Music Savant Brian Eno's art installation comes to Long Beach... John Rabe plays Mo Roca at the Aquarium, sustainably ... Will Riverside's Chris Arreola become the new World Heavyweight Champ?
Brian Eno's Ambient Art
Brian Eno is probably the most recognizable music producer of the last 25 years. Using his signature "ambient" sound - dense, yet unobtrusive, layers of instrumentation - Eno's shaped the sounds of David Bowie, Devo, U2, and Coldplay. Now, he's channeling his creativity into a visual medium: he's brought his kaleidoscopic video installation "77 Million Paintings" to CSULB's University Art Museum. Here are some selections from the news conference he held 9/25/2009. Come inside to find out how to get to the museum and see the exhibit!
Chefs Dish on Sustainable Fish
After serving as (minor) celebrity judge at the Aquarium of the Pacific's first sustainable fish cookoff, KPCC's John Rabe talks with some of the chefs about the ins and outs of putting sustainable fish on their menus. Come inside for a movie of the cookoff, links, and info on how you can pick the right fish to eat -- at home or when you eat out.
Hot links on the left, plus, get a free ticket to the Aquarium if eat at local restaurants in the Seafood for the Future program.
Floyd WHO? Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola Fights for the Title Saturday
9-27 UPDATE: In the words of LAT columnist Bill Dwyre, "The tree was just too tall for Chris Arreola to chop down." Arreola lost in ten rounds, saying, "He found a way to win; I found a way to lose." Link inside. BIGGER QUESTION: Why didn't the LA Times, dying for readership, put this on the front page to draw Mexican-American readers? Instead, a feature on Neutra and Wright houses on the market. -- Rabe
Riverside native Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola fights Vitali Klitschko for the heavyweight title against Saturday (9-26) at Staples Center. So let's rub it in that we had an interview with Arreola MONTHS ago ... by sportswriter David Davis. Arreola could become the first Mexican-American heavyweight boxing champion. (More inside...)
Here's how David Davis (left, with friend) pitched the Arreola interview to Off-Ramp (Note to freelancers: THIS is a pitch):
Born and raised in East L.A., and now living in nearby Riverside, Cristobal "The Nightmare" Arreola is a second-generation Mexican-American whose parents illegally snuck over the U.S. border.
He's grown up to become one of the most lethal boxers in the world. At 27-0, with whopping punching power (24 KOs), he's the #2 ranked heavyweight contender in the world (by the WBC and the IBF) and #3 (by the WBO).
His knockout rate and old-school demeanor have electrified boxing's most passionate and loyal fan-base. If he were to fight for the title – and if he were to become the first-ever heavyweight champ of Mexican descent -- Arreola would truly be the second coming of "The Brown Bomber." [NOTE: JOE LOUIS' NICKNAME WAS THE BROWN BOMBER.]
At 6-foot-4, with a 77-inch reach, Arreola has covered his thick body with colorful tattoos. He's a self-confessed member of "Raider Nation" and sports silver-and-black trunks in the ring. He's no pretty boy; in fact, he's the anti-Oscar De La Hoya. Think of him as the pugilistic offspring of Julio Cesar Chavez and Mike Tyson.
Whether Arreola can step up and stop the big boys of the heavyweight division -- the Klitschkos, Nikolay Valuev -- remains to be seen. According to his camp -- trainer (Henry Ramirez), promoter (Dan Goossen), and manager (Al Haymon) -- the only person who can stop Arreola is Arreola himself. In effect, does he have the balls-to-the-wall dedication necessary to fight at the championship level?
The jury is out, in part because Arreola himself seems conflicted. As a youngster, he flirted with joining a gang. He quit the sport briefly after winning the national Golden Gloves in 2001. Last year, while at a party, his best friend was shot and killed. That left Arreola devastated, and his management team had to postpone his next fight.
These days, his primary challenge is to control his appetite. For his last two fights –- a third-round KO over highly touted Travis Walker and a fourth-round KO over Jameel McCline -- he entered the ring at a hefty 254 pounds. Arreola says that he's learned his lesson.
He had better: With his convincing win over McCline on HBO last weekend, Arreola is in line for a title shot, perhaps before the end of the year.
The Mexican-American community -- and the world –- awaits.
RIP David Weidman, 93. Prolific printmaker, found new fame in Mad Men
UPDATE 8/8/2014: I'm very sad to note that David Weidman died Wednesday at the age of 93. Pat Saperstein has a nice appreciation of him in Variety.
KPCC's John Rabe talks with iconic printmaker David Weidman. Weidman is now in his late eighties, made thousands of prints and posters for homes and hotels in the 60s and 70s, plus backgrounds for several animation studios. He still lives in the house he built in Highland Park more than fifty years ago. He's not making prints anymore, but he -- and his wife Dorothy -- still had lots to say about his craft, which mixes the perspective and emotion of Cubism, with the storytelling and personality of Norman Rockwell, with the sense of humor of, well, David Weidman. COME INSIDE for a slideshow and book signing info ...
On Saturday, November 28th, from 5-7pm, David Weidman will be at The Vintage Collective in Long Beach selling art and signing copies of his beautiful, comprehensive book, "The Whimsical Works of David Weidman, and Some Serious Ones" plus Darrell Van Citters' "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol," for which Weidman did art.
Created with flickr slideshow.
Charges Dropped Against Hmong Hero, the Backstory
AP: A federal grand jury in California investigating an alleged plot to overthrow the government of Laos is dropping charges against a leading figure in the nation's Hmong community. U.S. Attorney Lawrence Brown says charges have been dropped against 79-year-old Vang Pao, a former Laotian general who assisted American troops during the Vietnam War and is considered a hero by Hmong refugees living in the U.S.
Last year, we ran a profile of Vang Pao produced by his great niece, then-KPCC reporter Doualy Xaykaothao.
Star Trek Helmer Nicholas Meyer Tells All, Makes Up Some
KPCC's John Rabe interviews Nicholas Meyer, the author and screenwriter, about his new book, "The View from the Bridge." In the first two segments here, Meyer talks about childhood, the attraction of Sherlock Holmes, casting and meeting Olivier, and making "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan," which revived the Star Trek franchise. (The last piece of audio is the whole, unedited interview.)
Tim Gunn Spin-Off: "Political Runway"
KPCC's Washington Correspondent Kitty Felde caught up with "Project Runway"'s style guru Tim Gunn, who's from the Washington, DC area. She talked with Gunn about the business of fashion in LA…and his opinion of Capitol Hill style.
Tim Gunn on the Runway from Off Ramp on Vimeo.
Announcer at Fashion Show: May I introduce you to the co-host and mentor of “Project Runway” – Tim Gunn! Let’s hear it! (applause and fade under:)
Kitty Felde: It was just a fashion show at a suburban Virginia mall. But “Project Runway” fans packed all three levels above the atrium just to see and hear their fashion idol in person. Tim Gunn endeared himself to the crowd by confessing that he, too, felt uncomfortable wearing certain fashions. A pocket handkerchief makes him feel silly. But he urged the crowd to get out and shop. Backstage, Gunn worried about the health of the fashion industry in New York and Los Angeles.
Gunn: Both industries are suffering. They’d have to be because we’re all affected by the same things: the consumer and the retailer. And I’m confident that as we pull out of this, both industries will flourish again.
Felde: In the meantime, “Project Runway” is doing its part to make fashion the subject of water cooler and twitter debates. The show’s sixth season was filmed in Los Angeles instead of New York. The current crop of designers work out of a sewing room at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising near Staples Center. Gunn says the move west inspired a different kind of style in the designers.
Gunn: I mean I loved the quality of light in Los Angeles. I mention that in terms of how the designers responded to it in what they were actually making. It reminded me of the paintings of Richard Diebenkorn and even David Hockney’s pool paintings.
Felde: LA often plays second fiddle to New York when it comes to fashion. Even the three top designers from this season show their collections at New York’s Fashion Week, not here in LA. Many LA designers have moved their shops to New York to get the recognition they crave. But Tim Gunn says it wasn’t always that way.
Gunn: One thing that struck me in particular and that has held me is the role Los Angeles has had and in the whole – and has continued to have – but in particular had in the first half of the 20th century – in American fashion. Before World War Two, it was the heart of American innovation and creativity in America because of the Hollywood film industry and in New York all we were doing was copying Europe. So there was nothing creative happening. So that’s quite a claim to fame. You may know that Gilbert Adrian who was the head costume designer at MGM Studios had his own ready to wear line because there was such a fervor for his work.
Felde: Gunn says there were other perks to shooting the show in LA during the winter months: the weather was “spectacular.”
Gunn: It was never too hot, it was never too cold. And I will say though I missed the East Coast weather. And there was one day when we had cloud cover and a few drops of rain and all over the news they were saying, “Storm! 2008!” I thought they need to have an East Coast storm experience here.
Felde: Gunn’s influence has spread to Capitol Hill where he was invited to testify before Congress about copyright protection for the work of fashion designers. The Capitol was abuzz for days after he was spotted walking through the Rotunda. Which led to a friendly disagreement about Washington’s sense of style. Or lack thereof. Tim Gunn said he was pleasantly surprised by the fashion choices made by lawmakers like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Felde: I find that people don’t dress particularly well here. There’s kind of an odd style –
Gunn: But I’m comparing it to what I saw 2 ½ years ago. What a difference!
Felde: In what way? I mean you were praising Nancy Pelosi, but –
Gunn: What about – tell me. Tell me something negative about Nancy. I love her.
Felde: You can always predict what she’s going to wear. It’s going to be red, white or blue and it’s going to be a blazer. Do women in power have any other options?
Gunn: Oh! That isn’t true!
Felde: Have you ever seen her in a dress? Have you ever seen her in -
Gunn: Yes, I have actually. Yeah. The Human Rights Campaign National Dinner. I have. Yeah.
Felde: Gunn conceded Washington power brokers do commit one fashion sin: bad fit. He says he often sees lawmakers wearing clothes that are just too big. Of course, Tim Gunn needs to answer for his own fashion faux pas. On a “Project Runway” field trip to the beach, he wore an impeccably tailored suit … and flip flops.