The Brief

Talk to enough young adults today, and you’ll hear a common issue: making new friends is hard, and finding a fun, affordable place to hang out is even harder.

That’s part of what inspired partners Joannalyn Villanueva and Chuck Solis — both Roosevelt High School alumni who grew up in Boyle Heights — to open BYO Games, a retro gaming lounge in East Los Angeles.

“This is the kind of place my partner and I always dreamed of growing up,” said Villanueva. “A place where friends and families of all ages can come together, chill and play our favorite games. Having that today is really special in a neighborhood where we often lack resources, unfortunately.”

Inside the gaming lounge

Since opening in 2022, BYO Games has become a go-to hub for walk-in gaming to tournaments for card games and popular player-versus-player (PvP) games. On any given day, players from across the Eastside and beyond cram inside the cozy lounge to go head-to-head in “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” — the crowd-favorite crossover fighting game on the Nintendo Switch.

“Everyone here, we’re all good friends, some might even say it’s like a family,” said 31-year-old Luis Hernandez, an avid “Yu-Gi-Oh!” player and regular at the gaming lounge. “There’s a place for casual gamers, a place for the competitive scene and really good people here who will teach you the basics of whatever game you’re trying to get into.”

Players get ready to start a “Magic: The Gathering” match at BYO Games.

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A Yu-Gi-Yo! match between two regulars at BYO Games.

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A focused gamer warms up during a gaming tournament at BYO Games.

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Two competitors go head to head in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a popular fighting game.

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Hernandez, who lives nearby, considers BYO Games one of the few accessible “third places” in the area where everyone is welcome. The cherry on top, he says: “It’s close by, so you can walk or take a bus here, spend very little money and hours having fun.”

For Ricardo Birrueta, a 39-year-old Boyle Heights resident, BYO Games offers “a good distraction and escape” from the real-world problems that many deal with.

“Having an outlet like this keeps a lot of people off the streets, and it keeps you feeling like you’re not alone,” said Birrueta, who has built a strong community hosting games and tournaments for “Magic: The Gathering.”

For many young adults on the Eastside, that sense of belonging is everything— especially at a time when safe, affordable hangout spots are rare, and social media has only deepened feelings of isolation. BYO Games, for them, is more than a place to play— it’s where connection, competition and community come together.

But building that meaningful community doesn’t come without challenges.

Fighting to keep the Eastside gaming community thriving

According to Solis and Villanueva, the business has faced significant financial struggles from the start, and has been on the verge of closing.

The couple originally planned to open BYO Games in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed their goals. Because the building they leased had been left vacant for years, getting the space up and running proved to be more work than expected.

Villanueva recalls having to cancel a tournament when the power went out during the thick of a heated match. In another setback, the lounge closed for three weeks after a part of the ceiling caved in during a 2023 rainstorm.

“Dealing with so many issues so early on into our dream was rough because beyond the financial hit it’s had, every time we close a lot of people who need this space lose their community,” said Villanueva.

A mural of the character Samus from the Metroid series at BYO Games was handcrafted by co-owner Chuck Solis.

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Pokemon cards add a gamer’s flair to many tables at BYO Games.

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Artwork by BYO Games co-owner Chuck Solis depict popular video game characters.

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Villanueva, 31, and Solis, 41, both avid gamers, poured their hearts into every corner of the business. On the walls are murals painted by Solis that depict video game characters like Ryu from “Street Fighter” and Samus from “Metroid.” Rows of computers offer retro classics, while console games light up a projector wall where gamers go head-to-head playing popular titles.

“I can say without a doubt that there’s a general loneliness across all ages now more than ever, especially with adults and children in the inner city,” Villanueva said. “We’re going to do anything we can to keep the doors open.”

In recent months, the couple has looked to creative ways to keep the business afloat — from hosting fundraisers and events, to rolling out promotions and advertisement campaigns. They’ve also launched a fundraising campaign to keep their dream alive.

East L.A. locals give back despite struggles

But even in the face of challenges, Villanueva and Solis remain committed to giving back to their community.

Joannalyn Villanueva and Chuck Solis, owners of BYO Games.

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Currently, BYO Games helps sponsor an esports team at Collegiate Charter High School of Los Angeles, an effort they want to extend to more schools in the area. Sponsored student clubs are invited to use the space at no cost and are treated to snacks and refreshments while competing at the gaming lounge.

Johnny Cano, an 18-year-old student and an avid member of the esports team says participating helped him build a strong bond with fellow students, practice his gaming skills and explore opportunities in the gaming community.

“When you first walk into BYO Games, it’s such a crazy thing realizing we have a nice space like that here,” said Cano, who has served as a commentator for the team’s livestreams. “There’s all kinds of games you can play on a professional level, and I think some of our members might explore that. For me, I might look at doing commentary when I go off to college.”

The lounge also offers many free services for local youth, from elementary through high school. In the future, Villanueva hopes to provide gaming classes and create guides to popular games, complete with guidance from coaches.

If they can keep the gaming community alive in the neighborhood she calls home, Villanueva says, all the struggles will have been worth it.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced several significant rule changes for the 99th Oscars, including AI protections for actors and writers as well as expanded eligibility for international films.

In a statement to NPR, the Academy on Saturday said the changes are in response to listening to the global filmmaking community and addressing barriers to entry in its eligibility process.

The Academy added that its rules and eligibility standards have always evolved alongside technologies such as sound, color, and CGI, and that AI is no different. Awards rules and guidelines are reviewed and refined each year.

A blow for Tilly Norwood 

Among the most noteworthy changes, the Academy now explicitly states that only roles, "demonstrably performed by humans with their consent" are eligible for Acting awards. In other words, AI creations like the much-hyped Tilly Norwood cannot hope to win a Best Actress Oscar anytime soon.

Particle6, the production company behind Norwood, did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment on Saturday about its creations' ban from consideration. In March, Norwood commented, "Can't wait to go to the Oscars!" in an Instagram post announcing its newly released music video.

The Academy also requires screenplays to be "human-authored" and said it reserved the right to investigate the use of generative AI in any submission.

Meanwhile, qualifying flesh-and-blood human actors can now be nominated for multiple performances in the same category if those performances get enough votes to land in the top five. So, someone like Anne Hathaway, who has five major movies scheduled for release in 2026, could now theoretically sweep the nominations – though that outcome seems extremely unlikely.

"If an actor has an extremely prolific year, might we even see someone swallow up three of the five nominations?," wrote Deadline's awards columnist and chief film critic Pete Hammond about the changes. "Probably won't happen, but it's now possible."

Under previous rules, an actor could only receive one nomination per category. If they had two high-ranking performances in Best Actor, for example, only the one with the most votes would move forward.

International films prioritizes filmmakers over countries

While international films can still be the official selection of their countries, now they can qualify by winning the top prize at a major international festival such as the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion at Venice, or the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

Historically, countries "owned" the nomination, and only one film per country was allowed. The new rules allow multiple films from the same country to compete if they are critically acclaimed, and it shifts the honor from a geopolitical entity to the filmmakers themselves.

Largely positive response

The changes have prompted a largely positive reaction from the film community on social media, such as on the popular The Shade Room entertainment and celebrity-focused Instagram feed, where commenters widely praised the "human-only" move to protect creative jobs.

The Academy's Awards Committee oversees the rules in tandem with branch executive committees, the International Feature Film Executive Committee and the Scientific and Technical Awards Executive Committee.

The rules are scheduled to go into effect next year, covering films released in 2026.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Los Angeles changes fast, and oftentimes that means some of the architectural relics of our shared past get swept up and paved over in all the "progress." (RIP Garden of Allah.)

But there are still places where you can find ruins that tell a tale, like a long-forgotten speakeasy reputedly for old Hollywood near La Crescenta.

The ruins are still there 

On a recent afternoon, author and local historian Mike Lawler led me just beyond the boundary of Crescenta Valley Park. Joggers like me might have seen an old, towering stone arch shrouded by bushes there — and wondered what lies beyond.

Turns out there was once a place called the Verdugo Lodge back there and Lawler has spent years excavating its history.

A car speeds away from the lodge onto New York Avenue. The stone archway that still stands can be seen in the background.

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“It was a very high-end speakeasy for a time,” Lawler, who also helps run the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley, said. “An amazing thing. And all the ruins are still here, just like this arch.”

Lawler said we don’t know exactly when the lodge was built, but we do have some of the picture starting in the late 1920s. The place was set up kind of like a timeshare where people bought 10 x 10 foot ‘tent lots’ that gave them access to on-site amenities. There was a golf course, stables, trout stream, a swimming pool — and a lodge with gambling and alcohol.

“The Crescenta Valley in the teens and '20s was a hotbed of moonshine, prostitution, all that stuff," Lawler said. "It was a quiet little community. But in all these canyons up here, stuff was going on. Illegal stuff!”

We don’t have a full guest list, but Lawler said it’s likely at least a few Hollywood types had gone up to the lodge to circumvent Prohibition era laws.

In some ways, it was kind of like the original glamping. Lawler said patrons probably weren’t doing much sleeping, though.

“They might have been unconscious!” he said with a chuckle.

Lawler led me to a road that swooped around a meadow. We passed by a massive swimming pool nestled into the hillside.

Once known as the “Crystal Pool,” it’s now empty and fenced off, with pitch black locker rooms below.

The exterior of the locker rooms for the old Crystal Pool.

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We continued our journey up the hill and eventually arrived at a cascading stone stairway.

And at the top, the big show: overgrown with orange monkey flowers and goliath agaves lies the foundation of the old Verdugo Lodge, with lofty stone fireplaces the only guardians keeping the surrounding oak trees at bay.

Lawler takes out a floorplan that one of the former owners drew up for him.

“This is what it was laid out like on the inside. So a dancehall, and band stand on that side... And then upstairs was the gambling,” Lawler said.

Lawler had in hand a copy of a Los Angeles Times article from 1933 he found. The headline reads: “Revelers Flee in Lodge Raid.”

“The police that raided it were here at 3 o'clock in the morning. And there were still 500 people here. And they said it was the classiest joint they had ever raided... Anyway, people were diving out of windows and everything,” Lawler explained.

In a ruin like this, covered with moss and overgrowth, the imagination can run wild, too.

The archway that still stands outside of what's now known as Mountain Oaks.

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Lawler pointed out a questionable door jam below the old dancefloor that’s been cemented over.

“That is a door. So what is behind there? So there’s a room in there that got walled in for some reason,” he said.

What we do know is that, sometime after the raid, the tawdry Verdugo Lodge and the surrounding land were purchased and then renamed Mountain Oaks by the Kadletzes — an entrepreneurial family who had run everything from a Turkish bath to a mini golf course. Over the next few decades, the family would rent the place out to local groups for recreational retreats.

The future of Mountain Oaks 

After they sold it in the ‘60s, Lawler said Mountain Oaks faced a “nightmare” of development threats. Over the years, some of the subdivided "tent lots" had been combined and sold off, Lawler said. A dozen private homes now stand on these pieces of land, next to the ruins of the Verdugo Lodge.

A map showing the Mountain Oaks public property acquired by The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA).

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Last year, with help from the City of Glendale, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant among other funding sources, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) put up $6.1 million to acquire 33-acres of the land — not including the private lots where the homes stand — so the public can continue to roam the meadow and ruins.

Paul Edelman, MRCA's director of natural resources and planning, said his group will continue to manage the land, doing things like brush clearance, trash pickup and sign maintenance. And he said there are no current plans to remove the ruins or make any major changes to the property.

“If somebody comes up with a grand idea where they can find some funding for us to do something to enhance it, we’re always open to it,” Edelman said.

The purchase was good news for local preservationist Joanna Linkchorst.

“I grew up directly up the hill. But I always saw the sign that said ‘private property’ and didn’t really think about it until several years ago when I finally asked Mike. And he said, ‘Oh yeah, we got a resort speakeasy down the street,’” Linkchorst said standing among the oaks and overgrowth.

Linkchorst, who founded the group Friends of Rockhaven to preserve another nearby historic site, said it’s been amazing to see all of the decaying structures that were still hiding out at Mountain Oaks.

“There’s almost like these little ghosts in your head as you imagine what it was like when there was a beautiful wood floor and there was a second floor that people came jumping out of,” Linkchorst said.

Now, let’s check in to the Overlook Hotel.

That’s the fictional place Stanley Kubrick brought to life in his 1980 film The Shining, loosely based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name.

A local architect who hails from South Pasadena meticulously crafted a 3D model of the iconic space so Shining fans everywhere never have to check out.

‘I just couldn’t stop’ 

At his day job, architect Anthony Chieh mainly works on residential and boutique commercial spaces. But over the course of five months, he spent his nights meticulously recreating a virtual replica of the Overlook Hotel from the film that first scared him when he was 12.

Of course he started with the deeply haunted Room 237. That’s where Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, has a terrifying encounter with a ghostly woman.

Chieh's 3D rendering of Room 237

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“But once I started, I just couldn’t stop,” Chieh told LAist.

“I ended up modeling the Colorado Lounge, and then after that I was thinking maybe I should make the lobby and then arriving to the Gold Room, and then Grady’s bathroom.”

“It’s like a rabbit hole,” he said.

Users who download Chieh’s free 3D model can fly through all of those spaces, immersed in atmospheric sounds and music from the film.

“It’s interesting to dive into these kind of fictional environments and try to make sense of it,” Chieh said. “And the hope is people will get a different perspective once they’re in there.”

Kubrick’s take on the Overlook was famously inspired by real hotels like the Timberline Lodge in Oregon and the Ahwahnee in Yosemite. But the interiors you see in the film were created on sound stages in England.

“Real architecture, physical buildings, are built for people to live. And for movies, these are more meant to express the emotional aspect of things. It’s a psychological construct,” Chieh said.

In a recently published video essay on YouTube, Chieh dives deep into those psychological constructs and how, as he puts it, “Kubrick designed the Overlook Hotel not as a backdrop, but as the film's true villain.”

How spaces scare 

Chieh said during the monthslong process he was reminded of the power of architecture and design in the real world too – whether it’s an uncomfortably repetitive carpet design or a claustrophobic hallway.

“A physical construct can affect your emotion,” Chieh said.

“You can use it in a way to make people feel comfortable and you can also use it in a way to create fear.”

Chieh's 3D rendering of the Torrance's apartment in 'The Shining'

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What’s next for this architect moonlighting as a 3D modeler?

Chieh says he’s thinking about giving the spaceship from “2001: A Space Odyssey" the virtual treatment next. Or maybe turning to a local non-fictional space, like the Stahl House.

That is, of course, if he can ever escape the Overlook.