, Usher and Nelly. Marquez, best known as the female voice on Timberlake's hit single "Rock Your Body" is on her own and looking to make a name for herself. The Rialto native, who takes the stage tonight at the National Orange Show Fairground in San Bernardino opening for Omarion and Marques Houston, took some time out from a studio session to speak with LAist.

Tell us how you got started in music and how you got to where you are right now.
I started recording when I was 13, I was just doing demos because I was too young to know what kind of sound I wanted. I did a lot of demos. Years later, I went out to New York and met an A&R guy who really liked one of my demos. It just so happened that he knew Pharrell Williams. He played Pharrell the demo and he loved it. The thing that really got me though was, Pharrell listened to my demo while working with Justin Timberlake who is one of my favorite artists ever. In high school I always told people, one day I am going to sing a song with him and it happened. After hearing my demo, Justin told Pharrell he wanted to have me on one of his songs. Not long after that I got signed to Arista as a joint venture with Star Trak which is Pharrell and Chad Hugo, the Neptunes' label. Then I underwent my album, I did backup vocals with Bow Wow, Nelly, Usher and of course Justin - I sang on "Rock Your Body" and "I'm Lovin' It" (the McDonald's campaign). I was with Star Trak for about four years. In my last year, Pharrell had this big idea to start a Latin girl group singing R&B and crossing over in Spanish language. I thought it was a great idea but it just didn't work out. When my contract was up, I had the option of staying on with Star Trak but I chose to leave. And now I am here. I get to do whatever I want. I've got some songs lining up here and I'm doing me. I'm writing everything, producing myself as well.

Along that path, what is one of the things you took away from it as far as the music industry goes?
It empowered me to do me. To be stronger as an individual and as an artist. You have to fight for what you want to do. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a singer and here I am still singing. Knowing what you want to do and go with it, in the past I used to have producers bring stuff to me, saying here sing this. Now I am like "I like this, let me write something to that, and let me sing this." I now have the freedom to do what it is that makes me, me - Vanessa Marquez.

Although some say it doesn’t have nearly as much charm as the original cult sensation, Iron Chef America, is one of the top rated Food Network series since its first airing in 2005. Besides for some of the most inventive dishes one’s ever heard of – fish ice cream anyone? - the mysterious chairman gets to unveil the secret ingredient as well as the winner in that serious/self mocking tone. That chairman's name is Mark Dacascos, and we at LAist interviewed him about what being the IC Chairman is all about, his favorite battle, and the most delicious dishes he’s ever tried in kitchen stadium. Besides for being the Chairman, Mark is an accomplished actor, a Kung Fu champion, a husband, father, and a writer.

What is the energy in Kitchen Stadium like?

The energy in Kitchen Stadium during a battle is amazing. My parents are both Kung-Fu teachers and I fought in Martial Arts tournaments from the age of 7-18. The feeling that's in the air before and during a battle is palpable, and brings me right back to my earlier years when I was the one entering the ring. I get butterflies in my stomach each time I about to yell, "Allez Cuisine." Standing between the two chefs, I can feel their electricity. I get nervous just thinking about it.

What has been your favorite battle so far?

BATTLE CRANBERRIES with Iron Chef Flay and Giada DeLaurentiis vs. Iron Chef Batali and Rachael Ray does stand out as one of the most interesting battles. Rachael and Giada had never competed on our show before, and as all other challengers, were not familiar with our kitchens. They were excited and nervous, and that energy, coupled with the personalities of Chefs Batali and Flay, made for a very fun hour.

Is the food really as amazing, or as horrifying, as it sometimes looks?
The food? I would say that 95% of the food the chefs come up with is simply amazing. I am not, however, a fan of any type of seafood in desserts. If you've watched our show, you may remember certain chefs making ice creams with fish, or parfaits with uni (sea-urchin).
Not things that I would order, but interesting, no doubt. I did enjoy eating turkey ice cream, though.

Florencia Pita is one busy lady. A current faculty member at the Sci-arc (Southern Institute of Architecture), she is also a gifted designer and architect in her own right.

Her Alice exhibit at LAXART (which just ended on August 30th) was a creative 7x20 foot installation inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Working with cast urethane, & covered in orange vinyl the exhibit explored bringing life to the found images in the early editions of Carroll’s famous fantasy world. The Victorian-esque ornamental pattern (complete with spades—reminiscent of the Disney version), was created by experiments with digital technology, and utilized a bright vivid color and floral curvature to capture the whimsy & curio of wonderland. The happy color and beautiful lines of the piece make you want to reach out & touch, and re-read the classic book, that has touched so many artists over the years.

Born in Argentina, Pita moved to Los Angeles in 2001, after completing her masters’ degree in NY. She has been a licensed architect since 1998, has won many awards in design and had her work shown all over the world. In 2002, she participated as a member of United Architects in the World Trade Center Site Design Competition. Most recently she designed an exhibit about the French contribution to Los Angeles, now on view at the historical Pico House.

After seeing (and touching!) the Alice exhibit for myself, I had a chance to interview Ms. Pita in-between her many travels, and ask her a few questions about her exhibit and life in L.A.

The Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel was the place to go for live entertainment in Los Angeles. Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis Jr., and Merv Griffin were among the many legends to perform there. This weekend Pink Martini will recreate the nightclub's magic at The Hollywood Bowl. Merv Griffin was to have performed at these concerts. Now the evening will include a tribute to him. The one and only Carol Channing will sing one of Merv's favorite songs in memory of her good friend. I spoke with Carol about the Hollywood Bowl, comedy routines, and "Hello Dolly".

What do you have planned for your Hollywood Bowl show?

I am doing two numbers. I was to do it with Merv Griffin. I was on his program about seven times. He always wanted to sing "Bye Bye Baby". That song was written by Jule Styne. They were the greatest oracles of their time of musicals for movies and television and the legitimate stage. It was Leo Robin, Jule Styne did the music. I am going to sing that in honor of Merv. The next thing I am going to do is "There's No Business like Show Business" with China. She has no last name. She is the vocalist for Pink Martini. They are just fabulous. Unbelievable. Their conductor, he choreographs his conducting. When he's at the piano, he sits half way up in a ballet plie. He just, wow, he gets that orchestra to play like no other conductor. We did a New Year's Eve show together. And China sings in all different languages. I must say I am proud to work with Pink Martini again.

Ever wonder how your local news anchor could read the horrifying details of the latest terrorist attack, natural disaster or political scandal without breaking down and screaming their head off? Playwright, Kyle T. Wilson did, and penned a very funny play in the process, “Walking Into Traffic.” Directed by Chris Covics who was recently named one of the top ten artists to watch in Los Angeles by L.A. Stage Magazine, “Walking into Traffic” is a humorous look at the media and the effect it has on our culture.

Kyle took some time to speak with LAist about this fast paced comedy that can be seen at the Unknown Theater and stars Unknown Theater ensemble members Ed Dyer, Todd Gallahan, Sasha Harris, Kyle Ingleman, Shelby Janes, Craig Johnson, Joe Nicchi, and Goreti da Silva.

What was the inspiration for "Walking Into Traffic"?
I guess the most specific inspiration would be last year's news cycle. The Israeli, Hezbollah, bombing campaign really impacted me for some reason. I listen to the radio everyday, that's where I get the bulk of my news. While listening I just had this idea of this woman breaking down while reading the news. It really is amazing me to how stoic and monotone newsreaders can be while reading such horrific news. From there I had to come up with who would be on the other end listening to this, and I came up with the Bart (played by Dyer) character

Do you feel that Los Angeles is the perfect setting for this story?
Yes actually. I think Los Angeles is particularly interesting. You have traffic, the weather, bad cell phone reception. These are all things that are central to LA that frustrate these characters. These things plus living in LA in general allows ourselves to be held back from communicating and relating with other people. I think all cities have those predicaments, but I live in LA so I experience this first hand everyday. In particular, we have a bit about losing cell phone reception. Chris the director and I were having a phone conversation about the direction of the play and we were both consistently losing cell phone reception. Chris jokingly said, “This would make for a good bit for the play,” I say jokingly because that exact bit was already written into the play. One of the things that drives this play is the intersection of political and personal, and the ways people try to connect, and that’s what drives LA.