This is the sort of stuff that makes you appreciate Los Angeles: a full-on arts/music/film/food/everything festival curated by Mike D of the Beastie Boys, featuring works by people like Will Fowler, Benjamin Jones, Mike Mills, Takeshi Murata, Cory Arcangel and more. For 17 days, MOCA will host Transmission L.A.: AV Club, which "will illustrate how audio and visual art forms complement and influence each other." Kicking off the event is none other than Santigold, and Roy Choi of Kogi and Chego fame will be providing exclusive eats on the weekends.
In this day and age of blogs and Twitters, Tumblrs and Pinterest boards, there's still nothing more D.I.Y. than the classic 'zine. "A broad form, zines can contain anything and are not limited to text or graphics. In Los Angeles in the 1940s, zines contained the writings of science-fiction fans and recorded essential elements of the early days of the culture; in the 1970s and 80s, punk zines like Flipside and Slash reviewed records, shows, and told stories of the punk scene from Hollywood and the South Bay to East L.A."
The photographer known as Weegee (real name Arthur Felling) became famous for his stark and unflinchingly realistic pictures of crime scenes in New York. But in 1947, he moved to Los Angeles, and he didn't spare our fair city from his lens. Out came photos of Hollywood stars, strippers, costume shops and naked mannequins, in a style that could only be described as 'naked.'
There's nothing quite like seeing a Warhol in person. And though you've surely seen his iconic Soup Cans printed in books and magazines or on the Internet, seeing the intricate detailing of all the names and labels on the cans in person makes the art piece really something else. It brings a deeper appreciation to the little things, the simpler things. Beauty in what is, even if it's just your dinner for the night.
We wrote about this library-lovin' event back in December, and here's just a reminder that it's still going on and still being awesome. To wit: this installment -- its third -- will feature none other than California patron saint Huell Howser! Coincidentally, his next project is called "Downtown," which hey, just happens to be where this event takes place.
Although it had its share of organizational problems last year, FYF Fest is still, in my opinion, one of the best music festivals offered in Southern California. The FYF crew is always able to round up a great lineup, mixing big names with small, and keep the price for admission reasonable. And being set in downtown on Labor Day weekend? What a way to say farewell to summer.
While its crosstown rival may have hosted Local Natives last week, USC is ready to up its game and give you a double whammy of music this weekend. The downtown campus will be holding not one, but two different music festivals, sure to entice all your musical taste buds.
This very cool architectural art piece of Muhammad Ali is currently just outside the Staples Center at L.A. Live. It is an aluminum structure, with 1,300 custom boxing speed bags making up Ali's image, and miles of stainless steel cables. After two years and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent, it's finished--and on display to the public first in Los Angeles, then onto New York, Miami, Asia, and Europe.
Rainn Wilson is best known as Dwight from "The Office," but you shouldn't dismiss Wilson as the heartless dork he plays on TV. It turns out that Wilson's actually written a book, and this ain't no Al Roker mystery novel.
We Angelenos are surely spoiled by the fantastic cocktail options we have all over town. But sometimes, you can't always -- or don't want -- to go out and get that fancy drink. So why not learn how to make one yourself -- and be taught by one of L.A.'s own master mixologists?
Silverlake's Malo has a new sister restaurant that just opened up in downtown, called Mas Malo, that's creating a ton of buzz right now. But if you can't get a reservation, and are still craving those delicious tacos, enjoy some at home!
A drink-along and a round of beer pong isn't usually the first thing that comes to mind when trying to honor someone after their death, but for the always-hilarious actor Leslie Nielsen, it just makes sense.
First up is Artisanal LA, located at the Cooper Design Space and offering samples and delicious, delectable goodies from more than 30 local artisans. Think special treats like chocolates, fruits, pies, spices, meats, ice creams, breads, etc. Basically anything your inner foodie could desire.
Then there's Unique LA at the California Market Center. They've got all your crafty gift dreams in order, from T-shirts and scarves and apparel to jewelry, home decor, posters, and pet things. And this ain't your Grandma's crafts (no offense); the selection, like from Artisanal LA, comes from great and accomplished vendors. There'll even be an Amoeba pop-up shop!
Sure, everyone's always preaching about how we should save our public libraries, and obviously there's really no reason not to want to save your local library -- free books, entertainment, childhood memories, those poor librarians. But admittedly, it can be difficult to think of something that you could do that would actually help out the public spaces.
As we come upon this holiday season, it's definitely a great time to get together with friends for a good drink. But we also can't forget those who are in need, especially in this season.
