At 1:30am this morning, a car reeled into a parked car off of Hollywood Boulevard and Vista. Then drove off. A congregate of local residents converged around the hit vehicle, and a multitude of stories “when I heard the accident, I came out” was heard.
DANE COOK: Car Accident @ 3:59
In the Spring of 1930, planning began for L.A.’s first ‘Great Park’. Costs were low due to the present Depression. For the same reason, talented architects were available, the finest stones and resources were prevalent. Earthquakes, Focult’s Pendulum, a planetarium and the observatory’s telescope tower were considered in preparation of this ‘Great Park’. Today, the observatory is a newly renovated mansion, closed in 2002 and reopened in 2008 at the cost of $93 million dollars. There are no parking or entrance fees and you no longer have to make a reservation to visit. In fact, the only fee is a ticket to see a half-hour show at the Planetarium, at a cost of seven dollars. The grounds are grandiose and pristine, the views wide and dramatic.
The Observatory is, as its shape suggests, toured as follows: an entrance, a left, then right, a downstairs and a roof – accessible by winding staircases along the side of the building. A telescope is brought out on the outside lawn daily for a closer look at Venus, the most visible planet in the L.A. firmament. Exhibitions cover the high points of astoronomy’s most notable celebrities and inventions, featuring the theories and beliefs that first brought our eyes skyward. Planetarium shows run every 45 minutes. Using digital laser technology, a Zeiss Universarium Mark IX star projector (latest in it’s field), live narration, and seamless dome construction to create an immersive program for viewers, the Planetarium is all about modern design. The narrator warns that you may get nauseous, to close your eyes if this happens, it’s only a visual affect. Follow signs to the lower level to view information about our planets, meteorites and the moon. Weigh yourself on Mars and Neptune, read about Saturn’s icy rings, and locate the stars in our sky. The upper level is about the past, the lower about our future. The whole is about our location in the galaxy.
Viewing our galaxy is profound and humbling, and the Griffith Observatory is all it was meant to be. A place for relaxation and education, a ‘Great Park’ as Griffith J. Griffith envisioned. The observatory makes the city remarkable, draws foreigners to its gates, and provides a heaven’s view of the dusty L.A. landscape. An alluring view from above.
This…
Angelyne.
As she tells it, she maintains “the glamour of classic Hollywood.” “My image is seductive and sensual without being campy or burlesque. I carry on the tradition of the Hollywood Blonde Bombshell in my own unique way and I’m very proud of that.” General knowledge says she’s the wife of a billboard magnate, but she denies these reports and says instead that financial support comes through private investors, and ‘countless’ offers for interviews, star appearances and features in music videos. The reason for all she does? Inspiration to others. Whatever the dream, you can conquer all odds.
She’s not complacent to be pigeon-holed as just a billboard star. She wants the world to know that she’s a true performer – a dancing, singing, glamorous throw-back to good old Hollywood. Not so much. She is seen around town in mini skirts and hooker shoes, four-inch heels carved out of clear plastic, and stalked with perverted intrigue. She looks more like Mary Ann from Gilligan’s island aged 40 years with bad plastic surgery than an elegant Lauren Bacall.
Kitschy or not, her billboards look dirty and worn. Times are tough. However, she is relevant to modern Hollywood; she marks its backdrop and peppers its history. Though her fifteen minutes seem to be coming to a close and her iconic fame revolves more around her erratic behavior than God-given hotness, she is another Hollywood dream come true.
A late night run for two-buck Chuck finally got me to Trader Joe’s new location off Sunset. Three parking garage floors down is the entry way to the store. I expected cheap grocery store goods, not a rehash of Rock n’ Roll motifs. However, this store’s novel location may have called for a new spin on things.
The walls of Trader Joe’s
This is unusual for Trader Joe’s, whose normal in-store decor themes ebb around the Islands. An oasis in the city if you will.
Today is a sad day for the antipathetic group Anonymous, who in 2008, chose to attack Scientology and its followers through an onslaught focused on their communications, exacting the shut down of their website and a flood of black faxes to their headquarters. Dmitriy Guzner, age 19, was charged with unauthorized impairment of a protected computer and faces 12 to 18 months. There’s no word on how he was caught, but he pleaded guilty to the charge and is the first member of the Anonymous group to be prosecuted.
In 2008, Anonymous members organized multiple protests outside Scientology’s offices and religious centers around the world; a series of foreboding and creepy YouTube videos were released by the group to make their case known. Counter attacks ensued, but the Scientology church denied that they were the source of retaliation. A movement I traced through the pages of Radar and documented. Members of Anonymous are most widely recognized for their use of the Guy Fawkes mask from V for Vendetta, an effort meant to protect themselves from personal attacks by the Church.
Outside on the patio..
You know what else you can find at Home Depot?
Day laborers. A phenomenon I hadn’t encountered until I moved here.
There must be a skating dog in every city across America. Well, here’s ours…..3rd St., Santa Monica.
p.s. That is not my giggle in the background.
“LA is great at making sitcoms. Paris isn’t as good as LA is at making sitcoms; every place has their specialty. And then they do LA Fashion Week, which is incredibly arrogant and demanding. I mean, these editors have been all over the globe for a couple of weeks [for Fashion Month] and then LA is saying ‘Okay, now you have to come here.’ Please, I mean, get off your ass and go to Europe. I mean, that’s what I did and you just have to go where you have to go. They just don’t have the tradition, and they do other things really good, so why do they have to be a fashion capital? They’re the movie capital of the world and they’ve always been that, can’t they just be satisfied with that?”
NO SAINTS IN L.A. 