monday march

I took part of the day off from writing to participate in the May 1 March in downtown Los Angeles. Adam, good friend and event planner extraordinaire, wanted to join me, Jim, and my Reuters photographer loftmate, Lucas. Unfortunately, Lucas was kicked off the roof of the building next door to the penthouse, so he lost that great vantage point from which to shoot. But he still managed to rock hard, take a look at this picture.

As I'm sure you've all read, Monday's march wasn't as large as Gran Marcha. But 300,000 is nothing to sneeze at, especially the day after Fiesta Broadway. Since I'm so short, I could barely see above the crowd. And although being with two really tall guys means they're constantly blocking my view, sometimes, they do come in handy. Like when I need a picture taken from a higher vantage point.



I didn't take as many pictures as Jim, but I managed to get a few good ones. This one of Adam is one of my favorites. He's waving both an American and a Scottish flag as we walked down Broadway.



Even deer were protesting.





There were novel uses for the flag.



And some very interesting signs.


"Bush is the criminal"

"Arnold says, 'It is just unfair to have all those people coming across and have the border open the way it is...' Schwarzenegger, Son of a Nazi"





After it was all over downtown, I took these pictures of the crowd dispersing after the march from Jim's window.





Now I need to get back to work.

a quiet sunday

My brunch meeting on Sunday with the producers went really well. I think. Even though they had a ton of notes and it ran over an hour, they said they really liked what I had turned in. One producer, who I had never met prior, whipped off his sunglasses upon meeting me, peered very closely at my face and said, "Oh, you're so young. I was expecting someone older, more seasoned." He got that from reading my script? Then he looked again, and more closely. "You haven't had any work done," he said accusingly. I didn't know what else to say, so I said, "Stri-Vectin." He nodded knowingly, "Ah, yes." This is the pre-meeting banter? I'm just glad I didn't have to talk sports. The rest of the meeting went as anticipated, no big surprises, no criticism unfounded, all very constructive stuff.

Then the same producer started talking about a project he's producing and said that I was "the perfect person to write the screenplay" and would I be interested? I played it cool. "Absolutely", I said, "but let's concentrate on getting this project made first," indicating the script on the table. We agreed to set up a meeting no more than a week after I turn in the next draft. At the end of the meeting, I held my hand out to that producer and he said, "I'm going to hug you because we're going to be working together on my pet project." After he hugged me, he asked, "Do you like my cologne? It's new."

When I returned downtown, Fiesta Broadway was in full swing. Walking through Broadway on the way back to Jim's pad from the subway stop after that meeting was so surreal. Which one was my reality? Both? How did that happen again?

I don't remember the rest of the day, just that I took another day off from writing. Jim and I went to a benefit concert at Mr. T's bowl, featuring Emm't Swank and The Monolators. Jim's friend Marcus is the drummer for Swank and I was going to finally meet him and his wife, Sylvia. But I'm also friends with Mary, drummer for The Monolators, who I hadn't seen in forever. So we killed a few birds with one stone that night. As if that weren't enough, on our way in to Mr. T's, we ran into my dear friends Reena and Matt, also good friends of The Monolators and Emm't Swank. It was a bit like a reunion of old friends, rather than a meeting of new ones, which was nice. I even ran into an old client, someone who worked at KingWorld when I worked on the Hollywood Squares. Good times.

On days like Sunday, Los Angeles seems like such a small town.

weekend plans

Sorry for the scarcity of posts, I didn't mean to alarm anybody. This working for a living thing is really messing with my blogtime. I'm working on a screenplay for the past three weeks, it's due to the producer this week. I can't say much about the project or which studio, but I can blog about the effect it has had on the rest of my life. Other than immigration protests and marches downtown, I have no idea what else is going on in the outside world.

Last night was my first night out in a long time where I didn't have to check the time and think, "Okay, gotta get back home and back to work on that screenplay." Jim and I went to Cole's for dinner, but didn't stay for I See Hawks in L.A. - I had to be up early this morning and after two drinks I was done. This morning I went to San Diego with my mom to try on a wedding dress. That's a whole other post.

Tonight, Jim and I are going to a Lyric Opera Los Angeles performance of Manon Lescat at the Los Angeles Theatre. Brady Westwater of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council is nice enough to hook up downtown residents with some tickets, gratis, and if it's free it's me - so we're there. My brother and his date are joining us, and as usual I'm running late, so I better go. There's another show tomorrow, if you're a downtown resident and into it, hit up Brady/DLANC for tickets.

cole's in the l.a. times

Did anyone catch this article in today's LA Times about Cole's? (Registration required)

A NIGHT AT COLE'S
It's social security
Everybody knows your name at L.A.'s oldest restaurant and bar.
By Margaret Wappler, Times Staff Writer
April 13, 2006


IN the swampy back room of Cole's P.E. Buffet, L.A.'s oldest restaurant and bar, the downtown dive feels like a small-town church. Lights beam through stained glass while the audience sings "amen" with the ragtag country band I See Hawks in L.A., some with their eyes closed, some holding hands.

It's the kind of moment that defines Cole's, a welcoming beacon occupying a stretch of 6th Street, an area jaunty with downtown hucksters by day and spookily desolate by night.

On this particular cold and drizzly Friday night, everyone's wearing peacoats and sweaters. But despite the New England wear and weather, this is definitely L.A. When the Hawks' Rob Waller and Paul Lacques harmonize about an SUV flipped over on the 405, the crowd whoops in knowing, ironic tones.

The dimly lighted Cole's, ratty and elegant with its old-fashioned signs advertising buttermilk for 15 cents and tiled floor covered in wood shavings, has many identities. But most of all it's a downtown institution embraced for its cheap beer, easy conversation and family-like ambience. Forget the Standard and its ilk, with prickly doormen, VIP rooms and overpriced martinis du jour, or hipster hangouts such as Pete's or the Golden Gopher, which feel more like annexes of Silver Lake. Cole's, open since 1908 and famous for its French Dip sandwiches, is where a discerning drinker can find authenticity in all its junky splendor.

Scrappy, young and fiercely tightknit, the Cole's Friday night crowd is drawn to roots, blues, country and folk-rock with retro style but modern bite. Amy Farris, Kenny Edwards and Mike Stinson have played here, plus Carlos Guitarlos, tonight content to observe in a sozzled haze from the sidelines.

I See Hawks in L.A. have played nearly every Friday without amps and only one microphone since 2003, letting the starch acoustics and attentive room carry their golden-hued music.

"Cole's is full of ghosts and history," singer and guitarist Waller says, pointing to a booth where, according to legend, Mickey Cohen and Bugsy Siegel bet on cards.

"We've played in a lot of clubs and here it's so real. We get to choose who we play with, there's no sound man messing things up, no cover. We just pass a bucket around and we do all right. It's just turned into something magical."

Many of the Hawks' fans feel the same. Rye Baerg, a UCLA student who lives in West L.A., has been coming to see the band play at Cole's for a few years. "To me there's something very honest about their music. And something very L.A.," he says. "Whenever I listen to them outside the city, it makes me think of here."

Outside of the back room, the rest of Cole's is content to listen to night manager Ali Mazarei's iTunes with its head-scratching mix of Turkish dance music, Guns N' Roses and Coldplay. For the first time, someone has hooked up the TV to a live feed of the Hawks' performance in the back, but no one pays it any mind. Patrons buzzed on Chimay, the de facto house beer, crowd into red leather booths and chatter aimlessly about work, friends and lovers, while barflies ages 20 to 50 cling to the mahogany bar or each other.

Chuck Dedeu, the bartender from Spain who calls Cole's his home away from home, has a bandage wrapped around his elbow from the blood drive Cole's hosted earlier in the day in memory of Laura Esguerra Adams, a bartender who died last year.

Mazarei has reluctantly managed Cole's for nine years as a favor to his aunt and uncle, Gitti and Marty Benishti, who bought the bar 27 years ago. But he's also had the biggest hand in rebuilding Cole's. In the mid-'90s, Cole's didn't have the customer base to stay open past 8 p.m. Though Mazarei was smart enough not to change its comfort food-heavy menu with most items priced around $5, he brought in some bands, a first for the bar.

Steadily, as downtown gentrified and the Pacific Electric building that houses Cole's rented out lofts, the establishment's fan base grew. Now it stays open every night until 10 p.m. and often later, if there's a party or a show.

THOUGH Mazarei regularly greets orders with a grunt, there's no denying his affection for many of the regulars. He knows all about them: Allan eats the same meal everyday, a turkey plate with a side of broccoli. Celia writes about downtown on her blog. The USC guys play poker with Mazarei. Cole's has become his social life.

"It's a community help-out kind of bar," he says. "It goes past employees and customers. If I'm busy, people help me out and step behind the bar."

He also admits it has its drawbacks. "This place is worse than Cheers," he groans. "Everyone knows everyone's business. I went on a date on Sunday and some of the regulars tried to meet me at the place. I had to change my plans at the last minute to throw them off my path."

But while he's in Cole's, Mazarei belongs to the customers and they belong to him. Mona Shah, a 30-year-old regular who lives in one of the Pacific Electric lofts, finds comfort in the bar's cast of characters.

"We're all living here, this weird place," Shah says about downtown L.A. "Cole's has been here for ages and ages but none of us has. These cast members are like my family. I feel safe here."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margaret Wappler may be reached at weekend @latimes.com

While the article does strain for veracity in some sections, overall, it's a nice piece. But it is still open season on Ali.

i was punked

Ali tells me that I was punked. Cole's is still for sale. Yeah, like I'm going to believe anything he tells me from now on. For the record, he didn't really play an April Fool's joke on me, the sale didn't go through as planned. But as far as I'm concerned, it's open season on Ali. Anybody want to help plan payback? Should we hold the planning meeting at Phillipe's (mmmm, lamb french dip)? Let the practical jokes begin!

shopping for a new bed

One of my girlfriends emailed this picture with the subject line, "Are you and Jim looking for a bed?" A friend of hers was selling a bed and she thought Jim and I would be interested:

I am trying to sell a bed frame I recently purchased. I ordered it over the Internet - it was a bit of an impulse buy. Now that it's arrived, I realize that it doesn't go with any of my other oak furniture. I can't send it back because it was made to order. The bed frame is 100% hand carved and imported from India. The mattress is orthopedic, brand new, and hasn't been slept on. I thought I would give you first dibs, but if you know of anyone else who might be interested please forward this, as I'd like to sell it ASAP. I haven't named a price yet, but if you're interested let me know and we'll work something out. Anyway, have a look below and let me know.

I don't think it'll go with either mine or Jim's furniture, but this could be a new design direction for our future home. What do you think?

who wants to be a superhero?

This should be a hoot: Legendary comic book creator Stan Lee, SciFi Channel, and Nash Entertainment will produce a six-episode, one-hour weekly competition reality series that will challenge a lucky few to create their very own Superhero and reward the winner with the best reality competition prize yet: immortality.

Open casting calls for the reality series Who Wants to Be A Superhero are scheduled for Tuesday, April 4th (Zoinks! That's tomorrow!) at the Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood at 10AM. If you plan on auditioning, superhero costumes are mandatory. You must also be prepared to strut your superhero, um, stuff and present your, ahem, credo. The winner of the competition gets their Superhero immortalized in a new comic book created by Stan Lee , as well as star in an original SciFi Channel movie.

From their website:

...you don’t have to love comic books to be the Superhero we’re looking for. If you have a great imagination, love adventure, and have a hero hiding inside of you, we want you on this show. Students, teachers, firemen, soccer moms, you’re all invited to try out to see if you’ve got what it takes. From thousands of hopefuls, Stan Lee will choose 11 lucky finalists to move into a secret lair and compete for the opportunity to become a real-life Superhero!

Finalists will leave their former lives behind and live as their brainchild heroes 24/7, all under Stan Lee’s watchful eye. Each week, our aspiring heroes will be challenged with competitions designed to test their true Superhero abilities. Don’t worry, no one will be leaping over tall buildings in a single bound. Our Superheroes will be tested for courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, compassion, and resourcefulness, all traits that every Superhero must possess. In the end, only one aspiring Superhero will have the inner strength and nobility to open the gates to comic book immortality forever!

Oh yeah, must TiVo that. Just for one day I wish I could work on the Sunset Gower Studios lot again, just to see that parade. If you can't make it tomorrow, you can also send in an audition tape (more information on their website).

WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO? AUDITIONS

WITH STAN LEE

COSTUMES MANDATORY!

TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2006 - 10 AM

SUNSET GOWER STUDIOS
1438 N. GOWER ST
HOLLYWOOD, CA 90028

LINE FORMS OUTSIDE STAGE 3
NEAR CORNER OF
N GOWER ST & DE LONGPRE AVE

he asked me, and i said yes

UPDATE: It's true, we're engaged, it's not an April Fool's joke.

last days of cole's

Ali told me it's a done deal, Cole's has been sold. Previous buyers had backed out because of the landlord's "unfair" terms, which won't happen this time because his landlord bought Cole's. He said that we're probably looking at three months before Cole's as we know it is gone. Damn.

how the pros do it

Photo by Bob Bradford

This is my new loftmate Lucas. He's a photographer for Reuters and he was covering Gran Marcha this past Saturday, shooting the protest from our roof. My other loftmate Bob was also on the roof taking pictures, he snapped this one of Lucas in action.


Photo by Bob Bradford

Lucas just recently moved downtown and he really likes living here. This is his caption for the pictures above:

"This is Lucas Jackson (me) risking life and limb to shoot the 500,000 person immigration rally in downtown Los Angeles from my 'backyard' on March 25, 2006. It is INCREDIBLE to see and hear this many people in one place."

Lucas' little sister K is visiting this week from New Mexico and she is adorable. Tuesday night we had a boozy penthouse loftmates and friends dinner at the penthouse (thanks for cooking Tim!). After dinner we made a beeramid, then we went "exploring" in the Alexandria Hotel. Yeah, security wasn't exactly on their j-o-b that night. We returned to the penthouse and rearranged the living room furniture. It still looked good the next morning, so I guess we weren't all that drunk after all. Yesterday morning was so beautiful after Tuesday night's rain, so Lucas, K, Skip (of Spiderman Midget fame), Jim and I went shopping in the Toy District. I found 100 great toys for the blood drive goodie bags and an "Open" neon sign for the bar in the penthouse. It's shaping up to be a full week, and it's only Wednesday. Welcome to downtown Los Angeles, Lucas!

club 86 and additions to the goodie bag

Have you signed up for this Friday's Blood Drive yet? We haven't signed up as many donors as we had hoped for, which worries me. So to entice you to call or email to sign up you and your friends, I'm going to give you a little peek into the world of goodness you gain entry into by signing up.

One thing we didn't count on last time was that people were denied because of health reasons, such as anemia, or for stupid ones like, they've engaged in gay sex. To counter that we now have Club 86, for those who make the effort to donate blood, but through no fault of theirs, were not able to donate. All members of Club 86 are entered into a raffle for a $100 gift certificate to Patina at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Last time, there were maybe 25-30 people who weren't able to donate, so the chances are good for winning. Also, every hour there will be a raffle for $50 gas cards and other $50 gift certificates.

As if that wasn't enough incentive, we've had a new addition to the contents of the goodie bag that all the donors receive. Dr. Phil (through my dear friend Gabrielle) was nice enough to donate copies of his new book, Love Smart: Find the One You Want -- Fix the One You Got. So if you don't have a significant other, donate blood, read the book, have some lunch (lunch is provided for all donors), and try out what you've learned later that night at the after-party at Cole's.

We haven't yet finalized what's going in the goodie bags, so if you have something to promote and want to reach that elusive, hip, downtown crowd - here's your chance. Email me if you want to promote your business or services via the goodie bag, or if you just want to donate some goodies and help us out.

three dogs, one bone

What do you do when you get some down time? My friend Camille and her business partner Sandra (also a good friend) like to spend some quality time with their dogs. They sent me this video of their Maltese puppies, Gadget, Bella, and Champoy. They're sweet and adorable, but there are three of them and only one bone. The ramp-up is a little slow, but once the dogs go into action - it's a laugh riot. Check it out.

favorite quote of the day

"You stay away from my nipples!"
- jim -

1973 nikon f2 slr 35mm camera needs a good home

My friend Sandra's dad, in the process of moving, found an old camera that he had in storage for the last 30 years - a Nikon F2 SLR 35mm camera. And now he's putting it up for sale. He's got 41 pictures of it up here if you want to take a look. Here's an excerpt of what he had to say about the camera:

It's an original 35 mm, Nikon F2 Professional Camera, Serial #7345468--still in great condition with many of the original accessories:

*Black body (Back in the days, this style cost much, much more than the chrome version.)
*Authentic, black Nikon Leather Case with velvet interior
*Authentic camera neck strap attached
*Flash coupler for F2 shoe
*Nikon wide-angle 28 mm lens with case and strap
*Nikon Telefoto lens - variable 86 mm - 135 mm
*Plus 4 must-have filters

This camera is rare, and because of its condition, it's collector quality. Professionals, as well as those just learning the fundementals of photography, would appreciate an item like this. My grandkids keep telling me to put this up on eBay and let someone else enjoy the joys I got from this camera. So here it goes --- my first eBay sale from a garage full of my treasures from the olden days.

It reminds me of my dad's old Pentax, the one my sister's ex-boyfriend the crackhead stole. But that's another post for another day.

that's the biggest one i've seen yet

And I've seen a lot of them, too. Gran Marcha was, by far, the biggest protest I've seen since I moved downtown in 1991.

Jim and I were having breakfast on Saturday morning, getting ready to hit the Downtown Living Weekend Tour (too bad the tagline wasn't "Rain, Shine, or Protest"), when we saw large crowds of people in white shirts streaming down the street. I didn't have my camera with me, so Jim took a few shots from his pad, and few more when we were in the thick of it. It was a great day to hold a protest, all sorts of downtown events were disrupted, film shoots held up, pedestrian, vehicular, and metro traffic was a nightmare, and other downtown bloggers were all over it.

After hitting a couple loft tours, we headed back to the penthouse to take a few pictures from the roof. My new loftmate Lucas is a Reuters photographer, so he was on the roof as well, taking shots for work.

Jim and I joined the protest at 5th & Broadway. It was great being in the middle of that crowd. It was multi-generational as well as multi-cultural, and one of the most polite protest marches I've ever participated in. Somewhere on Broadway between 5th and 4th, a sound system blared the opening notes to "Imagine" and the crowd started to sing along, some in English, others in Spanish. It sounded great together and to hear voices from all over the street singing loudly.

Further along Broadway, I saw this homeless man standing and watching from the periphery with his hand outstretched. One of the protesters handed him a cigarette and walked on. He stuck it in his mouth and a split second later, another protester walking past him lit his cigarette, then lit his own without breaking his stride.

We left the protest and decided to continue on the loft tour. Walking through Pershing Square, a dazed couple from Australia wandered aimlessly before the man approached me, asking if I knew what was going on as he and his wife had just come off the train to what, I'm sure, looked like chaos. We explained why they were protesting and they seemed to be really taken aback. I used to date an Australian guy, so I understood their surprise that anything was able to motivate Americans to put down the beer and chips, get off the sofa, and actually do something like walk, much less in protest of something.

20 minutes before the first "fuck you" was thrown out

UPDATE: I can't believe I forgot to mention the announcement that elicited the most enthusiastic response from the tenants of the Alexandria. Mr. Islas announced, "From now on there will be no more raves at The Alexandria Hotel." Sorry Dave.

My building, The Alexandria Hotel, has been sold to the Amerland Group, an "affordable" housing company, whatever that means. Flyers were in all the mailboxes, inviting us to a tenant meeting last night in the Palm Court Ballroom to discuss planned renovations.

My loftmates Bob, Lucas and I rode the elevator down to the lobby. As soon as the doors opened, it was clear this wouldn't be a sedate affair. Actually, my first clue was on the flier, I should've known when I read, "Food and drinks will be served," that the place would be a mob scene. The lobby was full of people making their way into the ballroom. There were maybe 150-200 people in the room, with maybe six to eight security guards milling around. Immediately upon entering, there was a table with forms for all the residents to sign:

To Whom It May Concern,

I am currently a tenant at The Alexandria Hotel and I attended the tenant meeting held by The Amerland Group on Tuesday, March 14th, 2006.

At this meeting, The Amerland Group described the renovations they plan to make at The Alexandria. A few of the many renovations described are:

* New kitchenettes in every unit
* New phone lines in every unit
* Reopening of the lobby diner

The Amerland Group also explained to us that no tenants will be relocated, and that tenants will continue to be protected under rent control.

As a tenant of The Alexandria, I am in support of the renovations that the Amerland Group plans to make, as described to us in this meeting.

Sincerely,

__________________________
Signature

________________
Date

__________________________
Print Name

________________
Unit Number

I wonder how many people actually signed and turned those things in.

There was a line of tables along one side of the wall, where they dished out free sandwiches, bags of chips, sodas and fruit - and it was easily the most densely packed portion of the room.


The room wasn't packed, but then again, it's a big room. The President of Amerland, Ruben Islas, did most of the talking, though they did introduce most of the Amerland Group in attendance. Some of the things that Mr. Islas promised before he opened it up to questions were:

* No one's rent is being raised
* No one is to be displaced or kicked out
* A/C and heaters in every unit
* Microwaves, refrigerators, sinks, and burners for cooking in each unit
* Phones in each unit
* Community room on the mezzanine
* Gym in the building
* Computers - free to use for tenants
* Free Wi-Fi in the entire building
* Providing programs and activities, especially for seniors

There was a lot of skeptical grumbling and audible gasps of disbelief and outright guffaws as he ticked off the list of promised renovations. Mr. Islas stopped to say, "We're not new to this, we did this all over California. The only thing we need from you to fix up your unit... we need you to move out of your unit so that they can fix it up."

That's when the incredibly wide-ranging and diverse group of misfits, er, tenants, got really loud. Mr. Islas introduced Jeremy Turner, the construction manager, and went on to explain that there are approximately 150 empty rooms in the building. Those would be fixed up first. Then when the time comes for a tenant's room to be renovated, the management company in charge of this would help move the tenant to one of the already renovated rooms for 2-3 days while their unit undergoes renovation. Then they'd be moved back, into their old, newly-renovated unit.

Mr. Islas said they would close the deal within 3-4 weeks and construction would start in 2-3 months with a schedule to come. They were also offering to reopen the restaurant in the lobby of the building. Additionally, if a tenant's rent is more than 30% of their income, then they get a meal program. I wonder how the proprietors of the two restaurants currently in the building feel about that.

Now remember, this crowd is very eccentric and vocal, and they were like that throughout the entire presentation. Then they opened it up for questions and you could've cued up XXXX because it was a 3-ring circus. Mr. Islas had to yell above the crowd, so I didn't hear a lot of the questions. I didn't see most of the regulars, but Preacher Man, that guy who sermonizes in that hypotic yet unintelligible drone on the corner of 5th and Spring, he stood a few feet away from me, muttering to himself after each round of questions and answers. After raising his hand for a long while, he got his chance. Preacher Man had the room's attention. He asked his question and even though I was maybe 4 feet away from him, it sounded just like he was on the street corner, sermonizing unintelligibly. As Mr. Islas listened to Preacher Man's drone, you could see he was valiantly reaching for comprehension and I could've sworn I saw his eyes cross. Laugh? I thought I'd die.

One of the Amerland guys looked very familiar to me, I'd seen him around before but couldn't remember where or how I knew him. I walked up to him and suggested that Mr. Islas repeat the tenants' questions before answering. Moments later when it was especially loud because five people were yelling at 10 other people to shut up so that seven other people could scream different questions in unison, he walked over to Mr. Islas and whispered that suggestion. Then I remembered why he looked so familiar to me.

Just then, a security guard walked to the front of the room, right next to Mr. Islas and whistled so loudly I had to check my ear to see if it was bleeding. That quieted the room down enough to resume taking more questions. So Mr. Islas pointed to one gentleman for his question and the guy yells, "Have you taken any public speaking courses?" Without waiting for an answer, he asked another question that I didn't hear. So I moved forward, straining to hear him continue with, "And what are you going to do for the Marines? We fought for this country..." Someone yelled something about staying on topic when the guy yells, "Fuck you!" and lets loose a barrage of obscenities. Well that was it. The room was completely out of control after that. That only took 20 minutes (I looked at my phone to note the time). Security moved in, people moved for the door, others rushed the Amerland guys with heated questions along the lines of, "What are you going to do about the carpeting in my room? It keeps coming up at the corner and won't stay down, now what are you going to do about that?" or my favorite, "Are the laundry rooms going to have machines that will constantly take my quarters? What are you going to do about us losing money on crap washing machines?" I'm surprised it took 20 minutes for it to degenerate.

This is Gabriel the security guard talking to the guy who asked about Amerland's plan to help the Marines and threw out the first "Fuck you".


Well, I guess we just have to wait and see. While we're waiting let's line up for more free food.


I talked with one of the individual investors who helped Amerland finance the deal. I asked him what his name was, he didn't want to give it to me. I wanted to Google his name, after all, he's got a large interest in the building I live in and will have some say in how the building is managed. He told me all sorts of things that he probably shouldn't have just to get me to stop asking him what his name was. He seemed extremely uncomfortable. I talked to Ruben Islas, asked him a few more questions. He squinted at me and asked, "Do I know you? Have we met before?" Which takes me back to why one of the Amerland guys looked so familiar to me. A few months ago (pre-Jim), I ran into the Amerland guys around 3pm on a Friday afternoon. They were getting coffee in a cafe on Spring Street and I was having a late lunch. He chatted me up, asked what I was getting and where else was good to eat in the neighborhood. He was flirting, kinda good at it, kinda cute and with a cute accent. Then a few weeks later, he and some other Amerland guys took a tour of the building and the penthouse, but under the guise of being location scouts. I don't think he recognized me in my big fluffy pink bathrobe and matching slippers (it was very early in the morning). But now I wonder if he remembers flirting with me and if he connects that with the cranky chick who walked out into my living room looking like a Pepto Bismol bottle.

viagra cowboy

After last night's tenant meeting, we went to Banquette for dinner and drinks. We were sitting there enjoying our sandwiches when Bob asked, "Did you see that guy in the cowboy hat with the Viagra jacket walk by?" I must have been really into my sandwich (get the Bird, it's sooo good) because how else could I have missed that? Then he walked back in to survey the baked goods at the counter and I snapped this:



Viagra jacket, cowboy hat? I had to find out what this was all about. So I chatted him up and that's how Kennedy Dotson, cowboy, poet, Arkansas booster, and self-avowed friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton came to sit at our table telling us his life story.


Kennedy had to get going, he is leaving on Sunday, going back to Arkansas. But he was happy to pose here in-between loftmate Bob and new loftmate (and very talented Reuters photographer) Lucas.


I love this neighborhood. More fun than a barrel full of monkeys.

remember laura, get free beer

On March 31, 2006, my good friends Ali and Adam are hosting another Blood Drive in memory of my sister, Laura Esguerra Adams, who passed away September 3, 2005. We are also announcing the formation of the Laura Esguerra Adams Foundation (LEAF), and I'll post more about that as the information becomes available.

The last blood drive broke all records for blood donation for Kaiser, and although through Ali's and Adam's tremendous efforts the minimum goal has already been reached, we'd like to sign up more donors.

Here are the details on the Blood Drive and the after-party:

It's that time again...Are you ready to party and have a great time? No, it's not another divorce party or birthday party. This one is special...I am even throwing in a 2- for-1 deal in during the happy hour.

TWO Lagers for FREE...Yes...FREE PINTS OF BEER.

Of course, there's one tiny catch. I need your blood again.

On Friday, March 31st, Adam and I will be hosting another Blood Drive in memory of our friend, and beloved Cole's regular, Laura (July 5, 1969 - September 3, 2005).

Once again, my friends from Kaiser will be drawing your blood at Adam's penthouse (home of the best unobscured views of the downtown LA skyline). The Blood Drive will be held from 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. I need 50 people to set this up, so email me or call me to set up an appointment ASAP -- appointments can be at the top of each hour to cut down your wait. The drive will start by appointment at 12 p.m. and continue until all the people signed up are done...

All donors will receive a thank you gift bag which includes a Super Lotto Ticket, a chance to win a fabulous prize, and 2-for-1 gift certificate for free pints of Spaten at the Cole's after party.

That night, I'm hosting a party for all our friends and donors at Cole's (you don't have to donate to come). One of the best local bands in town -- I See Hawks in LA -- will be playing in the back room. The free beer will be flowing, and we'll all compare Band-Aids.

Get Free Beer, Listen to the Hawks....you can't do better on a Friday.

Appointments and RSVP's

Email Ali or call 714.715.1685

Blood Drive Location
Adam's Penthouse
533 South Los Angeles Street
Between 5th Street & 6th Street
7th floor

Laura's Blog - Kevin's Dead Cat

After Party
Cole's
118 East 6th Street
Between Main Street & Los Angeles Street
213.622.4090


Kaiser Blood Donor Center
Marliz Triggs
323-783-7069 Direct
323-783-6667 Blood Donor Center

I hope to see Laura's friends, former co-workers and fans of her blog at the Blood Drive and After-Party. If you enjoy reading this blog, please donate a pint and if you can't - please convince someone you know to donate in your stead. You don't have to donate blood to enjoy the party at Cole's, but I hope you'll make the effort. Thank you.

buy my friend's benz

A friend of mine is selling her '97 Mercedes Benz 230 (88k mi). She has limited parking space and she's now driving a company car, so it has to go. Anybody looking for a good used car? I'll buy you several drinks at Cole's if you buy her car, just you and me since Jim's in Italy. More info below, posting is here, where you'll find plenty of interior and exterior pictures of the car.

1997 Mercedes-Benz C-230 (88k mi only!) - The Ideal Used Car - $9999

BODY: 4 door Sedan
EXTERIOR: Champagne body + tinted windows
INTERIOR: Leather, Beige, Wood-Grain Console (The Works!)
TRANSMISSION: Automatic (with Winter/Summer traction control)
ENGINE: 4-Cyl. 2.3 Liter
DRIVETRAIN: Rear-wheel drive
CONDITION: Excellent!

*Kelly Blue Book reports the value at $11,165
*WOMAN owned and cared for.
*Very LOW mileage: only 88,000 miles! That translates to an average of 9,800 miles per year only.
*NEVER been in an accident, not even a little fender bender.
*Clean title history. Check it out for yourself: WDBHA23E3VF492867
*New battery.
*Passed smog check & safety inspection with flying colors.
*Garaged.
*Detailed every 2 months -- even the engine is kept clean (with no fluid leaks and is free of any wear or visible defects.)
*Oil changed every 2500 miles (because owner is compulsive about keeping vehicle maintained).
*Gas level never reached under 1/4 of tank (for the same reason as above).
*Stock 6-CD changer (with cassette + AM/FM radio)
*Power everything (seats, doors, headrest, telescoping wheel, etc.)
*Sunroof and moonroof
*All original keys: 2 wireless + 1 valet (one of the wireless and the valet key are in excellent condition, because I never really used them)
*Runs and drives well!

This is my personal car and was hoping to keep it forever. But my company will be providing me with a corporate car, which leaves me no room to park this in my garage. If you're a Benz lover, I won't have to explain why this car is such a steal. If you've never had a Benz before, owning this car will turn you into a Benz lover. It drives so smooth and the turning radius is just incredible! You'll be amazed at how many narrow streets this car can make a smooth U-turn. It feels very safe and quite powerful, especially when entering the freeways of Southern California.

hot men in feathers

Last Thursday I joined a group of ballet fans from Out In Downtown LA and caught Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake at the Ahmanson Theatre. There was a mixer at Kendall's prior to the show, but I really like the outdoor bar on the plaza, so I got my tix and headed up there for a cold beverage.

A half hour before curtain and the bar was crowded, yet we were lucky to find two seats at the bar. Behind me, I heard two men confer with each other on what to drink. They decided and the one closest to me leaned in over my shoulder to give the order to the bartender. They waited for her to make their drinks. Quietly, his companion whispered, "Do you need Daddy to pay?"

I can't stand when I'm standing behind seated patrons at the bar and they don't acknowledge someone standing behind them trying to transact business at the bar. So I scooted over a little bit to make room for him to pay, turned around and gestured that it was okay for him to move in closer, then asked, "Does Daddy need to pay?" I realized that they could've easily been offended. But they laughed uproariously, we all laughed together, became fast friends, made out by the fountains, and now if Jim ever hesitates pulling out his credit card for a drink or meal, I just might say, "Daddy needs to pay."

Oh yeah, the ballet was wonderful. See it if you get a chance.

2nd floor, dreamgirls

Dreamgirls was filming in my building last week.

They were filming in a lot of different locations downtown. I think Jim snapped a few pics of base camp at 3rd & Main and at the hotel kitty corner from his window, but I don't think he's posted them yet.

The crew seemed nicer than most. Normally, if they're rude to the residents, someone defaces their wayfinding signs. But these remained intact. A few months ago, one production crew "lost" a laptop and posted signs in the elevator offering a $300 reward, no questions asked. That was promptly defaced. I wish I had taken a picture of it. It went a little something like this:

LAPTOPDANCER LOST!
$300$30,000 reward for safe return
For more details, PUsee or call production crew

I didn't say there was a brain trust living in my building, but sometimes they can be amusing.

Sadly, there were no Eddie Murphy, Beyonce, or Jamie Foxx sightings last week.

"we roll tonight... to the guitar bite..."

I don't think it will occupy the same place in my heart or my brain as West Wing, but SuperGroup seems like enough of a car wreck for me to tune in, or at least TiVo. What's SuperGroup? Just like it sounds - VH1 is putting together a few hard rock icons to see if they can play nice [music] together. Comprised of Ted Nugent, Scott Ian, Sebastian Bach, Evan Seinfeld and Jason Bonham, SuperGroup will follow the guys over a two-week period in Las Vegas as they try to get along as they rock on. The show premieres May 18 at 10pm.

Just to make it interesting they should have thrown someone like Mark McGrath or Hillary Duff's boyfriend in the mix. Or a Backstreet Boy. I'd tune in to see Ted threaten to shoot Nick Carter with a crossbow. Wouldn't you?

another opening, another show

They finally finished up shooting House, M.D. in my living room this week and left the penthouse just as they found it. Sort of. I forget which episode they shot, but it was a two-parter. I took some pictures and they look great, but I can't post them until after the episode airs, whenever that will be. I'll let you know.

The other day I was walking down Spring Street on the way home when I saw some new production vehicles and unfamiliar crews. They were filming interiors for Miami Vice next door. I wondered if I would spot Colin Farrell again. For a while I couldn't swing a dead cat around my head without hitting him - they shot Phone Booth on 5th Street between Main and Broadway for several weeks and the phone booth itself was directly across the street from my living room.

We'll probably have a rash of Jamie Foxx sightings in downtown Los Angeles. He's starring in Miami Vice and Dreamgirls. I was in the elevator, dreading the rainy drive to the office, when the doors opened and three PA's started loading cables. I asked what they're shooting and one of them said, "It's a feature called Dreamgirls." They're shooting Dreamgirls in my building!!! I loved, no, LOVED the musical and listened to the original cast soundtrack over and over again, like a mental patient, just rocking back and forth - well you get the idea. So if you're in downtown Los Angeles around 5th and Spring, or recently paroled, or a "street entrepreneur" selling pharmaceuticals, or a sex offender staying at the Alexandria - be on the lookout for Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Danny Glover, and Beyonce (she shot her Crazy In Love video on our roof).

I love downtown.

sunday nights just won't be the same

The series finale of The West Wing is scheduled for May 14. So I guess we'll know whether fictionalized America prefers Matt Santos or Arnie Vinnick by season's end. I hope we get to see Sam Seaborn, Danny Concanon and other favorite West Wing actors that I can't remember right now but I love just the same from the past seven seasons before, or during, the series finale. What's going to happen with Charlie and Zoey? Will Josh and Donna hook up? Will Kate Harper and Will Bailey? Whatever happened to his sister? Sigh.

Yeah, Sunday nights just won't be the same. Then again, I said that about Sunday nights after the final season of Sex and The City, and I survived.

four l.a. things meme

Mack from LA Voice tagged me with that meme/chain letter/time suck that's been going around the LA blogosphere. Thanks Mack, didn't I email you something about me being crazy busy with work? I guess you figured that meant I can make time for this...

Four Jobs I’ve Had In My Life in LA:
waitress at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour
chip runner at the Bicycle Club Casino
talent manager
creative executive at a film & tv production company

Four Movies About LA I Could Watch Over And Over: (does it count if it is set in Los Angeles, but not about Los Angeles?)
Chinatown
L.A. Story
L.A. Confidential
Swimming With Sharks

Four Places I’ve Lived All Over L.A. (With Food Memories From Each):
Downey - beef & cheese burritos with sour cream from El Taco
Manhattan Beach - whatever I ate at The Kettle at 3am
East Los Angeles - those monstrous burritos from El Tepeyac
Alhambra - wet fries and roast beef sandwiches from The Hat

Four LA-Themed Shows I Love(d) To Watch:
S.W.A.T.
L.A. Law
Entourage
Brady Bunch

Four Places I Would Vacation At In LA:
Surf & Sand Resort in Laguna Beach
Eric's house in Malibu
Casa del Mar in Santa Monica
Checkers and/or The Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles

Four LA-Based Websites I Visit Daily:
Variety.com
LA Observed
blogdowntown
trainedmonkey


Four Of My Favorite Foods Found In LA:
Mabodon at Ko-Raku in Little Tokyo
peanut butter & chocolate shakes at Harbor House Cafe in Sunset Beach
crepes at Genki Living / Japanese Dessert Land in Rowland Heights
deep fried egg rolls at Brodard's in Garden Grove


Four Places In LA I Would Rather Be Right Now:
the penthouse
Disneyland
Cole's
wherever Jim is

Tagged:
jim (trainedmonkey)
Mike (Franklin Avenue)
Jonah (LABlogs)
Brady Westwater (LA Cowboy)

But enough about me. What do you think of me?

new movie database

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) launched TCMdb, an interactive movie database. The new database will feature content related to more than 130,000 titles and more than 10 million distinct pieces of information, spanning movie history from the 1890s to films currently in production. The database includes library content licensed from the American Film Institute's Catalog of Feature Films (usually only available to AFI members), with additional content purchased from Internet Movie Database, Inc. and other sources, allowing TCM to include film content from all of the major movie studios.

I'm sure that at some point I'll give it a test spin. But at first glance it seems to be heavy on films from the wayback past that I won't need to reference and less of the films that are in various stages of development and/or production. Other than using TCMDB for the occasional bet, I think it'll continue to be IMDB for me.

spiderman midget

Downtown was crazy this weekend. Jim took more pictures of the Spiderman 3 setup on Friday morning before he left for Vegas. I didn't go to SF after all, so on Friday night Skip (my site representative for the House, MD shoot) and I went to Banquette for dinner and to check out the action. It felt like all downtown residents were out and about in the Old Bank District, I kept running into people on the streets.

This is what we saw on our way to dinner:







Skip really likes the vibe downtown and is now looking for a place. So after dinner, I took Skip to Cole's to introduce him around. I See Hawks In L.A. was playing that night, so it was full of regulars and fans. It was so nice to see Ali, Kristin, Allan and the rest of the gang. But I was beat, Skip had to be up at 7am to let the House production staff into the penthouse, and I had to meet bigshot producer again, so we called it an early night.

We walked back towards the Spiderman 3 filming, just to check in before going to bed. This is the view facing North on Main at 5th Street.


Nothing new, but we passed by Bar 107 on the way home. There was a midget dressed in a Spiderman outfit outside, climbing up a light pole. He didn't want to pose for pictures until I slipped him some much-deserved cash. Then he climbed into action:

Spiderman Midget scales downtown wall outside Bar 107.


Skip asked Spiderman Midget if he could climb up on top of his back. He refused and said, "No, I have something better for you. But you have to trust me." Then he dropped down in-between Skip's legs, then boosted him up on his shoulders. Here he is getting a piggyback ride from the Spiderman Midget. You can't tell from this picture, but Skip's feet are only about a foot off the ground.


I was laughing so hard I couldn't hold the camera still as the Spiderman Midget climbed up a light pole.


Every downtown film shoot should have its own midget.

two celebrity sightings

Last weekend Jim and I stayed at the Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach for the long weekend. It was so beautiful and Jim snapped a few pictures. They had some sort of reception with an open bar and lots of appetizers, so we thought we'd check it out before going to dinner at my favorite Southern California restaurant, French 75, which is just across the street from the Surf & Sand. We walked into the bar and it was packed with people staking out a nice spot to watch the sunset. As we walked in I noticed a guy standing in the doorway waiting for a table. He looked familiar but I couldn't place him. I asked Jim if he knew who that guy was, but he didn't recognize him. We walked outside to enjoy our beverages on the patio when a woman comes tearing out of the bar, yelling into her cell phone, "Oh my god! I'm, like, twenty feet away from Freddy Krueger!" Thank Buddha because I never would've figured that out and it would've driven me nuts trying. Jeez, he must get that all the time. Then we went on to French 75 and one of the most deliciously luxurious meals ever, complete with kir royales and a dazzling chocolate souffle - but no celebrities.

The next day we headed to Disneyland. We headed over the the Enchanted Tiki Room just before sunset. Jim had his camera out, taking a ton of pictures. He was taking this one when I noticed a Disney staffer looking over nervously. She relaxed when she realized that Jim wasn't taking pictures of Hugh Jackman, who she was escorting through the park along with his family, but of the lantern above him. I whispered to Jim, "Dude, that's Hugh Jackman." I don't think he cared, he just said something like, "That's nice," and kept on taking pictures of everything but Hugh Jackman and his family.

I'm glad he's so not Hollywood. Only one starfucker per household, right?

spiderman 3 filming downtown

Jim took this picture of the Farmer's and Merchant Bank Building from his window, they're using it to shoot some scenes for Spiderman 3. The production wanted to use Jim's pad to set up some lights, but he's in Vegas and I'm in SF. He snapped a few pics the other day and he said he'd try again this morning before leaving town. When I drove by on my way to work this morning, Jim was on the sidewalk by Pete's Cafe with his camera, so I hope he was able to take more good pictures.

Here's some general info excerpted from the filming notification sheet:

Exterior of Farmer's and Merchant Bank Building
Exterior of Pete's Cafe and Bar

Shoot:
Friday, 2/24 thru Saturday, 2/25 between the hours of 7am & 10am Saturday.
Wrap:
Saturday, 2/25 and Monday 2/27 thru Friday, March 3 between the hours of 7am & 10pm

Building access for the San Fernando, Hellman and Continental will remain unimpeded.

Pete's Cafe and Bar will be closed on Friday and will open on Saturday at 11am. Banquette Cafe, OBDVD, Lost Souls, Old Bank Market & Deli will be open as usual.

The scene is an aftermath of an explosion and bank robbery.
There will be no gunfire or explosions.
There will be no precision driving.
Two cranes in the NE corner of 4th and Main Streets.
A condor & generator will be placed on the south side of 4th just east of and another condor on the north side of 4th Street west of Main.
Lighting condor & generator in the Winston and Main parking lot.
Generator located on the South side of the Winston parking lot (Joe's Lot 433).
Generator at the south end of Harlem Place Alley away from residential windows.
Stunts, SFX smoke, extensive lighting, crans, condors, and 150 extras.

The Old Bank District and most of my neighborhood has been very busy with filming lately. In addition to Spiderman 3, they're prepping to shoot the Fox procedural medical drama, House, M.D. at my pad. They started last Friday and they're there for 9 or 10 days, starting at 7am every morning. There are about so many other film crews that I walk past every morning that it's almost like being on a lot, sometimes I think I'm at work.

I wish I could be around this weekend to take some pictures, but I'll be shopping in the Bay Area, courtesy of Shopper Shuttle. If anyone from the 'hood is going to be around, please take some pics and email me!

this is the droid you were looking for

One of the best presents I received this past Christmas was a Darth Tater Mr. Potatohead from my brother. Now I can look forward to my very own R2 Potatoo, complete with a little Princess Tater "hologram" figure. Adorable! Jim and I spent some time at the Mr. Potatohead Bar in some toy store at California Adventure. They had all these cute Disney Mr. Potatohead accessories, as well as the Darth Tater. I think R2 isn't available until June.


But Spud Troopers are available in April. I love that the Spud Troopers carry "laser" potato mashers.

afro ninja

Check out this hilarious video of this guy auditioning for an action film. Please make sure you don't have any food or beverages in your mouth - you will do a spit-take.

up-and-coming neighborhood

I was reading Hexodus' post on blogging.la re the Family Watchdog website. Basically, you enter your address, then you get a map pinpointing all the sexual offenders in your neighborhood, complete with crime details and a photograph. Hexodus said that after you type in your address, you get your results "after an excrutiating minute or two". I figured it would take a while, since I probably have more offenders than your average visitor. Seven minutes later, I received my scary results.

In January of last year I used Megan's Law Database to find out how many sex offenders lived in my zip code, and also found out how many Starbucks were within a 5-mile radius of my home (they were two different databases). Around this time last year, there were 168 registered sex offenders in my zip code, 16 of them living in my building. According to Family Watchdog, there are 2296 sex offenders in my neighborhood.

What was that about downtown Los Angeles being the next "it" neighborhood again?

paralyzed by indecision

I'm looking to get into a new cellular phone, my old one is a little too temperamental. I think I may have dropped it one time too many, or maybe I shouldnt've answered it in the shower those times. So it's time for a new one.

I have a Palm Treo with Sprint service for work. I like the Treo, but I don't like using it as a phone. It's large and unwieldy and doesn't fit in my cell phone holder. And when I say cell phone holder, I mean my bra. My other cell phone, my personal cell phone, the temperamental one, is cute little LG clamshell that tucks into my holder nicely. That's the one we're replacing. So here are the contenders:


Nokia 6102
I've always liked Nokia phones. I didn't know they came out with a clamshell phone until a guy at work showed off his new 6102. It does fit nicely in the holder. I asked that guy at work if I could check out his phone, so I tucked it into the holder to see if it would fit and not ruin the line of my top or if it was too big and would fall out the side if I moved, and he acted like I shoved it in my pants. It was a little warm when I handed it back to him, but it wasn't moist or anything like that. Should I not have done that?

Black Razr V3
You have to admit, this is one hot looking phone. I was concerned that the flat but wide dimensions of the phone wouldn't fit into the holder. I first tested it out in the holder on that last film I worked on a few months ago. The producer who kept asking me out on the set handed his Black Razr to me so I could make a phone call and when I was done I tucked it into my holder absentmindedly. I moved around a little bit to see if it would fall to the side or forward. It slid a bit, but held okay. I handed it back to him and, I kid you not, he smelled the phone and said, "Aaaahhh, it smells like Celia." Uh, how the hell does he know it smells like me? My smell could bitchslap him and he couldn't recognize it. But that's another story and has nothing to do with my phone selection.



Silver Razr V3
Another guy at the office got a new phone, this silver one. He likes it just fine, but he has different criteria than I. He didn't mind when I tested his phone in the holder.

Nokia 6010 Hello Kitty Phone
Isn't it pretty? It's so pretty.

I need to make a decision by midnight tonight. Which one do you think I should get?

space cadets

Jim and I went to Disneyland and California Adventure over the holiday weekend and tried out some new rides.



Could I look any more like a space cadet? It was probably the ears. As you can see by my score, I had given up on hitting the targets on the AstroBlaster. There's a joke there somewhere. Jim, who ignored me for the entire game/ride, scored more than twice as much as I did. There's a joke somewhere there, too.

This is me and Jim on California Screamin' at California Adventure. We were in the front row and even if you have to wait an extra half-hour to ride in front, I heartily recommend it.





I don't know why it looks like I have a mouth full of spinach, but I didn't. That's Jim hopped up on two buckets of caramel corn and a cinnamon roll. It was a good day.

the continental

Pardonnez-moi, voulez-vous couchez avec moi... ce soir?

i lack restraint

I couldn't resist. I was out running errands after work last night when I saw it, a pink Hello Kitty hard-case suitcase. It was calling my name. So I bought it.



Admit it, it's calling to you too, isn't it?

hasselhoff! manila!

I took a meeting this past Saturday with a very successful independent producer. He was showing me around his palatial home, nestled high up on a hill. Altough impressive, the house had that cluttered, yet neat and cozy look, filled with tons of books, wine, and art. We met for brunch, but the meeting went so well he invited me back to the house to meet his wife and to pick up a script that he wanted me to read.

I'm not that familiar with his work, I've seen only one of the films he has produced. But I walked into his office and saw a poster on the wall for a David Hasselhoff film he produced that shot in the Philippines. I resisted telling him that I make regular visits to the Hoffice. In any case, I need to work with this man.

can't always get what you want...

No, I'm not referring to Valentine's Day presents. hexodus posted something on his blog about PR companies and how every so often they contact him, asking "if I would not mind posting about some thing that is of interest to them, and of course, should be of interest to me."

I get a lot of email and promotional items from companies directly as well as from their PR companies, too. I don't mind if it's something I already use or would likely use, but it's almost never anything useful. I can never bring myself to throw away items like my "This Is Spinal Tap" colander (colander, calendar - get it?), "Tommy" calculator (in the shape of a pinball machine), and my full set of Hanna-Barbera characters juice glasses.

A while back, Trojan sent me 12 gross of their finest to use and/or distribute as I saw fit, and a big cheesey red velvet pillow with a pocket in the middle that could hold about three condoms. Inside the box, on the satin lining, in gold lettering was, "For her pleasure." I sold the pillow at a garage sale for about $5 bucks, which I now regret. Whether I was able to use up all 1,728 condoms before the expiration date, well, those stories I'm saving for the novel.

i baked a cake

Not just any cake and nothing out of a box. Last night we made sweet potato cake with toasted macadamia nuts and white chocolate frosting. And tonight we're having the best lasagna ever for dinner. Yes, I made it. Normally I make everything from scratch, but because I got another writing assignment this weekend, I didn't have time for that and used lasagna noodles that someone else lovingly prepared. I used about eight different cheeses and Jim is lactose-intolerant, so tonight could be very interesting. If that doesn't make him sick, the movie might do him in. I think he Netflixed The Notebook.

happy valentine's day

blame jim

The other night, I asked Jim if he was going to start all of his posts with, “Celia and I…” Then he made fun of my “weekly” blog posts, as if he weren’t the reason I blog so infrequently these days. Okay, maybe he’s just one of the reasons.

But if you’re looking for a reason why I haven’t been blogging about these recent happenings:
• going to Sonic Scenery at the Natural History Museum to give my new video iPod a test-spin;
• the Chinese New Year Parade;
• going to Disneyland on Super Bowl Sunday;
• Jim meeting my parents (I haven’t brought anyone home to meet my parents in over ten years), my brother, some close friends and my dealer;
• what happened when Cole’s didn’t have turkey one night and Allan broke his record of eating the same meal for 5 ½ years;
• running around a commercial set in Adam’s penthouse with only a towel on and why Jim, Adam, and two other people were doing the same (there is photographic evidence, though I haven’t seen it);
• why Jim looks around for women with large breasts every time I sniffle;
• flanked by Adam and Kathy, my new BFF, I caught a screening of Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and stayed for the Q&A afterwards with creator/co-director Nick Park and co-director Steve Box;
• location scouts were in my living room and structural engineers were on my roof this morning, testing whether it can hold a crane with tons of lights for a film they want to shoot at my pad;
• paid a visit to Mack Reed at his beautiful, modern house in Silverlake and now my eyes are green with house envy;
• Jim spoke at some geek conference this weekend and we wondered whether or not this is true;
• taking Shopper Shuttle’s posh new shuttle to Barker Hangar in Santa Monica for Barney’s Warehouse Sale on opening day.

Who should you blame? Jim.

For those interested in the Spiderman 3 pics, I reminded my loftmate again this weekend that people were waiting anxiously. “I’ll get right on that,” he promised. Then Jim got a letter from the management of his building – Spiderman 3 will be filming outside his building in a few weeks. I guess they’ve got a lot of night shoots scheduled with tons of noise and bright lights so they offered to put residents of his building up at the Biltmore, so as not to disturb them. So all you patient people from the Superhero Forum should probably email Jim and ask him all sorts of detailed questions about the upcoming Spiderman 3 filming.

jim and the ambassador hotel wake

We met at my sister Laura’s blood drive last year. I knew within five minutes I wanted to be with him. He said that he waited for what he thought was the correct span of time before he asked me out, but I think he just got tired of reading about my bad dates and wacky people hitting on me on this blog. We haven’t been dating for very long, but we’ve been together almost every day since our second date. He swept me off my feet and my toes haven’t touched ground since. We wanted to be sure this wasn’t just a passing thing before we blogged about it, but some people figured it out and started asking questions of me. Probably because Jim dropped a few hints here and there.

Last week Jim and I attended the Ambassador Hotel Wake with Kathy, my New Best Friend Forever. Mike of Franklin Avenue asked on his blog if we started dating recently. I guess that's a fair question, we were making out in a corner and Mike doesn't know that I don't make out with just anybody. But yes, the rumors are true - Jim and I are dating.

I was glad that I was able to meet so many bloggers – the aforementioned Mike of Franklin Avenue, Will Campbell and the new chick (forgot your name, sorry!) from blogging.la, and one of the Joshes from Curbed LA. I was glad to spend some time with Kevin Roderick from LA Observed. Although we’ve traded emails, I don’t think I’ve seen Kevin since he interviewed me four or five years ago for his article on downtown living. He was there signing books with his co-author Eric Lynxwiler (who is so sweet he drips sugar), so I knew Shannon from sha in la couldn’t be too far away. She showed up with one of my frequent sidekicks, photographer extraordinaire Craig Havens. Josh from Curbed LA asked if I could point out Carolyn from LAist and as if by magic, she stopped by our table. I wish he had asked for a cocktail waitress first, I was parched. It was also nice to see Joseph Mailander from Martini Republic and to meet his wife Lynn. I’m bummed that I missed seeing Mack Reed of LA Voice, losanjealous’ Ryan and whoever else was there that I didn’t see.

Anyway, it was a nice gathering but even though there were some nice speeches and genuine sentiment I wasn’t feeling it. We were gathering ourselves, getting our group together and coordinating the logistics involved in moving drunks from a bar in Koreatown to my new favorite super-secret-late-night-hangout when I stepped away from the crowd to take a phone call. After I hung up, there was this older gentlemen sitting on a stool a few feet away from me. He was alone and he seemed so very sad as he looked at the crowd of revelers. So I went up to him and asked him how he was doing and if he was enjoying the party. Turns out he was a musician in many bands that played the Cocoanut Grove. He was sad because he had hoped that a few of his contemporaries would show up and they could reminisce about the great times they had back in the day, but no one else showed. I think I was the most receptive audience this guy had all night, which is a shame because he had some great stories. One story rolled into the next and I wanted him to go on and on. Jim joined me a few minutes later and we just sat there listening to his stories of musicians and bandleaders he played with, the celebrities they played for, and all the wackiness that ensues when people are out for a night on the town. We talked about the significance it had for a girl to go to the Cocoanut Grove on a date, he said, “If a guy takes a girl to the Cocoanut Grove, then she knows – she’s in for a really good time. The Ambassador, that’s the biggest thing you could do on a Saturday night.” He was really sweet and I was very sad that we had to go. In parting, he told Jim that he was a really lucky guy and he hoped that we would have many happy years together. We hugged and I wished him all the best, but I don’t think he knew just how much I really wanted my wish (and his) to come true.

Afterwards, we waited at the curb for the valet to bring my car around and I felt a twinge of sadness. So many memories connected to the Ambassador and this guy’s stories were just a drop in the bucket. Years from now, I wonder what we’ll wax nostalgic over.

object of my desire

It's so pretty, so very pretty. I'm getting one and getting a big "C" engraved on it so it won't get mixed up with Helena's (she's also getting a pink one and an "H" engraved on hers).

Anybody else interested in joining Team Hello Kitty?

final season for west wing

I was over at Jim's last night watching last week's and last night's episode of West Wing. I'm a big fan of the show, so I was really disappointed to hear this morning that this is definitely the last season for West Wing. The decision to make this their last season was not due to the sudden death of John Spencer (Leo McGarry), but was made before his death when the ratings this season were not up to previous seasons. The series finale has been scheduled for May 14, and a new president will be voted into office.

BTW, nothing was broken this week.

february 10 - mark your calendar

The two hour season finale of Arrested Development airs February 10th at 8pm. Right up against the Olympics Opening Ceremony. So far no news yet on whether Showtime and ABC are picking up the show, so this could be the series finale.

and the emmy for podcasting goes to...

Good news for video podcasters and/or creators of non-traditional program content - The National Association of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) will award a new category of the Emmy Award for original programming created specifically for non-traditional viewing platforms, including computer, mobile phone, iPods, PSAs and similar devices. It will be given in recognition of creativity in editorial content and video production.

Eligible entries are original material made-for-broadband or made-for-mobile. Platforms include video blogs, website programs including journalistic reporting, event coverage or event analysis, mobisodes (short episodics created for mobile devices), video-on-demand and other video delivered over an IP network or platform such as wireless, broadband or VOD.

If you think your work should be considered, the deadline in both the Daytime and Sports Emmy Awards has been extended to March 1, and the eligibility period also has been extended for content created between Jan. 1, 2005 - March 1, 2006. The new Emmy will be presented for the first time at the 33rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards on April 28, and the Sports Emmy Awards on May 1.

There is actually one new award for content for non-traditional delivery platforms in EACH of the areas of recognition: Daytime, Sports, New & Documentaries, Business & Financial Reporting, and Community & Public Affairs. All entries must be original programming, not repurposed. It is acceptable if some of the footage has been previously shown on broadcast, but the program as a whole must be original and created for non-traditional delivery platform.

It's funny how getting a video iPod for Christmas can make all this interesting to me all of a sudden.

i'm gonna miss his loving

Photo courtesy of Lou Rawls.com

out with the old, in with the new

Happy New Year! The picture above is the view from my friend Adam's downtown penthouse on New Year's Eve. He threw yet another fabulous party and I'm so glad I didn't do the Giant thing, or anything else I considered doing that night.




This is Adam's tree. Looks pretty, but if you look closely you'll see a glimmer of perversity...


Dead roach nestled in the ornament...


Crackpipes twinkling as they hang from the tree...

I'm so glad 2005 is over because it sucked hard. X somehow found his way back into my life. We spent Christmas eve and morning together, and that was nice. But he stumbled with the NYE festivities, which is why I was kissing a really hot young buster at midnight instead of him. BTW, god bless 24-year-olds! Bless their firm young bodies and the cute things they say - they say the darndest things! This particular one said to me, you know, I forget what he said but I'm sure it was just adorable.


Such a romantic setting...

At midnight, we simulated the Times Square ball drop with a disco ball illuminated by many flashlights being lowered from the flagpole. Hilarious.



I brought bags of party popper guns that fire off streamers, confetti, and make a loud bang. They were like $1 apiece in the Toy District so I bought out their entire inventory. Some kid pointed it at her eye and squeezed the trigger. At least she got that right, squeezing instead of pulling. She was okay, but her mom lost her mind.

The only big disappointment of the evening was that Ali wasn't there. The night before New Year's Eve he was "escorting" a belligerent drunk out of Cole's (not me) when he slipped on the stairs and fell, breaking his elbow. Ouch. Ali, we're all sending good wishes your way. I hope you feel better and heal fast because your birthday is coming up (January 12th) and my friend, we are going to celebrate.

reach-around romance

My astrologist and I caught a screening of Brokeback Mountain the other week. Liked it, but not as much as my astrologist did. Halfway through the film, he brandished his cell phone and mumbled something about having to take this call and left the theater. He was gone for a while, longer than a phone call you take while watching a movie should last. He denies it, but I think he went to the restroom to rub one out.

free rides on metro

Anyone coming downtown for any of the brazilian New Year's Eve parties going on? Now you can carouse drunkenly downtown without any transit worries - you can ride for free on the Metro Bus and Rail from 9pm through New Year's Day, ending at midnight.

And if you plan on hitting the Music Center's 46th Annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration, Metro is also offering free rides for Christmas Eve from 9pm through midnight on Christmas Day.

a leprechaun, a hillbilly couple, and my astrologist walk into a bar...

A few weeks ago, my new favorite super-secret late-night hangout was out of control. In addition to the great DJ (I danced for hours!), the super-attractive, fun and friendly crowd, the cheap drinks and the mellow vibe - all great reasons to patronize this underground anti-establishment establishment - there was a guy with a popcorn machine. And with this machine, he popped kernels of corn in oil that was infused with marijuana, and then doused with butter, also infused with marijuana. Like I said - out of control. Of course I didn't realize that was the situation until a hillbilly couple asked me if I were interested in a threesome. Then a leprechaun asked me to go home with him. I think it was a leprechaun, it could've just been the popcorn talking. Clearly, someone was under the influence. It just wasn't clear who. My astrologist was there, texting me furiously, "Where are you? I'm by the popcorn," but I think he fell into a tub of butter and didn't want to come out. At some point I figured it was time to leave. Probably when I realized it was 5am. We treated ourselves to breakfast at the Pacific Dining Car and I made it back home just as the sun came up.

I don't know if there will be any "popcorn" tonight, but I need to blow off a lot of steam just the same. Is anyone even in town? It feels like Night of the Comet in Los Angeles today.

sunday morning with william goldman

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riding the silver bullet

I needed to spend some quality time with my astrologist and photographer, so we scheduled a day at Knott's Berry Farm. The astrologist flaked out last minute, but I was able to find suitable replacements. We brought brand new toys valued at $10 or more (not gift wrapped) to donate to Toys for Tots and received free admission to Knott's. Such do-gooders. To get more bang for our buck, I hit the Toy District on Saturday and bought enough toys to fill two large garbage bags. I forgot that I walked there and had to drag them from 3rd and Los Angeles Streets to 5th and Spring. I almost reinjured my shopping arm.

The first ride of the day was the Silver Bullet. Although I love rollercoasters, I have an almost-paralyzing fear of heights. So I face my fears by riding 'coasters, but have a big bag of tricks to keep me from completely losing my mind. For instance, I'll stare at the horizon, but will not look down. So there I was on the Silver Bullet with my friend Jason. Right before a particularly steep descent, he suggested "Celia, look down at your feet." Foolishly, I complied. This is me right after looking down:



BTW ladies, Jason is single and looking...

catching up

I am so far behind in processing all the activity swirling around me. A few weekends ago I attended the Creative Screenwriting Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Three solid days of seminars, speaker luncheons, parties and networking left me exhausted.

The opening night cocktail party was held at the Hotel Figueroa. I was fortunate that Adrienne walked in right after I did, it would've been hella difficult to find each other in that dark, crowded, poorly laid-out but pretty poolside bar. We found her friend, a professor from Berkeley, here to teach a few classes. Our luck held out as we found a poolside table a few minutes later. I remember it was such a pretty night. Too bad I don't remember much of anything else.

I take that back, I do remember the rest of the evening. I was supposed to meet "DJ" at the party. I was under the impression that it was just a friendly meet-up and then my astrologist would join us and the three of us would hit an AFI party. Shortly after meeting up with DJ at the Figueroa, it felt more like a set-up. Adrienne thought he was beautiful. He was cute. I should give him a second look. BTW, everyone run out and buy Adrienne's book, Blogosphere: Best of Blogs.

We went to the party, had a great time, and wound up back at his place to lounge on his roof, sipping champagne beside a roaring fireplace. We did not do the no-pants dance, he was a perfect gentleman. He held up his end of the conversation, but there were no sparks. At least not for me. Oh well.

I'll post something about some of the seminars I attended and the William Goldman interview in a separate post.